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"Returned" by A. Rhea King
Rating: PG CHAPTER 3 Archer ran through the halls into Sickbay, stopping short when he realized the situation. Rachel held a security guard hostage with a laser scalpel. Two more guards held phase pistols aimed at her. Phlox stood out of sight, watching the situation with a nervous expression. Archer slowly walked over to him. “What happened?” “She came to and took a hostage. She’s demanding to speak to whoever is in charge.” “I guess being frozen didn’t slow her down much.” “Actually, she can’t see very well yet and she has a high fever. She needs to let me check her but at this point I believe my appearance would only panic her more.” “Wait here.” Archer slowly walked toward the stand off. He stepped around one of the security guards and Rachel’s finger slid toward the activation button on the scalpel. Archer stopped walking. “You can see me?” Archer asked. Rachel didn’t answer. “Rachel, can you see me?” “Who are you?” Rachel demanded. “I’m Ca...Jon. I’m Jon.” “Who are you?” “I told you. I’m J--” “NO! Who are you? Are you with NASA?” “No. We aren’t with NASA, Rachel. I see you’ve met Brad Goodman.” Archer motioned to the man she was holding hostage. “Where am I?” Rachel demanded. “You’re aboard a starship called Enterprise. I’m the captain of it.” “You’re lying,” she whispered. “Have you met your doctor? Doctor Phlox?” “Who?” Archer turned, motioning Phlox to come to him. Archer turned back to Rachel, watching her watch Phlox walk up. “Hello, Rachel. It’s nice to see you’re awake at last,” Phlox said with a smile. “Who...what...are you?” “I am a Denobulan. I come from another planet.” “You’re lying. This is a trick. I won’t tell you anything! Better you kill me than them.” “Them?” Archer asked. Rachel didn’t answer the question. “Oh. Them.” Archer nodded. “Rachel, the organization you were drafted into has been disbanded. Most government branches were terminated after World War III ended. We still have a democratic government, but things are run much differently. And we have Starfleet, which oversees space travel and space colonization.” “This is a trick! This is some damned trick!” “Why would we want to trick an assassin into talking to us?” Rachel started crying. Brad slowly pulled away from her. He laid his hand on hers, gently pulling the scalpel away. He moved away, letting Archer move close to her. Rachel sank to the floor and he crouched with her. “Phlox says you aren’t feeling well. Let’s get you up on a bed so he can make you better.” Rachel didn’t resist Archer pulling her to her feet and helping her on the bed. She closed her eyes, crying harder. Despite knowing what she was, it was hard for Archer not to feel sorry for her. # T’Pol and Hoshi rounded the corner together. Down the hall two guards stood outside the door of Rachel’s quarters. Hoshi flashed one a smile. “How were things last night?” she asked the men. “Good. The doors are frustrating her a little and I had to show her how to start the shower again. Otherwise she’s doing well.” Hoshi tapped the doorbell, looking up at T’Pol. “Be nice,” Hoshi told her. “I was not intending on being otherwise.” “I mean, try not to be so Vulcan.” T’Pol looked at Hoshi, raising her eyebrow. The door opened and Rachel hugged the wall next to it, staring at the floor “Hi,” Hoshi said with a smile. “I’m Hoshi and this is T’Pol. Captain Archer asked us to take you to the mess hall for breakfast and then show you around.” “Will there be a lot of people in the mess hall?” “Maybe.” Rachel looked into her eyes. The fear in the teenager’s eyes broke Hoshi’s heart. “I don’t like crowds much.” “Considering the line of work you were in, I find that hard to believe,” T’Pol said. Hoshi elbowed T’Pol in the ribs. “Why’s that?” Rachel asked defensively. “Was not a crowd the best way to cover your assassinations?” Rachel looked down, a tear falling. Hoshi glared at T’Pol. “I apologize. I assumed you wouldn’t mind talking about your previous career.” “It wasn’t a career,” Rachel hissed. “A career is something you’re proud of and you don’t mind telling people about! In a career your boss won’t kill you if you don’t complete your assignment!” “I meant no offense by my remark.” A tense silence fell between them for a few minutes. Hoshi smiled. “I tell you what, we’ll sandwich you between T’Pol, myself and the guards here and smuggle you to a table.” Rachel smiled. “That would draw more attention, not less.” Hoshi shrugged. “Well, secretly that was my intention, but I was just hoping you wouldn’t realize it. I enjoy attention.” Rachel laughed. “Besides, Chef made blueberry pancakes and ham and cheese omelets, and a plate of those with a view of a nebula couldn’t start the morning off better.” “A nebula?” “Yeah. It has a new forming sun at its center and is absolutely gorgeous! Come on.” Hoshi held her arm out. Rachel slid her arm around Hoshi’s, pulling close to her. The two started walking. “Do you like living in space like this?” Rachel asked Hoshi. Hoshi smiled and started telling her about life in space. T’Pol followed them, observing their bonding with intrigue. # T’Pol was waiting in the hall when the lift door opened and Archer immediately recognized her subtle ‘I want’ expression. He wondered if she was aware that she’d developed it or if he just knew her well enough to see it. He lowered the PADD he was reading. “Yes?” Archer asked. “I would like Rachel to accompany Commander Tucker and I when we go to collect samples of the nebula gasses.” “No.” “Captain, she is interested in seeing the nebula closer and I have already offered to take her.” “The answer’s no. She can’t be trusted.” “She has done nothing to prove she cannot be trusted.” “She held a laser scalpel to Ensign Goodman’s throat, T’Pol. That’s a pretty good indication.” “She was frightened.” “T’Pol, I am not going to change my mi--” “We cannot judge her because of her past life. Based on our own pasts, Captain, doing so would make us hypocrites.” Archer’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Okay. Fine. But someone else is going with you two, and I--” “We’ll be leaving in ten minutes in shuttle pod one. Perhaps you should bring some work as you generally get bored on survey missions.” T’Pol walked away. Archer was dumbstruck. ‘What just happened?’ # The shuttle pod launched from Enterprise and turned toward the nebula. Rachel stood next to Trip, staring wide-eyed at the nebula. T’Pol sat at a workstation; maneuvering the sensors to get the readings she was seeking. Archer sat on a bench with his back to the wall, watching the three. He had brought several PADDs with work he needed to get done, but he was more interested in seeing what Rachel was going to do. “Are we going near it?” Rachel asked Trip. “In it.” “In it!?” Rachel looked at him. “We’re going in it? Is that safe? Have you done that before? Isn’t it made of gas? Couldn’t it like ignite or something? What if--” Trip’s laughter cut her off. He smiled up at her. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, and no.” A wide smile settled on her lips. Archer wonder, ‘Is it possible that she could smile any brighter?’ “This is has to be the coolest thing I’ve ever done.” Rachel sucked in her bottom lip. “Coolest? I haven’t heard that expression since...since I was in grade school!” Trip said. “Don’t you think this is cool?” “I don’t find it so ‘cool’ anymore.” ‘Nor do I,’ Archer sadly thought. “You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Rachel glanced at Trip. She moved closer to the window. “It is totally amazing.” They were entering the edge of the nebula and the colored gas swirled around them. “It’s okay,” Trip said. “Gorgeous!” “Maybe.” “It is!” “Maybe.” Trip grinned. Rachel batted his arm. “Now you’re just being ornery.” Trip chuckled. “This morning T’Pol told me nebulas are made from dying stars or are star nurseries. Did you know that?” Archer glanced at T’Pol. She didn’t even glance up from her work. Had she lost interest in Rachel already? “I sure did,” Trip answered. “I think she missed something.” T’Pol and Archer both looked at Rachel. “What did I miss, Rachel?” T’Pol asked. Rachel smiled. “I think they’re Nature’s way of making death and birth look beautiful.” “Death and life are not identical,” T’Pol said. Rachel shrugged, looking back up at the nebula. “Maybe they are. Maybe--” Trip reached out and squeezed Rachel’s wrist. “‘Nough talk about death, Rachel, okay? Let’s just enjoy the nebula. After all, it’s been a while since I got to see one through new eyes.” Rachel smiled, looking back out the window. Archer listened to the awe in her excited words. She saw the universe in a way his jaded soul had forgotten about. A realization suddenly hit Archer. ‘I wonder if the Stranger knew she would be so intrigued by the future? Bet this puts a damper on his malicious plans.’ # Archer strolled through the halls with Porthos trotting alongside. It felt like a Sunday: relaxed, lazy, with no pressing matters. Maybe it was Sunday. Mentally, Archer laughed at himself, realizing he didn’t know what day it was. The days had blurred since Rachel had been revived four weeks ago. “Captain Archer,” he heard Phlox call. Archer stopped, turning. Phlox came around the corner. “Captain, we need to talk in private.” Archer looked up and down the hall. “There’s no one here.” “Captain, please,” Phlox earnestly pressed. Archer looked around them and spotted a storage room. Phlox and Porthos followed him into the storage room. “What’s wrong?” Archer asked. “I finished running the latest tests on Rachel’s blood a little while ago and there is a problem.” Archer sat down on a crate. “What?” “Her cells are showing aging at an expeditious rate and I found markers of Alzheimer’s disease. According to her family medical records, it’s hereditary. Her brother died with it fifty years after her execution.” “We have a cure for Alzheimer’s,” Archer argued. “The treatment normally takes three months before there are any results in a normal human. Rachel will be lucky to survive another four to five weeks, consequently the treatment would be fruitless to administer. It would not counteract the degeneration of her brain fast enough to stop the disease.” Archer closed his eyes, turning his head. “Have you told her about this?” “I told T’Pol. She and Ensign Sato are with her right now.” Archer shook his head, looking at the floor. Tears stung his eyes, but he wasn’t about to let them fall. “Thank you, Phlox.” He nodded as he left the room. Archer closed his eyes, still not allowing himself to cry. “I made the wrong decision, Porthos, and now she has to pay for it.” Porthos jumped onto the crate and moved close to Archer. Archer didn’t attempt to pet or hold him, so he sat down and waited quietly at his master’s side. |
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