Busman's Holiday

by CordeliaBlack

T, T'P, M & H get more than they bargained for on a routine mission

A/N - This is my very first fiction of any kind. If you would be kind enough to help me with constructive criticism it would make me very :o)!!! Also, I started writing this before "Xindi", but toward the end, I used some references to post-Xindi episodes. This may make Captain Archer & Trip seem a little AU since they both seem to have become either colder or more driven since that episode. I liked the way the story flowed though and didn't change it. I also wasn't sure whether or not to capitalize the titles in certain circumstances. If someone could please advise me on this rule I would be appreciative. This story was not beta read (I'm a little uncertain how to accomplish this, who to ask, etc.) so all the errors are mine and mine alone. If there is anything glaring and you have time to tell me about it, I thank you in advance. And. please let me know what you think! (wags tail and begs for approval). Lastly, I don't own them. I don't want to own them. I just want to have fun writing about them. (I hope that was an adequate disclaimer) :o)

Busman's Holiday

They had been walking for over two hours and were now nearing their destination. Commander "Trip" Tucker, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed and Ensign Hoshi Sato carried packs with them containing all the the supplies needed for their one night stay at the ruins which they were to catalog. The shuttle had landed at one of the only geologically possible landing sites which, unfortunately, left a long hike to the stone towers that jutted upwards ahead of them. Although it was temperate, the long walk left them sticky and uncomfortable even though they had removed their jackets about an hour ago leaving pale green and blue undershirts exposed. For the last 20 minutes it had been a rocky upward climb with Malcolm taking the lead and Hoshi trailing behind. Finally, Malcolm reached the top of the last rise and turned around to wait for his companions.

"Do ya think we could'a landed any farther away?" Trip yelled up the slope in his smooth southern drawl.

"Commander, you volunteered for this mission if I remember correctly," Malcolm replied crossing his arms in front of him.

"And you didn't wanna come," Trip stopped momentarily and turned his head to the side in exasperation as he repeated Malcolm's complaint for the entire walk so far.

Malcolm had been complaining about his forced 'shore leave', as the captain had referred to it, ever since their briefing on Enterprise. Doctor Phlox felt that most of the bridge crew could use a couple days of rest and relaxation, and the Armory Officer with his hectic and at times self- imposed schedule on the bridge and in the armory was near the top of his list. Trip's schedule as Chief of Engineering was no less demanding, but at least he realized that he needed a break to avoid burnout. Hoshi was happy to go as well. Linguistics wasn't just in her job description, but her personal passion as well. She was looking forward to researching a new alien culture and the inevitable written language translation that would go with it.

This mission was perfect. According to a multitude of scans, the climate was comfortable with no discernable adverse weather patterns, the flora and fauna were small and innocuous and more importantly, there were no first contact situations to contend with. Trip, Malcolm and Hoshi were to complete a routine scan of the oceanside ruins while Sub-commander T'pol ran geologic scans at the landing coordinates. Doctor Phlox even came along to collect some new species for his menagerie in sickbay. Not exactly a typical vacation, but a break from the engines, the weapons systems & the bridge. Enterprise had some routine maintenance that must be attended to before proceeding much further. They would need to complete this at a safe distance from the planetary system's gravitational pull. They would return for the team the next day.

"Oh come on, Malcolm," Trip finally said, smiling. "It's just like the camping trips my family used to take me on when I was a kid."

"Yeah Malcolm, It'll be great," Hoshi said finally catching up with Trip. "Although I don't think there will be any wood for a campfire," she added thoughtfully looking around at the rocks. "The campfire was always my favorite thing about camping."

"Mine too," Trip said looking at Hoshi. "Tellin' stories, roastin' hot dogs and all that stuff. Hey! We could always heat up some of these rocks with our phase pistols."

"Why did we bring these anyway?" Hoshi asked Trip.

Trip shrugged, mirroring her conspiratorial grin.

"Security protocol." Malcolm said, his British accent a little more clipped than usual. Their conversation was getting a little too off-track for his taste. "Weren't you paying attention at the security briefing last week?"

"Just pullin' your leg. I'm sure they'll come in handy for...somethin' anyway," Trip responded.

"Anyway," Malcolm said as they reached his position at the top of the rise, "I've never been camping, nor have I ever had any desire to go." He sighed, "But a mission is a mission so I guess I'll have to make the best of it."

"That's the spirit," Trip said, then patted Malcolm on the shoulder as he passed him to lead the way down the gentle incline on the other side of the rise.

**********

Sub-Commander T'Pol's head was bent over her work. Her expression was bland and emotionless as was her custom, but her bearing conveyed a consuming dedication and perhaps even excitement. She had almost finished setting up the sensitive equipment she would use to monitor the unusual geological phenomena that had been detected on this planet. Numerous spindly silver legs spanned several feet supporting small electronic devices at their top. She had set several of these around the clearing they were in near the border of the dense forest that edged the better part of their landing site.

A cheerful voice from the door of the small shuttlecraft settled a few feet away drew her attention from the last of her adjustments. She raised an eyebrow at the sight that greeted her. Doctor Phlox stepped out of the craft clad in an incongruous looking array of black padding and devices. He carried what looked like a butterfly net in his right hand and stored small round goggles on the top of his head.

"One last chance," he said with a huge grin on his face. "Are you sure you wouldn't care to join me Sub-Commander?"

"No, thank you for your offer," she said evenly. "I will stay to monitor the equipment readings."

The scans she was running did not need continuous monitoring, but she saw no reason to mention that to him. Capturing small animals for the doctor's collection in sickbay held little or no interest for her, but she had no wish to dampen his enthusiasm.

"As you wish." He smiled, glanced away and shrugged his shoulders. With that gesture he seemed to convey his knowledge of her small subterfuge, but he didn't let on overtly.

"I believe you have forgotten your phase pistol doctor," she said nodding to the silver weapon on a small set-up table placed near the shuttle entrance.

"I won't be needing that," Phlox said with a brief glance at the weapon and condescending smile. "Even a stun setting is too strong for the animals on this planet. My mission is to capture, not kill."

T'Pol just looked at him for a moment weighing the doctor's apparent dislike for the weapon against the weapons protocol. "Very well doctor," she said finally. "I will expect you back by sunset then."

"Actually, many of the species of interest on this planet seem to be nocturnal so I will probably stay out there for the better part of the night." He smiled enthusiastically again, obviously looking forward to his mission. "Please contact me if you need anything," he said, then lifted a finger after a short pause. "But only if necessary, tracking can be a delicate process requiring a great deal of stealth."

T'Pol stared almost amused at thought of the doctor being anything remotely resembling stealthy wearing that unwieldy equipment, but as he walked toward the forest, she realized her delicate hearing barely picked up a sound.

Part II

Trip, Malcolm and Hoshi moved up the long flight of steps towards the pillars at the entrance. Their forms were small in contrast to the sheer size of the structure before them. Hoshi stared upwards giving herself a sense of vertigo as she visually traced the planes of the building to where they met the turquoise sky. Then they made their way through the entryway arch. Once inside, the stairs and columns were no less impressive. To the linguist's delight, there were inscriptions on much of the stone work. She trailed behind Trip and Malcolm tracing the outlines of the "words" with hovering fingers that came just short of touching the stone. Distracted, she almost walked into Malcolm when he stopped short just behind Trip.

"Would you look at this!" Trip exclaimed.

Hoshi stood on her toes a bit to see past Malcolm in the doorway. This room wasn't very large, but was certainly spectacular. The vaulted room with intricate pillars was home to a colorful and beautiful array of statuary and paintings. What stood out for Hoshi in particular, was that the far wall was covered in more of the characters from outside, only bright and colorful and accented with paintings and line drawings. The room had an intricate beauty in its arrangement that set all eyes staring in awe and appreciation. They entered moving slowly and carefully until they had lapped the perimeter once. Then Hoshi walked up to the wall that had caught her attention earlier. There was a stand in front of it with a flat monitor sitting on top of it.

"Isn't this odd?" She said to nobody in particular, but it brought Trip and Malcolm to her side.

"Yes, it is a little out of place considering the surroundings," Malcolm replied absently waving a hand to include the whole room.

"And it seems to be operatin' on a very basic level," Trip added. He was running a scan over the monitor when it flashed on. They all started back a few steps, then moved forward again to look at the screen.

"It looks like a book," Hoshi said watching the images floating on the screen. "Maybe a history or something?" Her eyes danced with excitement as she ran her scanner over it. "Well, it's a little more information than I thought we would be getting here. I should be able to download most of it within a couple hours. Then maybe I'll spend some time deciphering."

"You can save that for when we're back on the ship Hoshi," Trip put in smiling. "This is mostly a r 'n r trip, in case you've forgotten."

"This is my r 'n r, Trip," Hoshi smiled at her pun and her skillful imitation of Trip's southern accent.

Trip rolled his eyes and smirked, then turned to Malcolm. "Ok Lieutenant," he said "we'll leave Ensign Sato to her work." He glanced down at the data padd he was holding. "From the general scans of the buildin', looks like there's an inner circular passage and an outer one that that includes an overlook of the ocean. I'll letcha take yer pick."

"You go ahead and take the oceanfront view Commander." Malcolm replied starting toward the door. "I know how you look forward to a day at the beach."

Trip smiled and they both moved off leaving Hoshi with her head bent over the monitor, poring through the wonderful words on her screen. She didn't even see them go.

**********

Trip had already scanned the outer passages and finally stepped outside through a small arched doorway mostly hidden behind a partial partition. The spray from the ocean breeze hit him immediately. He stood for a moment gazing across the turquoise ocean. It was relatively calm and matched the sky, but it looked like there might be a storm on the horizon. Was there a strip of purple where the water met the sky? Trip shook his head. He finally decided his eyes were tricking him. There were no adverse weather conditions or trends noted in the scans from space. He disregarded this passing observation and turned to the structure itself.

The walkway he stood on was narrow and had no railing, leaving him a good view of the water. He could see where the building's perimeter curved gently into the ocean that lapped sluggishly at its base. He started along the walkway and lifted his scanner to record.

"What's goin' on with this thing?" He asked aloud.

His brow furrowed deeply as he stared at the screen and he tapped the scanner none too gently. He tried his readings again. The wall wasn't showing on the scan. Only the walkway and the ocean were there, not the wall. He put a hand up to the non-existent surface next to him. It was solid and probably smooth under the layers of salt built up over the years.

If the scanner wouldn't read the material, he guessed they would have to settle for a visual inspection. Trip pulled a bit of cloth from his sleeve over the heel of his hand and reached up to clear some of the salt from the wall surface. He wiped his hand in a circular motion and, realizing he was cleaning glass, quickly cleaned a small area at his eye level. He peered into the semi-darkness through the window he had created and nearly backed off the ledge he was standing on. A pair of still bright blue eyes stared back at him.

**********

When Trip returned to the room where they left Hoshi, she and Malcolm were standing in the large vaulted hall outside. He heard the last part of Hoshi's sentence.

".. like the place was a meeting place, or a pilgrimage destination or something along those lines."

"Or like a graveyard?" Trip asked.

Hoshi and Malcolm both turned toward Trip. Hoshi looked a little pale, neither spoke. Trip guessed 'graveyard' wasn't the most relaxing word in the English vocabulary.

"There's a whole string of corpses lined up out there just starin' out at the ocean."

"Ok, I don't want to camp here anymore." Hoshi said, her eyes widening. "This place was starting to give me the creeps anyway. All while you were gone I kept thinking I was hearing rats." Trip could see a small shudder run through her at that thought.

"Why didn't we pick them up on our scanners before?" Malcolm asked.

"I don't know," Hoshi said, "maybe they're too small?"

"I meant the bodies, Hoshi," Malcolm said, quickly squashing a little smile at the corner of his mouth.

"I knew that," Hoshi said quickly, her face reddening a little.

"I really don't have any idea," Trip said. "The scanner didn't notice them. I think the glass in front was blocking the readings."

"I guess a graveyard might be consistent with the information I've been able to translate so far," Hoshi said staring as if she were seeing the words again, "although that wouldn't have been my first guess. I have everything downloaded though."

"All right," Trip said. "This is definitely not my idea of a vacation. Let's gather everythin' up and head back to the landin' site. I don't know about you, but I don't feel like campin' in a graveyard."

**********

A small crunching noise, almost imperceptible even to T'pol's sensitive hearing, crackled from the forest behind her. She was engrossed in her work. There were some very interesting sonic readings she could not account for. She tipped her head up reluctantly from her work eyes staring straight forward and began to turn toward the sound.

"Doctor? Is that you?"

Doctor Phlox was not expected for another several hours. She straightened from her kneeling position over the equipment she was monitoring. The forest next to the clearing was strangely black for this time of day and she found she could see relatively little.

"Doctor," she tried again.

Perhaps the noise was from some of the smaller fauna the doctor was attempting to collect. She squinted slightly at the forest again for another moment then moved back to her equipment. Then another sound, somewhat louder, transformed into a crashing sound, thundering through the forest directly toward her. The scans from Enterprise had shown no signs of life on the planet larger than a small rabbit. This must be one of her companions. Then she saw an outline. It was humanoid, but still far too enclosed within the darkened trees to make out exactly. The doctor was the only other humanoid in the near vicinity, therefore.

"Doctor," she shouted, "What is wrong? Are you all right?"

The form stopped its rampage through the woods and slowly neared the edge of the forest. Now she could clearly see that this was the doctor, but something was terribly wrong. The hair on the back of her neck stood up as if charged by electricity. His face was pallid and had the feral look of a hunter. She saw

no hint of recognition in the stare as he moved closer to her. Yet as he reached the edge of the forest he stopped, seeming hesitant to leave his dark abode. Instead he backed slowly into the trees until he was almost invisible again and stared unblinking at T'Pol. He was waiting for nightfall.

T'Pol backed slowly toward the shuttle, then ducked into it quickly closing and securing the hatch behind her. She located her phase pistol and reached for her communicator. Then a shadow seemed to fall over her. The brightness of the sun shining through the front of the pod faded abruptly. She glanced sharply upward. A storm was moving in. Again the phenomena of the planet proved their scans from space wrong. Enterprise had shown no inclement weather patterns on the surface, yet here it was. And at a very inopportune time as well. Without the bright sun in the clearing, she suspected her companion in the forest would not be confined for much longer. She snatched up the communicator.

"T'Pol to Enterprise." The response was a screaming whine mixed with static. They were already out of range. She switched to a different frequency.

"T'Pol to Commander Tucker," she said into the handset, her voice still calm.

A slight crackling greeted her followed by a broken response.

"Tuck..,..re.have...hear you."

"Commander, you are breaking up. Can you hear me?"

The static seemed calm down a bit

"I c'n hear ya. Just a little stat.. Seems ta be a storm brewin'. Must be disruptin' our communication." His words were punctuated with white noise of varying volume.

"I have a situation here Commander Tucker. There is something wrong with the doctor. I believe he means me harm. What is your status?"

T'Pol waited for a response through the static, but got none. At not least the response she wanted. A loud scream crackled through the static, it sounded like Hoshi, then a yell of surprise and one of pain, she couldn't tell from whom. The communication cut out abruptly. She pressed switches on the communicator in her hand in an attempt to reestablish contact to no avail. Then she heard a thump on the front of the pod. She glanced up sharply and came face to face with the hollow stare of Doctor Phlox.

**********

Trip heard Hoshi's scream and his eyes flew up from the crackling communicator. A blur streaked toward him so fast he barely had time to register it. With a yell, he instinctively dropped to the floor to avoid it, his open communicator skittering to the ground several feet away.

He missed the brunt of the strike but his attacker was soon on him. The rest was so fast that not much more than an instant could have passed. He latched onto the wrists of hands that lunged for him with sharp, dirty nails reaching for his throat. The arms were incredibly strong despite their emaciated feel. He saw a flash of sharp, yellow teeth and looked up at the visage of a distorted creature. Its eyes were wide and fixed with an insane stare. The stench, though awful, did not come from the mouth hovering above him. No air stirred from there. He saw threads of saliva pull away from shriveled lips as the teeth flashed toward him.

And then the weight of its body was lifted from him. Trip leaped to his feet and spun in the direction his attacker had gone. Malcolm, phase pistol in hand, was now grappling with the creature. He reached for his own pistol, but couldn't get a clear shot without including the Armory Officer. He heard Malcolm cry out, then saw him drop to the ground taking the creature with him and sending it crashing over his head.

This was just the shot Trip needed. He set the phase pistol to kill. The creature leaped up and he fired on it. It staggered back a bit and Trip fired again, barely holding it away from his friend who still hadn't moved. Then Hoshi fired as well. The combined efforts of both their weaponry seemed to disconcert the creature, if not really harm it. It moved off slowly at first, then, with one last malignant stare, it left as quickly it had come, disappearing into the dark spaces between the tall gray columns.

Trip was next to Malcolm within seconds followed immediately by Hoshi. They still held their pistols in the direction in which the creature had fled, then, after a long few seconds, they began to assess their friend's condition. Beneath him a small pool of blood formed from a wide gash at his right shoulder near the base of his neck. The thing had bitten him. Trip immediately removed his jacket and pressed it against the wound. Malcolm must have struck the back of his head when he hit the ground, explaining his unresponsiveness. He began to stir a little.

"We should move to a more secure area Ensign," Trip said, his eyes darting toward the dark spaces next to them.

"No argument here, sir," Hoshi's eyes followed Trip's for an instant and she shuddered.

Trip nodded toward the door to the room where Hoshi had been cataloguing. They had located additional entrances to the room, but stones blocked them, so it should be relatively safe. Trip slipped a hand under Malcolm's back and Hoshi helped him to lift the semi-conscious lieutenant to his feet. They half dragged him into the room, then, after carefully setting him on the floor in the corner, painstakingly shoved a large stone crusted slab, apparently designed for this purpose, over the open doorway. It looked like the door may have been mechanized at one time, but they weren't sure how it worked.

Afterwards, both panting from exertion, they sat down and leaned up against the wall next to Malcolm's still prone form. Hoshi began to check the wound at the Armory Officer's neck while Trip fumbled with his communicator. There was nothing but static. He hoped T'Pol was all right. After all, in her last communication she had stated that there was something wrong with the doctor and that he meant to hurt her. Glancing down at the wound near his friend's neck, he couldn't help but think of old earth legends of monsters and fiends that infected innocents with a bite. He wondered perversely if the doctor had been bitten like Malcolm. Then he realized that this wasn't so strange a notion. Malcolm would have to be watched.

**********

T'Pol sat as far back in the shuttlepod as she could. Tucked into a corner with her arms locking her knees to her chest, she was almost invisible. The scratching and banging on the hull of the craft seemed to diminish when the doctor couldn't see her and she had no wish for him to hurt himself. It was animal instinct that drove him now. A dim light was beginning to shine through the window. The sun was coming out again, but she couldn't see it well through the remains of the swirling dark clouds. She would have to wait until dark to implement her plan.

**********

Several hours had passed since the attack. Commander Tucker found himself pacing near the main entrance of the room. He hated being cooped up like this, and he thought Hoshi was the claustrophobic one. She seemed calm enough for the moment. For him though, it was more the waiting than the surroundings. The whole situation was something out of an old horror film, only in color. That and in a movie, you don't feel your surroundings. God it was getting hot in here. Beads of sweat had formed on his forehead. He swept his hand down his face to clear it off. Now there was a lump growing in his throat. He was getting anxious. Great. It was probably the comparison to the horror movie. The last shipboard movie he had seen was Dracula and that had given him the creeps for over a week. He needed something to take his mind off of it. Then he put his hand to his temple as a stab of pain shot through his head. Headache too. Even better, he thought sarcastically.

Trip stopped mid-stride to check on Hoshi and Malcolm. Hoshi was bent over the display. He watched patterned lights play over her face as she continued in her translation attempts. One of the files she had discovered on the system appeared to be a map. They had found that each stone slab along the wall was a doorway leading to a passage. They had even figured out how to open them remotely now. She was looking for something, but he didn't know what. The plan was to leave at daybreak, but he would convince her to leave sooner. They would have to carry Malcolm, of course. Shouldn't she be done by now? He opened his mouth to ask her, but a movement from the other side of the room caught his attention. He jumped slightly.

It was only Malcolm. Hoshi had tried to make him comfortable under a thermal blanket some time ago, but he was feverish and starting to shake again. There was obviously something toxic in that bite. Hoshi heard the noise too and glanced worriedly in Malcolm's direction.

"I'll take care of him Hoshi," Trip said closing the space between himself and Malcolm. "Just keep goin' with. that.thing you're doin'."

"Let me know if you need me," Hoshi said, concern edging her tone.

She hesitantly turned back to her work. They needed to know what was going on here and she knew the key was in the database. She just needed to figure it out. It was difficult concentrating on her task while worrying about her friend - and their situation. Trip's Dracula pep talk earlier hadn't done her any good either.

Trip knelt beside Malcolm, took one of his hands and placed the other on his forehead. His face was still very hot, but his hands were like ice and his body was shuddering violently as if he were freezing. Then he moved the small medical scanner over his friend's body. It should be me lying there, Trip thought for the hundredth time. But guilt wasn't going to make anything better right now. There would plenty of time for that later when they were safely back on Enterprise.

"It's gonna be ok, Malcolm," Trip said softly, reassuringly.

He sat down beside his friend, reaching across to the other arm and held on to him as he rode out the convulsive shaking for the third time since the attack.

"It's gonna be ok. It's gonna be.," his soothing mantra trailed off as he noticed something on the side of Malcolm's neck.

Snaking up from the covered wound were numerous luminescent strands stretching up to his ear and creeping at the edge of his face. They seemed to glow, pulsing brighter with the armory officer's heartbeat. Then Malcolm's eyes flew open and closed again just as quickly. Taken aback, Trip released his arm. He could have sworn there was a hint of malevolence in that brief glance. It was happening. Despite the lieutenant's appearance of weakness, he was a danger to them now, Trip was sure of it. He pulled a cord from the top of one of the bedrolls next to him, pushed Malcolm over on his side and began to tightly tie his hands behind his back. The sudden movement drew a moan from the injured man. Hoshi looked up from her work.

"Trip, What are you doing?" she asked, eyes widening in horror as she hurried over to them.

"He's dangerous, Hoshi," Trip said, furiously engrossed in his task.

"What?" The linguist shook her head in confusion.

"He's becomin' like one of them," Trip said, his words slurring slightly in their urgency. "He looked at me. I saw."

"Saw what?" Hoshi was becoming more confused by the moment, and now Malcolm, still shaking, was whimpering in pain. "Trip, you're hurting him. Stop it! Please!"

Trip's movements had taken on a jerky quality that was starting to frighten Hoshi. He was becoming more agitated with each passing instant.

"He's dangerous," Trip repeated. "I have to protect." He put the heel of his hand on his temple and closed his eyes tightly for a few seconds.

"Commander," Hoshi started slowly, hoping the use of his rank would encourage a more rational answer, " look at him, he's barely conscious." She put a gentle hand on his shoulder. " I think something's happening to you. Let me help."

Trip's eyes snapped open and fixed a stare on her that sent a sliver of ice down her spine. His eyes were rimmed with red and he was sweating despite the chill of the room. He tipped his head to the side, his expression unreadable. Then he exploded.

"Whose side are you on anyway?" he screamed. "Are you one of them too?"

He released Malcolm allowing him to fall onto his back on his bound hands. The lieutenant cried out again.

"Please Trip." Hoshi started to back up. She had to get him away from Malcolm.

Then Trip's hand flashed up to Malcolm's throat, squeezing tightly.

"He can't get us if he's dead," He said. The words, laced with panic, seemed unreal.

Hoshi responded by reaching for his hand to make him let go. He simply took his other hand and clasped it around her throat. She grabbed his hand as she gasped for breath. His grip was stronger than it should have been. She realized he wanted to kill them both.

Hoshi had learned a lot about self-defense since being stationed on Enterprise, mostly from Malcolm's mandatory training and T'Pol's voluntary lessons. She stared out of widened eyes for a split second before newly acquired instinct kicked in. Dropping away from the commander she used her chin to push against his thumb, weakening his grip enough for her to fall back onto her hands. Then she kicked into the side of his stomach knocking him over sideways.

Trip got up quickly and loomed over her, but did not attack immediately. Hoshi pushed herself backward on the floor toward the console she had been working at. She knew the size difference between herself and the commander was going to make things difficult for her. Her phase pistol was sitting on that console. If she could only get to it.

Trip was stalking toward her now like a cat toying with its prey. No sudden moves. No sudden moves. She inched her way along.

"Commander. Tucker," a weak raspy voice came from behind him.

Malcolm's call distracted Trip for an instant. As he turned his head away from Hoshi, she took her opportunity. Scrambling to her feet, she ran the remaining distance to the console. She took the weapon in her hand then fumbled with the switch to change the setting from kill to stun. Trip was on top of her in an instant. She didn't have time to aim. She pulled the trigger, closed her eyes and prayed silently.

Then her eyes flew open. Had she been able to switch the setting to stun? Trip lay in a heap in front of her. She looked at the setting on her phase pistol and the breath she had been holding exploded in an anguished cry. She bent down to touch him, her eyes welling with fear and grief.

**********

The world spun like a carnival around him. There was no memory of things that used to be and no memory of the need to remember. He had forgotten the pain and he had forgotten himself. They were both gone now. His head cocked to the side as he stared through the openings between the trees in front of him. She ran through there not long ago. Somehow he knew this without even thinking. He was beyond thinking. He was better now that he had no need of it. She was a little faster than he was, but that wasn't an issue. He would find her. There was no other option.

**********

T'Pol waited crouched down in the darkness her breathing stilled as much as possible. The doctor had almost found her twice since their last confrontation. Despite his tracking skills, she should have been able to evade him easily, but so far she seemed at a definite disadvantage. He easily avoided the traps she set for him. Even several shots with her phase pistol on stun didn't slow him down. Even the Vulcan nerve pinch had failed her. After her last encounter with the doctor, she had a wound on her forehead and dizziness and blurred vision that spoke of a concussion. Her only objective now was to make it back to the shuttle to regroup. At least she still had her phase pistol. She finally, reluctantly, set it to kill.

She heard a small branch snap to her right. The noise was so small it might have gone unnoticed by one with hearing less advanced than her own. Normally she would disregard a sound so quiet, but she had learned her lesson. It was Phlox. He was on the correct side. With her calculation of his speed, she should make it to the shuttle with a small margin.

As she launched herself from her hiding place in the brush, a wave of dizziness and nausea washed over her slowing her down briefly. Then her body was jarred abruptly as she struck something solid in front of her. She looked up at the face she knew would be in front of her. She tried to lift the phase pistol to fire, but he slapped it away from her effortlessly leaving her hand painfully numb.

He grabbed her arm with his left hand and began to throttle her with the other. Despite her Vulcan strength, she was unable to escape. Black spots danced before her eyes as she began to slip into unconsciousness. But he had left an opportunity open then that he hadn't in their previous confrontations. She reached her free hand to the doctor's face in a last ditch attempt at survival. She instinctively touched the correct points to initiate a mind meld with the doctor. Such an intimate mental contact was unthinkable in her culture, and engaging in it with an alien was unheard of, but it was the only option left to her.

Her mind sought his in her desperation to reach him before she passed out. Everything else happened in rapid succession. He did not resist her, she doubted he could. She paused for an instant then delved in further, trying to ignore the thought of the violation she was committing against the doctor. A rape to prevent a murder. She would try to rationalize it later.

There was no thought there, just instinct. For a person so devoted and practiced in rationality, the contact was very disturbing to her. Her consciousness was trying to spin out of control, to adapt to the chaos of the doctor's mind. She concentrated harder, then she sensed him. He was hiding from her as if she were poison. She realized her thought pattern was probably just as disconcerting to him as his was to her. If only she could get through to him.

She pushed herself into the closed spaces of his mind keeping her thoughts deliberately simple. Why are you doing this? Confusion. You are killing me. Fear. Please stop. A part of him understood, she could tell. She had a brief instant of hope that she could pull him out of this, but it was it was quashed in an instant. He was too far gone. He was running from her now. He could not process information in that form anymore, yet she was forcing him to. He retreated further into the recesses of his mind to escape the conflict she was creating in him. She could feel his anxiety. There was nowhere to hide. His mind was shutting down. She hoped he would recover later, but her priority was survival now. For both of them. Who am I? Escape. Who are you? His mind went black.

She stared unblinkingly into his eyes as her body started to dangle limply from his arm. Then he started to lose strength as well. The pressure released slowly from her neck and she and the doctor slid to the ground. T'Pol fell back gasping for air. She pulled herself up into a sitting position and stared at the doctor in despair. What had she been forced to do?

**********

Malcolm opened his eyes and focused on the stone gray ceiling. Somehow it didn't seem right, but he looked at it anyway as if it should fade away into something more familiar. Sometimes it took a little longer to wake up from a nightmare. He waited, but still there was no change. He closed his eyes and shook his head a little, immediately regretting the movement. His head swam and there was a stabbing pain in his neck and shoulder. When he opened his eyes again he was still in the same room. There was something he was supposed to remember, wasn't there? Then it hit him, something terrible had happened.

"Hoshi?" he began.

Hoshi had been crying.

"Trip!" Malcolm's tone was urgent.

Trip was dead.

Malcolm sat up suddenly, head spinning, and his heart fell as he spotted a bundle in the corner. It looked like a body there, still and quiet. Then Hoshi was beside him.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

Malcolm's eyes were still glued to the body in the corner. "I'm fine," he said, then added fearfully, "What about Trip?"

"I had to tie him up," she said, her voice monotone.

Malcolm looked at her with a shocked expression. "Why?"

"He tried to kill us," Hoshi said.

"You shot him," Malcolm stared forward trying to remember all that had happened.

"He's not dead." Hoshi put her face into her hands, despair rolling off her. "Thank God the phase pistol didn't kill him. I had it set to kill.." Her words were muffled behind her hands. She was starting to crumble.

Malcolm looked at her for a brief moment then gently gripped her shoulders.

"What happened Ensign?" He asked, not unkindly but with an unquestionable note of authority.

Hoshi's hands dropped to her side and Malcolm released her.

"The phase pistol was set to kill.and.I didn't have time.I shot him." she stared down accusingly at her own hands. "And then he collapsed." Hoshi looked up her dark eyes filled with emotion.

"What is his condition now?" Malcolm asked.

"I.I've run scans on him and it looks like something is attacking him on a cellular level," Hoshi said, her voice shaking slightly. "I think he's turning into something like the creature out there. The phase pistols didn't work too well on it either."

"Was he bitten too?" A puzzled look crossed Malcolm's face as his fingers brushed over the bandage on his shoulder.

"No he wasn't," Hoshi said. "In fact, you were bitten and you seem fine. Now at least."

"Then what caused it?" Malcolm asked.

"Before the Commander attacked us, I found something in the database," Hoshi began. "Commander Tucker's suggestion of a graveyard was accurate, but it's more than that. This race is, or was, extremely zealous about the preservation of the dead. If the body's cells decompose, there is no afterlife for them."

"The bodies Trip found," Malcolm said.

"Yes," Hoshi replied. "On Earth over the last several millennia, humans have found many ways to preserve the dead from mummification to embalming to cryogenics, but this race's method seems to work better than all of them."

"And what method is that?" Malcolm asked.

"I'm not sure exactly," Hoshi said, "but it looks like this planet was turned into a giant mortuary. There's something here that preserves the dead. From the registry, I think some of those bodies may have been here for thousands of years, others merely for decades, but all preserved perfectly."

"And what does this have to do with the creatures?" Malcolm asked. "And with Trip?"

"I don't know for sure." Hoshi sighed then continued. "Commander Tucker and I were sitting here thinking you were going to turn into some kind of vampire or werewolf or something from that bite, but it's something else. I think whatever preserves the bodies may be attacking us as well. It may work differently on living tissue." Hoshi started to turn to go back to the terminal she had been working on.

Malcolm took her arm to stop her. "I thought you said only Trip was affected."

"I said you weren't affected," Hoshi didn't look at him. "But I am."

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Malcolm asked.

"The degeneration seems to be progressing at a much slower rate. I don't think I'm dangerous," she said looking at Malcolm with unblinking eyes. "I..I'm sorry, I should have mentioned it. You'll have to keep an eye on me of course." She looked down at her hands again. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

"We'll get out of this, Hoshi," Malcolm said firmly. "We'll find out what's causing this and put a stop to it."

"Easier said than done," Hopelessness settled over Hoshi's tone. "I've been poring over the data and so far I've come up empty."

"I understand that two heads are often better than one," Malcolm put on a smile that didn't quite make it to his eyes, then got unsteadily to his feet. "Show me what you've got so far."

**********

Doctor Phlox lay unconscious in the back of the shuttle. T'Pol had taken the precaution of manacling him despite the knowledge that he would probably not wake again soon. She took the scanner out of the medikit and began to evaluate the doctor's condition. Although she was not a medical doctor, her Vulcan education had given her more than a passing familiarity with many biological principles. What she found did not please her, but confirmed her suspicions anyway. They needed to leave this place. Now.

She settled wearily back on her haunches. Her head was pounding and she was getting weaker by the minute. She was reasonably sure this was due to the concussion, not the encroaching infection that was affecting her just as it had affected doctor Phlox. No, it was taking longer for her. She might have a few days before she reached the same level of insanity she had found the doctor in. The sheer horror of it tugged at the edge of her control and for a brief instant she considered fleeing this place immediately.

T'Pol shuddered involuntarily and dispelled the thought. She couldn't leave without the others. She had tried communications a number of times, but found the storm moving in was blocking the signal. She made the doctor as comfortable as she could in preparation for her trip to the ruins. There she hoped to find some answers, and the rest of the landing party as well. Vulcans didn't usually rely on hope, but today she was making an exception.

She was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to meditate or sleep, but she settled for a strong stimulant instead. Then she reloaded the hypospray and put the whole medikit into her pack. It should only take her about an hour to get there if she ran.

**********

For the last two hours Malcolm and Hoshi had gone over every scrap of information. Their first consideration was Malcolm's seeming immunity to whatever was infecting Trip and Hoshi. However, their limited medical knowledge kept the issue shrouded in mystery. Realizing finally that there was no recourse on that avenue for the moment, they turned back to other pieces of the puzzle.

Malcolm sat leaned up against the cold, damp wall reviewing the scans he and Trip had taken earlier that day. He was exhausted, his body still weakened from its recent illness, pain still coursed down his neck, shoulder and arm, but there was no time to rest. He was acutely aware of the time constraints they were under every time he looked at his companions. Trip was still lying in the corner unmoving and Hoshi, diligently working at the console, had become subdued and nervous, even irrational at times.

He looked up at her, worried. She had come a long way with the translation, but agitation was emanating from her, her fear palpable. He wanted to believe this was normal considering the amount of stress she was under, but he couldn't be certain. He wondered if this was how Trip looked before he snapped.

Then the scanner beeped drawing his eyes back to the small screen. The routine he had been running had found something. Something unexpected, but now it seemed so obvious. Malcolm turned to face the wall where he had been leaning. He reached his hand out uncertainly and touched the surface.

"Hoshi," he said without looking at her, "I've found something."

His fingers felt thick as he maneuvered the settings on the scanner. A pale blue light glowed as he waved it over the wall. The stone melted into a grid pattern in the small circle that the light illuminated.

"This wall isn't real," he said, a look of amazement on his face as he turned to look at Hoshi.

Malcolm hesitated for an instant then continued. "It's some kind of holographic matrix."

"Then why does it feel solid?" Hoshi asked leaning towards Malcolm without actually moving from the console. "Aren't holograms just visual?"

"It's more advanced than anything I've ever seen," Malcolm said. "It looks like there are force fields incorporated into it." He looked back at the wall. "This wall is made up entirely of energy, yet it feels solid. The whole building is probably a bloody illusion as well."

A clatter from behind him brought his eyes back to Hoshi. She had dropped her data padd on the floor, but the noise hadn't distracted her attention from what she was looking at. She gazed intently at her screen, a shocked look growing on her face. Then she looked up at him.

"I think it might go beyond the building," she finally said.

Malcolm came up beside her.

"According to this," Hoshi said, "the planet's surface was constructed about ten thousand years ago."

"Constructed?" Malcolm asked.

"Yes," Hoshi said. "I originally thought it was mechanical, like terraforming, but it wasn't." She paused as she let the concept sink in. "The whole surface is a giant hologram."

Then a crackling sound startled them both. Trip's communicator sitting near the console had suddenly sprung to life.

"Commander Tucker, please respond," The female voice sent waves of relief through both of them. T'Pol was here.

**********

The trip took longer than T'Pol had expected. She hoped she wasn't too late. On the way she evaded several of the creatures that populated the darkness of this planet, and it had slowed her down considerably. Now as she made her way through the darkened corridors of the ruin, her eyes darted from arch to arch searching for any sign of movement. She was registering human bio-signs nearby, but couldn't exactly pinpoint the location. She stopped to try her communicator again. Perhaps at this proximity they would be able to receive her transmission.

"Commander Tucker, Please respond."

Crackling followed and she moved to put the communicator back in her pocket. Then she heard a voice through the static.

"T'Pol, It's lovely to hear your voice," it was Malcolm.

"And yours as well, Lieutenant," She responded. "I believe I am near your position."

She turned her head at a scraping noise to her left and froze.

"I am approximately fifteen meters from the entrance of the structure," she said, her voice barely a whisper now, "but I do not believe I am alone."

Her eyes scanned the dark arches quickly. Then a section of the wall near where she was standing grated open to reveal a doorway. Malcolm and Hoshi were there to usher her in and the door slid tightly shut again behind them. Malcolm could have sworn she jumped a little.

"Sub-commander," Malcolm said with a lopsided smile on his face. "I hope we didn't startle you."

T'Pol calmly raised an eyebrow, her face shrouded in shadow. "Vulcans do not get 'startled'," she said moving languidly toward the center of the room.

"Of course," Malcolm looked down briefly, then quickly brushed aside his amusement as the light she was nearing showed her disheveled condition. Her head was bleeding sluggishly. "What happened to you T'Pol?" He tentatively reached out to help her.

"I will be all right Lieutenant," she said brushing aside his assistance.

"Who did this to you?" Hoshi's voice was quiet, knowing the answer even as she spoke the question.

T'Pol looked her for a moment then looked to the wall where trip leaned. He was regaining consciousness now and starting to fret fitfully against his bindings. Hoshi and Malcolm glanced nervously over at him.

"The doctor is unwell," she responded. " It seems Commander Tucker is also." Then she looked seriously at Hoshi. "He is not the only danger on this planet. We must leave here immediately."

"But it's not safe out there," Hoshi said, horror creeping into her tone. "You said you were not alone. We've seen what's out there after dark. There was nothing when it was light out. We can't leave until morning."

"I believe the creatures may be somewhat photosensitive," T'Pol answered sensing an unusual irrationality emanating from the young Ensign. "But that is irrelevant. We must leave here tonight. If we wait it may be too late."

"What do you mean?" Malcolm cut in.

"Something on this planet is killing us." T'Pol began turning her head toward Malcolm.

"I seem to be fine, Sub-commander," he said.

"It's true Sub-commander," Hoshi added. "Malcolm hasn't shown any symptoms."

"The fact remains that Doctor Phlox, Commander Tucker, myself and I would guess you as well Ensign, are affected," T'Pol said evenly. She took out her scanner. "May I, Lieutenant?"

"Of course," he replied politely.

She ran the scanner in front of him, then briefly reviewed the readings as if to confirm her suspicions.

"You were recently ill, Lieutenant?" she asked.

"Yes," he responded, absently touching the bandage on his neck.

"I believe this may have spared you," T'Pol said, "and it also seems to support my hypothesis."

Hoshi stared at her expectantly. "And that is?"

T'Pol turned to face Hoshi. "I believe there is a catalyst that acts on each individual according to the levels of certain hormones in the body. Lieutenant Reed's normal balance was most likely disrupted by his illness." She looked down at her scanner again. "I detected some unusual sonic emissions during my geologic scans earlier. I believe they may be related. Hoshi and I are less affected, however I do not believe that the doctor will survive the night and the commander may not either."

"Hoshi found a reference to 'preservation of the dead' in the database," Malcolm added. "Could this be related?"

T'Pol lifted a slender eyebrow at the thought. "That would be consistent with my findings," she said. "I believe we need to 'compare notations' as you might say." Hoshi and Malcolm looked at each other but decided not to correct her. Malcolm could see the weariness and unease coursing through her normally controlled stature. Then she continued. "We need to hurry though. We do not have a lot of time."

**********

Trip tried to shrink into the gray wall behind him. At least he thought the wall was gray. It seemed everything was gray now. He was bound too tightly to move very far, but he was confident with a little more work he could remedy the situation. He seemed to be having trouble thinking now, but somehow it didn't concern him. He could still see what was going on, hear the sharp voices, the angry responses. There was something wrong with all of them. He was afraid. Fight or flight warred within him, but he didn't have the choice of either. Yet. But the ropes were getting weaker and he was getting stronger.

**********

"As you were, Ensign," Malcolm spoke to Hoshi rather more harshly then he intended to. Then he softened in deference to her condition. "You are still a Starfleet officer and there is still a chain of command."

The 'discussion' between Ensign Sato and Sub-Commander T'Pol had escalated somewhat. Hoshi's irrationality, which Malcolm had noted slightly before, had become more pronounced. T'Pol was faring better, but still lacked much of her usual tact.

Hoshi glared at Malcolm for a moment, then turned back to T'Pol. "I know you think I'm being affected, and maybe I am," she said, "but so are you." She pointed accusingly at T'Pol. "The T'Pol I know wouldn't let the welfare of a bunch of dead people supersede that of the living, even if it is a long standing Vulcan prerogative. "

"Keeping this culture intact is important as well," T'Pol insisted. "But it is not my primary consideration in our current circumstances."

Hoshi continued to glare at T'Pol. She was not willing to concede anything. She simply didn't believe or trust her.

T'Pol concluded that this was the beginning of the infection talking. She glanced briefly over at Malcolm. He looked pale and tired. She hated bringing him into what should have been an unquestionable order, but Hoshi's irrationality was beginning to spin out of control. It needed to be tempered by whatever means possible.

"Lieutenant Reed has not been affected," she began, "and he is in agreement with me."

Hoshi's head flew back to face Malcolm. "But we have to destroy it," she said in a panic. "It's our only hope."

Malcolm had never seen her like this before. So desperate. So out of control. He felt a giant hot spotlight on him. Her eyes pleaded with him. She was so sure their lives depended on it.

"The Sub-commander is right," Malcolm resisted the urge to look at the floor under her continued harsh glare. "It's safer this way."

Malcolm saw both points. Hoshi wanted to destroy the center they had located that emanated the signal that was infecting them. With the signal destroyed, the progression might stop. They might make it to morning. However, the center seemed to be attached to the holographic matrix held this world together. That might be destroyed as well. There was no telling what the surface would be like if that glue were removed. It was a gamble either way, but T'Pol's decision was the best bet. He wished she hadn't mentioned anything about saving the culture of the necropolis supported on this planet though, or reviewed the Vulcan's theory of non- interference with them. Hoshi had held to this portion of the conversation and now saw the sub-commander as indifferent to their plight when compared to the ancient culture and the corpses that resided here.

Finally Hoshi backed away obviously feeling outnumbered. She stalked away from T'Pol without giving either her or Malcolm a second glance and moved to the safety of her station.

**********

T'Pol walked slowly to the corner where Trip was. She stood staring at him quietly. He didn't move and the silence was like a stand-off. Maybe he would come quietly with them. Then the thrashing started.

Malcolm hurried to T'Pol's side. "He's going to hurt himself," he shook his head sadly, feeling completely helpless. "How are we going to get him out of here?"

"We may have to return for him," T'Pol said flatly.

Malcolm's head snapped toward her. "Sub-commander. We already decided that is not an option," he said. He meant it a reminder, but it came out as somewhat of an accusation.

She shook her head. "Of course." She continued to stare blankly at the commander.

Malcolm tipped his head and moved slightly between her and Trip to get her attention. "Didn't you say you did something for Phlox?" he asked.

She ignored him so he prodded further.

"You said you incapacitated him," Malcolm continued. "That he would be unconscious until we returned to the ship. Did you inject him with something?"

T'Pol didn't move. She continued to stare ahead of her at the twitching bundle that was Commander Tucker.

"If you can do that for the commander," he hesitated and shook his head slightly, "I should be able to carry him out of here." Malcolm stepped back, waiting.

He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity then she slowly closed her eyes and turned her head to the floor. "I am not proud of what I had to do to the Doctor."

Malcolm stared, confusion in his eyes.

"I initiated a mind meld with him." T'Pol let the words hang like a pall over the room, waiting for the horror to sink in to the lieutenant. It didn't.

"Better than hitting him over the head I guess," Malcolm said flippantly. "Not sure that would've worked anyway. I wouldn't want to try shooting him again either."

"Do you understand what kind of violation that is?" T'Pol asked, disgust barely hidden in her tone. "It is the most despised act on Vulcan. My ability to do it is the reason that I will never be looked at the same on my homeworld again. I will always be an outcast."

"I understand that you did what you had to do," Malcolm said softly, finally realizing the gravity of her admission.

"I tried to bring him out of it," she said talking about the doctor again, trying to conceal the sadness in her voice. "He was too far gone."

Malcolm put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. She stiffened but didn't brush it away. He sensed the distaste and pulled his hand away. "It may not be too late for Commander Tucker," he said. She just looked up at him.

"I understand this is a sacrifice for you as well T'Pol," Malcolm continued quietly, "but you may be able to help him."

She looked at the commander, her face expressionless but with a profound sadness in her eyes. Then she slowly moved toward him. He froze.

"You are in no condition to carry Commander Tucker, Lieutenant," she said glancing over at Malcolm. "Once he is stabilized, I will do it."

**********

Trip saw her moving toward him. Reaching for his face. He tried to move away, but the wall prevented him. He made one final effort to break the bonds that held him, the final threads snapping just as her fingers touched his face. In that instant he couldn't move. His body was like stone. His blood, so hot before, froze like ice. Then everything was inside his head. She was inside his head. He wanted to run.

Commander Tucker. A tentative thought reached out to him.

Trip.

He was afraid, but he knew that voice. That voice had calmed him before. Had taken care of him before. He couldn't remember when or how, but he trusted that voice.

Trip?

Then she stood before him, naked. He averted his eyes. Yes, he remembered this. Intimate, yet not. Only to take care of him. This was the memory of the Vulcan neuropressure sessions they shared. They had helped him to deal with the aftermath of his grief when he lost his sister. The contact had not been sexual, but this was the strongest memory he had of her.

Trip, She continued, this is how you think of me? He thought she sounded slightly indignant.

It was T'Pol. He remembered now. His mental projection blushed brightly. Then she was dressed in one of her usual skin-tight uniforms.

That's better. She thought to him, her lips moved out of sync with her voice. He found that strange. Do you remember where you are?

He looked at her suspiciously.

Can you respond Commander?

I don't know, He told her.

You need to do exactly as I say. Her disembodied voice surrounded him now. She approached him slowly and then they were sitting on a mat on the floor. Was this her quarters? The room was dim. Their eyes locked and they were face to face. She slowly reached out to him and he allowed her to remove his shirt.

Please lie down, Commander.

Why?

Do you trust me?

He had to ponder this for a moment. He was getting confused now. But.

Of course I do.

This is very important.

I know. He sensed her urgency.

Listen very carefully. She instructed. You have to trust.

There was a noise surrounding him now. It was the most peaceful thing he had heard in his life. He thought he had heard it once before when T'Pol was showing him how Vulcans meditate. Her touch was soothing now. Like it had been before.

Thank you, T'Pol. His eyes drifted shut.

She could sense his thought. He remembered. This was good. Maybe she could help him. She might find consolation in that.

Now sleep, she said.

************

Malcolm heard the last words T'Pol said to the commander. It was the only thing she said aloud. Trip's eyes drifted shut and his body grew slack. T'Pol moved away slowly, her eyes still closed, fingers the last to move away from Trip's face.

"It is done," she said.

Malcolm turned to gather their supplies. They would have to travel light. They would not try to take the whole camp back with them.

"Ensign Sato," he said as he scooped scanners, rations and first-aid supplies into a small pack. Then when she didn't respond right away, "Hoshi, it's time to get out of here."

No answer. He looked up. She was gone. Malcolm spun around the room to face T'Pol. She had noticed too. Hoshi was probably implementing her own plan right now.

"How long has she been gone?" T'Pol asked.

"I don't know," Malcolm's tone was stoical. He should have been watching her more closely. Should have expected this. Concern for his other friend had gotten in the way of his duty and he knew it. "No more than three minutes if I should have to guess," he said after a short consideration.

Then he saw a movement behind T'Pol. Trip was awake. And his hands were free. Malcolm barely had a chance to yell a warning to T'Pol before the commander pushed her and ran for the doorway. After quickly opening the door with the switch on the wall, he too was gone.

Malcolm started to run after him, but as he reached the door T'Pol's hand fell on his shoulder. His breath was coming in short pants, his face pinched in pain.

T'Pol placed herself between him and the door "Currently I can travel more swiftly than you lieutenant. I will attempt to intercept Ensign Sato before she can cause any damage," she continued. "Then I will return here for you." She didn't say anything about Trip.

Malcolm leaned against the wall and nodded curtly in acknowledgement as she left. He hated feeling so helpless, but his body would not seem to cooperate. He would have to force it to. After giving the situation a moment's thought he rummaged through the first-aid pack and found the hypo- spray T'Pol had loaded with stimulant. After quickly injecting himself with its contents, he headed out the door as well. Sub-Commander T'Pol hadn't ordered him to stay here although she had implied it. He knew he had to find Commander Tucker. There might not be time later and he'd be damned if they weren't all leaving here together.

**********

Why did it have to come down to her? Some people she knew would relish this as an adventure, seizing the adrenaline rush like a rare & elusive prize. Hoshi was afraid, but she also had anger fueling her. She crept along the long dank stone passage, ready to jump out of her skin at a moment's notice. The moonlight shining through tall evenly placed windows cast harsh shadows making the passage ahead look striped & a little disconcerting. It was hard to tell what might be waiting in any of the dark shadows.

Her eyes darted around her as she moved along, but she kept her expression deliberately neutral hoping to convince her heart to stop beating so hard against her chest. Hoping to convince herself she was braver than she felt. After everything that had happened, all of her instincts told her to crawl into the nearest hole & huddle there for safety, but she knew she had to be strong for them. Even if they didn't understand what had to be done. If they didn't appreciate it, at least they would still be alive. Besides, there were no holes along the way to crawl into so she kept moving. She was almost there.

**********

Malcolm moved through the corridors slowly, phase pistol held in a guard position in front of him. It wouldn't do a lot of good in the event of a confrontation, but it might just give him some time to get away.

The passages were better lit than he thought they would be. The moon was full and shining through the skylights above. He walked as quietly as possible, only distracted by the sound of his own breathing. He listened for anything else. Any noise that could be a friend or an enemy -- or a friend with the potential to act as an enemy. His mind flashed involuntarily to the choking incident when he was lying helpless on the floor. He shook off the thought in favor of the task at hand.

Then he heard it. A slight rustling in the room ahead. His heart pounded as he approached the doorway. He peered into the darkened room. There in the corner he could just make out a pale, barely moonlit face. It was trying to hide from him. He could just identify it as Trip's. Malcolm's right hand went down pointing the pistol to the floor and he tentatively raised the other hand as he slowly stepped into the room. Hopefully his friend would be more rational after his 'discussion' with T'Pol.

"It's just me, Trip," Malcolm whispered. He didn't want to draw any other attention.

Trip just sat like a rabbit in a field. As if he could stay completely still and not be noticed. The lighting was playing tricks across his face. Malcolm thought he saw a look of fear on his face, then anger. He had to hope he was wrong. He kept creeping closer trying to look non-threatening.

"We have to leave," Malcolm continued. "It's not safe here."

Then Trip started to move. He seemed to realize he had been spotted. His movements were jerky and it looked like he might lunge forward. Malcolm stopped and raised both hands.

"Don't you remember?" Malcolm asked. Trip stopped moving again, but glared threateningly.

"Remember what T'Pol told you?" He continued. Malcolm didn't really know what T'Pol had communicated to Trip except that it had calmed him.

Trip shook his head and muttered something unintelligible. Then the hostility faded and his face assumed a far-away look. He was looking through Malcolm. Or, he realized, past him. Malcolm spun around fast.

Too late. It was on top of him. He hadn't even heard it coming. The creature's sharp nails dug into his arms. He managed to get the phase pistol aimed and fired point blank, but the creature only staggered away slightly, then slapped the pistol from Malcolm's hand. Its strength was amazing and he had no strength of his own left to fight it. He managed to glance at Trip as the creature threw him to the ground. Their eyes met, but Trip just sat there, rocking back and forth. Malcolm wondered perversely if the creature would eat him afterwards. If Trip would join in. If he was really one of them now. He shook it off.

"Get out of here now, Trip." Malcolm cried out desperately as the creature's dirty nails slashed across his neck, reopening the wound there. Trip still didn't move. Malcolm squeezed his eyes shut as a blinding pain shot through his neck and stabbed into his head. The creature's bone-like fingers wrapped tightly around his throat.

**********

T'Pol knew exactly where she was going. She had memorized the maps exactly. Hopefully Ensign Sato was not as oriented in her present state and could still be intercepted, despite her head start. So far she was lucky not to have run into any opposition. There she was, thinking irrationally again. So far she had relied on hope and now luck. These things often failed. She knew this logically. Unfortunately, there was nothing else left to rely on. She continued to race through the corridors.

Then she heard the blast. It wasn't that far ahead of her. She was seconds from the doorway. She skidded to a stop in front of it. She was too late. Hoshi was standing before what had once been a solid wall. It wasn't solid anymore. There was a shattered hole where it had been, yellow grid patterns surrounding it. Hoshi looked up at her with a smile on her face that faded instantly. It was as if her own sanity had been thrown back into her face and the world around her was finally registering. There were burn marks from the blast on her hands and uniform.

"What have I done?" she asked, then collapsed to the floor.

T'Pol rushed to Hoshi's side and knelt beside her. She had not lost consciousness, although the burns seemed to be causing her pain. She moaned and closed her eyes.

T'Pol reflected momentarily on the consequences of the ensign's actions. Despite the insane motivation behind it, she saw a definite possibility that Hoshi's plan had worked. Her mind was already clearing, so the shot must have disabled the mechanism. The building seemed stable enough. She didn't see any type of apocalypse as she turned to look around her. The building wasn't falling. For the moment everything seemed okay. It seemed that hope and luck might have worked this time.

She helped Hoshi to her feet carefully avoiding her hands, or any other area that looked painful.

"I'm so sorry," Hoshi whispered, shame tingeing her words.

"It is not your fault ensign," T'Pol said. "It is this place and we are leaving here now."

Hoshi leaned into the support T'Pol was giving her and allowed herself to be led away. Everything was going to be okay now. She could finally relax.

As they stepped out of the room one more shower of sparks erupted from the wall. The room shook, along with everything else. Now the building was falling and the world would probably follow soon. They started to run.

**********

Malcolm vaguely thought he felt the floor move through his pain. Then the weight of the body on top of him was lifted and the fingers released from his neck. He gasped for much needed air, momentarily confused.

Then he saw what had happened. Trip had moved from his corner and was pushing the creature off of him. Trip was stronger than any human was supposed to be, but the creature was stronger still. The commander was no match for it. It would kill him. Malcolm tried to stand to help, but his legs buckled under him as the room heaved again. The creature seemed disconcerted by the movement. It stopped its attack and looked around, eyes flashing from one side of the room to the next. As the walls began to shake steadily a flash of fear crossed its deformed features and it scrambled quickly for the door.

Amidst the chaos Trip moved silently toward where Malcolm knelt on the floor. The armory officer tried to read the expression that crossed his friend's face but he couldn't. He wasn't sure whether this was the Trip he knew anymore.

"Trip?" he rasped out.

Trip stood before him and reached out a hand to Malcolm's neck. The lieutenant fell back in shock. Trip wanted him dead too. He had thought..

Then Trip reached out again. Gently touching the side of Malcolm's face he turned it slightly to look at the wound on his neck. It was bleeding freely again. A look of sadness crossed Trip's face, but he still didn't say anything. Malcolm sat staring, too stunned to move. He paused carefully before speaking again.

"We have to get out of here," Malcolm said hoarsely. His voice sounded foreign to him.

Trip took hold of his friend's arm and hoisted him to his feet. He knew the way out. If Malcolm said they needed to leave here, that's what they would do. Trust was his world now. Somehow he knew it wouldn't betray him.

**********

They were running. T'Pol was practically dragging the stumbling Hoshi along by her sleeve, but they were still running. Walls nearby were disappearing at random. Ceilings crashed behind them. They may not have been real, but they were certainly solid enough. They were nearly out of the building now, but there was just one more thing. T'Pol ran to the room where she had left Malcolm pulling Hoshi alongside her. She stopped dead.

"Where are Malcolm and Trip?" Hoshi asked.

T'Pol closed her eyes. Her heart fell. Of course Malcolm would go after Trip. She should have left him specific instructions not to. Although.if he had succeeded. She shook her head.

" We must leave," She said. "They are not here."

"We have to find them," Hoshi was frantic in her guilt. She had set the building to collapse. She could see it falling on her friends. Her legs started to feel weak.

T'Pol simply grabbed her sleeve and dragged her from the room.

"I said," she emphasized, "we must leave. Now."

Hoshi stumbled alongside her. "We have to find them first," she said desperately.

"We must leave right now," T'Pol answered as if she were addressing a child.

The tone would normally have annoyed Hoshi, but this time she ignored it. She pulled free of T'Pol's grasp and started stumbling back the way they had come.

T'Pol made no attempt to hide her exasperation. She turned to retrieve the errant communication's officer and watched stunned as she ran right into Trip. Malcolm stood next to him, leaning heavily into him for support. Trip stumbled a bit from the collision but managed to retain his footing.

T'Pol stepped up next to Hoshi who was staring at them in stunned disbelief.

"We'd better get out of here," Malcolm said when they didn't move right away. His voice was strained. "Can't you see the bloody walls are coming down around us?"

**********

They were halfway back to the shuttle pod when T'Pol realized they weren't going to make it. Behind them was an icy wasteland. Ahead, winds howled with gale force as warm air was sucked away and replaced with frigid. They had been trying to outrun the destructive ripple effect racing behind them, but she knew they couldn't run fast enough. Perhaps she could make it alone, but they wouldn't. What was left was simply an exercise in tenacity, and futility. Then Malcolm collapsed. The stimulants he had taken had finally worn off. Trip, stooped down automatically to pick him up.

"Commander," T'Pol said evenly.

He glanced up at her and stopped, still holding one of Malcolm's arms. He hadn't spoken a word since this all started.

"We can rest here," she said.

Since they had stopped Trip had started to shiver with the cold and Hoshi's thin form was shaking violently. T'Pol was hypersensitive to the cold due to her Vulcan ancestry, but she controlled her words carefully to keep the quaver out of her voice. Trip looked at her confused.

Hoshi looked down. She knew the situation. "Where.... Where can we rest?"

"Just over there." T'Pol pointed to a rocky outcropping jutting out from the hill. She hoped that feature was part of the natural landscape as well. There were trees there and many of the leaves had fallen into a small cave.

"Just for a little while, right?" Hoshi asked. She glanced at Trip then looked at T'Pol. Her eyes were a picture of sad finality.

T'Pol didn't say anything. She helped Trip carry Malcolm the short distance to the shelter of the trees. The wind howled mercilessly around them and even T'Pol was shivering obviously now. Trip laid Malcolm's oblivious form in the bed of fallen leaves and did his best to protect him from the wind. Hoshi joined him and looked to T'Pol.

"Stay together," T'Pol said, her voice faltering, almost stammering from the cold. She stood away from them. "Try to conserve your heat." She looked at Trip. "I will be back for all of you." Trip nodded at her and looked back to Hoshi. Then T'Pol was gone.

**********

She could be back in less than fifteen minutes. They should last that long, shouldn't they? T'Pol ran almost blindly through the driving snow that had begun to blow with the winds. No, not snow, more like the blowing whiteness of a tundra. She didn't let it slow her down. She couldn't. She was moving on instinct now. The terrain was totally unfamiliar. The ripple effect had passed her and now this was the planet's true, inhospitable form. She stumbled and fell face first into the frozen ground but picked herself up again quickly. She was numb now. The only thing driving her was the promise she made before she left.

She stopped momentarily to get her bearings. There ahead of her she thought she saw something. She thought she was still approximately four minutes away from where she had left the shuttle, but as she strained to see through the white curtain in front of her, she caught a glimpse of it again. It was definitely the outline of a shuttle. Perhaps the destruction of the planet had caused a spatial distortion also. She staggered toward the outline.

************

"Captain," Ensign Travis Mayweather said urgently, "I have a life sign on our short range scanners. A few meters from the door. The readings are Vulcan. "

Captain Jonathan Archer spun from his position and threw open the hatch. The cold swirled into the shuttle in turbulent waves, but he hardly noticed it in his haste. He was wearing a thermal suit, but even that was inadequate considering the extremes to which the temperature was plummeting. Shielding his face with his arm he pressed outside, his eyes scanning for anything ahead.

He almost didn't see T'Pol as she fell into his arms. He dragged her back with him into the shuttle and laid her down on the floor. She was shaking convulsively, but her mouth was moving as if she were trying to speak.

Captain Archer spun his head to face Travis. "Get some warming blankets over here." He shouted.

Travis was already on his way and the blankets were on top of her within seconds.

"The others?" Jonathan asked. He hated to interrogate her in this condition, but lives might depend on it. If they weren't already too late. "Our scanners aren't accurate on long range. Can you tell us where they are?"

T'Pol closed her eyes briefly to concentrate. "Due east of our position," she managed to get out between chattering teeth, "approximately one point seven kilometers." Then her eyes widened. "Doctor Phlox."

".is on his way back to the ship now," he finished. "He's going to be ok."

It was if a great weight had been lifted from her. She could let go now. Her eyes closed and she drifted into blissful unconsciousness.

**********

T'Pol woke up in a warm room on a flat bed in a familiar place. She experimentally tested her fingers too see if they would move. She had lost all feeling in them on the planet. They seemed to work adequately now. Slowly opening her eyes, she tipped her head to the side. There on the biobed next to her Ensign Elizabeth Cutler was standing over Malcolm redressing the wound on his neck. She tipped her head the other way and spotted Trip and Hoshi. Then a voice startled her.

"Sub-Commander," Doctor Phlox said.

Her head snapped back in response to her voice. She hadn't heard him approach. She stared at him with large brown eyes. The dilated pupils made them seem almost black.

"They will recover," he said in answer to her unspoken question. "It may be a little while, but we reached them in time. Thanks to you."

"You are all recovering from severe hypothermia," He continued, then looked at the floor and spoke softly. "You have a concussion and a number of strains and bruises." He paused to let the words sink in but his patient didn't seem to understand what he was getting at. "I owe you an apology, T'Pol." He stopped with his mouth slightly open then continued. "I am responsible for the majority of your injuries."

"I should apologize to you," she said, but then didn't continue.

The doctor knew what she was referring to. He was there when Tavin violated her. He was her doctor. He saw how she had suffered both mentally and physically when the renegade Vulcan transmitted his ability to join minds to her. How she had been treated by her own people when they discovered it. Pity finally followed revulsion and prejudice. Although she was allowed to keep her position in the Vulcan High Command, she was no longer looked at the same. He however, held none of the Vulcan's bigotry toward those able to initiate the mind meld.

"You prevented me from killing you," Phlox said simply. "I would expect nothing different under the circumstances." He smiled reassuringly at her then turned to tend to his other patients.

T'Pol turned her head away. It would be a long time before she would be able to look at the doctor without feeling the shame of what she had done. Even if he felt her action was appropriate, she couldn't shake the lingering distaste of it. She realized she had turned to Trip's bed. He was starting to toss his head in a restless sleep. She wondered what nightmare he was having. Wondered if it included her. Then she closed her eyes. They had all survived, hadn't they? That was the important part.

~~~~Finis~~~~