Retrieval-Ch. 16

Retrieval

By zealousgirl

Rating: PG-13, general
Disclaimers in Chapter One

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CHAPTER 16

Power of Three

Seema stood outside the warehouse, keeping watch. She was startled when she saw a man run out of the building; then 2 more were behind him. It was Athlon and his two friends. 'Something must have happened to Trip.' She remembered that she had promised to get help if anything looked out of the ordinary. She was just drawing up the courage to have a closer look before heading to the authorities, when the door opened again.

Trip was holding up a woman and dragging her out of the building. Her head was bobbing with each step, and she was making no effort to help.

"Seema! I need help!" he yelled to her as they crossed the street.

She ran out from her hiding place to meet them. "Come. There is a hospital nearby." She pointed in the same direction as her brother had fled.

They only made it approximately 200 meters. Trip noted that her breathing had become shallow and her skin had become cold.

He was no longer able to carry her; both fell to the ground. Trip slumped next to her and started to cry. "I was too late. They were torturing her. When I found her, Koss was doing some freaky mind thing to her. I don't know what to do now." He pulled T'pol towards him and held her tight. "T'pol. Wake up. It's Trip. Come on wake up."

Seema grabbed Trip's arm and looked straight into his eyes. He stopped talking. She then grabbed T'pol's arm with the other hand, and closed her eyes.

Trip sat staring at her for a few seconds. Then a wave of calmness swept over him and he felt compelled to close his eyes as well. As he focused on that calmness, but then he felt pain protruding through it. It was not physical pain, but rather emotional pain. He then realized that this was the pain that T'pol was suffering. He wanted that pain to go away. He wanted T'pol to forget what had happened to her these past few days. He wanted her to come back to Enterprise with him. He wanted her to. . . Trip paused before he allowed himself to acknowledge his next thought. He just wanted her.

The threesome sat on the sidewalk of the darkened street for about 10 minutes before Seema withdrew her hold on Trip and T'pol. Trip opened his eyes to find T'pol leaning her head back, and looking at him. She gave him a weak, but reassuring smile.

"Is she going to be OK." Trip looked at Seema for reassurance.

"I don't know. I have never done that before. It just seemed like the best way to help her remember who she really was." Seema looked tired. "I think my grandmother would be the best one to talk to about this."

"Trip. . . ." A voice cracked from the communicator that Trip had confiscated from the warehouse.

Trip reached into his pocket and pulled it out. He continued to hold T'pol tightly in front of him, with the other arm. "Yes, Captain. You wouldn't believe how good it is to hear your voice."

"Are you alright?" Archer asked with obvious concern.

"We will be, I think. But could you send someone down here STAT? And have the doctor ready for T'pol, she's in hard shape."

"Trip, what happened?"

"Captain, it's a long story, so I'll tell you it once I get back to the ship." He clicked off the communicator, wrapped both arms around T'pol again, pulling her in close, and waited.

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Continued in Chapter 17 (conclusion)

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