Shadows - Ch 7

Shadows

By Triplover

Summary: When a time traveler from the future takes a trip into the past the future is forever changed and one man is determined to get back what was lost… no matter what the cost.
Disclaimer: I don’t own this or the characters… Captain Soma is Quill’s character and I suppose I get to have the people I make up in this story but Star Trek… this is all yours!
A/N: (I have to give some credit where it’s due… none of this would have been written if it wasn’t for Quills since it was Quill’s idea in the first place and not to mention all the help there after!)

A/N: Okay first of all… this takes place AFTER the Xindi threat has already been taken care of. Got it? Okay… also this was an idea both Quills and I came up with. I didn’t steal anyone else’s work! This is the both of ours. Got that? Good! Just clearing that part up! Now on with ‘our’ story!!!!

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Chapter Seven

Trip Tucker woke up to an odd sensation. The lower half of his body wouldn’t move. His legs felt as if they were weighted down. Pushing against the covers, his fingers pressed into something soft and warm. Almost immediately he realized what he was touching, another person. Smiling, he looked over the rumpled beige covers, already knowing who that person was. Looking down, he saw T’Pol, her body draped sleepily over his. Careful not to awaken her, he reached down, pulling her gently to him. He had always thought that she looked so serene when she slept, and he had spent many a night watching her sleep.

She almost looked like a different person from the stoic first officer he had first met. Although she had learned to relax when they were alone, she still had difficulty in the company of others, particularly their crewmates and friends. Always having a great deal on her mind, he had tried to encourage her to let go occasionally. Advice he wished he could take as well as he could give. His own mind wandered to the conversation they were supposed to have had last night. The fact that she was avoiding it worried him. She seemed on edge, and he wondered if it had anything to do with what she needed to talk about. The sudden sound of the door buzzer roused him from his thoughts. Moving carefully, so as not wake T’Pol, he slipped out of bed. Hurrying to the door, he hit the access button. As the door slid open, he was surprised to see Soma standing there with a smirk on his face.

“I’m guessing you forgot.”

Trip cocked his head in confusion. “Forgot what, cap’n?”

Soma stifled a chuckle. “Look at the clock. It’s 0700 hours. Remember now?”

Trip closed his eyes shaking his head. “The shuttle… right! Damn… I’m real sorry, Cap’n!”

“It’s no trouble chief,” said Soma, “but we do have a lot of work to do. So I would appreciate your presence in the shuttle bay. Although, I suggest we start once you’re actually dressed.”

Looking down, Trip suddenly realized that the only thing he had on was his Starfleet issue skivvies. Blushing, he hurried over to the dresser, and grabbed his uniform. While Trip fumbled into his duty clothes, Soma stepped into the room. Glancing around he noticed the décor was a bit sparse, with the exception of some books, photo albums and a rather large antique diving helmet. He was also surprised at how clean the room was. His father was notorious for not keeping after himself, and with the exception of the ship’s engines, tended to need reminding when it came to keeping himself organized. Looking past the helmet, Soma was suddenly surprised when his gaze fell upon the half naked woman still sleeping in his father’s bed. Quickly, he turned away, realizing whom the sleeping woman was. Trip looked over at him.

“Somethin’ the matter?”

Soma’s brow arched; straightening, he continued to focus his attention on the far wall.

“My father always taught me to be a gentleman, Mr. Tucker,” he replied, clearing his throat. “Gentleman, do not stare at sleeping ladies.”

“Ah,” he smiled. “Well, yer a credit to yer old man, but I’m still gettin’ dressed, so why don’t you go down to the launch bay, sir. I’ll wake T’Pol and we’ll meet ya there, that way, ya won’t have to stare.”

Swallowing hard, Soma nodded. “I think that would be a very good idea, chief. I’ll see you both in the launch bay.”

Turning away, Soma made his way to the door and a hasty exit. Trip Tucker grinned as the door closed behind the flustered Vulcan.

***

T’Pol and Trip walked into the launch bay. Soma was already sitting inside the shuttle, running scans over the main instrument controls. Noticing their arrival, he motioned them to enter the shuttle. Seeing him through the forward window port, they headed to the access ramp leading to the shuttle interior.

Soma could hear them moving up the narrow corridor to the cockpit. Continuing his scans, he didn’t bother looking up, but simply shook his head. “I was beginning to wonder if you two were going to show up.”

“I apologize,” said T’Pol. “It was my fault. I failed to set the alarm,”

Her excuse was understandable...for a human. But for a Vulcan, it was unthinkable. For a moment, he considered what could have interfered with her remembering to set the alarm. A sudden carnal thought came to his mind and he quickly banished it. Turning back the controls, he decided it was an avenue best not traveled. “Don’t worry about it.”

T’Pol stared at Soma for a moment, relieved that he didn’t press the issue with his usual attempts at sarcasm. She had already undergone a barrage of wit from Trip. A second volley from her son would test her resolve. There were times when she questioned who were the more human, Jonathan or his father. It was a question, which she doubted that she would ever arrive at a definite conclusion.

Exiting the shuttle, T’Pol walked over to the equipment locker. Pulling out a hand scanner, she began running a detailed analysis of the ship’s outer structure. It was her opinion, that determining where the shuttle had been might shed some light on their mystery. Meanwhile, Tucker took a seat next to Soma in the cockpit. He gave a cursory examination of the control. He had already inspected it when the shuttle was brought aboard. It was heavily damaged; probably from a system overload caused by the Enterprise-C’s weapons fire. A sudden beep from the console caught his attention and he turned towards Soma, whose brow arched in surprise.

“Chief… look at this.”

Trip leaned over; his eyebrows shot up as soon as he saw the time stamp on the data readout.

“Somebody sent a message from here, last night.”

Soma nodded. “They also did their best to hide that fact; it was blind luck that the scanner detected the discrepancy. The memory on the message has been erased, and I doubt we’ll be able to retrieve it.”

Turning towards the shuttle’s exit, Soma called out to T’Pol. “Sub-Commander, a moment if you please.”

T’Pol entered the shuttle. Moving into the cockpit, she kneeled down in the cramped compartment. Trip glanced up at her, pointing towards the readout.

“Have a look,” he said.

She studied the readout and the time stamp for a moment then offered a supposition. “Crewmen Cutler?”

Soma nodded. “Crewmen Cutler. The only question is… who did she send this message to and why?”

“No doubt to her superiors,” T’Pol offered.

Soma frowned. “No doubt.”

Letting out a sigh, Trip folded his arms across his chest. “Somethin’ tells me Hoshi’s gonna have a hell of a time trying to get information out of her.”

T’Pol had briefed him about Archer’s plan to have Hoshi talk to Cutler. He had thought it was a good idea but now he was beginning to have his doubts. He had known Elizabeth Cutler, but the thought that she would betray them was becoming more and more plausible. Cutler hadn’t been open with them regarding her role in all of this. Her temporal prime directive didn’t wash with Captain Archer or Soma. Both men were suspicious of her.

Soma looked over at T’Pol. “Hand me your PADD, please.”

T’Pol gave her PADD to Soma. He tapped the scanner interface button and began downloading what little information the device could retrieve. “I want you to run this through the ship’s computer,” he said, looking at T’Pol. “It’s a long shot, but there might something left that we can use.”

The PADD beeped, signaling the information had been downloaded. Turning, he handed it to her and started to rise from the chair. T’Pol leaned forward, putting her hand on his shoulder. Soma looked up at her, a hint of surprise on his face.

“Would you assist me?”

He gave her a soft smile. “Of course,” he answered, and looked over at Tucker. “Chief, why don’t you start doing repairs while T’Pol and I head to the computer lab to work on this PADD. If you can get these systems back online, we might find some answers.”

“I’ll do my best,” said Tucker, “but most of this console is fried. I think it already gave up the ghost.”

“Do what you can,” replied Soma.

“Aye cap’n.”

***

Hoshi moved her spoon around her dessert. It was a strawberry sundae, her favorite, but she had hardly touched it. She had asked Cutler to meet her in the mess hall to talk, but for all her experience with language and communication, she wasn’t sure what to say to the woman. The elation and euphoria of seeing her alive had passed, and in its place was suspicion and anger. She had never felt so uncomfortable in her entire life. Trying to get information out of a person was difficult enough. She was a linguist, not an interrogator. But trying to get that information out someone she had considered a friend… someone she had trusted; it wasn’t easy and in truth, Hoshi hated it. But she couldn’t forget the look on Captain Archer’s face when he gave her the order. Hoshi had seen that look before; it was the same when they had searched for Xindi weapon. Her captain was as determined now as he was then, and heaven help anyone who stood in the way. Hoshi didn’t have Archer’s determination, but he had her respect. She would do whatever was needed.

“Elizabeth?” Hoshi sighed.

Cutler hesitated unable or unwilling to look her in the face. She knew what was on her friends mind. “Yes, Hoshi?”

“Was it all a lie?”

Cutler cocked her head. “What do you mean?”

“Our friendship… the friendships you had with the crew. Was it part of your orders?” Hoshi asked.

Cutler knew Hoshi only added the rest of the crew into the question in order to deflect her own sense of betrayal. She couldn’t fault Hoshi for feeling the way she did. If their rolls were reversed, she might be asking the same question.

“Of course not Hoshi,” she said, trying to reassure her. “My friendship with you has nothing to do with my orders.”

Hoshi gave her a weak smile. She saw the look of hurt on Cutler’s face and regretted having asked the question. “I’m sorry, it’s just...Elizabeth… what are you doing here?”

Cutler cocked her head in confusion. “What do you mean? You know why I’m here.”

“You told us you were here to help Captain Soma correct a mistake, and stop a man named Velik from altering the timeline. But how do we know that’s really what’s going on? You just literally dropped out of no where.”

Cutler reached out, grasping Hoshi’s hand. “You have to believe me Hoshi… I’m not keeping anything from you. At least anything you need to know.”

“And we’re supposed to trust you?”

Cutler sighed trying to keep her smile. “There’s nothing I can say, Hoshi. I have to do this. There’s too much at stake.”

Hoshi frowned. “You’ve lied to everyone for nearly three years.”

“Hoshi, I didn’t mean for this to happen,” said Cutler. “And I’m sorry I can’t tell you or Captain Archer anymore than I already have, but I promise you…I won’t let anything happen to this crew.”

She looked at Cutler for a moment. There was pained expression in her features. There was more to what she was hiding, and not just her mission. It was something more personal. “I know, Elizabeth. I know”

Cutler smiled. “Don’t worry. Everything will work out. Captain Archer has always gotten the crew through it in one piece.”

Hoshi nodded. “And we also have Captain Soma with us.”

Cutler gave Hoshi a concerned look. “I hope you’re not still sweet on him, Hoshi.”

Hoshi glared at her. “Elizabeth! I’m not sweet on anybody. I’m just…glad that he’s here to help.”

“If you say so,” smiled Cutler.

“Good, as long as that’s settled.”

***

T’Pol and Soma exited the turbo lift, making their way down the corridor, and to the ship’s computer lab. The corridor was unusually busy with crewmembers traveling to and from other sections of the ship, as they performed their duties. T’Pol noted the heightened alertness in several passing crewmembers, and drew a corollary between it and her son’s presence. The crew was also fond of their one time, albeit brief, commanding officer paying them a visit, but she also recognized their apprehension. Whenever Soma showed up, danger and adversity were not far behind. She was certain that none of the crew blamed him, but it didn’t change the unease each of them felt. Regarding her own feelings on the matter, she had grown fond of the visits her son paid to her time-period; it allowed her to spend time with him. In truth, he was her son and she had come to accept that. Her newly kindling romance with Commander Tucker demonstrated that Soma could be more than just a temporal variable. Something she had given considerable contemplation to after losing her “other” son, Lorian. She had regretted not spending more time with Lorian, while he was aboard, and would not make the same mistake with Jonathan. Refocusing her attention at the matter at hand, she noticed that they were approaching the entrance to the computer lab. Entering the lab, they headed to the main computer table dominating the center of the room. Soma sat down at the console. Logging into the system, he inserted activated the data padd interface protocols. Keying in the access code, the PADD’s display panel suddenly came alive signaling the download was in progress.

Soma looked up at T’Pol. “This could take a few minutes to download. I’ve set the computer to begin searching for matching binary signatures. If it can make even partial matches, we might be able to piece together some of what was in the message.”

“A logical approach,” replied T’Pol.

“We aim to please,” smiled Soma, turning back to the console. “So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?”

T’Pol looked at Soma, unable to hide the bewildered expression on her face.

“Don’t look so surprised,” he smiled satisfactorily. “I think I should know you by now.”

She considered that a moment. He did have that advantage, and it went a long way to explaining how he often knew just what she was thinking. If it was any other person, she was quite certain it would unnerve her. But he had a very disarming attitude, making it easier for her to accept, although it wouldn’t make what she had to say any easier. She could feel her chest tighten. This was not going to be easy, it was going to be very difficult.

“I-I wanted to speak to you regarding a matter we discussed the last time you were aboard.”

Soma eyed her curiously, but said nothing. He had always found that answers came more readily to those who listened than to those who spoke.

“You came to me,” she said hesitating, “confronted me about my using trellium.”

Soma bristled. It was subject which had caused a great deal of friction between them; one he would have preferred to avoid.

“I told you that my motives were for the safety of the crew,” explained T’Pol. “If I could build up a tolerance, then Captain Archer could line the ship with it and protect us from the anomalies.”

He shook his head. “It took me a while to realize that you had lied to me,” he explained. “I suppose I didn’t want to believe it, but…”

“I’m sorry I deceived you. I was not myself. I-I am still not myself.”

Looking up at her, he hesitated. The mask she wore to hide the pain was transparent to him, and he desperately wanted to take her in his harms. But that wasn’t the Vulcan way; it wasn’t her way. She had shown him great emotion when he needed it most, but her needs could not be so easily met.

T’Pol swallowed, fighting to keep her composure. “I couldn’t resist. The need was so strong. I thought I could control it. When you left my cabin, I felt…ashamed.”

Rising slowly, soma turned to face her. Reaching out hesitantly, he caressed her cheek. “You’re my mother. You have nothing to be ashamed of; especially from me.”

“Jonathan-“

“Shhhhh, it’s all right,” he said softly.

“It isn’t,” she said, forcing the words through a choked voice.

Soma gripped her arms as he held his gaze on her. “You can’t continue to punish yourself. You made a mistake. I think you’ve more than paid for it. Don’t make it any harder by passing sentence over yourself.”

Closing her eyes, she nodded. “It’s just…very difficult sometimes.”

“I know. But you have people who care about you,” he smiled. “And we won’t abandon you.”

Looking up at him, she slid her hand up to his, squeezing it tightly. “I am very proud that you are my son.”

“And I’m proud to be your son,” he said. “Always remember that.”

Chapter 8

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Three people have made comments

Nice addition and nicely writen. I was beginning to wonder when you'd post the next chapter. Your opening scene was too funny.

I really do like Soma very much and couldn't stop chortling at his reaction when he turned up at Trip's quarters and glimpsed T'Pol half-naked in bed! Parents always have such an easy ability to embarrass their offspring. Ali D :~)

Yay! Please update again soon. I love Soma, and I can't wait to find out which is which.