Chapter 23

It took long seconds for Archer to understand what Phlox had just said.

"She's what?"

"She's carrying a child, Captain ..."

His eyes dropped away from Phlox's face, focusing now on his own hands.

"B-but, how's that possible?" he stammered.

"Well ... I suppose she had a sexual relationship." Phlox shrugged his shoulders.

"How long has she ..."

"Been pregnant? About 3 ... 4 weeks. I assume it happened during her shore leave. Do you have any idea of who ..."

Archer started to pace, a little uncomfortable discussing his sex life with Phlox.

"She was with me." he confirmed.

"I beg your pardon, I didn't mean to be indiscreet."

"Never mind." he sighed "Did she know about it?"

"No, I don't think she was aware of that ... she wouldn't have put herself at risk on such a dangerous mission. Probably, she had no symptoms, yet. It's quite normal, in the first weeks of pregnancy."

"But ..."

Phlox interrupted him: "I will answer all your questions later, Captain. Now if you will excuse me, I have a patient to attend to."

Archer remained in sickbay. He was torn. He could barely think straight.

He felt sick to his stomach with fear. Fear of losing her. Fear of knowing the truth about who she really was and why she had done that.

A long time later the computer beeped a series of blips and Phlox checked the readout.

"The genetic test confirms that she's an Augment, Captain. She has enhanced abilities, not quite at the level of the Augments we met some months ago, but almost." Phlox touched the screen to check further data "I'm not quite sure if congratulations are in order, Captain, but the child is yours."

"I had no doubt about it, Doctor." he said with a hoarse voice.

Phlox frowned, looking at the screen.

"Is there something wrong?" Archer asked, worried.

"The genetic analysis found she's not entirely human. I will have to widen my search to include the interspecies database. But ... I already know who is her biological father."

"Is there a match in the Starfleet Database?"

Phlox nodded.

"Soong. Dr. Arik Soong."

o-o-o-o-o-o

Somewhere in the 31st Century ...

Daniels was watching through the Temporal Observatory.

"Impressive, quite impressive." was the alien's comment.

"She did it." he said.

"She's a remarkable woman. I admired her nerve and the way she fought against that Klingon. She killed him, eventually. Impressive." he repeated.

Daniels didn't say anything.

"I assume the timeline is safe ... isn't it?" the alien looked at him, waiting for a confirmation.

"Yes, but the outcome hasn't reached us yet. As soon as they find out what I've done, they will throw me out."

"You can't be sure of that. You told me this was for the best interest of both our species. I believe you are right."

"I broke every rule. But I don't regret it."

"I don't know if I would have been brave enough to make your decision." he patted him on the back "I'm an old-time historian. I observe events from the past, but I would never dare change them. Ever."

"I have to go through the time portal, now. This might be the last time I can use one."

"Are you going to talk to Archer?"

Daniels sighed: "I feel an explanation is due."

"Good luck." he put a hand on his shoulder "What about Nikita Parker?"

Daniels looked away.

"She will meet her fate." he muttered.

"This isn't fair." he objected.

"She accepted this mission. She knew the risks."

"You haven't been entirely true to her. And you won't be to Archer either."

"Please, don't go there. The situation is ..."

The alien interrupted him: "The situation is different, now! She's with child. If you do nothing, they're both going to die soon. I don't think she deserves this. And Archer neither."

"He's not supposed to have a wife ... or children in this timeline. I cannot predict what might happen if he did."

He turned to go away, but the alien grabbed his arm.

"Please ... give them a chance."

"I'm sorry." Daniels said "I can't."

o-o-o-o-o-o

T'Pol was heading for sickbay. It seemed like Enterprise had managed to shake off its followers. The Klingon vessel was no more detected by long-range sensors.

Before leaving the Altair system, they had managed to launch a probe into the planet's atmosphere. The first scans coming from the probe confirmed that the base was completely destroyed ... and that there was no survivor.

She had already informed Starfleet that the mission had been accomplished. She hadn't mentioned the details ... she thought better of discussing it with the Captain, first.

She felt uncomfortable. They hadn't had the opportunity to talk about the incident in launch bay, yet. And now Niki was in danger ... T'Pol felt some sort of apprehension about her. Even if they had feelings for the same man, she couldn't consider her as a rival.

When she reached sickbay, Archer was staring at a screen, his fingers caressing the image he was watching. It was undeniably a fetus, tiny and barely formed, but recognizably human.

Phlox took her aside and told her everything.

"I don't like to talk about personal matters, but Niki's getting worse ...She's undergoing cellular regeneration in the chamber, but her injuries are too extensive. We must be prepared to the possibility that she dies."

T'Pol winced at his telling.

Phlox continued: "I don't know how the Captain will react if Niki and the child die ... he will need somebody by his side. Somebody who cares for him. I cannot imagine anyone better than you, T'Pol."

Niki's voice echoed in her mind:

"I need you to promise me that you'll stay by his side, whatever happens."

She got near him. She raised a hand to touch him but hesitated at the last second and changed her mind.

"T'Pol." he murmured.

"Are you all right?" she asked, but he didn't answer.

He swallowed tightly. "I never thought I could be a father. I mean, I never saw myself as one."

"I'm sure you'd make a wonderful father, Jonathan." she said and covered his hand softly with hers.

He looked at her hand and then back at T'Pol's sparkling eyes.

His face was pale and without expression, like that of a man submitting to fate.

"Did the doctor tell you that the probability she will recover is very low?"

She nodded and felt a lump in her throat, watching him touch again the image on the screen.

"He's so tiny." he whispered "He's a miracle ... but probably, he'll never be born."

He covered his eyes and shook his head as if to shut out that thought.

"I don't wanna lose them, T'Pol. But I feel like they're leaving me, I cannot explain ... I just feel it."

"There's still hope, Jonathan." she said "Please ... don't give up."

Suddenly the sickbay doors slid open and Daniels showed up.

"Daniels!" Archer said in anger.

He raised his hands in surrender.

"I know you're mad at me, Captain."

"You'd better have a good explanation for all this!" he hissed "Last time we met I asked to leave us alone."

"I couldn't, Captain. There was something I had to do ... I hope you will understand. Niki did."

"Niki is fighting to live inside that chamber! And my child, too."

"I know ... I'm sorry."

Archer was about to respond, but T'Pol put a hand on his arm. "Jonathan please, calm down." she looked at Daniels. "Let him explain."

He sighed deeply and widened his arms in desperation. "I'm listening ..."

"Niki's real name was Nefer Soong. Her father Arik Soong fell in love with a woman of another species about 30 years ago. They couldn't have children naturally, so he took a fertalized egg and implanted it in her woumb. He was a genetist, though. He couldn't refrain from modifying her DNA and create an Augment. It was a success ... but her mother died in child-birth because of his experiments. Jeremy Connors was Soong's assistant. He was afraid of what Soong might have done to the baby. So he faked her death and brought her away. He changed his name to Parker and brought her up as his daughter. He was clever enough to hide her enhanced capabilities. That's why he guided her towards Rhythmic Gymnastics. That sport allowed her to let herself go. She never realized she wasn't normal."

T'Pol crossed her arms over her chest: "When did she discover the truth?"

"When she was 19. The day she won the World Championship, I met her. For you, it was 10 years ago. For me, only a few weeks ago."

"Poor Niki, she must have been devastated ..." Archer muttered.

"Yes, very sad indeed." Daniels sighed "But necessary. Parker couldn't hide her forever. She would have known, sooner or later."

"So, you convinced her to change her life to enter Starfleet. Why?" T'Pol asked.

"I needed her help to restore the timeline."

"Why do you need help? Why don't you restore things for yourself?" she countered.

"There are clearances. I can interact with people but I can't actively change things."

"What did you ask her to do?" Archer asked.

"To learn everything she could to become the best pilot on Earth. To enter Starfleet. To gain a position on Enterprise and accomplish her mission against the Klingons." Daniels noticed suspicion appearing on Archer's face "And no, I didn't ask her to seduce you, Captain. Actually, I tried more than once to stop her. I wanted her to leave her personal feelings behind. But she couldn't."

"Daniels" T'Pol said "Why was it so important that Niki carried out the mission? You could talk to the Captain, explain ..."

"He wouldn't have listened. He never does ... Niki tried to change his mind and convince him that it wasn't a rescue mission. He didn't listen. She tried to convince him that he didn't have to go on a suicide mission. He didn't listen either. Admiral Gardner was right. The scientists were too dangerous to be left alive. Dr. Parsons was going to sell his discovery to the Klingons. If other species knew Earth had developed such a lethal weapon, the possibility of forming an alliance would have been compromised."

"Your damned Federation." Archer said in anger.

Daniels lost his temper: "Listen to me, Captain. Soon Earth will have to face a war and you will need all the help you can get to defend the human kind. And you can't even imagine what humanity will have to face in the centuries to come! The Federation is the only solution. And it's you who will start it, like it or not!"

"I can't believe my place in history is so crucial. The Federation can be formed even without me!"

"I already proved you wrong. You don't know ..."

Archer interrupted him: "I only know that you troubled her life to accomplish this mission in my place. And now she's dying because of me!"

"You still don't get it Captain, do you? She didn't make it for you. She made it for her." Daniels said, pointing at the Vulcan.

Archer and T'Pol exchanged a questioning look.

"If it wasn't for Niki, T'Pol would be dead. The most important part of her mission was to save T'Pol's life."

They both opened their eyes wide in amazement.

T'Pol was going to say something, but suddenly a constant beep came from the imaging chamber.

They all turned to watch the screen, while Phlox was working feverishly on the console.

Niki's vital signs were all down. Phlox opened the chamber and desperately attempted to reanimate her body.

Tears of frustration and fright streamed down Archer's cheeks, as he stood aside watching the doctor fight for her life.

A few minutes later, Phlox had to give up.

Nikita Parker was gone ... forever.