Author's Note: Again, I'm sorry that I'm late posting but… well I forgot. And then I had a Civil War Re-enactment, so I had no access to a computer until… oh about an hour ago. And at that point showering was far more important to me. No offence to you all…
Well, anyway, you have your chapter (you have two chapters). Once again, enjoy the chapter and please R/R, please don't hold my tardiness against me.
Summary: With Dan'At in control of the ship, will the crew be able to take it back? And what will it cost to do it?
Through Fire: For Death and the Dying
"You will give me control of your ship, or I will kill off your crew one by one…"
"You wouldn-"
"I will," he said, pulling off his glove deliberately slowly. "You know, every day I wake and wonder, who died in the night? How many crewmen- how many friends- will I discover died that night? That morning. How many of the people I work with that day will die? Will I? Do you know how that feels?"
"I can imagine," Archer tried to say, only to be cut off by Dan'At.
"No, no I don't think you can. But I'm going to show you. Look around this room, Captain. We have at least twenty of your officers. One of them is about to be condemned to death," he said, gesturing with his bare hand to the Engineers seated on the floor. They were all visibly tense- some for themselves, most for their friends.
"Which shall it be? The Chief Engineer?" He asked, stepping towards Trip, looking over at Archer's reaction. Trip was his best friend, a good friend and officer. "No… no, not yet. Or this one; the quiet one." Archer followed his gaze to find Selak at the receiving end. He may not know the young man well, but he did respect him. The Vulcan just starred back at Dan'At, impassively. He had face death too many times to really care.
"No. It wouldn't be any fun. How about her? Or him? Or that one?" Archer's eyes followed each jerk, each gesture, as Dan'At picked out his target. Flinching as he looked at one of his officers. He knew them all, some better than others. All were good officers; all were loyal, they just wanted to save their planet. They had nothing to do with Dan'At's twisted revenge.
But then the man stopped, smiling down at one of the Engineers. Kneeling, Archer was able to see that it was Lieutenant Clark. She had been with them since the beginning, served under Trip and Archer since their mission to Kronos.
Dan'At's bare hand rose, reaching up to touch her face. Even from the view screen, Archer could see her flinch; the rumors and gossip had gotten around quickly at who these people were. She knew quite well that she would die if he touched her.
Carefully, the Gwri pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, his hand just brushing her pale skin. The man looked at her, easily seeing the fear in her eyes. "I am truly sorry." With that, his hand stroked her cheek.
He stood quickly, looking away from the officer, Lieutenant Clark near tears in fear. She seemed to already have trouble breathing- that or she was just nervous and afraid.
Archer starred, half-impassively, half-shocked at what he had just witnessed. "It is your fault, Captain Archer. I already said I am not responsible for those who die. You are. You drove me to this. When she dies, it was your fault."
"I didn't give her a disease. You did," Archer hissed, now showing his anger.
Dan'At just shock his head. "You made me. Now, call back your people. Tell them to stand down and give up your ship. I will ask this one last time."
Archer looked over the people under guard. He couldn't just let them die; he couldn't allow Dan'At to kill off his people to be one by one. He needed a plan; he needed to figure something out.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Captain. You've run out of thinking time. I need an answer."
"Fine, fine. I'll tell my men to stand down."
Dan'At smiled. "Very good, Captain. Very good. But I'm afraid, you're reluctance means two more will die. And, if you do now make good on your word… I will kill more."
Archer gawked at the man: he couldn't be serious. He couldn't be that heartless. "Which will it be this time, Captain? It is your choice. You pick who dies."
Archer starred at him in disgust. He couldn't pick a man to die at random if it was a Xindi, much less one of his own crew. And now he was being asked to do just that… only twice.
Dan'At smiled at his opened mouth and reluctance to speak. "Can't decide. Oh, well. I'll do it for you."
Again, he surveyed those around him, picking out his prey, jokingly teasing the Captain as he decided. Kneeling next to two men, he looked at them more closely. Reaching out his hand, the first tensed, trying to move away from him only to find his back against the wall. Dan'At stroked his cheek, quickly turning to the man next to him, touching him and standing.
Turning to look at Archer, he spat, "You have one hour to order your men to stand down and go to the cargo bay. My men will guard the entrance. Don't try anything; you won't succeed."
Archer wasn't given time to answer before the screen went blank…
-----Enterprise, Deck 5-----
Malcolm watched from the Jeffries Tube as officers walked in groups toward the Cargo Bay. The Captain was trying to appease Dan'At… to a point. Only a few MACOs and Security Officers would be going there, none of the bridge crew was.
They'd pretend to cooperate, of course, but Malcolm and his team had been ordered to attack the corridors just outside Engineering, moving in to take out Dan'At himself. If all went well, they would easily retake control of the ship.
The only problem was… plans rarely went according to plan. Almost never.
But, he could hope. He had to hope it would work or all those lives in Engineering were lost. Three already were.
Malcolm sighed, there were the last of the bunch he had been assigned to watch. They were on their way and he had to be on his. Turning around, he crawled into the tube, followed closely by one of his men and a MACO.
'Well, here goes nothing'.
-----Enterprise, Engineering-----Dan'At watched with a scowl as his men pulled the three Starfleet officers away from the others. It wasn't as if he really cared if they all got infected, he just… well, he really didn't know why he was bothering. Perhaps to make them more comfortable, all of them not just the dying.
But that was the thing, they were already dying. Well, so was he, just very slowly. They were going very quickly. Already their lungs were filling with blood. Already they were gasping for air that, soon, they wouldn't be able to get. Very soon he would find himself with three dead bodies. And, no matter what he had said to Archer, he was still responsible.
He hadn't expected this. For Humans to be so… receptive. So fragile. To die so quickly. He had hoped that they would go slowly, suffer with the knowledge that they would die, that they would be isolated from their people to protect the others. To know that, one day, they would suddenly die.
Or at least to have them die slowly in his presence. He had hoped to mock them, to see their fear as they realized the end of their lives was soon. But, no. Instead he looked at them and saw himself. Saw his mother and father. Saw all his friends that had gone before him. All those that will go before long. He couldn't even speak to them.
What had he done? He just killed three people… and for what? For fun? He killed his uncle. For what? Why? Because he hadn't boarded a ship that had taken its time in a futile effort to save them?
What was wrong with him?
His gaze roamed over the room, falling on the quiet, young man. He seemed much more calm than the others. He gave them all credit- they were professional, hiding their nervousness and fears. But him, that man was like a blank slate. He said nothing, did nothing. He just starred very calmly at the wall.
He had seen him once before when he came to the ship. The young man had such old eyes. Such an old soul. It made him curious. He wanted to know more about the man. That could be his fun. If he couldn't make himself taunt the dying crewmen, then he would have his fun with the young man. It could prove interesting.
He looked back down at the knife he held in his hand. He sighed, it was true he only used it for rituals, but he could make an exception if he wanted. A wicked smile grew over his face, his only thought, 'Yes, truly interesting.'
-----Enterprise, Deck 8-----Malcolm watched through the small slits in the cover. He nearly smiled when they had bypassed their hideout for the fifth time. These guys definably weren't professionals; in fact they had little idea of what they were doing at all. All the better for Malcolm. They'd never expect Malcolm and his team.
Silently, Malcolm gestured for the MACO to move to the next exit where he could easily take out the third man. He nodded, crawling away without making a sound.
His gaze switched from the retreating man to the three Gwri outside. Mostly they just stood there, guarding the corridor. If they could get through them, they could easily get to Engineering. And getting through them, at that moment, was looking pretty easy.
Holding up his hand, he showed three fingers, making sure that both Sergeant Anthony and Ensign Matthews could see. He counted down, putting down one finger, then the second. His last finger went down, simultaneously he mouthed "GO!".
The Sergeant kicked open the door, drawling the attention of the Gwri. Malcolm heard his phase rifle fire and one of the aliens grunt in surprise and pain.
Taking that as his cue, Malcolm kicked open the grate in front of him, rolling out and firing up at the Gwri, all of whom turned in shock. He watched as he hit one of the alien's square in the chest as he rolled into the wall for cover.
But nothing happened to the alien, he just stood straighter and started firing at them. The Brit stared in surprise, glancing over at Matthews who had met a similar problem. Anthony, unfortunately, was having a tougher time considering he had nowhere to hide. Almost immediately he was shot, knocked unconscious… or dead.
Malcolm looked away, trying not to dwell on it. Looking them over, Malcolm remembered something he and Selak had talked about. Their scales kept them protected from many weapons… but they didn't have any on their stomachs.
Aiming lower, he hit the first in his navel. The alien doubled over, falling to the ground. Seeing what he did, Matthews shot the second, this time having better success as the Gwri crumpled over, stunned. But, before either could fire at the third, he ducked behind the bulkhead, firing at them.
Malcolm barely noticed Matthews fall into him as he dodged the shots. For a moment, Malcolm was pinned down by the alien's weapon fire. He wasn't even able to move without the Gwri firing at him.
Looking over at where Anthony had fallen, he noticed- with a shock- that the body wasn't there anymore. Looking quickly around, he couldn't find the MACO anywhere. It wasn't until he heard a loud shout that he saw him.
Grabbing the Gwri's weapon, Anthony was trying to disarm him, kicking the alien hard in the stomach in the process. Malcolm took his chance, aiming carefully at the Gwri's side. With a soft grunt, the alien went limp, falling to the ground as Anthony let him go.
Malcolm sighed, straightening. "Come on, let's get out of here."
-----Enterprise, Engineering-----"Your species is different from the others."
Selak looked up at the Gwri, having trouble seeing him from his position on the ground. Around him, seven armed guards were patrolling the area, some guarding the doors. Dan'At himself had been keeping an eye on the small Engineering team that they had taken prisoner.
"What are you called?" Selak said nothing, mostly satisfying an uncontrollable impulse to not answer questions even of such a simple content. "Quiet are we? I asked you a question, you will answer." When he didn't, he received a swift kick in the side, luckily it was his uninjured side.
With hardly even a flinched, Selak looked away from the Gwri, knowing it would probably anger him more.
"Remove your shirt."
Selak's head snapped around to look at Dan'At from his spot on the ground. He knew that, to a Gwri, it was a revealing request. They were a very modest people, mostly only exposing their feet, hands, and neck and head. To remove an article of clothing was embarrassing and not publicly done.
He starred up at Dan'At, trying to find his motive. When he didn't find one, he couldn't help but become more confused and reluctant to do as he said. Not only for that, but for reasons of a more personal nature, something he wished his audience not to know.
"Disrobe." This time Dan'At's voice was harsh, more forceful… more dangerous. But it was nothing Selak hadn't been through before. After only a moment of though, Selak gave up. There was no reason, none noticeable, to ignore him.
Slowly, almost menacingly, he stood. Selak's eyes never wavered from Dan'At, never broke contact with the man, as his body straightened. Slowly, he drew his body to full height, only for the purpose of intimidating the young man, for he stood an inch or so taller than him.
"Selak, ya don't have to do this," Trip protested, trying to stand and pull him back down, though he knew it was unwise.
But Dan'At's shoe caught him in the chest, knocking him to the ground, out of breath. "Stay down."
"Please, Commander, I am hardly a stranger to pain and humiliation." Selak's hand reached up to his left shoulder as he spoke. Without looking, he quickly unstrapped the buckles, letting the material fold over slightly. Then he moved to undo the other two, those under his arm.
The chest of his jacket slipped away, leaving little, but some, skin showing. With a simple shake of his shoulders and the help of his hands, Selak pulled off the leather-like material, letting it fall to the ground at his feet.
Trip watched in anticipation, having rightened himself and caught his breath by then. He waited for something to happen, anything. He waited for Selak to lash out or to cease the game Dan'At had began. For Dan'At to hit him- to do something, to explain himself. To use the knife he was so fondly eyeing earlier… the one he still hung on his belt.
But nothing happened…
Trip looked at Selak's face, calm and composed as any Vulcan might look. He took off his shirt as easily and indifferently as Trip might take off his socks in the privacy of his own room. But then, he knew nothing about what Vulcan's thought about nudity- what the future thought of it. Perhaps, to Selak, it was as simple as taking off a pair of socks.
Trip's eyes moved to Dan'At. He just stood there, starring at Selak as if he would explode at any moment. Trip turned away, focusing, instead, on Selak. From his spot on the floor, his eye quickly caught a thick scar on the Vulcan's left bicep. It wasn't too long but the look of it was enough for Trip to decide that it must have hurt like hell when he got it.
His eyes moved away, looking at his chest- gently rising and falling in a slow, rhythmic pattern. He had no fear of this man, no shame in his partial-nudity. He just stood there as stiffly and rigidly as he would if an Admiral had merely asked him to stand at attention.
That was when he noticed the thick, black design- a tattoo- drawn on his left pectoral. Trip's eyes took it in, following the lines and loops creating the pattern. A familiar pattern- one Trip vaguely recognized, but couldn't remember where he had seen it before.
His attention was soon caught by many other things- most much more prominent than the simple scar on his arm. He could see many other, similar scars on his stomach and chest as the one on his bicep. He counted at least twenty, if not more.
Large welts distorted his back, the skin marked and scared in V-like shapes. Old burns were evident, discoloration in some places- a darker or lighter green than the bronze of his skin. Even his chest- from what Trip could see- had similar discoloration, old burns healed to noticeable scars.
Trip's eyes moved up, trying to get his attention, but Selak's eyes had never faltered from Dan'At's harsh face, cold yet shocked by what he saw. Trip- giving up on that endeavor- glanced over his body, taking in the many physical scars he had- it barely went to tell about the extent of the mental and emotional scars he had. No wonder his eyes had looked so haunted when he returned. He was no longer trying to suppress the memories, the emotions, and the pain from them anymore.
"You… you were a prisoner of the Amocku?" Trip's head shot over to look at Dan'At, in his confusion he missed the amusement in the Gwri's voice.
"I was." Selak, however, did not. He may have been annoyed at him pointing out such a fact but it hardly bothered him, he had come to peace with his demons on that subject long ago.
"Apparently you weren't a very good one- that, or obedient." Dan'At's taunt went heard, but ignored, by Selak. Trip, on the other hand, was ready to jump up and strangle the man, knowing, though, that it would be futile. "But I've never heard of a master who… punishes his slaves in such a manner."
"My master actually liked me. He barely laid a hand on me much less did this."
"Really? Then how do you explain these?" Dan'At's hand gestured to the marks covering his body.
Trip looked at the Vulcan, curious. He wanted to know, unlike Dan'At, who just wanted to torment him. Trip could see Selak's face; it fell as his eyes starred off. He had lost the cocky gleam in his eyes that he had held since he came back, a look Trip wouldn't have dared challenge.
And, as soon as it had disappeared, it returned. A smile grew, stretching the corners of his mouth in an almost show of resilience.
"Most I got when I fought as a gladiator. The rest…" Selak shrugged, letting his blunt words sink in. In that moment, when he saw that Dan'At was most confused- shocked and sorry- he moved, using his vulnerability to his advantage.
In the blink of an eye- quite literally- Selak grabbed Dan'At's knife from its place on his belt. In a single fluent motion, he moved around Dan'At.
Trip watched in near shock, fearing his sight- or sanity- as he saw the scene play out in front of him. Selak almost seemed to move in fast forward, a blurred shadow left behind him as he went. Before Trip could even take two breaths, Selak was behind Dan'At, who was kneeling with his arms pulled tightly behind him, the knife pushing dangerously against his trachea.
"I wouldn't move if I were you!" Selak yelled, warning the guards more than Dan'At. Pulling Dan'At around, as if displaying him to the seven guards, he continued.
"Just breathing may accidentally cause me to slit your throat. And, trust me, my days in the arena taught me how to kill without caring- without thought to who's blood I had on my hands that day."
Trip listened to the Vulcan, a young man he had learned to call friend. But this was a side of him he had never seen, a side everyone had the capacity for. The side that was dangerous, cold, and deadly. A side that could be pushed forward if needed or when forced. But Trip had a feeling that it had been both for Selak.
"Commander, their weapons."
Trip stood, his legs stiff from the hours he had sat still, and took the others' weapons, guns and knifes, after tossing out a sarcastic, "Gladly."
-----Enterprise, Outside Engineering-----Malcolm peaked around the corner, trying to get a look at the guards at the door. He sighed; this seemed too easy. First of all, there had only been three Gwri watching the corridor, and another three in the other corridor, which Ensign Douglas reported had been neutralized quickly. All six of which had little to no training.
And now he stood hiding from two Gwri- probably equally untrained- and about to attack with six men. 'This is just too easy! Something must be wrong. Where was everyone else?' his mind screamed even as gestured for Anthony to moved closer, his position allowing him a better shot.
With a shrug, he prayed that Dan'At was just playing them, pretending to have twice the power and men than he truly did. Taking a deep breath, he hoped that their stillness and ignorance of their presence as a good thing.
Malcolm took aim, his target being the dead center of the first Gwri's stomach. Without a sound, both Gwri crumpled over from Anthony and Malcolm's phasers. He just shrugged, shaking his head as he stepped out of his hiding spot. The Brit half expected a dozen more to jump out at him.
"Matthews, tie them together," he whispered as Douglas and two other MACOs joined them at the door to Engineering. Waiting a minute to see that the Gwri were securely fastened, Malcolm punched the release to the door, all six of them charging in, guns up and ready to fire.
"Hey, Mal! Good of you to finally join us."
Malcolm's phaser-rifle lowered in shock as he took in the scene in front of him. Half a dozen of Trip's Engineers were surrounding the Gwri, Dan'At included, with their weapons as a few others seemed to be tending to three others- Malcolm assumed they were the infected officers. By the looks of them, they would be dead soon.
"We thought since you were running late, that we'd handle the inside," Selak teased, sauntering up to the security team, pausing next to where Trip stood.
Malcolm's eyes glanced over his half exposed chest, but decided against inquiring about it. In truth, he didn't want to know. "What about those guards out front? Why didn't you handle them?"
Trip glanced over at Selak, who laughed out loud at the comment. Then the Vulcan told the security chief, "We're not security, it's not our job. Besides, they didn't hear us, we didn't feel it was our business to bother them."
The Lieutenant nodded with a small smile- this was one story to tell. "Give them a hand, Sergeant."
"Yes, sir."
"We need to talk, Trip." The Engineer nodded, walking with his friend, as the other five dispersed to take over the Gwri prisoners. "What happened here?"
"Well… I'm not exactly sure. One minute Selak was standing in front of Dan'At, the next he was holding him in a headlock with Dan'At's knife to his throat. Then the rest of 'em just… gave up. So-"
"You took their weapons and held them hostage."
"Pretty much. We were going to check things out outside; we just hadn't gotten to that. Then you came charging in… so I would assume we don't have to."
"No. Actually, this was all a little too easy. I keep expecting to either wake up or fine myself swarmed with Gwri," the Lieutenant said with a nervous glance.
"Calm down, Mal. It's handled. We, um, should get the doc down here," he said, looking remorsefully at the three officers on the ground. "You know, there was no point to give any of them that damn virus. None at all."
"I know, Trip. I saw it. I'll get someone to get the doctor and take out the last of the guards."
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, um, we left some of them stunned and tied up in the corridors. A few others are guarding the entire crew, besides those here, in the Cargo Bay," he explained, taking a second look around to see some of the engineers go back to work as his men tied up the Gwri.
"Right. You should… take care of that."
"Yeah." Turning away, he went to leave the room. "Trip?"
"Yes?" Trip turned only to find Malcolm looking solemnly at him.
"I'm sorry about your men. I know how close you are to all of them."
"Thanks, Malcolm."
-----Enterprise, Archer's Quarters-----"Captain's Log, January 17, 2154.
"After spending two days dropping the Gwri off at a planet of their choosing, Ken'Ara assured me that things will be looked after and that Dan'At's attempted at subduing another ship will not happen.
"As for the three crewmen he transmitted the disease to… they all died as of yesterday. It seems that the effect on humans is more rapid than that of the Gwri. Their deaths were… quite horrible and… painful but the doctor had them sedated the entire time. Their bodies will be ejected as soon as possible to kept the disease from spreading to the rest of the crew."
Archer paused, petting his dog fondly as he regained his composure. He just couldn't believe how effortlessly that man had killed those three. Had condemned them to die just as he and the rest of his ship were. That he would be so heartless.
"Selak has supplied us with the coordinates we need to find the Xindi homeworld and Trip and T'Pol both believe that the weapon is online and functional. Hopefully it will work. With the technology we have, we should be able to prove to them our good intensions. Either way, this isn't over yet. But I don't plan on losing to them, not after everything we've been through."
-----Enterprise, Sickbay-----"Doctor."
"Ah! Selak, what-" he paused mid-sentence, seeing the solemn look in the young man's eyes.
"I think you know why I'm here. Please, just help me and it'll go faster."
The Doctor nodded. He may not like having such a thing just easily deleted from the computer, to have his files altered and changed from something he still didn't really understand- and wasn't entirely certain he believed. Not to mention that he had promised Ken'Ara that he would continue his work on their disease.
"Are you sure about this?"
"More than anything. It has to be done, I'm sorry. I know you would have liked to try and help them but… it wouldn't have changed anything. They died; all but a handful of them. If it helps, you did take this with you. You worked on it for years, passed it on to a few others to work on. No one did anything; nothing came out of it. I'm sorry. But I have to do this."
Again, Phlox just nodded, his posture showing his defeat. "Must you still change what happened to those crewmen?"
Selak looked up from the console. "Yes, if you think its anything more than just radiation, then you might want to look it over or something. Besides, they'll stay in isolation and be shot into space before you can do anything about it."
"I will be lying to their parents about what happened," he protested.
"For one, you won't realize you're lying once you have time to write a report and, two, you won't have to write it."
"It's still a lie. They died thousands of light-years away from their home; their parents haven't seen them in a year. They deserve at least that."
"They deserve what, Doctor?" Phlox blinked in surprise; he had never heard such venom in anyone's voice, much less one of Vulcan origin. "They deserve to know that their sons and daughter died because they happened upon an angry, idiotic man? That they died because of some virus that was supposed to make us give up the ship?
"Doctor, I know a lot about pointless death. I've seen it a lot- committed a lot. They died for nothing on a mission to save their planet. Nothing; not even that cause." Selak turned away, as if to stop talking. But he continued without looking at the doctor.
"I killed a man, once… I killed him when I didn't have to. He was weak, hungry- starving really. He wouldn't have lasted much longer where he was. I had the choice to let him live… a week, maybe. Two if he was lucky. That was all he had left. A pointless death; he shouldn't have died at all. He shouldn't have been in that position at all."
Phlox was silent. As far as he knew, Selak had only spoken about himself to the Captain and senior staff about who he really was. He doubted anyone ever heard anything much more personal than that, and now he was hearing something that the young Vulcan had to live with every day of his life- and this seemed to be one of the smaller burdens on his small shoulders.
"At least, Doctor, what you will be telling them had some honor to it. They died, now, from radiation poisoning as they sealed a leaking plasma relay. They saved the ship, doctor… they saved Earth… they sacrificed their lives to save their world… their families. That's what everyone will remember. Not a virus that a bunch of aliens who attacked the ship had. They died with honor… that's not something you hear about much in my time."
-----Enterprise, Captain's Ready Room-----
Archer sighed as he ducked under a beam. Pacing his Ready Room seemed to only help his aggravation rather than relieve it. He sighed a second time, looking down at the computer as it shuffled through the database.
He had told the crew the computer was being cleaned out and organized to compensate for the information they had found while in the Expanse, which meant no personal logs for a few days. But, the truth of the matter was, Selak was going through everything, rewriting and phrasing everything to fit what was "supposed" to happen.
Though Selak was currently working in Engineering to fix some last minutes things, his computer was almost finished changing things to match what history was to believe happened. Change everything so that Selak didn't exist, so that certain events never happened. So that certain things were never encountered.
Selak would be leaving soon, he had already informed Archer of that. Which meant very soon, the Captain wouldn't remember a thing about this young man. Archer had to admit, the Vulcan might be… well, odd and Vulcan but he still like him. Archer was still intrigued by what he was doing and who he was.
But that didn't stop the fact that he couldn't exist, that Archer was going to forget who he was and what he did. What he accomplished. He was tempted to record what he knew and remembered on a PADD and hide it somewhere so that he could, at least, remember. But he knew he couldn't.
At least Selak would know what happened. What he did. And his superiors would know as well, Archer presumed. At least, at some point, people would know what really happened.
Selak didn't seem too uncomfortable with the ideal that, what he did, will never be remembered. That, in a way, he'd never be known as much more than an officer fighting in the same war as everyone else. He'd probably never be known for his part in helping to save so many lives. For his time traveling.
But, somehow, Archer had a feeling that that was the way he liked it. He liked the more private, self-satisfying life. He wished all the best for the young man; hoped that what he had done was worthwhile.
Archer turned, still pacing his ready room. With another sighed, he debated whether or not to return to the Bridge. But, before he reached an answer, the ship jerked suddenly, sending him into the bulkhead.
Pushing himself onto his feet, the comm. activated, Hoshi informing him that an anomaly had hit the ship.
"I'm on my way," he mumbled into the comm., forcing himself to walk all the while his head screaming for the room to stop moving. He wasn't entirely certain if it really was or if it was just his head throbbing that was causing the room to shake.
"What happened?"
"We appear to have encountered a large area of anomalies. We are surrounded by them," T'Pol reported, her usual calm unfazed by the continued shaking of the ship.
"Travis, can you get us out of here?"
"I'm trying, sir, but the impulse engines are malfunctioning!"
Hitting the comm. on his armrest, Archer asked, "Trip, what's going on down there?"
-----Enterprise, Engineering-----"We're getting hit pretty hard down here, Cap'n," Trip reported, practically shouting over all the noise.
"We need impulse engines now, Trip," Archer ordered.
Trip grabbed the wall, trying to brace himself as the ship shook once again. "We're trying, Cap'n. Tucker out."
The ship shook once again, sending Trip on his back. With a grunt, he pushed himself back up, trying to walk and grab onto something at the same time. "Romano! Cortez! You're with me. Come on!"
Trip walked on, two of his engineers following as they worked their way to the impulse engines. Selak fell-into the gaggle, recalling something he had nearly forgotten- something that had screwed many things up before.
"Selak, I need you to monitor the plasma intact. If it spikes to high while we're in the anomalies, we'll all be dead!" Trip ordered, trying to brush off the Vulcan.
"Cortez, you do that."
The young Ensign looked first to Trip, waiting to see if the order was accepted. When he saw Trip's slight nod, he ran off, trying to keep his balance as he went.
"What are you doing, Selak?"
"Nothing. I want to help."
"You could have-"
"Trip! Look out!"
Trip suddenly found himself on the floor, barely recalling that Selak had pushed him there. Looking up, he saw that one of the bulkheads had been broken loose from the anomaly and fallen directly where he had stood only a moment ago.
Looking around, he saw Romano wobbly raising to his feet, obviously disoriented from hitting his head, a long gash showing where. Looking over on the other side of the debris, he couldn't see Selak- lying or standing.
"Selak!" He yelled before he could stop himself. A feeling of dread and worry washed over him. Where had he gone?
Just then, he noticed a figure barely half under the bulkhead. Rushing over, he gestured for Romano to help him lift the metal. "Quickly, go fix the impulse engines. I have to get him to Sickbay."
"Yes, sir." Romano promptly ran off, leaving Trip with the Vulcan.
"Selak?" The Vulcan barely felt the Commander's hand slip into his as the man slid closer to him. He could hardly feel anything. Selak could just imagine the pain that should be ripping through his body; the pain he should be in.
"Selak can you hear me?"
"Hear? Sure," he breathed, his chest barely able to move under the invisible strain as his eyes slipped open.
"Come on, let's get you to Phlox."
"No."
"You're injured, we-"
"Trip, there's a… hunk of debris… lodged in my back… I can't… feel anything below… my neck…"
Selak couldn't contain his smirk at the sight of Trip's devastated look. Though his eye lost their spark of hope and determination, his arms still reached out to grab the Vulcan, ready to pull him off the floor, as he told him, "You can't give up that easily. Com'on. We can get you to Phlox, you'll be alright."
"No, you don't understand. Just… in my pocket… the upper right…"
"This one?" Unzipping it for him, Trip was surprised to find what he did. "What is this?" He asked about the tiny computer he held in his hand
"Push… the… side… button…"
"Why-"
"Just… do it," he ordered. His slight nod was confused at best but an agreement. "Thank-you."
"For this?"
"No… Thanks to you… thanks to… your great-grandson… my life doesn't suck that much. Trust me… other side."
Trip may not have understood his comment but he did as his friend wanted. As he watched, his bewilderment turned into complete shock as the Vulcan disappeared before his eyes. The device itself dissolving, simultaneously, in his hand.
His brow furrowed, his mind searching back to what he was doing on the floor… to why he was in that particular position. Sparks flew from the console next to him, orders shouted out filled the room. Trip shrugged off his confusion, standing up and walking away to help fix his ship.
-----Unknown-----Slowly, gently, Selak's eyes cracked open. Bright white light stung his eyes, making them water slightly as his pupils quickly tried to adjust.
On impulse, he tried to bring up his hand to shield his face and to brush away the moisture. But, when he tried, his arm wouldn't move. With a sudden start, he realized that his entire body felt numb, felt gone… disconnected.
"Don't try to move; the doctors say all your nerves aren't fully healed yet."
Without moving his head, he could see the form of a man to his left. Hovering over top of him, the man smiled, obviously glad to see his good friend awake and alert.
"Did it work?" he croaked out, his voice hoarse from days of no water and not talking.
"Yes, it worked. Don't worry about that," the man told him, seating himself on the chair where Selak could still see him.
"How long have I been out?"
"Two days while your nerves regenerated."
"The weapon?"
Though hesitant to talk about his mission, he responded, "Never created."
"The war?"
"For the past week they've been negotiating a treaty."
"It's over?"
"It's over."
His nod was slight, barely there, but it was still a nod. A grateful nod. His eyes slide shut from exhaustion, but, just before he managed to think about falling back to sleep, his companion spoke, his deep voice able to hold his attention.
"When the doctors examined you, um, they saw that the… that the chip… was removed. Did you know that?"
Selak turned his head, very slightly, to the side, looking up at his good friend. "Yes, I had a feeling it would be necessary. I guess I was right."
"You… you did that whole…?"
"Speed-walking, Tylus. It's called speed-walking. It felt so good… not in the way you thought it would, but… I don't know. The way it should feel, I guess. It felt right."
"Did you… you didn't…?"
"No, Tylus, I didn't. I couldn't, I guess. But I thought about it. It would have been easier, I guess. But, then, so could a lot of things about that whole adventure."
Tylus only nodded, understanding, while not understanding, his complex friend. He looked away, down at his hands, assuming that the tired Vulcan would fall asleep. But he didn't…
A tiny chuckle came from his lips. "You know, there never was an Ensign Glenn."
"Sorry?"
"I thought it was too convenient."
"I'm not following. What about Ensign Glenn?"
"Before I left, Tylus, I memorized the crew manifest and what happened to them. Ensign Glenn was assigned to Enterprise as a replacement engineer before they left for the Expanse. He died from being blown out into space… the same day I planned to leave."
"Interesting coincidence," Tylus commented.
"Not really. Convenient, was what it was. When I got there, eight months into their mission, there was no Ensign Glenn on the manifest… he wasn't supposed to die for another two months. But he wasn't there."
"So, what are you saying?"
"That I was the one who created him in the first place."
"A predestination paradox. You're crazy!"
"It's possible."
"How do you know?"
"That was exactly what I was going to use for… well, me when I left. Some Ensign assigned to engineering before they left who was spaced the day I left… that was the day he was supposed to die. That day."
"How can you know for sure?"
"His name was Alex Glenn."
"Yeah? And?"
"Alex was one of my few friends at the Academy I remember… one of the few still alive. I think… maybe… And Glenn, he's my cousin. He, my brother, and I were always very close. Glenn and I joined the Academy together- he died during the Battle of Betazed, protecting his home."
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah. He was an Ensign, just like Alex is… or, was. If I were to use any name, that would be it," Selak confirmed.
"Alright, so let's assume here, for a minute, that you're right and this was a predestination paradox, what messed it up so much when you came back?"
"The first time? It was too soon. I hadn't gotten the second part of the weapon and… and my fifth objective was screwed."
"Fifth objective?"
Ignoring his question, Selak continued through his inquiry. "With the second weapon in their database, the scientists had enough to work with. They still upset the others and throw us just as far into a worse war as the other bioweapon did. Only, this time, there was no Ryan to stop them. Which also meant no you, which was why I was such a spas."
"Why?"
Looking up at his friend, he told him, "Well, you helped me-"
"Not that," Tylus interrupted. "Why was there no me?"
For a moment, Selak thought of shrugging, only realizing when he tried that it didn't work. "I got this hunk of metal in my back to keep Trip from dying. Without me there, Trip died. Three weeks later, T'Pol discovered that she was pregnant with his child… she aborted the baby…"
"And the Tucker line never would have existed. I would never have existed," Tylus realized, trying to imagine what a simple adjustment could do everything- what his friend had to be so careful about in his traveling.
"And neither would your brother. No diplomat, no treaty, no end to the war. Or, at least, a cease-fire. But, with Trip alive and the baby born, you two are born, no weapon was created, and life isn't so bad."
"This war's never going to end," was his only remark.
"Don't be such a pessimist. I have faith in Ryan… if anyone can do this, he can…"
The End
You can pretty much assume things happen pretty well into how they happened on the real series. You know, a few things slightly altered for obvious reasons but whatever…
Well… and that'd be the end. All done… no more…
Except a bonus chapter! Don't you feel special now?
Um, if you hadn't notice- which would be really hard- there are a few spots within the story that Selak either has "dreams" or flashbacks and two scenes (in the very beginning and end) where you see a bit of his past and present. Um, an interesting story about that. I started writing them, just random things that I decided to splice up and put here and there. But then I was having so much fun coming up with the character that I began to write little stories that went around everything in those dreams. Then I decided to write some more stuff to connect some of it, then I had to actually create his past because… well I was having a lot of fun.
The poor kid, I really had too much fun on his expense.
Since I wrote it all, I thought it'd be fun to let you all read it for yourselves and see why some of what went on in his head… went on in his head. Um, it's all about him and what happened, nothing of Enterprise or anything. So if you enjoyed Selak's character- or just don't want the story to end- you can go ahead and read it. I'll warn you though, it's a very long chapter. About forty pages (I'll admit to having a wee bit of fun).
Anyway, go on… give it a shot. You know, if you read it, then you can review twice in one day! Isn't that exciting?
Either way, I want to thank you all for reading this story and putting up with me and my story and reviewing and so forth. Thank-you all! Love ya!