Chapter 7

=/\=

Malcolm burst into Harris's small office unceremoniously. Harris smiled but didn't look up from the PADD he was scrolling though, "Is there something I can do for you Mr. Reed?"

A well of rage was boiling in the pit of his stomach. The feeling wasn't unfamiliar, but it had been such a long time since he had let himself go. "What the fuck was that?" he growled. Malcolm could feel his hands shaking, itching to strike something, someone, needing to draw blood.

Harris looked up from his PADD and watched Malcolm as he paced back and forth across the room, "There it is…"

Malcolm set his jaw, reigning himself in. This was who Harris wanted. And part of Malcolm wanted to give it to him. But there was a reason Malcolm had left and there was a reason he had worked so hard to put this part of himself away. He wasn't about to fall into Harris's hand at the first provocation.

Malcolm took a cleansing breath, snapping the mask back on his face. Walking to the metal chair opposite Harris's desk, he sat down coolly. "You need to tell me what's going on," his voice had changed now, back to one of professional indifference. "The fact that we extracted a woman and two children makes the mission objective pretty clear. Who are you pressing?"

Harris seemed disappointed by Malcolm's sudden show of restraint, but began anyway. "As you know the Section runs black projects through Starfleet Security's R&D every once in a while. We recruited Doctors Mburu, Koralege, and Nelson to work on developing a new technology."

"A weapon?"

"Yes. They were each working on separate parts of the research. There was no contact between them, but despite precautions, Koralege got ahold of the full weapons specs. He apparently had a change of heart about the project and has been off the grid ever since."

Malcolm almost didn't want to ask the question, "What were they building?" He couldn't tell if Harris was unsure of Malcolm's reaction or if the man himself was ashamed of the project, whatever the case, Harris didn't answer immediately. "Harris, what were they building?"

"The project was to reverse engineer the Xindi weapon prototype."

Malcolm leaned back in his chair, rubbing his hands across his face, "Bloody hell." he growled. "That weapon killed millions of people."

Harris gave him an incredulous look, "You saw what was out there. You went to the Expanse. Are you telling me that you think our planet is safe?"

"We stopped them!" Malcolm argued.

"That may be how you sleep at night, but the reality is that the Xindi came this close to wiping out the human race. What defense do we have against the next threat that decides to try?"

"Do you really think we're the only race out there willing to go through hell and back to take a weapon like that apart?" Malcolm shook his head, his frustration building despite his best efforts. "A whisper of this gets off planet and we go back up to being the first target on peoples list."

Harris sat back in his chair, steepling his fingers underneath his chin. He seemed to consider Malcolm's protest, but shook his head. "It's this sections duty to protect the planet from all threats; present or future, seen and unseen. I will exercise my discretion as to what that means." His tone had become deeply serious, more genuine than Malcolm had heard in some time, "The Xindi were too close."

Malcolm shook his head but decided to drop the argument, "Alright, so I'm assuming we just picked up Koralege's family.

Harris nodded, "He's been having a family friend, Mason Richards, check in with them every week to make sure they're alright. He's due to check in again tomorrow morning. Austin's sitting on the house's communications and as soon as Richards calls in we'll give him the terms."

"And until then?"

"We've had this conversation before Malcolm. We aren't thugs. His family will be safe as long as he complies. He's a family man. He'll come in."

Malcolm was quite for a moment. "When I left things here weren't exactly civil. You can't blame me for being skeptical."

Harris sighed his resignation, "When you left things were out of control. I should have put Kira down as soon as she started showing symptoms."

"Don't say it like that. Not about her." Malcolm felt a pressure fill his chest at the mention of his old friend.

Harris put up his hands, "I'm sorry, you know what I meant."

"This job changes people, but Kira…" Malcolm took a deep breath.

Both men were silent for a moment, before Harris pulled out a drawer, "I have something you might want," Harris reached in, pulling out a small pendent. He placed it into Malcolm's outstretched hand. Malcolm looked at the familiar object before slipping it safely into his pocket.

He couldn't keep the thick sound of emotion out of his voice as he spoke, "Thank you." Harris nodded. "You promise me they'll be safe."

"You have my word, Malcolm."

=/\=

Malcolm walked down the narrow hallway of the prisoner housing unit. There were only four medium sized cells as the Section rarely took prisoners, and when they did they never kept them for any extended period of time. People usually fell into two categories, recruits and people Harris couldn't use.

Malcolm peered through the one-sided glass. The fact was he didn't trust Harris's word and it had become apparent that he couldn't trust his team to tell him anything either. Griz had said that the family was fine, but that was almost two hours ago and they had all still been unconscious.

They were awake now and huddled in the corner furthest away from the door. The two children clung to their mother, fear apparent on their small faces, while she soothed them, her hands smoothing their hair and rubbing their backs. As she hummed to them softly Malcolm was startled to find he recognized the sound. The memory of a song floated into his head. A tune Hoshi would hum at night, half asleep. She had sung him the words once, a Sinhalese poem.

Malcolm pushed the memory away before opening the door to the cell. As soon as he entered the woman clutched her children tighter to herself. "Please… please don't hurt them."

Malcolm closed the door gently behind him, but didn't move any closer. He crouched into a squat so that he was eye level with the woman. "I want you to listen to what I'm saying. Our intention is not to hurt you or your children. If you cooperate with us we let you go unharmed. Do you understand?"

The woman nodded her head, "What… what do you need from us?"

"Your husband's friend will be calling to check on you at 0900. When he does you need to tell him your situation. Tell him that your husband needs to contact us and we will set a meeting to bring him in."

"And my husband…?"

"As long as he cooperates, his safety will be guaranteed also." Malcolm knew what he was saying was a lie, but there was no other way. "Dr. Koralege is an asset. There's just been a miscommunication."

"Alright… okay." The woman nodded again, "I'll tell him when the time comes."

Malcolm stood up, "Good, while we're waiting if you need anything, just ask." He indicated a small red button on the wall. "Is there anything you need before I leave?"

The woman shook her head, Malcolm turned to leave, but she stopped him. "You need to know our names."

"I can assure you, I know your names."

"But you don't know who they are. My son, Nuwan he wants to be a doctor, like his father, he wants to help people. He's a strong boy, a good swimmer." She turned to her daughter, "And Renuka, she likes to paint. Every day her father has been away she has drawn a picture of our family together again." She paused for a moment, searching Malcolm's eyes, "If something happens to my children, to Renuka or Nuwan, I will have nothing and will want nothing… and I will be useless to you. Do you understand?" Malcolm nodded solemnly.

As he closed the door behind him, for the first time in weeks, he let the thought enter his head; what would his old crew think of this man?

=/\=

Malcolm looked around the compound's mess as he sipped his coffee. It was different from Enterprise's in many ways but the most obvious was the size. Altogether Harris had three teams on this location, four to six members to a team. Because of the reduced number of mouths to feed, the mess looked more like an oversized family dining room than a covert organization's mess hall. Brown plush carpet covered the floors, complementing the soft blue walls. Two long wooden tables sat in the middle of the area surrounded by soft chairs. It had been the same at the old compound. At first Malcolm had been confused by the apparent warmth of the room, especially in contrast with every other area of the compound, but as time went on he came to better understand its purpose. It looked like a family dining room because that's what it was supposed to be.

Harris set his teams up like families, brothers and sisters all vying to be their father's favorite, and it had worked in the beginning. Harris hadn't always been so transparently hostile. He had approached them as a role model, a man doing bad things for good reasons, as a man who chose them because they were special, he needed them, he wanted them. But as time went on it became harder to ignore the reality of the situation. He had taken young men and women who had been lost, who didn't know their place in the world, and had forged them into weapons for his own purposes. That wasn't to say that the Section never did anything worthwhile, but the Sections original purpose had been diluted to become a mix between Earth security and Harris's whim.

Malcolm was pulled out of his thoughts as Harris plopped a file in front of him. "You know if coffee isn't doing it for you, Griz has something a bit stronger he could give you." Harris smiled.

"What's this?" Malcolm took another sip of his coffee, ignoring Harris's jab.

"This is everything you need to know about how and where we're going to pick up the good doctor. His friend called in right on the dot, we got his wife to give him the message and Koralege contacted us about half an hour ago agreeing to meet. I need you and Jax to look over this file, make a plan, tell me what you need, and be ready to pick him up in two hours. Think you can handle that?"

Malcolm nodded, "It shouldn't be a problem. Same team as before?"

"Yep. That also means coffee times over. Get your ass up and get moving."

Malcolm took on last gulp of his coffee before picking up the file and walking towards the training hall. On his way there he commed Jax to update him on the situation. The fact that he didn't answer made Malcolm uneasy. The only person he found in the gym when he entered was Austin, working out on a bag. "Have you seen Jackson? He's not answering his comm." Malcolm called across the gym.

Austin stopped what he was doing and pulled off his gloves. "He was here, but he thought his time would be better spent trying to get a lead on where the doctor is hiding. He took the wife to interrogation not that long ago."

"Koralege contacted us an hour ago. He's coming in. When did Jax go get her?"

Austin shrugged, "About 15 minutes ago?"

Malcolm felt a knot of dread form in the pit of his stomach. "How did he seem?"

"You've worked with the guy before; you know how he is after an op." Aaron picked up a water bottle and took a swig. "He sure as hell wasn't pulling any punches when we were sparring."

Malcolm bit back a curse as he pulled out his comm again, "Jax, where are you?"

No answer.

"Jax answer me."

Pocketing his communicator, Malcolm cursed then turned back for the door he had just entered from. As soon as he was outside of the training hall he started running. It was colder than it had been since Malcolm had been back to earth, so cold if made his face pink and his breath fog, but Malcolm was oblivious to all of this. Running across the training field, all Malcolm could feel was fear. What had Jax done? He had been acting a little more off than usual; in fact Jackson's behavior had an edge that reminded him of… Kira.

After reaching the prisoner unit, Malcolm raced down the halls to the cell the family was being held in. His stomach dropped when he found it empty. "Jax!" he called, searching the corridors, finally he turned down a corridor to find Jax standing quietly in front of a cell door, muffled shouting coming from behind it.

"Jax!" Malcolm shouted again, but Jackson continued to ignore him, "Levi tell me what you did."

Malcolm approached the door with a sense of dread. As soon as he was in view of glass he saw the woman, but the children were gone. The woman threw herself against the door, sobbing. "BRING THEM BACK!" she shrieked, over and over again, her fists bleed as she beat them helplessly against the solid door.

"Where are they?" The lump of fear in his throat, force the sound out as a whisper. Jax continued watching the woman, mezmorized by the scene in front of him. She seemed to be a mystery to him, her pain a puzzle that he couldn't quite understand. Malcolm turned Jax around to face him, "The children, where are they?!" Malcolm roared.

Jackson face changed as if coming out of a trance, "Next cell. They're fine." There was an air of nonchalance to his voice, almost as if it would be ridiculous to think otherwise.

Malcolm threw Jax away from him and ran to the next cell. He ripped the door open and was shocked to find the two children unharmed, the remains of chocolate cake hanging around the corners of their mouths. "Can we go back to mommy now?" the young boy asked quietly.

It took Malcolm a moment to process what he had found with what his expectations had been. "In just a moment. I need to fix something first." Malcolm replied as calmly as he could manage. He shut the door gently, then turned back to face Jax, "They're alright?"

Jax nodded the same blank look on his face.

"What the bloody hell were you doing?" he growled, the anger came rushing back, but Malcolm tamped it down.

Jax didn't respond, but glanced back to the woman who was now lying in a heap at the floor of her cell.

Malcolm's brow furrowed as he took the man's wrist in his hand, feeling for his pulse. It was racing. "When was the last time you slept?"

"A few days."

"How many is a few?"

"Four."

Malcolm clenched his jaw, "I can call Gris and have him give you something, or you can go yourself, it's up to you. However, I would keep in mind that if I have to drag you to medbay, Harris is going to wonder why."

Jackson's expression finally turned to one of anger, "You wouldn't."

"Is that something you're willing to test?" Jackson looked like he wanted to argue, but instead turned to leave.

"And Levi," Jackson turned back around to face Malcolm, "if something like this ever happens again, I won't hesitate to recommend termination to Harris, are we clear?" Jackson nodded then turned down the hall.

As soon as he was out of sight Malcolm opened the woman's cell. When she heard him enter she ran at him, "Give them back!" she screamed hitting him with her hands over and over until Malcolm restrained her arms.

"Listen to me… listen to me…" he pleaded as the woman cried, "They're fine, they're in the next room."

"You're lying." she sobbed, suddenly and apparently losing the ability to hold herself upright she fell against Malcolm.

He guided her gently to the floor, "Please, please, calm down." Malcolm him found himself reaching out to stroke the distraught woman's hair, but caught himself. "They are in the next room, but if I bring them to you like this, Renuka and Nuwan, they'll be frightened."

If the woman didn't believe him, she at least seemed as if she wanted to as she calmed her breath and wiped at her eyes. Malcolm gently took her hand, examining it for injury. "I should take you to our doctor."

The woman shook her head, "Please, no, I'm fine. Just bring them to me. Please." Malcolm helped her up and led her to the small sink in the corner, "Wash your face and let me fix your hand. Then I'll bring them to you. The woman nodded, and Malcolm stepped into the hall searching for the aid kit. When he brought it back the women was standing waiting for him, looking much calmer. He took out a few small bandages then clean and dressed her hands. When he was finished he led her to the small cot in the corner. "Alright, I'll go and get them. Jackson didn't hurt them I promise."

Malcolm left the room to get the children. When he brought them back to her she smiled, laughing when she saw their faces. Despite her effort tears streamed from her eyes, but the children seemed not to notice as they were secured in her embrace. Malcolm stopped next to the door panel and typed in a code. "You won't be separated again. If anyone enters your cell I'll be notified." Malcolm nodded apologetically at the woman then left the cell. Walking down the hall, Malcolm opened his communicator, "Griz?"

It took a moment for the other man to respond, "Hey, Mal, what can I do for you?"

"Did Jackson come in?"

"Yeah he's here, he's out cold."

"Good."

=/\=

Hoshi had searched her mind, through everything Malcolm had ever told her, but she couldn't remember Malcolm ever mentioning Kira. The reflection had made her realize though, there was a lot she didn't know about Malcolm. She knew that he had worked for Section 31 before coming aboard Enterprise, but couldn't recall a single story Malcolm had told her about his time there. She knew where he grew up, but really didn't know a lot about his childhood. Most of what Hoshi knew about him was what she had experienced with him. Their time in the Expanse, regrets he had about missions that hadn't gone according to plan, and of course them together and what that life had been.

She pushed around the food on her plate, distracted by her thoughts. She wasn't that interested in the food anyway, it was the third time this week they'd had peas and carrots. Cooked carrots was one food she never cared for in any form. Hoshi didn't look up as she felt someone sit down next to her. It wasn't unusual for Kira to join her for meals, so Hoshi was surprised when she didn't recognize the voice addressing her.

"So you're Hoshi Sato?"

Looking up from her food Hoshi saw that the voice came from a tall thin woman wearing a eager smile. Hoshi nodded hesitantly.

"What was it like?"

Hoshi shook her head. She wasn't quite sure where this conversation was going, but the uneasy feeling in her gut told her that she wouldn't like it. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean."

The thin woman laughed too loudly as if they were sharing a private joke, "To see the product of your effort; the half-breed."

It was as if all the air in the room disappeared as soon as the word left her lips and a numbness Hoshi hadn't felt in weeks, returned. From the moment Hoshi had entered the correctional unit she had avoided anyone associated with Terra Prime and, until now, they had left her alone. The woman's wide eye's searched her face, waiting for an answer.

"Don't… she had a name…" Hoshi didn't seem able to raise her voice louder than a whisper past the lump in her throat.

The woman shook her head, oblivious to her offense, "Of course, they all had names. The point is that we finally did it. Do you know how long it took? How many methods we had to try?"

Hoshi jerked back as the woman grabbed her wrist, going on more excitedly, "But you were in the perfect place at the perfect time. It was destiny if you really think about it…" Hoshi tried to pull away, but the woman didn't seem to notice as she went on. "We spent months planning, trying to think of a way to get that Vulcan's genetic material, and then, boom, you fall into our lap."

The room had started to feel too small, and the woman's grip too tight. Tears filled Hoshi's eyes, "Please, let me go," she tried again, but the woman either ignored her or was too excited to notice Hoshi's request.

"What was it like to work with one of them, to have to see it every day…" Hoshi was almost so focused on getting away that she didn't notice Kira walk up behind the woman. As if in slow motion Hoshi watched as Kira smashed the womans face, hard into the table. There was no hesitation in her actions, her expression was the same calm mask she always wore, she didn't even look as the woman fell to the ground, blood streaming from her nose. Hoshi jerked back now that her hand was freed, both shocked by what had happened and desperate to get away.

"What are you doing?" Hoshi screeched. "Are you insane?"

Kira smiled gently, "Oh, she's not that bad off. Are you?" she asked turning to the woman who, surprisingly, was standing up. The woman shook her head, obviously frightened. "See?" Kira shrugged as if the matter was settled. Hoshi grabbed a wad of napkins from the table and handed them to the bleeding woman. Hesitantly the woman looked at Kira for approval before accepting the napkins and pressing them to her face and quickly walking away.

Hoshi didn't know what to do so just turned, walking through the corridors and finally out to the yard. Kira followed her, keeping a good distance behind her until they got to a small patch of benches where Hoshi sat down. Kira sat on the opposite end of the bench waiting for Hoshi to speak, her face a mixture of confusion and concern.

When Hoshi finally spoke, anger was evident in her voice, "Whatever you think it is you're doing, I don't want it. I don't want your protection. I don't need your help. I don't even know who you are."

Kira scowled, she was surprised by this side of Hoshi, "She was hurting you."

"You probably broke her nose!"

"Because, little bird, you are my responsibility."

Hoshi's frustration ramped up another notch. "Why?! Why do you even think that? Even if you did know Malcolm, which I'm not convinced of, and even if he was somehow able to send you a message in a high security prison, which again I'm not convinced he could, he has absolutely no reason to care about what happens to me." Hoshi rubbed her hands across her face, waiting for Kira's response. Hoshi's eyes narrowed and she stood up suddenly. "You're with them, aren't you? What, are you supposed to keep an eye on me? Make sure I don't give too much away about Terra Prime? Well, it's a wasted effort; I already told them everything I know, which frankly, isn't all that much." Hoshi waited for Kira's face to change, some hint to the fact that she had been found out, but she had the same expression she always wore.

That is until she broke into peals of laughter. Hoshi sat back down, surprised by the woman. "You've been here for just over a month and you're already completely barmy. I will say you've even got me beat. Luckily for you, my interest in you isn't nearly that complex. It's just as I said. I do know Malcolm, we grew up together in Hampshire."

"I've known Malcolm for almost five years and I've never heard a thing about you."

Kira smiled, "Which, of course, surprises you because Malcolm is always so willing to disclose information about his past."

Hoshi smiled, "No, he's not. I see your point."

"I can think of two reasons why he never talked about me. One, he wanted to forget his time in the Section, and I played a large role in that, or two, it wouldn't surprise me if he believed I was dead."

"You were in the Section together?"

Kira nodded, "Unfortunately, yes. I've always felt responsible for his joining."

Hoshi was silent for a moment. "Did he… did he ask you to…" she couldn't finish the request, too afraid of what the answer would be.

"No, he didn't ask me to take care of you. I haven't spoken to him in years."

"Then why?"

"Because I owe him a debt, and I know it's what he would want. Is that enough for you?"

Hoshi hesitated before nodded her head.

"Good then, let's go back inside."

=/\=

TBC