AN: I just want to thank everyone who has taken the time to review, it is much appreciated.

Chapter 7

The Great Escape

The door opened. Archer, Trip and Hoshi found themselves watching with a mixture of apprehension and concern. Malcolm came flying through, the door thudded shut behind him.

The three stared. Reed looked like he had knocked himself into a wall repeatedly.

"Malcolm?" Archer worked on getting his body to move towards his officer. It moved reluctantly, but he got there. "Malcolm? Lieutenant Reed!"

"I'm here...I think." Reed managed to reply. He was flat on his back, looking up. Archer's face hovered over.

"I don't think they liked you."

Malcolm started to laugh, winced, "No more than you Sir."

"We really need to leave." Trip had quietly slipped over, and helped Reed to his feet.

"We might be able to. When you were out Captain, that fellow, Ridney I think was his name, came by. Apparently, these 'conspirators' are trying to come up with an escape plan." Reed wiped blood from his nose, and limped over to the bed.

"Ridney? That goofy guy?" Trip didn't know whether to laugh or pray. "He seemed kind of...I don't know...butlerish. Hard to picture him in some covert group."

"If he gets us out of here he can be my butler any day Trip."

"Sir? What do they want? All of this..." Hoshi gestured at them, the room, "It doesn't make sense."

Archer frowned, "I don't remember much, but more than once they've mentioned a criminal."

"They seem awfully interested in where we're from." Trip added.

All eyes turned to Reed, "What? Don't look at me."

Archer drug his feet across the floor, each step exaggerated as he concentrated on a particular thought, "Malcolm, these conspirators, they've only talked to you. What have they said? Any explanation for all of this?"

"We are in danger, they'll try to help...not a lot."

Hoshi snorted, "I think we figured out the danger part."

"T'Pol will be looking for us by now. If those conspirators can get us clear of the building, we've got a good shot of getting off this planet." Archer looked longingly at the door, "How long did they say before they try?"

"They didn't." Reed sat on the floor, leaning his back against the bed. He thought of lying down but decided he really didn't want to be comfortable right now. Right now he needed the pain to keep him going.

"I'm really starting to hate this room." Trip dropped next to Reed on the floor. "And no offense, but you all are starting to smell."

Archer looked ready to reply, changed his mind, and sat down. He sniffed hesitantly at his shirt. Dear God!

Ridney sat at a desk in a white room, indiscriminate from many of the rooms in the ministry building. He stared at the communiqué. The escape was off. It was too dangerous. He was numb.

Of all the wrongs his people committed, now they would do worse. These newcomers, these humans, they were innocent. Not Taltaxin, they didn't vote or choose, or take sides. By the mere act of wanting to make peaceful contact with his people, they were going to die.

He stood, fuming. This was wrong! He had cried when his sister had been murdered. Cried when the mutant babies were put to death. Cried when his friends perished trying to save those they smuggled to freedom. He had no tears left.

He would not let these humans die. He buckled his weapon to his leg, strapped the device to his wrist. He would likely never see this room again. All he had, all he had worked for, and he was giving it up for strangers he had not even known existed 24 hours ago. "Sha-lot, Sha-min, Sha-lot...I live, I die...I live." He would do this thing, whether it ended in Sha-lot or Sha-min.
T'Pol had finished reviewing the scans of the planet from Travis's trip earlier. She had familiarized herself with the landing area. While the minister had said, "Do not go to the planet, it is not safe." He didn't say, "Don't go to the planet, we'll arrest you." Semantics. She decided they would, in fact, be going to the planet. This time with a complement of security officers armed with phasers.

"Ensign Mayweather, I believe we are ready?"

Travis swallowed. This could be bad. They were going back to the surface, without invitation, armed. The good thing, the landing area had been relatively isolated. The bad thing...the landing area had been relatively isolated. It made it very easy for an ambush.

"Yes Ma'am." He said, sliding from the helm, and following her off the bridge. His replacement slipped into his seat, seconds apart.
An explosion rocked the building. Alarms began to blare; garbled alien language began making calm announcements.

The away team jumped, startled by the commotion. Archer looked at Reed, "A diversion?"

"We better hope so." Reed replied.

Hoshi was concentrating on the words being repeated, "Something about 'proceed to the nearest exit'?"

Trip clapped his hands, "Evacuating the building!"

The door to their room opened, Ridney peered in, "Come! We must hurry."

The four hustled after the alien. The emerged into a corridor filled with smoke.

Archer coughed, "You blew up your building to get us out of here?" His eyes watered, "Isn't that a little drastic."

Ridney paused, "You were going to be killed."

Trip crouched closer to Archer, "That's enough for me." He pulled his shirt up to cover his mouth and nose, "Where's the exit?"

Ridney waved them down a connecting corridor, "We've got to take the back door."

Hoshi didn't want to dampen anyone's mood but "Won't the exits be guarded?"

"Yes, however, the exit we will be taking is currently open."

Archer didn't ask why it was open. He saw the hooded look drape across Ridney's face. This Taltaxin was not so very different from them. He was helping at great cost to himself.

The away team followed him the rest of the way. No more was spoken, a mixture of soberness for the dangerous situation they were in, and the inability to breathe properly from the increasing denseness of smoke.

They were led out a door into fresh red air. Archer thought back to the path out of the building. They would never have been able to work that out on their own. He had led them down multiple corridors that seemed to run parallel, down stairs...the lifts were probably down due to the fire...and around more corridors, till they finally emerged...here. Where was here?

"Now what?" Trip asked, blinking in the darkness. Some type of street lamp hovered above them, splaying light across the group, dancing shadows on the wall of the building.

"Now you contact your ship." Ridney looked at Archer expectantly.

One problem, Archer thought, no communicator. He did a mental slap, "I don't suppose you grabbed any of our things?"

Hoshi's mouth opened then snapped shut. Reed looked like he was going to shoot someone and Trip, Trip looked like he wasn't sure whether this was a good time to laugh or cry.

Ridney settled on looking sick, "Things?"

"Our communicator. We can't talk to our ship without one."

Sha-min...they were going to die.