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"Nuggets" by A. Rhea King
Rating: PG Chapter 6 : Return of the Disastrous Duo Archer let out a sigh, holding the end of the metal bar up over his head. “Trip. I have to go.” From somewhere on the other side of the wall, Trip told him, “I almost have this. Did I say thanks?” “Twenty times. At least. Maybe more.” “Thanks for helping me.” “Gotta quit scaring off your crew, Trip.” Trip chuckled. “Me? Look who’s talkin!” “I don’t scare ‘em...much.” “Almost got it.” “You’ve said that at least a hundred times. This is not a captain’s job. You know that, right?” “Yeah. But what else were you doing today?” “Oh, let’s see, there’s the--” “SON OF A BI--” “Trip?” “LET IT GO, CAP’N!” Archer obeyed, watching the bar fall to the floor and start dancing with electricity. Archer backed away, watching it at a safe distance. “You okay?” Archer asked “It was just a few gigawatts there. That’s all.” “Trip, are you okay?” “I’m fine! Stupid son of a...I hate this ship today!” Archer chuckled, keeping it quiet. “And you just stop laughing.” “I’m not laughing!” “Right.” “I’m not. Really.” Archer forced himself to suppress his laughter. “Sickbay to Captain Archer,” Likos called over the ship COM. “Don’t use the one near here,” Trip said, “or you might get a frizz hairdo.” Archer walked away, smiling. He walked into the next hall and stopped at the companel. “Archer here.” “We need you in Sickbay in a hurry.” “Why? What’s wrong?” “Just hurry, please” “Why?” There was no response. Archer set off at a jog; thankful he was on the same deck as Sickbay. He ran into Sickbay and was attacked by two bats. Archer ducked, backing away as he swatted at them. “SHUT THE DOORS!” he heard Doctor Phlox yell at him, “AND LOCK THEM, CAPTAIN!” Archer turned, slammed his hand on the door control and locked them. The two bats continued to attack him, their tiny claws racking across any exposed flesh. “PHLOX!” Archer bellowed, “GET YOUR BATS!” “He’s busy. NO NUGGETS!” Archer heard Likos say. “What in the hell is going on!?” Likos appeared suddenly, quickly capturing the bats in his hands. He looked at Archer. “We came back from lunch to this. Your dog is not so innocent and Nuggets are probably lucky they are not human or Jit or they’d both be locked up in the brig when this was over! Can you please catch your dog?” “Where is he?” “I dunno.” Archer looked across Sickbay. Insects and other creatures from Doctor Phlox’s menagerie were flying, crawling, creeping, running, walking, snapping, snarling, and slithering around Sickbay. Archer spotted Nuggets chasing something that looked like a grasshopper. He ran after her and managed to scoop her up before the insect became her next meal. Archer heard Porthos bark and turned, seeing the Beagle race past him. “PORTHOS!” Archer yelled. Archer ran after his dog but lost him. “Nuggets, you damn chicken, what did you con my dog into?” Archer asked her. Nuggets squirmed and started squawking. Archer turned, finding Porthos standing behind him. Porthos started barking at Archer with his tail wagging happidly. “You, mister, are in a heap a trouble.” Porthos let out a yelp when a bug bit him on the hindquarters. Archer reached down and swooped the dog up under his other arm. He stayed where he was, watching Likos and Doctor Phlox quickly collect the remaining creatures and put them in their cages and containers. The two stopped to catch their breath, turning angry glares on the chicken and dog. Porthos started wagging his tail when Doctor Phlox started toward them. Nuggets began squawking and struggling against Archer’s hold. Doctor Phlox grabbed Nuggets from Archer and marched her over to her cage. He roughly deposited the chicken in her cage and slammed the door shut, locking it. He turned and walked back to Archer, pulling Porthos from Archer’s hold and lifting him up so they were face to face. Porthos’ tail began wagging harder. Phlox made a low growling noise that made even Archer feel intimidated. Porthos’ immediately tucked his tail between his legs and began squirming to get free. Phlox handed the dog back to Archer and walked away without saying a word. “I think you pissed off Uncle Phlox, Port,” Archer told his dog as they left Sickbay. “You might want to skirt him for a few days, pooch.” Archer ran into Trip on the way into Sickbay. He stepped aside, noticing the goose egg on Trip’s forehead. “What happened to you?” “I really hate this ship today,” Trip answered, disappearing inside. Archer smiled. He sat Porthos down on the floor and set off at a stroll with his hands in his pockets. Today the chaos gave him an unusual sense of home. |
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