Don't Judge A Book…
By Antares *Star
Chapter Seven: The Open Road
*Disclaimer and other info located on first chapter
*Note: Well, another chapter! I hope it's alright. It's kind of longer, and the story's winding down. A character from chapter one make an appearance, see if you remember him…
I've read all of the reviews (Thanks!!), and have taken some of the advice. Thank you those who offer tips. Thank you all who encourage me to go on! This chapter is for you…
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There is no accident in our choice of reading.
-Francois Mauriac
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Archer felt totally out of place and more then a little ignorant as the Ansian doctors tended to Reed. The captain knew Phlox would trade even his precious pets to get his hands on this kind of medicine and technology. The Ansians would have made prosperous allies if they had just been less rash. Or violent, or maybe even less insane, yeah, that would have helped. Oh well, they're helping Malcolm, that's all that matters.
Reed was lying flat on a stainless steel medical table which starkly contrasted his deathly sallow skin. Blood flowed freely from his nose, which showed no sign of hurt say the yellow complexion of it. He looked dead; he was dead. Archer felt sick as he watched one of the two doctors push a long tube down Reed's throat. The other was hooking a contraption up to the officer's chest and head. The cliché monotone sound of a dead man's heartbeat echoed shrilly around the room.
A complicated machine began to bleep and whirl, and before he knew it, the doctors were withdrawing the tube from Reed's trachea and unhooking the devices. A steady beeping sound showed Reed's heart was now beating. Absolutely amazing. Enterprise's medicine seemed archaic when juxtaposed to the Ansian's.
Reed's eyes fluttered and Captain Archer leaned forward full of wonder. Muttering something the captain's communicator didn't catch, the doctors leaned over Reed with new tools as the beeping of his heartbeat began to quicken. They gave him a shot, and he bean to cough harshly, as though ridding his lungs of bad air or water. A tremor ran through his body, and his eyes finally opened.
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Everything was dark. Everything seemed to ache, especially his head. He tried to reach a hand up to rub the headache from his skull but found he couldn't move his arm. In fact, he couldn't move anything. He was completely paralyzed. He began to panic. His memories were coming back, and they struck terror in his heart. He had drowned. What the hell was he doing alive?
He was aware that he was coughing, harshly. Hmm, a side affect of dying maybe. He couldn't remember anything, except that he shouldn't be here. He felt a click against his neck, and light suddenly flooded into his vision. It was so bright, he flinched away from it. The light came though, engulfing him and forcing his heavy eyelids open. Blurred colors were all he could see. Voices floating around him, not making any sense.
A figure walked into his sight. It looked familiar and he was surprised how quickly everything was coming into focus. This figure looked concerned and placed a comforting hand on his arm. "Welcome back Malcolm. You had me worried there for a while." Malcolm, that was his name, yes. The figure was…Trip? No, he's Captain Archer. Trip is smaller… and Southern. Yes!
Malcolm's fingers twitched, but he couldn't speak. The figure turned away briefly. Another sharp click by his neck. Malcolm almost gasped at what this shot brought forward. All his memories came rushing back in a torrent.
"Captain?" he rasped. His throat ached. Archer smiled and patted him gently.
"Welcome back. I intend for you to stay with us this time." he turned slightly. "Thank you Capena, you held up your end of the deal."
Capena strolled forward, not glancing at Reed. "Ah, I did didn't I?" I didn't do 'anything else' either to your crewman, as you suspected. You don't trust...tut tut."
"I have no reason to, you put us in this situation in the fist place…you better get us out in one piece."
"So many threats! Shame on you. Now come, Mal will spend the night here, and you can go get that ship of yours for me. Remember your end of the deal? Enterprise is mine." Capena grinned toothily and turned to his guards. "Take Archer to the communications room, let him contact his ship. I will be there shortly to, uh, monitor the exchange. Jon." He held his arm out to the door. Archer threw one more glance at a confused Malcolm, and then stalked out.
Malcolm watched the Captain go. He felt a sense of dread come over him. Had the Captain traded Enterprise for him? If he had, and someone got hurt…Malcolm didn't think he could ever forgive himself.
His headache was becoming increasingly painful, so he closed his eyes and tried to block out the complicated feelings swirling through his brain.
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Hoshi sat completely still, staring at the bars of her cell. Trip was just to the right of her also in shock. They had just watched Malcolm's dead body being carried away.
"Did that really just happen?" she asked Trip without turning around. "Did I just see someone die?"
Trip stared at her, scared that something inside her would snap if he said what he really thought. "He'll be fine. They have technology to, ah, bring him back." He sighed. "He's strong."
"He was having a nightmare. He was terrified, and I couldn't save him. I wonder if he was dreaming about…about Mark." Her dark eyes swung to fix on Trip's face, they were glistening brightly.
Trip rested his hand on her shoulder, offering comfort. He felt oddly calm. "Maybe you should try and get some sleep. Here." He pulled a pile of cloth towards her, but it wasn't soft and light as he had expected it to be. It was heavier then it should be. He grabbed on end of it and tugged it open. The phase pistol lay there, along with some partially repaired weapons. "Hoshi!" he breathed.
She scrambled up behind him. "Oh!"
He peered keenly at the weapon, his blue eyes flashing hopefully.
"We could use this." he whispered.
"How?"
"I'm not sure, but we'll find a way. They hurt us, we hurt them."
Hoshi looked at him, meeting his steely gaze, and then dropped her head guiltily. "I don't know."
Trip pocketed the weapon. "I do."
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"Welcome aboard Enterprise." T'Pol nodded her head politely to Litan and his guard, who did not bear weapons.
"Thank you, we are pleased to be here." answered Litan gruffly. "Now, can we get started in our negotiations?"
"Of course." T'Pol answered evenly. Archer continually told her that she was rude in her speech by being so straight-forward. If she was rude than the Tauners were downright hostile.
T'Pol showed the Tauners to a meeting room. A security guard stood outside the room and nodded to the Sub-Commander as he shut the door. T'Pol sat quietly and listened as Litan began talking.
At the end of the discussion, T'pol hadn't gathered much more from the Tauner. She decided she could trust them enough however, to tell them of Enterprise's situation. "Four of our crewmates have been taken hostage below. We have yet to hear from them. Has this occurred before?"
Litan growled a truly disgusting sound. "Yes! They seem to take pleasure in reverting to cowardly measures. Three cycles ago they took a soldier and his whole family; wife and two littles. After we refused to surrender an important outpost to them, they killed the family and sent the soldier back, have crazy after watching his family die. Bastards."
T'Pol considered this, despite outward appearances; the Ansians seemed a brutal and irresponsible race. She wanted no dealings with them. "We might consider an exchange. If you are willing to help us rescue our crewmates, we may be able to offer you information and battle tactics."
Litan sneered at her. "We want no 'tactics', we want power! We need technology and weapons."
"We are not at liberty to give those away."
"Then we are not at liberty to help your crewmates. This is over." He got up quickly and left, followed by his guard. The security officer fell in step behind them as he escorted them back to the shuttle bay.
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Archer perched uncomfortably upon a tall stool as Capena's guards overlooked him dialing in Enterprise's com channel. As he was about to reluctantly hail his ship, a message flashed on the screen. An important looking Ansian looked curiously at Archer as the two guards immediately snapped to attention.
"Commander Corsca! Sir!" They held their wrists together in front of their bodies, pointing up with fingertips meeting. It looked like a little heart shape. The commander regarded them swiftly, then lazily mimicked the gesture. The guards hurriedly pulled Archer from his stool, pushing him against the wall and out of the screen's way.
"Where is your little master, Capena? I have urgent news. Bring him to me at once."
On that note, Capena pranced in. "Well Jon, are you ready to…" His eyes flashed as he caught sight of the figure on screen. "Sir!"
Corsca raised an eyebrow at Capena. "Having fun?" Capena fell silent. "Well, never mind. I needed to inform you that we discovered a meeting between Enterprise and the Tauners." Capena's eyes narrowed. "If Enterprise is having dealings with the Tauners, we are as good as dead. Do something about it, I'm needed on the battlefield. Out."
The image flashed away and Archer stood forgotten at the wall. Capena rounded on the guards. "You heard him!" he bellowed. Bring…the girl in here, take this one back." He motioned to Archer.
Archer didn't struggle as they grabbed his arms and pulled him into the dark hallway. They open the metal bars of a cell with a groan, and proceeded to hurl Archer in. Trip was waiting there, by the door. He banged the pistol against a guards head while Hoshi ran into the second.
Archer was stunned, but soon caught on and helped Hoshi up. Trip smacked the second guard, who fell to the ground with a groan. "Hey Captain." Trip grinned. Hoshi was panting from her excitement and fear. The guard she had attacked was about three times bigger than her. Archer smiled at them.
"If we can just get out of the building, we can hail Enterprise and get beamed up." Trip declared.
Hoshi nodded excitedly, then sobered. "What about Malcolm? We won't leave him here, or-or his body."
"He's alive! It was amazing; they made it look so easy." Archer shook his head incredulously.
Trip goggled at Archer. "He's Alive!?" He grinned, "Well, what are we waiting for?"
They set off down the dark hallway, Archer leading. Trip held the gun and Hoshi grasped some of the half completed weapons. They turned into the med bay together on the count of 'Three'. The medics were stunned, but stood with their hands up as Archer shook Malcolm awake.
Reed opened blurry eyes to see his friends standing around him. Archer mumbled something to him, and hooked an arm around Malcolm's waist. Malcolm sagged sluggishly. "Trip, come help." Archer ordered.
Trip looked uncertainly from Hoshi to the gun. She sighed, "I know how to shoot! Malcolm taught me."
Trip nodded, handing her the gun. "That doesn't comfort me!" He sniggered. Malcolm glared at him, still managing to catch the barb through his hazy thoughts.
"Come on, we need to find a way out of here. How much charge does that gun have?" Hoshi looked at it closely
"Three shots, maybe four."
Archer nodded, and they walked out going painfully slow.
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_________________________________________________________________________Well, here come the famous thank-yous. I have a lot of new reviewers THANK YOU NEWCOMERS! A couple old ones YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! and some absent ones, GRRR. Well, all in all I'm quite pleased, because of your reviews it didn't take me two months to update! congrats!
* Loz- Thank you, I love being intriguing !LOL, hope you made it ok…
* Parisindy- Glad to hear, and when are YOU gonna continue your stories. Unless my computer is tricking me, you haven't updated for a while!
* * * * * * CJSooks- Hey bud. Well, thanks again, humbly, since your countless stories leave my lone one trembling, I hope you'll find inspiration to keep writing, it IS hard!
* Shaan Lien- You know, I think your absolute right! I guess I'm just a Drama Queen. I will try harder to keep them in character.
* Catspaw- Your right, I'll go back fix that one day. I guess you can tell I don't have a Beta! Thank you so much for the kind words. One thing I've wondered, is your 'name' Cat's Paw, or Cat spaw? Hmmm, maybe you have that name just to confuse everyone. Grr.
* Liselle- Darn it, I am!! I'm sorry, didn't mean to lie, a guess bending the truth is a good way to put it. lol, don't worry, couldn't ever kill of a character, love em too much.
* * Jaws- Once again, you review! Thanks so much, hope this lived up to your expectations!
(commentator's voice) And it looks like CJ is in second placed, trailing Iverson by one star! But Suzanne, Kim, and Rae are tied for third, close on the winners' heels! Who will win the battle of the stars??
Ba Ba Ba Bum…And they're off to…
…Review!!