WARNING: If torture upsets or disturbs you, do not read this chapter, because it will be quite graphic.

Chapter 12: Echoes of the Past

"Captain!" Alex called from her consol. "We've got an incoming transmission."

Trip walked into the cockpit with Malcolm, "Who likes you guys enough to give you a call?"

Malcolm frowned, "Not many people. Actually, no one. Alex, how did they find us?"

"It's encrypted on so many levels, so they've just sent it out on an open wave. Seriously, we've just stumbled upon it – you need the cipher to decrypt this."

"So what's so interesting?" Katrina poked her head over Trip's shoulder, having come from the living area.

"We've got the cipher."

Trip raised his hand, "Am I the only one who's lost here?"

"The computer's automatically deciphering the message. I think Jamie installed the program, because I certainly didn't, and it's not an original feature of the ship."

Katrina pressed the comm. button, "Jamie, what have you been doing to my ship?"

Alex suddenly smiled, "It's a message from Laura!"

Trip still looked lost, "Who?"

Malcolm sighed good-naturedly, "I'll explain in a sec." He hollered down the hall, not bothering to use the communications, "Jamie!"

"What did I do this time?" The engineer in question appeared from seemingly nowhere.

"Your sister. She's contacted us; want a read?" Malcolm stepped out of the way so Jamie could get past.

A quick scan of the document caused his confusion to turn to curiosity, "She's found out about how you guys got here. You came through a device called a Linlr, which from what she can work out from the records is an intergalactic transporter made by the same civilisation who built the Monastic Knights." A smile grew on his face, "It's two-way; you can return home!"

Malcolm sat slouched in the pilot chair, watching the stars. Katrina and Jamie were explaining to the Enterprise crew about Laura's discovery, and he had no wish to be there. Ever since Trip's near death experience, Captain Archer had been giving him looks, as if he really wanted to say something, but didn't know how. Right now, his mind was in such a jumble that he didn't want to spur Archer into finally asking the inevitable question of what he would do. He could hear the voices growing in volume from excitement as they floated down the corridor. Malcolm sighed, shifting into a curled up position, drawing his knees up; he honestly had no idea what he should do. He hadn't realised how much he had missed Trip's company and easy going nature, and the uniforms that the others still insisted on wearing had made his mind float back to Enterprise, and the others who still remained there, like Hoshi and Travis. And yet there was still the previous certainty that he truly belonged on the Eclipse.

He was jerked out of his thoughts by a short beep indicating yet another incoming message. Groaning, Malcolm rearranged his limbs and lightly tapped the pilot controls to receive the message. It came in fuzzy and disjointed: This is Captain Duretz of the Covenant Inje class ship Falore. Our Jumpdrive is overloading and we require immediate assistance. Please respond.

The message was on a loop, not directed at any particular ship, so it could have been years old. Nevertheless, the Inje class were a military transport design still in use with the Covenant today. Malcolm activated the cloaking device, and switched the sensors to long range, focusing on Covenant signatures. Sure enough, data immediately began streaming in of a ship in the near area, within reach of impulse. Sensors also showed the remnants of particle dispersion in the area, indicating that the ship had only recently exited Jump. "I so don't need this right now." Malcolm muttered, getting up and running through the ship to Katrina, who was helping Archer make plans for times and such. Jamie was showing Trip a device that would send a beacon that would attract Enterprise when they reached the other side.

"Katrina, you're needed – now." The urgency in Malcolm's voice made everyone look around.

Frowning, both of his captains stood up and followed him as he returned to the cockpit and played the message for them to hear. "I've activated the cloak, and we've already got the signature mask in place, so they shouldn't know we're here."

Archer frowned, "What do you mean? Aren't you going to help them?"

For the first time in two years, Malcolm felt as if he were back on the Enterprise. He looked away, shifting uncomfortably. He desperately wanted to just run out of there, away from everything. Katrina saved him from speaking, which was a good thing as he really didn't think his voice would have held steady, "They're Covenant – we help them, they arrest us for our troubles."

"But these specs say it's a transport."

"A military transport."

"Designed to transport the families of military personnel to the posting of a loved one."

Katrina snorted, "Loved one? Do you actually practice your speeches in the mirror?"

Malcolm wrapped his arms around himself as if he were cold. This argument was making him feel almost physically sick. Any second now, one of them would ask him what he thought, just to stop the argument, and he would have to choose a captain to agree with.Sure enough, Archer turned to him, "Malcolm? What do you think we should do?"

Although he had been expecting it, he was far from prepared. He took a subconscious step back, "I…I don't know, sir." He stammered, and then froze; realising the automatic way of addressing his old captain had slipped out. Both people in front of him stared in shock, their eyes boring into him, "I'm sorry." The apology was meant in both senses, to both people. He backed away, and practically ran out of the cockpit, knocking past Trip on his way.

"What the hell was that about?" Trip asked them both, worrying marring his features.

"Malcolm called him 'sir'." Katrina sighed, and then glared at Archer, "This is all your fault. He's been jumpy ever since you came on board!"

"No." Jonathan argued, "All this shows is that he might be inclining towards leaving with us, and you don't like it."

Katrina's expression changed, this time to one of intense worry, "Malcolm hasn't called anyone sir since we were slaves. Even on the Hephaestus, a ship we served on voluntarily for half a year, he called our superiors by their titles, never sir. Whatever he says, he's never gotten over it." She sighed, running her fingers through her hair, "Alright, you win, but everyone carries guns."

Archer frowned at the rapid change of subject, not quite following. Katrina rolled her eyes, "How many life signs are on the transport?"

Jonathan smiled weakly, and set to work out how the operation would go. Before Katrina moved to the cockpit, she fixed Trip with a look that clearly instructed him to find Malcolm sharpish. He didn't need to be told.

Malcolm curled up behind some of the larger crates in the cargo hold, shaking from both the cold and the retained emotion. His mind darted in all directions, refusing to focus on one clear train of thought. He didn't hear the two male voices from above; both spoken in very worried tones.

Trip walked quietly between the crates, following Jamie's advice as to where he might find Malcolm. He caught slight of a flash of green and, not wanting to startle the man, spoke quietly, "Mal? It's me. Wanna talk?"

Trip took the lack of response as an invite, and slid down behind the crate to sit down. Malcolm's eyes were far away, unfocused, and yet he seemed to gravitate to the warmth of the new form beside him, as he leaned slightly against the larger man. They sat like that for a short while, until Trip felt Malcolm shift slightly, and saw him blink owlishly, as if waking up but still not fully aware. "Trip? How long have you been here?"

Trip smiled crookedly, "Long enough for my leg to go dead."

"Sorry."

"You apologise too much. You gonna be okay?"

Malcolm let his head drop slightly, "This is so messed up. I don't think I can handle it anymore."

"Don't let anyone pressure you. Whatever they say, the decision you've got to make is gonna be permanent, so it's gotta be right."

"How do you choose between two completely different people?"

Trip frowned, and he suddenly saw what was eating Malcolm up so much. The selfless idiot was trying to make his decision by who needed him most, not what he wanted. "You don't." Malcolm frowned, and looked up to meet Trip's eyes, "Choose what you want. If the whole authority thing made you react like you did, then maybe this place is for you, but if you miss Earth and your home even more, then come with us."

Malcolm gave a hollow laugh, "How do you make things sound simple?"

"It's a gift. By the way, Katrina's gone with Jon's advice; we're going for the transport. The docking clamps should be ready to go in a few minutes, so we'd better get up there." He rose and held out a hand, "You gonna be okay?" he repeated.

Malcolm didn't answer, but smiled grateful thanks for the company, and took the proffered hand.

Malcolm was quiet as he stood at his consol; making slight adjustments to aid Katrina's manoeuvring. Archer watched from the door, while T'Pol had taken Alex's position so the doctor could prepare for possible casualties with the help of Lieutenant Richmond. Trip was with Jamie in the Engineering, while Sara and Ryan had been left watching Echo in the living area.

The whole effort of rescuing someone was entirely new to the majority of the Eclipse's crew, so everyone was on edge as their captain positioned her ship up to the transport. Malcolm was watching the readouts of the ship by chance when the data changed. As they came within metres of the hull, all readings that agreed with Duretz's statement of an overloading Jumpdrive disappeared, to be replaced with scan data consistent with that of a build of energy in the hull. "Katrina! Pull out, it's-"

Malcolm didn't get any further in his warning, as five shuddering thuds hit their starboard side as grappling hooks took hold. The jerk that followed threw everyone off, and Malcolm was pitched into darkness.

The lack of oxygen reaching Malcolm's lungs was the first sensation he was aware of, the second being a hard pressure around his nose and mouth. Full consciousness shortly followed as his eyes snapped open and he began to thrash against his assailant. This process was severely hindered by the fact the he was bound to a pipe and hanging from the ceiling. "Had a nice sleep?" The voice made him freeze and a chill ran through him as the voice grated against him. For the first time, he realised that the darkness hadn't shifted since he had opened his eyes, and, as he blinked, he felt the coarse blindfold rub against his face.

Malcolm decided not to reply, instead listening for sounds and voices that might tell him where everyone else was. He fought to control his breathing as his mind strayed back to that room which had been brought to the fore of his mind earlier in the day. Malcolm flinched unwillingly as he felt the hot breath of the other man on his neck, "Do you realise how much trouble we have gone through to find you? We even had to hire one of them weird Switches. But now we have you." He traced a line from Malcolm's temple, around behind his ear with the tip of a knife, causing blood to trickle out.

"And who exactly is this 'we'?" Malcolm ground out, by now having come to the conclusion that this was not Covenant protocol. Back on the Eclipse, he'd expected Raiders or salvage rats, but these people sounded more like bounty hunters, or people with a personal vendetta.

His head was roughly pulled back as The Man grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, "I didn't say you could talk. I'm only just getting started with our little chat." He released his hold, allowing Malcolm to shake his head to clear the dizziness.

The close presence of The Man left for a minute, making Malcolm feel even more vulnerable than before, and then the knife returned. It was the surprise, rather than the pain, that made Malcolm cry out as the blade cut a gash across his bare stomach from his ribs to his hip; the cut was not deep enough to do permanent damage, but it was enough to cause Malcolm's breathing to sharpen into more ragged, panicked gasps. It had been so long since his life had called on the possibility of an interrogation that his mind was vastly unprepared.

The presence left for a second time, and this time, Malcolm listened carefully for the light footsteps to make themselves known. By this, he was given a few seconds warning before a rough hand grabbed his side, causing his breath to catch as the skin around the cut grew taut. Around his waist was strapped, as far a he could tell, some kind of fabric belt, with tiny metal fibres on the inside, judging by the small pricks he felt against his skin. The hot breath could be felt against his ear, as The Man breathed, "You're going to pay for your crimes, I'll see that you do."

Malcolm inwardly shivered, and then froze as his ears picked up a small whirling sound, which soon turned into a crackling. The realization of the situation hit him full force, and he renewed his struggling, all of his muscles tensing. The machine released its charge into his body, setting every nerve ending on fire. He couldn't do anything but scream. The charge was over in seconds, but the pain remained. And then the machine was charging again, and releasing its electricity. Malcolm had no idea how long this went on for.

Katrina was pissed. She hated cells. They made her fidgety, jumpy, and downright violent. Of course, the last reaction was probably a good thing considering their situation. She had woken up an hour ago after having had the lovely experience of being gassed. T'Pol and Jamie had had the same experience, while Ryan and Sara had been knocked out by a flare grenade. Richmond and Alex had taken the conventional route, and been knocked out and shot after shooting rounds at their attackers. Thankfully, no one in their cell was badly hurt. That still didn't explain where Malcolm, Trip, Archer and Echo were though.

"It doesn't make sense though," frowned Jamie, "There's no particular link between the four. Does anyone know what happened?"

T'Pol sat crossed-legged against a wall, "I believe Mr Reed was knocked out in the initial attack, but in the smoke caused, no one saw. I lost track of the Captain, and ended up in the cargo bay."

"So he could still be on the Eclipse then?" asked Sara hopefully.

Jamie shook his head, "No love, there's no way they would've missed him; the cockpit's too open. Trip was with me for a while, but we got split up. I didn't get very far when I met up with T'Pol and the Cap'n in the cargo hold, and then the whole level filled with gas."

Richmond shrugged, "We met them first; didn't see anyone else before we woke up here."

Sara curled up against her sister, "Echo was with us when they threw in the grenade. She should be here!"

Ryan snorted, "Oh come off it, midget. How do you think they found us? To stage something like that they would have had to know we were there. I'd bet my gun that little bitch gave us away."

Sara opened her mouth to argue, when Katrina spat, "Shut up, the lot of you. Ryan's right, Echo's with them, no question. Mal got caught with us, but…" She trailed off, and then shook her head to gather her thoughts, "From this point, we assume Archer and Trip are free and our only hope."

Jamie gave his captain an odd look, while T'Pol raised an eyebrow, "What has made you come to this conclusion?"

"Trip and Archer would have no more value to these guys than you or Richmond; if they had been caught, they'd be here. Echo, well, Mal and Ryan have been on edge around the kid for ages, and she's brought too many mishaps our way for it to be a coincidence."

Alex frowned, "And Malcolm? Why is he any different?"

Katrina didn't answer. Jamie, on the other hand paled, "Shit. Not good. We've got to get out!"

Katrina shook her head, "They've barely tampered with those locks. I doubt even you could hotwire the door to open; they're still Covenant standard."

"But Cap'n-"

"We have to trust Trip and Archer." Katrina's eyes betrayed any conviction that her statement may have held; she was worried.

Alex looked between the two, "What are you two on about?"

Katrina curled up, mirroring Sara's position, "Didn't you see their faces? The tattoos are identical."

Alex swallowed as she caught on, "But why Mal? We were all there!"

Jamie scrubbed his face, "We were wrong. Those guys weren't from a small clan, they must've been on some kind of initiation mission; they were all young. Mal disposed of the bodies inside the ship once we'd salvaged everything. I wore protective gloves to deal with my work, the Cap'n never bothered to go aboard and you stayed in your quarters. Mal's fingerprints would have been the only evidence of us left behind, and if this clan is as big as I'm beginning to think, they're gonna be royally pissed off."

"Fingerprints?" Richmond snorted, "Come on, that's 20th century stuff!"

Katrina glared at him, "Maybe for you, on your shiny, happy planet, but here it's enough to spur on a revenge attack, and Raiders are damn tetchy about stuff like that."

Jamie ran a hand through his tangled hair, "So we'd better hope that captain of yours is good."

Trip sat contorted, his breathing barely audible. Next to him, lay an unconscious Archer. They were in the access tubes that Sara had shown him on his first day. They connected every room, and right now, they were hiding in the space just above the brig. Unfortunately, what was an excellent crawlspace for a young girl was a very claustrophobic space for two grown men. Two hours ago, the Eclipse had been attacked by a motley group of humans, with the odd alien thrown in. Trip had only just escaped being shot, and had managed to drag Jonathan into the tube under the kitchen space moments before one of their attackers had come to look. All he had been able to hope while time passed was that everyone was still alive, his friend would wake up soon and that the pirates, or whatever they were, would be too dumb to think of scanning the ship for life signs once they'd caught everyone else. A groaning jerked Trip out of his thoughts, "Cap'n? Jon? You waking up?"

"Trip?" Archer blinked, and then tried to sit up, "What happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"I don't know. I was coming up on the living quarters when I saw those humans throw something in and turn away. The last thing I remember is a flash of light."

Trip nodded, "I dragged you from there into here. As far as I can tell, they got everyone else. It seemed like they made an effort to take everyone alive."

"Slave trade?" Jon suggested.

"Then why are we still attached?"

"Well, we're not helping just sitting here. Come on." Trip watched as Archer twisted to get out of the nearest exit. From there, he followed until they were out of the brig and into the main corridor. No one was guarding.

First, the pair made their way up to their quarters, where they retrieved their phasers. Neither had gotten used to the blasters that Malcolm and the others seemed to prefer. Besides, this way, they had the stun option. Before they went back down, Trip went into Malcolm's quarters, where he knew the ex-armoury officer kept a portable scanner. They made their way back down to the opening through which the crew of the Eclipse could disembark, or attach to other vessels while in space. One guard leaned casually against a bulkhead. Trip aimed, and took the guard out silently, "One down," He muttered.

Malcolm heaved another cough, grimacing as blood once again came up into his mouth. The Man, his torturer, had been gone for quite some time, and had turned the machine off, apparently preferring to watch the torture. What really made Malcolm feel lost was the fact that this wasn't real torture. He wasn't asked any questions and there was seemingly no purpose. All it seemed to be was painful. Having not seen The Man's face, he couldn't even fathom what he had done to offend.

As he drifted in and out of consciousness, he heard two voices, The Man, and that of a young girl. For a horrifying second, Malcolm thought that the bastard was doing the same to the others, including Sara, and then he realised that the voice was all wrong. He concentrated, and listened, "When do I get my money?"

"You'll get it, Switch, like I said. But first, I want to finish my business."

"No good. I've been in this shitty body too long. I'm fed up of being half any decent height. I don't need it any more."

"So switch with one of the others. I ain't got no need for them."

"They're too well known by the Covenant. I want an alien. Humans are boring to be for long periods of time."

As the conversation progressed, Malcolm came to a sickening realisation. It was Echo, talking with The Man. And not only that, by the sounds of it, she wasn't even a human child. She was some kind of hired, body switching mercenary. He'd known there was something weird about her, but seriously, that was just plain creepy. As Malcolm continued with his detached train of thought, he began to also detach himself from the pain. He knew that wasn't good, that it likely meant he was going into shock, but at that moment, he really didn't give a damn. Unfortunately, the feeling didn't last for long.

A sharp jab in the side of his neck, shortly followed by the horrible feeling of a thick substance entering his body, brought back all sensations of pain. He immediately began shivering and coughing as his veins flowed with what felt like liquid fire. Uncontrollable tears soaked into the blindfold as his mind struggled to blackout, but the drug wouldn't allow it. The horrible, calloused hand stoked the side of his head, causing Malcolm to jerk away, "It's okay." The voice was soft, yet it only made Malcolm's emotions worsen, "I won't let the nightmares get you."

The hand tightened on the area of skin where the drug had entered, causing a sob to escape. The voice became softer as it came closer to Malcolm's ear, "You still haven't understood yet. So let me help you." The hand released its grip, and then moved down Malcolm's back. A finger traced every scar, every laceration made an age ago. He arched his back in panic, but the contact remained, "Whoever did this was an artist, and yet your skin is painting over their beautiful work. This must be remedied."

The finger moved away, and then the belt was removed. Malcolm gasp hitched in his throat as the burnt skin came away with the fabric. The Man threw the belt onto the floor, and then Malcolm heard the sound of metal against leather as some sort of blade was unsheathed. Blocking out the pain as much as possible, he tried to prepare himself by attempting to make his muscles relax. He felt the cold of the blade's flat surface being pressed against his cheek, and then it was gone. Malcolm screamed as the blade was plunged into his lower back, just under his ribs. It was serrated, and when The Man pulled it out, Malcolm could almost hear his flesh tearing. Finally, The Man placed the jagged edge of the blade on one of the lower scars, pressed until blood flowed, and began slowly dragging it up the white indentation in Malcolm's skin. He had never wished so much for darkness in his life.

Trip and Archer worked their way systematically through the ship. Every time they managed to knock one of the pirate guys out, they locked them in one of the many quarters. They had had no luck in gleaming any information as to where any of the others were, but just as they were about to turn back and try and see if anything on the Eclipse could help them, they heard voices around the corner, "-and it ain't right. My brother was on that raid. Why should he get the fun?"

"Well, he's the Cap'n, ain't he? And his son was one of the ones who got caught by the scythe grenade from what we could gather. 'Course he's gonna be pissed."

"Any idea what he's gonna want done with this lot?"

"Nah. I heard the Switch might want one of them, but we ain't got no evidence to say they were in on it. That one up-deck, he's the one that needs to pay."

Trip twisted around to look at his captain and frowned, jerking his head in the direction of the corridor. Archer nodded, and held up three fingers, dropping them one by one. The two opened fire, easily dealing with the conversing pirates. They ran up, and Trip quickly rummaged for the keycard around one of their necks. He swiped it down, and the door opened with a satisfying whoosh. Inside, were the rest of the Eclipse's current crew, minus Echo and Malcolm.

Katrina rose and smiled a cold smile, "Never lost faith, mate." She quickly stepped out, and stripped the guards of weapons, handing them out. Thankfully, their captors were paranoid enough to carry multiple weapons. They dragged the unconscious bodies of the guards into the holding cell, and then Katrina stood up and gave everyone their orders, "Jamie, you go with Richmond and T'Pol. Find as many explosives as you can and place them round the ship; undiscovered. Ryan, Alex, take Sara back to the Eclipse. Secure it and prepare med bay. Archer, Trip, you're with me. We're going to get Malcolm."

There was something in the petite woman's jaw line that made Trip suddenly very worried. In everything that had happened, all the times he had seen her pissed off, he had never seen her like this. It made him wonder if Malcolm had been brushing over his time as a slave even more than he had originally suspected. As she drew a very nasty looking dagger, and holstered her gun, he was glad he wasn't one of the other guys.

Malcolm's back was a river of blood. He had long passed the stage of coherent thought; all that lived in his brain now was the constant pain. He didn't even notice when the knife lifted from his skin. The footsteps, which had been so quiet before, reverberated around his head as they moved away, and then returned. A hand grabbed his hair, and forced his head backwards painfully. And then, at long last, the blindfold was removed.

Malcolm's eyes burned with the intense light, causing him to jam them shut. His head was released, allowing him to relax his neck muscles and accustom his eyes. The hand reached up and cupped his chin to raise his head in an action so familiar, it caused one last spurt of adrenaline to be released into his body, and he began to kick and thrash one more. The false energy was soon spent, however, causing the pain to return anew and making him feel physically sick.

He raised his eyes finally, to meet The Man. It was a Raider. One of the same clan of those he had killed so long ago. He wanted to speak, but the inside of his mouth was caked in blood. Instead, the Raider smiled, "I want you to see your death." He produced a syringe, not a hypospray, full of a yellowy, glutinous liquid, "I hear that this poison is quite painful, and includes hallucinations. I'm not too sure about the details. Oh, and it must be injected into the roof of you mouth."

Malcolm looked into the eyes of the Raider, who looked back, and then grinned a yellow smile of satisfaction, "A life for a life, with penance for the murder."

Malcolm's breathing became more and more panicked, but he was too weak to fight. A cold metal object was forced into his mouth, and his head was forced back. His heart thumped in his chest, and then the tiny needle was driven in. He felt the liquid being pushed into his system, which made him gag in reflex, and then the needle was gone. A small crack of glass could be heard, and voices. A cool hand rested on his cheek, but Malcolm's eyes looked down. The Raider lay on the floor, choking on his own blood as he bled out from his cut throat. Next to him was a half empty syringe, leaking out onto the floor, which was next to a pair of boots. Malcolm frowned, whose boots were they? He felt his head being raised, and he looked into the face of another man. He was saying something, but Malcolm couldn't understand; the other colours and sounds were getting too much.

Trip tried not to look at the blood as he gently shook his friend, "Mal? Malcolm! Please answer me!" He carefully removed the metal device keeping Malcolm's mouth open, and grabbed a bloody knife off the floor, not wanting to imagine its purpose in the room. He reached up, and cut the ties securing Malcolm's wrists. He felt someone next to him, helping; Jon. Trip didn't want to let go as they lowered their friend to the floor. He looked even smaller, covered in all the blood. Both men felt sick. They had seen torture victims, but never anything as bad as this.

Both were shaken out of their trance as Katrina roughly kicked the body out of her way. As soon as she had picked up that knife, she had turned feral. She had cut every throat of every Raider they had come across before they even saw her. She had moved so fast, all the other two had been able to do was keep up. She grabbed the scanner from the floor where Trip had dropped it, and didn't even flinch when she looked at Malcolm. At first Jon thought she was cold and unfeeling, and then he saw her eyes, which were full of sorrow and hate. Unlike them, she had seen this kind of torture.

Katrina emptied out the components of the scanner, and scooped up the remnants of the syringe and liquid into the casing, "He must have half of it in his system. We've got to get him to Alex. Now!"

Her words spurred the other two into action. They gently, but quickly picked him up, and began to carry him out the door, through the ship, Katrina leading the way. They had gone what must have been halfway when, suddenly, what had been a completely limp body came alive in their arms, thrashing and screaming. They were forced to put him down. Malcolm was crying out in unintelligible words, and it was all Trip could do but hold him. "Come on!" Katrina yelled, fear leaking into her voice.

"We can't carry him like this!" Archer yelled back, his anger getting the better of him, "We'll hurt him even more!"

While this exchange went on, Malcolm suddenly froze in Trip's arms, shaking, but silent. He was looking at something from the direction they had come. Frowning Trip twisted, to see Echo standing in the middle or the corridor, silent, head cocked to one side. The other two had noticed her too. For a second, Katrina wavered in her belief of it all being the girl's fault; she looked scared. And then, in the corner of her eye, she saw Malcolm curl up further, pressing himself into Trip. He whispered, "Switch."

Everything clicked into place for Katrina. That's how it had been done. She raised her gun, the girl's eyes widened, but too late, as she, or he, depending on who it had been originally, fell to the floor, with a smouldering hole in their chest. Malcolm quietened, and covered his ears.

Archer and Trip were in shock, but actually too scared to say anything. Her eyes said it all. This is how the universe is. Deal with it.

To Be Continued…

Author Notes: I don't claim ownership of Echo's species. I was watching a Voyager episode called 'Vis a Vis', and I thought that kind of alien would fit perfectly.

Anyway, that was that chapter! It's made this story a lot darker than I ever intended, but I couldn't stop writing! Please tell me what you thought!