A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! I'm truly overwhelmed -- but in a good way, mind you.

CHAPTER 6

Although no one had told her the results of the testing, Hoshi knew that she had done well. She'd lost count of the number of languages she'd been asked to translate, but she'd understood almost all of them. What was truly surprising was that she'd had no idea that she knew Orion, or Denobulan, or the other languages until she'd seen them in written form. But during the test, as she had read the words, she could hear them in her head.

Afterward, the captain had escorted her back to his cabin and had left her alone with Dart. Her nervousness and fear, which had been her constant companions since waking in this universe, had receded somewhat in the face of the startling discovery that she could understand a multitude of languages.

She'd spent the afternoon hours idly petting Dart as he lay on the couch next to her, his head on her lap. Every time she'd begun to worry about not knowing who she was or where she was, her anxiety had retreated in the amazement of finding out that she was gifted with a rare talent. She might not remember a lot of things because of her amnesia, but it had to be unusual for a person to know more than a few languages.

It was weird to know so many languages, but not know herself. Captain Archer had been adamant that her name was Hoshi Sato, and that she was in a military organization somewhere else. Another universe, he had said, if that was possible. However, there was no reason for him to lie that she could discern. But her name evoked the same response as when she'd looked in the mirror and had seen herself for the first time since she'd lost her memory. She didn't recognize the features, but at the same time, they didn't seem unfamiliar. The fact that she was an officer also meant nothing to her.

Her eyes were drawn to the sleeve of her outfit, where there was a patch with the depiction of a starship. The name under the starship was Enterprise. When the captain had given her the blue jumpsuit this morning and had told her to put it on, she'd assumed it was because he'd wanted her to wear something a little more decorious outside his cabin, and that the jumpsuit was some sort of standardized clothing. But then he'd told her it was what she'd been wearing when they'd found her. So in addition to having some confirmation that her name was indeed Hoshi Sato, which was stitched on the breast of the jumpsuit, she apparently served aboard another vessel with the same name as the one she was currently on.

In any case, thinking about that made her head ache. She was much calmer just sitting here, petting Dart, and wondering if there were any more languages that she knew that hadn't been included on the test.

Dart turned his sleek head toward the door a second before it slid open. Hoshi pushed the dog off her lap and stood. Maybe now she'd find out exactly how many languages she knew, and what else the captain had in mind for her. The speculative way he'd looked at her at the breakfast table this morning when he'd discovered she'd had a flair for languages had been disquieting. It had been one of the things she'd tried to avoid thinking about when he'd brought her back to his cabin after the testing.

The captain walked in, followed by the Vulcan woman who'd administered the language testing. The captain was smiling, but it was a hard smile that made Hoshi uncomfortable. Her nervousness, which she'd managed to hold at bay for a few hours, came rushing back.

"You're quite the little treasure trove," the captain informed her.

Hoshi shifted uncertainly on her feet. "Oh?"

The captain went to a shelf and took down a bottle of whiskey. As he poured a generous amount into a glass, he said, "According to T'Pol here, you understand forty-seven languages."

Dumbfounded, Hoshi stared at him. That many? It was almost too much to comprehend.

"Maybe more," he added matter-of-factly.

"More?" Hoshi asked.

"Yes," said T'Pol. When Hoshi turned to look at her, she continued. "There is the possibility there are additional languages in your universe that are not present here."

"Wow," Hoshi breathed.

"Indeed," the captain said with a smirk. "I intend to use your talent with languages, provided you're capable of it." He took a long swallow of the alcohol in his glass.

When he didn't elaborate, Hoshi looked from him to T'Pol. The Vulcan appeared calm, but there was an intensity to her that was unsettling. Vulcans had some mental abilities that humans didn't have, didn't they? Hoshi couldn't quite remember, but she was sure if her memory came back, she'd know what they were. There was something else in T'Pol's demeanor. Hoshi did remember that Vulcans didn't show emotion, but it seemed to her that T'Pol was the tiniest bit scared. Without knowing why, that frightened her.

"T'Pol is going to mind meld with you," the captain informed her. "Do you know what that is?"

Mind meld. The joining of minds through a telepathic link. Yes, she knew what that was. She nodded. "Is she going to try to find out if there are other languages I know?"

The captain shook his head. He took another sip from his glass, then said, "T'Pol believes that a mind meld can unlock your memory."

Hoshi took an involuntary step back. She understood that the captain thought he could benefit from any secrets she might have, but what those secrets might be and how he could use them, she had no idea. Even more appalling was the thought that there might not be anything to unlock. Her memories might be gone forever. She didn't know if she could live with that knowledge.

She bit her lip and shot a quick glance at the captain. He appeared at ease, sipping from his drink, as he watched her. She realized he'd already decided that she would undergo a mind meld. She had no choice in the matter.

"You do want to remember who you are, don't you?" he asked.

"There will be no harm to you if you willingly accept the meld," T'Pol added quietly.

Hoshi suddenly understood that the meld was going to be as difficult for T'Pol as it was for her. That explained the Vulcan's uneasiness. T'Pol must be mentally girding herself for a distasteful experience. Mucking around in her human mind was probably as frightening to T'Pol as it was to herself, but for a different reason. Vulcans prided themselves on logic and the repression of emotion, and a human's mind was anything but logical or non-emotional. She wondered briefly if T'Pol's mind could be damaged if she fought the meld.

Despite the danger, however, she did want to recover her memories -- if she had any. She wanted to know who she was, and where she had come from. More than that, she needed to know. The last few days, with no recollection of her past, had been like trying to walk through a maze. So much seemed familiar, but she didn't know her way.

She took a deep breath and, without looking at the captain, said, "Let's do it."

T'Pol nodded fractionally. "If you would sit," she directed, indicating one of the chairs at the table.

When Hoshi was seated, T'Pol pulled the other chair closer to her and sat down. "You may feel some momentary discomfort at first," the Vulcan advised her as she extended her arm, her fingers reaching for the side of Hoshi's face.

Just before T'Pol touched her, Hoshi blinked as a scene flitted across her mind. She'd done this before. And with T'Pol. How could that be possible?

And then T'Pol's fingers touched her temple, and a painless searing etched across her thoughts.

She's got guts, Archer thought. Not that Sato had any choice about participating in the meld, but he'd been gratified to see her come to that conclusion on her own. On this ship, his word was law, and what he wanted, he got. The sooner she realized that, the easier it would be for both of them. Not that he didn't like a challenge. But if she was going to be in close proximity, working with him and living in the adjacent quarters, he'd rather not have to deal with the hassle of someone who had to be constantly coerced or threatened.

He set aside his drink as T'Pol began the meld. He'd seen this done many times before, but you never knew what was going to happen in a meld. The fact that Sato had appeared startled before T'Pol had touched her was interesting. It didn't appear to be in response to the procedure, but more as if she'd just realized something. Curious, but he knew enough not to interrupt at this stage of the meld to ask about it.

T'Pol took a deep breath. She closed her eyes. "My mind to your mind," she intoned.

Sato closed her eyes and inhaled raggedly. From past observations of melds, Archer knew that T'Pol had already begun entering Sato's mind. His Vulcan officer was very adept at this practice.

"Your thoughts are my thoughts," T'Pol continued.

A few moments later, the women said together, "Our minds are one."

That was fast, Archer thought. Obviously, Sato wasn't fighting the mental intrusion, but the speed with which she'd accepted it was astounding. Usually there was some hesitancy on the part of the subject of the meld, but there had been none that he had seen. Maybe Sato had done this before, or maybe she was one of the few humans who had psychic abilities similar to Vulcans.

T'Pol grimaced. Sato mirrored the expression.

"There is a barrier, imposed by damage to the brain," T'Pol said softly for his benefit. "I must go deeper."

Archer watched intently as T'Pol lapsed into silence, extreme concentration evident on her green-flushed features. Sato, on the other hand, showed no undue signs of distress other than a slight frown. They sat unmoving, T'Pol's fingers on Sato's temple.

Archer found his own mind wandering as the procedure dragged on in silence. They'd have to check afterward if Sato was telepathic. Such abilities were unusual in a human, but not unheard of. Having a telepathic human on his ship could aid him in a number of ways. His distrust of aliens made it hard for him to rely on them for things humans couldn't do, such as this meld.

A sharp gasp from both of the women brought his attention back.

"It hurts!" Sato and T'Pol said together.

Sato tried to jerk her head away, but T'Pol's other hand shot out to hold it in place. Sato whimpered, sobbed once, then quieted, but her breathing was loud in the quiet room. A pained groan burst from T'Pol.

Archer had never seen T'Pol so stressed when performing a meld. He took a tentative step toward them, ready to intervene. His desire to know about Sato's universe and any technological advances had to be balanced against the possible loss of the best science officer in the fleet, along with Sato's ability with languages.

A scream from Sato, echoed a moment later by T'Pol, spurred him to action. He grabbed the Vulcan and forcibly pulled her back.

Sato toppled sideways out of her chair. T'Pol, Archer's hand keeping her from sliding to the floor, slowly opened her eyes. When T'Pol shrugged off his support and sat up straighter, he turned to Sato where she'd fallen to the deck. The woman was unconscious. He checked for and found a pulse, but it was faint and rapid. As he slid his arms under Sato, he asked T'Pol harshly, "What happened?"

T'Pol struggled to her feet as Archer lifted Sato. "I am not certain," she told him. "There is much for me to process before I can give you a coherent account."

Archer headed for the door with his burden. "You found something."

"Everything," T'Pol said. "That is what is so...confusing."

Archer opened the door and strode out, being careful not to bump Sato's head on the door frame. Sickbay was only a short distance down the corridor. As he hurried along, T'Pol slipped past him to open the double doors to the medical facility. He entered without breaking stride.