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Psyche and Sound- Chapter 15

Author - Orion9
Fan Fiction Main Page | Stories sorted by title, author, genre, and rating

Psyche and Sound
by Orion9


Disclaimer: Enterprise and all related characters belong to Paramount.

*****

Chapter Fifteen – Agony

His eyes widened as he caught sight of Trip standing there all by himself, looking bewildered and disturbingly forlorn in the huge room. The young officer’s expressive red-rimmed blue eyes were wide and terrified, and his trembling hands were stretched out towards him in an obvious desperate, but silent, appeal for help. Archer tried to move towards his best friend but found himself suddenly helpless, unable to budge or even utter a sound.

“Cap’n?”

That single whispered plea sent a knife through his heart. Trip sounded, all at the same time, extremely young, confused and hurt, so unlike the confident engineer that he knew for almost a decade. Archer tried again to go towards his friend but realised that something… no, someone, was holding him back. He twisted his body, meeting the sympathetic gazes of Malcolm, Hoshi and Travis. T’Pol stood nearby, a flicker of … something – something he couldn’t make out – in her cool, brown eyes. His stomach clenched and he turned cold all over.

“No … Wait … Let me go.” He gave each of them a hard glare when they didn’t immediately comply. “That’s an order, Lieutenant!” Archer commanded tersely, aiming his ire at the most senior of his officers who was holding him back. Exchanging a quick look, Malcolm and Travis loosened their grip but did not totally release their hold on their commanding officer. With a jerk, Archer quickly shrugged off the hands from his person and took a step forward, his attention already returning to the figure in the middle of the room. “Trip…”

“W-We’re so v-very s-sorry, C-C-Captain…” Hoshi’s broken whisper stopped him in mid-step and he turned to where she was standing, his breath catching in his throat. There were tears flowing freely down her face. His eyes flew towards where Malcolm and Travis were standing and he reeled inwardly from the obvious grief present on their ashen faces. They had tears in their eyes as well and that frightened him even more. And T’Pol… No, it wasn’t possible, he thought – vaguely conscious of the hysterical tinge that coloured his inner voice – Vulcans do not show any emotion. But T’Pol…Wordlessly, he gaped at the expression on his Science Officer’s face. She looked… grief-stricken… devastated even…

But that could only mean…

No!” he yelled, quick to deny what his senior officers were obviously trying to convey to him. It couldn’t just end this way…Turning back to the lonely, solitary figure – he’d tried moving forward towards him but found that he couldn’t – there seemed to be an invisible wall between them – and all he could do was to watch with helpless rage as Koerin appeared out of nowhere and led an unresisting Tucker away.

The engineer paused at the door, meeting his frantic eyes, and for a brief moment, Archer nursed the hope that his friend would just turn around and walk back to them. But after sending another silent plea, Trip looked away and passed through the door without a backward glance.

Trip!

Koerin paused beside the door and bowed slightly. “I am truly sorry, Captain Archer.“

“No, wait! What do you mean? Where are you taking him?” Archer asked uneasily, his heart sinking at the look on the other man’s face. He pounded hard at the barrier, barely conscious of the pain caused by the motion. “Answer me, dammit!”

“He is dead, Captain.”

“You’re lying! No, he isn’t dead! I … I just saw him… He just went through that door. Where are you taking him to?!” Archer’s voice ended in a near shout as he glared at the aged J’rall.

“He is dead…” The statement was repeated monotonously. “And cannot be returned to you. You have failed him. You have failed the others. You have failed yourself…”

No!

“Goodbye, Captain…” Koerin’s voice seemed to be fading, along with his body. Archer frowned, trying to keep the man in sight. The old scholar was the only link he had left to Trip, and he was not going to let the man just disappear without a single clue to where they just took his Chief Engineer.

“Wait! Remove this barrier and I’ll show you–”

“He is dead…”

Captain…

He frowned at the appearance of a new but strangely familiar voice but ignored it, concentrating instead on the J’rall. Where did that man go?

“Koerin, wait!”

“He is dead…” the fading voice floated towards him, the words faintly taunting. “He is dead to you…”

Sir!

Stop saying that! Trip is not dead!”

Captain Archer!

“He is dead…”

NO! Trip…!”

Captain Archer…! Sir, wake up!

Jerking awake, Archer sat up and stared blankly into the concerned face of his Armoury Officer. Malcolm’s face was paler than usual, and he was swallowing convulsively. The older man looked away, his green eyes skirting the small room, remembering suddenly where he was. Where they both were. Dropping his head into his hand, he took a deep breath to calm his hammering heart. The dream … it’d felt so real. He let out a sigh, conscious that the younger officer’s anxious eyes were still firmly fixed on his covered face but didn’t look up. Not yet. He wasn’t ready to deal with the questioning gaze just yet.

* * * * *

Trust
.
Lost in contemplation, with that simple word and its unmistakable message echoing in his mind, Trip didn’t notice that Taelek had moved until the young J’rall was almost beside him. Startled, he took a step backwards, watching warily as the other man drew even nearer to him.

“Hey! Watch t’personal space, will ya?” he muttered, batting away the hands that were reaching out towards his head. “Nothin’ personal, I think you’re a nice guy and all, but I’d rather you keep your distance for now, al’right?”

Confused by the rush of words from the human and unsure of what to do next, Taelek lowered his arms and looked towards his mentor, who hurried to reassure the agitated engineer. “You need to trust us, Commander. Remember?”

Trust us.

His whole body tense, Trip gawked at the older man for a long time, silently wrestling with the uncertainty that ate at him. He might have agreed to accept their help but that by itself didn’t make anything less confusing or easier. And he was so damn tired. All he wanted to do right now was to lie down somewhere and go to sleep. But not yet, not until he’d finished this, once and for all. But to what outcome? The question taunted him. Right now, he knew that it could be anything, anything at all.

You need to trust us.

Clinging to the hope that he wasn’t making a huge mistake, Trip broke eye contact and looked away. With a barely audible sigh, he then bobbed his head slightly, indicating his agreement.

At Koerin’s silent signal to proceed, Taelek moved closer and raised his hands once more, placing his fingers on Trip’s temples. Wide blue eyes looked nervously back at him and he flashed the man a reassuring smile.

“Now, Commander,” Taelek said gently, seeking to elevate Tucker’s obvious alarm. Although he was holding himself very still, Taelek could tell that the engineer was ready to bolt at the slightest of excuses. “Try and relax. It may sting a little but it will soon be over.”

Sting a little? Trip didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at that claim. If he had any energy left, he would have argued with the young J’rall concerning his poor choice of words. If this was his version of ‘a little’, he’d rather not find out the other end of the scale. His eyes darted wildly, looking for Koerin, and he began to panic when he failed to see the old scholar anywhere.

Then all thoughts came to a halt when the white-hot pain that had engulfed him increased to the point that it was all he could do to stay conscious. It was nothing like he’d ever felt before, it was as if his whole being was currently being torn into two. In an alarming speed that drained all the fight from him, colours seeped from his world, leaving him in enveloping gloom. He tried to move away, to break the contact between them, but found himself unable to do so. No, please … stop! NO…!

Through the red haze of indescribable pain and terror, Trip Tucker screamed.

* * * * *

Malcolm thought his racing heart was never going to regain its normal tempo. When the hoarse cry first broke the stilled night air, he’d almost fallen off his bunk in his blind haste to get to the other man’s side. It was the single, most heartbreaking sound he’d ever heard a man make. His gaze never leaving the man who was now sitting up at the side of the short bunk with his face hidden behind his hands, Malcolm leaned back against the wall, wondering if this short respite was such a good idea after all.

After the first four hours of waiting outside the Healing Chamber, they were finally persuaded by the J’ralls to try and get some rest, seeing that the ceremony was going to be a long one. Although he’d been up for more than 40 hours straight, Archer initially resisted the idea, preferring instead to remain outside, just in case there was a change in Trip’s condition. It didn’t stop Archer from ordering his officers to rest however, much to Malcolm’s exasperation, who felt that it should be his duty to remain outside the door, not the Captain’s.

It took some persuading from both sides, but Archer finally consented, but only after he’d made sure that there will always be someone from Enterprise outside the chamber door at all times. Joining Archer as his captain took first watch, Malcolm knew that Archer’s capitulation was also due to the fact that the rooms that they were given were right across the Healing Chamber, allowing easy access should anything were to happen.

Right now, they were the only two in the room; Tanner and Anderson being on watch, having replaced Archer and himself less than an hour ago. Travis, unable to rest, had decided to join the two men outside. After pacing around the room, the Captain finally fell into a restless doze just half an hour ago, much to Malcolm’s relief. He didn’t like how Archer had looked – it was clear that the tired lines on his face were due to more than just the physical strain.

He had a bad moment when his first few attempts to wake the sleeping man after that first scream were unsuccessful. Archer seemed so deeply lost in the grip of his nightmare that Malcolm wondered for an awful moment if it was even possible to wake him up. Finally resorting to shaking Archer awake, the Lieutenant savoured the sheer relief that had washed over him when bewildered green eyes slowly opened and met his before disappearing behind two trembling hands.

His silent contemplation was interrupted when the door swung opened and the three men looked in, their wide eyes and pale faces mirroring the worry Malcolm knew was clearly etched on his own face. He was wondering what to say to them when a hoarse croak broke the stunned silence.

“I’m all right.” Archer lifted his head and nodded at the men hovering near the doorway, “Just a bad dream…”

Still looking slightly uncertain, Travis and his fellow crewmen obeyed the unsaid order and left, closing the door behind them.

Malcolm frowned at the harsh pallor that currently graced Archer’s features as he looked vacantly at the door, obviously lost in thought. Not for the first time since he’d woken the man up from his nightmare, Malcolm wished that Trip were here instead of him, knowing that the gregarious engineer would instinctively know what to do when faced with a situation such as this. With some hesitation, the dark-haired officer called out tentatively, “Captain?”

Archer’s gaze flew to him and Malcolm could tell that the other man had forgotten that he was even there, watching as realisation slowly replaced the startled look. With a sigh, the older man ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly.

“I’m okay, Malcolm,” he said, answering the silent question, surprising himself by the raspy quality of his voice. He cleared his throat and then continued, “Thank you.”

“Don't mention it, Sir.”

”Any news so far?”

“No, I’m afraid not, Captain.”

Swallowing a curse at the unwelcome answer, Archer stood up, straightening his uniform as he did. It was obvious he wasn’t going to get any more rest tonight. He’d just opened the door when a scream of raw, unadulterated pain emerged from opposite room.

* * * * *

Taken aback by the unexpected spike in the Commander’s brain activity, Phlox leaned closer to the still body and ran another quick scan, hoping to ascertain the cause of it. He took a quick glance at the men who were seated, still as statues, beside Tucker' s head. They showed no reaction whatsoever to the evident change that just took place and Phlox wondered once again what they were doing within the young man’s mind.

He’d just turned away to reach for his PADD when the engineer stirred, a low moan escaping him. Encouraged by what he perceived to be a sign that Tucker will soon be coming out from his deep coma, Phlox was unprepared when the violent thrashing started, the suddenness of it all taking him completely by surprised. Quickly dropping the medical tricorder and the PADD, he was just reaching forward to hold the bucking body down when a hand clamped down upon his arm, startling him even further.

Looking up, Phlox met bright emerald eyes and immediately settled down, reassured by the calming effect of the almost hypnotic gaze. He quickly widened the space between them until the hand dropped from his arm.

“You must give Taelek more time.”

Following Koerin’s gaze, Phlox realised with a start that the younger J’rall’s graceful fingers were still lightly touching Tucker’s head, indifferent to the violent movements of the body beneath his touch. With a sigh, he asked worriedly, “What is he doing?”

“Saving Commander Tucker’s life.”

Unconvinced, the still sceptical physician was about to question Koerin about the statement that seemed to be the exact opposite of what he was witnessing when Tucker’s body suddenly arched, so tautly that he looked like he was going to snap into two at any second. Alarmed, Phlox started forward again but halted when the most horrifying cry he’d ever heard in his life emerged from the open mouth of his patient – a man who was in a grip of a pain so terrible that it’d successfully penetrated the state of deep unconsciousness he was currently lost in.

* * * * *

For one brief infinite second, it seemed as though all those within hearing distance had been frozen into place, a look of absolute shock on their faces. Then, a faint, strangled voice broke the stunned silence.

“Trip…” Archer breathed, recognising the agonised cry. He barely registered the presence of the others – Malcolm just right beside him, Hoshi and T’Pol appearing from the adjacent room, Travis, Tanner and Michaels somewhere to his left – as he made directly for the chamber door, his long legs making short work of the distance between both rooms – only to stop short when the two guards who, until now, had stood silent and unmoving on each side of the thick door, moved in front of it, blocking his way.

“Get. Out. Of. My. Way…” Jonathan Archer gritted through clenched teeth, his voice dangerously soft – each word carefully and explicitly enunciated. He flinched involuntarily when another tortured scream filled the cold night air. Hang on, Trip, we’re coming…

Quickly swallowing his surprise at the glimpse of the deadly rage that glittered in Archer’s eyes, Malcolm immediately moved closer, his own body tense and ready.

“You heard the Captain,” he bit out tersely, his voice low and lethal. “Move!

“Please, Captain Archer, Lieutenant Reed, everyone,” one of the J’ralls stated calmly, lifting one hand in a placating gesture. His eyes flickered to the younger of the two men before returning to Archer, meeting the incensed gaze almost placidly. “You must allow the Cleansing Ceremony to proceed without interruption.”

“Are you deaf?!” Archer snarled, his plain disbelief mirrored in equal strength on the faces of his crew currently flanking him. “That’s no ceremony… It sounds like Trip’s being tortured in there!”

Looking unperturbed by angry, tense and determined group of humans before him, the huge man answered with quiet reassurance, “Your crewman will not be harmed.“

“You can’t be serious? That’s the sound of someone in pain! And in case you missed it all, that someone happens to be one of my crew!”

Archer’s sharp, sarcastic retort did little to ruffle the inherent calm of the J’rall presently in the irate Starfleet Captain’s line of fire. Instead, Wiltr met each hot, angry gaze of the people in front of him with an almost dispassionate manner before finally settling on the only one that wasn’t burning with emotion.

She had stood almost motionless throughout the whole confrontation, watching from the middle of the hostile group – ramrod straight but with delicate features unmarred by any expression whatsoever – a single pillar of serenity among the dark storm that was brewing around him. And although she offered no visible indication of it on her person at the moment, he sensed that she cared for the man inside the room, perhaps even more deeply than she was aware of or was willing to admit to.

However, whatever her feelings were towards the young Commander, this was neither the time nor his place to examine it any further, as fascinated as he was about the whole situation. Right now, the only thing he needed from the Vulcan was her help in getting through to the group before him, before any of them did something that all might come to regret later.

His bright green eyes catching and holding T’Pol’s cool gaze, Wiltr offered a single, earnest plea, “I know it must be hard to trust us after what happened but please, you need to have some faith in Master Koerin.” His eyes shifted to the commanding officer of the group. “Along with Taelek, he will do his best to help the Commander.”

Staring wordlessly at the man, Archer was in caught in the agony of uncertainty, one part of him wishing he could just believe while the other, the part of him who wanted nothing more than to just be beside Trip, to help him get through whatever he was currently undergoing, was wary of empty words that promised much but delivered nothing. He could tell by their rigid stance that his crew, arrayed behind him, was just waiting for the signal to proceed forward. They were all ready to go to the aid of a fellow crewman, a good friend, even if they had to literally go through the two guards who were blocking the only way in to do so.

Sensing rather that seeing T’Pol move nearer to his side, Archer’s gaze never left Wiltr’s even when she spoke up from beside him.

“Captain, perhaps it would be prudent to listen to Wiltr – for the moment. Doctor Phlox is with Commander Tucker…” T’Pol left the sentence hanging, confident that he would be able to reach its inevitable conclusion on his own. It may not have shown on her face or in the calm resonance of her voice, but the cries of pain had sent a chill down her spine. And although she knew it was an illogical notion, she could not help but to feel responsible for the Commander’s pain. The survey, after all, had been her idea. I will need to replenish my supply of candles soon, she thought absently as she waited, along with the rest, for Archer’s answer.


Phlox… Archer’s eyes widened and he glanced down, startled, at his Science Officer. He’d been so caught up with his concern for Trip that he’d forgotten that the Denobulan was also within the closed chamber. Taking a ragged breath, he nodded grudgingly and took a step back, taking some comfort in the thought that Phlox would do everything within his power to make sure that nothing would happen to the young engineer.

“Fine, we’ll wait,” he relented, forcing the words out with some reluctance. His green eyes hardened as he turned warningly back to Wiltr. “But if anything should happen to Trip, or Phlox…”

“Doctor Phlox and the Commander will be all right,” the J’rall intoned, much to Archer’s mounting frustration. That vague reassurance was beginning to grate on his nerves, especially when they have yet to see any physical proof. Turning away, he headed for the opposite bench and sat down, his gaze unwavering as he stared at the chamber door. He resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands, but fisted them tightly in front of him to hide the slight tremor in them.

Taking their cue from their commanding officer, the others did the same, quickly fanning out along the narrow corridor, and all thoughts of rest forgotten as they kept silent vigil. There was one consoling thought that each of them nursed deep within – at least the horrifying screams had finally stopped.

TBC

_______________________________
A/N: Had a not-so-teeny problem with the Internet connection at the office last week or this would have been up earlier. All I can say regarding that experience is that I never wanna go cold turkey like that… ever. ::shudder::

Neo Getz: LOL… thanks for the advice, especially the one about falling off skateboards. Hope you’re feeling all better by now. Ah, Nerf bats… Have seen them in movies – so that’s what those things are called… Loved your insight on perception there. Thanks! Will definitely look you up if I need any help, as an advocate or otherwise. Yeah, there’s a new story I’ve started but have yet to work on it. How it goes will depend on the plot bunny I guess… ‘Psyche and Sound’ was supposed to be a short, humourous piece and look how it turned out. :D Thanks for the reviews!
Laura B: Thanks! Glad you’re enjoying the story so far.


Continue to Chapter 16

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Four of you have made comments

Humerous!!! U call that humourus? Attempting to kill pplz is not funny!

Ok... onto the report.

Gr8 chapter, Archer's dream is probly an accurate idea of what sum1 in his place might dream, the subconcious thought of loosing Trip and facing it during REM sleep. Yup i can belive that.

The 'sting a little' that's what they said about local anaesthetic! THEY LIE all medics LIE, no offense to any1 who reads this.

Gr8 chapter, but the screams! i could almost hear them! *shudders* scary.

oh and the HTML system is bummed, it has the and in the appropriate places but ain't reading them. Just thought i'd let u know, coz every thing is bold and itallics after the dream, including the comments box!

wel lthe html is fixed!

Ghost town!

Welcome to the one and ony fan fic feedback ghost town, many new stories come here hoping for a review but the local residents (the ghosts) cant seem to touch the keyboards to give their replies!

Any1 living and reading this:

POST A RESPOSE ON SOME OF THE STORIES PLEASE