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Reflection - Ch 5

Author - Triplover
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Reflection

By Triplover

Disclaimer: I don’t own a thing.
Rating: R
Summary: Trip must face some old demons when a friend from the past reappears asking to stay on Enterprise as a member of the crew.

Chapter Five

Archer had hoped Trip and Sim would get along but things weren’t looking so good for the two of them. Trip seemed uncomfortable talking to Sim unless it was about some broken conduit or anything else connected to their duties. He seemed to be uncomfortable speaking with T’Pol as well though Archer couldn’t figure that one out no matter how hard he tried. Jonathan knew he had to do something. Trip was beginning to distance himself. It had only been a few hours since Archer had made contact with the Zarkins and in that time he’d noticed the change in his chief engineer. He’d noticed it from the day Sim came aboard Enterprise.

He had planed to take T’Pol and Sim along with him to the planet but perhaps it would be a good idea to bring Trip along as well. Then he and T’Pol could get the work done while Trip and Sim got stuck in a shuttle pod for a few hours. The Zarkins were only willing to talk with two people until they were sure humans weren’t dangerous. Trip and Sim would have to spend a lot of time together. It might just be the only thing to get them talking.

==

“I don’t know, Cap’n, I’m pretty busy down here. You wouldn’t believe how many repairs I’ve had to make to the environmental controls.”

Archer groaned inwardly. He never should have told him Sim was coming. He wouldn’t make that mistake again. This was beginning to give the captain a headache. “Trip, you’re going! I want you to be there and so you’re coming. Is that understood?”

Trip looked up at Archer in surprise. “Yeah Cap’n… understood,” he whispered.

Archer nodded. “Report to the launch bay in an hour.”

“Aye, sir.”

Archer gave him a good stern look, one of his best before walking out of engineering. Sim would be a little harder. Technically he wasn’t a member of Starfleet, but he was a member of this crew, which meant he was under Archer’s command. Perhaps it would be best if he didn’t mention the fact that Trip was going. He didn’t want another fight about being busy when Archer knew damn well neither of them had that much they needed to do.

==

Archer moved out into the hall and walked down the many corridors until he reached Sim’s. He chimed in and waited only a few seconds before the door slid open. “Cap’n?”

“I want you to report to the launch bay in an hour. You’re coming with me down to the planet,” he said simply getting right down to business. With Sim he knew he had to just cut to the chase. Sim could see right through him, just like Trip.

Sim smiled. “Aye, sir.”

“See you then,” Archer said before walking away. There was just one last stop left. This time he knew he’d have to tell his first officer the truth. He couldn’t just avoid the fact that he was picking both Sim and Trip for the mission when he knew very well how the two would react. He stopped and let out a sigh before turning to the door leading to T’Pol’s quarters. He chimed in.

“Come,” she said through the door.

Archer stepped in, the door sliding open to show her making her bed as neatly as always. “T’Pol, as you know you’ll be on the mission to visit the Zarkins. I just wanted to inform you that Trip and Sim would both be coming along as well.”

T’Pol’s eyes shot over to him in shock. “I do not think that is a good idea, Captain.”

Archer smiled. “Neither do I. But we have to do something. Sim might just be here for a long time. It can’t be like this forever.”

T’Pol nodded though Archer could tell she still wasn’t sure about his choice. “Why are you telling me this?”

Archer looked her in the eye and took a step closer to her. “I just thought you should know, somehow I doubt having those two near each other for long periods of time will make things easier for either of us.”

“I can handle them,” she told him.

Archer laughed before turning around and walking to the door. “I’m sure you can T’Pol.”

==

The entire ride down to the planet was in silence and Jonathan was getting rather tired of it. It was driving him insane. Then there was the fact that Archer had tried his best, he’d tried everything except for ordering them to talk to each other. The silence was driving him insane. When they finally reached the planet Archer let a relived sigh. “Okay, Trip, Sim… I want you both to stay here until the Zarkins agree to have you. Until then only two of us can meet with them. T’Pol, get our stuff while I shut down the pod.”

T’Pol did as told while Trip looked down at his padd. Sim was sitting there staring at the floor. Both looked extremely uncomfortable. When T’Pol finished Archer smiled at the two. “Enjoy yourselves, boys,” he said calmly though on the inside he was kicking himself for coming up with such a stupid plan. They wouldn’t talk to each other. It was a lost cause. They were acting like children for god’s sake! Archer and T’Pol jumped out of the pod and closed the door. He was just glad to get out of there with those two.

==

Sim looked up at Trip. Though Sim hated to admit it for a while he’d hated Trip. Trip had everything Sim wanted. He was the one the Enterprise crew had cared about. He was the one Archer cared for, the only thing that was not exactly his was T’Pol. Of that Sim was grateful. Although he didn’t know exactly what their relationship was at this point he could tell nothing was going on between them. He knew T’Pol well and considering the fact that he was Trip’s clone he was sure he knew Trip even better. “We can’t keep doin’ this ya know,” Sim told him.

Trip looked up from his padd faking surprise. “Doin’ what?”

Sim shook his head rolling his eyes. “Trip, I’m your clone. Do you really think ya can pull one on me? Is that what you’re afraid of? Bein’ around somebody who knows how you think? Knows how you feel? Must be pretty scary.”

Trip glared at him. “You forget Sim, I know how you think too.”

Sim laughed. “You don’t know a single thing about me. Just because I have your memories and personality doesn’t mean you know me. I have my own memories too. You have no idea what I’ve been through.”

Trip cocked his head. “And what, you think I’ve been frozen for the past few months?” Trip asked in annoyance.

Sim shook his head and sighed. “This is getting us nowhere Trip.”

Trip had to agree with him on that. “Yeah well look, I can tell you don’t like me very much so maybe it’s time you change your opinion of me.”

“It’s not as easy as that,” Sim almost whispered.

“Well then what do we do Sim? What do you want me to do? You're right, we can’t keep doin’ this but it can’t just be me to change. So what are we gonna do?”

“I don’t know. I just know we can’t keep this up. But it isn’t easy to get past what happened between us.”

“I don’t even know what happened between us! Maybe you forgot but I was in a coma at the time dammit!”

Sim glared at him. “Well I wasn’t! Every damn day since I was told about who I really was people have treated me differently. Always bein’ reminded that I’m your clone. You have no idea what it was like livin’ in your shadow. A reflection in your mirror, that’s all I ever was! They used me to save you because I wasn’t important! I had your memories. I looked like you. I was you! But I could never seem to have what you had the chance to have. The only life I ever had was life of an unimportant clone. You have NO idea what it was like!”

“If that’s true why was it so important for the cap’n to bring ya to Enterprise?” Trip asked.

“He had me give up my life to save his best friend so he could save the world. If you were in his position what would you have done? If you had someone let himself be killed, then it turned out he wasn’t really dead, wouldn’t you wanna pay him back for what he gave up?”

Trip was no longer able to look Sim in the eye. This wasn’t going well at all. Trip couldn’t understand why Sim was always acting this way. Trip wasn’t the one to kill him. He’d done nothing wrong. Sim didn’t like him and he was starting to get the picture and the picture was not very nice looking at all. He could see why Sim was being such a hard ass. “Yeah, I guess I would.”

Sim nodded. “His guilt made him help me. That’s why he did it. That’s the only reason he did it. The only friend I ever had is Rylic.”

Before Trip could make a reply there was a knock at the door and a Zarkin peeked through the window. Sim and Trip turned to look at him and after a seconds hesitation Sim opened the door. The Zarkin smiled. “Your captain wants to see you.”

“Me?” Sim asked.

The Zarkin nodded. “Only you.”

==

Sim walked along with the Zarkin before they headed into a building that seemed to be abandoned. “My master wants to know why you haven’t destroyed Enterprise yet,” the Zarkin said. “Where is the information you were supposed to get?”

Sim frowned to keep from groaning. “Tesic?”

The man nodded. “Yeah, it’s me.”

Sim expelled air he hadn’t even known he’d been keeping in. “What are ya doin’ here?

“Looking after you. The master was worried that you would not have the guts to complete your mission alone.”

“I can complete it just fine on my own thank ya very much,” Sim said with a hint of anger in his voice.

“Then why haven’t you gotten the information and destroyed them?”

“You know ‘the master’ or whoever that guy is promised that first I could have some time with them.”

Tesic turned to look Sim in the eye. “Well, the master is growing impatient. He wants Enterprise destroyed. So get what is needed, pack the Vulcan woman you want to save and get back to the ship.”

“Give me a little more time Tesic!”

Tesic sighed. “You have one week Sim. Then I want that information and that troublesome vessel in pieces, understand?”

Sim nodded slowly.

“Sim, you know what happens if you fail. Do you really want him to activate the ring?”

Sim swallowed hard. “One week. I got it.”

Tesic nodded. “Good, because I’d hate for you to die in such an extremely painful way. I hear you can actually feel your body burning. It sounds very painful.”

Sim glared at him trying to pushed down the anger growing inside him, this from a man who tortured him every single day not but months before. “I have no intention of dyin’. I’ll destroy Enterprise. Don’t worry bout that. I simply have unfinished business with them.”

Tesic moved his hand to Sim’s shoulder. Sim wanted to cut that side of his body off at the feel of this man’s hand on his shoulder. “The master doesn’t care about your ‘unfinished business’. And he certainly doesn’t care about some unimportant clone. He only kept you alive so you could complete your mission. Get it done Sim, or he’ll kill you in the worst way,” Tesic told him before walking through the door and out of the abandoned building. Sim ran his hand through his hair exhaling then closed his eyes as his left hand moved to touch the ring on his finger.

“What have I gotten myself into?” he whispered rubbing his eyes. He didn’t want to kill these people. He didn’t want to hurt anyone, but he had no choice.


Chapter 6

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Half a dozen of you have made comments

ooo, exciting! You've got me on the edge of my seat on three fronts: T/T's angst, the sim/trip wierdness factor, and sim's reluctant plot to kill them all. Can't wait to see what will happen next!

Another great chapter. Poor Trip, I would have though Archer could have been a bit more understanding. Just because he wants to relieve his own guilt about Sim he should underdstand that it must be VERY uncomfortable for Trip . It must seem like he is being replaced by Sim especially where Archer and T'pol are concerned.

What will Sim do about his plan to destroy Enterprise. Can he really kill the people he seems to care about now. He seems to have been through a terrible ordeal in his short life, hopefully he will confide in Archer or Trip to find a solution to his predicament.

OOooh, very good! Poor Sim, and poor Trip. What a mess. Wonder who will step in to save the day? Can't wait for the next part, Ali D :~)

Oooooooo! What fun is this? Please do continue, this looks delightful.

Wow... it's... hmmm... a mess. Doesn't look like a win, win situation for anyone at this point. T'Pol/Sim/Trip interesting triangle you've got going there. You are going to have T'Pol and Trip confront one another at some point aren't you? I'm finding Archer ordering Trip to accompany them to the planet just plain silly. What did he expect them to do -- go into a waltz! Trip should have it on SF record that he went under duress! Poor Sim caught between a rock, and a hard place, I'm afraid I don't see it ending well for him.

Well I'm just on the edge of my seat... hurry and continue!

This is really good, Triplover. The situation is bizarre. :-) I look forward to the next chapter; the story is *very* intriguing.