Disclaimer: Lots of angst, etc. in this part: you have all been warned! The title and parts of poem in this story are taken from Mlaa's "The Call Of Steel." Thanks to my beta, "HopefulNebula" as always, and to "Mlaa" for being kind enough to let me borrow her poem. I own nothing, bar the plot.
The Call Of Steel.
Part 6:- Gurth Dûr, Gurth Mor.
~ the anger builds up.
and overflows.
"The Call of Steel" by Mlaa ~
Archer wandered aimlessly through his ship, his mind frozen in denial.
//No, no, no, no, no.\\ his mind repeated. //No, no, no!\\ He
ran his hand through his hair and shook his head. Although he hated to even think about what Charles the Second had said, he had to admit that it did explain a lot.
//All those times Trip visited his family, then came home with bruises and I never saw. Every time he would fall asleep working on the engine with me and my dad, only to wake a hour or so later screaming his head off and I never guessed, never even had the faintest idea. What sort of a friend am I?\\
**Flashback**
"Hi Trip, how was your weekend with your parents?" Jon asked, his mind fully focused on the task in front of him. His young friend jumped and shot Jon a guilty glance. He had tried to sneak past Jon, but as usual he had been caught. Jon Archer half turned from his work, a slight grin on his face.
"You'll never guess wh- Trip, what happened to your face?" Archer asked. Trip's hand flew to his face.
"Oh. This. I... got kicked in the face by a horse." Trip muttered, his face turning an ugly shade of red. It sounded wildly implausible, even to him.
"Tell me the truth Trip." Archer said. There was a pause as Trip simply stared at him.
"I was joking Trip."Archer laughed.
"Oh, right." Trip said with a tight smile. He carried on walking, his face perfectly frozen in an unreadable expression. He raised his hand to his face and traced the mark left there. It was vaguely in the shape of a handprint.
**End Flashback**
Archer brought himself back to the present and looked around. There was no one working anywhere near him and he had the strangest feeling of being the only one on the ship, 'The last man'.
"Stop it Jon." he muttered. He turned a corner and found himself, again in a deserted part of the ship. He gave a little start as he realized he was standing just five feet away from Charles Tucker's room.
"Well, this way I can get some answers." Archer said out loud. He walked up to the metal door and knocked on it. There was no answer. He knocked again, louder in case Charles Sr. had fallen asleep.
"Computer, open door." Archer commanded. The door beeped, then with a hiss, slid open. The room inside was in darkness. Sitting in a chair, facing away from the door was Charles Tucker II, slumped over, asleep. Archer moved over to the chair and placed his hand on Charles' shoulder. He spun the chair around, an angry look on his face. The look of anger faded from his face as he stared at the man in front of him. Slowly the look on his face was replaced by horror. As if in a dream he reached forward and placed his hand under Charles chin. He gently lifted the face and stared for a few seconds into the wide glassy eyes.
Charles Tucker II was dead.
~@~
Dr. Phlox looked up from the body, his normally happy expression replaced by a look Archer didn't instantly recognize. It took a second or two for him to release the Doctor looked angry.
"From what I can tell he suffocated." Dr. Phlox said. Archer pressed his fingers to his forehead and began to massage himself, his eyes closed.
"How?" It was a simple, one syllable question, yet Archer had a feeling the answer would be anything but simple. He was right.
"I don't know. His lungs could have failed, he could have had a heart attack which stopped him breathing, his cancer could have killed him, he could... he could have killed himself... or..."
"... Someone could have done it for him?" Archer asked grimly. Dr. Phlox nodded, his eyes troubled.
"I believe that in your world, 'euthanasia' as you call it, is still illegal?" Phlox asked delicately. Archer spun round and took a step towards him.
"Are you suggesting that Trip had anything to do with this?He knows better, he would never... he would never do this."
"I did not mention the Commander, Captain, however he is the only person on this ship that knew Charles Tucker in any way. Also, this is his father, it is altogether possible that he wanted to help him?"
"I'm going to see him..." Archer announced. Dr. Phlox shook his head.
"As ship's doctor don't you think I should be the one who tells him?"
"Dammit! He doesn't even know his dad is dead! As his Captain, and his friend, it should be me who breaks the news to him." The two looked at each other, a silent battle of wills, as they each tried to get their own way. It was Dr. Phlox, in the end who gave in.
"Very well." The two gave each other a last look then turned and set off in different directions. Archer walked along, a nasty thought lurking in his mind. A single word, that no matter how hard he tried to push away would just come back.
//Murder...\\
~@~
"Come in" Trip called, after hearing a knock. Archer opened and surveyed the mess that was all over the floor in front of him. Trip was in the middle of it. He was half buried, searching through the mess, which looked like a war zone- or a teenager's bedroom. Archer gingerly stepped forward, towards Trip who was still looking through all the mess, humming 'Wind Beneath my Wings', a small enigmatic smile lingering on his face.
"What can I do for you Cap'n?" he asked, the smile still there. He glanced around his room.
"Sorry about the mess. I'm looking for something for my dad... Cap'n what is it? What's wrong?" He asked, the smile vanishing. He dug himself out and moved over to Archer. Archer looked at Trip, tears trying to engulf him. Trip reached Archer and lead him over to his bed.
"Cap'n? What's wrong?" Trip asked again, his voice full of concern.
"T-Trip..." Archer began. Part of him, the selfish part, wished he could just walk out of the room and let the Doctor tell Trip. But he didn't.
"Trip, I've got something to tell you... why don't you sit down?" Archer said. Trip gave Archer an odd look.
"I am sitting down Cap'n."
"Oh, right. Good. Trip... God, I don't know how to say this..." Archer trailed off.
"It's my dad, isn't it?" Trip asked, his voice high, as he stared at Archer. "Something's happened to my dad." Archer gazed sorrowfully into Trip's eyes.
"No." Trip jumped up and shook his head. "No, no, no, no!"
"I'm sorry Trip." Archer said softly. "Your dad's dead. I'm so sorry Trip." He reached forward and placed his hand on Trip shoulder.
"Don't touch me!" Trip yelled, jerking away from Archer. He turned away from Archer, tears running down his face. "Don't t-touch me. I want to be on my own."
"Trip..." Archer began, feeling more helpless by the second. Trip spun back round to face Archer, his eyes bright, the tears having made a path all the way down his face.
"I said get out!" He screamed, before erupting into loud sobs. Archer paused for a second then simply turned and walked out of the room. Trip stumbled towards the door and pushed it shut. He slid down, the sobs echoing in the empty room. He buried his face in his hands, his voice fading away. The shaking in his shoulders increased, yet there was no sound. He slowly raised his face, the tears gone. The shaking carried on however as he slightly laughed to himself. A smile curled up on his lips as a single gleeful laugh escaped his mouth.
TBC...
*Evil laugh* There you have it, the sixth part of 'The call of Steel'. The title is in Elfish, Sindarin, which is the language Legolas from 'Lord of the Rings' talks in. The title means 'Dark Death, Dark Death'. Please read and review!
Because I am nice and kind and love you all I've deiced to post just a 'lil teaser of part seven up right now. For some reason I'm in a really, really good mood and I've nearly fin this next part already! [Hint: More reviews = More parts.]
For this teaser '...' means there is a brake in-between lines. Okay?
Coming soon... Part 7: Verity reveled.
'Trip sang, a big cold smile on his face. He waltzed around his quarters, holding a glass of red wine....
"Here's to you 'dad'." he said, before giggling. He took a large sip of the wine, the cold smile still on his face.'
'Tori glared at Archer, fury written all too clearly in her eyes.
"I hated my husband. He was a monster, and, he hurt my boy." she added.'
'Trip gazed at himself in the mirror, his eyes, normally warm and full of life were now icy cold. He lifted his shirt and stared at all the scars, crossing all over him.
"Disgusting." he mummerd.'
' "Backup, Backup, I need a backup..." Trip muttered, eyes fixed on his computer screen. A smile appeared on his face as he found the personal file he was looking for.'
Coming... Soon.
And that's your lot, so please read and review!
Sethoz-Chan.
The Call Of Steel.
Part 6:- Gurth Dûr, Gurth Mor.
~ the anger builds up.
and overflows.
"The Call of Steel" by Mlaa ~
Archer wandered aimlessly through his ship, his mind frozen in denial.
//No, no, no, no, no.\\ his mind repeated. //No, no, no!\\ He
ran his hand through his hair and shook his head. Although he hated to even think about what Charles the Second had said, he had to admit that it did explain a lot.
//All those times Trip visited his family, then came home with bruises and I never saw. Every time he would fall asleep working on the engine with me and my dad, only to wake a hour or so later screaming his head off and I never guessed, never even had the faintest idea. What sort of a friend am I?\\
**Flashback**
"Hi Trip, how was your weekend with your parents?" Jon asked, his mind fully focused on the task in front of him. His young friend jumped and shot Jon a guilty glance. He had tried to sneak past Jon, but as usual he had been caught. Jon Archer half turned from his work, a slight grin on his face.
"You'll never guess wh- Trip, what happened to your face?" Archer asked. Trip's hand flew to his face.
"Oh. This. I... got kicked in the face by a horse." Trip muttered, his face turning an ugly shade of red. It sounded wildly implausible, even to him.
"Tell me the truth Trip." Archer said. There was a pause as Trip simply stared at him.
"I was joking Trip."Archer laughed.
"Oh, right." Trip said with a tight smile. He carried on walking, his face perfectly frozen in an unreadable expression. He raised his hand to his face and traced the mark left there. It was vaguely in the shape of a handprint.
**End Flashback**
Archer brought himself back to the present and looked around. There was no one working anywhere near him and he had the strangest feeling of being the only one on the ship, 'The last man'.
"Stop it Jon." he muttered. He turned a corner and found himself, again in a deserted part of the ship. He gave a little start as he realized he was standing just five feet away from Charles Tucker's room.
"Well, this way I can get some answers." Archer said out loud. He walked up to the metal door and knocked on it. There was no answer. He knocked again, louder in case Charles Sr. had fallen asleep.
"Computer, open door." Archer commanded. The door beeped, then with a hiss, slid open. The room inside was in darkness. Sitting in a chair, facing away from the door was Charles Tucker II, slumped over, asleep. Archer moved over to the chair and placed his hand on Charles' shoulder. He spun the chair around, an angry look on his face. The look of anger faded from his face as he stared at the man in front of him. Slowly the look on his face was replaced by horror. As if in a dream he reached forward and placed his hand under Charles chin. He gently lifted the face and stared for a few seconds into the wide glassy eyes.
Charles Tucker II was dead.
~@~
Dr. Phlox looked up from the body, his normally happy expression replaced by a look Archer didn't instantly recognize. It took a second or two for him to release the Doctor looked angry.
"From what I can tell he suffocated." Dr. Phlox said. Archer pressed his fingers to his forehead and began to massage himself, his eyes closed.
"How?" It was a simple, one syllable question, yet Archer had a feeling the answer would be anything but simple. He was right.
"I don't know. His lungs could have failed, he could have had a heart attack which stopped him breathing, his cancer could have killed him, he could... he could have killed himself... or..."
"... Someone could have done it for him?" Archer asked grimly. Dr. Phlox nodded, his eyes troubled.
"I believe that in your world, 'euthanasia' as you call it, is still illegal?" Phlox asked delicately. Archer spun round and took a step towards him.
"Are you suggesting that Trip had anything to do with this?He knows better, he would never... he would never do this."
"I did not mention the Commander, Captain, however he is the only person on this ship that knew Charles Tucker in any way. Also, this is his father, it is altogether possible that he wanted to help him?"
"I'm going to see him..." Archer announced. Dr. Phlox shook his head.
"As ship's doctor don't you think I should be the one who tells him?"
"Dammit! He doesn't even know his dad is dead! As his Captain, and his friend, it should be me who breaks the news to him." The two looked at each other, a silent battle of wills, as they each tried to get their own way. It was Dr. Phlox, in the end who gave in.
"Very well." The two gave each other a last look then turned and set off in different directions. Archer walked along, a nasty thought lurking in his mind. A single word, that no matter how hard he tried to push away would just come back.
//Murder...\\
~@~
"Come in" Trip called, after hearing a knock. Archer opened and surveyed the mess that was all over the floor in front of him. Trip was in the middle of it. He was half buried, searching through the mess, which looked like a war zone- or a teenager's bedroom. Archer gingerly stepped forward, towards Trip who was still looking through all the mess, humming 'Wind Beneath my Wings', a small enigmatic smile lingering on his face.
"What can I do for you Cap'n?" he asked, the smile still there. He glanced around his room.
"Sorry about the mess. I'm looking for something for my dad... Cap'n what is it? What's wrong?" He asked, the smile vanishing. He dug himself out and moved over to Archer. Archer looked at Trip, tears trying to engulf him. Trip reached Archer and lead him over to his bed.
"Cap'n? What's wrong?" Trip asked again, his voice full of concern.
"T-Trip..." Archer began. Part of him, the selfish part, wished he could just walk out of the room and let the Doctor tell Trip. But he didn't.
"Trip, I've got something to tell you... why don't you sit down?" Archer said. Trip gave Archer an odd look.
"I am sitting down Cap'n."
"Oh, right. Good. Trip... God, I don't know how to say this..." Archer trailed off.
"It's my dad, isn't it?" Trip asked, his voice high, as he stared at Archer. "Something's happened to my dad." Archer gazed sorrowfully into Trip's eyes.
"No." Trip jumped up and shook his head. "No, no, no, no!"
"I'm sorry Trip." Archer said softly. "Your dad's dead. I'm so sorry Trip." He reached forward and placed his hand on Trip shoulder.
"Don't touch me!" Trip yelled, jerking away from Archer. He turned away from Archer, tears running down his face. "Don't t-touch me. I want to be on my own."
"Trip..." Archer began, feeling more helpless by the second. Trip spun back round to face Archer, his eyes bright, the tears having made a path all the way down his face.
"I said get out!" He screamed, before erupting into loud sobs. Archer paused for a second then simply turned and walked out of the room. Trip stumbled towards the door and pushed it shut. He slid down, the sobs echoing in the empty room. He buried his face in his hands, his voice fading away. The shaking in his shoulders increased, yet there was no sound. He slowly raised his face, the tears gone. The shaking carried on however as he slightly laughed to himself. A smile curled up on his lips as a single gleeful laugh escaped his mouth.
TBC...
*Evil laugh* There you have it, the sixth part of 'The call of Steel'. The title is in Elfish, Sindarin, which is the language Legolas from 'Lord of the Rings' talks in. The title means 'Dark Death, Dark Death'. Please read and review!
Because I am nice and kind and love you all I've deiced to post just a 'lil teaser of part seven up right now. For some reason I'm in a really, really good mood and I've nearly fin this next part already! [Hint: More reviews = More parts.]
For this teaser '...' means there is a brake in-between lines. Okay?
Coming soon... Part 7: Verity reveled.
'Trip sang, a big cold smile on his face. He waltzed around his quarters, holding a glass of red wine....
"Here's to you 'dad'." he said, before giggling. He took a large sip of the wine, the cold smile still on his face.'
'Tori glared at Archer, fury written all too clearly in her eyes.
"I hated my husband. He was a monster, and, he hurt my boy." she added.'
'Trip gazed at himself in the mirror, his eyes, normally warm and full of life were now icy cold. He lifted his shirt and stared at all the scars, crossing all over him.
"Disgusting." he mummerd.'
' "Backup, Backup, I need a backup..." Trip muttered, eyes fixed on his computer screen. A smile appeared on his face as he found the personal file he was looking for.'
Coming... Soon.
And that's your lot, so please read and review!
Sethoz-Chan.