Exploded Pen: Merpeople! You guessed it! Well done you, have a cookie! I was so pleased when you said that.
What an awful racket? God, was that Trip on the harmonica again? Or was it Trip trying to sing or maybe one of Travis' many bad jokes? Malcolm couldn't tell. He screwed up his face to show how much he hated Trip doing that…he'd figured Trip would stop in a moment upon seeing Malcolm's face. Alas, the wailing didn't end. This prompted him open his eyes. At first everything was blurry and distorted.
Something blocked his field of vision. It was a woman and her hair was floating around her face. Malcolm looked at her in confusion and she smiled. She moved her arm and hand in a waving movement. Malcolm tried to sit up but the woman held him down with one of her hands. She was remarkably strong for her size.
Malcolm looked around at his surroundings, trying to assert where he was. What looked like a barracuda swam by. This shocked him that the fish was within arms reach.
Then it dawned on him. Fish lived in water…then the rest came to him. He had fallen off a boat and sank into the merciless depths of the deep blue sea. He looked back at the woman above him. How was he able to breathe under water? How were they able to? He saw a figure float above him.
This figure was male or least he figured that the figure was male. The figure came closer and started to speak. Remarkably, Malcolm could hear him clearly.
"You fell from the world above. Are you feeling well?"
He found himself nodding slightly and answering.
"I… I think so…yes"
"I am Hermes. This is Aphri. Aphri, let him sit up, he's been asleep for a long while"
Aphri nodded and helped Malcolm to sit up. Malcolm took in his surroundings more. He registered that he was sitting on what appeared to be a giant scallop or clam. It amazed him that he was down here and not panicking. He thought about his father and smiled wanly. In a strange sense of irony, he was proud that his father would be proud if Stuart every came to hear of this weird event.
"What is your name and where do you come from so that we can return you" The man called Hermes asked gently.
He studied Hermes for a moment. Hermes had short spiky ginger hair and was quite muscular in appearance. Malcolm then saw the fin joining onto the man's torso. Hermes appeared to have noticed.
"I apologise. We are Mermen of the Ocean Blue"
It took a little time for the information to sink in. Mermen? Malcolm has thought them myth like the Unicorn or Medusa but here they were. Two of them, floating right before him.
"Your name?"
"Malcolm. Malcolm Reed. I'm from a star ship called Enterprise"
Hermes and Aphri looked at each other briefly and Aphri nodded slightly. She spoke softly and sounded oddly like T'Pol.
"We have something to show you Malcolm. We shall guide you"
Malcolm could only nod, still in bemusement. Hermes and Aphri nodded slightly and took one of Malcolm's arms each. They took him to a large coral building; it was filled with iridescent lights. It was, admittedly, a rather beautiful sight.
Fluorescent blues, greens and orangey-reds floated and simmered behind the coral. The trio remained quiet as they drew closes to the great structure.
On the Enterprise, there was eyrie, deathly silence. Trip, becoming one of the few to really know the reserved Englishmen took it very badly.
Malcolm's death also brought a shock to all the crew, especially the Armoury, and Archer couldn't blame them. Malcolm had worked well with them, and made sure they did their job well. It was an unusual site for the Chief Armoury not to be the first seen in the Armoury in the early hours of the shift.
It was even stranger on the Bridge. T'Pol had the command chair as Archer was in the Ready Room in talks with Admiral Forrest and Hoshi and Travis both knew who be after the Admiral. Malcolm's parents.
Hoshi knew Malcolm's sister would be greatly distressed about her brother's death. As for Mary, Hoshi thought she would be upset about her son's death but for Stuart, Hoshi wasn't so sure.
No one spoke. No one had the heart to. Their friend was gone and he would never be coming back
They entered the structure before them. It was a grand sight and Malcolm knew in his heart that he would never be forgetting this place.
They brought him to a large room filled with green consoles and a chair. Malcolm eyed the chair suspiciously. Of course, he was all too used to them, but each one was different in its own way.
Aphri and Hermes stopped and looked at the man with two legs instead of a fin. They thought this strange but they had seen it before.
"We need to get a visual of your last home. Temporary home at that. That device' Hermes motioned his head to a machine next to the chair 'will locate it and gives us it's last known co-ordinates. It scans the surrounding atmosphere of this planet. It will send that vessel a automated message and we shall deliver you to the surface once more"
It seemed practical to Malcolm and he nodded, giving his consent. Nodding Aphri led him to the chair. Out of habit, Malcolm kicked his legs slowly and Aphri smiled. Her teeth gleamed white. She helped him to sit in the chair while Hermes placed small, mechanic devices on Malcolm's head, two at the front and two at the back.
"You may feel a little odd and there will be some pain. Understood?" Aphri said gently. Her voice softly like a harp.
He nodded and allowed himself to relax. There was a sharp twinge and Malcolm grimaced. He suddenly felt rather tired and his eyes began to droop. His played what could be called a playback of his memory. He recalled the events of that day, the sinking, the falling out of the boat, teaching Trip how to knock on water, informing his companions of the mermen's location and then Enterprise's Bridge. It didn't go further from there and he felt really awake again.
He slowly opened his eyes and Hermes was in his face this time round. Hermes smiled and nodded to him.
"I guess you are wondering why you fell asleep," He said with a smile.
"Yes, I was actually," Malcolm, replied as Hermes removed the devices from Malcolm's head.
"To get a location of your home, we needed to view a picture image of it. Your brain would remember these images and store it safely away. They come out again usually when you are sleeping, we can only access them that way. It is in an effect, dreaming."
Malcolm smiled and nodded.
"I would like to ask another question"
"By all means," Aphri replied, nodding her head slightly
"Why am I able to…to breathe down here?" Malcolm asked cautiously.
"The water is allowing you to…you see she has a mind of her own. She says who can enter and who cannot. She allowed you in because you had a fear that she felt needed to be relieved of. Your friend was not allowed. He was put back in the pea green boat after he tried to get to you."
"How does she know my fear though?"
"The sea holds many questions and answers." Hermes paused, swam in a circle around Reed and halted before him " She knows because you were very tentative to putting your hand in the water. She sensed fear and knew what to do. We are the ones who have to return you to the surface. She says you are free to leave. So, upwards we shall send you. We can't go with you I'm afraid…the fish will help you to find the way but we shall give you an advantage."
"What advantage?" Malcolm asked.
Hermes smiled and swam towards a cupboard in the room. He brought out a long, three-pronged stick.
'Bloody hell' Malcolm thought, 'That's Neptune's staff'
A/N: Well, reviews are welcomed greatly! Hope you've enjoyed it!