Author's Note: Here's chapter 4! :-) Lotsa Tom angst in this chapter … I won't update until at least next Thursday, as I am going on holidays :-)

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Chapter 4: Faces From The Past

Tom woke the following morning, his head spinning slightly. As he raised a hand to his aching head, he looked about him, and tried to gain his bearings. Where am I? he wondered, before realisation hit him. The medical bays! But how … why …

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, before reeling as another wave of dizziness assaulted him. He fell back onto the bed, clutching his head again.

He lay there, curled up, until the dizziness passed, leaving him nauseous and weak. He managed to stumble to a sink before loosing the contents of his stomach. The vomiting left him weaker, and for a time he lay on the floor, shaking and dry retching.

Eventually, the feeling passed and he managed to clamber back to his feet. He clutched the bench for support, but eventually managed to make his legs hold him up without support.

What the hell did I drink? was his first thought. He shook his head, trying to clear the fog from his mind. He shuddered as memories assaulted him …

" … deformation of the body and spirit resulting in half-men … "

" … this terror has gone on long enough … "

Walking through the streets …

" … Tom, are you all right? … "

What the hell happened to me? he wondered. What did I do? Where did the headache come from?

He was unable to find any satisfactory answer to his questions before another – more pressing – question came to mind:

Where are the others?

Tom knew that he hadn't exactly been quiet when he woke, and in any case when there were patients in the medical bay, Mina or Jekyll were nearly always present, or when they were absent there was at least one crewman. Tom could vaguely remember Jekyll telling some of the crewmen to take Tom back to the Nautilus.

So where are they? Tom wondered. How long have I been unconscious?

He did his best to clean himself up, before changing back into his clothes. The movement left him dizzy and disoriented, but not nauseous. After a few seconds, he was able to stand and make his way out of the medical bays.

He lost his footing in the doorway, and crashed to the ground. Tom tried hard to hold on to his consciousness, but it escaped his grasp and he fell into darkness.

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Tom didn't know how much time passed until he woke, and climbed to his feet. Blood ran down his face, and he wiped it away. A jagged cut ran across his forehead, but he didn't think it was deep.

Where are they? he wondered again.

"NEMO!" he yelled, starting to become truly concerned. "JEKYLL!"

He ran through the corridors of the Nautilus, looking in all the rooms. Blood occasionally dripped from his cut, but he barely noticed. "SKINNER! MINA! … Anybody!"

He had just checked Skinner's room, and had turned to continue down to the dining room when he heard a voice behind him :

"Tom?"

He whirled around, furious at himself for being caught unawares. However, as his eyes fell on the other person, he froze.

For a long moment, they regarded each other, before Tom broke the silence. "I thought you never wanted to see me again," he said quietly, almost bitterly.

"I was wrong," she admitted.

"If I remember correctly," Tom continued, speaking over her, "your exact words were, 'Get out of my sight. You've betrayed me and everyone I care about. You've destroyed our friendship. I never want to see you again'." He cocked his head to one side, not caring that there were tears swelling in her eyes. "Now, did I misunderstand part of that?"

"I'm sorry," she exclaimed.

Tom shook his head. " 'Sorry' doesn't always work." He turned to go.

"He's not dead!" she yelled.

Tom stopped. "Who?"

"Huck."

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Author's Note: Please review and let me know what you think!