"Imbalance" by A. Rhea King Rating: PG Disclaimer: Don't own them, CBS/Paramount does. Summary: A terrorist is intent on taking advantage of Archer's search for the Xindi. She takes over Enterprise and tries to persuade him to join her cause. But as angry as he may be, he knows insane when he sees it. CHAPTER 2 : DAY TWO As soon as his eyes began drooping, Archer forced them wide open. This trick lasted for all of three seconds before his eyes began to droop along with his head. Archer shook his head slightly to wake himself up. An anomaly ran along the edge of Enterprise, shaking it and jarring him awake. He tried to focus on the screen, but that made the drowsiness worse. “Wake up!” his kidnapper snapped. Archer jerked awake, looking up. The woman was standing next to him, watching him with no expression. Archer looked back at the view monitor. He’d only had six hours of sleep in the last five days and his body was retaliating, forcing its will on him regardless of the circumstance. The woman’s voice came again, but this time it was softer, almost kind. “Wake up, Captain Archer.” Archer opened his eyes but they immediately began drooping again. He was aware that the woman was standing uncomfortably close. “I can’t stay awake,” Archer said. He meant for it to be louder, rougher, but it came out weak and tired instead. “We’ve gotta stop for at least a few hours.” “Get up,” she said, but without her usual harshness. Archer stood. “Untie him.” She pointed at Trip. Archer knelt down and began working on the ropes. Archer’s eyes drooped shut. “Wake up, Cap’n,” Trip said. Archer opened his eyes. He was slumped against the wall where he’d fallen asleep. Trip was kneeling next to him, holding his ropes in one hand. He gently guided Archer to a sitting position. “Gotta tie ya up,” Trip said, his tone apologizing for the action. Archer didn’t argue. He was already drifting back to sleep. Trip finished with the rope and leaned him against the wall. “Lay his head on my shoulder,” T’Pol ordered Trip. Trip moved Archer’s head to her shoulder and then stood to face his captor. She motioned him to helm and he obeyed. Trip made a quick scan of all his controls and instruments, and then looked up at the view screen. His gaze traveled to the woman. She was sitting on the step that led into Hoshi’s station, watching Archer. “He’s been awake for a long time, lady,” Trip explained, worried she was going to do something to Archer for falling asleep. The woman looked at him. “He’s only had a few hours of sleep in the last five days. We humans need sleep, regularly when we can get it, or we get punchy and do stupid things... Like fly science vessels into proton stars or moons or something.” The woman smiled, but Trip could tell it was mocking him. “Your concern is so touching.” Trip looked away. She got up and walked over to Trip. He didn’t look up at her. “I know you usually can’t keep your mouth shut, Charles Tucker the third, but today may be a good day to practice it,” she venomously spat. Trip looked up at her. “How do you know my name?” “Today would be a good day to practice silence.” Trip opened his mouth to ask her the question again. She stunned T’Pol without looking away from Trip. Trip shut his mouth and turned his attention back to the view monitor. The woman returned to the captain’s chair. # Trip looked down at a monitor. “There’s a ship dead ahead,” he told the woman. She joined him at helm, expertly working the controls. Trip looked at her face. “How do you know how to run our computers?” he asked her. She hit him on the back of the head with the rifle barrel. “Shut up.” Trip turned a glare on her. She looked at the view screen and an alien Trip had never seen before appeared. The alien and woman spoke for several minutes. She walked forward, yanked a senator to his feet, and motioned to him. The alien nodded, looking pleased. The alien and the woman spoke for another few more moments and then the view screen went back to external sensors. She shoved the senator back down. She walked back a few steps, turned and stunned T’Pol. She aimed at Archer, hesitating for a moment. Archer was still asleep and hadn’t moved since he’d sat down. She turned to Trip. “Bring us out of warp when we’re within two hundred kilometers,” she ordered. Trip nodded once. The alien’s ship appeared and he brought Enterprise to a halt. “What now?” Trip asked her. “Tell them what airlock to dock at.” Trip turned back to his controls, sending the message she ordered. “They’re docking at the airlock on C deck.” “On your feet, Senators,” she ordered. “Take us to the airlock, Trip.” Trip obeyed. He turned into the hall and was surprised to see the alien with three others waiting. The woman and the alien from the view monitor spoke. Two of the aliens led the senator’s aboard their ship. They passed a fourth alien pushing a cart out, something that Trip took an interest in. The object on the cart looked like a torpedo with an impulse drive on it with small, ridged holes running along it. He stopped in the hall, said something curt to the woman, and walked back toward the ship’s hatch. Trip looked up and from his angle he could see the senators talking to the aliens that had escorted them on board. The one that pushed the cart out walked up and they shook hands. The senators and aliens glanced at Trip as they walked out of sight. Trip looked at the woman. The alien had drawn her attention away from the hatch and he was sure she hadn’t seen that interaction. Trip realized these aliens were friends or allies of the senators, but that didn’t raise his hopes for Enterprise. The woman and the alien shook hands and he boarded his ship. “Close the hatch” she ordered Trip, “and release the docking clamps.” Trip obeyed. “Push this cart to the Armory.” Trip looked at her. “What is it?” She looked up at him. “What?” “What is it?” She punched him hard, sending him flying into the wall. Trip slid to the floor, holding his bleeding nose and split lip. The woman followed Trip down, slamming the length of the gun against his throat. Trip grabbed the gun, trying to push it away as he gagged for air. She leaned in close, meeting his eyes. “Let’s get something straight, Commander Tucker. Warp drive engineers are easily found; Captains of formidable starships are not. If you press me or continue asking unnecessary questions, you will meet with an accidental death. Understood?” Trip barely nodded. She stood, cradling her rifle in her arms. “Push this cart to the Armory.” Trip climbed to his feet, wiping the blood from his hands onto his uniform. He gripped the handle of the cart and pushed it toward a lift, not uttering a word. Back to Chapter 1 Continue to Chapter 3

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