Vivarium- Ch. 5

Vivarium

By A. Rhea King

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

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Chapter 5

Trip opened his eyes, staring at the back of a Par’Tek head. He sprang from his chair, grabbing the Par’Tek’s shoulder and spinning him around. With one hand he slammed the Par’Tek to the floor by the throat and yanked his arm back to punch the Par’Tek.

“Stop!” the Par’Tek gagged.

Trip held his position, surprised to hear English.

“What are you doing to her?” Trip snarled.

“Nothing bad. When they took her off the transporter they gave her too much tranquilizer. She’s ill from it. I’m giving her a shot of a drug to counteract the effects.”

“It’s been over a day!” Trip yelled.

“No. It’s only been twelve hours. A lot has happened to you since you were extracted, I understand that, but I am not your enemy.”

“You’re Par’Tek,” Trip snarled, leaning toward him.

“There are two Par’Tek standing in the door watching this, Trip, and they will not stand off for much longer. Do you want to be injected with that drug again? I know how it must make you feel. Is that what you want? To be rendered helpless and unable to help her?”

Trip slowly looked back. Two Par’Tek were standing behind him with weapons he’d come to recognize as dart guns. Trip looked back down at the Par’Tek.

“How do you know my name?”

“You told one of the observing scientists your name when he was on your ship.”

Trip felt cold. He fell back to sit down between the bed and the chair. He had told the Par’Tek First Officer, Engineer Ulta his name. Trip closed his eyes, laying his head against the mattress of the bed.

“You don’t look well,” the Par’Tek said.

“HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO LOOK!?” Trip yelled, looking at the Par’Tek.

He had crouched down in front of Trip. His voice carried the same concern his expression had. “I’m sorry. She should recover by morning. I’ll have them hold off on opening the exhibit for a few days to allow her time to recover.”

“What exhibit?”

“You. You and the other’s they took from your ship are part of an exhibit.”

“We aren’t an exhibit,” Trip hissed at him.

The Par’Tek stood, reaching in the black bag he was holding. He handed Trip a PADD and stylus.

“We have provided enriched beverages, but they lack in flavor. Make a list of what you would like. Do you cook?”

Trip looked away.

“If not, I’ll have them prepare meals.”

“I cook,” Trip said, putting his forehead in his hand.

“I’ll bring utensils. Anything that must be cut will be done before hand. They won’t allow knives, forks or any sharp utensils.”

“Gee. Why’s that?” Trip asked sarcastically, looking up at him.

The Par’Tek crouched down, looking Trip in the eye. “This is not for comfort, Trip, nor is it a threat. It is a fact. They have collected you for an exhibit. You will be put on display for Par’Tek and other neighbors to come and see. You are being monitored all the time. The other humans called such place a zoo. You are part of the Par’Tek zoo and they aren’t going to release you. You are here until you die. I’m telling you this because at some point you will have to decide how you want to adjust to this life and then proceed.”

“We aren’t an exhibit,” Trip repeated.

“You are to the…us.”

Trip looked away.

“I hate to pry,” the Par’Tek said, pausing until Trip looked at him. He continued in a very quiet voice, “Are you and this Vulcan mates?”

“Yes.”

The Par’Tek met Trip’s gaze, saying quietly, “You don’t appear to be like other human and alien species are.”

“She’s a Vulcan. It’s different with her.”

“You have to convince them that you’re mates, Trip. This is an exhibit of mates. If they don’t believe you two are, you will be separated and sent to two different vivariums. You will never see one another again.” The Par’Tek stood suddenly, looking down at the bag in his hand. He added, in a louder voice, “If she appears worse, just speak up and ask for me, Gatir. One of the keepers will get me.”

Trip watched the Par’Tek leave. He looked back at T’Pol. Trip dropped the PADD and stylus on the floor. He slowly climbed back into bed and pulled her to him, holding her tight.

“God, T’Pol, none of us signed up for this,” Trip whispered to T’Pol. He closed his eyes, feeling an oncoming wave of anxiety and fear approaching.

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

Archer rose as Enterprise slowed to a stop. In front of them was an armada of ships, including five Vulcan and two-dozen Klingon ships. Most, however, were of a design Archer had never seen before.

“We’re being hailed, sir,” Hoshi said.

“On screen.”

A Vulcan appeared.

“I’m Capt—”

“Yes. We’ve been expecting you.”

Archer forced a smile. “I was told you’d brief me on what was happening.”

“Nothing is happening,” the Vulcan said, “I’m going to come aboard your ship. Prepare to dock my shuttle.”

Archer opened his mouth to speak.

The Vulcan cut him off. “I will be boarding shortly. Prepare to dock, Captain.”

Archer didn’t have a chance to reply before the transmission was ended.

“Malcolm, Hoshi, let’s go greet the friendlier than usual Vulcan. You have the bridge Travis.” Archer walked to the lift.

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

Archer watched the hatch open and two Vulcan’s step into the hall. One stopped in front of Archer, cutting him off before he could say hello.

“I am Captain Tidene. We were relayed the information you received by a sympathizer. He said they were instructed to contact your ship before coming to the armada. Why?”

“I don’t know. The disk we were given only instructed us to meet you here. What’s going on?”

“The Par’Tek have made enemies of a number of races. We have all had members of crews kidnapped by them and we have every intention of retrieving them. What information were you given?”

“We were given coordinates of breeches in the magnetic field protecting the Par’Tek home world.”

“You are sending an extraction team?”

Archer hesitated. His extraction team consisted of himself, Malcolm, Ryce and Xerrix. It wasn’t much, but he had only planned on getting his crew, not rescuing an entire population of kidnapped species.

“There are four of us,” Archer answered finally.

“That is hardly enough to attempt a rescue. The security around the zoos are high, and even with help to get into them, you will need at least five to eight more per zoo.”

“Per zoo?” Archer echoed.

“You were intending on freeing all the captives, were you not? That was our understanding from Starfleet.”

Archer again hesitated. He doubted Captain Tidene was lying to him, but on the other hand, he had serious doubts Starfleet wanted him to free every captive from every zoo across the Par’Tek globe either.

“Weren’t you?”

“No. Does Enterprise look like she can go up against an entire civilization as advance as you claim these Par’Tek are?”

“No. Which is why I asked. You and your first officer will join us on a Par’Tek vessel. We were about to begin discussing attack plans when you arrived.”

“I haven’t been contacted by Starfleet about any of this, Captain Tidene; and I am not stepping foot on a Par’Tek ship.”

“They are sympathizers.”

“I am not stepping foot on a Par’Tek ship.”

“Fine. We will bring the leaders to Enterprise. Prepare a meeting room.” Captain Tidene turned and went back onto his shuttle pod before Archer replied. The door closed and Archer let out a heavy sigh.

“Malcolm.”

“Is the mess hall acceptable, sir?” Malcolm asked.

Archer nodded.

“I’ll have it prepared.” Malcolm turned and trotted away. Archer looked down at Hoshi. “Load communicators, Hoshi, with as many languages as they’ll hold.”

Hoshi nodded and left. Archer looked down.

“God I wish T’Pol were here.” Archer headed to the mess hall to help Malcolm.

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

Trip slowly picked up a piece of fruit and put it in his mouth, unable to tear his gaze away from what was before them. The front of their quarters was clear now and there were Par’Tek and other aliens crowding against a clear wall, pointing and staring into the quarters. Between the clear wall of their quarters and the crowd was a lush grassy landscaped area. He had seen a Vulcan couple pass first and then a Ferengi couple, but no one else had passed.

“After this I’ll have more respect for the animals at the Bronx Zoo,” Trip muttered to himself.

Trip looked at the bedroom door when it slowly swung open. He offered T’Pol a smile when she looked at him.

“There’s a crowd watching.” Trip nodded toward the crowd.

T’Pol stepped into the door, watching the crowd for a few minutes. She turned her back on them and walked to the breakfast bar, sitting down on a bar stool.

“Hungry?” Trip asked her.

T’Pol nodded. Trip turned, grabbed a plate and piece of fruit and began peeling it for her.

“I don’t eat food that’s been handled, Commander, you know that.”

“You’ll stave if you don’t break that rule fast, T’Pol.”

“It is not a rule. It’s a belief that—”

“T’Pol,” Trip looked up at her. He finished fixing the plate and sat it in front of her. “Some things aren’t worth being stubborn about. Eat.”

T’Pol looked at the plate and then Trip. “Are there forks?”

“No. We might attack ‘em with forks.”

Trip suppressed his laughter when he watched her pick up a piece of fruit by pinching the smallest area surface possible. Trip leaned his hip against the breakfast bar.

“T’Pol, we gotta a problem. Beyond this whole zoo thing. The caretaker, Gatir, warned me that if we don’t look like a mates, and if we don’t start looking like mates, they’re going to separate us.”

“How do you know that this Gatir is not using this as a ploy to trick us into mating?”

“I don’t. But I think we should probably play it up some more so they believe we really are mates.”

“Are you proposing we should mate?”

“NO!” Trip looked up at her. “Hell no! I think we can pull this off without that. I’m betting my chips we’ll be outta here long before that time comes. Besides, if we get separated,” Trip looked down at the counter, “aside from making it hard for the Cap’n to find us, I would die without you, honey.” Trip looked back up at her. “I love you.”

“How do you propose we prove to them we are mates?”

Trip picked up her hand and kissed her fingers. “With as little as possible. And I’m partial to the right side of the bed.”

T’Pol nodded her head once. Trip sat her hand down, looking past her.

“Doc!” Trip said, smiling.

T’Pol looked back.

Doctor Phlox was leading Cutler through the door. He stopped beside the open bar stool and quietly urged Cutler to sit down. Cutler did, but kept a death grip on one of Phlox’s arms.

“You two hungry?” Trip asked them.

“If you don’t mind,” Phlox answered.

Trip retrieved two plates and began preparing them. He looked up at Cutler, noticing tears brimming. He looked down, smiling.

“Chin up, Lizzy.”

“I hate that name,” Cutler muttered, “You know that.”

“Lizzy? You hate Lizzy?”

Cutler smiled, looking up at him. “Don’t call me that. I’ll beat you up.”

“In that case I’m ‘fraid for my life.”

Cutler smiled, resting her head on Phlox’s shoulder.

“Fruit of an unknown variety is the specialty today,” Trip said, setting the plates down. “I’d give anything for a nice medium-well steak right now.”

“I want a bowl of Rocky Road with chocolate syrup and a couple cherries,” Cutler said. She picked up a piece of fruit, bit off half, made a face and sat it back down. “Bitter.”

“We were told by the Vulcan couple across the way that this habitat pod, as the Par’Tek call them, is for couples only,” Phlox told Trip. “Which is why it appears we were all paired.”

“There are other Vulcans here?” T’Pol looked at Phlox.

“Yes, but they don’t know that they are Vulcans. They were born here, in the vivarium, and separated at birth from their parents. There is also a Ferengi couple. The male was born here and the female was sold to the Par’Tek not long ago. They were mated shortly before we arrived.”

“Ferengi sure seem to love their money.” Trip shook his head. “I was hoping Marsha and Eddy were here too.”

“They are.” Cutler looked up at Trip. “They’re in the place next to ours. Marsha’s a mess, Trip. She won’t stop crying. Eddy can’t get her to eat anything. She gets violent when the Par’Tek come in. He’s worried they’re going to do something to her.”

“I’ll talk to her. See if I can’t help any.” Trip stood up.

“I will speak with her,” T’Pol said.

“You?”

“I am the senior officer.”

“T’Pol, this hasn’t anything to do with seniority. Marsha has never handled real tense situations well. She needs moral support. A shoulder to cry on.”

“And you believe I cannot provide that?” T’Pol looked up.

Trip sighed. “It just…not really your forte, T’Pol.”

“If she is upset the last thing she needs is another person’s emotions to deal with.”

“She has a point,” Phlox interjected.

Trip smiled a little. “Okay. Fine. You take a crack at it. But if you don’t get anywhere, don’t make things worse, okay? I’d like to keep her with Eddy and with us.”

T’Pol got up and left. Trip turned to Phlox and Cutler.

“So, Lizzy—”

Cutler reached out and batted Trip’s arm. She laughed, smiling and relaxing.

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

McDowny looked up when she heard the bedroom door open and watched T’Pol slip into the room. T’Pol sat down next to her, leaning back against the wall. McDowny closed her eyes.

“How well do you know our Captain, Ensign McDowny?”

McDowny looked at T’Pol. “What?”

“How well do you know Captain Archer, Ensign?”

“Not really.”

“I know him well since I am his first officer. I believe he will locate and rescue us. He won’t give up until he does.”

McDowny watched T’Pol’s eyes. “What if he gets killed? We’ll never know. He’ll never come!”

“He won’t get killed.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I know Captain Archer, Ensign. He has no intention of dying and he strongly believes not to leave any of his crew behind. He will come for us. You must believe in that and restore your hope.”

McDowny shook her head, looking down. “I can’t believe that.”

T’Pol took McDowny’s hand and pressed down on a pressure point in the middle of McDowny’s palm with her thumb. McDowny looked down at their hands.

“Ensign, look into my eyes,” T’Pol instructed.

McDowny looked up.

“Can you feel the pressure I am applying to your hand?”

“Yes.”

“Do you believe that I am causing the pressure?”

“Yes.”

“Why do you believe this?”

“Because I can feel it.”

“And you are certain I am creating the pressure?”

“Yes.”

“Look at your hand.”

McDowny looked down. T’Pol was holding McDowny’s hand in her own, but had moved her thumb away from the pressure point on her palm. McDowny looked back up at T’Pol.

“We may not see or hear Captain Archer, Ensign, but we must believe he is still out there and he will come. We must have hope. I believe in him. So should you.”

McDowny threw her arms around T’Pol, hugging her tight. T’Pol hesitantly held her.

“Thank you, Sub-Commander. Thank you.”

“You are welcome.”

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