Madison's vision consisted of a bright white ceiling, her head throbbed as the memory of the night came back to her piece by piece.
Nova had been waiting for her; furious that her pink skinned friends had caused a scene. Thankfully her singing partner had convinced the audience that it was a Human custom, Madison became an immediate hit. Nova still, however, had his pride to contend with and Madison had hurt it badly. Nova decided the punishment was to break every bone in Madison's body that was left to break. She could only guess how long she'd been there as there wasn't a single window in the room.
There was however, a sleeping Trip on a hospital chair. Arms folded, his headed drooped on his rising and falling chest. He looked so venerable. Madison was certain this wasn't the way Jonathan had planed for Trip to have spent his time. However Madison was also certain that Jonathan was morning her death and not her fathers. Phlox will still want to test the remains, or whatever was left. Madison thought. And he seemed competent enough to retrieve a sample to test.
Careful not to wake the sleeping Trip, Madison eased herself from the bed. Unsuccessfully, she crumpled to the floor with a piecing scream and a strong coughing fit. Fressca rushed in to rescue Madison.
"I said you could stay if you looked after her!" She shouted at the startled Trip who rushed to help Madison back onto the bed. "You need another hour Madi." Fressca explained propping up the bed so the fragile girl could sit up. "I'm just finishing the last treatment." Fressca scowled at Trip and left.
"Where's Malcolm?" Madison asked mid splutter. Trip wouldn't meet his gaze. "What's wrong?" closing her fist over the cloth piece she had in her hand.
"He's in a coma!" Trip muttered. "Cap'ns on his way. I didn't tell him about you. We've got a few hours before he arrives." Trip flattened his spiky blonde hair. "Look. I spoke to Nova-"
"You did what?" Madison flushed.
"I reasoned with him-" Trip began to explain.
"-You don't reason with a man like Nova...." Her argument fizzled out as she thought about what Trip could have proposed. "You haven't?" Madison asked, alarm in her voice.
"I had to... I'm not leaving you here!" Trip reasoned. "And it's not because of the job. And it's not because I still love you... Well not in that way." Trip blushed slightly grabbing Madison's tanned hand. "Madison, you're my girl. You're my best friend, we've known each other since...." Trip stopped to reminisce about the day she had stopped the young boy by the name of Callum Kant kicking the crap out of Trip.
"We were ten Trip!" Madison smiled at Trip who was lost in a dream. Madison didn't want to cry, not in front of Trip and not while he was thinking about the past Madison who was strong willed and dependable. Now she was pretty sure she would crumple like paper.
"Yea, when we were ten. I can't leave you here. You didn't leave me when Callum-"
"That was different Trip and you know it." Madison wiped a tear that trickled openly down his cheek. "He was a big bully-"
"So what's Nova, Madi?" Trip angered. "He's a bully who needs to be cut down to size-"
"Do you know what he's gonna make you do?" Madison tightened her grip on his hand. He shook his head. "You remember us playing slaps?"
"Yea!" Trip wondered into another memory in which he was play fighting with the feisty Madison. The real Madison smacked him hard.
"Focus sweetie!" Madison frowned, trying her best to look serious but she couldn't while he looked so innocent and naive. "That's what you have to do-"
"Please. I beat you every t-"
"Trip. It's not that simple, you wear gloves, that have spikes." Madison thought of the consequences. "You could loose your hand. In fact one of you is guaranteed to loose a hand. That's how you win." Madison explained.
"A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do!" Trip answered without thought. Trip needed his hands to be an engineer. But he would gladly cut off his right hand to have Madison safe.
"Don't you dare. You're not a man, you never have. Don't start now!" Madison broke down.
"Makin me angry just so I leave you here ain't gonna work. Cap'n will be here in 6 hours. Get packin!" Trip left with no goodbye. Fressca returned just as Madison opened up her fist to reveal a blood covered cloth.
"Lets just get this over with." Trip sat down at the large table, feeling outnumbered with Nova's companions counting up to about twenty. He was starting to regret is actions. Perhaps it would have been better to have waited for Jonathan to sort this mess out diplomatically.
"Slow down hu-man!" Nova laughed. "We need to finalise the terms-"
"If I win, Madison comes with me. If I lose you keep her... Bla bla bla." Trip rolled his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to get out of this increasingly tense situation. Nova stretched over the desk and grabbed Trip's large neck with a venomous grip.
"Do not insult me sir!" Nova hissed. "Now choose your glove." Nova motioned one of his bodyguards nearer. The purpled-skinned man opened a box with three pairs of black identical gloves. one set had spikes of thorns, one of titanium spikes and one of silver plastic.
"I choose titanium." Trip resolved that of rock, paper scissors Titanium was rock. He was handed his pair of gloves.
"And I will have the magnesium." Nova nodded to his guard. On closer inspection the spikes weren't silver plastic, they were clear funnels filled with magnesium. Trip's mind raced, there was no way he could allow one of those spike's to brake the skin, if the liquid metal got into his system it could kill him.
"Lets rock!" Trip answered confidently hoping both Madison and Malcolm appreciated what he was doing for them. He slipped his hands into the soft interior of the gloves. His hands were clumpy and not fast, he really was wishing Jonathan was there right now.
"You can start." Nova goaded placing his hands together in front of him over the table. "Oh, I forgot to mention the rules..." Nova stuck out his forked tongue "There are no rules." Trip made a note not to forget that.
Trip never took his eyes off Nova's, trusting his hands to know where they were going. His right hand struck first, Nova's hand remained unblemished, impossible, his hands were unprotected. Trips hands returned to meet the tips on Nova's hands. After a moments hesitation with his left hand, he counter attacked with his right, immediately thinking how this must be a game Malcolm would enjoy. While deep in thought Trip lost concentration and allowed Nova to move his hands in time. Trip sourly removed his own gloves, silently praying that he would have another chance to put on the gloves.
"Shame Mr Tucker!" Nova allowed a guard to put his gloves on. "Letssssssss Rock." Nova imitated.
Nova went to attack, Trip flinched. Nova returned his hands to their stationary potions. Trip would normally allow his partner to hit him, make no attempt to move until they got bored. However there was no way he could allow that to happen in this case. Again Nova moved his hand to attack, giving Trip reason to flinch. Nova stared at Trip, Nova was giving nothing away. He flicked his hand once again, and once again Trip flinched.
"I get to hit you." Nova laughed. "You flinched-"
"You said no rules!" Trip shouted as two guards moved to either side.
"If you think you can move your hand in time! But you don't get to move the upper part of your arms." The guards pins his arms to his side."
In such a flash, Madison raced into the room, just as Nova swung at Trip's hands, all the spikes splintered as they made contact with Trip's now rupturing skin.
"Nnnnoooo!" Madison screamed, grabbing a thorned glove from the box that lay open on the table. She placed it over her right hand and leapt onto Nova's back, dragging it across Nova's throat with no affect.
"Fool... You seriously think I'd use anything that could harm me. The only one that would do that is these. And no one every picks them." He held up a gloved hand. The one with the spike's still intact. Madison attempted to pull his hand to his own face. Nova tired of her and pull her over his shoulder and onto the floor. "Stupid bitch." Nova spat at Madison who was now coughing because she had stretched her lungs. "Your playing a goodbye song to your friend in two hours. Get yourself and him cleaned up." Nova and his twenty bodyguards left Trip and Madison alone.
Trip was doubled up over the desk in pain from his left hand. Madison got herself off the floor, approached Trip taking off her belt and tying around Trip's arm to cut the circulation from his hand, she then made her way dumbly to the communicator.
"Fressca?" Madison questioned. "Worst case!" Madison and Fressca had quickly gone through each possible result of this showdown. As predicted it was worse case scenario.
"You know what to do. I'm sending someone now... and Madi... Good luck." Fressca could be heard choking up.
"Thank you." Madison ended the communication. Searching the room for a sharp object. There was a sword mounted above the fire place, which Madison had immediately lit. She took the blade from it's mount and placed it into the silver coals. "Trip?" She has returned to him. He was delirious with the pain. "Trip?"
"Yes T'Pol?" Trip answered.
"No, Sweetie. It's Madison. I've got to cut off your hand." Madison explained. Trip understood all too well.
"No."
"You'll die Trip. you're not left handed. It's not so bad... But I have to do it now!" Madison helped him up so she could take him to the table nearer the fire.
"Don't care."
"You want to live Trip... For T'Pol's sake." Madison was guessing she was the girl Trip had sidetracked for her. She returned to the fire and checked if the blade was hot enough. It would have to do she decided as she examined the burning flesh on her left index finger. "I don't want to do this Trip. But it has to be done." Madison explained thrusting the blade into the air with her right hand, her left positioning his hand. "Forgive me Trip." The blade cut clean through his arm. She pulled him to the floor and put the open wound into the fire. The stench filled the room as quickly as Trip's howl did. After a few moments Madison pulled both Trip and herself away from the fire, cradling the weeping Trip in her arms. "I'm sorry baby. I'm so sorry." She kissed his forehead just as someone came to get them.
Nova had been waiting for her; furious that her pink skinned friends had caused a scene. Thankfully her singing partner had convinced the audience that it was a Human custom, Madison became an immediate hit. Nova still, however, had his pride to contend with and Madison had hurt it badly. Nova decided the punishment was to break every bone in Madison's body that was left to break. She could only guess how long she'd been there as there wasn't a single window in the room.
There was however, a sleeping Trip on a hospital chair. Arms folded, his headed drooped on his rising and falling chest. He looked so venerable. Madison was certain this wasn't the way Jonathan had planed for Trip to have spent his time. However Madison was also certain that Jonathan was morning her death and not her fathers. Phlox will still want to test the remains, or whatever was left. Madison thought. And he seemed competent enough to retrieve a sample to test.
Careful not to wake the sleeping Trip, Madison eased herself from the bed. Unsuccessfully, she crumpled to the floor with a piecing scream and a strong coughing fit. Fressca rushed in to rescue Madison.
"I said you could stay if you looked after her!" She shouted at the startled Trip who rushed to help Madison back onto the bed. "You need another hour Madi." Fressca explained propping up the bed so the fragile girl could sit up. "I'm just finishing the last treatment." Fressca scowled at Trip and left.
"Where's Malcolm?" Madison asked mid splutter. Trip wouldn't meet his gaze. "What's wrong?" closing her fist over the cloth piece she had in her hand.
"He's in a coma!" Trip muttered. "Cap'ns on his way. I didn't tell him about you. We've got a few hours before he arrives." Trip flattened his spiky blonde hair. "Look. I spoke to Nova-"
"You did what?" Madison flushed.
"I reasoned with him-" Trip began to explain.
"-You don't reason with a man like Nova...." Her argument fizzled out as she thought about what Trip could have proposed. "You haven't?" Madison asked, alarm in her voice.
"I had to... I'm not leaving you here!" Trip reasoned. "And it's not because of the job. And it's not because I still love you... Well not in that way." Trip blushed slightly grabbing Madison's tanned hand. "Madison, you're my girl. You're my best friend, we've known each other since...." Trip stopped to reminisce about the day she had stopped the young boy by the name of Callum Kant kicking the crap out of Trip.
"We were ten Trip!" Madison smiled at Trip who was lost in a dream. Madison didn't want to cry, not in front of Trip and not while he was thinking about the past Madison who was strong willed and dependable. Now she was pretty sure she would crumple like paper.
"Yea, when we were ten. I can't leave you here. You didn't leave me when Callum-"
"That was different Trip and you know it." Madison wiped a tear that trickled openly down his cheek. "He was a big bully-"
"So what's Nova, Madi?" Trip angered. "He's a bully who needs to be cut down to size-"
"Do you know what he's gonna make you do?" Madison tightened her grip on his hand. He shook his head. "You remember us playing slaps?"
"Yea!" Trip wondered into another memory in which he was play fighting with the feisty Madison. The real Madison smacked him hard.
"Focus sweetie!" Madison frowned, trying her best to look serious but she couldn't while he looked so innocent and naive. "That's what you have to do-"
"Please. I beat you every t-"
"Trip. It's not that simple, you wear gloves, that have spikes." Madison thought of the consequences. "You could loose your hand. In fact one of you is guaranteed to loose a hand. That's how you win." Madison explained.
"A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do!" Trip answered without thought. Trip needed his hands to be an engineer. But he would gladly cut off his right hand to have Madison safe.
"Don't you dare. You're not a man, you never have. Don't start now!" Madison broke down.
"Makin me angry just so I leave you here ain't gonna work. Cap'n will be here in 6 hours. Get packin!" Trip left with no goodbye. Fressca returned just as Madison opened up her fist to reveal a blood covered cloth.
"Lets just get this over with." Trip sat down at the large table, feeling outnumbered with Nova's companions counting up to about twenty. He was starting to regret is actions. Perhaps it would have been better to have waited for Jonathan to sort this mess out diplomatically.
"Slow down hu-man!" Nova laughed. "We need to finalise the terms-"
"If I win, Madison comes with me. If I lose you keep her... Bla bla bla." Trip rolled his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to get out of this increasingly tense situation. Nova stretched over the desk and grabbed Trip's large neck with a venomous grip.
"Do not insult me sir!" Nova hissed. "Now choose your glove." Nova motioned one of his bodyguards nearer. The purpled-skinned man opened a box with three pairs of black identical gloves. one set had spikes of thorns, one of titanium spikes and one of silver plastic.
"I choose titanium." Trip resolved that of rock, paper scissors Titanium was rock. He was handed his pair of gloves.
"And I will have the magnesium." Nova nodded to his guard. On closer inspection the spikes weren't silver plastic, they were clear funnels filled with magnesium. Trip's mind raced, there was no way he could allow one of those spike's to brake the skin, if the liquid metal got into his system it could kill him.
"Lets rock!" Trip answered confidently hoping both Madison and Malcolm appreciated what he was doing for them. He slipped his hands into the soft interior of the gloves. His hands were clumpy and not fast, he really was wishing Jonathan was there right now.
"You can start." Nova goaded placing his hands together in front of him over the table. "Oh, I forgot to mention the rules..." Nova stuck out his forked tongue "There are no rules." Trip made a note not to forget that.
Trip never took his eyes off Nova's, trusting his hands to know where they were going. His right hand struck first, Nova's hand remained unblemished, impossible, his hands were unprotected. Trips hands returned to meet the tips on Nova's hands. After a moments hesitation with his left hand, he counter attacked with his right, immediately thinking how this must be a game Malcolm would enjoy. While deep in thought Trip lost concentration and allowed Nova to move his hands in time. Trip sourly removed his own gloves, silently praying that he would have another chance to put on the gloves.
"Shame Mr Tucker!" Nova allowed a guard to put his gloves on. "Letssssssss Rock." Nova imitated.
Nova went to attack, Trip flinched. Nova returned his hands to their stationary potions. Trip would normally allow his partner to hit him, make no attempt to move until they got bored. However there was no way he could allow that to happen in this case. Again Nova moved his hand to attack, giving Trip reason to flinch. Nova stared at Trip, Nova was giving nothing away. He flicked his hand once again, and once again Trip flinched.
"I get to hit you." Nova laughed. "You flinched-"
"You said no rules!" Trip shouted as two guards moved to either side.
"If you think you can move your hand in time! But you don't get to move the upper part of your arms." The guards pins his arms to his side."
In such a flash, Madison raced into the room, just as Nova swung at Trip's hands, all the spikes splintered as they made contact with Trip's now rupturing skin.
"Nnnnoooo!" Madison screamed, grabbing a thorned glove from the box that lay open on the table. She placed it over her right hand and leapt onto Nova's back, dragging it across Nova's throat with no affect.
"Fool... You seriously think I'd use anything that could harm me. The only one that would do that is these. And no one every picks them." He held up a gloved hand. The one with the spike's still intact. Madison attempted to pull his hand to his own face. Nova tired of her and pull her over his shoulder and onto the floor. "Stupid bitch." Nova spat at Madison who was now coughing because she had stretched her lungs. "Your playing a goodbye song to your friend in two hours. Get yourself and him cleaned up." Nova and his twenty bodyguards left Trip and Madison alone.
Trip was doubled up over the desk in pain from his left hand. Madison got herself off the floor, approached Trip taking off her belt and tying around Trip's arm to cut the circulation from his hand, she then made her way dumbly to the communicator.
"Fressca?" Madison questioned. "Worst case!" Madison and Fressca had quickly gone through each possible result of this showdown. As predicted it was worse case scenario.
"You know what to do. I'm sending someone now... and Madi... Good luck." Fressca could be heard choking up.
"Thank you." Madison ended the communication. Searching the room for a sharp object. There was a sword mounted above the fire place, which Madison had immediately lit. She took the blade from it's mount and placed it into the silver coals. "Trip?" She has returned to him. He was delirious with the pain. "Trip?"
"Yes T'Pol?" Trip answered.
"No, Sweetie. It's Madison. I've got to cut off your hand." Madison explained. Trip understood all too well.
"No."
"You'll die Trip. you're not left handed. It's not so bad... But I have to do it now!" Madison helped him up so she could take him to the table nearer the fire.
"Don't care."
"You want to live Trip... For T'Pol's sake." Madison was guessing she was the girl Trip had sidetracked for her. She returned to the fire and checked if the blade was hot enough. It would have to do she decided as she examined the burning flesh on her left index finger. "I don't want to do this Trip. But it has to be done." Madison explained thrusting the blade into the air with her right hand, her left positioning his hand. "Forgive me Trip." The blade cut clean through his arm. She pulled him to the floor and put the open wound into the fire. The stench filled the room as quickly as Trip's howl did. After a few moments Madison pulled both Trip and herself away from the fire, cradling the weeping Trip in her arms. "I'm sorry baby. I'm so sorry." She kissed his forehead just as someone came to get them.