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Darkness Unfolding- Part 14

Author - The Watch Stander
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Darkness Unfolding

by The Watch Stander

Disclaimers in Part 1

~~~

Part 14

Archer sat quietly at his desk in his ready room contemplating how to protect his crew until they reached the end of the nebula sometime late tomorrow. Daniels and Trip were still finishing the repairs on Daniels’s ship.

He twisted the pencil with his fingers as he tried to think of a way to avoid being boarded again by the invaders, but there seemed to be no answer forthcoming.

Finally, thoroughly frustrated with the whole situation, he dropped the pencil onto the desk. He was borderline exhausted as the last few days had played havoc with his nerves. Jon knew he had to rest sometime and it was now well past that time for his body ached from lack of sleep and his head was pounding.

He sat up in the chair and made the decision to leave to get some rest, but first he would stop at engineering and pick up Trip. The engineer must be exhausted and it was time for him to get some sleep as well. He would insist that Trip finish the rest of the repairs tomorrow after a good night’s rest.

Archer bid goodnight to the night shift that was now on duty on the bridge. He was glad to see that none of the members of his shift were on duty and most likely were already asleep in their quarters. Boarding the turbo lift he headed for engineering.

************************

Trip’s eyes were starting to ache from fatigue. He tried rubbing them with his left hand as he leaned over the control panel in Daniels’ ship.

Daniels was there as well, working underneath the consol where a relay had blown just a short time ago. He seemed never to tire. Trip envied the man his stamina.

Trip resumed the delicate work on the connection and was relieved to see a light appear on the board before him.

"That’s got it!" he happily informed Daniels.

Daniels got up from the floor. "You’re a miracle worker, Commander."

Trip leaned against the consol for support. He smiled crookedly as he looked at Daniels. "Just don’t get use to it. There are some things in here that even I haven’t a clue how to fix!"

Daniels laughed, "Ok, it’s a deal."

Jon walked into engineering just as Trip was starting to pack up his tools.

"Hi, Capt’n, come to help?" Trip smiled wryly knowing Jon wouldn’t take it wrong.

"No, I’ve come to order you to your quarters. You need some rest. Besides you look like hell!"

Trip smiled, it was a long time saying they had. It was their way of showing concern for one another. Jon had always treated Trip like a kid brother.

Trip took a deep breath, "I’ll take you up on that order. What ever’s left to do can be finished tomorrow. All vital systems are up and running so we won’t be getting hit by any more anomalies."

Jon smiled, "Let’s hope not."

Daniels was always amazed how well the two men seemed to mesh, they were such different personalities. It was good to see Archer more relaxed and less driven.

"I’ll finish up here so you two get some rest. We’ll need to be ready for whatever tomorrow brings."

After Archer and Tucker left, Daniels sat down at his controls. While observing the readouts of his diagnostics’ test he thought about what might happen tomorrow.

I just hope we’re prepared and make it out of this infernal nebula in one piece.

He knew the rebel members of the time continuum were not about to give up this easily. Sighing he made note of the red light flickering on the panel before him. It was his weapons re-energizer. There was nothing he could do to get it back online. Trip wasn’t an option as he wasn’t allowed to see this future technology. The engineer was very bright and it wouldn’t take him long to figure out the basics of the weapons. That knowledge might disrupt the future. A price he wasn’t about to pay, however he couldn’t let Trip be killed either. It was a quagmire for sure. One he had no answer for. He sat there well into the night trying to think of an option and finding none....

*****************************

Trip tossed and turned in his sleep unable to escape his assailant in the dream that kept repeating night after night. No matter what he tried to do, he always ended up fighting the Klingon on the bridge and getting a knife in his side. Jon was there, but Trip woke up before the dream played out leaving him wide awake with a pounding heart beat. His whole body was covered with perpetration. He sat there for a while trying to calm his nerves then finally tried to go back to sleep.

Down the hall Jon was also having much the same dream with the same results. The only one not dreaming was Malcolm. He was in the weapons room talking with Major Hayes about what might happen in the morning and how they needed to be on their toes. Sleep was the farthest thing from his mind right now. His job was to protect Enterprise and its crew and nothing was going to get in his way.....

*****************************

The blaring sound of the alert woke Archer immediately. Using the comm he was told that they had boarders on the three decks. He dressed quickly then headed down the hall to get Trip. Halfway there he was met by the engineer who emerged from his quarters also dressed.

"Did they say which decks they’re on, Capt’n ?"

"Yes, the three below us. Lt Reed and major Hayes are headed there. We need to get to the bridge. We can’t use the turbo lifts it would give them a perfect target."

"We can use the Jeffries tubes, I know a few where they can’t detect us."

Jon nodded, "Let’s go. It won’t take them long to get here."

Trip hurried to an access panel close to the floor and pulled it open.

" After you," He said with a smile.

Jon sighed and getting down on his knees crawled through the opening. Trip followed and then pulled the cover back into place. The tube was narrow here but would soon get larger allowing them to crouch down instead of crawl.

"Head straight ahead then take a left. We can use the access ladder to the next deck, " Trip told Jon as they hurried through the tube.

Once they turned the corner, the tube opened up into another access tube with a ladder heading up to the next deck. Trip climbed up the ladder first knowing that he needed to get off at a certain junction point that led to another tunnel. It was easier having Jon follow him.

Jon wanted to check with Malcolm, but knew his comm unit might give him away and allow the invaders to pin point them. It would have to wait till he got closer to the bridge.

Trip found the junction he wanted and swung into it from the ladder. Jon followed wondering where they were going. Up ahead Trip stopped at a panel that he used his security code to open.

He activated a screen that showed a camera view of all the decks and halls of Enterprise including the jeffries tubes.

"Let’s just see where the little devils have got too," Trip said out loud.

Jon was surprised to say the least, he didn’t know this type of equipment was available in his ship.

Trip kept shifting views of the decks from one to another till he found where the aliens were located.

"Gotcha!"

"What is it," Archer asked unable to get a clear view of what Trip saw.

Trip moved aside so that Archer could see for himself.

"Our friends seemed to be looking in all the wrong places." He grinned happily. "These tubes are shielded by the warp engine flow tubes. They obscure any life sign readings."

Jon smiled, "When did you get this piece of equipment ?"

Trip looked sheepish, "Ah, the last retrofit we had before coming in to the Expanse."

Jon looked surprised not remembering authorizing any such equipment.

Trip realized what Jon must be thinking. "Malcolm had one of these installed in security, so I figured I needed one for engineering as well. I have the main unit in engineering, this is just an auxiliary unit."

Jon finally smiled and shook his head. "Know this ship pretty well, don’t you?"

Trip smiled back, "You betcha !"

"Where are they located now?", Jon asked once more serious.

Trip pointed to the screen, "Looks like the deck above this one. The Macos are there as well and seem to be holding them in place. Those weapons we got off the other two dead aliens may penetrate their force fields. Malcolm managed to adjust some of our weapons to the same frequency and it looks to me like they’re working as well."

Archer looked satisfied. "Guess we’d better head up to the bridge then."

Trip nodded and shut off the screen. Together they headed back the way they came until they reached the ladder. Trip took the lead again climbing straight up the ladder.

*******************************

Malcolm fired another shot from his plasma rifle. It hit the force field of the alien and sent him stumbling back around the corner trying to get to cover. Two of the others returned the Macos’ fire causing them to seek cover as well. It was beginning to look like a stand off. Neither side gaining any ground or advantage.

The only good thing was that when Malcolm checked with his security team at the armory they advised him that Trip and Archer were both safe in the Jeffies tubes and heading up toward the bridge. Hoshi was safe as well. Major Hayes had her tucked away where the invaders wouldn’t find her.

All in all, things were beginning to look up after all. Reed smiled as one of his shots penetrated the aliens’ force field and the invader fell to the ground obviously injured. The other aliens opened fire while pulling the injured one to safety.

At least we can hurt them, Malcolm thought and continued to fire. The sound of a transporter being used caught his attention and the three invaders disappeared. The hall before them was now empty.

"Shit", Malcolm said out loud.

Where had they gone?

*************************

When Archer and Trip entered the bridge from the Jeffries tube all hell broke loose. Armed invaders were already there in combat with the Enterprise crew as well as the Macos.

Trip and Archer both dove for cover behind a console. They witnessed the arrival of two more invaders who carried a large cylinder type machine that they placed in the middle of the bridge. One of them flipped a switch and a large glow surrounded the machine expanding at an incredible rate.

Trip looked at Archer, "What is that thing?"

Archer was just as mystified. " I don’t know, but it doesn’t look good for us!"

A fluctuation in the scene before them suddenly started and before them a parallel picture emerged of Klingons coming onto the bridge just as they had in Archer’s and Trip’s dream. It was almost like watching a movie.

Trip was dumbstruck, "How can they do that?"

Archer made a decision, "What ever it is we need to turn it off."

He and Trip rose as a unit and headed for the device. One of the invaders saw them and taking aim fired in their direction.

Trip was hit and he fell to the deck. Archer wanted to stop, but ran toward the machine even faster. He would have to worry about Trip later.

Jon entered the glow around the machine and was instantly frozen in place before he could reach the switch. He couldn’t move. Before him the dreamlike scenario played out. The klingon being defeated by Lt Reed and then Archer being helped to his feet by the Lt.

Jon’s attention immediately looked beyond that scene to the back of the bridge where Trip and the other Klingon seemed to be involved in a deadly ballet of death.

Trip finally saw his chance and swung his weapon at the Klingon’s head. However, before it made contact ,Trip’s assailant took that same opportunity to lunge forward and send his sword into the engineers unprotected middle. The weapons both struck their targets at the exact same time. The Klingon dropped his bloody sword and stumbled backwards only to collapse against the wall, blood pouring down his face from his head wound.

Trip also dropped his weapon as he fell to his knees. He was holding his hands against his own wound as blood seeped through his fingers.

Archer watched in horror as Trip slowly fell forward and lay still on the deck. Intense feelings of sorrow ran through Jon as he realized that this time there would be no Daniels to save them. The temporal agent’s equipment had been damaged and was no longer able to reverse the time frame.

Jon continued to stare hopelessly as the scene played out. The two time periods seemed to be slowly meshing together and becoming one and he was helpless to stop it.

Suddenly, the machine that was holding him frozen in place was engulfed in a huge flash of bright light followed by an explosion that flung him into the air.

Then there was nothing but blackness....


**********************************

Jon’s eyes opened slowly, they felt gritty and dry like he had been staring at the terminal screen on his desk too long. He slowly identified the sounds around him and realized that he was in sickbay.

Obviously they had defeated the Klingons or he would be in their brig or worse, dead. Certainly not in sickbay.

But with this realization came the memory of what he’d seen happen before the explosion. His eyes started to water despite their dryness,

Trip is dead and nothing is ever going to change that...

Taking a deep breath he tried to come to terms with that realization...

Sudden footsteps seemed to be coming toward him and Archer tried to compose himself for he didn’t want anyone to see him like this. Not even Phlox.

"You still gold bricking, Capt’n?" a familiar voice said.

Archer couldn’t believe what he heard. His eyes shot open only to see Trip standing before him with a big grin on his face. Something Jon thought he’d never see again.

"Trip?" Jon could only manage a whisper he was so shocked.

"It’s me Capt’n and you look as though you’d seen a ghost! Luckily they only stunned me when the invader shot me."

Jon was suddenly speechless and unable to switch from despair to joy this quickly. It must have showed on his face, for Trip was suddenly concerned.

"You OK, Capt’n?"

Archer nodded and was finally able to find his voice, "What happened?"

Trip smiled once more then sat down on the side of Archer’s bed, getting comfortable as he prepared to fill his friend in on the whole story.

"Well, seems after I got shot you got trapped by that machines’ temporal flow. Daniel’s explained that part to me when we told him about the machine. He said that there was no way you could’ve stopped what was taking place while trapped in that time stream.

Anyhow, Malcolm arrived on the bridge just after you were trapped with guns blazing."

Trip’s smile widened, "You know how annoyed he gets when things aren’t going his way." His eyes twinkled knowing he was dragging this out.

Jon smiled back, "And?"

"Well, seems Malcolm decided he really didn’t like having you caught by that device, so he shot it with one of their own weapons we captured and the thing blew up! "

Trip smiled and shook his head, "Made him real happy, from what I’m told."

Jon suddenly smiled and almost laughed. He really could picture Malcolm being happy after he destroyed the machine.

"So why am I here?"

"Well, you got caught in the blast from the explosion. Phlox said you had a slight concussion, so he kept you down here over night.

Our time line went back to normal after the explosion, so the invaders left to lick their wounds. Daniels said they wouldn’t return. He claimed it was too late for them to do any other damage to our time line. Before he left yesterday he said to tell you goodbye and good luck."

Archer nodded, "We’ll need it. Have we come through the nebula?"

"Yes, indeed. We’re well into the Expanse right now."

Trip started to reach into his jumper pocket, "By the way, you’d better hurry up and get out of here cause I’ve got something here you’re gonna love!"

He held up a large info chip.

Archer knew instantly what it was, "Is that what I think it is?"

‘You betcha! I have all future water polo matches for the next year on this chip."

Archer looked puzzled, "How did you do that?"

"Well, seeing how I helped Daniels fix his ship I figured he owed me, so I asked him to download all future games for this year. We can watch them whenever we want."

Archer leaned back into his pillow and started to laugh,

Having Trip still safe and a year’s worth of water polo matches, it just didn’t get any better than this....

End :)

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