|
"Calm Before the Storm" by Lady Rainbow Rating: PG-13 And on Vulcan, Malcolm has a disturbing Vision. Thanks, Pesterfield. No, he can't make the trip in 4 hours, but he doesn't know IF it'll definitely happen. He thinks he might have a chance to prevent it. Four Hoshi smiled as the Tokyo cityscape whizzed past as the mag-lev train headed toward the spaceport. She’d forgotten how busy, how alive, her home city was. Growing up in such a crowded city made her deal with her claustrophobia head-on. It nagged at her, but not to the level of panic. Of course, she could have exercised command prerogative and ordered a personal shuttle for herself, but she wanted to be ‘normal’ for the first time in a long time. Besides, no one recognized their celebrated Starfleet captain out of uniform. Hoshi wore her long, black hair in two braids and had chosen a white sweater and jeans. Her shoulder bag had no Starfleet insignia on it. So for now, she was a citizen of Tokyo, one of millions heading home at the end of a long workday. “I’ve never been to Tokyo before,” said Lieutenant Elizabeth Cutler. Like Hoshi, she was in civilian dress: a green tunic with slacks and an emerald-colored headband in her hair. She pressed her nose to the window and her awed expression made Hoshi chuckle. “This is remarkable, Captain!” “Hoshi,” she reminded Liz gently. “We’re off duty, and you’re my bridesmaid, remember?” Liz chuckled and turned back towards Hoshi, Liz’s blonde-brown hair swinging forward to frame her attractive face. “I really enjoy experiencing different cultures and seeing new things, Hoshi. I guess that’s why I signed up with Starfleet and ended up on Enterprise.” Hoshi nodded. She’d gotten to know Liz Cutler quite well in the past twelve hours. Liz had been visiting family in Australia, then she’d caught a shuttle to Japan. They’d spent some time talking about the upcoming wedding and about themselves. Liz had traveled extensively in her childhood, the daughter of a surgeon and a teacher. She idolized her father and wanted to become a doctor, just like him. “Doctor Reed’s a good teacher,” Liz was saying. “He’s very exacting, but he also cares about his patients, and it shows.” Hoshi raised her eyebrows and took the opening Liz gave her. “He’s an excellent physician; I know he’s very well respected on both Earth and Vulcan.” “I wish he was coming back in time for the wedding. He said something about assisting with a problem at the Vulcan Academy...they asked for him specifically, and the Vulcans won’t ask just anyone to help solve their medical mysteries.” She nodded in agreement. Part of her understood the complex loyalties of the ones who served at the Vulcan Medical Academy, but another part of her resented the unspoken commands that dictated those loyalties. Malcolm had sent her a wedding present, but he’d given strict instructions not to open it until after the ceremony. The train stopped at the Tokyo Vulcan Consulate. Hoshi and Liz gracefully stepped out of the way of the disembarking passengers. They spotted a pair of open seats and claimed them before they were taken. From Hoshi’s new vantage point, she could see a small group of people gathered in front of the Consulate gates. She narrowed her eyes at the large signs written in katagana, hiragana and kanji. “They’re out there again,” muttered an older man who sat two seats away from her. “What are they doing?” Hoshi asked. He shook his head in disgust. “They’re demanding the ‘truth’ from the Vulcans. For some reason, they think the Vulcans are hiding something from their encounter in space. They’ve even postulated that this new enemy may even be evil Vulcans and their government is covering it up!” Hoshi’s eyes widened at this news. “What?” she choked out. “Idiots,” Liz muttered under her breath. “I can’t believe people will believe that—rubbish.” She’d been about to say something else, but remembered where she was and changed what she was going to say. “They call themselves ‘One World’,” the man replied. He misinterpreted Hoshi’s look of horror. “Ah, don’t concern yourself too much with them. You young people are our future, with your open minds. They fear what they don’t understand.” “One World?” Liz asked. “I’ve never heard of them.” Hoshi made a face and replied, “They’re the Japanese branch of Terra Prime.” Her explanation made Liz snap her head back toward the demonstrators, as they beat drums and chanted their demands for “truth”. Hoshi blessed her foresight of not ordering a Starfleet shuttle. This event, combined with Mark’s visit, and the fact that she couldn’t reach Matt in San Francisco, worried her. Seconds later, the train pulled away from the Consulate station, and the songs faded. She stared out the window, deep in thought. Hoshi hadn’t told Liz that a week and a half ago, Malcolm Reed’s sister Madeline had sent Hoshi a short message. “Captain Sato, my brother arrived here to find several threatening messages waiting for him at his previous medical practice. He is well-known for his research on Vulcan physiology and his joint projects with the Vulcan Medical Academy. Malcolm brushed off the threats, but I fear for his safety. Father has put guards on Mother and myself. I hope you and the members of your crew will be safe. Please know that if you need anything, the Reeds will support you. Maddy. Hoshi sighed aloud. No wonder Malcolm had taken the opportunity to go to Vulcan with T’Pol. She wished he had stayed for the wedding, but she completely understood the reason. It was dangerous for him and T’Pol to be here. Yet T’Pol was on a flight from Shi’Kahr to Tokyo, and planned to catch a connecting flight from Tokyo to San Francisco. It just so happened that Hoshi and Liz were on that same connecting flight. Safety in numbers, as well as being as incognito as possible. Finally, the train reached the spaceport and Hoshi nodded at Liz as they stepped off onto the platform. With the air of a seasoned traveler, she found the auto-ticket scan and passed her boarding pass under it. She expected a green light; instead, the computer beeped and “See a shuttle rep” flashed onto the screen. “What’s wrong?” Liz asked. “It won’t take my ticket,” Hoshi said. She eyed her boarding pass with some trepidation.”Try yours, Liz. Maybe it’s the scanner.” “All right.” Liz did the same, but the same thing happened and they compared passes. Nothing seemed amiss with either one. A blue-unformed woman came to their side; the shuttle rep immediately saw their problem. “It rejected your ticket?” she asked Hoshi. “I don’t think it rejected it, but it wouldn’t give me a confirmation. That’s odd; it’s never done that before.” Hoshi gestured to Liz’s ticket and added, “It did the same for my friend. We’re on the same flight.” “Bring your tickets over here and let me see.” The woman slid Hoshi’s chip into her own terminal, then Liz’s chip in another slot, and read the data as it scrolled onto the screen. “Ah, a minor change. Let me show you.” She angled the screen so Hoshi and Liz could see it. “See, when you input the time and destination for your flight, it was the wrong one. Here it is.” Hoshi frowned and exchanged worried looks with Liz. “Wait a minute. That can’t be right. I booked the first flight out to San Francisco. This one is the second that leaves ninety minutes later. I even recorded the first confirmation—“ The rep tapped more keys, then shook her head. “I think I see the problem: for some reason, the software bumped you both off the first flight and placed you on the second. It’ll do that, sometimes, if the flight is overbooked.” “Great,” Hoshi muttered. Maybe I should’ve gone ahead and called that Starfleet shuttle, safety be damned. “We won’t be bumped off the second one, will we?” “I doubt it. See this green tag next to both of your names? It locks your positions, since you’ve already been bumped once. We don’t plan on inconveniencing you again.” The rep pushed a button and both chips popped out of their slots. Hoshi frowned and said, “We were supposed to meet a third person here and fly together to San Francisco—“ “What is the person’s name?” Hoshi told her, then she tapped more keys. “Ah...yes, she’s on the same passenger list. You’re still traveling together. In fact, her flight is taxing to terminal KYT 15 right now.” Hoshi blew out a relieved breath. “Thank you. I was worried we’d be separated...” “It’s not a problem. We deal with this kind of thing all the time and our passengers are our first priority.” The rep handed Liz and Hoshi their passes. “Is this your first trip to San Francisco, ladies?” Hoshi chuckled. “No. I’m getting married and my fiancé is there.” “And I’m her bridesmaid,” Liz chimed in with a bright grin. “Ah, so desu ka! Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!” The rep smiled and bowed formally to her. “I wish you many happy years together.” “Doozo gozaimashita,” Hoshi replied with an answering bow and Liz copied the gesture. “Have a good trip!” The rep straightened, then went to help another passenger. Liz sighed and brushed her hair out of her eyes. “I’m glad it was just a minor glitch. I really wasn’t looking forward to missing T’Pol and flying separately.” “Neither was I.” “Do you think our flight was changed on purpose? This has never happened to me before, and I’ve been flying on Earth shuttles before I could walk.” Liz shrugged, but her eyes were still troubled. Hoshi opened her mouth to answer, then thought, Did Mark Harris have anything to do with this? He was worried about security...She couldn’t tell Liz that, so instead, she said, “Let’s see if we can find T’Pol. The rep said, what, 14?” “Gate 15.” They walked towards the concourse and found Gate 15. Sure enough, T’Pol sat at the café directly across from the gate, sipping tea and frowning at something on her PADD. Neither Hoshi nor Liz said anything, but the Vulcan’s head went up sharply at their approach. Hoshi took one look at T’Pol’s expression and hurried to her side. “Captain, Lieutenant,” T’Pol greeted in a low voice. “I hope you are well?” “So far,” Hoshi said, but the joking fell flat. “Is there a problem?” T’Pol pushed buttons on her PADD, then handed it to her. Liz looked unashamedly over Hoshi’s shoulder. Both of them saw the headline, stared at the images and read the text. The color drained from Liz’s face; Hoshi felt the warmth drain from her own face. T’Pol’s expression was neutral, but Hoshi saw the deep flicker of anger in her eyes. “What the hell were they all thinking?” Liz hissed. Hoshi gritted her teeth. “Look at the by-line, Liz. Sound familiar?” Liz took another look and her face flushed crimson, then white just as quickly. “Gannet Brooks. That bi—“ Again, she choked off what she was going to say. At T’Pol’s odd look, Liz clarified, “She’s Commander Mayweather’s ex-wife.” T’Pol pressed her lips tightly together and replied, “The news has reached Vulcan, Tellar and Andoria, and there has been an uproar. The Tellarites and the Andorians are threatening to recall their ambassadors and representatives. High Minister T’Pau has urged caution and restraint. I would direct your attention to the next-to–the-last paragraph.” Hoshi scrolled down to that point, and Liz read it aloud in a soft voice, “Eyewitnesses confirm that the mob entered the 602 Club, in which a private party was in progress, and disrupted the festivities within. The scuffle, in actuality, lasted ten minutes, but the proceedings were recorded by several journalists and bystanders, as if it had been a scene from a movie. Witnesses also confirm that Humans, Andorians and Tellarites worked together to clear the area and assist the injured.” “It was a set-up,” Hoshi whispered, completely appalled. “The reporters knew something was going to happen and were present to record the whole event.” T’Pol nodded once. “I have not been able to contact Lieutenant Commander Tucker, Jonathan Archer, or Captain Hayes,” she said. “The news reports stress the fact that the ‘private party’ was actually Captain Hayes’s bachelor party—“ The Vulcan stumbled over the unfamiliar term, “and that he had invited Captains Shran and Gral.” “God, what a public relations nightmare,” Liz muttered. Hoshi reread the paragraph, then frowned as something odd jumped out at her. “Liz, I think Gannet may have done us a favor.” “What?” Liz demanded. “She hates Travis’s guts, Hoshi, and I know that she’s never been happy with him being in Starfleet—“ “The last sentence and a half. She implies that it was a set-up, ‘like a scene from a movie’, and she stressed the fact that Humans, Andorians and Tellarites worked together,” Hoshi pointed out. “If Gannet wanted to slander anyone—or stress the non-Human angle—she would have been a lot more disparaging, wouldn’t she?” T’Pol nodded and agreed, “Yes, I noticed the strange wording of the news article. Plus, she added her own footage with commentary, and she made sure to point out the errors on both sides of the conflict.” Liz scowled. “All right, I’ll give her a point or two, but she still knows how to play the public for all she’s worth.” She glanced over at Hoshi. “What will this mean for the wedding?” “It depends on whether or not I can get a hold of Matt—“ A voice echoed through the terminal, “Shuttle SFO 1147 from Tokyo to San Francisco, now boarding at Gate 13.” Hoshi’s tone was unnaturally cold as she finished, “—so we go to San Francisco and see what the hell is going on.” Malcolm Reed stared at the information on his screen. Night had fallen in Shi’Kahr, and the only source of light in his room was from the firepot, burning brightly in the corner. Nevertheless, he shivered as if he was on Andoria. News had traveled fast from Earth; he cursed Terra Prime and their interference, but his concern was for Hoshi. Did this debacle ruin her plans to marry Matt Hayes, or did it just delay the wedding? Although he felt a twinge of guilt for the thought, he had to admit that the overall emotion he felt was relief. He was being selfish, and as a doctor, he couldn’t afford to be selfish, yet he couldn’t bring himself to be sorry. He couldn’t contact either Jon Archer or Trip Tucker, and that worried him. Were they going to become scapegoats for Terra Prime’s treachery? You cannot do anything about it now. Concentrate on the present situation. Malcolm rubbed his eyes and stared at his computer screen again. Doctor T’Vau had compiled neurological records of their patients at the Medical Academy and correlated the similar information from them. There was a disturbing pattern to the records that both fascinated and frightened him. A steady degradation of emotional control, at first subtle, then it becomes more apparent. The physical symptoms follow: renal failure, autoimmune system failure, a wasting away of muscle fibers, ending with heart. Nervous system collapse, a complete dissolution of the myelin sheath surrounding the nerves and sharp decrease in neurochemical activity. Malcolm shook his head. The bloody worst part of it...the damn thing sneaks up on you so gradually you don’t realize you have it until it’s too late. The closest thing to it that he could identify was Pa’nar Syndrome, but this was worse, much worse. There was no evidence that mind-melding was the prime means of spreading it. T’Vau had postulated that it might be a mutation of the Pa’nar virus, hiding in the Vulcan’s body for years, dormant, until it suddenly roared to life... The roar of engines, feeling gravity release you in free-fall, the “Seatbelts fastened” light winks off, the spaceport left far behind, your destination ahead. The cabin is filled with lively chatter, and you turn to address the woman next to you, one of your friends...the trip is smooth and without trouble, and the three hours pass swiftly, then the pilot informs you that you will be landing soon and to secure all loose items... You see the Golden Gate Bridge in the near distance, so you know you will be in San Francisco soon. The late morning sun sparkles on the Bay, you see the hovercar traffic on the bridge, and San Francisco Spaceport on your right... Fear rose in Malcolm’s throat. Something was wrong. Something bad was going to happen. He knew this feeling; it had happened before, and he was in no position to stop it. The walls trembled, the sharp squeal of overstressed metal, smoke trailing past the viewport, alarms screaming, you assume the “crash position”, your head tucked between your knees, and you pray that the pilot is as good as Matt, or as Travis, or as T’Pol...you wish T’Pol was at the stick instead of sitting next to you, waiting for your fate, not knowing if you would survive... He snapped back to awareness so abruptly that he saw nothing for a long moment. His heart thudded in his chest with the terror he’d felt...the terror that was uniquely hers. Hoshi was in danger. Hoshi and T’Pol. Malcolm glanced at the chronometer and made the mental calculations in his mind. Yes, it would be about eleven in the morning, San Francisco time, and the wedding wasn’t until two-thirty that afternoon. Even if he left now, he would never reach her in time to save her. But if the Vision didn't come to pass, he'd still be there for her. And if it did...Malcolm closed his eyes and controlled his fear. Either way, he couldn't sit still and do nothing. He slapped the companel. “This is Doctor Reed. Connect me to the Shi’Kahr Spaceport immediately. I need to be on the next flight to Earth. Emergency code: Reed five-two-Alpha.” |
Like it? Hate it? Just want to point out a typo? Join the discussion now.
Disclaimer: Star Trek in all its various forms and its characters are the property of CBS/Paramount. No copyright infringement is intended by the authors of this site, which is solely for the purpose of entertainment and is not for profit. This site is owned by CX and was opened to the public in February 2008.