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CHAPTER TWO
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"Welcome back, Captain."
Jon blinked to bring his eyes into focus then stared in confusion at the blank white ceiling above him. His mind fought to remember what had happened and why he felt so weak.
Then it hit him. "Trip," he croaked. "Where's Trip?"
"The commander's fine, sir," replied Hoshi Sato. She stood at Jon's side, her young face warmed by a big smile. "You're going to be fine, too."
Jon closed his eyes and nodded. "How long have I been out?"
"About eight hours."
The captain opened his eyes again and peered around the small room. He smiled when his eyes fell on the sleeping form of his chief engineer at the side of the bed. Trip looked anything but comfortable sprawled in the little chair, his chin resting on his chest.
"Dr. Phlox and Commander T'Pol just left to get some breakfast to bring back," said Hoshi. "Travis is snoring away in the waiting room and Lieutenant Reed is wearing out the hallway with his pacing."
"You're all here?"
"Of course, sir," replied the ensign with surprise. "Where else would we be?"
Jon felt his face warm and he shook his head weakly. His gaze went back to Trip who shifted in his chair. The younger man lifted his head, his hand going to the back of his neck. He grimaced then opened his eyes. He stared at the captain in sleepy confusion then grinned and stood.
"Trip," greeted Jon.
"Cap'n, you're awake!"
"You okay?"
"I'm fine," replied the commander. "How are you feeling? You gave us quite a scare."
"Weak, but otherwise fine. Did they catch whoever did this?"
Trip shook his head. "Still looking. Malcolm is taking out a team soon to help search the scene. He's not too pleased with Starfleet's investigative skills it seems."
Jon snorted lightly. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"
The door opened drawing the captain's attention. He turned his head to see Reed enter followed closely by a dark-haired man.
"Captain," greeted the lieutenant. "Good to see you, sir."
"Thanks, Malcolm," replied Jon, his gaze focused on the man behind his armory officer.
"Oh, this is Agent Spanek, sir. He's one of the agents leading the investigation."
Jon nodded once. "Agent Spanek," he said. "Any leads?"
"We actually had a break, Captain. We found a shell casing buried in the gravel at the scene and our lab was able to pull a fingerprint."
"You've identified the shooter?" asked Trip.
Spanek nodded. "A MACO, Commander," he replied. "Someone you know."
Trip looked baffled. "Who?"
"Corporal Amanda Cole."
The engineer shook his head. "No, Amanda would never do this. I don't buy it."
"Neither do I," said Reed.
"She's being picked up as we speak. I'm going down to Headquarters to question her." The agent looked at Trip. "I'd like you to come along, Commander. Since you're friends with her, she may be more open to talking to you than to me."
Trip nodded. "Of course," he replied. "Anything I can do to help." He looked down at Jon. "I'll be back soon, Cap'n."
"Something's not right here, Trip," said Jon.
"I know. I'll talk to Amanda, see what I can find out."
Jon nodded. "Be careful."
"Aye, sir."
Trip turned to follow Spanek then looked at Hoshi. "Tell T'Pol where I am?"
"I'll let her know, Commander."
Jon caught a look of puzzlement cross Spanek's face, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. He watched the two men leave the room. He couldn't ignore the growing knot of fear that had settled in his stomach, but he couldn't yet identify why exactly it had formed. He hadn't really talked much with Amanda Cole, but he knew Trip had formed a friendship with her. The captain had learned long ago to trust his friend's judgment in character; he'd never been wrong in all the years he'd known the younger man. No, he thought determinedly, Cole wasn't the assassin. There was definitely something else going on and he had to trust Starfleet to get to the bottom of it.
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Travis Mayweather carefully handled his brimming cup of coffee as he opened the door. He felt a wave of relief as he saw Archer sitting up in the bed. He was still pale, but his coloring was far better than when he'd first seen him a few hours earlier.
"Ah, Captain," greeted Phlox cheerfully. He entered just behind T'Pol who followed behind Travis. The Denobulan quickly crossed the room to Archer's bedside. He set the tray he carried down on a nearby table and took a quick look at the monitors above the captain's head. "How are you feeling, hmmm?"
"Good, I feel good, Phlox."
"You look well, Captain," said T'Pol. She stepped across the room and placed her tray next to Phlox's, careful not to spill the coffee she'd brought specifically for Trip. "Where is Commander Tucker?"
"He left a few minutes ago with Agent Spanek," replied Reed. "Seems they got a lead in the investigation."
"A lead?"
"They retrieved a shell casing and identified a fingerprint on it."
"Indeed."
"It belonged to Corporal Cole, Commander," said Hoshi.
Travis frowned. "Why would Corporal Cole want the captain dead?" he asked.
"That's the million dollar question, Travis," replied Archer. "I don't think she would."
"You believe she is being….set up?" asked T'Pol.
Reed nodded. "It would appear so. The commander's gone to talk to her."
Travis swallowed uneasily. "If she didn't do it, I wonder how they got her fingerprint?" he mused.
"Hopefully, we'll find that out, Ensign," replied the lieutenant.
"Are you hungry, Captain?" asked Phlox.
"Starving, actually."
"Ah, good." Phlox picked up a bowl of green gelatin. "Here you go."
Archer scowled. "I'd rather have those eggs and hash browns, Phlox," he said with mild disgust.
Phlox didn't reply, but gave the captain one of the looks that Travis had come to know all too well. Apparently Archer also knew what the look meant. He grumbled something under his breath but took the proffered bowl and spoon. Phlox chortled good-naturedly at his patient's unhappy response.
Travis turned his head as the door opened to reveal Admiral Carlton Gardner. The man entered the room with an air of extreme confidence and for a brief moment, the helmsman allowed himself to mourn the loss of the affable Admiral Forrest.
"Jonathan," greeted Gardner. He strode across the room and extended his hand to the captain.
"Admiral," said Archer. He shook Gardner's hand and smiled. "Thank you for stopping by, sir."
"I was shocked when I heard what happened, Jon, absolutely shocked." The admiral sat on the edge of the bed. "I would've been by earlier, but we had another mystery arise during the night. A body was discovered up in the hills."
"A body, sir?" asked Reed.
"A Starfleet agent," replied Gardner. "I wanted to see if there was a connection between his death and the attempt on your life, Jon."
"And was there?" asked the captain.
"Not that we can tell. Agent Spanek was killed by blunt force trauma to the head. The coroner said….."
T'Pol stepped forward. "Agent Spanek?"
Gardner nodded then scowled. "What's wrong, Commander?"
Travis glanced at the Vulcan first officer to see her face draining of all color. Her eyes dropped to the floor and she looked as if she was searching for something just out of her sight.
"Are you certain, sir? Agent Kyle Spanek?" pressed Reed.
"Yes, Lieutenant. What's going on?"
"When was the estimated time of death?" asked Phlox.
"The coroner put it at forty-eight hours ago." Gardner stood up. "What's wrong?"
Archer looked suddenly very pale. "Agent Spanek was just here, Admiral."
"What? That's impossible!"
Travis ignored the rest of the Starfleet admiral's outburst and focused on T'Pol. Her eyes were closed and the young helmsman realized she was searching for Trip. He watched her face closely, hoping beyond hope that she would find the commander well. His heart sank when she gasped.
"T'Pol?"
The Vulcan first officer looked at Archer. "I believe he's in trouble, Captain," she replied simply.
"Who's in trouble?" asked Gardner in confusion.
"I'm getting out of here," said Archer. He sat up, set the bowl of forgotten gelatin on the end of the bed and threw back the light blanket that covered him.
"No, Captain," said Phlox firmly. "You are not strong enough."
"I'm fine, Doctor. I need to find Trip."
The Denobulan moved to block the captain's attempt to climb out of bed. From where he stood a few meters away, Travis could see the sweat of exertion beading on Archer's forehead. His commanding officer was definitely too weak to be up.
"Dr. Phlox is right, Captain," said Reed. "Let us find Commander Tucker." He turned to T'Pol. "Do you have any idea where he is?"
T'Pol shook her head. "No."
"Then we start by finding Agent Rawlings."
Archer's face flushed with anger. "I'm not staying here," he stated heatedly.
"With all due respect, sir," said the lieutenant not unkindly. "Our search will go a lot quicker if we don't have you to worry about."
Travis saw Archer's jaw clench, but he relented and sat back. "Keep me informed, Lieutenant," he ordered.
"Aye, sir."
Travis looked at T'Pol. "Do you think Commander Tucker is….?"
"The commander is still alive, Ensign."
"Would someone tell me what the hell is going on here?" demanded Gardner.
"Go find him, T'Pol," said Archer. "Bring him back."
T'Pol straightened her posture then nodded her head once and Travis knew without any doubt that the Vulcan wouldn't stop until she found her missing mate.
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Trip sat quietly in a haze of confusion. He felt strange, heavy and sluggish, and his head pounded without mercy. The engineer forced himself to take stock of his surroundings. He was sitting in a dimly lit room no bigger than Archer's ready room, but there were no windows. He turned his head then squeezed his eyes shut until a sudden wave of nausea passed. When he opened his eyes again, he noted that the only furniture in the room was a small table and one chair.
"Glad to see you're awake, Commander."
Trip looked around. "Where the hell am I?" he demanded. He pushed himself to his feet then swayed dangerously. Reaching a hand out, he leaned heavily against one wall.
"I apologize, but we had to drug you. The effects will wear off soon enough."
"What do you want with me?"
A section of one wall slid open to reveal Spanek. Trip looked beyond the agent to see a hallway leading to what appeared to be a large warehouse. He could see a few people milling around, all focused on their tasks at hand.
"We need your help," said Spanek as he stepped into Trip's little prison.
"My help?"
"Yes."
Trip's eyes fell to Spanek's hand in which the agent held an old looking pistol. He looked back up and met Spanek's gaze defiantly.
The agent smiled. "We thought you might resist us," he said.
"Well, you thought right."
"You know, it's your fault what happened to your captain. He wasn't supposed to be with you. You were supposed to be alone."
Trip swallowed hard. "You shot him?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because his presence changed our plans and I had to improvise." Spanek raised the pistol and tapped the barrel against the palm of his other hand. "At this very moment, Commander….Trip, may I call you Trip? At this very moment, Trip, your captain is being watched. All it will take is one word from me and Archer is dead."
Trip bit back a retort knowing it wasn't the time to rile the other man.
"The change in plans actually works out much better. We now have him in a fixed location, a place we can monitor."
"So you tried to kill him just to get to me?"
"If I'd wanted him dead, he'd be dead, Trip," said Spanek with an air of sickening confidence. "We need your help and in short, we're using your friendship with Archer to get it."
"He's under heavy guard."
"By members of Starfleet."
Trip's stomach dropped and he frowned. "You're Starfleet."
"Actually, no, I'm not. Agent Spanek was and so is Rawlings. We have other members who are higher up in the ranks. I'm just a….free-lancer, shall we say. Someone with certain talents who believes in this cause."
"What do you mean Agent Spanek….was?"
"Well, that's an ugly little story. We approached him because he was partnered with Rawlings, who'd been very vocal about his feelings concerning our….off-world visitors. But Spanek got scared and threatened to blow the whistle on us."
"So you killed him," Trip stated, swallowing his anger at the last comment.
"No, not me, but I assumed his identity. It actually worked out quite well, don't you think?"
Trip clenched his jaw and remained silent.
Spanek regarded Trip through squinted eyes. "After what the Xindi did to your sister and to seven million others, I'd have thought you'd be on our side."
"Well, you thought wrong."
The agent's face reddened in anger. "You're a fool, Commander," he spat. "We can't trust any of them."
"Why am I here, Spanek….or whatever the hell your name is?"
"You're here to help us prove to Starfleet and Earth's governments that off-worlders don't belong here." The agent turned to leave the room. "If you don't, Captain Archer dies."
"How exactly am I supposed to help you?" demanded Trip. "I'm an engineer, a commander in Starfleet. If you have members higher in the ranks, why do you need me?"
"Because you saw something in the Expanse, Trip," replied Spanek over his shoulder. "Something we need."
"What? What did I see that could possibly help you?"
The agent turned around just outside the door then smiled. "The plans for the Xindi weapon," he replied then the door slid shut.
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"I've checked the records twice, ma'am. There is no Corporal Cole being held for questioning."
T'Pol eyed the young woman at the security desk. "You are certain?"
The woman nodded. "Yes, Commander. If they'd brought anyone in, they'd have to stop here first. No one has, ma'am."
"We were told she was brought in because of evidence found at the scene of the murder attempt made on Captain Archer last night."
"No, ma'am, I'm sorry. You've been misinformed. There's been no evidence found yet."
"What about Agent Ely Rawlings, Ensign," said Reed. "Has he been around?"
The young woman frowned. "Starfleet is searching for him, Lieutenant. No one has seen him since last night when he clocked in at 1800 hours."
"We saw him last night, Ensign, at Starfleet Medical. He was leading the investigation with Agent Spanek."
"Agent Louise Knicks is heading that investigation, Lieutenant, and Agent Spanek is….."
"Dead," finished T'Pol evenly. "We are already aware of that fact."
"Perhaps you should speak with Agent Rawlings' CO, ma'am. It seems you have information he'd be interested in."
"I agree," replied the Vulcan first officer. "Ensign, did Agent Knicks assign security personnel to Starfleet Medical last night?"
"Yes, ma'am, and so far there have been no reported incidents."
Reed let out a sigh of relief. "Well at least they're legit," he said. "Combined with my own men, the captain is being watched very closely."
"So it would seem."
"What do you mean?"
T'Pol stepped away from the front desk then turned to Reed. "Since Commander Tucker is missing, I think it is logical to assume that he was the target last night, not Captain Archer. I believe the captain was just….in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"I agree."
"I believe they would have killed the captain unless they needed him further."
Reed furrowed his brows in confusion for a moment, then his eyes widened. "They're using him?"
"A logical assumption. Whatever these people want from the commander, it makes sense that they would use people close to him as leverage."
"But Captain Archer wasn't supposed to be with him last night."
"Perhaps his presence forced these people to alter their plans."
"Making it far more personal for Trip."
"Yes."
T'Pol's gaze dropped to the floor as she searched her mind for her ashayam's touch. She briefly closed her eyes when she felt him. She had no idea what was happening to him or where he was, but at least he still lived.
"Commander T'Pol?"
The Vulcan turned around to see a middle-aged man approaching her.
"I'm Captain Andrew Coombs," said the man as he extended his hand.
T'Pol clasped her hands at the small of her back then looked at him askance. "You hold the rank of captain?"
Coombs smiled. "Yes. Agents Rawlings and Spanek both reported to me." The man offered his hand to Reed. "Now, I understand you have some information that might help us figure out just what is going on here."
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CONTINUED
