InsaneJournal

Fic: Prisoner Of My Soul 3a/4 StarTrek Enterprise
Title: Some Kind Of Wonderful
Author: Lopaka Tanu
Disclaimer: I do not own Enterprise.
Characters: Trip, Maklum, T'Pol, Archer, Hoshi, Travis, OCs.
Words: 11963
Prompt: Romulans capture Tucker and T'Pol.
Fandom: Enterprise
Pairing: Maklum/Trip
Rating: Adult
Warnings: Language, Violence, OC Deaths, Dominance, Sexual Situations, Semi Non-Con.
Summary: Captured by an unknown race, Trip must find a way to survive and get his people out of there.
Author's Note: To Sal, thank you for your inspiration in my time of distraction.
______________________________________


He was cold, yet there was warmth.

Trying to get comfortable, Trip snuggled deeper in to the heat. His hand encountered something soft that caused a gasp near his ear. Eyes popping open, he blinked awake. There was something warm half underneath him. It wasn't a heating blanket, but his body seemed to think it was something much better.

Blue eyes lay glaring up at him. At least he was human. This time.

Feeling a little self satisfied, Trip smirked at their owner. "Hello. Did we we have a good time together last night?"

"Get off me, you bloody moron!" Blue eyes slammed his knee in Trip's chest, knocking him off the top of him. Sitting up, the man shook the unkempt hair out of his eyes. "If that is what you call morning after charm, I seriously recommend you rethink bedding anyone ever again."

"Well, I've never had any complaints before." Rubbing at his chest, Trip glanced about the room. With a sigh, he realized they were in a cell. It was unmistakable by the size and lack of decorations. "Do you know where we are?"

"I should think it perfectly obvious." Sitting back against the wall, Blue eyes drew his knees to his chest. Crossing his arms over his chest, he lowered his forehead to his knees.

Seeing this, Trip sighed. This was going to be a long imprisonment. With a groan, he sat up. Using an arm to brace himself, he looked around further. There was only one entrance/exit to the room, and it took up the entire wall. He had a sneaking suspicion the open space was filled by something painful.

Sighing again, he returned to looking at his cell mate. "So, what are we in for?"

"We're prisoners of the Debrune Monarchy." Blue eyes' voice was tired, as if he had repeated the same story many times over. "You were caught doing something, probably jay-walking, and now you will be executed."

Trip's eyes went wide. "What, don't I at least get a trial?"

That got the man's attention. Raising his face only enough to see Trip, he raised an eyebrow. Shaking his head, he dropped it back to his knees.

The gravity of the situation hit Trip like a warp engine. He was stuck, trapped, prisoner on some damned alien starship. There had to be a way out.

Since there were no electrical panels visible, that left his cell mate.

Scooting closer to him, Trip licked his lips. This was going to be delicate, the man looked pretty damaged. Once he was within touching range, Trip spun to place his back against the wall. "Hey."

"Just leave me be." He sounded worn out. Not bothering to raise his head, Blue eyes shrugged.

He wanted to let the man be in peace, but Trip needed information. This man was the only source. If he was going to get out of there and return to the 'Enterprise', what he wanted took second priority. "How long you been here?"

Growling, Blue eyes raised his head to glare at Trip. "Too long."

"Is that so?" Staring directly in his eyes, Trip felt a tug of memory. There was something very familiar about him. "Do I know you?"

"Do you?" Clearly uninterested, the other man shifted in his seat. His skin rippled in a shiver causing it to constrict.

Trip found himself staring at the other man's body. "Goose bumps." There was a lot visible around the green body suit. Suit? Trip snorted. The man was clad in little more than shorts and an undershirt.

"What's that?" Shivering again, the man stared at Trip like he had lost his mind.

May be he had.

Reaching out, Trip ran his hand up the man's arm. His fingers stilled over a patch of firming skin. "These are goose bumps. They form when the skin contracts." He squeezed the arm gently. It was a very nice arm. "It can be a sign of fear, but I'd say it's more likely you're cold."

"Point for you. This cell is freezing." Lips thin, the man gently tried to tug his arm free.

Trip refused to let him go. Now that he had his attention, there was no backing down. Instead, he scooted a little closer. "You're like me, aren't you?"

His skin tightened again as he swallowed. Staring Trip up and down, he frowned. "What do you mean?"

So, this was going to be a little easier than he had feared. That was a good thing, definitely. Giving the man an easy going smile, Trip eased himself a little closer. "You're like me. Human, from Earth."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Snatching his arm back, the man glared at Trip. He seemed to grow in his own body, shoulders lifting and back straightening. "I think it is best if you left me alone now."

Sighing, Trip pulled back until there was space between them. Staring out at the far side of the cell, he tried to come up with his next plan of action. It was painfully obvious he was barking up the wrong tree on this one. Exhaling loudly, he sunk down against the wall.

"How do you know I am like you?" The words were whispered so low, they were almost unheard.

Looking to the other man, Trip searched for any sign he was being hassled. Finding none surprised him. "You look like someone I know. The only race that looks like me that I've ever met is Human."

"I may be from a race you've never met." The man seemed to take great pleasure in being contrary. A glint of his eye was the only tell that he was dead serious.

Growling, Trip faced away from the man. So that was how it was going to be. Fine. "Look, I'm trying to be nice here. You look familiar is all I'm saying."

"And that's supposed to make me what, suddenly get all chipper and spill my guts? No thank you!" Rolling his shoulders, the man sneered at the floor. When that did nothing for him, he shoved off from the floor.

Trip watched the man move, not so secretly letting his eyes linger on the fine figure. He knew what John would say, and he didn't care. He was a prisoner, not dead. That lean body had been beneath him, he knew how nice it felt.

Besides, it was just a look. He quickly averted his eyes when it seemed the man would change direction. Didn't need him thinking he was being watched.

Too late, the man had seen him out of the corner of his eye. Crossing his arms, he tried to cover more of himself. This only served to make his arms flex their muscles. "In two days time, a guard with a pulse weapon will come and escort you away. You will be interrogated for several hours. If you do not provide amusement or information, they will repeat this procedure until you do. Once your usefulness has been exhausted, you will be executed." As he spoke, his voice held an almost sadistic tone.

Sure enough, Trip saw pleasure on his face. Swallowing, any thoughts of liking this guy went out his ears. "You sound like you're intimate with it."

The man's face was so rigid it might have been made of stone. "Quite." After he spat the word out, Blue eyes turned away to face the opening. Spotting something, he went completely still.

Alarmed, Trip stood up, using the wall to brace himself. "What is it?"

"Nothing you need concern yourself with." His voice strained, Blue eyes trembled a little.

The reason became apparent as two figures cloaked in solid blue uniforms appeared just outside their cell. Their weapons were up and trained on Trip and Blue eyes. One raised his fist and touched something on the weapon.

With a hiss, the invisible barrier became visible for a second, then disappeared.

A hum Trip hadn't been aware of before was suddenly gone. Facing the strange figures, he started to take a step forward.

The second squeezed the handle of his weapon. A red beam flashed out, hitting Trip in the chest.

Pain, blinding and so intense he screamed, ran through his body. Dropping to his knees, Trip clutched at his chest.

"I told you, do not concern yourself." Stepping forward, Blue eyes crossed over the barrier. The moment he was passed it, the barrier came back online. Giving Trip one last look, he took a ragged breath. "Wish me luck. This time, they might let me di..." He was cut off when one of the guards hit him in the back with the weapon.

Knocked forward, Blue eyes stumbled. He quickly righted himself, but not before he touched the second guard. Eyes wide, he stared up at the blue helmet a second before he was twitching. Falling to the floor, he gasped and clutched at a patch on the back of his neck.

Trip tried to reach out, but a warning tingle on the back of his own neck stopped him. "Leave him..." He trailed off as the weapon burn caused his chest to constrict. The pain sent him in to a coughing fit. Trapped by the pain, he could only watch.

When the fit had past, Blue eyes twitched a little from the pain. Rolling on to his hands and knees, he managed to climbed to his feet. He swayed a little, but stayed standing. This time, he didn't look back to Trip.

As the first guard turned, he waved his weapon for Blue eyes to lead the way.

Swallowing, he nodded once. Taking the lead, he kept his chin high. Soon, his footsteps took him out of visual range of the barrier.

Unable to do anything to help made Trip feel like he had failed some how. Letting his head drop, he knew this was going to be worse than anything he had ever imagined.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The panel over the auxiliary science console sparked as the maintenance team tried to pry it way from the bulkhead. An electrical surge sent sparks raining down upon them, causing the woman holding it to wince.

Sighing, John ran a hand over his face. What the hell had happened? He opened his eyes to stare at the view screen. Had he really ordered that his people be left behind?

Was he really capable of that kind of ruthless decision?

Apparently, yes, to both questions.

Dropping his head, he took a shuddering breath. "Hoshi, how are the repairs to communications coming?"

"What?" Her head appearing above the console, Hoshi glanced about for Archer. Upon locating him in his chair, she rubbed at a patch of soot above her left eye. "Uh...our primary relay dish is offline, but the secondary short wave is still functioning. I can patch you through if you give me a minute."

John nodded. "Do so, please." His chest felt tight, making it harder to breathe. To ease the muscles, he sat back and let his arms lay on the chair's rests. He sat in peace for almost a full minute before a throat cleared gently to his right. Opening his eyes, he looked at Phlox. "Yes?"

"I wish to take a scan of you, if I may." At Archer's nod, Phlox held up his scanner, letting it run over John's body. "The crew is in bad shape, Captain. There have been over thirty reported injuries, I suspect more once the crew can get away from their posts."

"Then you should treat them and send them on their way." Growing annoyed, Archer batted the scanner away. "There is nothing wrong with me, I am tired, that's all." Looking left, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Got it!" Appearing over her console, Hoshi pushed her hair out of her eyes. "It's weak, but I've got a signal."

"Good, send this out on the Vulcan frequencies." Clearing his throat, Archer pushed himself out of his chair. He winced as he stood up, but put the pain from his mind. Once at her console, he tapped on the outside.

Clearing his throat, he watched her hands work the buttons. "This is the Earth vessel 'Enterprise'. We have been attacked by an unknown alien race without provocation. Several of our crew members have been taken prisoner, including Sub-Commander T'Pol. We are seeking immediate assistance from any and all with friendly intent."

As he finished speaking, Hoshi hit the send button. "Signal away."

"Put it on a repeated loop until we get a reply." Reaching up, he rubbed at his face again, paying close attention to his left cheek bone. "There is a Vulcan scout ship out there I think will be getting in touch with us very soon."

Ignored, Phlox continued his scans behind Archer's back. Checking his readings, he shook his head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trip wasn't sure how long it had been. All he knew was that, without there being someone to talk to, life in the cell was maddening. It didn't help that his mind kept racing over the different tortures they could be doing to Blue eyes. To distract himself, he replayed over and over the little bit of information Blue eyes had given him.

One aspect he kept coming back to, why hadn't he asked the man his name?

There had been plenty of time. He had definitely wanted to get the man's name. So why hadn't he done it?

The fact he found himself referring to Blue eyes as a familiar alone made him worry. The man was a complete stranger. Aside from a few snide remarks, he hadn't said anything about himself. Yet, Trip felt as if he knew the man, had known him a long time.

That wasn't possible, though. He would remember.

Still, he couldn't completely silence that nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he knew who the man was.

His mind was going round another bend when the barrier suddenly whined then shut down. Turning quickly, he found the guards holding a weak Blue eyes.

The guards quickly tossed him in, letting him hit the floor while they reactivated the barrier.

Trip quickly rushed to his side. Mindful of his own injury, he carefully knelt down and touched the man's throat to feel for a pulse. Finding one, he sighed with relief. He glanced up to glare at the guards, but found they had already gone.

Letting his hands wonder, he checked the man for further injuries. Upon finding none, he felt a little more reassured. Carefully, he eased the man on to his back.

He really was unconscious, the proof being that those soft lips weren't twisted. Before he knew what he was doing, Trip's fingers were tracing them. They were softer than he had been expecting, warm too. His own tingled in anticipation of kissing them.

Closing his eyes, Trip forced his hand away from the sleeping man's face. Crawling backwards, he dragged the man with him. It set flares of pain blossoming in his injured chest, but he forced himself to work through it. Eventually, he had the man at the back of the cell with him.

By the time he had settled back against the wall, the man's upper body in his lap, Trip was gasping and groaning. Sucking in a deep breath, he winced and closed his eyes. This was a mistake. They had to get out of there!

But not right this minute. Right now, he had to rest.

Laying back against the wall, he eased himself in to a comfortable position. His hand went automatically to the other man's chest. Feeling a weak, but steady beat, he sighed again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Captain!" Eyes lighting up, Hoshi looked up from her patch work of controls and circuits. Her eyes quickly found the man resting in his command chair. "The Vulcan scout ship has received our signal and is responding."

"About time." Wincing, Archer tried to sit up in his chair. His skin went pale as he blanched. Easing himself back, he used his good foot to turn his chair. Facing Hoshi, he carefully composed his face. "How long until they can get here?"

"They are on their way now, with an ETA of two hours." Holding her earpiece in, Hoshi frowned. "They are demanding all of our sensor data on the alien ships."

"Tell them that is impossible to send as our subspace antenna was damaged in the attack." Swallowing, Archer closed his eyes. He took a breath to steady himself, then nodded. "Give them a description if you can remember. Just, tell them to hurry."

"Aye, sir." Her eyes lingered on him a second longer before she went back to working her makeshift keyboard.

Hitting the comm button on his chair, John flipped the circuits to the right channel. "Archer to Phlox."

"I'm on my way." The tone was pleasant, as if he were asked the time.

"Thanks." John gasped in pain, his eyes clenched shut. The pain would soon be gone, then he could get back to important things.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Movement in his lap woke Trip from his doze. Sitting up, he cracked his spine and neck. Stretching, he yawned with a loud moan. When that was done, he looked down at the disturbance.

What he found almost made him wish he hadn't woken up. The man was back to glaring at him. Sighing, he reached up to touch the man's neck, only to have his hand rebuffed with a slap. "I'm just trying to check your vitals."

"There is no need. I am fine." To prove this, the man sat up quickly. Stretching his own body, he popped a few joints. "See."

"Yes, I see." And he did. He saw a very prominent bulge in the man's shorts. A slow grin formed across his face. "Did you enjoy your nap?"

"It was quite refreshing." Squatting down, Blue eyes caught Trip staring. "What is it?" Looking down at his body, he found the source of the other man's attention. "Oh, for the..." Grabbing the front of his shorts, he tugged them in to a more comfortable placement.

"I see their interrogation techniques didn't effect every part of your body." Smirking, Trip leaned back to the wall. The old familiar feeling picked up and intensified. "I must say, I think I like this look."

"I have no doubt you would." When his erection did not abate, the man turned his back to Trip. He quickly tugged down on his shorts until the waist band came free. Reaching inside, he manually adjusted himself. "This has nothing to do with you. I just woke up needing to relieve myself."

"All right." Trip tried to get comfortable, but the mention of pissing took root in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he hadn't done so in hours. "Hey, where is the bathroom in this place?"

"Any where you want it to be. The walls and floor will absorb the waste material." To prove his point, he pointed his cock at the far wall. Closing his eyes, he released the pressure in his bladder. He moaned with pleasure as he splattered the wall.

Trip stared with sick fascination. Sure enough, the yellow liquid was quickly absorbed in to the wall, leaving only the faint stink of piss. Scrunching his nose, he stood up. He would never lean against that wall again.

Walking over to stand next to the man, Trip opened the front of his uniform. Pulling out his cock, he pissed quickly. It felt weird going without using a toilet. The last time he had pissed on a wall, he had been stone drunk. As he sighed with relief, he looked over to find the man glaring at him. "What?"

"This is not a public event. I meant when I said you could relieve yourself anywhere in the cell." Moving around Trip, he walked back over to their wall. Sitting down, he crossed his arms, then glared up at Trip.

Suddenly tired of the man's mouth, Trip turned on him. "You know, I'm gettin real sick of your attitude. I've done nothin to harm you in any way, in fact, I've tried to ease your discomfort." Pointing to his chest, he thumped his sternum twice. "I'm not the one holding us prisoner! We're both in this boat together!"

Instead of coming back at him, the man smirked at Trip. "Didn't your mother ever teach you it isn't polite to point?"

Trips eyes dropped to his zipper. Standing prominently through the open seam was his cock, proud as can be. A dazed look on his face, he slowly reached down and zipped himself up.

The man watched as Trip walked back to their wall. Amusement clearly was written all over his face.

Turning around, Trip slid down to face the invisible barrier. He drew up his knees to give his erection room in his pants. Turning his face a little, he whispered, "just so you know, that one was for you."

"Bloody marvelous." Pulling his knees to his chest, the man glared out at nothing. "Stuck in a cell with a horny moron, how absolutely perfect."

They sat there in silence for a while. Neither man was willing to quite look at the other.

Knees bouncing, Trip was the first to break the silence. "By the way, what is your name?"

"Maklum." Feeling Trip shift, Maklum glanced to his arm. He had some how scooted over until they were shoulder to shoulder. Growling, he moved away until there was half a meter between them. "What's yours?"

"Trip." Reaching over, Trip held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Maklum."

"Like wise." Accepting the hand, Maklum bit his lip.

Trip was surprised by how warm and smooth the other man's hand was. Soft like his lips. Those sweet lips, he bet they tasted like heaven. Beautiful, full lips. Cock-sucker's lips, his cousin used to call them. Seeing Maklum lick them made his heart speed up.

He had to have them!

Shooting forward, he jerked the other man against his body. He cut off any protest with his lips, pressing them hard against the smaller man. Moaning, Trip held Maklum close to him.

Fingers tightening in his hair, Maklum groaned in to the other man's mouth. His hands slid up the larger man's back, trying to feel every bit of skin he could through the heavy uniform. The breath was knocked from him as he was flattened against the deck of the cell.

Soon enough, Trip found himself humping against the man's leg. Part of his mind balked at the idea of what he was doing, but he couldn't stop himself. That thought alone gave him the strength to pull back.

Taking shallow breaths, he opened half glazed eyes to stare at the man pinned beneath him. He frowned as he tried to adjust his vision. After several blinks, he realized it wasn't his eyes that were wrong. Reaching up, he touched shaky fingers to the man's cheek.

Frowning at having their kissing interrupted, Maklum licked his lips. He took a shuddering breath to compose himself. "Why did you stop?"

Rubbing his fingers along the skin, Trip looked at the tips as they came away. The flesh tone of his skin didn't match the color on their pads. Eyes wide, he quickly looked down at the man beneath him again. Too his shock, there was now a discolored patch where normal skin had been.

Jerking back, Trip scrambled to get away from the man he had been just mauling. When his back hit the wall, he shook his head. "What the hell are you?"

Hand quickly going to his face, Maklum sat up. Pulling away his fingers, he stared at them. His jaw clenched upon seeing the white and pink pigment that had just covered his cheek. "Bloody Ferengi."

"What's a Ferengi? Did it do that to your face?" Swallowing, Trip was almost willing to believe that the coloring was a mistake. But the look in Maklum's eyes told him the mistake was him finding out. He tried to ask several questions, but only one came out. "Why?"

Maklum stood up. Rolling his shoulders, he walked over to the invisible barrier. Placing his hand to it, he watched as it shut down. The moment he crossed over, two guards appeared at the entrance of the cell.

This time, the guards walked passed Maklum and went for Trip.

Too stunned to react, Trip allowed them to grab his arms and frog march him out of the cell. He followed Maklum with his eyes even as they led him down a long corridor of similar cells. Eventually, as they rounded a corner, he lost sight of the man.

An electronic hiss to his right drew his attention. Much to his surprise, he found the others of his away team in a large communal cell. Bunks and a single bathroom lined the walls. As he was tossed in to the cell, he shook himself from the compliant daze.

But, he was already too late.

The barrier went up, leaving them stranded in the cell.

Kneeling by his side, T'Pol reached out to touch his shoulder. "Are you injured, Commander?"

"Nah, no." Trip shook his head, his voice sounding far away. "Just a little shocked."

Sitting on the edge of his bunk, Travis looked at him with concern. "What did they do to you, sir?"

"Nothing that I know of. Yet," he didn't finish the sentence. His mind wouldn't supply the reasons why.

He knew he should have been asking questions of Maklum from the start. There were plenty of opportunities, he had even began to try, but he had been distracted. Trip had let himself be distracted. He had wanted to be distracted.

Yet, he couldn't figure out why. Even now, his mind started to cloud over with the want of Maklum. His lips still tingled from the memory of kissing him. Clenching his eyes shut, he felt his skin flush. He took a calming breath, but that barely seemed to help.

Fingers on his face drew him out of his memories to stare at T'Pol. Blinking, he tried to focus his thoughts. Then, suddenly, as if a curtain was jerked across his emotions, he found himself feeling completely calm. Clearing his throat, he realized she was speaking to him.

"Commander Tucker, follow the sound of my voice." Staring him directly in the eyes, she kept her tone flat and steady. "Can you understand me now?"

"Yes." Trip would have ordinarily been surprised by the dull flatness of his voice. That was an emotion, something he no longer had access to. "What is happening to me?"

"I have joined my thoughts to yours." Giving him a patient look, she brought her other hand up to his free temple. "What you are experiencing is a part of my mental discipline."

Her words seemed to echo in his ears and mind. "Why'd you do this?"

"You were experiencing an extreme mental disturbance, most unlike anything your species is capable of." Her face contorted as her mind swept over his. "I am attempting to locate the source, but it is proving most difficult. If I continue to probe, I may bring you harm."

"What if you can't stop it?" Fear clutched at his heart a second before her mind snatched it away.

"I will teach you how to control it." While she spoke, something caused her eyes to widen a little. Letting them resume their normal status, she all but pulled back to her own head. "I believe I know the cause."

Gritting his teeth, Trip felt the edge of his emotions sneaking back up on him. "At the risk of sounding like a broken record, what is happening to me?"

'Someone has initiated a mating bond, a telepathic link between you and them.' While the words were spoken clearly to him, her lips did not move. 'You are experiencing the sexual desires and attraction caused by your mate. These emotions will only increase until you consummate the bond.'

Fear clenched in his chest around his heart. 'What happens if I don't?'

'It is difficult to say given the biology of your species. Usually, it follows along a series of three stages: a lack of emotional control, followed by violent rage, then finally, if left unconsummated, death.' Sensing his fear, she pulled back further. With a blink, she broke the mental link between them.

Thrust back in to his own mind, Trip fell backwards. A pair of strong arms kept him from hitting the deck. He glanced over his shoulder to find Travis behind him. He smiled gratefully before the world went dark.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The experiment has failed." Maklum stood at attention on the center dais. While all five of the screens around him were lit, his attention was solely on the one in front of him. "I warned you that we should proceed at a slower pace, that there were risks to taking short cuts."

Reaching up, he rubbed two fingers along the cheek where the color had been smeared. He held up the fingers to show the screen. "The subject discovered this merely by touching my skin!"

On the main screen, the hooded figure turned his head to listen to another off screen. After a nod, he faced Maklum once more. "It is regrettable that these circumstances have..."

"Regrettable nothing!" Clenching his fist, he took a step towards the screen. "My methods have always proven effective. If you had let me do my job instead of restraining because of some Vulcan..."

"Enough!" Coming from the screen to the right, the hooded figure there was leaning forward in her chair. Glaring at the screen, her features were barely visible in the dim light of her chamber. "What has come of this subject's discovery?"

"Nothing. My orders were to send him back to his people the moment it failed, then to report here." Making eyes at the first figure, Maklum straightened his posture. After a second look, he turned to face the female. "Any reactions he may have had are being recorded as we speak."

"Then review the data and present a workable new option." Her growling voice ended with a snap of her teeth. "We need to know their physical limitations, Centurion, do not fail a second time."

"As you wish, Senator." Crossing his right arm over his chest, he gave a small bow. As he stood up, he made an about face and marched to the doorway. The moment he left the dais, the screens went blank.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When he came awake, Trip thought someone was pounding on his head with a mallot. That turned out to be wrong, it was merely a symphony playing in his brain. Groaning, he put an arm over his eyes to block out the dim light of the cell.

A cool cloth was placed over his forehead, making him moan in distress. He tried to knock it away, but the hand was insistent. "Get it off me."

"I'm sorry, Commander, but the Sub-Commander said we should keep it on. I think she's right, sir." Travis' voice was accompanied by a second hand to his cheek. "You're burning up."

"I feel fine." Trying to open his eyes, he groaned in pain. "Except this massive marching band playing in my head. Did the Sub-Commander say if there was anything we could do about that?"

"Sorry, sir." To his credit, Travis actually sounded sympathetic.

Not that that did much for Trip. Wincing, he tried to ease the pressure by turning his head away from the light. At least the pillow was soft and smelled slightly comforting. "Can I get a sip of water? I'm parched."

"Right away, sir." Rising from the bed, Travis' weight disappeared.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Trip threw the damned cold rag away. It wasn't doing anything for his headache and the world was already swimming. Curling on his side, he trembled for a different reason.

Trapped between his thighs, he could feel his hardon trying to break free of his clothes. From the lack of cloth on his legs, he figured they must have stripped him of his uniform to help cool him. Fat lotta good that did him.

He took a deep breath as the world seemed to heat up. Okay, so may be the rag had been helping a little. Still, he hated the feeling it caused. Sweat began to pool on his forehead and upper lip. While he tried to think of cool places, his hands slipped down his body, between his legs.

Trip was roused from his attempts to get comfortable by a cooling hand on his temple. Fingers massaged the skin, trying to ease his burden. Before he knew it, there was a blanket of pressure over his mind, easing, but not dissipating the need.

'Commander.' T'Pol's mental voice slipped words in to his mind. 'Your condition is growing steadily. By my calculations, you will slip in to the first stage, emotional irrationality, in two hours time.'

'Great.' He wasn't sure how, but the talking mind to mind thing was getting easier. 'Any idea what caused this? Like you said, my species ain't exactly known for their psychic abilities.'

'This is not a psychic ability.' Her tone was more reprimanding than he had ever heard, almost boarding on hostile. 'It is a simple physical change in the...male of certain species. As I stated before, it is a mating bond.'

Part of him wanted to tease her about that. He thought he detected a little bit of embarrassment along with her words. Instead, he decided to use her hesitation against her. 'What aren't you telling me?'

'Nothing that is of consequence. All that you must concern yourself with is that whomever initiated this will soon be coming for you as they are most certainly experiencing the same symptoms.' Her mental touch became more invasive, seeming to lock away his mind. 'When he does, you must resist his attempt to invade your mind. What he will seek when your minds merge is information on 'Enterprise' and your people. This cannot be allowed to happen.'

'What are you doing now?' He winced. 'That kinda hurts.'

'I am building a mental barrier around your thoughts. Once I am through, you must work at making them solid.' As she continued, her voice became distant. 'The key to using them is to divert your thoughts to inconsequential memories. Train yourself to jump randomly from one thought to another without settling on one for too long. Do not access those memories he will seek, else you will lead him directly to them.'

The weight over him seemed to sag against him. 'It is done. I will try to check your progress before they come back for you.' She gave a mental yawn. 'I must rest now.' Then she was gone from his mind and body.

Snapped back in to the real world, he once again felt the cool touch of a rag on his skin. This time, he didn't fight it, no matter how much it irritated him.