Author's Note:
One hastily uploaded chapter, because I'm getting behind! Thanks to everyone for the reviews – I wish I could thank you all personally as usual, but I'm pressed for time!!! Damn school – argh!!
We All Know The Risks
By Bittersweet
CH4
"Captain," Hoshi spoke up, "there's something wrong with my console."
"So what else is new?" Archer snapped, and then gritted his teeth, "sorry, Hoshi. What's wrong?"
"The console says we're receiving a hail, but every time I open a channel, it comes up with an error, claiming there's nothing to receive."
"Gremlins in the system?" Travis joked.
The helmsman was leaning back in his chair, with little else to do than watch the ship fly itself. He'd given up trying to control their direction – it seemed to have little effected. Suddenly, a high pitched whine filled the bridge. It was coming from the tactical station. Archer turned slowly in his chair to fix the ensign standing there with a glare.
"What is it this time?" he asked.
His patience was wearing thin, with barely suppressed anger starting to creep in. He was tired and the loss of Trip and Malcolm had hurt him deeply, and seemed everything was doing it's best to wind him up now. The ensign squirmed.
"N…nothing, sir," he stuttered, "apparently, there's nothing wrong."
The whine shut off as suddenly as it began, and Hoshi gasped in shock.
"Captain, I think you'd better take a look at this!"
Archer stood up and quickly crossed over to her console. She pointed to a small visual display, used for translating alien text. On it, a message had flashed up.
"Tell Travis we resent being called gremlins," Archer read out loud.
Hoshi, Archer and Travis all exchanged shocked glances. T'Pol raised the customary eyebrow.
"Who's we?" Archer said, at last, more hopefully than anything else.
The display flickered, and then changed.
TRIP. AND REED. WE ARE HERE.
"Is this some kind of a joke?!" Archer demanded, clenching his fists in anger.
"No joke sir," Hoshi sounded on the verge of panic, "this is from within the system itself."
By now, T'Pol had joined them, and was watching the exchange silently.
"Explain," Archer said, signalling to Hoshi that he did not mean her.
FELT LIKE TRANSPORTER BEAM. TOOK US A WHILE TO WORK OUT. WE ARE PART OF THE SHIP.
"That's impossible!" the words were out of Archer's mouth before he realised it.
With all that had been going on recently, how impossible was it?
NO. WE CAN PROVE IT.
There was a slight pause, and the display flickered quite a bit, before the message changed.
HOW THE BLOODY HELL ARE WE SUPPOSED TO PROVE THAT?
T'Pol raised an eyebrow. Archer stifled a grin.
SHUT IT, REED, I WAS TALKING TO JOHN.
"Don't start arguing," Archer interrupted, "just…tell me what's going on."
SENTIENT LIGHT. ALIEN – IT WAS TRYING TO TAKE OVER THE SHIP. THAT WAS WHAT BLEW OUT OUR SYSTEMS – THEY MERGE WITH TECHNOLOGY TO COMMUNICATE. NOT ENCOUNTERED US BEFORE – TOO POWERFUL FOR OUR SYSTEMS TO HANDLE. NEEDED…US.
"Why?"
WANTED ME…TRIP…REALISED I KNEW THE SHIP'S SYSTEMS THE BEST. KNEW I COULD 'INTERFACE' MORE EASILY.
"And Malcolm?"
There was a long pause.
MISTAKE.
"I don't understand."
WE WEREN'T MEANT TO FIND THE ALIEN IN THE SHUTTLE BAY. TOOK ME TO STOP ME FROM TELLING EVERYONE I SAW IT. WEREN'T MEANT TO KNOW.
"Why would the alien do this?"
THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO FIND OUT. ENERGY SOURCE IS SENTIENT.
"Sentient energy? The light?"
YES.
"Is it hostile?"
There was quite a lot of flickering on the display monitor – no doubt Trip and Malcolm were arguing over whether or not the alien was hostile. It wasn't difficult to figure out who held which opinion. Eventually, the admission flashed up;
DON'T KNOW. MALCOLM WILL TAKE OVER THE WEAPONS. AGREED?
"Yes," Archer replied, "but don't do anything without my orders. Understood?"
YES SIR.
Archer nodded, and then something occurred to him.
"So…you two are in the whole ship?"
YES.
"Everywhere?"
EVERYWHERE.
"Including…the privacy of crew quarters?"
YE…JOHN!!
"Oh, come on Trip, don't tell me you weren't tempted."
There was a long pause.
MALCOLM WOULDN'T LET ME…
"Just checking…"
One hastily uploaded chapter, because I'm getting behind! Thanks to everyone for the reviews – I wish I could thank you all personally as usual, but I'm pressed for time!!! Damn school – argh!!
We All Know The Risks
By Bittersweet
CH4
"Captain," Hoshi spoke up, "there's something wrong with my console."
"So what else is new?" Archer snapped, and then gritted his teeth, "sorry, Hoshi. What's wrong?"
"The console says we're receiving a hail, but every time I open a channel, it comes up with an error, claiming there's nothing to receive."
"Gremlins in the system?" Travis joked.
The helmsman was leaning back in his chair, with little else to do than watch the ship fly itself. He'd given up trying to control their direction – it seemed to have little effected. Suddenly, a high pitched whine filled the bridge. It was coming from the tactical station. Archer turned slowly in his chair to fix the ensign standing there with a glare.
"What is it this time?" he asked.
His patience was wearing thin, with barely suppressed anger starting to creep in. He was tired and the loss of Trip and Malcolm had hurt him deeply, and seemed everything was doing it's best to wind him up now. The ensign squirmed.
"N…nothing, sir," he stuttered, "apparently, there's nothing wrong."
The whine shut off as suddenly as it began, and Hoshi gasped in shock.
"Captain, I think you'd better take a look at this!"
Archer stood up and quickly crossed over to her console. She pointed to a small visual display, used for translating alien text. On it, a message had flashed up.
"Tell Travis we resent being called gremlins," Archer read out loud.
Hoshi, Archer and Travis all exchanged shocked glances. T'Pol raised the customary eyebrow.
"Who's we?" Archer said, at last, more hopefully than anything else.
The display flickered, and then changed.
TRIP. AND REED. WE ARE HERE.
"Is this some kind of a joke?!" Archer demanded, clenching his fists in anger.
"No joke sir," Hoshi sounded on the verge of panic, "this is from within the system itself."
By now, T'Pol had joined them, and was watching the exchange silently.
"Explain," Archer said, signalling to Hoshi that he did not mean her.
FELT LIKE TRANSPORTER BEAM. TOOK US A WHILE TO WORK OUT. WE ARE PART OF THE SHIP.
"That's impossible!" the words were out of Archer's mouth before he realised it.
With all that had been going on recently, how impossible was it?
NO. WE CAN PROVE IT.
There was a slight pause, and the display flickered quite a bit, before the message changed.
HOW THE BLOODY HELL ARE WE SUPPOSED TO PROVE THAT?
T'Pol raised an eyebrow. Archer stifled a grin.
SHUT IT, REED, I WAS TALKING TO JOHN.
"Don't start arguing," Archer interrupted, "just…tell me what's going on."
SENTIENT LIGHT. ALIEN – IT WAS TRYING TO TAKE OVER THE SHIP. THAT WAS WHAT BLEW OUT OUR SYSTEMS – THEY MERGE WITH TECHNOLOGY TO COMMUNICATE. NOT ENCOUNTERED US BEFORE – TOO POWERFUL FOR OUR SYSTEMS TO HANDLE. NEEDED…US.
"Why?"
WANTED ME…TRIP…REALISED I KNEW THE SHIP'S SYSTEMS THE BEST. KNEW I COULD 'INTERFACE' MORE EASILY.
"And Malcolm?"
There was a long pause.
MISTAKE.
"I don't understand."
WE WEREN'T MEANT TO FIND THE ALIEN IN THE SHUTTLE BAY. TOOK ME TO STOP ME FROM TELLING EVERYONE I SAW IT. WEREN'T MEANT TO KNOW.
"Why would the alien do this?"
THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO FIND OUT. ENERGY SOURCE IS SENTIENT.
"Sentient energy? The light?"
YES.
"Is it hostile?"
There was quite a lot of flickering on the display monitor – no doubt Trip and Malcolm were arguing over whether or not the alien was hostile. It wasn't difficult to figure out who held which opinion. Eventually, the admission flashed up;
DON'T KNOW. MALCOLM WILL TAKE OVER THE WEAPONS. AGREED?
"Yes," Archer replied, "but don't do anything without my orders. Understood?"
YES SIR.
Archer nodded, and then something occurred to him.
"So…you two are in the whole ship?"
YES.
"Everywhere?"
EVERYWHERE.
"Including…the privacy of crew quarters?"
YE…JOHN!!
"Oh, come on Trip, don't tell me you weren't tempted."
There was a long pause.
MALCOLM WOULDN'T LET ME…
"Just checking…"