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Amanda, Part 3

Author - RHMichaud
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AMANDA

By RHMichaud

Rated: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Angst
Disclaimer: Paramount owns Enterprise and the crew. No financial gain is
being made from this fiction.

~~~~

Part 3

Page had been carrying Amanda for almost an hour before entering another cavern. This cavern was very similar to the first one. A table of electronics was near the entrance and that was about all there was to see. Page deposited Amanda on the cold dirt floor on the far side of the cavern. He then went to the transmitting equipment to notify the bidders that the auction was over. He had a winner.

~~~~~

T'Pol was a few steps behind Trip as they made their way back through the tunnels. Trip had been walking at a pretty steady, fast pace. At a turn in the tunnel, Trip slowed to a stop and put his hand on the tunnel wall to steady himself.

“I just need a second,” Trip said as T'Pol stepped up.

She noted that he was breathing hard and was sweating. The tunnels were cool, so she knew he must be running a fever. She pulled out her scanner to confirm her observation.

“We should rest here for a few minutes,” T'Pol said.

“I’ll be okay, we don’t have time to stop,” Trip stated as he started to walk away.

“Commander,” T'Pol called after him as he kept walking and she had to hurry to keep up. “Trip. You need to rest,” she said with a hint of compassion as she put her hand on his arm.

Trip stopped and turned to face T'Pol. She saw the sweat beading on his brow, the dark circles under his eyes, and a look of stubborn determination that she had seen before.

“We need to get back to Page’s ship before he does. We can’t let him leave with Amanda,” Trip breathed through clenched teeth.

T'Pol was cool and calm. “If he gets off the planet, Enterprise will be there to stop him.”

“An’ what if whoever he tries to sell her to is bigger than Enterprise? What if he sneaks by somehow or…”

“Don’t do this Trip. Do not dwell on what might happen. Focus on the here and now.” She paused to let Trip think and also to let him rest. “You are exhausted. You are in pain, both physically and emotionally. You must take things one step at a time.” Again, T'Pol paused to let her words sink in, and then she continued. “We will stop here for just a few more minutes, then we will continue to make our way back to the shuttle. Step by step. When we get there we will decide how to continue.”

They stood there in silence for a few moments. Trip slowly took a deep breath. He was shivering and shaking as he let his breath out.

He spoke quietly. “I can’t stop thinkin’ bout what she did for me. She saved my life.”

“We are all indebted to Amanda for what she has done. You are a vital member of the crew and would be missed should something happen to you.”

Trip looked over at T'Pol. She was looking at him as well. Their eyes locked for a split second before Trip looked away.

“Thank you, T'Pol.” Trip whispered.

A few minutes later, they were continuing through the tunnels. They walked in silence. T'Pol was concentrating on what might be ahead should they find Page at his ship. Trip was fighting the jumbled thoughts going through his mind. He kept trying to ‘focus on the here and now’ as T'Pol had told him, but his thoughts were about Amanda and what could be happening to her.

~~~~~

Reed and Fodor made their way cautiously through the tunnels. They were not going too slow, but they had their eyes open for anything unusual. That diligence paid off just as they rounded a turn in the tunnel. Reed put his arm out to stop Fodor.

“What is it?” Fodor asked.

“Look, there and there,” Reed said as he pointed to places near the floor on opposite sides of the tunnel.

“Sensors.”

“That is probably how Page knew we were on to him when we found the first cavern. I should have been more careful.” Reed was not happy about messing up and didn’t want to repeat that mistake.

“Maybe we are close,” Fodor said as they continued on.

“Maybe,” Reed echoed in a whisper.

~~~~~

Trip and T'Pol walked out into the sunshine. They had made it to the entrance of the tunnel. T'Pol scanned the wooded area ahead as Trip paused at the entrance. His mind was working overtime.

‘What if they were too late?’ Trip tried to stop thinking about that. He just needed to get to Page’s ship. Hopefully they wouldn’t be too late. His hand throbbed. He kept it tucked into the open top of his jacket. Keeping it across his heart seemed to make it feel better, or maybe it just made him feel better. T'Pol had reminded him to keep his hand in a raised position to keep the blood flowing correctly.

T'Pol stopped beside Trip, pulling him from his thoughts.

“How are you feeling? How is your hand?” She asked him.

“I am fine,” Trip said in a terse manner as he walked out to the edge of the woods.

T'Pol followed after him.

“What is your body telling you?” T'Pol continued to question Trip, knowing that he was hiding the pain.

Trip stopped abruptly and leaned against a tree.

“It’s sayin’ if you don’t get off my back, I’m gonna knock you on your ass!” Trip snapped at T’Pol.

T'Pol looked at him with one eyebrow raised. “Resorting to violence will not help.”

Trip ran his good hand through his sweat soaked hair. He let out a big sigh.

“I’m sorry T'Pol.”

“An apology is not necessary. Exhaustion is taking its toll on you. You are speaking before you have had the opportunity to think about what you are going to say. Your irrational state of mind is to be expected.” T'Pol explained to him.

Trip shook his head and started walking again. “Are ya comin’ with me?” He yelled back to T'Pol.


T'Pol and Trip continued on in silence, partly due to stress, but mostly because neither of them knew what was up ahead of them.

Trip stumbled once, nearly hitting a huge tree headlong. He had to put his burnt hand out against the tree to stop him from taking a nose dive into it. Now his hand was beginning to hurt like hell, but he wasn’t going to let that slow him down.

~~~~~

Page finished sending his high bidder the final instructions for payment and pick up. He shut down the transmitting equipment, pulled part of the transceiver and stuffed it into his pocket. Page got up to check on Amanda. He started talking to her as he walked over.

“You just made me a bundle. Didn’t think you were worth that much. Someone wants you bad. Looks like you will be making a lot of others very happy for years to come.”

Amanda hadn’t moved since Page had put her down in the cavern. He nudged her with his foot.

“Time to wake up sweetie. Let’s go meet your new owner.”

Amanda didn’t move. He nudged her again, but she didn’t move. Page was about to lean down to check her when he heard a noise coming from the tunnel. He stood up quickly as his head snapped around to the direction of the noise.

“Oh shit!!” Page exclaimed and he ran for the opposite wall. There he opened another hidden passageway and ducked through it just as Reed and Fodor entered the cavern.

The hidden doorway closed as Reed and Fodor came into the cavern. Reed spotted Amanda immediately and went directly to her. She was lying on her right side, her back to him. As he got to her, Reed knelt down. He rolled her slightly, so her back was against his knees. His heart skipped a beat. Her eyes were open, dull and unfocused. Blood had dried to the right side of her mouth. Reed prayed silently as he felt for a pulse. Her skin was cold. He held his breath and slowly moved his fingers to another position on her neck as he pressed a little more firmly. Reed let out the breath he had been holding as he felt a weak pulse.

He quickly took his jacket off. “She’s hypothermic.” He stated.

“Wha…” Fodor started to ask.

“Her body temperature has dropped; we need to get her warmed up.” Reed explained as he carefully rolled Amanda to get his jacket around her.

Fodor saw the iron cuff around her ankle. He took his coat off and gave it to Reed. He then gently took Amanda’s foot into his large hands. With a snap, Fodor broke the iron lock and removed the cuff. Amanda’s ankle was raw and swollen.

Reed put Fodor’s coat over Amanda then he opened his backpack.

“Damn. I left the med kit with T'Pol.” Reed said and his mind briefly wondered how Trip was doing. He was glad that Trip wasn’t here now.

Reed pulled a small towel from the backpack and handed it to Fodor.

“Wrap this around her ankle.” Reed told him. “We need to get her back to Enterprise.”

Fodor went to the transmitting equipment. He noticed that there was a part missing. “Page must have taken the transmitter with him. No way to contact the ship.”

Reed carefully picked Amanda up in his arms. “What’s the quickest way out of these caves, back to the shuttle?” Reed asked.

“This way,” Fodor said as he headed out into the tunnels.

~~~~~

Fodor led the way through the tunnels as Reed followed carrying Amanda. They moved quickly, but with caution as they didn’t know what could be waiting for them around each turn. Occasionally, Reed would slow down to be sure that Amanda was still breathing. She had closed her eyes at some point. That made Reed feel she must be warming up. He hoped they could get her back to Enterprise in time.

~~~~~

Archer was in sickbay talking with Phlox.

“Are you sure about this Doctor?”

“I had no reason to check before, everything was happening so quickly. I just got the chance to do the proper tests. I apologize for not discovering this sooner.”

“No need to apologize. But what does this mean?” Archer asked.

Their conversation was interrupted by the comm.

“Hoshi to Captain Archer.”

“Archer here.”

“Captain. Travis and I have just found something you will want to see.” Hoshi exclaimed.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes. Archer out.”

Archer stepped away from the comm…

“Bridge to Captain Archer.”

“Archer here.”

“Um… Captain. There is a large vessel approaching rather quickly.”

“Can you identify it Ensign?” Archer asked.

“Uh, it appears to be, are you sure?” The Ensign asked someone else on the bridge. “It’s an Orion Slave ship sir and it’s hailing Overseer Dolun.”

“Contact Overseer Dolun and have him meet me on the bridge, I’m on my way.” Archer looked over at Phlox then bolted from sickbay.

~~~~~


It had taken them a while to get through the woods, but Trip and T'Pol finally made it to Page’s ship. Trip was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily as they paused at the edge of the clearing.

“There are no life signs in the area,” T'Pol stated. “The ship is empty.”

“Great, we beat him.” Trip said as he headed for the ship. “I wanna make sure he can’t leave in this ship.”

T'Pol followed Trip into Page’s ship. Trip went straight for the helm. He sat down and began to reach under the console with is good hand. T'Pol stood beside him with her med scanner out.

“Commander, your heart rate and temperature are up,” T'Pol began.

“Can’t this wait?” Trip said as he moved from the seat to the floor. He lay on the floor and stuck his head under the console. T'Pol had to step back to allow Trip to stretch his legs out.

Trip cradled his burnt hand against his chest. T'Pol noticed the bandage was torn and dirty, but she kept silent as she knew that Trip wouldn’t take the time to stop now.

T'Pol moved to the doorway to scan the area again. They didn’t need anyone surprising them. She stepped outside to continue her scans.

A few minutes later, Trip called from inside, “T'Pol, are you there?”

A moment passed and T'Pol answered. “I am here. Do you need assistance?” She rephrased her question when she got into the ship and saw Trip still lying on the floor. “Are you all right?”

Trip was not under the console any longer, but was still flat on his back. His bandaged hand was across his chest; his good hand was covering his eyes. T'Pol could see that he was shaking.

“Are you all right?” T'Pol asked again, a bit more concern evident in her voice. She knelt down and put her hand on his knee.

Trip pulled his hand from his eyes. He looked exhausted. His red eyes and sweaty brow was a definite sign. His body was succumbing to the stress and strain.

“I can’t stop shaking,” Trip finally answered. “I tried to get up, I got dizzy. I had to lie back down. Help me up.”

“Maybe you should remain lying down for a bit longer. You are obviously exhausted. Your body is in need of rest.” T'Pol told him.

Trip took a deep, unsteady breath and let it out slowly. A moment later, T'Pol pulled a canteen from her backpack and opened the top. She reached her hand out to Trip.

“Let’s try to get you sitting up. Your body needs fluids.” T'Pol said as Trip sat up and took the canteen.

“You haven’t got any aspirin hidin’ in there do ya? I’ve got a splittin’ headache.” Trip asked as he finished a swig of water, nearly choking on it.

“Drink slowly.”

T'Pol pulled a hypospray from the med kit. She checked to make sure it was the correct one and loaded for a low dose. She pressed it against Trip’s neck.

“Is your hand hurting as well?” She asked as she noticed Trip’s dirty and torn bandage.

Trip looked at it too. “We don’t have time for that right now. Help me up.”

T'Pol stood. She looked down at Trip for a moment then grasped his good hand and pulled him to his feet. A wave of dizziness and nausea washed over him and he swayed. He held his breath and let the feelings pass. T'Pol studied him with concern.

“We need to get back to the shuttle.” T'Pol told Trip once he was steady. “Lt. Reed and Fodor may have located Amanda.”

“But what if Page still has her and comes back here. Shouldn’t one of us stay here?”

“I assume you have effectively ‘sabotaged’ this ship, have you not? Page will not be able to take off.”

“Ya, but…” Trip struggled to find the argument he needed in order to convince T'Pol that he should stay here. “Why don’t you go get the shuttle, bring it here. Then we will have air cover in case.”

T'Pol knew that was in no condition to be left alone. He wasn’t thinking straight. She knew he was more concerned about Amanda than he was about himself. She pulled her communicator out.

“T'Pol to Lt. Reed.” No response. “T'Pol to Reed, come in.”

As T'Pol tried to contact Reed, Trip stepped outside. The sun was still hot, but he was starting to feel claustrophobic inside the ship.

T'Pol followed Trip outside.

“What is it?” She asked him, wondering if he had heard something.

“Nothing, I just needed some air.” Trip had barely got the words out when a blast stuck the ground at their feet.

Trip pushed T'Pol back into the ship and dived in behind her as another blast struck the edge of the doorway sending sparks over him. Trip had put his burnt hand out when he jumped in and now it was hurting. He cradled it against his chest. Sweat rolled down his face.

“Get off my ship!” Page’s voice yelled at them.

“Damn. I should have been paying attention.” Trip cussed.

“Get off my ship!” Again, Page demanded. He followed his demand with another blast into the ship.

“It’s not gonna fly if you put holes in it.” Trip yelled back at him. “Give us Amanda and you can have your ship.”

Both Trip and T'Pol were trying to get a view of Page from the doorway while still keeping cover. T'Pol could just make out where Page was standing. He was behind a large tree at the edge of the clearing. No way for a clean shot, especially since they didn’t know where Amanda was.

Page laughed and evil laugh. “I sold her. You will have to pay someone else for her services.”

Trip was angry. “I don’t believe you. No one else has been here since you took her. She is still in those caves. Where is she?”

Trip stuck his head out to get a look and Page fired. He missed.

“Okay, you are right. She is still in the caves. Oh, I did sell her, but they will have to find her, unless your friends have found her body already. But it doesn’t matter. She’s dead.”

Trip heard those last two words and it hit him like a ton of bricks. He felt like throwing up. He had his phaser in his left hand and went to go out the door. T'Pol stopped him.

“He is trying to get to you. You can’t believe anything he says.” T'Pol
told him.

She could feel the anger in his trembling arm. Trip didn’t say a word; he just looked down at the ground outside. He wanted jump out there and make Page pay for this.

Page fired again, but this time it wasn’t at the ship. T'Pol looked out and saw Fodor coming from the far side of the clearing. He had just exited the woods and was firing at Page. Trip looked out now and saw Reed.

Reed was crouched down on one knee. He held Amanda close to his chest, her legs across his knee as he held his phase pistol at the ready. He surveyed the situation and decided that staying put was the best move to make.

A moment later, Reed felt the tingle.

Trip watched in horror as Reed and Amanda vanished.

“I told you I sold her.” Page mocked.

“NO!” Trip cried. Then he fell to the ground unconscious.

~~~~~

TBC

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Three people have made comments

Good fanfic, you write very well. Please say you will post the new chapter soon, I'm dying to find out more about Amanda's past.

Not as long as the last one, but definitely just as exciting. I can't wait to see what the doctor found out and why all these people want Amanda so badly.

Once again an excellent chapter you are a gifted writer please post again soon I cant wait to see how this progressess