Author's note
Unfortunatly i've got my exams coming up, (ARRGGHHHHHH!). This means I won't be writing anything until they finish, and that's in about a month's time. (YAY!) I have written the next chapter of this, but i'm not entirely happy with it - so you might not get an update for a good few weeks. However, as i'm not very good at revising (awful actually) there may be a new chapter a bit sooner.
Please Review, I love getting feedback!
Chapter 12
Trip hit the punch bag again, sweat dripped off his forehead. It was the middle of the night and he couldn't sleep… again. He had tried, but like before, every time he closed his eyes he saw her, and horrendous things were happening. He couldn't save her, couldn't get to her.
He had come down to the gym, for the last half an hour he had been taking out his anger on a punching bag, now splattered with flecks of his blood. He had cut and bruised his knuckles but he didn't care, he hit the bag again, and again. He flashed to the moment the Romulan took her, 'bang!' the bag was hit harder. He flashed to her being dragged away, 'bang!' the bag swung more violently. He flashed to what he thought was happening to her, what he would do if he found her captors, 'bang', 'bang', 'bang', the bag fell to the floor, Trip collapsing with it.
He broke down, all of the pain and anguish he had felt since her capture coming to the surface. He cried; tears of sadness, tears of burning anger, falling freely down his face. He cried for her, cried for her being taken away, cried because she was no doubt in pain, and he couldn't do any thing. With every tear that fell his grief lessened, only to be replaced with anger; an anger that wouldn't think twice about vengeance and could even contemplate murder. He was going to get her back….no matter what he had to do.
Enterprise arrived at the coordinates four days later, as expected. Trip was on the bridge the second they arrived. The entire bridge crew were experiencing a wide assortment of emotions, ranging from nervousness, to fear and anger. Everyone was aware that if this lead turned out to be a dead end, they would have no other means of finding Enterprise's first officer. The galaxy was a big place and the proverbial needle in a haystack applied, except this time the haystack was of infinite size.
The captain had ordered Malcolm Reed to compile a security team; they would accompany him, the captain, Trip and Sovek down to the planet. Archer didn't want to take any chances, he had already lost one crewmember, and he didn't want to put any others in danger.
They had all been beamed down and were currently looking for any information. Everywhere the Captain looked some crime was taking place, or some shady deal was being made. Species of every kind, some he had never seen before walked past the group, the away team were fully armed, but this didn't faze any one. It seemed it was unusual to be here without a weapon, not the other way around.
"Captain, over hear." Reed called over to Archer.
Archer walked over to where his security officer was, he was talking to an Andorian, his blue colouring causing him to stand out from the crowd.
"He says he saw a Vulcan woman a few days ago being led by armed guards down the passage way down there." Malcolm indicated, pointing.
"I can take you exactly where they went… for a price." The Andorian sneered, his thin frame leaning closer to the two, giving the 'deal' that was about to be made more privacy.
Archer reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small bag of currency. He emptied some of the contents into his hand. "You'll get this when you show us where they went." He indicated to the Andorian, who quickly nodded, his antenna moving in turn.
The Andorian led them away. Archer considered what had just happened, he had met Andorians before. They were a very honourable species, and wouldn't sell each other out for money. The man they had met seemed as if he would sell his own mother, if he could get something out of it.
The group were led into a small room, containing several shelves of medical equipment; different sized jars held numerous different dead animals, all preserved in a thick, yellow liquid. The smell of chemicals engulfed everyone's senses.
"This is where they took her, now give me my currency." The Andorian said holding out his eager hand. Archer threw several small coins to the Andorian, who fumbled, barely catching them in his eagerness. He quickly looked down a crude smile breaking out and then he scurried away.
"How many I help you? Perhaps there is a remedy you require, or a poison if you prefer." A Denoblian recited walking into the room, his face eager to disperse his harmful concoctions.
"We are looking for a Vulcan female; we were told she was brought here." Said Sovek stepping forward.
The Denoblian's smile decreased slightly, he wasn't going to make a sale today, but perhaps he could make money some other way. "I remember her." he stated.
"They brought her to me and they paid for my services, I am unsure what they did to her then, but they all left a day later." he told them.
"What did they do to her? And where did they take her" Trip demanded, his entire frame screaming of a readiness to fight, if needed.
The Denoblian paused for a moment to consider something. "If it was worth my while I may be able to help, my skills are in demand. I need something for my time spent dealing with you."
Trip was about to advance on the Denoblian, but Archer held up his hand to stop him. He threw the currency to the Denoblian who caught it, a large, greedy smile breaking out on his face.
"Now help us." instructed Archer
The Denoblian smiled in response. He walked over to a shelf, and started rummaging about in a box. "They made me leave before I could see what happened, I didn't even see what my chemicals had done to her." he muttered, his voice sounding sad about that fact.
He pulled out a disk. "I recorded what happened."
Sovek snatched the disk off him. "Perhaps you could make me a copy." the Denoblian asked. He received a sick enjoyment of seeing people in pain. Sovek clenched his jaw and his eyes narrowed at the Denoblian.
"No? Never mind" the Denoblian said, and quickly walked back into the adjoining room, returning to where he had come from earlier. For someone so interested in pain he was extremely eager for no harm to come to himself.
Sovek looked at the primitive disk held loosely in his hand, the light reflected upon its shiny surface. Whatever was on it meant the difference between finding his daughter and not. "We should go back to Enterprise." Reed stated.
Archer acknowledge and flipped open his communicator. "Enterprise beam us out."…
The group arrived back on the Starship, Malcolm, Trip, Sovek and the Captain all arrived quickly on the bridge. Trip and Sovek immediately went over to a station and had soon accessed the data; the bridge's view screen came alive.
"Are you prepared to talk yet Vulcan?" the voice echoed through the bridge's speakers, all attention became drawn to the main view screen.
The monitor showed T'pol, hanging by her arms from chains. Her uniform was torn in several places; and streaked with dark green blood. The quality of the recording wasn't excellent but the bridge crew could make out several dark bruises formed on T'pol's face, along with her numerous other injuries.
"Bastards!" Trip muttered staring at the screen, a look of revulsion and anger etched upon his face.
Her captor stepped forward. "A Vulcan?" Archer questioned. "T'pol's being held by a Vulcan?"
Sovek's eyes were fixed on the screen. "Telak?" he whispered. How was this even possible?
"You know this Vulcan? ." The Captain questioned.
"He may appear Vulcan but that is where the similarity ends. He has been genetically altered. You may remember I mentioned the Romulan's were experimenting with genetic research, one section of that dealt with physical appearance. Imagine the advantage it would give you if you could change your appearance and look like the enemy. You could get spies into influential positions in your enemies' government or military, you would have a significant advantage." Sovek informed the crew letting the information sink in.
"…And this Telak, he's a spy for the Romulan's" Archer asked..
"I almost wish he was Captain. He is much worse; he is one of the Empires most brutal men. He eliminates anyone that could pose the Romulan's a threat; he could kill thousands, millions without a second thought. When this war goes ahead he will no doubt be one of the men chosen to lead the attack, he will show no mercy and will use every means available to him to win…. I had thought him dead."
Sovek pointed at the screen, "Torture is one of his 'specialties'" he spat. "If we don't find T'pol soon there will be nothing left to find."
T'pol's scream met their ears, their conversation ended and their attention was drawn back to the screen.
"What the hell is he using on her." Trip said, referring to Telak. The Romulan's hand held a metal object, the light glinting off of it.
"The name escapes me but its purpose is to cause maximum pain, it overwhelms the senses, it feels as if every nerve ending in your body is on fire, it is a very effective weapon, few resist." Sovek answered, his experiences with it wanting to be forgotten.
"I can end this Vulcan, you help me and I will help you, I will let you go alive. Just tell me what I need to know." Telak spoke.
T'pol breathed heavily, the chains keeping her in an upright position. She knew Telak was lying. The second she gave him what he wanted he would kill her. Her emotional control had been taken away from her but she had experienced this before. Her experience with the Trellium and her bond with an emotional human giving her an advantage other Vulcan's didn't have. She was still suffering from torrents of emotions though. Anger was surging through her, squashing any fear she held deep inside.
"How about you help me out of these restrains and I do kill you." she snapped back. Her logical side of her was at this point nearly non-existent.
The bridge crew took some comfort in the fact that she was resisting, even fighting back.
Telak used the weapon in his grip and hit her side, her face scrunched up slightly; she wasn't going to show them she was in pain.
"Is that the best you have, I was told Romulans were to be feared, perhaps I was mistaken." she retorted
Telak appeared almost amused at her remarks. "You will help us in future T'pol" he responded, using her name for the first time. "You just don't realise it yet." Telak smirked, as if laughing at a private joke.
He moved over towards her and once again used the weapon on her, this time she couldn't hold it back and a scream escaped her cracked lips. Her body contorted in pain and she passed out, her chained armed causing her to dangle slightly off of the floor, the recording went dead…
Every member of the bridge crew had stopped breathing, to know that one of their crew, one of their closest friends had been captured was one thing, but it was another to actually see them being tortured for information.
Hoshi felt sick to her stomach. The video of T'pol had brought back memories of her time with the Xindi; she too had been tortured for information. Her experiences however paled in comparison to what was happening to the young Vulcan. Hoshi was normally a pacifist; someone who respected all life, but even she was finding herself not caring if T'pol's captors were killed.
"What are we going to do now?" Travis asked, "We have no idea where they've taken her."
"We're going to keep looking till we find her." Trip spoke, his voice hollow, lacking his normally cheerful tone.
Archer thought over what Trip had just said. Archer had informed Starfleet of T'pol's abduction, they had informed him before arriving that if this latest lead turned out to be a dead end he was to officially declare T'pol missing in action and continue Enterprise's mission. The Starfleet brass had deemed that enough time already had been spent looking and they were mot prepared to put Enterprise in any unnecessary anger.
Archer looked around the bridge; his gaze fell on the empty science station. T'pol had saved him, the crew and Earth on numerous occasions, he knew she wouldn't give up if their roles were reversed; why should he? Enterprise needed its first officer and so did her crew. For now, they would continue their search. He would deal with the ramifications from Starfleet later.
"Hoshi send out a missing persons on all frequencies, lets see if anyone out there knows anything." Archer ordered.
The communications officer nodded, she entered several different commands on her console and within minutes, a signal was being emitted from Enterprise.
"I've sent it in every language the translator recognises, and it's being repeated. Every ship in a hundred thousand kilometre radius will pick it up; hopefully we'll get a response."
"Good work Hoshi, all we can do for now is wait. I suggest every one returns to their regular duties." Archer informed his crew. He prayed that they would get a response soon, from what he had heard and seen every second T'pol was with the Romulans she was becoming even closer to her death at their hands. He would never forgive himself if that happened!