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CHAPTER FIVE

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Trip sat back against the damp wall and hugged his knees to his chest. He was shivering but if it was from the cold or the fever, he couldn't tell. He closed his eyes and dropped his head to his knees trying hard to ignore the pain that had become his constant companion.

"I'm sorry, Cap'n," he whispered hoarsely. He'd given them the plans as they wanted, but with a slight variation. Trip knew any good engineer would be able to tell the weapon if constructed from his schematics wouldn't be functional, but he hoped he'd given T'Pol enough time to get Archer out of danger. He'd most certainly be killed for what he'd done, but with a little luck his long-time friend was safe.

He heard a scuffling outside his little room and he lifted his head from his knees. The door opened and Spanek entered followed closely by two guards dragging another man between them. Trip started slightly when he realized it was Rawlings. They dumped the battered young agent in a heap on the floor.

Spanek stepped over to Trip then backhanded him so hard, the engineer tasted blood. "Did you really think you could fool us, Commander?" he demanded angrily.

"Thought it would be pretty easy, yeah," Trip replied. "You're not a real bright bunch, from what I can tell."

The agent reached out and grabbed Trip's uniform and yanked him forward, lifting his other hand to strike again.

"Leave him, Tony."

Spanek hissed through his teeth then pushed Trip away.

The engineer collapsed back against the wall. "I thought your voice was familiar, Admiral," he said. He turned his head to look at the older man standing in the doorway. "Do come in and make yourself comfortable."

Admiral Carlton Gardner smiled. "I always knew you were a smart ass, Tucker," he replied. "But never a traitor to your own people."

"Oh, I'm the traitor? That's rich."

Gardner stepped in the room then knelt at Trip's side. "I'm not the one sharing my bed with a Vulcan."

Trip gritted his teeth. "From what I heard, you're not sharing your bed with anyone, not even your wife," he spat.

The admiral smiled again. "I'm willing to give you one more chance, Commander."

"I thought there were no second chances."

"That was Tony's rule, not mine." Gardner stood up and moved to where Rawlings lay sprawled on the floor. "Did you know that Ely here is a traitor, too?"

Trip grimaced when the admiral kicked the agent hard in the side. He could hear Rawlings groan in pain.

"Your Vulcan lover managed to steal away Captain Archer, Commander," continued Gardner. He knelt down and yanked Rawlings' head up with a handful of hair. "But I've made a little wager with Tony that we still can get the plans from you even without your friend, the captain."

"Hope you didn't bet too much."

Gardner stood then nodded at the two guards. The men stepped forward and hauled Rawlings to his feet then Spanek stepped in front of the young agent and hit him hard in the stomach.

"Have you ever seen a man beaten to death, Commander?" asked Gardner in a detached tone. "I have and it isn't a pretty sight." He looked down at Trip as Spanek continued the beating. "I'll ask Tony to stop if you agree to give us the plans….the real plans, Commander."

"I can't."

"We only intend to use it if we have to, Trip. If Earth's governments cooperate, no one will be killed."

Trip watched in nauseated horror as Spanek continued his brutal assault. Time seemed to slow with each groan of pain that escaped from the young agent.

"Did you know that Ely here has a wife? Oh, and I believe they just had a baby boy a few months ago."

"Stop it! I'll give you the damn plans, just stop it!"

Spanek stepped away from Rawlings and the two guards let him drop to the floor. They all looked in disgust at Trip.

Gardner pulled a data padd from his uniform pocket and tossed it at Trip. "If the plans aren't correct this time, Commander, I promise you I'll kill Ely and his family as well as your Vulcan bitch. And I'll make certain you witness it all before I kill you. You have one hour."

Trip watched as the four men left the room shutting the door behind them. He crawled across the floor to Rawlings' side and felt a wrist for a pulse. He closed his eyes when he felt the flutter under his fingertip then crawled back to his place against the wall. He glanced down at the little padd that rested at his side and picked it up.

With a violent curse, Trip threw the little device across the room, watching in satisfaction as it broke into pieces against the opposite wall.

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"I'm sorry I didn't trust you, Captain."

T'Pol looked up from settling Archer on the couch to see Jane Rawlings standing before Coombs. She held her little son tightly in her arms, but Coombs managed to carefully embrace them both.

"Ely told you not to trust anyone, Jane," the captain said. "He was right to tell you that."

"Will I ever see him again?"

"If I have anything to do with it, you will, Jane." Coombs released the young woman then smiled down at her. "Now why don't you and Joshua go and try to get some rest? You've both had a long day."

"Yes, sir," replied Rawlings. She wiped away the few tears that had spilled down her cheeks then pulled her son close. "Thank you, Captain." She turned to face T'Pol, Archer, and Reed. "Thank you all."

T'Pol watched Rawlings leave the room then she turned her attention back to Archer. The captain had insisted on changing into his uniform then had proceeded to convince Phlox to let him stay with the others and not in the medical wing of the Consulate. Phlox had made her promise to make certain the captain didn't overtax himself while the doctor was assisting with the counteragent for Trip. T'Pol knew such a promise was folly, but she agreed nonetheless.

"Can you tell what he's feeling?" asked Archer quietly.

T'Pol sat down beside him. "No, but he's still present, Captain."

"Then he's still alive."

Soval approached the two officers and nodded his greeting. "Captain Archer, I am pleased to see you are healthy once more."

"Thank you, Ambassador. I'm not a hundred percent yet, but I'm getting there."

"Ambassador Soval, it's good to see you again, sir," greeted Coombs as he approached the elder Vulcan.

"Captain."

"When we find out where they're holding Commander Tucker and Agent Rawlings, what are your plans for retrieving them, Captain?" asked Reed. He moved from behind the couch to stand at Coombs' side.

"I am interested in that as well, Captain," said T'Pol. "It is fairly clear that some of your people are not trustworthy."

Coombs' face flushed with irritation, but he nodded. "So it seems," he replied. "The only two people outside of this Consulate who know I was at the hospital are your two guards, Lieutenant. Are they trustworthy?"

Reed visibly bristled. "They're two of my best, sir. I would trust them with my life."

Coombs smiled. "Well you trusted them with your captain's life, so that's good enough for me," he said.

The lieutenant nodded. "Thank you, sir."

"If you are unable to determine who is worthy of your trust and who is not, how will you select a team to retrieve the commander and agent without….tipping your hand?" asked Soval.

"I think we need to keep everyone at Starfleet Headquarters out of this," said Archer. "We can use the security team from Enterprise."

"Shouldn't we inform Admiral Gardner, sir?" asked Reed.

Archer shook his head. "I hate to say it, Malcolm, but we really don't know who we can trust and that includes the admiral."

"I agree," said Soval. "I will make my entire security staff available to you, Captain Coombs. Combined with Enterprise's contingent, you should have sufficient personnel for a successful assault."

"I don't know what to say, Ambassador," replied Coombs.

"There is nothing to say, Captain. I believe retrieving Commander Tucker of vital importance, as is the apprehension of this xenophobic faction. Vulcan will do its part in achieving both."

Archer's communicator suddenly chirped for attention and T'Pol's world froze.

"Archer."

"Captain, I think we've found something," replied Hoshi.

"Go ahead."

"There were references to 'away from the sun' in song verses and poetry, but none of those references seemed to have anything to do with our situation. Travis did find the numeric sequence in the literary files. It's an obscure novel written about ten years ago entitled….Away from the Sun."

"What's it about, Hoshi?"

"It's a mystery, sir, and it involves an underground bomb shelter."

"How does that help us find Trip? There aren't any bomb shelters in this area anymore."

"This is a long shot, Captain, but….."

"The facility under the bay," interrupted Reed excitedly. "Don't you remember, Captain? Just after the third world war, an eccentric old heiress had one of her companies begin construction on a compound under the bay. She was certain there would be another war and she wanted to be sure her family and friends had a place to go to hide out."

Archer's brows lifted. "Of course. But she died and they abandoned the project."

"But it did get partially completed, Captain," said Hoshi. "And all but forgotten."

"And that's where you think they're keeping Trip?"

"I can't be sure of that, sir. Agent Rawlings probably didn't know about the commander when he gave the message to his wife. I would guess, though, that this is the base of operations for the faction."

"It does sound like a logical conclusion, Captain," offered Soval.

"Captain Coombs?"

"Right now it's our best shot," replied Coombs.

Archer looked at T'Pol then to Reed. "All right, Hoshi. Good work. Send me the coordinates then have all security personnel transport there. Tell them to sit tight until we arrive. Understood?"

"Aye, Captain. Good luck, sir."

"Archer out."

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"You know they're going to kill us both."

Trip glanced at Rawlings. "I know and I'm sorry," he replied.

The agent shifted his position slightly then groaned.

"Just lie still, Agent Rawlings," said Trip. "No telling what kind of internal injuries you have."

Rawlings settled. "Ely, Commander. You might as well call me Ely."

"All right, then lay still, Ely."

Rawlings chuckled then coughed. "How are you feeling, sir?"

"Not too good. And the name's Trip."

"The drug should be wearing off by now."

"I can't remember stuff in as much detail anymore, but the pain hasn't faded at all."

"I'm sorry, Trip."

"You were doing what you had to do. I'd have done the same thing in your shoes." The engineer closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. "Do you know how they found you out?"

"Probably my wife, Jane. I told her to go to the Vulcans if anything ever happened to me. I knew they'd have someone watching her after what happened to Kyle, but I'd already given her the pouch."

"The pouch?"

"Kyle and I found out about the drug only a couple days ago. I memorized the formula then wrote it down and hid it away. Jane was the only one who knew where it was."

"What happened to Kyle?"

There was a sudden silence and Trip wondered if Rawlings had lost consciousness. He opened his eyes and looked at the still form lying just in front of him.

"Kyle was a good man, Trip," said Rawlings finally. "Yeah, he didn't like the other species coming here and he took every opportunity to bad-mouth them, but when Tony told him about his plans to use the drug, Kyle got cold feet."

"Who killed him?"

"Admiral Gardner. I didn't even know Gardner was involved until he met Kyle and me at Kyle's house that day. Gardner caved in Kyle's skull." Rawlings stopped for a long moment. "Then I helped him clean up the evidence and bury the body up in the hills."

"Sounds like you did the only thing you could, Ely," placated Trip. "You were alone. He would've killed you, too."

"You don't know how many times I've told myself that, Trip. How many times I replay Kyle's murder in my head wondering what I could've done differently, but I was scared. Not scared for myself, but for Jane and our son." Rawlings voice cracked as he struggled for control. "That's when I told Jane to go to the Vulcans if anything happened. She didn't understand, but I made her promise me. I want to see her again, Trip. And I want to see our son."

"I know you do."

"But you also know I won't, don't you?"

"I'm sorry, Ely."

Rawlings sniffed back tears. "It's not your fault, Trip."

Silence fell over the room. Trip leaned his head back again and listened to the steady drip of water that came from the far corner. His body hurt at every move and he knew he was still running a fever, but he realized suddenly what he had to do. He pushed back against the wall and rose to his feet.

"What are you doing?" asked Rawlings.

"I'm not going out without a fight, Ely. I can't just sit here and do nothing."

"You've got a plan?"

"Um, not really," replied Trip then his eyes fell on the table. "Damn, why didn't I think of that earlier?"

"What?"

"The table. It's made of wood."

Rawlings slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position and looked at the table. "So it is."

"That means it's more than likely held together by screws," continued Trip. He took a step away from the wall then dropped to his knees with a gasp of pain. Focusing his eyes on his target, Trip got back to his feet and staggered the short distance to the table. He dropped back to his knees and peered underneath.

"Well?"

Trip nodded. "Yep, it's held together by screws," he replied.

"I don't suppose you have a screwdriver handy."

"Don't need one," replied Trip. He crawled around the table to where the padd lay shattered on the floor. He searched the fragments for a moment then smiled triumphantly. "This should do the trick." He picked up a shard and then turned back to the table. Still focused on his task at hand, Trip tried to flip the little table onto its top. He tried three times before he found success then he began loosening the screws one by one. He felt a small spark of hope as he hefted one of the table legs in his hands.

"Let me have one," said Rawlings.

Trip wiped the sweat from his eyes then looked at the bloodied agent who'd manage to crawl to his side.

"Come on, you could use my help," continued the other man with a slight smile.

"Okay," replied Trip. He removed another leg and handed it to Rawlings. "Do you think you can stand?" he asked.

"When the time comes, Trip, I'll stand."

Trip smiled. "I believe you." He got to his feet again and moved on unsteady legs to the door. He pressed his ear against it, but heard no movement on the other side. "Nothing yet."

"Tell me about her….your mate."

Trip looked at Ely in surprise. "What?"

"What's her name?"

"T'Pol. Her name is T'Pol."

"What's she like?"

Trip's gaze dropped to the piece of wood he held. "She's the smartest person I've ever met and also the kindest and gentlest. She's funny and warm and so beautiful, she takes your breath away."

"Doesn't sound like any Vulcan I've ever met."

Trip's eyes met Rawlings'. "There's more to them than meets the eye, Ely, believe me."

Rawlings lifted a hand in defense. "I believe you, I believe you," he said then his expression changed. "You love her very much, don't you?"

"More than I ever thought possible."

"Okay, then let's do this together, for Jane and for T'Pol."

"You've got yourself a deal." Trip pressed his ear against the door again. "I think they're coming." He moved to one side as Rawlings struggled to get to his feet. The agent moved slowly to the other side of the door then leaned heavily against the wall, casting a determined look at Trip.

Trip took a deep breath then when the door opened, he swung with every bit of strength he had left.

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Phlox disembarked the little shuttle pod quickly, followed by Archer and T'Pol. He could hear the sound of water lapping nearby and he peered through the trees to see the bay, the fading sunlight shimmering over it's surface. Reed stood at the center of a crowd of Vulcan and human personnel, his face set in steely determination. Phlox had seen that expression many times before and it filled the Denobulan with confidence.

Reed finished briefing his team then stepped over to Archer. "I never thought I'd be leading Vulcans on an assault," he said with mild astonishment.

"We are no longer a violent species, Lieutenant, but we will protect our own," replied T'Pol evenly.

Reed looked at the first officer oddly. "I meant no offense, Commander."

"And none was taken."

Archer looked at T'Pol for a long moment. "Are you going to be okay in there?"

"Yes," replied the first officer. "He is here, Captain, and I will do whatever I have to do to find him. I will not, however, allow my emotions to dictate my actions. Your concern is appreciated, but it is not necessary."

The captain lifted his chin and eyed his science officer. "All right, Commander."

"I'm sorry, Captain, but I think it would be best if you stayed here. You're in no…." began Reed.

"I'm coming, Lieutenant," interrupted Archer curtly. He turned his eyes to Reed. "I'll stay at the rear with Phlox, but I'm coming."

Reed regarded his commanding officer for a long moment. "Aye, sir," he finally relented. "We haven't found any kind of detection sensors here on the surface, but we will no doubt encounter them in the tunnel. We'll be moving fast, Captain, so….."

"Don't worry about me, Lieutenant. You just concentrate on finding Trip."

The armory officer nodded once then moved back to the front of his team. T'Pol started to follow him.

"Keep your wits about you, Commander," advised Archer.

T'Pol paused momentarily in stride then continued forward to join Reed at the front of the assault team.

"She's a trained operative, Captain."

Archer nodded. "I know, but this is different, Doctor. This is Trip." He pulled his phase pistol from its holster and proceeded forward.

The access tunnel was cold and damp. Phlox glanced up over his head then shivered. They'd been moving quickly downward for several minutes already so he knew there were hundreds of meters of water above them. He turned his gaze back to the men and women ahead of him; this was no time to develop a case of claustrophobia, he chided himself mildly.

Beside Phlox, Archer was managing to keep up. His breathing was labored, but his stride was strong. The doctor kept a close eye on the captain knowing he was working on pure adrenaline. As much as he wanted Archer to stop and rest, he knew there was no chance of that. Archer was determined to find his friend and no one, not even a well-intentioned doctor, was going to stop him.

They met with the first of the resistance a few minutes later. The Vulcans and humans made an impressive team, sidestepping phaser fire then returning it with imposing accuracy. They moved forward more quickly, knowing their presence had been detected.

Phlox gripped his medical bag tightly and followed the team deeper into the damp belly of the earth.

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The jolt of intense anger followed by pain hit T'Pol out of nowhere so she failed to react to the man running towards her with his sidearm drawn. Reed pushed her aside then fired, dropping the man in stride.

"Commander?"

"We need to find him, Lieutenant….now."

Reed nodded and picked up his pace. They'd made it passed the resistance in the tunnel and had entered a large inner sanctum filled with civilians. Only a few fought the assault team while others dropped to their knees with hands clasped behind their heads.

T'Pol caught one young woman by the arm and spun her around. "Where are they holding Commander Tucker?" she demanded.

The woman looked frightened and T'Pol could feel her trembling under her hand. "Don't hurt me," she pleaded. "Please don't hurt me."

"Where is Commander Tucker?"

"They're keeping him down there," replied the woman. She pointed a trembling finger down a hallway to T'Pol's right.

"Lieutenant! This way!" shouted the Vulcan above the din.

Reed saw her and nodded, easily falling in step with her as she headed down the hall. As they approached, she could see an open door at the end. Just in time, T'Pol saw the flash of light catch on a weapon and she dropped and rolled, coming up on her knees and firing at the same time. She caught the arm of the assailant and the weapon clattered to the ground. She fired again and the man fell in a heap.

Getting back to her feet, T'Pol followed Reed through the doorway. She stopped. Trip was lying on the floor, a piece of blood-soaked wood clutched tightly in one hand.

Spanek stood over him, his strange pistol aimed directly at the engineer's head. "Take one more step and I'll….."

Reed fired and the agent dropped.

T'Pol moved quickly to Trip, her heart pounding in her chest. She fell to her knees and felt his neck for a pulse. It was there. Expelling the breath she'd been holding, T'Pol moved her hand to Trip's cheek. His skin was hot with fever. She gathered him up in her arms and cradled him against her. His eyes fluttered then opened.

"Be still, Ashayam," whispered T'Pol. "You are safe."

Trip smiled in response then let his eyes fall closed again.

"In here, Phlox!" shouted Reed from behind T'Pol.

Phlox and Archer both appeared at her side.

"How is he?" asked the captain as he dropped to his knees.

T'Pol heard the captain's question, but she did not trust her voice to answer him.

Phlox pulled a hypospray from his bag. "This is the counteragent," he said then he pressed the little device to Trip's neck and released its contents. "It should begin working in just a short time." The doctor ran a scanner over the engineer's inert form then nodded his head. "He has a some bruises and contusions, but nothing too serious."

Archer let out a long breath of relief. He reached a shaking hand up to gently squeeze Trip's arm.

"Agent Rawlings is over there, Captain," said Reed in a hushed voice. "I'm afraid he's dead. There's another body just inside the door. It's the admiral, Captain. His skull's been caved in. It looks like Trip and Rawlings put up quite a fight."

Phlox shook his head. "Remarkable," he said. "I'm not certain how the commander did it in his current condition."

"He's tough as nails, Doc," said Archer with an affectionate smile.

T'Pol pulled Trip closer then glanced quickly at Rawlings' where he lay against the wall. She looked back down at her mate. She gritted her teeth against a wave of emotion, using all her inner strength to find her center. She had him back and he was safe. She felt deep sadness for Jane Rawlings, but also relief that it was not Trip who had died.

"Come on, T'Pol," said Archer gently. He placed a warm hand on her shoulder. "Let's get him out of here."

T'Pol met her captain's eyes and held them. For just a moment, the primal need to protect her mate hit her and she clutched Trip even tighter. Then she saw in Archer's eyes his own relief that his friend was alive. He cared deeply for her mate and she trusted him.

Slowly, T'Pol released Trip and watched while he was loaded onto a stretcher. Reed extended a hand to her and T'Pol grasped it, allowing the lieutenant to help her to her feet. She turned to see Rawlings' body being covered by a light blanket.

T'Pol closed her eyes. "I grieve with thee, Jane Rawlings," she whispered.

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CONTINUED