Day 30!
Prompt: Hours Feel Like Days
+ ENT Appreciation April: Missing Scene(s)
Done! Finally done! Published late, but that's okay, it still falls into US time.
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“Hoshi? Are you alright?” No answer. Malcolm tried again. “Hoshi! Are you there?” His hand was already reaching for his phase pistol as he signalled for backup to meet him at the ensign’s quarters. His blood ran cold at the thought of what could be happening even as he pounded around corners in a frantic bid to get to her.
She was already opening the door as he got there, standing against the wall so he could dart inside, weapon at the ready.
“What happened?” His voice was sharper than he’d intended, and from the corner of his eye, he saw her flinch.
“There was a voice … and someone in the corner.” She pointed toward the right of her viewing port. Her voice was uncertain now, more so than when she had commed security.
Malcolm stood in front of her, shielding her just in case, his phase pistol pointed where she’d directed. His eyes swept the room; it was empty, and too small to be hiding anyone, but as Ensign Esk Parker and Crewman Fuller arrived, he directed Fuller to check the bathroom and Esk to stay on alert near Hoshi while he did a sweep of the room.
Nothing. There was nothing to be found. He’d known it from his first look as he’d barged into the room, but he was the Chief of Security; he couldn’t leave any corner unchecked, and he wouldn’t have, anyway. Not with Hoshi - Ensign Sato - looking so unnerved in her own quarters.
“Nothing?” The disbelief in her voice, in her eyes, made Malcolm uneasy. Not as uneasy as the fact that there had been absolutely nothing on the scans. Nothing in her room, no extra bio-sign at the time she’d called for help. No strange energy readings, no radio waves, no odd signals.
Whatever Hoshi had experienced, it was a phenomenon unique to her, and her alone. Still, he tried to be reassuring as he answered.
“I ran every scan in the book. There’s no sign of any intruder anywhere on the ship.”
“Maybe our sensors missed something.” She’d turned away from him, unwilling to meet his eyes as she made the claim. She’d know that it wasn’t something he’d take lightly; the safety of everyone on board was his paramount concern, and properly-functioning sensors played a major role in his efforts. She knew he’d have double-checked the sensors to be absolutely sure.
“I went through all the logs for the past 24 hours,” he said, keeping his voice low as he angled his body toward her, wanting to keep their conversation private to shield her from inquisitive eyes. “To say they were uneventful would be an understatement.”
She closed her eyes and groaned, frustration in every line of her body.
“This is good news.” He tried his hardest to be reassuring, but when she opened her eyes, he knew he’d failed.
“That I’m imagining things?”
“You're a little on edge. It's not uncommon to see the enemy out of the corner of your eye.”
She looked unconvinced, and by her body language he could tell that she was drawing herself into herself, leaning away from him as thought rejecting what he was saying. “I thought that was called paranoia.”
As he launched into the tale of having imagined a Xindi in his quarters, he saw her eyes and mouth pinch tighter. Now anger and despair were seeping into her voice and expression. She wouldn’t look at him directly any longer, only out of the side of her eye.
Malcolm was lost. He didn’t want to think that Hoshi was imagining things, but he had always placed his trust in things he could see. If he couldn’t see what was bothering her, putting that expression of fear and uncertainty on her face, how could he fight it? How could he protect her?
Not only that, but everything he said and did seemed to be making matters worse.
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“Ensign Sato to Lieutenant Reed. I need help in the Command Centre.”
He was on his feet and out the door almost before she’d finished speaking. Once again he ran; she hadn’t sounded panicked, but her voice had been odd, worried, unsure. He drew his phase pistol as he ran; nothing was going to stop him from protecting her as best he could.
As he rounded the corner, she was in the corridor in front of him, reaching out as though she was pushing something. She stepped forward, then froze, looking around. Her body was almost rigid, uncertainty in the set of her shoulders as they hunched up toward her ears.
Coming up behind her, he reached out carefully and put his hand on her shoulder, saying her name just before he touched her to try and avoid giving her a fright. “Hoshi?” She jumped anyway, turning to face him, startled. “Are you alright?”
Her eyes were unfocused, as though she’d been looking out over a great distance. As he spoke, they zeroed in on him, clearing, and her hand came up to clutch his. Even so, he could feel her trembling. Her hand squeezed his hard; then she let go and stepped into him, burying her face in his chest, seeking reassurance. He holstered his phase pistol and held her until her trembling stopped, saying nothing, just patting her back, grateful that at least she wasn’t withdrawing from him this time.
When she eventually drew back, they looked at each other, one of their silent conversations passing between them. Finally her shoulders slumped and she closed her eyes, nodding in defeat.
“Come on,” he said reassuringly. “I’ll go with you.”
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Malcolm watched Hoshi as she sat on the bio-bed. Even from the back, he could see the tension in her, her back rigid, her shoulders once again hunched.
“I'm not picking up anything out of the ordinary.” Her head dipped, then came up fiercely as the doctor spoke.
He knew he’d have to simply report as though she were any other crewman.
“We still haven't found any ships nearby or any uninvited guests on board.” If it were possible, she stiffened even more at his words. She was withdrawing into a shell again, and his adherence to duty and procedures wasn’t making things any easier.
Her voice was brittle as she ignored him and spoke directly to Archer.
“I am not imagining it, Captain!”
“You have to admit it's a possibility.” The captain’s voice was careful, as though he was handling a skittish horse. Did the man not realise that Hoshi could read every nuance in his voice, and realise that he was simply humouring her?
She made it clear with her next words. “With respect, sir, I know that my mind can be overactive sometimes, but that is not what's happening. This is real.”
Perhaps the determination in her voice made it through; if nothing else, she believed in herself. Her fears about hallucinations and an overactive imagination were concerns of the past. This was the Hoshi who was ready to search for answers. Despite his concern, he felt a thrill of pride at the way she was pushing back against the clear doubt she was facing from all three men.
Archer may have instructed a security detail, but Malcolm knew he’d be the one standing guard. He wouldn’t leave it to anyone else. His teams could handle the Armoury and Engineering; he would watch over Hoshi himself.
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On the bridge, he watched her go into the captain’s Ready Room. Her shoulders were back and she looked more confident. Had she had another experience?
Archer’s instruction to Mayweather came as no surprise; there must have been a reason Hoshi had gone in to speak to the captain. As she came out and her eyes met his, he knew he’d been right; she’d had another contact and this one had clearly given her more to go on than before. Her gaze was clearer, sharper, more direct than over the last day.
Hopefully they would find out what was happening and this would be over soon.
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Hoshi was apprehensive but hopeful on their way down to the planet. There was a glimmer of light for her world! She led the way into the alien’s room, pushing open the doors as in her vision. Looking for the short, dark-haired man with whom she’d been conversing.
Tarquin was nothing like she’d been expecting.
“I didn't want to frighten you, so I created a human image when I contacted you on Enterprise.”
And he hadn’t seen fit to tell her that she was only viewing an avatar, and the person she met would be very different?
She was not one to judge someone by their looks; but the sheer disparity between what she’d been led to believe was him, and the reality of his appearance, was so jarring as to render her speechless.
She saw the looks Malcolm and the captain exchanged - both at the sight of Tarquin, and the alien’s request that she stay with him while he worked. And all the while, the fact that he hadn’t told her he looked different, that he had kept her believing he looked like the security officer she trusted, preyed on her mind.
He asked you to come alone! And if you had, and you’d only found out then what he looked like, that he’d been lying to you? What then? What if you were struck speechless without Malcolm and the captain to back you up? Alone at his mercy? It was a deeply unsettling thought.
Which was why she was surprised to find herself telling the captain that she felt comfortable being alone with Tarquin. Still, they needed the information, and despite the fear for her she knew was driving Malcolm’s suggestion that Enterprise remain in orbit, time was a luxury they did not have.
“I can take care of myself, Captain.”
But she wished the real short, dark-haired man who made her feel safe was going to be with her on the planet.
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Malcolm didn’t know what he’d been expecting when the alien turned to them - but he knew with absolute certainty that Tarquin was not what Hoshi had been expecting. She had never mentioned the alien’s looks, which she certainly would have if she’d seen them before, since they’d never seen anyone who looked like him.
And her fear and discomfort were easy to read on her face and body language; he didn’t need to be a linguist to pick up her uncertainty.
“Thank you for coming to me.” Tarquin moved up close to her, ignoring the others as though they didn’t exist. She stepped back and looked away; the captain stepped in front of her, and the alien backed off.
But just for an instant, Malcolm saw a flash of anger in his eyes before he concealed it and played the role of a good Samaritan once again. His gaze never left Hoshi, though, and Malcolm saw how discomfited it made her feel. So he made it clear he was suspicious of Tarquin with a few well-placed questions.
“We didn't pick up any other biosigns. I take it you live here alone.”
The flash he saw in Tarquin’s eyes this time wasn’t anger, it was despair. And that made him even more concerned.
"It's an awfully big planet for one person.”
The captain had looked at him then, and he hoped that his meaning had made it through.
But he couldn’t stop Tarquin’s insistence that Hoshi stay with him while he assessed the artefact - or her insistence that she could cope.
The alien said he didn’t want to frighten her, but he’d let her think she was going mad, lied about what he looked like, and had wanted her to come to him on her own. And then he kept pushing his attention on her, making her uneasy. These were not the actions of someone who claimed he had good intentions.
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Malcolm went to Hoshi’s quarters before she left. She was packing, her movements rote, her body still tight with unease. But she was putting on a brave face, and he wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince him, or herself.
To augment that bravery with practicality, he gave her a phase pistol to keep close at hand. She made no demur, but packed it for easy access.
He hesitated before leaving.
“Ensign … you’ve been an exemplary pupil. I’ve rarely enjoyed sparring with someone as much. Very few people could best me as often as you have become able to. Remember that.”
He hoped she picked up on the message he was trying to convey, in his awkward fashion. By the look in those large, dark eyes, and the smile that touched her lips, he thought she had.
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The sly stroke of Tarquin’s fingers on hers as he took her bag, made Hoshi feel ill-at-ease. She thought again of Malcolm, of how he had praised her hand-to-hand combat skills. He had given her a phase pistol, but he’d also been trying to give her a message. She didn’t want to dwell on it too long, lest her host pick up on it; but she hugged the thought to herself.
“Your parents learned you were gifted, so you spent your childhood with private tutors, studying languages. You thought it was normal to go through your days alone. I'm sorry, I forget you're unaware of how much I know about you.”
“Are you reading my mind continuously?
“Not since you arrived. Now that you're here with me I would rather get to know you the way other humans do.”
If he was reading her mind, the blaze of sheer anger that had swept through her at that moment should have given him pause.
Everything was off-kilter. Tarquin was in her mind, and could be there at any time, and she wouldn’t know. He could invade her mind, but she knew nothing of his.
Hoshi was not exactly a loner, but she valued her time alone. This alien didn’t seem to get that, or only looked at her memories and didn’t understand the emotions that accompanied them.
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When she opened her duffel and saw the clothing she had packed, she was taken aback. Why had she packed these? These were not her Starfleet-issue pyjamas or shoes; she barely wore these in her own quarters. She would never have chosen to wear these on an official mission, let alone in a place where she felt uncomfortable and where the male alien hosting her had already made it clear he was interested in her as more than a guest.
The phase pistol went under her pillow. But for some reason, she kept ending up in one or other slip dress instead of her uniform. When she realised, anger would sweep through her, clearing some of the fog; she was struggling to think as clearly as usual, and she knew exactly whom to blame.
The next few days were torture, as she found herself without her usual work with which to stay busy; all she had was the book Tarquin gave her, and fascinating as it was, it didn’t help settle her unease at not being with her crew.
And it didn’t stop her from wondering when, or if, he was in her mind.
So she fought back, running through combat training sessions in her mind, or changes to the UT, or reciting the alien languages she knew as she read.
Then she found the graves.
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“Do you really expect me to spend the rest of my life on a desolate world with someone I have known for less than two days?” The frustration at his sheer determination not to understand was grating at her.
“The others had similar doubts, but over time they came to appreciate what I had to offer them. No one will ever understand you the way I can.” How dared he! Rage funnelled through her. He had no idea who could and could not understand her, or how important her friends - her Enterprise family - were to her.
“I am grateful for your help and I'm happy to stay here while you work, but I have no intention of becoming your next companion!”
He dared - dared - appear to her in his human guise, and try to gaslight her? For all his rummaging around in her mind, he had no idea who she was, did he? And he refused to see that his every attempt at manipulation was only making her angrier, more determined to leave. He was fixated only on what he wanted, not her wishes.
Tarquin thought he was the only one who could understand her? Then he truly had no clue, had not looked deeply enough into her interactions with her colleagues and friends.
He had no idea that there was one person on board the ship with whom she’d developed a bond born of understanding each other, having grown up in different types of isolation, in ways the others didn’t or couldn’t. That the standoffish security chief could commiserate with her without saying a word, and that suited her just fine; he used his words with Trip, but she didn’t need them. That she and Malcolm understood each other so well that they could have silent conversations just with their eyebrows.
Malcolm was gentler than his occupation might suggest, committed to duty, carrying an incredible amount of baggage, but kind, encouraging, and totally committed to his job. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t see herself in him sometimes. And that was another thing Tarquin didn’t understand.
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Every hour since they had left Hoshi on that benighted planet had felt like a day; every day had felt like a week. Malcolm was struggling not to think about what might be happening, and focus on the mission instead. He knew it was what she’d have wanted.
But they were approaching the planet now, and soon she would be back with them. With her family.
Then the lights went out, and so did his console. Even the view-screen went dark.
Hoshi.
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Once again rage channelled through her, this time with fear - fear that he might hurt them, hurt her family. And she swore if he did, she would hurt him. No matter what she had to do, she would make him pay.
Tarquin wasn’t quite gloating, but he certainly seemed triumphant. She’d bet Malcolm would have had something to say about that.
Malcolm! What would Malcolm do?
She grabbed the egg, and watched Tarquin fall to pieces. Her determination and anger finally made it through.
Far above, unseen, Enterprise came back online.
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The shuttlepod made its way through the atmosphere and Malcolm set down at the same spot as before. Hoshi was outside, holding something white that sparkled. He walked up to her and said her name, and she spun around.
The smile that blossomed on her face when she saw him and the shuttlepod took his breath away. It had been too long since he’d seen that smile. He would do anything to keep that smile safe.
Anything.
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He sternly shut away the little ache in his chest when she told how mention of Travis had helped her realise that she was still being manipulated. All that mattered was that she was free, she was home, she was here.
Then she turned to him, and with a mischievous look, told him that when the chips were down, she’d asked herself one question: What would Malcolm do?
His heart seemed to grow three sizes. He tried to contain the sudden burst of joy he felt, tamp it down behind his shields, but she looked at him. She saw him.
And that smile returned.
