Scientific Method - Part 2

SCIENTIFIC METHOD

By Amok2

Rating: PG-13 – Some violence
Disclaimer: Star Trek and Enterprise belong to those who never deserved them, definitely not to the fans! But no, I’m not getting anything out of this except the satisfaction of seeing these two together, as they should be.
Genre: Romance with some action/adventure thrown in to move along the plot; AU since this rejects the canon beginning with TATV
Spoilers: Through the end of season 4 and ignoring TATV abomination, post-Terra Prime and pre-Romulan War
Summary: Enterprise is back on its original mission of exploration. I’m a sucker for the stranded on a planet/ship scenario, something we never really got to see with just Trip and T’Pol on screen. So, in this imaginary season 5, I figure why not?

Author’s note: Everything between Trip and T’Pol in bondspeak is italicized, as are flashbacks. Thanks, Bucky, for giving me the lowdown on how to do that, and for the welcome back!

Also, I’m so not a techno-babble kind of girl, so I try not to get too deep into it. Shallow waters – like original Star Trek technical situations – for me. (Cue in dramatic 60’s score!) Forgive me if what little I include might not make the best sense. I’ve tried to look up what I can! Thanks to Memory Alpha, The Next Generation and Voyager (especially Voyager, for the missing link I needed for the story!) for help on some of the science parts and helping me get the crew where I needed them to be.

This means I’m taking some liberties with Vulcan biology. Please forgive if I stretch it a little bit. I need Super T’Pol in this one.

%%%

Part II: Act IV

Unknown vessel
T’Pol’s cell
June 3, 2155
0100 hrs

Since leaving Trip in their white space T’Pol had meticulously re-examined her cell, looking for some kind of surveillance equipment. If their captors were indeed some kind of scientists, it would stand to reason that somewhere in this cell was a means of monitoring her for the sake of observing her reactions, even if a Vulcan wasn’t what they were expecting.

Her jailers had yet to make an appearance. Her ears had also not picked up any signs of movement outside her confines. She would use their absence to her advantage.

Her eyes had gotten used to the dark by now, but she used her hands to comb every inch of the cell, methodically feeling the walls from left to right, one by one. The little light she had coming through the slit was just enough. She’d forgotten about being cold, concentrating instead on her mission. She must find Trip. The idea of him being further experimented on spurred her to continue. She knew if he were feeling more intense pain she would feel it too, but so far, nothing more than the hum of him was apparent to her. That was a good thing. While she was unconscious, she was spared feeling the pain he initially felt at the hands of their captors. But now she was acutely aware of what he was going through.

Finally, finally, she found something.

She might have missed it had she not been so focused on her task – even more so than usual. But there it was, in the corner of the room opposite her makeshift bed, a slight gap in the otherwise smooth metal. She felt around it and found the gap formed a small square about eye level.

She had no tools to pry the square loose but she had another idea. If there was some kind of surveillance device in this room, she was sure it was behind that gap. Some kind of mechanism that removed the panel, controlled remotely.

By now, they must have deduced that she was looking for escape. It would be the predictable behavior. What she would need to give them, to lure them in, would be to give them some unpredictable behavior.

Maybe it was time for the fly to get some payback from these spiders.

%%%

Unknown vessel, Medical lab
0100 hrs

At least the pain had died down.

It had been so sharp at first, stinging sensations all over after they had injected him. He woke up without his suit, clad only in his boxers. He opened his eyes to a blinding light above him. When he tried to move his arms to shield his eyes, he couldn’t. His vision was blurry, but he could make out the restraints on his wrists. Looking down his body, he saw his ankles were also bound to the table.

“We’ll dispose of them as soon as they’ve fulfilled our battery of tests. Continue to inject them with different strains of the disease. It is up to us to find a cure,” said the Miz MS.

Trip’s recollection was clearer now, now that they’d left him alone for a little bit. Since he came back from the white space with T’Pol – assured she was ok – he had concentrated on making more observations, anything that might help them get out of there.

When he came back, he was alone, as much as he could figure out without being able to see. His vision did clear up. Whatever they put into him to take away his sight, something happened to bring it back. It came back gradually, but it came back. He looked around and saw they had taken Biggs, confirming what he had heard earlier. He never saw Wilber, but he figured he must have succumbed to the same fate.

Again, aside from the light above his bed, there was no other source of illumination. He followed the wires and tubes coming out of his body to several monitors adjacent to the examining table. Behind him, he heard voices. He decided to stay quiet and eavesdrop.

“Strange readings within the last few hours for Subject T,” said Mr. Mad Sci. “His heart rate, which had accelerated due to the electrical stimulus, slowed down to a normal rate. His body seemed to start healing from within, at a much faster rate than we were led to believe humans could. The pain which we measured earlier has also decreased, inexplicably.”

“Inexplicably? My young colleague, that is precisely why we do this. To find explanations,” Miz MS said.

Trip’s heart started racing again. What if they discovered the bond? Would they put T’Pol through this? He couldn’t let that happen.

“Take a look at this. His brain waves – there’s something unusual going on. For the better part of the hour, he’s tapped into higher brain functions, something we did not think possible with this species,” said Miz MS. “It demonstrates some kind of psychic ability, a connection, perhaps, with another? More remarkably, that ability seems to have some direct correlation to the healing of his internal organs after we applied the electrical stimulus. It also seemed to counter the agent we injected to cause his blindness.”

Trip got the distinct impression of being under a microscope. This is how bugs must feel, he thought. He struggled to control his facial features, sure they must be watching him on a monitor.

Think, Tucker, think. What will throw them off track? What could he do to distract them and buy T’Pol more time?

Just then, he heard the scramble of another set of feet coming into the room. Whispers, but he made it out.

“I am sorry to interrupt, but we may have a problem with the Vulcan,” said the new voice.

“What is it?” asked Miz MS, who clearly was in charge of things here at Guinea Pig Central.

“The Vulcan is displaying highly erratic behavior. She seems feverish and delusional. She is inflicting as much damage as she can on the walls and has torn up her mattress. She seems enraged,” said the new voice.

“Most unusual. Vulcans are renowned for their calm and logic. They are able to contain their emotions. She exhibited the predictable response when we first brought her in, methodical about gathering information about her surroundings,” said Miz MS. “What changed? What variable was introduced in the past few hours that we cannot account for?”

Trip heard the sound of tapping on a keyboard, and then sounds he had only heard rarely from T’Pol – homicidal, almost psychotic rage. He’d seen a glimpse of it on that pollen planet and he’d heard about her behavior after the Expanse encounter with the Seleya. Come to think about it, he also saw it at Azati Prime. He shook off that unpleasant memory.

He realized they must have tapped into the monitor observing his mate.

He could hear her in thrashing in her cell, pounding the metal with her fists, causing dents in the walls. He heard her screaming – not in fear, but in anger.

“I will find you! Do you hear me? Show yourself, you cowards! You cannot keep me from my mate!” T’Pol’s voice rang clear in the room. “You must release me and bring me to my mate!”

“Mate? Did she say mate? Does she mean one of these human males?” asked Miz MS.

Suddenly, Trip got that feeling again of being under intense scrutiny.

“Perhaps this one is her mate,” said Miz MS, whose voice dipped into thinking aloud tones. “Vulcans are psychic. Perhaps these two share some kind of psychic bond, a psychic bond that affects both physically. Fascinating. She seems to be showing signs of withdrawal, while he improved. Perhaps while he draws strength from her, she loses her ability to control her emotions. She must be brought here immediately.”

Trip closed his eyes and reached out to T’Pol.

T’Pol! What is going on? Why are you screaming?

Ashayam, I am fine. T’Pol’s soothing voice was a striking contrast to the crazed woman who ran rampant on the aliens’ monitor.

This is you fine? Tell me what’s happening to you!

Nothing is happening to me, Trip. What they’re seeing, what you’re hearing, is all an act. I am...role-playing.

Trip took a breath of relief.

Thank God. I thought they put something in the air in your cell to make you go crazy! By the way, you play a good crazy. So this is your plan? Get them riled up so you can get strapped up next to me?

T’Pol’s screaming stopped, only to be replaced by the sound of metal giving way under her fists of fury.

What I am doing is giving our captors – scientists – something they could not resist: unpredictable behavior. They will be intrigued. They will want to study me more closely. As in, they will remove me from here. And then I can get to you, my love.

Trip almost smiled, but held it in.

For you, I’ll be a damsel in distress, darling. But let me tell you more about what I know since I’ve been back here. There are three of them I’ve counted so far. One woman, the one I’m calling Miz Mad Scientist, is their leader. They’re scientists, like you say. Searching for some kind of cure. Using us as guinea pigs. I think Biggs and Wilber are nearly dead, if not already. And I think they’re starting to get wind of our bond. They said my organs are healing up after what they did to me and they noticed increased brain wave activity.

We can use that to our advantage, Trip. Use the bond to draw them in. We will be the spiders now.

Trip understood the plan she was laying out. He just hoped they would fall for it.

%%%

Unknown vessel
T’Pol’s cell
0115 hours

T’Pol saw the gas streaming into the room from the slit in the wall. She predicted they would knock her out before moving her, and she was right. She quickly set herself into a healing trance that slowed down her heart rate and bodily functions so that she looked unconscious. It also allowed her to hold her breath long enough to block out the gas. But she was very, very aware of what was going on. She couldn’t make a move yet, though. She had to stay under until they brought her to Trip.

She was lifted onto a gurney. She sensed at least 3 aliens, with two lifting while the other scanned her.

“Most interesting. She seems to have succumbed to the agent quickly, without any adverse effects. Her body temperature is elevated, but Vulcans already have a higher temperature than humans. We will have to run tests,” said a female voice.

This must be Trip’s Miz Mad Scientist, T’Pol thought.

“Tsk, tsk. Look at this room. She’s destroyed it. We must make a note of Vulcan strength. Obviously, it’s more than we believed,” she said. “At least she hasn’t bled too much. Mostly just scratches and bruises, nothing broken.”

T’Pol felt restraints being placed on her wrists and ankles and then she felt the table roll into a hallway.

She did not hear other voices in the hallways, nor did she get the impression this was a large, multi-functional ship. This was a skeleton crew, she surmised. If she was lucky, it would be a pure science mission with very few officers who could pose a threat to her.

After a few minutes, she arrived at her destination. Her heart almost skipped a beat. She could feel Trip near.

“Place her next to her ‘mate,’” said Miz MS. “Inject her with a stimulus to bring her to consciousness.”

T’Pol braced herself for the shot. When it came, it barely affected her system, but she roused herself in such a way as to simulate waking. She opened her eyes. Blinding light, as with Trip’s awakening, but for someone from a desert planet, she adjusted quickly. She looked to her left. Nothing. Then she looked to her right, and saw a familiar face gazing intently at her.

Are you all right?

And I, you.

“Trip, how are you?”

“I could ask the same of you, darlin’. I heard you screaming. Are you ok?”

“I felt our link severed. It sent me into a rage, all my controls meaningless in the face of your possible loss,” T’Pol said, dutifully playing the part of the thinking lab rat. “I could not bear to be without you any longer.”

Trip knew she was playing a role, but he also felt the truth of what she was saying as well. He had a feeling that if their bond were to ever be severed, it would send T’Pol into such a state, or maybe even worse.

“I gave my strength to you when you needed it, ashayam,” T’Pol said.

“Is that why I started to feel better?”

Yes, ashayam, that is true. But we do not need to tell them everything. We don’t want to be experimented on longer than is necessary.

I’ll follow your lead, T’Pol.

The aliens observed from another room adjacent to the lab. Tapping on one of the monitors, the one in charge mulled the latest developments.

“Most intriguing. These two most certainly share a psychic bond, a bond that also has physical properties when it comes to healing the body,” she said. “If we can harness that psychic energy, it could push us in a new direction in our research. Monitor their reactions now that they’re in physical proximity and let me know of major changes – as in a resurgence of this bond. Right now we assume it has been damaged or severed, accounting for the female’s recent aberrant behavior.”

“And what of the starship Enterprise?” asked her assistant.

“They are still at the same coordinates, no doubt searching for this vessel. By now they have probably figured out our ruse. We should jettison the bodies of the other two near them, give them a reason to think their people have perished,” she said.

“But we only have two bodies,” he said.

“I would suggest you make arrangements to render the bodies in as many disparate pieces as possible and then burn them beyond recognition before scattering them into space,” she said. “That should keep them busy for awhile trying to determine who – and how many there are. Also add a bit of this human and the Vulcan’s DNA to confuse them further. Use some of her blood left over from the carnage in her cell.”

“It will be done,” he said, bowing slightly as his superior left the lab, leaving only him monitoring the Enterprise subjects. He tapped his comm and relayed instructions to two forensic colleagues. Jettisoning the bodies would not be a problem. Their vessel was not only a safe distance away from Enterprise, it was also cloaked and hidden from their sensors. So far, if the Earth vessel was scanning for them, they had been unsuccessful.

He looked back at the monitor and saw the two looking at one another. Love was love, no matter what galaxy. This was merely another opportunity to examine another facet of these aliens, who were proving to be more surprising than expected. He now thought it was their good luck to have captured a Vulcan as well as the humans, especially a Vulcan in love with a human. That wasn’t something they were going to see every day and certainly not from the Delta Quadrant, where they came from. It was so far away. It had been so long since they’d left home. But he had to remember their mission. He was a scientist, first and foremost. It was his duty to assist in the advancement of medical research for his people.

%%%

Bridge of the Enterprise
0400 hrs

“Sir, our sensors are picking up something off our port bow,” said Reed. “It just came out of nowhere.”

“Can you tell what it is yet, Lieutenant?” Archer asked, practically jumping from his seat at the news. “Can we see it on screen?”

Reed raised his eyes to the screen and grimaced. The rest of the crew didn’t catch on as quickly.

“What are we looking at, Malcolm?” asked Hoshi.

“Debris. Organic. Traces of human,” Reed said, pausing. “And Vulcan DNA.” He looked up from his sensors. His voice shook a little as he said, “I believe we are looking at the remains of our away team.”

Hoshi and Travis stared with horror at what looked like miniscule pieces of driftwood floating in space, realizing their friends could already be dead. Archer’s brows furrowed as his jaw set and he shook his head.

“No, no. I refuse to accept that until the doctor confirms it,” he said. “Malcolm, lock onto as much of that debris as you can and beam it onboard. I’ll have Phlox and a medical team meet at the transporter. And Malcolm, find out where it came from. It’s got to be the ship we’re looking for, the ones responsible for bringing us out here.”

He looked around to the bridge crew.

“We’re not giving up on our people yet. Someone or something brought us here under false pretenses, kidnapped our team and we’re not leaving until we find out who they are and what’s happened to our people,” Archer said. “I don’t want any of us mourning yet. If it is them, we will pay every respect due. But not yet. I don’t want any of you to give up on them. They wouldn’t give up on us.”

His words fortified the crew, who were frustrated at the lack of progress in tracking down their missing officers and set to despair at the discovery of these remains.

%%%

Enterprise, Sick Bay
0600 hrs

Archer stepped into Sick Bay, summoned there by Phlox, who had finished his preliminary examination of the remains beamed aboard the Enterprise.

Phlox quickly steered him to the side, where he had arranged the remains. Up close, Archer could see the bones, however charred they looked.

“Captain, I am sorry to say I have positively identified the remains of Crewmen Wilber and Biggs,” Phlox said. “Most of the bones fit their skeletal remains. My preliminary examination shows several unusual compounds in their bodies and evidence of some kind of examination. I observed several puncture wounds. These men were in prime physical shape when they left this ship yesterday, but these bodies look as though they’ve been ravaged by long-term disease. I have not determined cause of death yet, but they were not dismembered until after they were dead. Finally, their bodies were placed in an incendiary device of some sort.”

“What about T’Pol and Trip?”

“The commanders’ blood is among the remains, but I have not conclusively matched any of these body parts with either of them,” Phlox said. “I’m still looking at the bone fragments, but I do not believe there is enough here to account for more than two bodies. Most importantly, there are only two skulls, and neither of them are the commanders.”

“Who would do something like this?” Archer asked rhetorically. “I had better inform next of kin for Wilber and Biggs. I wish I had more to tell their families.”

“Captain, I don’t know if you would want to tell the families what happened to these young men,” Phlox said.

Archer, who had been looking at the remains, turned back to Phlox.

“What do you mean?”

“I believe this was clearly an attempt on the part of these abductors to throw us off their trail for a little while, to distract us while they continue to experiment on our people.”

“Experiment? What do you mean, doctor?”

Phlox looked for a moment upon the former crewmen, a flash of anger and pain crossing his expressive features. He turned away from them to face the Captain.

“I mean that before these men died, they suffered terribly. I saw no less than five different diseases – some of which I can barely recognize or have yet to be discovered. It was not merely torture, Captain. It was too cold, too methodical to be that. It reminded me of what I had read about the atrocities committed on Earth prior to the Second World War, the Rape of Nanking and the experiments perpetuated by the Nazis during that war, and then later, during the Eugenics Wars. But the kind of incisions and procedures I’m seeing on these bodies are far beyond anything I’ve ever done or seen.”

“So Trip and T’Pol could be going through this too?”

Phlox just looked at him. He didn’t answer. He didn’t have to.

Time was running out.

%%%

Unknown vessel, Medical Lab
0600 hrs

For once, time was on Trip and T’Pol’s side. Since being left alone, T’Pol was able to concentrate on their surroundings, and Trip was able to continue healing, much faster now that she had visited him in the white space. Their bond really was an incredible link. She had told him about its restorative possibilities, but he had no idea how fast it could work.

T’Pol. I feel like my body’s humming. Kinda like that electric shock they gave me earlier, but this kind of electricity doesn’t make me feel like dying. In fact, I’ve never felt so alive.

T’Pol, who had been giving the room another once over, stopped her movements. She rested her head back down to her pillow and looked at him.

I had hoped you would never have had to know how fast the bond can facilitate healing, Trip. But I am grateful for it. I did not like seeing you in pain.

Trip, who faced the ceiling to try to not make it so obvious he was telepathically conversing with his bondmate, almost cracked a smile.

That makes two of us. You and this bond are waaayyyyy better than any pain killer I’ve ever had. And I’ve had a lot.

I am all too aware of that.

Trip did smile this time. Then a beat later he frowned, serious again.

So, what’s our situation?

Hey, I can act too! Like you! Give me a chance.

T’Pol sighed.

I need you to act as if you are in pain. Great, mortal, excruciating pain. Make as if I am causing it. Ask for help immediately. But be clear it is my fault.

I love a woman with a plan. Just let me know when you’re ready.

T’Pol faced the ceiling again and adjusted her restraints on her left wrist. It was the side of the table that she hoped was in a blind spot to her captors. With Trip on her right, the alien would hopefully come directly between them, allowing her to free her left hand and use it to incapacitate the alien with a nerve pinch.

Ready when you are, Commander.

With that, Trip dug in and released a blood curdling scream. As bad as the pain from before had been, he’d been able to keep his own reactions to moans. He thought he’d surprise them with a scream cranked up to full volume.

“Help me! She’s killing me! Make her stop! Help me! Get in here now!”

T’Pol merely lay still, pretending to be in a trance, fulfilling her role of telepathic torturer.

The alien, who had been monitoring Trip’s progress, bolted up in his seat, alarmed at the sudden ruckus going on in the next room. He looked through the window and saw Subject T thrashing, screaming. This was unexpected. His mind ran quickly through the protocol but before he could contact his superior, he looked again at Subject T and saw what looked like seizing. Subject T was too valuable of a specimen to die! They were just beginning to see the amazing possibilities of the psychic bond these two possessed. They could not lose him now!

The scientist grabbed his gear and ran into the room and into the space between the two. He placed his hands on Subject T’s upper arms in an attempt to contain his thrashing. That’s when Trip seized his own opportunity and stopped screaming to head-butt the scientist. Caught by surprise, the scientist stumbled backward – right into T’Pol, who had freed her left hand and used it to sit upright. She slipped her left hand on the left side of the alien’s neck and pinched. In a second, he slumped to the ground.

T’Pol quickly used her free hand to loosen the rest of her restraints, then jumped off her bed to free Trip. She gently took the leads off his temple. The aliens had actually removed the tubes when the two were reunited, perhaps as a way to establish a control, with no outside influences on their favorite test subject.

As she leaned over him to free his right wrist, he looked lovingly on her and whispered, “Someday you’re gonna have to tell me how you got so Harry Houdini-good at all this super secret spy stuff.”

She pulled back at him and caught his smile. She just arched her eyebrow, which made him smile wider. She pulled back entirely from the bed and let him work on his ankle restraints. By the way he sat himself upright and worked deftly at releasing himself, she could see that his health had indeed returned. Not 100 percent, but to a level where she wouldn’t have to worry about him. Not much, anyway.

While Trip freed himself, T’Pol grabbed the scientist, stripping him of his clothes. She grabbed the pants and gave Trip his tunic. She hauled the unconscious alien onto her bed, using the restraints on him. She perused the gear and found what she surmised to be the equivalent of a hypospray. She also found other instruments but stopped at one that seemed to be like a very sharp laser scalpel. She pulled this out and pocketed it.

The two moved quietly and quickly into the monitoring room.

“Hey, there are our EV suits!” Trip ran to the other side of the room where the suits were hanging on hooks. “Maybe that means our communicators are around here too. Could we really be that lucky?”

“Doubtful, but please continue to search,” T’Pol said over her shoulder. She had already begun to investigate the instrument panel in the room, which included several monitors, some tuned to the ship’s hallways. Clear, so far.

T’Pol raced through and although the technology was more advanced, it followed a logical pattern that her mind recognized. Soon, she was able to locate what she believed was a control panel that led to communications.

“Wait, T’Pol. You send something now they’ll come right after us. Let me try to disable some of their systems so they don’t know what’s going on,” Trip said.

T’Pol turned around in her seat to find her bondmate, who had found an extra pair of trousers in the room, leaning against the console opposite her.

“That is a sound suggestion,” said T’Pol, who rose from her seat and allowed him to go at it. Because he could tap into her mind, he quickly processed the information she’d already gathered about the controls and went about causing gremlin-like havoc throughout the ship, tampering with environmental controls, anti-grav, nav and any other system he could hack into from here.

It wasn’t long before they heard someone speedily coming up behind the door that led to the monitoring. It was the only way to reach the lab, so they stood on either side of the door, waiting.

In the instant the door slid open, T’Pol grabbed the alien who came in, slipping her left arm around the waist and her right holding the laser scalpel to the alien’s neck.

Trip put his fingers to his lip to show the alien to stay quiet. He recognized her as Miz Mad Sci herself.

She stepped in alone, with no other escorts, who were no doubt needed elsewhere on a ship thrown into sudden chaos.

T’Pol backed her up until they were flush against a wall, then spun around to face her, laser scalpel still in hand, still dangerously close to her.

T’Pol leaned in and whispered, “Do not scream. Do not try to contact your people. As you can see, they’ve got more than enough to deal with, thanks to Mr. Tucker. If you do, I shall no choice but to harm you. And though I am Vulcan, part of me would welcome that, given what you put my mate through.”

A flash of the enraged T’Pol poured through her eyes to the now wide eyes of the female alien.

T’Pol continued. “We need to contact our ship. Where are our communication devices?”

The shaky hand of the alien pointed to a panel on the same side as the hanging EV suits. T’Pol nodded to Trip, who went about meticulously looking for hidden panels, much the same way she had in her cell.

While he was doing that, T’Pol interrogated their prisoner. “Who are you? Why have you abducted us? What is the purpose of these tests you put us through?”

“I suspect you already are fully aware of the why, Commander,” said Miz MS. “You are a scientist. You recognized the process. But to answer your other questions, we are a race called the Srivani. I am called Pardor, the head of research on this vessel. This is what we do. Our race is under strain from several lethal diseases that threaten to wipe us out within the next four or five generations. We are an advanced society equipped – blessed – with an aptitude for scientific methodology. We were sent forth as one of four deep space science missions decades ago from the Delta Quadrant. We’ve only broached your Alpha Quadrant recently. But you understand, our methods are such that we rely on secrecy to achieve our ends. We do not want others to be aware of us. It would make us vulnerable. You would want to start sending ships to the Delta Quadrant, and we cannot have that.”

“So the ruse, to simulate a ship in distress?” T’Pol asked.

“Ah yes, that’s one of our more elaborate plans. We had not had new subjects in a very long time. We were desperate to find more,” Pardor said. “We used recordings from previous sessions and eavesdropped on other disasters.”

“So this is what you do? You poach from ships in distress and then you get the idea to go one step further and initiate abductions?” Trip had sat down with the communicators in hand and stared at his torturer.

“We do what is necessary to attain results, Commander,” Pardor said, looking at him.

“The ends justify the means,” T’Pol said.

“Surely, as a scientist, you can understand our methods and the reasons we need to do what we do,” Pardor said.

“As a scientist, I am appalled at the lengths you would go to further your research. We do not subject innocents to the torture you applied to our crewmen. To my mate. We use computer simulations and other non-invasive methods. We do not create elaborate ruses and we do not kidnap sentient beings,” T’Pol said. “Surely a civilization as ‘evolved’ as you are could find other ways.”

“Other ways take too much time, Commander,” Pardor said. “Only testing at this level will allow us to move farther faster in our research. Your ‘mate’ was proving to be most promising in steering us toward a new direction in psychic healing.”

T’Pol’s dormant wrath began to percolate and it was only through a gentle touch through the bond from Trip that kept her from slicing Pardor from ear to ear, her instinctive protectiveness toward her mate threatening to override her demeanor.

“Fascinating, this bond of yours,” Pardor said, observing the brief interaction between the two. “We could have studied it very carefully for a great deal of time.”

“We’re not your guinea pigs anymore, lady,” Trip said. “And if we can help it, no one else is going to be either -- at least in this quadrant. We’re gonna shut you Frankensteins down.”

“You have no idea at the damage you would be doing, Mr. Tucker,” Pardor said. “There is so much we can learn, and so much knowledge we could gain through these studies.”

This time, T’Pol intervened as Trip made a move toward the woman, to give her more of his two cents. She stepped between the two, placing a hand on Trip’s arm, which stayed him.

“Your ‘studies’ are not worth the loss of innocent lives, Pardor,” T’Pol. “For science to succeed, it must be done within a lens of compassion and empathy – especially when you are dealing with live, sentient subjects. You have cast away all semblance of those emotions in place of a cold, calculating disregard for the pain you force upon your subjects. And it appears you will stop at nothing to gather information, crossing all moral and ethical boundaries to achieve your goals.”

“Whatever you may think, our research will save innocent lives – the lives of our people,” Pardor said. “If you stop us, others will come and take our place. We will find other ways.”

“You will find it will be a long time before your other ways find their way upon Alpha Quadrant subjects again,” T’Pol said, leaning into Pardor, close enough to push the other woman against the wall. A foreign feature crossed Pardor’s face: fear. The scientist glimpsed the feral nature just beneath the surface of the logical Vulcan. “Now you will tell us where we are and how to release us to be picked up by our ship.”

Pardor looked at her in disbelief for a moment before nodding reluctantly, backing down to the intensity of T’Pol’s gaze.

%%%

Bridge of the Enterprise
0700 hrs

Hoshi’s eyes, which had been meticulously checking her scanners for any sign of the missing commanders, snapped to a stationary position, the kind of almost zoned out look you get when you’re trying to focus on your other senses.

There. She heard it again. A slight crackle of static followed by what sounded very much like T’Pol’s voice. She tensed, drawing the attention of other officers on the bridge. They figured from her shushing arm movement something was up.

“I’m making out a message from Commander T’Pol,” said Hoshi, who paused as she focused her ears. “Enterprise, This is Commander T’Pol. Commander Tucker and I are on board a Srivani vessel on the other side of the moon you are currently orbiting.”

“Hoshi, can they hear us?” Archer asked, moving to stand next to Hoshi’s console.

Hoshi nodded.

“T’Pol. It’s good to hear your voice,” Archer said, letting the relief seep through his voice. “Are you two ok?”

“Captain, we are fine but we would appreciate a,” T’Pol paused, “lift?”

Archer smiled – an expression the rest of the crew shared.

“I think we can arrange that, Commanders. Where are you?”

“I’m sending you the coordinates now, Captain. We are on the other side of the moon Enterprise is currently orbiting. We are in a cloaked vessel but we will disable their shields long enough for you to transport us out,” said T’Pol.

“Understood. We’ll rendezvous with you shortly,” said Archer. “And I want to say, from me and the rest of the crew, how relieved we are that you’re safe and sound.”

“Thank you, Captain. We are also relieved, but we are also aggrieved at the loss of Crewmen Biggs and Wilber. We have sustained only minor injuries. We’ll fill you in when you get us,” said T’Pol.

“And what about your captors?” Archer asked, who glanced at a still tensed up Reed, who was paying very close attention to this line of questioning.

“We have assumed control over their vessel, Captain,” said T’Pol. “They no longer pose a threat to us or to Enterprise.”

“Well done, Commanders,” Archer said. “We’ll see you soon.”

With that, Archer turned to Hoshi.

“Hoshi, who are the Srivani?”

%%%

Enterprise, Captain’s Ready Room
1200 hrs

“So we’re just supposed to let them go? What about the crimes against humanity – not to mention other species – they’ve perpetuated in the name of science?” Archer was nearly in a full-blown rage, pacing in front of his ready room window. “And what about the justice in killing two members of my crew?”

“I am not saying they do not deserve punishment, Captain,” T’Pol said, now dressed in one of her catsuits (the teal one). She stood opposite him on the other side of his desk. “I completely concur with the idea that what they’ve done is abhorrent. As a scientist, I cannot support the way they executed their hypotheses.”

“You mean, since they executed their subjects,” said Trip, who sat in the chair, forming a triangle with the other two. T’Pol turned her head toward her mate and arched an eyebrow.

She turned back to the Captain.

“I have talked extensively to the head of this particular Srivani mission, Pardor. I have informed her that we will warn all of our allies and anyone we come into contact with about their treachery and their methods,” T’Pol said. “I told her that the Alpha Quadrant would no longer be supplying them with unsuspecting test subjects.”

“I still don’t feel right about this, T’Pol,” Archer said, finally stopping his pacing to plop, resigned, into this chair. T’Pol relaxed the slightest bit. “I think we’re giving them just a slap on the wrist.”

“Well, we hit them a little where they hurt,” Trip said.

Archer’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean, Trip?”

“I kinda went into their research data and sorta erased their results,” Trip said. “They had so much blood on their hands, and they were going to keep doing it until someone took away all they’d gained from it. And now that we’re warning everyone we know, they won’t be able to pull off more research here. They’re gonna have to go home.”

“Kinda and sorta the way our research got zapped by Triannons in the Expanse?” Archer said, with a little bit more humor than he had at the time of that particular incident.

“Yeah, except it’s gonna take them a lot longer to try to get back their research than it took us,” Trip said.

“Under the circumstances, we thought it was the best way to deal with their transgressions,” T’Pol said.

“I can’t say it satisfies me, but at least they won’t have anything they can bring back to their people,” Archer said. He paused, looking worried. “That doesn’t mean they’d be desperate enough to find some more guinea pigs, would it?”

“We thought of that as well, Captain, and so we disabled their research equipment as well,” T’Pol said. “They will not be able to use any ‘guinea pigs’ with what they have now.”

“I see,” Archer said. “Well, good. That’s the least we can do to them. But I’m still wondering, how did they fool us?

“We found out they have an advanced holograhic device that was able to fool our sensors,” T’Pol said. “They have been using it as bait for vessels such as ours, feeding us a repeating loop complete with all the right bells and whistles for us to respond to.”

Archer smiled.

“Since when do you use words like ‘bait’ and ‘bells and whistles,’ Commander?”

Trip stifled a guffaw, covering his mouth while T’Pol looked at him, annoyed, before turning back to their Captain.

“Apparently, since I have been in the company of a certain Chief Engineer whose colloquialisms are rampant with such expressions,” T’Pol said, drawing another smile from their commanding officer, as well as a smile from her mate.

“If you will excuse us, Captain, we are due in Sick Bay for a final examination from Dr. Phlox,” T’Pol said. Trip rose from his seat as the two began to exit.

“Right. Well, take the day off, you two,” Archer said. “You’ve been through a lot for one day.”

“Thanks, Cap’n,” Trip said to Archer even though his eyes were only on T’Pol.

%%%

Enterprise, T’Pol’s quarters
0500 hrs

“You know, it’s kinda nice having a day off. I forget all the things you can do when you have some time off,” said Trip, who sprawled out on T’Pol’s bed, his hands behind his head, the sheets pulled up to his bare torso. A satisfied smile on his face, he was the picture of relaxation.

T’Pol walked out of her bathroom in her silk robe, wiping the drops off her wet hair with a towel.

“Many of the things we spent doing this afternoon we’ve done before, Trip,” T’Pol said, walking toward the bed.

Trip turned toward her, bending his right elbow under his head so he could look at her.

“Darlin, I’m not saying we haven’t done those things before, I’m just saying it’s nice to be able to do them at a time we’d usually be working,” he said. “Besides, what makes you think I wasn’t talking about paperwork?”

T’Pol, who stood in front of him on the bed, threw him a glance that practically screamed, Yeah, right.

“Trip, you spent perhaps 10 minutes on your PADD before we,” T’Pol didn’t have a chance to finish her sentence since at that same moment, Trip reached out with his right hand around her waist and pulled her to the bed, kissing her senseless as she landed flush on him.

After a few moments, she pulled up from him, her hands still on his chest.

“There are some benefits to having a day off,” she whispered, her mouth still hovering above his.

Trip smiled and ran his fingers across her cheek.

“We’ve still got more than 12 hours before we have to go on duty,” he said, just as softly.

T’Pol sat up abruptly, moving to leave the bed.

“Then we should make the most of the time catching up with our work and meditation and recuperating from our ordeal on board the Srivani vessel,” she said.

Trip grabbed her around the waist again and pulled her back to him.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, the doc cleared us! I think we could make the most of our time recuperating right here, T’Pol,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips as he realized he’d completely taken her teasing bait. “But you knew that would be my first option, didn’t you?”

“I make no such assumptions, Trip,” said T’Pol, whose own features softened as she gazed at her bondmate. “But I’m gratified that spending time with me would be your first choice.”

Trip, who was now semi-upright on the bed, leaned in to kiss her.

“Spending time with you will always be my first choice, T’Pol,” he said. “I can’t imagine it any other way.”

“Nor I,” said T’Pol, who returned his kiss and pushed him back down to the bed, where they stayed entwined until their next duty shift.

FINIS

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