Episode: Why me?
Post: 3x03
(Teaser)
"Captain we are detecting a very strange object 10000 km from here" TPol wearing his new red cat suit alerted the captain.
"So?" Archer asked "What is so special about that?" The NX01 Enterprise was in an all-stopped state, Trip was installing the magnetic protection needed to fly trough the expanse without any issue regarding any breaking the law of physics or damaging electronically the computer systems.
"It is a box, sir" TPol answered rawly.
A minute went by, both remained in silence, Hoshi glanced at Archer do not understanding as well why the female Vulcan was interested in a box floating in deep space.
Archer tried again, now speaking in a joking tone "What the science officer recommend doing?"
"We should study it... sir" She didn't like the way Archer was mocking her "Permission to transport it into the ship?"
"Don't you think that would bring any danger to the crewmen?" Archer insisted.
"I will take the necessary precautions handling the object."
"Ok, just tell me why you want the box." Archer turned his chair to face her response.
"Captain, the main database computer is offline. The paperback books we have had its words scrambled when we hit the last singularity. I meditated too much. Then as I science officer I am kind of ... bored, let me study that (damn) thing."
"Boredom, isn't it a felling?" Archer smiled, as a human, he always loved spiking the Vulcan's weak point.
"No, sir, it is a state of mind" She answered appearing to be serene outside, but feeling upset like a bitch.
"Ok, Mr. Mayweather, move us closer enough to get this box into our transporter range, full impulse power." Archer turned to the main screen, he was also bored, about a week stopped doing nothing, letting TPol get the box would give him at least a subject to mock her for a while.
The communicator whistled, it was Trip, "Captain, why are you turning on the impulse power, I told you to let it off, there was two man working over the impulse single reactor, one of them got his hand burnt, the engineering is smelling barbecue now"
Archer glanced at Hoshi that was smiling ironically, "Ok Trip, I will ask personally a priority treatment from Phlox in this case" And gestured to Hoshi to cut the transmission.
(End of a regular Enterprise Senseless/Actionless Teaser)
Star Trek Enterprise Main Titles
(Act 1)
Two hours later all the main officers were standing in the new improvised battle room: Archer, TPol, Trip, Malcolm, Hoshi and Phlox. Over the center table a black box was displayed.
"The censor detected something inside" TPol informed.
"I think the reason to create a box is put something inside" Trip murmured at Malcolm's ear that put his hand over his mouth to hide his laugh.
"I heard that, Mr. Tucker" TPol said "Anyway it was a logic answer"
"Damn ultra sensitive Vulcan ear" Trip cursed lowly.
"I heard that as well, Mr. Tucker"
Now Trip just expressed an unhappy face.
"You may continue" Archer asked.
"Please! I am curious" Phlox added. "But why you didn't scanned your item at the decon chamber?"
"It seemed unnecessary." TPol affirmed promptly.
"Why---" Phlox got interrupted.
"There is no lock, we will have to crack it open" TPol described her very technologic opening procedure, induce moped faces in everybody.
TPol held it, which was all black 15x15x15 centimeters box, and threw it on the bulkhead, transforming it in peaces. Transforming as well the moped faces into alarmed faces.
"She is nuts" Trip cursed lowly again.
She heard but ignored it, she ducked to find out what was inside, searching among the pieces she found the content, she stood up turning back to the other officers holding a talisman.
"Well, this is beautiful, can I keep it, as a souvenir from the expanse, if we survive and get back someday." Hoshi asked. Archer displayed an OK look.
Then the talisman started to glow a high light and heat making TPol drop it on the floor.
Light turned into dust, dust turn into bones, from the bones flesh appeared, then clothes, in the end a complete man was standing in the center of the room screaming in pain.
"Fascinating" TPol exclaimed.
He was feeling cold and pain, he hugged himself to produce heat, he was dizzy "Bugger that"
Phlox drawn his medical tricorder "Unusual readings Captain"
"He seems human" Hoshi added and tried to contact him "Stay calm, we are friends, at least friendly."
"You are onboard of the USS Enterprise, I'm the Captain Jonathan ..." Archer got interrupted by the man.
"I know you Archer, I know you all people, is this hell?" the man said impressing everybody.
"Who are you?" Archer asked
"I'm Spike" the man, pale, blond dyed hair, wearing black jeans, black T-shirt and a black long coat.
"How do you know us?" Archer tapped his belt finding that his phaser was not there.
Spike turned himself into his vampire face and jumped to attack Archer. Eventually he went trough Archer and the rest of the people that were terrified going off the room crossing the bulkhead, totally untouchable like a ghost.
"This was very odd" Malcolm completed, he was strangely shaking.
"This was a very interesting box TPol" Phlox said. "Can you explain that?"
Hoshi ducked and get the amulet. "You brought vampire ghost to the ship, you saw him very well too, can you also explain ghosts and vampires?"
"It was a kind of group hallucination"
"I just hope that would not turn into a ghost in the machine because I have to fix that engines now" Trip went out the room, the rest of the crew followed him, letting only TPol and Archer on the room.
"Sub commander, I want a report on my table by night!"
"Captain you know the database and the logs are offline"
"You can do it handmade or typewritten, you choose"
Spike slipped though walls and felt into open space, the inertia made him float without stopping, he could sigh the starship getting more far every second. "Damn, now I'm doomed into space"
Hoshi entered her room, admired her new necklace talisman smiling "Is there another ghost inside?" She got another pack of clean uniform and headed to the showers. Involuntary she put the talisman back in her pocket. She walked on the hallway and entered in the girls' collective dressing and shower room. She was alone there, after some minutes under the water she felt a lightning effect in the room, she turned off the shower and wrapped herself in the tower in order to check what have happened.
"Hey Hoshi" A voice called her from behind.
"Ahhh" She got scared, it was Spike, he was back.
"What are you doing here?"
"I was floating into space then poof! I was back here. Hey be cool, I didn't peeked on you there inside" He was a little embarrassed.
"How do you know me? How do you know all of us?"
"It is a long story pet, but yes, I know you all, I will tell you what I know soon." He was disconsolate. "What am I doing here may be a best story to be told, how exactly do you get me here?"
"You came from this amulet," she showed him almost dropping her tower. "Oops... Hmmm... It was abandoned in the space, inside a black box that TPol rescued."
"That should be the reason why I returned to here, if I get a too distant from the amulet, its power attracts me back to it, like I'm connected to it. But now, why I became a bloody ghost?"
"Let me dress myself, we can go to Phlox to check out your condition."
"Well thanks, I will be at the hallway, I will wait you there." He pushed his hand into the bulkhead proving himself that he could pass through it, then he did it.
On the upper deck that I don't know exactly with letter is determined to it, Bruce Watson, member of that military SWAT crew assigned to help with the Expanse mission, waited in the hallway for the turbolift, then the elevator came in about a minute, he calmly entered into, the door closed, he pushed the button and nothing happened, then he heard an unusual sound, that remembered him an electronic noise like when the old television produce when the signal is off.
Suddenly he noticed that the turbolift floor started to fade out, turning gradually invisible and un-tread-able "Help! Someone!" He yelled very loud, he tried to hold the buttons console to keep himself out of falling, but the console was too thin to hold with his fingers and sustain his weight, then he tried to get in the horizontal position, putting his feet in side of the wall and his hands in the opposite side, but he couldn't get it, he slid and passed trough the floor that was already gone. "Ahhh!! Help!"
"What is that?" Spike said, he and Hoshi were waiting the turbolift a couple of floors under, and they heard the screaming followed by a huge bump sound. "Gosh! I think it was here inside."
Hoshi ran to the closer intercom "Hoshi to sickbay, Hoshi to security, a man is probably stuck in the turbolift 4's pit." When she looked back Spike was with his untouchable head into the elevator's door.
"You should have called the morgue." He said after returning his head.
(End of Act 1)