Chapter II

Archer's mission is to find the Xindi and kill them on sight, and keep hidden from the 20th-century humans as long as they're clutching their phase pistols. Half of Archer's mind thought of showing up to the biosign though. They could kidnap him, and interrogate him into finding the aliens. The other half told him to keep discreet as far as possible. After all, he carried strange devices, and the threatening introductions do not make him too friendly. He contemplated on this as he and his team kept hidden in the dark, even if Mrs. Norris is making it difficult for them.

They ran closer to the wide staircase; making sure that they are closing in on the Xindi. And since that the castle's staircase is far more illuminated than its corridors, they made sure that they find a dark hiding place.

What do they do now? They haven't had the time to think about it when a golden light suddenly shone above them. Before them was the biosign. He had ragged clothing, a crooked oil lamp, a staff just as crooked, long; scraggly hair, a wrinkled face, and a manic grin.

So instinct took over. Archer instantly stunned the man unconscious with his phaser.

The oil lamp fell first, before the man. Soon it was dark again. But they are not as discreet anymore. The biosign gave out a long, scary scream as it fell over the stone floor. And T'Pol's news would only make it worse. She is detecting three more biosigns closing in on them. Human.

Archer did not hesitate to run. Neither did the MACOs. He soon had them running further along the dark corridor; following the map on his Science Officer's scanner. He did not mind the portraits hanging against the walls, whom he could swear were either sleeping or complaining about the racket and the light of their now-on flashlights. But these biosigns were following them, with a slightly faster pace. He didn't care who they are. They don't intend to launch a surprise attack. Remembering what Trip recalled to him about "heavy fire," he had no choice but to assume that the same thing will happen to them if they confront the three, even if there is five of them. And since the Xindi biosigns themselves are surrounded by a flock of human biosigns; their vital signs stable; Archer will have to agree that these humans are allies of the Xindi and are hostile to Starfleet officers.

He noticed though, from T'Pol's scanner, that the three biosigns stopped on the point where he stunned the first human biosign. "That shall stall them," he thought.

They moved on further inside the castle.

"Captain, the Xindi are moving away from the humans." She dictated her observations.

True enough, it seemed like good news to them. Less hostiles are better-handled hostiles. It'll be great to ambush them.

And so they followed, never mind noticing that they are slowly going outside the castle, through the winding stairs, stretchy corridors, and prowling human sentinels; as long as neither Xindi knew they were being followed. After the castle, they went around the wide grass field while the oblivious aliens walked through the middle. And why not around it? Castle walls still overlook the back of the landscape. They're still in the castle, after all.

They got past the castle arch, but they were still prowling. T'Pol and the MACOs aren't exactly sure why. They were just imitating Archer's movements. It wasn't far before the scent of black pine got into their noses. Ah, a forest. A good ambush place. Archer thought.

Reminded that he still had Trip to check on, the captain flipped his communicator to start, "Archer to Tucker."

"Tucker here."

"Did you make it to the shuttlepod?"

"Yes, sir, we're now on Enterprise."

"Anybody hurt?"

Archer noticed that little pause.

"All of us, sir." Then Tucker interrupts, "But good news, sir: Travis already got the Transporter online."

"Stand by transporter." he flipped his communicator closed.

Now here's a menacing Archer. He set his pistol to kill as soon as he was sure that the Xindi stopped on their tracks on the clearing they're now in the middle of. He signaled to T'Pol and to the MACOs to scatter around; to surround them. They did as they're told. Thanks to the pale blue moonlight, they do not need to turn their flashlights on. And so Archer saw a MACO postion himself behind a bush. The others he knows not where, but he was certain that they're in the vicinity. He flipped his communicator to talk to all of them, to give his orders.

"Archer to landing party." he muttered, "Close on them."

Oh, yup, they took a few quiet crawls before they had no choice but to hold their position. Four more humanoids appeared right before them, in one pop. They couldn't see their faces.

"Human," He heard T'Pol mutter to him via communicator.

"Stand by weapons," he replied.

He scowled; with moonlight tracing his fine lines of welling hatred against those Xindi. He remembered receiving that transmission from Admiral Forrest. He remembered how the Klingon Duras made it difficult for them to cross the thermobaric clouds. He remembered how the spatial anomalies whacked many ways of hell against his ship and his crew. And still, he hasn't killed a single Xindi. Now is his chance, he thought.

"On my mark," he drawled with a now deeper and drawing voice, "Fire."

The clearing glowed as soon as they fired. Each ammo of energy hit each other at a point in the middle. The three blue blobs hit the two red beams and fused to a bright glow of white before finally giving way into one big mighty explosion. It was dark again. And there were no bodies. Not one.

Archer, appalled by that sight, quickly jumped from his hiding and ran into the clearing; kicking leaves and breaking twigs with his feet. He looked around him. He only saw T'Pol and the MACOs following him, and as equally perplexed as he is.

"Where did they go?" A MACO muttered under his breath.

No one answered him. Archer looked to his Science Officer, who would logically and automatically look for answers in her scanner.

"They're gone." she drawled.

Well, what happened? Did they just disintegrate? After all, didn't their particle weapons hit a same spot? But if they were really there, shouldn't they have hit different persons?

But they were really there. It was as clear as they see each other now.

Would it mean that the Xindi and the four humans Transported with Xindi technology? But Xindi transporter technology took a couple of seconds, not a fraction of a second. Anyway, who are these humans? And why they're allying with the race who wants them gone, anyway?

Maybe they don't know. Maybe they don't know that the Xindi wants them gone, too. Nobody in the 21st century knew what the Xindi were after, even if some already saw them. It should be certain that none of these "20th-century humans capable of doing great evil" have the slightest hint about the aliens' ulterior motives, either.

Anyway, the Captain could only flip his communicator. He could solve this. Eventually.

"Archer to Enterprise." he purred, "Energize."

"I could swear I was in pain, Doctor."

But Phlox would not believe him. He wasn't detecting any sign of injury in Reed, internal and external. For this, subconsciously, he was leaning slightly away from the Lieutenant; making holding of his medical tricorder away from him a little difficult. He cannot hide his skepticism.

Nevertheless, he had the still straining Reed lie on the bed he was sitting on. The bed happened to be the Sickbay bio-bed; attached to the bio-bed chamber. Above it is a large screen. It has helped Doctor Phlox to view his patient's body insides even in the molecular level for many instances now.

Reed did as he was told; a little more extra careful than usual.

The Doctor tweaked a few buttons by the chamber, and soon Reed, relaxed on the bed, was shut inside. He turned to Tucker's direction, who had the dead MACO by his side.

"Who are they?" Trip muttered in his usual Trip fashion: a perplexed scowl, tight grip, and blank stare right at Phlox's feet. He extended his legs across his bed: including the one whose thigh had been split open. Phlox had already shut the wound with one of his awesome Sickbay tools, but it still stung and throbbed to the bone.

"Excuse me?" The Denobulan walked to Trip's side, but turned to Corporal Ramirez and started scanning.

"Those people, Doc." Trip kept his gaze fixed at the spot left by the doctor, "How could they fire so many weapons? They're uh," he made gestures in the air that made no sense to the Doctor at all. "It's a fireworks display out there. So many colors. A blue one hit my leg. A green one struck her dead."

Phlox looked at him for a moment before continuing with examining Ramirez with his device.

"Commander Tucker, there were no fireworks. There were no indications of burns in any of your bodies." Phlox announced with mixed feelings of discovery and defeat, "In fact, there wasn't any indication of an injury on Corporal Ramirez's body."

"There isn't?" Trip looked up to Phlox quizzically this time.

"Oh, I'm quite surprised myself." Phlox was soon done scanning the corpse, though still unsatisfied. Trip watched him walk towards the bio-bed chamber and saw him rather stuffed with uncomfortable air. "No clots, no bruises, no indications of shock," He looked at Trip before looking up to the monitor above him, "No tissue damage of any kind at all."

"So you were saying that he just—died?" Trip, curious this time, was already leaning forward and able to bend his good knee.

Phlox pressed two buttons to let Reed out of the chamber. After letting off some steam from his confusion, he almost muttered, "It may very well seem so."

And then Reed's eyes were wide open as soon as the bed stopped moving. The Doctor helped him sit up. Then he was drawing deep, careful breaths.

"There's got to be a reason to it." Reed, of course, was overhearing their conversation legally, as he is part of it. "Hayes wouldn't be happy."

"Neither the Captain." The medical officer chided.

"Captain," Trip muttered, "We must contact him!"

Quickly, he jumped out of the bed; resisting the pain that still lingered, but the Doctor stopped him from leaving. "I still have to observe your leg, Commander Tucker."

Oh, yeah, right. Trip nodded, with worry, though. He soon ordered Reed to do it for him.

But there was really no need. The Sickbay doors made way for Captain before Reed could step out of the bed.

And the Captain looked at the occupants. "Any luck?"

Trip and Malcolm only let out distressed scowls.

Phlox proceeded to talk for them.

"Captain, I've already identified the cause of injuries for them except Corporal Ramirez. I shall put her in the bio-bed soon for a full post-mortem. Commander Tucker suffered a deep cut wound on his left thigh. Blood regeneration shall be administered later. Corporal Woods suffered boils all over his face. I shall administer a salve again ten minutes later." He turned to let the Captain see the black-skinned MACO peacefully-asleep in the bed; face ugly with oozing pus. "Now, look at Lieutenant Reed over here,"

The doctor showed the Captain to the screen over the bio-bed, and pointed him to the full body scan of what actually is Malcolm. "He claimed have felt physical injuries all over his body. But there was no scratch. I have detected, however, a degree of neuro-chemical disturbance in his pre-frontal cortex."

"Neuro-chemical disturbance? I was not imagining it in my head!" Malcolm could really swear that what he felt back there was the real thing.

"No, but it could imply that your attacker was using a neuro-biological weapon against you; something telepathic." Phlox shrugged, "It must have sent signals through your brain to your nerve endings to 'feel' pain. It's remarkable technology." That compliment on torturous technology could have set Malcolm off pissed. "But don't worry, Lieutenant. Any possible neurological damage done should be reversible."

"I could still feel it a bit." He stifled.

Phlox turned to Captain Archer again.

The latter, as usual, studied the scans and Phlox's words with determined attention. It took a long while before he was able to say something. "How long before I could have them back?"

"Two days, at minimum. Commander Tucker will have to stay in his quarters all day to rest. I will have to keep Lieutenant Reed here for 24 more hours."

A pause held the doctor in anticipating standby before Archer could turn around and held his head above his shoulder, "Keep me posted."

The latter left Sickbay with a rather cluttered mind.