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Chapter 13

A Wrench in the Works

Archer was staring at nothing. He was just staring; eyes wide open, aimed out front, and thinking. He was thinking of Porthos, T'Pol...his crew. He was responsible for his people. They trusted him to keep them safe, and here they were getting the crap beat out of them, praying someone else would fix this before they were killed.

It pissed him off. He was normally a happy guy, but he had lost any sense of humor after his latest session with Luvox. He had seen his friends deteriorating before him. He wanted to hurt these Taltaxins, make them feel even an ounce of the pain and despair they had forced upon him and his team. He no longer cared that it made him no better than those doing this. He was beyond caring.

He looked over at Trip and Hoshi. They were slumped against the bed, eyes closed, but he knew they weren't sleeping. Everyone was worried about Malcolm. He had been gone a long time. Without the benefit of something to tell the passage of time, every minute crept by slower than reality would indicate.

Before he could think more depressing thoughts, he heard feet scuffling in the hall. He focused on the cell door and was relieved when Brutus I and II appeared, holding a battered Malcolm between them. Brutus I unlocked the door with one hand, holding firm to Malcolm in the other. Apparently they had learned not to underestimate his tactical officer.

Malcolm was pulled to the bed and dumped. He slid boneless to the ground beside Archer.

"Who gets to go this time?" Trip asked, proving he hadn't been asleep. He was watching I and II.

Brutus I smiled, then yanked Trip to his feet.

"Don't leave the light on."

But then the guards did something unexpected. Brutus II grabbed Hoshi, and pulled her alongside I.

Archer's eyes widened in alarm, "What are you doing?"

They didn't answer. They had one in each hand and left the room.

"This can't be good." He whispered then turned to see what kind of shape Malcolm was in. He was caught off guard by the brown eyes staring back at him.

"I'm sorry Captain."

"There's nothing to be sorry for Lieutenant."

Reed let his eyes close, grief temporarily overwhelming him, he hated showing weakness, "I should've prevented..."

Archer wasn't going to hear it, "Prevented what Malcolm? Prevented your Captain from ordering you to stand down, and leave weapons behind? Prevented your Captain from making command decisions?"

Malcolm's eyes opened, pinkness suffusing his face, "It's my job to make you listen."

"You're not the Captain, Malcolm. I've thought about this over and over again while you were gone. I wouldn't have done it any differently, short of being able to know the future."

It wasn't enough. He saw Malcolm's refusal to be comforted. His officer was tightly wound and felt every failure and screw-up as if he were somehow personally responsible even when it was clear no one was at fault. The room was deathly quiet. The impact of his thoughts weren't lost on him.

"Sometimes Lieutenant, no one is to blame." Archer whispered, as much to himself as to Reed.
Trip and Hoshi had been escorted into the same room as Malcolm and Archer. Brutus I shoved Trip into the chair and buckled him in.

Trip had fought back, not happy with were this was going. The only thing he accomplished was a bloody nose. The irony that half the team was going to need their noses fixed when they got back to Enterprise wasn't lost on him.

Hoshi had cuffs placed on her wrists, in front of her body, and sat in a chair a few feet from Trip. Brutus II hovered behind her, the unspoken message to keep still and behave apparent to both of them.

"Nice to see you both looking so well."

Trip took his eyes off of Hoshi and fixed them back towards the door. Luvox was back.

"No thanks to your hospitality."

"That's what I like about you Commander, you're incredibly witty."

Trip opened his mouth to reply then shut it. Luvox was poking at him and he wasn't going to respond.

Luvox was disappointed, but then again, no time to play, he had a lot of work to do! "You may be aware that I have some questions that need answers."

"You need more than we could possibly give." Trip couldn't resist that one.

"For your friend's sake, you better hope you can give."

Hoshi and Trip weren't sure what to make of that threat. "What do you mean Luvox?"

"You may have been wondering why you both were brought this time?"

Trip had. He figured it wasn't going to be good so he had decided to wait and see. Why rush the bad news.

Luvox continued, "I came to a realization when dealing with your Captain and Lieutenant Reed. It seems you are very good at withstanding pain. It made me wonder though, just how good you are at watching your friends endure pain?" Luvox produced a weapon from his coat pocket, "And death?"

Trip really didn't like where this was going. "Hosh, don't tell him anything." Trip made the misconception that he was going to be the object of Luvox's attentions.

Luvox cleared that up by approaching Hoshi and sticking the weapon under her chin, lifting it upwards, "This weapon is used to stun...most of the time. The problem is, at close proximity it has been known to kill."

Trip lurched forward, his progress halted by the restraints.

Luvox smiled, "It works by disrupting the body's electrical chemistry. Too much and it's enough to stop a heart."

Hoshi was scared. She thought of Enterprise. Her family. She leveled her eyes at Luvox, difficult to do with her chin forced upwards, "Don't tell him anything Commander." She didn't think her voice wavered...too much.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Trip hollered, feeling a true sense of panic for the first time.

Luvox laughed loudly, "My poor man, none of you are my size."

"We don't know anything! You keep asking about some criminal, but we don't know!" Trip tried a different tactic, desperate.

Luvox spun around, so quickly that Hoshi fell forward when the gun was withdrawn from her face, "You're lying."

"No...no we aren't." Trip noticed Brutus I was sliding from his position behind him. "We didn't see any criminal. We landed, said hello, and left with the ministry escort. That was it."

Luvox wondered if he wasn't being truthful. He had interrogated many people and had learned to feel when there was truth to what was being said. Sometimes he was given half-truths, or information that had once been true but wasn't any longer.

"I believe you."

Trip was startled, "You do?"

"Yes."

"Then we can go?"

"No...we still have the little problem of where Earth is located."

Trip's hope evaporated as soon as it had begun. He looked at Hoshi and saw the same resignation. They would die. Earth's location wasn't some big secret, but these aliens had behaved...hostilely. They weren't asking for the coordinates to offer a hand of friendship.

Luvox saw the emotions flow across Trip's face. "I will kill her."

Trip bit his lip so hard he felt the salty warmth of blood burst against his tongue. He stayed quiet.

Luvox faced Hoshi and raised his weapon. Trip wanted to turn his head, but he couldn't. Hoshi had closed her eyes. He was incredibly proud of his friend and crewmate. She hadn't pleaded for her life or tried to offer information. He couldn't believe this was happening.

Luvox began to depress the trigger when he went flying to the left. Brutus I stood over him, a weapon pointed at Luvox, "I'm sorry Doctor, I can't allow you to do that."

Luvox was outraged...and scared. "What are you doing?" He demanded. He started to pick up his weapon, only to have Brutus II kick it away from his reach, staring at Luvox enigmatically.

Luvox had the sudden realization that he was going to die. "Who do you work for? Was it Veen?" He wanted to know who had ordered his death.

Brutus I pulled the trigger. Luvox howled in anger, a cry that ended abruptly as his heart stopped beating, a gaping hole in his chest. He died never knowing who had ordered it. Trip couldn't think of a better way for him to go.

Brutus I undid Trip's restraints, "Sorry 'bout that." Brutus II was undoing Hoshi's cuffs.

"What's going on?" Trip didn't think of himself as stupid but things weren't adding up.

"Luvox forced our hand. We need to hurry." He gestured the two out the door.

Hoshi was still recovering from imminent death. She didn't care what they were doing or whom they worked for.

They were led back to the cell. Trip saw the Captain and Malcolm resting in the same place as when they left.

Brutus I waved them in after opening the door. "Stay together. We've got to take care of some loose ends. Your people will be coming for you shortly."

Trip and Hoshi filed into the room, still not quite sure what had just happened. Trip turned back to ask a question, only to find the goons who had been responsible for so much pain, but had just saved their lives, were gone.