Vivarium- Ch. 4

Vivarium

By A. Rhea King

Rating: PG-13, Drama/General
Disclaimer: Characters and “Enterprise” belong to Paramount. No money made.

*****************

Chapter 4

Archer raised his hand to slap the monitor and stopped. He let out an angry grunt instead and lowered his hand as he fell back into his chair. Archer massaged his temples, closing his eyes.

Archer looked at the door when the doorbell beeped. “Come in.”

Hoshi entered.

“It’s late. What are you doing up?” Archer asked her. He went back to work on his terminal before she replied.

Hoshi smiles. “Well, I sort of got asked to do a favor.”

“Which is?”

“The crew is worried about you, Captain. You’ve been up for three days straight and Chef told them you’ve only had two meals in three days. We really need you right now. You should get some rest and if there’s something any of us could do, to let us.”

Archer looked up at Hoshi. She smiles
.
“They’re our friends too.”

Archer nods. “I’ll give you the information we received from the last freighter. A fresh pair of eyes may be able to find something I haven’t. If you come up with anything, you have to promise to wake me.”

“Immediately, sir.”

Archer slid a data card into the slot beside the monitor and hands it to Hoshi. She took it, looking at Archer when he didn’t let go.

“Thanks, Hoshi.”

Hoshi smiles and leaves.

Archer slowly rose, looking out at space.

**************

Trip sat up, hearing one of the doors open in the other room. He stood, walking toward the bedroom door. The overhead lights came on and he squinted until his eyes adjusted to the bright light. He found five Par’Tek standing in the door of the bedroom. One smiled, speaking to Trip in their language using a gentle, singsong voice.

“What’d’ya want?” Trip demanded.

He continued speaking as he reached in his pocket and pulled out what looked like an apple. He held it out to Trip, stepping toward him. Trip retreated a step, his dread deepening as he listened to the Par’Tek continue speaking.

“Stay away!” Trip snapped, retreating back another step to put himself between the Par’Tek and T’Pol.

The Par’Tek turned to the others. The five had a brief conversation and one left. The four that remained continued talking, motioning to Trip and T’Pol occasionally. The one that left returned with a weapon similar to the one used in the cell. Another Par’Tek followed him with a two-meter long rod that had a wide flimsy loop at one end. Trip stepped back when the first Par’Tek stepped toward him again.

The one that had the weapon aimed it at Trip. Trip ducked and leapt to the side when the Par’Tek fired the weapon at him. He turned, seeing the loop of the rod heading toward him. Trip bolted back toward T’Pol. The loop came down over his head and he reached up to push it away. Trip gagged, falling back when the loop was yanked hard enough to momentarily cut off his air. Trip struggled against the loop, trying to pull it off or turn so he could grab the rod away, but the Par’Tek was keeping it turned so the rod was behind Trip while pulling him away from the bed at the same time. Trip watched the other Par’Tek walk past him to the bed and swung out at one that came close. The Par’Tek moved away, saying something in a sharp tone to Trip.

“BACK AT YA!” Trip screamed. He felt something sting his arm and let out a yell of pain and anger.

He was able to turn enough to see the Par’Tek giving him the shot. He felt another Par’Tek grab his wrists, and then he was pushed to the floor with his wrists pinned behind him in a lock hold. Trip struggled to get free but he was at a disadvantage in this position. Trip turned his head and the room blurred suddenly. He closed his eyes a second, feeling his limbs become leaden and numb. Trip felt like he was floating with the room and he lost all orientation when he opened his eyes, unable to even tell which way was up or down. The Par’Tek voices sounded distant and far away. He felt someone pull the loop off his neck and whoever was holding him released him, gently rolling him onto his side. Wherever a Par’Tek touched his body his skin tingled slightly and the sensation lingered even after the pressure of their touch left. Trip could make out Par’Tek in front of him, but under the affect of the drug he couldn’t tell exactly how many he was seeing. They were drifting with everything else in the room. He saw three Par’Tek hold up a slim black metallic instrument and then a penlight was shone in his eyes. He closed his eyes against the light but his eyes were forced open one at a time.

“Go away,” Trip whispered, or thought he did.

He felt the floor under his back and then there were a pair of hands touching various parts of his body. He closed his eyes and opened them again, but the room was still drifting. He felt them give him several shots, but none of them affected him like the first one had. He felt hands grab his arms and haul him to his feet. They led him across the room, patiently waiting as he tested each step. The hands gently placed him back in the armchair and then they were gone. Trip swallowed, letting his head fall back against the chair back.

“What do they want?” Trip whispered to the air.

The air didn’t reply.

Doctor Phlox opened his eyes and stared at the lamp beside the bed. He rolled onto his back, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling. He sat up, finding the entire room unfamiliar. Doctor Phlox swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stopped, staring down at himself. He didn’t remember taking his clothes off. He looked around, spotting clothes laid out on a chair near the bed. They were human civilian clothes, but he decided clothes were better than being nude. Doctor Phlox walked out of the bedroom into a living room and found Ensign Elizabeth Cutler sitting in a chair curled into a chair and crying. Doctor Phlox walked over to her, sitting on the end table beside the chair.

“Ensign?”

Elizabeth looked up at him, gasping back sobs. “I woke up with you.”

“What?”

“We were in the same bed. We were naked. And look.” She held out her right arm, showing him a tattooed number on her wrist. “You have one too. I don’t know where we’re at. Both doors are locked. And—”

“Shhhh.” Doctor Phlox reached out, laying his hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay.
”
“IT’S NOT OKAY!” she screamed.

Doctor Phlox leaned forward, giving her shoulder a light squeeze. “Elizabeth, it will be okay. We cannot loose our heads at this moment. This is when we have to stay calm and collected, okay?”

Elizabeth sniffed, nodding.

“Good.” Doctor Phlox patted her shoulder. “You told me once you sleep in the nude. Waking up like that shouldn’t have been that unusual, should it?”

Elizabeth smiled, even laughed a little. She shrugged.

“Course, anyone seeing me nude would be afraid, wouldn’t they?”

She laughed again, looking up at him. “No.”

Doctor Phlox sighed, looking around the room. “Not much on decorations, are they? Whoever they are.”

“Par’Tek. These five were in here a little bit ago. They came in and I guess checked on you and spoke for a little bit and then they held me down, gave me shots and left.”

“Did they speak to you?”

“No. There’s some kind of drink in the fridge,” Cutler motioned to the refrigerator, “but it’s tasteless.”

“Well, hopefully that will change. Have you eaten?”

“No. That fruit’s all that there is to eat.” Elizabeth motioned to the table where a bowl of fruit was sitting. “But I don’t even know if it’s edible.”

Doctor Phlox looked back at her. She looked ready to cry again.

“It’s going to be okay, Elizabeth.”

Fresh tears started as she broke down again. Doctor Phlox sat down on the arm of the chair, holding her.

*****************

“Captain—” Travis started, cut off when Enterprise rocked from a sudden hit.

Archer was thrown against the situation monitor. He stood and ran onto the bridge, sliding into the Captain’s chair.

“ALL HANDS TO STATIONS!” Hoshi yelled on the bridge COM.

Enterprise rocked again from another hit.

“Hull polarized. Permission to fire at will, sir?” Malcolm asked.

“Granted. Where did they come from?”

“Don’t know. I picked up a disturbance and then they just appeared,” Travis answered. “They must have a cloaking device.”

Enterprise rocked again.

“Travis, get us out of here.”

Enterprise leapt to warp four.

“They’re pursuing,” Travis reported.

“Pick up the speed, Travis.”

Travis watched his controls. “Sir, we’re reaching warp five.”

Archer shook his head. “Are they hailing us, Hoshi?”

“No, sir.”

“Hail them.”

Hoshi obeyed. She looked at Archer. “No reply, sir. They’re staying silent.”

“Sir, a ship just uncloaked in front of us,” Travis said.

“Avoid it.”

Enterprise banked right, passing the ship.

“Sir, they’re picking up speed.”

“Got to maximum warp.”

“They’re gaining, sir.”

Archer didn’t want to hear that. “Travis…when they get up to us, slow until they flank us, drop out of warp, bring us about and get us out of here.”

“Aye, sir.”

Archer looked up at the view screen. He saw them slow down and the ships appeared on the view screen. They suddenly dropped out of warp, banked left and jumped back to warp.

“Report,” Archer ordered.

Travis frowned. “They’re approaching us.”

“Hoshi, hail them.”

“Still nothing, sir.”

“We can’t keep this speed, sir. If we drop to warp four, they’re going to catch up to us.”

“We don’t have a choice. Drop to warp four. Wait for them to get in target range and then drop to impulse. Keep the hull polarized, Malcolm, and fire at will.”

“Aye, sir,” Travis and Malcolm replied.

Archer watched the stars suddenly stop and the two ships immediately opened fire.

“They’re targeting engines and weapons,” Malcolm reported.

“Evasive maneuvers, Travis,” Archer snapped.

“We’re being boarded, sir,” The ensign manning the science station reported.

“Open the ship COM, Hoshi.”

“I can’t. They’ve disabled it from B deck.”

Archer looked at her. “They disabled internal communications?”

“Sit,” a voice ordered from behind Archer.

Archer looked back, his eyes first focusing on the end of the phaser rifle and then on the alien behind it. The alien was humanoid with several black lines painted across his face. He had dark brown, almost black hair down to his shoulders, dark, thick eyebrows and black eyes. He was dressed in dirty, rumpled clothes.

“Who—”

He reached out and shoved Archer into the captain’s chair, pushing the rifle into Archer’s face.

“Order your crew to move away from their stations to the front of the bridge or they’ll watch your execution from where they sit.”

Archer watched the man’s face.

“Do as he says,” Archer ordered.

The man slowly stood up and Archer looked past him. There were five more aliens on the bridge and they were motioning the bridge crew to sit along the front of the bridge.

“What do you wan—”

The alien struck Archer across the face with his fist.

“SILENCE!” he yelled at Archer.

Archer kept silent, holding his hand to his split lip. The six aliens didn’t say anything to Archer or his crew while they stood guard over them. The alien standing next to Archer leaned back against the railing behind Archer’s chair after a while, cradling his phase rifle in his arms. Archer heard a soft beep and the alien touched a silver button on his shirt, speaking in his own language. He stood, walking forward a few steps, looking up at the view screen. He leaned over the helm controls, nodding and replying. He stood and looked at the five, speaking to them. He turned to Archer, reached in his pocket and produced a data disk, holding it out to Archer.

Archer took the disk, watching the alien.

“My apologies for striking you. It was necessary that you remained silent. Your internal communications had been compromised and has been transmitting everything said aboard your ship to the Par’Tek. That has been remedied. You will find further instructions on that disk.” He bowed to Archer. “Good luck retrieving your crewmen. I will be honored to fight at your side.”

The six disappeared from the bridge. Archer jumped up and ran to helm.

“What’s going on, sir?” Travis asked, getting to his feet with the other crewmen.

“They’ve cloaked already. Travis, take over helm.”

Archer trotted over to the science station and pulled up the information from the data disk. He read the information and sat for several minutes, thinking.

“Travis, I’m transmitting coordinates. Take a heading and go to warp four,” Archer ordered as he sent the coordinates to Travis.

“Aye, sir,” Travis said.

Archer stood, clearing the screen and pulling the data disk out.

“Sir?” Travis said.

Archer turned. “Yeah?”

“These coordinates take us to an asteroid field we passed a week ago. It’s outside of Par’Tek space, sir.” Travis looked up at Archer.

“I know.”

“Why…sir?”

“Do as you’re ordered, Ensign.”

“Aye, sir.” Travis turned back to his controls.

Archer started across the bridge. He stopped, looking down at the data disk. “Malcolm.”

“Yes, sir?”

“In my ready room.”

Malcolm stood and followed Archer into his ready room. Archer sat down, looking up at Malcolm.

“Malcolm…you’ve never served as a first officer to a captain, have you?”

“No, sir.”
“You’re going to get a crash course in it. Have a seat.”

Malcolm slowly sat down as Archer began telling him what was on the data disk.

******************

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