Chapter Nineteen: Enemy or Ally?

Malcolm Reed circled them like a vulture, a delighted smirk suffusing his features. His phase pistol was out, balanced easily in his hand; the aim shifted between Trip's chest and Hoshi's as he moved.

"What did you think you were going to accomplish, Ensign Sato?" he demanded, and despite the gleam of amused glee that danced in his grey eyes, his voice was harsh and irritated.

Hoshi flinched – just a little bit – but stood her ground and stared at him with defiance in her face. "I don't know, sir," she snapped.

"You don't know, sir," Malcolm repeated, sneering. He shook his head. "I had expected better of you. And Trip … did you have a plan, or were you just going to hide in the ducts until you came up with something better? Drop down on Captain Archer in his sleep and slit his throat, perhaps?" He rolled his eyes. "Really. And to think I actually thought you might have an idea of what you were doing … sowing dissension in the ranks of my men for so very long, trying to get me to get my guard down, playing your little matchmaking games with me and T'pol … did you think I didn't see through it?"

Trip couldn't help but be a little surprised. His other self seemed to have had some kind of a plan, a more long-term one than his own, in the works. And the others apparently all knew about it … were they just going to wait and see how things played out? Did the other Trip Tucker know that they were lying in wait, expecting him to make his move? Maybe he was a step ahead of them, too … but whatever it was, he had to do what he could with the situation he found himself in, and that meant not wasting time trying to sleuth out his doppelganger's motives in this universe. He had to concentrate his mental energy on getting out of here.

But he couldn't help being curious. "See through it to what, Malcolm? What do you think I'm trying to do?"

Malcolm hesitated, just for a split-second. Then he said, "It doesn't matter. You've thrown it away. She's thrown it away."

"Have we?" Trip said.

"It's my duty," the lieutenant growled. "My duty is to take you to the captain, to inform him of the breach of security. It may mean my head but it's my duty to do it."

Hoshi laughed hollowly. "Oh, Lieutenant. Your precious honor? If you do that, Lieutenant Reed, if you do what you say is your duty, you'll be throwing it away. All of it, everything that Trip's worked for here."

Trip glanced sidelong at her. Could she know? Could she possibly have any idea what he'd tried to do, to get Malcolm in on his plan? Or was she just talking, giving him time to come up with something, some way to get them out of this?

Malcolm scoffed. "That sounds familiar, Ensign," he said, leering at her lasciviously.

Trip found himself feeling suddenly possessive as the mirror image of his friend eyed her, and he gripped Hoshi's hand firmly in his own.

What was that about?

"Maybe it should," Hoshi said. "Maybe he's told you everything he's told me."

Well, considering that he hadn't told her anything

Malcolm shook his head, a glint of bitterness in his eyes. "Ah, yes," he said. "Your lover here is only trying to get home … home to his own universe. And he'll kill the Captain, will he, and leave me in command of the Enterprise."

Hoshi glanced sharply at him, just for an instant. She didn't seem too pleased with that aspect. But she clearly understood the necessity, because she made no comment and said, instead, "is that so hard to believe, Lieutenant?"

He gave a short bark of laughter. "Oh, please," he said. "Why should he do such a thing for me? He has no reason to. He has no motive. He just wants to implicate me in Captain Archer's murder should something go wrong."

"Nothing will go wrong," Hoshi said. "What could? You are the security on this ship, Mr. Reed."

Malcolm looked at her. But before he said anything more, Trip interrupted.

"And it's not something for nothing, Malcolm," Trip said.

"Because I'd get you home?" the armoury officer said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You'd free the slaves. All the slaves," Trip said. "It's horrific, a society so barbaric as to bring such an atrocious practice with it into the stars."

Malcolm stared at him. "I'd free the slaves," he said, slowly. "And you would be content to remain, as you are, Commander Tucker, Chief Engineer? In exchange for their freedom?"

Trip shook his head. "I can't say what the Trip Tucker you know would do," he said. "He'll be back here, I think, when I go home. But you can deal with him in your own time."

Malcolm suddenly grinned fiendishly. "I wouldn't be indebted to you," he said. "I would have fulfilled my responsibilities, completed the deal. You would be back … in your own universe …" The possibilities clearly appealed to him.

"But the slaves will have been freed," Trip insisted.

Hoshi looked at him. "Trip …"

"Malcolm!" Trip said. "I want your word on that."

Malcolm looked at him. "My word? You'd take my word?" He laughed bitterly. "What does any man's word mean, in these times?"

"Your oath as a Reed," Trip insisted. "And you have the Enterprise, she's yours."

Malcolm hesitated for just a second more. It was clear that he believed Trip – or at least, desperately wanted to believe him – and yet he had spent his whole life trying not to trust anyone, trying to stay ahead in a command structure that meant more cunning that responsibility, more politics than honor.

"Very well," he said finally. "You have my oath, my oath as a Reed, that I will do everything within my power to free the slaves aboard this starship and to get you back where you belong, Commander Tucker."

Then Hoshi's face broke into a delighted smile as Malcolm slowly lowered the weapon.

"Oh, Lieutenant, I could kiss you!" she exclaimed.

Malcolm and Trip both looked at her, startled.

Hoshi rolled her eyes. "It's just a figure of speech."

"Now," Malcolm said. "Have you a specific plan of action, Mr. Tucker? Or were you just going to … fly by the seat of your trousers?"

"Pants," Trip said. "I fly by the seat of my pants."

Malcolm grinned. "As you Americans put it," he said mildly. "Now … I think I have an idea."

And, before Trip and Hoshi realized what he was about, he had handcuffed both of them.

"Lieutenant!" Hoshi gasped. "What are you doing?"

"Malcolm, you gave me your word," Trip said, utterly shocked at being betrayed when he had come so close to winning.

Malcolm raised his eyebrows. "Did I? And what does that mean, where you come from?" His expression was unreadable. If Trip didn't know any better, he'd think there was some mischief in it.

And then, as Malcolm prodded him in the back with his phase pistol and directed him and Hoshi toward the lift with a curtly-phrased order, Trip began to smile.