The BLTS Archive - Possessed
by Looneyluna (looneyluna2000@yahoo.com)
and PJ in NH (kelhapam@lr.net)

---

Warning: Nonconsensual, Other

I can't stress the warning on this one too much. If rape squicks you
please don't read this.

Comments: This plot bunny originally found her home with PJ, who asked
me to write the scene below. Unfortunately for PJ, the bunny ran away,
and I adopted her, with PJ's blessings of course.

Beta reader(s): Thanks for the beta and suggestions PJ. I hope your
bunny turns out the way you wanted her raised. I love her and pet her
and call her Georgette. Special thanks to Jessica, Jo and Chris for
betaing and reading and going ohh and aww.

Archived to the Web site on 06/08/2003. Archived at EntSTCommunity
with the author's express permission.

---

"I sure wish this Decon Chamber did something for a sunburn,"
Commander Trip Tucker remarked.

T'Pol, sitting very straight and tall, turned towards the Southerner
who was seated next to her on the bench. "If you had applied the solar
blocking agent, which Dr. Phlox had supplied, you would not be
experiencing the effects of over exposure to the planet's twin suns."

"You're saying this is my fault?" Trip groaned and reached up behind
his neck pulling the neckband of his blue undershirt away from his
body, which had been chafing against the burn.

"She is right, Commander. The good doctor did give everyone some
sunblock," Malcolm Reed said with a small grin. The Armory Officer had
chosen to sit on the floor of the Decon Chamber with his back leaning
up against one of the walls. His eyes were closed; he clearly looked
like he was enjoying this moment of relaxation.

Hoshi who was seated on the bench on the other side of the Engineer
giggled. "So if you didn't apply the sunblock, Commander, just what
did you do with it?"

Malcolm opened one eye to observe Trip Tucker's response to Hoshi's
inquiry. When he saw the Engineer hesitate to respond, the Brit caught
Hoshi's eye and the both shared a grin.

"Well I...I...well I just forgot about it," Trip finally said looking
chagrined. "I think it's still in my toolkit. I had fully intended to
put some on when I got to the planet. But after we landed I just got
too busy looking around, and I simply forgot to put it on."

"Well fortunately I seldom burn," Malcolm remarked, closing his eyes
once again, "but considering Hoshi and I were examining the ruins,
which were located in the middle of an open field under the rays of
two suns, I was glad I'd taken the time to apply the sunblock."

"Did you put any on, Sub-Commander?" Hoshi asked.

"Due to the Doctor's recommendation, I did spread some along the back
of my neck, but it was unnecessary. Vulcan's have a natural immunity
toward solar radiation. Our sun is much stronger that Earth's or the
planet's two suns below. We have developed a resistance to it," T'Pol
informed the other three.

"That must be nice," Trip groaned.

"But if it helps your suffering, I did experience discomfort due to
the high humidity levels on the planet," T'Pol added. "Vulcan is a
very dry planet."

Malcolm chuckled.

"So it's the old Earth saying," Hoshi quipped. "It's not the heat,
it's the humidity?"

"I believe that saying was originally coined on Vulcan," T'Pol
explained and repeated the words but this time in her native language.
"In the Vulcan year of the Cydor Enlightenment, one of our most
revered philosophers, J'Ken, was credited with first uttering those
words."

"Your time in decontamination is up," Dr. Phlox said over the
intercom.

The four officers began to rise.

"I'm sorry, I should have been more precise. Commander Tucker and
Sub-Commander T'Pol can leave. Lt. Reed and Ensign Sato, whatever you
two encountered at the ruins appeared to have contained some unusual
type of bacteria. For your own safety and that of the crew, you'll
need to remain behind for another treatment. I'll be back in a moment,
I have a new decon gel I'd like you two to try."

"Talk to you later, Malcolm, Hoshi," Trip said with a wave of his hand
as he left the chamber. "Don't do anything, I wouldn't do!"

T'Pol followed the Southerner.

Taking note of Malcolm's attention to one part of the Vulcan's
departing anatomy, Hoshi leaned forward on the bench and slapped the
Armory Officer playfully on this shoulder.

Malcolm immediately swung his head around. "W-What?" he stammered.

"I saw that, Lieutenant!"

"Saw what? W-What do you think you saw?"

"I noticed the way you looked at her butt, Malcolm Reed." Not that it
was hard to miss, Hoshi, thought, the Vulcan's shorts weren't
constructed of much material. "Do you like the Sub-Commander?"

"T'Pol?"

"She's the only Sub-Commander on the ship. So don't evade the
question, Malcolm," Hoshi said cornering the Brit, a smile tugged at
the corners of her mouth. "Do you like her?"

"She's a fellow officer. She's very competent in her job. And she..."

"Has a fine figure. You know I never would have considered you to be a
bum man," Hoshi said with a dramatic sigh. "I always thought you'd aim
for higher standards."

"Higher?" Malcolm croaked. All of a sudden it had become very warm in
their chamber. He never expected to be talking about feminine
attributes with Hoshi Sato when he awoke this morning.

"Like somewhere between the waist and the neck," Hoshi explained, her
arms crossed in front of her own assets -- though they didn't compare
to T'Pol's endowments.

"Hoshi!"

"So tell me, Malcolm," Hoshi again leaned forward, this time
uncrossing her arms and bracing them against the edge of the bench.
"When I'm not looking, what do you look at on me?"

"I--I--"

"Is that one eye or two?" she asked.

"No, ah..."

"You don't like my eyes?"

"You have lovely eyes."

"Thanks, Malcolm, I like your eyes too."

Malcolm blushed and looked away from the Communications Officer.

"What's the matter, Malcolm? Hasn't anyone told you that before?"

The Armory Officer chuckled nervously and rose from his seat on the
floor to stand against the far wall. "I believe this conversation has
become inappropriate," he said, his voice a low growl.

Steeling herself with a deep breath, Hoshi levered herself up from the
bench and walked over to where Malcolm stood. "I promise you,
Malcolm," she said and placed her hand on his upper arm. "I won't tell
anyone else on the ship that I think your eyes are..." she paused
before she continued. "...your eyes are sexy."

"Please, Ensign..."

"Ensign? Just a little while ago you called me Hoshi. Has so much
changed?"

Malcolm shook his head and spun away from her. Where was the Doctor
with that gel?

"It's not you, En...er. Hoshi," Malcolm said softly. "It's me. I can't
let it happen. Not again. Not this..."

"I finally found it, for some reason I put them in the drawer
containing the bat's medicine. Can't imagine why!" The doctor chuckled
and placed the two jars containing the gel into the pass-through
drawer and pushed it into the decon chamber, before returning to look
through the observation window. "Now if you'd apply the gel in the
blue jar, Mr. Reed, and Hoshi, you can use the gel in the green jar.
I'm sure my colleague back on Denobula will be very interested in the
outcome of this experiment."

Hoshi grabbed both jars and passed the blue one to Malcolm. Unscrewing
the cap on hers, she noted the clear, sparkling gel that was contained
within. She sniffed it, found it had a pleasant citrus smell, and
began to apply it to her arms.

"You'll notice that I also placed two pair of gloves in the drawer.
When you help the other one put their gel on their backs, please put
on the gloves so you won't become cross-contaminated. You'll also find
that the gel should dissolve into the skin fairly rapidly."

"You're right, Doctor," Malcolm said as he rubbed the clear substance
onto his abdomen, "it doesn't seem to leave any type of residue." Dr.
Phlox nodded. "Dr. Geezak was very proud of that aspect of this
substance."

The doctor watched the pair as they put on the gloves and applied the
gel to each other's backs. He did note that while they seemed to be
quite enjoying each other's company before he went to find this gel,
they now seemed very distant with each other, particularly Lt. Reed.
Hoshi on the other hand seemed to appear puzzled.

"There, that wasn't too difficult, was it? Now all you have to do is
sit back and relax, while I set the timer for another forty-five
minutes. I'll be monitoring your physical readings from my office. If
during the course of this test, either of you experience any
discomfort, fever, rash, etc., please call me!" With a wave of his
hand, and one very unnaturally clown-like smile, Phlox left the
observation window.

Malcolm let Hoshi seat herself on the bench first. He was prepared to
once again sit on the floor of the chamber, but Hoshi patted a spot on
the bench furthest from her and assured him that she wouldn't bite. He
nodded, and lowered himself down on the bench, his back to hers.

Thirty minutes he thought. Thirty minutes to sit with one of the most
beautiful women on Enterprise and try not to think about her. Think
about the force field schematics he'd been examining recently, he
suggested. Or think about the shift schedules, anything, but the woman
behind him. Don't' think about her sexy legs, her bum, her breasts,
her bowed lips, the way she could make Klingon sound alluring, how she
could laugh and light up the entire bridge... Malcolm mentally slapped
himself. This not-thinking-about-her wasn't working very well.

Then he realized he had been thinking about her often lately, both
waking and sleeping. Yes, Malcolm admitted, he had looked at T'Pol's
backside, but that didn't mean he didn't find Hoshi just or not more
beautiful.

If circumstances were different, he might ask her out on a date. But
he knew he couldn't risk developing a relationship with Hoshi. He'd
suffered the consequences of a workplace romance in the past, and he
vowed he'd never do it again, particularly on a space ship out in the
middle of space. There's nowhere to run in space, nowhere. Not for him
and not for her. It wouldn't be fair. Once she discovered the real
you, she'd wish she'd never met you. She'd realize how much time she
had wasted and then hate you. That he couldn't bear.

He inhaled deeply and released the breath slowly. Inhaling again, he
could smell the scent of the gel that was on her body. It was
different from his. His was spicier, while Hoshi's reminded him more
of that fruit punch his Aunt Doris used to make for parties. The one
she made with the extra pineapple juice, just for him. He breathed in
again, this time deeper.

The companionable silence stretched between the two officers and the
low hum of the decon light illuminated the room. Hoshi could hear Dr.
Phlox prattling around sickbay feeding and talking to his menagerie.
She could also hear Malcolm's deep breathing. It sounded odd. "Are you
okay?"

"Yes, yes, never better," Malcolm answered in a clipped tone, stood
and started pacing the room.

"I feel like I am burning alive. She smells attractive, a scent I
can't quite place. Her smell! It smells so good. Bloody feckin' fell.
I'm hard as a rock. I have to get away from her." Malcolm stood,
bowing his head and closing his eyes; visions of her writhing under
him as he made love to her filled him. "That is not the correct thing
to think about when you are trying to get your hard-on to cease and
desists." He opened his eyes so he wouldn't see her head thrown back
in ecstasy, her body moving in rhythm with his. He turned around in
frustration. The sight that awaited him made him harder.

Hoshi shrugged and closed her eyes, trying to enjoy the time she had
to relax. Arching her back, she rolled her head from side to side,
stretching the kinks of the day out, thrusting her chest out and
unknowingly giving her companion a view of hardened nipples straining
against her tank.

"Look at her breasts! They are just right to wrap your mouth around."
Malcolm licked his lips as though he were thirsty. A powerful vision
of holding her breasts in vice-like grips as he fucked her raw flashed
through his mind. He moved to sit behind her, needing her warmth next
to him. He was cold now. Pressing his chest against her back, he
grabbed her hips and pressed his swollen cock against her backside.

She startled pleasantly when Malcolm straddled the bench behind her,
bringing his bare chest flush with her back.

"Ah, yes! She would produce strong offspring," whispered a demanding
voice in his head.

The thought of mounting her and riding her hard flashed though his
mind. Her smell was intoxicating and receptive.

"Yes! That was it. She is receptive. We have to copulate with her now,
so she can conceive." The voice got louder.

"She's not a goddamn broad mare." Malcolm shook his head, trying to
clear it. "What the fuck is happening to me? Practice your breathing
techniques, Malcolm. In and out. In and out." Chemicals raged
throughout his body, sending impulses and images he never contemplated
before.

"M-Malcolm," she stammered, suddenly self-conscious of the invasion of
her personal space and the feel of his hands on her hips.

He watched in horror as his hands brushed her hair away from her
shoulder and neck. The slope of her neck was exposed, a perfect place
to arouse one's mate. "Her juices must flow for optimal fertilization
to take place. Arousal is the key," the voice sounded in desperation.

Malcolm moved her hair, licking and nibbling the skin on her neck.
"Delicious. Her scent is delicious. Strong offspring would result from
this coupling." Malcolm's rationale mimicked the voice, giving in to
its desire to mate for a brief second.

The vision of his offspring suckling her for nutrients from her
swollen, milk-laden breasts engorged his member. He wanted to suckle
her before they came along. He deftly slipped his hands under the
material that covered her and grabbed the rigid peaks. "She's aroused.
Otherwise, her tits wouldn't be tight," leered the amorous voice.

There was no reply, only the depths of his breathing. She sighed as
she felt one of his hands brush the hair back from her neck and start
to kiss and lick the nape, but taken aback when his hands blatantly
cupped her breasts in a bruising grip. She jolted from the bench,
confused.

"Malcolm, are you sure your okay?" Hoshi asked, looking at him
pointedly, as she put as much distance as she could between herself
and the armory officer.

"She's bolting like a nervous filly. What the fuck? We don't have time
for this. We don't have time for this. We won't be denied. We want to
fuck now. This is not the time to shy away! My seed! My seed! We must
plant it within her!" The voice raged, becoming more persistent.

"God, man! She is not a horse! Malcolm breathe! I have to get away
from her. There is something wrong with me." Malcolm battled with
himself, with this demon that fought for possession of his sanity.

"We have to take her. We have to give it to her good." The voice grew
louder, overshadowing Malcolm's voice of reason.

Malcolm stared straight ahead as though he didn't hear her. His
breathing was odd - one moment deep and steady, the other a short
pant. He didn't even react when Dr. Phlox ran past the decon window
chasing his bat.

"Malcolm, what's wrong?" Hoshi approached him and touched his shoulder
in concern.

"Hoshi! I don't know! Why do I feel this way! It's not right!" Malcolm
screamed inside his head.

He shied away from her touch as though it burned him. He was now
standing against the wall. Her concern for him mounting, she walked
over to try to contact Dr. Phlox. Obviously something was wrong with
Malcolm. Her concern turned to frustration as the only response she
received was Phlox yelling at his bat.

"That's right Hoshi, stay away from me! Go get some help. You're in
danger! Don't trust me! Dammit, Phlox! Pay attention! You are the only
one who can save Hoshi from me! That's right, Hoshi! Get help! You're
smart! Figure it out! Fight me hard! Shit! Phlox! You stupid fuck!
Answer her! She needs you! I need you to save her from me!" Malcolm
pushed against the malicious voice as it whispered obscenities to his
sense of honor.


"Come here!" Phlox demanded of the flapping bat as she sat on the
shelves in his office. He just wasn't going to feed her anymore. That
would solve the problem of her getting out all the time. The last time
she had gotten out he had wound up covered in apolliam secretions and
Captain Archer had been his overnight guest.

"You stay put," Phlox told the non-sentient being. "I guess now is as
good a time as any to clean your cage out." He stooped over her cage
and pulled the fragrant bottom draw from beneath the cage.

"Waste not, want not," he mumbled to himself as he recycled the
droppings into a container. It made a fine analgesic and had a
pleasant fruit-like fragrance. So many of the crew complained of his
homemade remedies.

"Ok," Phlox motioned to the animal, non-threatening with a net tucked
behind his back. "It's time you were a good girl and did as you were
told and got back in your cage without a fuss."

Whoop!

Phlox uttered a Denobulan curse as the bat took flight. "Come here,
you farnik!"

The sight of the usually calm doctor manically running around his
haunt with his hair ruffled and out of place normally would have made
the Chief Engineer chuckle, but his sunburn was killin' him.

"Ya need some help there?" Trip asked, trying to stifle a giggle.

Just then the bat dove at his head and he dove under a bio-bed with a
yelp.

The hail from the decon room went unanswered as the Engineer hid under
the bed and the Denobulan continued to curse at his pet.

This comedy of trial and error went on for several minutes. The bat
screeching at the men who tried to subdue it.


Realizing she wasn't going to get a response from him anytime soon,
she turned back to Malcolm. His breathing was deep but showed no signs
of distress, but he continued to look straight ahead almost avoiding
her.

"Malcolm..." Hoshi stepped closer to him and placed her hand on his
face to feel if he had a temperature.

"Get away from us, trollop! Unless you want a hot beef injection from
one of the best! The lower streets English accent yelled in his mind.

"She's hot for us. She touched us. She's saying yes and please,
practically begging for it! What are we waiting for? Our survival must
continue. We must perpetuate the species. If she fights us, just bash
her head against the wall. It'll just daze her and not harm her
reproductive systems. She is ripe for picking. She will bear many
progeny. All she needs is our seed." The voice urged Malcolm to act.

"There she is looking at us with those deep brown eyes. They are
pleading with us to fuck her long and hard. We just want to bend her
over and shove it in. She wouldn't mind. We don't care if she minds
anyway. We won't be denied! She is receptive, in heat, panting for it
like the bitch she is. We are going to fuck her again and again."

"Her touch feels so good, so welcoming. Yeah baby! She wants it all
right! Just bend over and spread it, bitch! Give it to us like you
have given it to so many others. Whore! You ask for it all the time.
Didn't anybody ever teach you not to flirt unless you wanted to fuck?
Now it's time you learned."

"You know she is going to fight, you bastard!" Malcolm's heart
whispered in defiance.

"Then cracking her head up against the wall won't be a problem." The
voiced taunted his efforts at establishing control over his actions.

"We must perpetuate the species," Malcolm growled out loud, his hands
gripping and crushing her wrists. Hoshi felt the back of her head
clack against the wall as he turned her around, pinning her body with
the weight of his. His intentions became clear, as his lips forced
hers open. He held her wrists above her head easily as he continued to
plunder her mouth. She tried to move her head from side to side, to
release herself from the punishing onslaught of his kiss, but his
tongue continued to move in her mouth, demanding to mate with hers.

"They all struggle. They must be subdued for copulation. The push of
her tongue against ours says yes. She wants to be taken," sounded the
voice, convincingly, even to his rational side.

She looked into his eyes, hers pleading with his to stop. She saw a
dark void. If the eyes are the windows to the soul, Malcolm's were
soulless. She was suffocating, moaning, writhing, and trying to break
free. She wanted him, yes, but not like this, as Malcolm pinned her
against the wall to where she couldn't move, much less defend herself.

He thrust his tongue past her lips, sucking her moans from her. "She
even tastes ripe. Why are you bothering with foreplay, turn the bitch
over and stick it to her good. You needn't worry about hurting her;
she was bred for this purpose."

Hoshi bit down hard on his lip, drawing a trickle of blood from his
lower lip. Pulling away, he backhanded her across the face and she
fell to the floor with tears in her eyes. Comprehension of what was
happening to her had yet to dawn on her as she held her cheek in
shock. Malcolm was leaving her alone. That was all that mattered right
now.

Malcolm shuddered in pain. "I've hurt her."

"She shouldn't have struggled. It must be done. Look at the desire in
her eyes, pleading to be taken, made our woman, mother to our
children."

Malcolm walked past her to the door. He had been pacing back and forth
mumbling to himself.

"Rough is how she likes it, that is how it is going to be." He wiped
the blood from his lip, wanting to taste more.

"She's crying! I've hurt her."

"Good for you! She shouldn't have teased! She was teasing you, you
know."

"You shouldn't have slapped her! I'm going to kill you!"

The maliciousness rolled its eyes at Malcolm's threats. "But kill me,
and you kill yourself."

"That would be a small price to pay to stop from hurting the woman I
lo..." confirmed Malcolm, as the urge to mate noticed his slip yet
moved on to more important things.

"There is still a threat to copulation! You must ensure no
interruptions. Use your security code, so nobody will get in. They can
watch if they want to. That will be a real turn on. Time! We need time
to fuck her good." His hands danced over the keypad, entering a
security lock out protocol only one code on the ship could over ride.
"If the alpha uses it, we will challenge him to this mate. We'll kill
him!

She heard the key tones of the door pad. There were so many tones. She
thought he was trying to get out of decon, but she was mistaken as he
turned to her.

"Please..." Hoshi pleaded as Malcolm approached her.

"She shouldn't have begged when she said please. It could have meant,
please yes Malcolm, fuck my brains out, and fill me with your seed."

"This is not what she wants! You have hurt her enough! Oh my god,
Hoshi I'm so sorry." Malcolm's heart ached for the woman he loved, his
voice just a whisper in the internal argument now.

He stopped, mere inches from her. She looked down, not wanting to see
the soulessness in Malcolm again. She thought she imagined him
stroking her hair.

"You have always wanted her, Malcolm. Your pride and sense of duty are
a joke. Sink your cock and teeth into her. Smack her around if she
struggles. Just keep her alive so she can conceive. The smell you
crave is in her dark silky hair. You know you want to touch it! Reach
out and touch it. She wants you to touch it. That's it! You could
bathe in the silkiness of her hair, or you could use it as a tool.
Weapon! You like weapons! Malcolm bunched her hair in his hand and
yanked hard, pulling her to her feet.

The pain was sharp and quick as he pulled her to her feet.

She screamed, "Please stop," the pain of him pulling her hair
excruciating as she felt some of it tearing from her scalp.

He could feel the blood surge though every fiber of his being. He
wanted to give that energy away, to force it onto her. "She must
remain receptive." He grasped her hair and a rage ensnared him. It was
like a horror movie he was being forced to watch as he pushed her face
first into the wall and bashed her head repeatedly against the hard
surface.

"I've always known I was capable of such violence but not against
somebody I cared for. I'm supposed to protect her." Malcolm screamed
inside himself, hoping for the scene to end.

Hoshi's head was swimming as she felt blood trickle down her face. Her
perception was clouded and her judgment was impaired as she stood
there trying to wipe the blood out of her eyes.

Her concern with the blood stinging her eye quickly left as she felt
Malcolm strip her boxers off of her.

She started to struggle again, scratching and clawing at anything as
panic took hold of her.

"Where is a phase pistol? I'll kill myself to stop. Mentally he
glanced around the room for the weapon to end his actions. Physically
he continued to strip Hoshi's boxers off of her body. She was
struggling against him, which worked to his advantage as he released
her boxers from around one of her ankles.

In answer to her struggling and crying, he responded by tearing her
away from the wall and slamming her face down onto the bench they had
occupied previously. She tried in vain to struggle and fight, but he
was too strong. His knees pried her legs open with little effort, her
feminine exposed to him.

"He could feel the heat and scent from her femininity enter his head.
All rational thoughts were lost as the beast took over.

"Fuck her good. Germinate your seed within her womb." He pried her
knees apart and took his blood-engorged cock and thrust it into
Hoshi's dry heat, growling as he did so.

The pain of him pushing into her dryness made her scream as he started
to move, burning her. He still had hold of the mane of her hair and
pulled it whenever she moved or moaned. Rutting on her like an animal,
his thrusts were quick and long.

Pinning her body with his, he leaned forward to kiss her neck then her
shoulder, and in an effort to subdue her further, he sank his teeth
into her flesh, lapped at the wound tenderly.

"Please...NO...Malcolm...Stop! You're hurting me!" She struggled as
best she could, but he continued to rut on her. Her head hurt where he
continued to pull her hair, and the blood in her eye, stung. She
screamed when he bit into her shoulder.

Trip heard a noise other than the bat and remembered that his friends
were still in decon. "How are Malcolm and Hoshi doin'?"

"You can check on them yourself, Commander. Their time is almost up."
The Doctor said with great frustration in his voice.

Trip walked over to decon and opened the window. "OH MY GAWD! Hoshi!"
He rushed to the door and tried to open it. "What the..."

"It won't open! What the hell!" Trip entered his code in and tried
again. Frustration at what he had seen causing his stomach to roll.

"What is it?" Dr. Phlox took notice of Trip's urgency and walked over
to the decon window.

"When was the last time you checked on them?" Trip yelled, as he saw
the doctor blanche at the scene before him.

"God dammit! I can't get the door open! There seems to be some sort of
security override code on it!" Trip's hands danced over the keypad,
trying to find a code to unlock the door. In frustration he pounded on
the door and yelled at Malcolm to stop.

Malcolm flashed him a quick glance over his shoulder, and the feral
look on the Brit made Trip's stomach churn with disgust.

Phlox watched with concern as the Lieutenant copulated on top of the
helpless Ensign. He could see her face pressed in a pool of blood as
he held her down. His concern for her grew.

"Sickbay to Captain Archer!" Trip hailed the only person he knew that
could override the security code.

"Go ahead, Trip." Jon answered.

"Jon, we need ya done here ASAP!"

"I'm on my way," the concern in his voice overridden by the curiosity.

Phlox pounded on the window while Trip pounded on the door, trying to
get Malcolm to stop. They could hear Hoshi's groans and screams, her
pleas with Malcolm to stop.

"I'm going to kill ya, ya son of a bitch!" Trip screamed, pounding on
the door. His fingers never stopped entering codes to unlock the door.

"Lieutenant! Stop this behavior at once! You are harming the Ensign!"
Phlox's hands were raw from banging on the window.

"We must complete it! Survival is dependent on it!" He lapped at the
blood on her shoulder and bit down again for more, holding on to the
mane of her raven hair and slamming her face down in time with the
rhythm of movements. He could feel his sacks tighten, getting ready to
spread his seed into the waiting womb.

"Oh yeah, baby! She's saying your name... Malcolm! Malcolm! She's
telling you to fuck her harder to shoot your come in her pussy! She
likes it naughty! The survival of us all depends on you."

She regretted her struggles and finally stopped, as Malcolm increased
the bruising tempo toward completion. He continued to bite her
shoulder and slam her throbbing head against bench. The pain of her
head and her shoulder were secondary, as the pain of the betrayal she
suffered at his hands clawed at her. She prayed for an ending to this
nightmare.

"Hoshi...She's crying! Stop!" Malcolm cried weakly.

The urge to mate remained in control and taunted Malcolm cruelly,
"She's crying with passion for you, Malcolm! She is happy and loving
every thrust inside her. She is begging you to come in her depths. She
wants it. She wants only you."

She heard something, something else other than Malcolm's grunting and
panting and her own cries. Phlox!

"The alpha is here. I have to finish now." Malcolm fucked her faster
and harder noticing her entrance was slick with some moisture.
Conception would take place.

It seemed like an eternity, but Jon finally arrived.

"Jon, Jon, hurry... Malcolm...Hoshi..." Trip couldn't form a coherent
thought as he was acting on instinct alone, trying to free her from
the brutality that he had witnessed.

Jon's brow furrowed as he glimpsed in the door. "What the hell's going
on?" On instinct he pulled on the handle trying to open the hatch. His
stomach lurched at the sight he had witnessed. His armory officer was
raping his communications officer. The feral look in his eyes was
haunting, the blood on his lips disgusting.

"MINE! My mate! My mate! My offspring!" He continued to lap the blood
from her shoulder then thrust one last time as he came inside her. He
heard a scream. It was a scream unlike any he had ever heard as he
collapse onto his mate.

Hoshi screamed for all she was worth, which wasn't worth much as
Malcolm forced her jaw into the bench. He screamed as he shot his seed
deep inside her, coating her walls with wetness. She felt numb as he
collapsed on her. Again he was crushing her, his softening member
still at her slick entrance. She couldn't breath, but knew not to
move. He would only find another way to hurt her.

Jon entered the security override protocol as quickly as he could,
almost clumsily, as he heard Malcolm gain the release he had been
seeking.

Trip had gotten a phase pistol from the nearest weapons locker and
handed it to Jon. Jon had to check the setting to make sure it was on
stun.

"Get off of her Lieutenant!"

Malcolm looked up and glared at him, with an undomesticated look in
his eye. Hoshi was whimpering. Malcolm continued to hold on to her
hips. The sight of the blood dribbling down his chin disgusted him.
"She's mine! You can't have her. My seed is within her now. She is my
mate, womb to my progeny!"

Jon fired, hitting Malcolm squarely in the chest.

Jon stood there, disgusted at the sight, praying he would wake up from
this nightmare. He watched as Trip and Phlox pulled Malcolm off of
Hoshi and deposited him with a loud thump onto the floor. Hoshi
muttered an anguished cry and thankfully passed out.

"Careful, careful!" Phlox warned Trip as they rolled her over onto a
backboard, blood pouring from the wound on her forehead and shoulder.
Phlox tried applying pressure to both wounds at the same time as he
carried one end of the backboard into sickbay.

Jon stooped over the prone from of his armory officer, a man he
trusted with his life, comprehension of the act eluding him. Taking
Malcolm's wrist in his hand, he checked his pulse then threw the
younger man's hand down in revulsion. A chunk of Hoshi's hair was
still clutched in his fist.

Jon walked out into sickbay, a grim expression on his face as Hoshi
lay on an examining table. Phlox treated her head wound with the
osmotic eel and continued to run scans of her neck and back while Trip
pressed an osmotic eel onto her shoulder wound.

"Her head wound is superficial. They always tend to bleed a great
deal. There seem to be no cracked or broken vertebrae, but I am sure
she will be sore. I will treat her shoulder wound with a bacterial
analgesic, after the osmotic eel is finished. Human bites are often
times worse than animal bites." Phlox read off the procedures he was
applying to Hoshi like he was reading from a textbook.

His scanner beeped, signaling an unusual finding. "Interesting,"
stated Phlox and took a second reading just to make sure.

"What!" Jon stepped closer trying to read the medical jargon on the
PADD.

"Her pheromone levels are off the chart," Phlox adjusted the PADD,
"almost as though she were...well...in heat, for lack of a better
word."

Captain Archer stood near by with his fists clenched. "Captain, please
remove Lieutenant Reed from decon and place him on one of the beds. Be
sure you strap the Lieutenant to the bed. I don't want him hurting
anybody else, much less himself, in the event he is not himself when
he wakes."

Trip and Jon both carried out the order, lifting the prone man from
the floor and depositing him with a loud thump. Jon strapped Malcolm
down while Trip placed a sheet over Malcolm's naked form to protect
his modesty. There was no doubt in their minds of Malcolm's guilt.
There would be a court martial, and they would testify gladly.

"Captain...Captain?" Phlox tried to get the man's attention.

"Y-Yes?" Jon turned toward Phlox who was dressing Hoshi in a gown.

"I could use some help over here."

Jon walked over to the bed. "What can I help with?"

"I need you to take the eel off and put it back into its tank. The
wound should be sufficiently cauterized." Phlox ran a scanner over
Hoshi's lower extremities checking for internal injuries. Satisfied
with the results, he closed the scanner and turned his attention to
his other patient.

Phlox placed some analgesic cream on the phase pistol burn and ran
some quick scans. He jumped back as Malcolm woke with a jolt, looking
around wildly and screaming.

His eyes focused on the broken woman lying next to him, her faced
bruised, her shoulder with a distinguishable mark on her shoulder. He
thought it had been a nightmare, but the reality hit him full force.
"NO! NO! NO!" He fought against his restraints, tears of frustration
and guilt flowing down his face. "I didn't mean to do it. I
couldn't..." Malcolm gagged on his vomit.

"Quickly, turn his head to the side so he doesn't suffocate,"
instructed Phlox.

Trip pushed Malcolm's head to the side and held it there, wiping the
vomit away as it spewed forth from the man he wanted to pummel.

Once the contents of Malcolm's stomach emptied, he started howling in
pain, "I tried to stop but the smell...the thoughts. I wanted to kill
myself to stop!"

He shuddered and sobbed, "I couldn't even kill myself."

"Shut up you simpering fool. We will mate with her again. We will kill
those who stand before us. They are the competition. We are the alpha.
We must perpetuate the species..." Malcolm's voice resounded through
sickbay, chilling all present as he strained against his restraints
and slipped further into insanity.

Captain Archer gave in to his urge and punched his junior officer.
"You're going to rot in the brig for what you've done!"

"She's my mate! You can't have her!" Malcolm glared at him defiantly.

Archer went to punch him again, but was stopped by Dr. Phlox.
"Captain, please refrain from punching my patient," he stated as he
prepared a hypo spray.

Malcolm laughed.

"If my hypothesis is correct, Lt. Reed is not responsible for his
actions. I am." Phlox sedated Malcolm and turned to the Captain with a
grim look on his face. "If anyone should rot in the brig, it's me, I'm
afraid."

---

"Chief Medical Officer's log, October 19, 2153. "It's been two weeks
since the incident between Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Sato, who is
resting comfortable in her quarters yet unable to resume her duties at
this time. She is still experiencing several side effects from the
exposure to the contaminated decon gel - elevated estrogen and
progesterone levels and nausea. Lieutenant Reed has been confined to
the brig for the safety of himself and the crew. He remains fixated
with ...mating with Ensign Sato and has been sedated several time so I
could treat him."

"He has suffered numerous concussions from banging his head against
the wall and has a xanographic splint on his left hand for a boxer's
fracture he received when he punched the wall. He is currently sedated
so that the splint may do its job and heal the fracture. He will
remain sedated until I can come up with an antidote to counter the
contaminated decon gel. Computer, pause."

Sighing, Phlox measured a liquid substance into a container.
"Computer, resume recording."

"Since the event, I have had little time to document my findings
regarding the catalyst, which led to the rape of Ensign Sato. Phlox
paused no really taking any comfort in the scientific explanation.

"Ensign Sato's decon gel was contaminated by the nearby droppings of
my Denobulan bat due to a variety of factors. Number one, the gel was
stored in a cabinet directly under the bat's cage. Number two, the
polyplastic fibers of the container where not up to medical storage
regulation standards. I'm not sure how old the container is, but
reasonably certain it is older than I am. The fumes are veritably
undetectable unless you know you are looking for them. The fumes
attached to Ensign Sato's decon gel and acted as a hormonal agent to
attract a mate. The pheromones entered Lieutenant Reed's system
through his olfactory nerves. Essentially the pheromones did their
job, attracting a mate through the sense of smell."

"Lieutenant Reed's response was within normal parameters... regarding
the mating ritual for the Denobulan bat. It is often a violent
coupling, which perpetuates the species most effectively. I'm
uncertain when the effects of Ensign Sato's heat will negate in his
system. I have spoken with a colleague who is quite knowledgeable with
the mating habits of several of our bird species on Denobula. He
assures me that the heat should last only three and a half weeks. In
the meantime, I am compelled to seek and antidote for Lt. Lieutenant
Reed to cure him of his psychosis."

Phlox stopped for a moment, forgetting to pause the recording as well.
"I hold myself negligible for what happened. There is no excuse. I
submitted my findings, a request for a replacement and a request for a
hearing to the interspecies medical exchange. The fate of my career is
in their hands now. In all honesty, I find little enjoyment in my
work. Through my carelessness, two lives have been altered
irrevocably. Captain Archer still refuses my resignation, stating
adamantly that Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Sato need my help more now
than ever. He states that I was not negligible due to the contaminated
gel, but the truth of the matter is that I didn't check on their
status, as I should have. Ten-minute increments are the established
decon protocol, and the rape took place in fifteen minutes. End log."

---

Hoshi jolted awaked, running to the bathroom for her 'morning
routine.' She wretched into the basin, sweeping her hair to one side
and closing her eyes, not paying much attention to the slight
cramping.

She had woken up in sickbay, sore all over, like she had been in a car
accident. Her head and shoulder throbbed painfully, as Phlox adjusted
the monitor at the head of the bed, grimly. Captain Archer stood
nearby, a grim expression marring his features as well.

"Did somebody die? Was she dead and having an out of body experience?"
"Am I dead?" she asked out loud, startling Phlox and the Captain.

"Thankfully, no, Ensign. I assure you, you are quite alive," replied
Phlox.

"What happened?"

Phlox looked at Captain Archer worriedly.

Captain Archer was the first to break the awkward silence as he
cleared his throat. "What is the last thing you remember, Hoshi?"

She touched her head and grimaced. Images of decon - Trip, T'Pol and
Malcolm flashed through her mind. Trip's sunburn was a source of great
amusement. They left - all but Malcolm. Phlox spoke to them through
the window, handing them gel. Malcolm's eyes were beautiful, and then
they turned harsh with lust.

As if trying to keep her head from exploding, Hoshi clutched her head
and started to sob. Visions of decon...of Malcolm...of blood, flooded
her mind.

She felt Captain Archer's comforting hand on her shoulder and startled
away from it as though it burned her. " Don't touch me!" she spat
vehemently and crawled away from him.

Hoshi cried for what seemed like an eternity, making herself sick.
Mercifully, sleep soon claimed her.

She hadn't been out of her cabin for two weeks. Phlox, Liz Cutler and
Em Gomez were the only visitors she received since the rape. She
stared at herself in the mirror. The bruised scars on her forehead and
shoulder stared back at her. Hatred for Malcolm pooled in the pit of
her empty stomach. Phlox had tried explaining why he had attacked her,
but the explanation didn't ease the hurt and anger she felt toward
him. His betrayal still twisted in her.

Her stomach growled, reminding her of the hunger she had felt ever
since the...rape. Any and every smell made her nauseous, so she
subsisted on water, crackers and plomeek soup. The horror that she may
be pregnant crossed her mind briefly, but she was on birth control,
which was ninety-nine point nine percent effective --that and the fact
that Phlox had administered a 'morning after' pill. The hormonal
warfare running throughout her body would run its course shortly,
according to Phlox.

---

The beast stared at the pathetic being curled onto the bed.

Weakly, Malcolm stared back at the un-kept, disgustingly perverse
version of himself as it paced the length of the cell. In reality, he
was asleep on the bunk in and curled into a little ball fighting his
way back to consciousness on the cusp of twilight.

Even though he had been cleaned up, the animal in Malcolm tormented
him by remaining disheveled and covered in her blood. He craved her,
ranting about his seed incessantly, cursing everybody who wasn't her.

The beast waited, intently. He waited for the perfect time to escape
and resume the mating cycle Hoshi. Malcolm waited for the perfect time
to end his life. In the inner recesses of his soul, he rejoiced in the
knowledge he was occasionally able to overpower the beast, once though
he broke his hand in the process.

"Others are mating with her right now, you weakling! Our genetics will
not be passed on thanks to you!" the beast spat and continued to pace
the cell, trying to provoke Malcolm. It would rather feel pain, than
listen to the simpering fool talk about his guilt over what they had
done.

The scent of Ensign Brooks and food woke him. Outwardly, he was calm.
Inwardly, the beast plotted the escape and established its control.

"Good Afternoon, Lieutenant. It's lunchtime. Please get up and put
your hands against the wall while the steward brings the tray in,"
Ensign Brooks instructed as he raised his phase pistol.

Malcolm smiled groggily and did what he was told.

"Dr. Phlox says you have about a week and a half to go before the
toxin works its way of our system. Good news, huh?" Brooks stated.

He was unaware that the beast rolled his eyes at him mocking his
attempts at idle chitchat. "I don't feel well," Malcolm said weakly
and sank to the floor clutching his stomach.

Ensign Brooks reacted hesitantly, taking his communicator out of his
pocket. "Brig to Sickbay."

"Phlox here."

"Lt. Reed is ill." Brooks stated, as he lowered the phase pistol and
moved to help Malcolm to the bunk.

Instinctively and without warning, the beast pounced, ramming his head
into Brooks' abdomen and knocking him off balance. The struggle only
served to heighten the beast's excitement and senses. Hands groped for
the weapon, bringing it between the two bodies.

Ensign Brooks shuddered in shock as the weapon discharged at point
blank range into his stomach.

The beast wasted no time kicking his opponent aside and bolting out
the door to freedom and to his mate. On his way, he silenced the
steward.

---

Lt. Em Gomez stood just inside Hoshi's quarters, well aware of the
situation. All details regarding the 'incident' were encrypted,
encoded and completely unavailable to anybody with exception to
herself and the senior staff.

She wanted to force Hoshi out of her quarters, but stopped after she
saw her friend's sickly complexion. Hoshi shrugged, thankful for the
company, yet still awkward.

Em cleared her throat and shifter uncomfortably. "You know I'm here if
you need to talk... about anything...somebody other than Phlox..." She
neglected to tell Hoshi she had been raped, feeling that Hoshi was
still too fragile to empathize with anybody at the moment.

Hoshi's eyes misted over. "Thanks, Em. I really appreciate it."

"I mean it too. Anytime at all..."

Both women startled as a ship wide tactical alert sounded. "Attention!
Security breach in cell A. The perpetrator is armed and dangerous!"

Em pushed Hoshi into her bathroom and shut the door. "Don't come out
until we come get you!"

Hoshi stumbled into the shower and sank to the floor trembling.

A security team ran past her as she stood outside Hoshi's quarters,
her back pressed against Ensign Archibald's. He would not get past
them.

Footsteps sounded in the corridor perpendicular to theirs and she
tensed, drawing her phase pistol.

A security team ran by.

Her communicator was opened, ready for any sighting of Malcolm.
Eerily, it remained silent as though he had vanished.

Finally security teams started reporting in, clearing sections of the
ship painstakingly slow.

She waited.

Hoshi waited, crouching in her shower stall, trying to stop the vomit
from rising in her throat. She gagged and didn't notice the vent above
her sink lift from the ceiling.

The beast lowered himself from the ceiling, salivating at the prospect
of mating. Her scent was pungent and still receptive.

He started to undress, quickly taking his shirt off. "Mmmm, shower
sex," leered the beast as it approached Hoshi running his hand along
the glass making an eerie squeaking sound.

Her gaze locked with his, unable to move or scream. She sat there and
trembled with fear. She opened her mouth, trying to scream, but
nothing came out.

"She's speechless!" goaded the beast.

Malcolm looked at Hoshi as she cowered before him and stopped in his
tracks.

The beast pushed at Malcolm's chest trying to move him in the action
he craved. "Move weakling. You know you want her. Look at her. She
wants you too. She's trembling with desire for us."

Malcolm couldn't speak. He dare not waste the effort as he was focused
on his right hand -the one that held the phase pistol.

The beast glared at him. "You wouldn't dare!"

Malcolm closed his eyes, focusing on his hand and arm, struggling with
the beast for control.

Hoshi could only stare at her attacker as he loomed over her. Her
voice was lost.

Malcolm mumbled to himself, shaking. "You will never hurt her, again."

She watched in horror and relief as he turned the phase pistol toward
his chest and fired, crumpling against the glass.

A scream filled her ears.

"The ventilation system!" Em yelled as she sprang through Hoshi's door
wishing she could put her phase pistol on kill.

She stopped dead, looking at the scene in front of her - Hoshi curled
into a ball, sobbing and Malcolm's half naked torso slumped onto the
floor.

She rushed to take his pulse gasping, as she found none. "Archibald,
get in here," she yelled as she laid Malcolm out and started CPR.

She paused as she noticed the burn on his chest. "Get Phlox! Tell him
Malcolm has been shot point blank in the chest. The phase pistol was
on..." she tore the weapon out of Malcolm's hand "...stun."

Em pumped on Malcolm's chest, alternating with breathing. She
continued this rhythm for what seemed like an eternity. Somebody
pulled her away and she watched in horror as Dr. Phlox worked on
Malcolm, injecting him with epinephrine.

He pounded on Malcolm, frustrated that he wasn't in sickbay. Finally
the equipment arrived. Placing the stimulators in a circular pattern,
he sat back and yelled, "Everybody, stand clear!"

He continued shocking Malcolm, alternately pounding on his chest and
injecting him with more epinephrine.

Hoshi watched numbly.

Em watched in shock, silently praying for Malcolm to pull through. He
had shot himself rather than harm Hoshi again. She should have stayed
next to Hoshi at all time. She should have known he would get to her
no matter what. She should have known ...she just should have known
everything.

Phlox's PADD beeped in steady rhythm, mimicking Malcolm's heartbeat as
it started up.

She didn't realize she had been holding her breath until she let it
out, relieving the pressure on her lungs.

Hoshi reached out to touch Malcolm, tears streaming down her face. She
stopped a mere centimeter away.

Stabilized, Malcolm was loaded onto a backboard and transported to
sickbay for further testing and monitoring.

Glorious numbness surrounded Hoshi as she crushed the niggling feeling
of gratitude she felt toward Malcolm grow.

The anguish on his face as he turned the phase pistol on himself gave
her the first understanding since the rape of what Malcolm had been
going through. Like her, yet unlike her, he had been raped as well.

Em lifted Hoshi to her feet after everyone had cleared out. She was
torn between helping her and checking on Malcolm but knew in the long
run that he was being well taken care of.

Hoshi stood there, holding on the Em as though her life depended on
her. The cacophony of emotions twisting inside her made her
light-headed and nauseous.

"Maybe we should get you to sickbay too," suggested Em as she watched
her friend turn an unusual shade of green.

Luckily, Hoshi made it to the basin before she emptied the contents of
her stomach, her abdominal muscles protesting at the effort.

Em could see Hoshi tremble with the effort and knew Hoshi needed
something to help her, so she contacted sickbay as Hoshi continued to
throw up.

Hoshi sat with her back against the wall, one arm slung across the
toilet. "You will never hurt her again," rang in her ears. Warmth
spread throughout her chilled body as the healing process began. Her
heart whispered his name yet her mind, filled with the hatred and
betrayal, continued to ignore it. The part that had loved Malcolm
flitted to life in the darkest recesses of her brain. That part
mourned for their loss, worried for his well being, yet hoped for
more.

The feel of a cool washcloth against the back of her neck brought her
out of her musings and she shuddered. Em piled her hair off of her
neck and clipped it into a precarious bun, placing the coolness
against the heat of her skin. Hoshi looked up at her, questions
burning in her eyes along with unshed tears. Fresh guilt inserted
itself into Hoshi's thoughts.

"My ma ma always put a cool cloth on the back of my neck whenever I
was sick," Em explained.

Human contact. Em had touched her and there hadn't been any fear or
revulsion.

The chime at Hoshi's door startled both of them.

Em answered the door cautiously, relieved to find Ensign Archibald
returned from sickbay with a hypo spray. "How is he?"

Visibly shaken, Archibald replied, "He crashed again, but they got him
started up. He's stable now. Ensign Cutler gave this to me for Ensign
Sato." He held out the hypo spray.

Hoshi overheard the conversation with mixed emotion - relief that
Malcolm was alive and regret that he was still alive.

Em approached Hoshi and administered the medication for nausea.
Helping Hoshi to her bunk she admitted to her what she had never
admitted to anyone else. "I was raped too. If you need to talk, I'm
here for you."

Hoshi's eyes drifted closed as the medication took effect.

---

"Chief Medical Officer's log supplemental. Lt. Lieutenant Reed is
resting comfortably now, his condition stabilized. I am keeping him
sedated until Ensign Sato's heat has run its course or I find
something to negate the effects."

Phlox stopped the recording as soon as an alarm went off. Rushing to
Malcolm's side he checked the monitor, sighing as he realized it was
simply time to administer another sedative.

The beast lay panting on the ground in Malcolm's mind, mortally
wounded. Malcolm kept the phase pistol trained on him, in the event he
made a comeback. Malcolm was in control now - control of what he had
no idea though. He had been unable to focus enough to put the phase
pistol on kill as he wanted to.

The fear radiating off of Hoshi had given Malcolm the strength he
needed to overcome the beast - that, and the love he felt for her...a
love that would never be reciprocated because of what he had done. He
quelled that feeling for her, preferring the cold of the guilt he felt
for betraying her.

The scent of her lingered in his mind and the beast stirred, coughing
up blood. "She'll always hate you. My job is done here. I can smell
our young inside her womb." The beast laughed and then seized, blood
sputtering from its mouth. He panted with great difficulty and finally
succumbed to the grips of death.

Malcolm loomed over her in the shower, taking his pants off, growling
how he was going to fuck her raw and enjoy it. Exhaustion disabled
her. She was unable to move or make noise. She was naked and he took
advantage of that as he carried her into the bedroom and spread her
legs apart and pushed into her.

He grunted and came, but remained inside her, resting on top of her,
whispering about what a great fuck she was. She could feel him harden
inside her and knew it wasn't over.

She closed her eyes, a single tear escaping through her lids. The
humiliation and betrayal pierced her soul. The beast within Malcolm
would not be persuaded as she pleaded with him to stop.

Instead he raised her legs onto his shoulders and pushed deeper into
her. She no longer had the power to close her eyes or turn her head as
she watched the darkness in his eyes as he found his second release.

He rolled off of her then, closing his eyes for a brief second. When
he opened his eyes again, they were a bright blue, brimming with
tears. Looking down at the phase pistol in her hand he spoke, "Hurry,
he's stirring again. I can't hold him back. Kill me now."

Hoshi clasped the phase pistol, lifting it flush with Malcolm's heart
and fired.

---

"I think I'm going crazy," Hoshi sighed as she took a sip of her
raspberry tea, thankful she had found something other than water to
drink.

"The nightmares will go away eventually and life will go on. I'm not
going to sugarcoat it for you, though. Your life has changed and it is
up to you what do with it at this point." Em set her cup down on
Hoshi's desk and sat back, waiting for the other woman to say
something.

She jumped when Hoshi threw the cup onto the deck plating and just
stared at it. Her hands were closed in fists, her knuckles white. "I'm
so angry," she seethed with her teeth clenched.

Em remained silent.

"I couldn't stop what was happening. I couldn't protect myself. I
couldn't stop him. He didn't stop it! I hated him! I hate myself!"
Hoshi threw her arms in the air for emphasis then slumped over,
putting her hands over her face, sobbing.

"I -I had the biggest crush on Malcolm, but never had the nerve to act
on it. Right before the...rape...I had finally acted on it. I flirted
with him. I think he actually blushed. I felt so empowered and backed
off waiting for him to flirt back..." Hoshi stopped, unable to
continue.

"It was all my fault," she whispered and jumped when Em slammed her
glass down and started yelling at her.

"It was not your fault! If anybody tells you differently, I'll kill
them. I have the right mind to slap you up side the head for uttering
such an absurdity... I...I'm sorry," panted Em as she sat down and
smoothed the lines of her uniform.

"It's just not your fault. And I never thought I would say this, but
it wasn't Malcolm's fault either." Em saw Hoshi tense, noticeably.

"Who knows?"

"The senior staff, excluding Travis, and me. No reports have been
filed. Dr. Phlox's inquiries are not naming names, but his
transmissions are still encrypted," Em said as she bent over and
started picking up the glass.

"I was raped back at the academy," Em volunteered, "by numerous
attackers. They beat the shit out of me, telling me how I was
worthless and that I had it coming to me.

Her eyes glazed over at the memory as she relayed her rape to Hoshi.
"They broke into my dorm room one night and roughed me up and
...forced me to do things. They had a gun aimed at my head the whole
time they fucked me, threatening me with death if I struggled or
screamed. It seemed that I pissed some of my male counterparts off in
class. It wasn't until later, after I started piecing things together,
when I figured who had been behind it all."

"I believed every word they said, but finally went to seek medical
help two days later due to rectal bleeding. Counselors came and went,
spouting the rhetoric, but none of that made any difference. You're
going to have to work through it on your own and heal yourself. Nobody
else is going to be able to do it for you. The only thing any of us
can do is listen. But, I can tell you this much." Em leaned over and
took Hoshi's hands in her own. "Don't wade in the anger for too long,
or it will eat you alive."

Silent tears rolled down Hoshi's cheeks and she nodded
acknowledgement.

---

Malcolm was alone in his self-loathing, locked in the exhausted
recesses of his mind. No matter how hard he tried, he could not stir.
Even though the beast was dead, he still felt compelled to turn the
phase pistol on himself. But, he hadn't the strength. He had exhausted
himself to protect her. She was safe, now and let himself rest, the
darkness wrapping his soul with bitterness.

---

"Chief Medical Officer's log. October 30, 2153. The heat cycle is
complete and I am going to wake Lieutenant Reed up and hope for the
best. Ensign Sato is still experiencing nausea and her estrogen and
progestrogen levels are normalizing." Phlox cut the log off and nodded
to Captain Archer and Commander Tucker, who stood ready with phase
pistols in the event Malcolm became violent. It had been several
weeks, but they had come full circle, minus Hoshi.

Administering the hypo spray, they waited for Malcolm to wake.

Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, staring at the bright light overhead.
"Lieutenant Reed?"

Malcolm turned his head in the direction the voice came, but that was
the only response Phlox received.

"Lieutenant Reed, can you hear me?" Phlox asked, as he shook him.

"Y-yes," he answered painfully, reality glaring at him.

"All of his readings are within normal parameters," Phlox stated.

"Malcolm?" Archer questioned staunchly. "Is it safe to undo your
restraints?"

Malcolm sighed, "Yes, sir. The beast is gone."

Phlox and Trip undid the restraints slowly. Malcolm remained still.

"Sir, I'm prepared for disciplinary action to the highest extent of
the of Starfleet Military Protocol page IV-65: Article 120 - Rape and
carnal knowledge. Any person subject to this chapter, who commits an
act of sexual intercourse by force and without consent, is guilty of
rape and shall be punished by death or such other punishment as a
court-martial may direct. If you please sir, make it quick. She
shouldn't have to suffer any longer." Malcolm stared straight ahead,
his voice cracking slightly.

"Malcolm we're aware of the contaminated gel and the...consequences.
There will be no court martial. Depending on further developments the
only thing that will happen is a reassignment. I'm not sure who at
this point. I need to speak with Hoshi about it." Captain Archer
informed Malcolm of the decision he had come to a few weeks ago.

"Ensign Sato to Sickbay," Hoshi's weak disembodied voice filled the
air.

Phlox walked over to the comm panel and pressed the button. "Go
ahead."

Hoshi sobbed in pain. "I'm bleeding and..." The comm went dead.

Phlox grabbed a med kit and headed out the door, followed by Captain
Archer and Trip. Malcolm tried to get up and was stopped by the cold
command in Trip's voice. "Stay."

Hoshi lay in a definitive pool of her own blood. Just where it came
from was indeterminable until Phlox started running diagnostics. He
gasped at his discovery. Hoshi's HCG levels were immeasurable as
several zygotes had tried and failed to implant into her uterine wall.
Even though she had ongoing birth control established in her system
and had been given a morning after pill, fertilization had still taken
place. It looked as though five zygotes were present. He hadn't
considered the possibility that the gel had affected her reproductive
system, causing her to release five mature eggs at once. Luckily for
her, the morning after pill prevented implantation, for all but one.
There was a viable embryo imbedded in her destabilizing uterine wall.

"Help me get her to sickbay," Phlox stated grimly, feeling the
responsibility of more than Hoshi's life pressing upon him.

Malcolm's eyes flew to the woman on the stretcher as Trip and Captain
Archer carried her in. Phlox followed at their side, making notations
on his PADD and administering hypo sprays.

A privacy curtain was drawn as Phlox took care of Hoshi, occasionally
barking orders to Captain Archer and Trip. Eventually, Ensign Cutler
came to take their place.

---

"Chief Medical Officer's log, supplemental. I stabilized Ensign Sato
and the embryo within, utilizing a findial blocking inhibitor. I also
performed a partial internal clamp of her uterus, eliminating the
deformed zygotes and enabling her system to resume a normal pregnancy
cycle. She lost a great deal of blood as her body tried to expel the
zygotes, yet is resting comfortably in sickbay. She is weighing her
decision carefully."

"Lieutenant Reed has resumed his duties, suffering no physical side
effects from the incident or his attempted suicide. He is aware of
Ensign Sato's condition yet does not make any attempt to contact her."

"I've received a reprimand from the interspecies medical exchange
stating a lax in medicinal protocol was at fault and that the
procedure for decon should change. Visual confirmation of all parties
in decon shall be maintained at all time."

---

She was well informed. Phlox made sure of that. All he had to do was
remove the inhibitor and her system would spontaneously abort
the...person, whose heartbeat she had already heard.

It wasn't its fault. It wasn't anybody's fault. But her decision was
made. She would not look back.

"Dr. Phlox," Hoshi called from behind the curtain.

"Yes Hoshi," he replied as he came to her side.

"Remove the inhibitor."

"Very well." He moved to do so, not questioning her decision. He had
given her the knowledge and she made a decision.

He gave her an injection for the pain and pulled the curtain.

---

The heat always took her breath away whenever she left the cabin and
entered the hallway. She had been en route to Earth on the Vulcan
cargo ship, V'Nan for two weeks now. They were due to rendezvous with
another Vulcan ship in two days. Just where she was headed, she didn't
know. There was no central mess hall as Vulcans took meals in their
quarters. There was no one to talk to, even though she tried to engage
the crew in their native tongue. They just weren't a talkative bunch.

Other than the occasional sporadic messages with Em, she was alone.
Admiral Forrest was brought up to speed about the events and pulled a
few strings to get Hoshi's teaching job at the university back, but
she held little enthusiasm for it. Her home was on Enterprise. Even
after everything that had happened, that flying tin can was still her
home.

Malcolm fought hard to get transferred, arguing that she was more
valuable to the crew; that without her, first contacts would not go as
smoothly, or God forbid, go at all. When Jon told her that, she lied
quietly, "But I want to go home."

In her eyes, Malcolm was more valuable than she. He protected
everybody and everything she loved -Enterprise and her crew.

The loneliness enabled her to focus and hear her own voice, to sort
through everything that had happened. The nightmares had dissipated
into the fog of the past, but some bitterness remained. Yes, she had
accepted that Malcolm was not responsible for his actions, but the
betrayal cut deeper than that.

She waited a day, hoping he would acknowledge the life within her, but
he never came. Conceived in rape - the child didn't stand a chance.
Not because it had been conceived in rape, but because of her. She
would have had to remain on bed rest the entire gestational period and
the trauma her system had already suffered ... well, Phlox had made
sure she was informed. It was one of the hardest decisions she had
ever made in her entire life. And she had to make it alone.

She mourned for so much: the child, the life she had, and her
friendship with Malcolm. Most of all, she mourned what could have been
with him.

---

He hadn't slept or eaten in four days. No matter what, his mind kept
turning round and round about things that needed to be done - duty
roosters needed updating; the phase coils needed alignments; reports
needed to be filed. Unfortunately, he was unable to concentrate on any
of those things and spent most of his time staring at his meals and
working out in the gym.

He was sitting in front of one of those meals right now, unable to get
the first bite down past the lump in his throat. He ignored the hunger
pangs.

"Is this seat taken?" Em Gomez asked after she had already sat down.

He simply stared at her, no words forming in his mind for a rebuttal.

Em sat comfortably with Malcolm, making herself available in the event
he needed someone to talk to.

Malcolm was content to push his meal around his plate, not really
caring that the words coming out of Em's mouth were gibberish to him.
His thoughts were occupied elsewhere - Hoshi. He had fought so hard to
keep her here, but to no avail. Captain Archer told him that she asked
to 'go home.'

Malcolm wanted to talk her out of it, but Captain Archer and Dr. Phlox
felt it best if he didn't. Through them, he kept tabs on her. He was a
coward, plain and simple. He wrote out a letter of apology, but never
delivered it. Letter of apology - how does one apologize for what he
did?

Their child would never be. They had brought Hoshi to sickbay covered
in blood and pulled the curtain, but he could still hear them. She was
pregnant and she and the baby were stabilized. Without medical
intervention, Hoshi would miscarry. Phlox released him the next day
not saying a word to him about the baby, as it was her decision.

"Sir, are you okay?" Em Gomez watched as Malcolm stared into space,
obviously not paying any attention to her changes to the duty rooster.
Her and everybody around her, gasped in horror as Malcolm fell to the
ground and started convulsing.

---

"Chief Medical Officer's log, November 25, 2153. Lieutenant Reed is
comatose and will be dead in three days if we fail to retrieve Ensign
Sato," Phlox sighed, rubbing the back of his next, holding little hope
for his patient.

Lieutenant Reed is suffering from a form of Sanfilippo Syndrome. An
essential enzyme that breaks down complex sugars produced in the body
has decreased by eighty percent throughout his entire system. He had
come to me a week before for a sedative, and for the first time spoke
about the rape. He failed to mention that he hadn't slept in several
days and was experiencing hyperactivity. The build up of sugar in his
brain signals the end stage of the syndrome. He's entered the dementia
phase as near as I can tell.

For the first few days, I was unable to determine what could cause
such a devastating illness, and then it hit me. Something I had read
about the Denobulan bat mating cycle scrolled through my mind. They
mate for life. And if the female dies before the male, the male will
die within a month's cycle. It seems that the pheromones imprinting
upon Lieutenant Reed's enzymes, in turn, enforce this... self-destruct
sequence. I've tried enzyme therapy, but have been unsuccessful in my
treatment thus far. I believe if we retrieve Ensign Sato in time,
there is a chance he may recover...as long as there is is enough of
the basic enzyme structure left. Time is of the essence. The Vulcan
Cargo ship has been alerted and is en route at their fastest speed and
Commander Tucker assures me he is squeezing everything he can out of
the warp drive. Even with everybody at top speed, it will be five days
before Ensign Sato arrives."

---

Malcolm startled as the light weight on top on him shifted. He looked
down where his four-month-old daughter lay. Her fine black hair was
like silk upon his bare chest. Hoshi stirred in the bed next to them.

"Is it time to feed her again?" Hoshi sat up, rubbing the sleep out of
her eyes.

Malcolm sighed, feeling a tear trickle down his cheek.

Hoshi moved to take their daughter off his chest, seeing his distress.

After putting Mercy in her crib, she knelt in front him, grabbing his
hands and resting her head in his lap. "I'm dreaming," he sighed. "I
don't want to wake up."

Hoshi kissed his palm. "You aren't dreaming. I'm real. So is Mercy."

"But..." Another tear fell.

"You've got to accept what happened and forgive yourself, darling.
I've forgiven you, why can't you forgive yourself?"

"I-I dreamt you left. I dreamt ...you miscarried," Malcolm gathered
Hoshi into his arms and sobbed.

---

"Chief Medical Officer's log, November 26, 2153. Lieutenant Reed's
enzyme level has decreased by twelve percent. By tomorrow, there will
be no enzymes left to stimulate growth of more."

---

"I love you," he whispered into Hoshi's dark hair

"You've never told me. How was I supposed to know?" she replied sadly.

---

"Sir, we've got a Vulcan Interceptor closing in on high warp," Lt. Em
Gomez reported.

Before Captain Archer could acknowledge, Ensign Collins chimed in.
"We're being hailed."

"Put it on screen," Archer stated.

"Enterprise, this is Vulcan Interceptor, M'Hel. We will be docking in
fifteen minutes. We have Ensign Sato."

Silence settled among the bridge crew.

Dr. Phlox placed Malcolm on the table of the imaging chamber. He would
need to be exposed to Hoshi in a cramped space to encourage rapid
growth of the enzymes.

Hoshi came through the door quickly, a wild look in her eyes. "Am I
too late?"

Phlox wasted no time with pleasantries. "Ensign, I need you to climb
onto the table with Lieutenant Reed. It is imperative that he is
exposed to you intimately. I will increase the temperature so that you
sweat. You may want to disrobe down to your undergarments."

Hoshi froze in her spot, looking at the chamber then to Malcolm. Two
fears rolled into one.

"I understand your trepidation but he is quite safe, I assure you. You
will be monitored at all time. You needn't fear Lieutenant Reed. If
you like I can give you a sedative." Phlox held a hypo spray up to
her.

She waved it off and climbed on top of Malcolm. "I would rather be
alert then drugged. Put us in. Just turn him around, so I can see
out."

Hoshi crushed herself to Malcolm's bare chest, shutting her eyes as
tight as she could. The heat that surrounded her reminded her of the
Vulcan ship she had just been on.

Malcolm's breathing was steady and she focused on that.

"Are you doing okay, Hoshi?" Captain Archer's voice asked with
concern.

"I'm fine, Sir," Hoshi replied as she looked through the holes of the
chamber to the outside.

"How long do we have?" She squirmed.

"It should take just a few hours in the chamber to encourage his
enzymes to restructure and grow." Phlox informed her then paused as he
looked at the couple in the chamber.

"Ensign, there is room for you to sit up if you feel cramped."

Hoshi stuck an arm out and found space to her sides and behind her.
She chuckled at the trick her mind had played on her. For some reason
it seemed smaller than it actually was. She pressed against Malcolm's
chest, sitting up.

She kept her eyes fixed on the holes of the chamber door and shivered
even though the heat that surrounded her felt like an oven.

Outside, Phlox watched over the monitor for any changes. Before Hoshi
had arrived, Malcolm's enzyme level was down to two percent. It was
going to be a long road back, but he just might make it. He grinned as
the monitor showed a one percent increase with just fifteen minutes
exposure to Hoshi. That was very promising in deed.

Hoshi collapsed on top of him, satiated with passion. She kissed his
cheek and brushed his hair off of his forehead. "You're going to be
fine, Malcolm. I'm here now."

Hoshi lay on his chest, her head resting on his shoulder. Leaning
forward she placed a gentle kiss onto his cheek and whispered words of
encouragement. A whisper of fear touched her skin wherever her body
came in contact with Malcolm's. She had accepted everything. It was
part of who she was now.

Malcolm stirred, wincing in pain.

"There's no more pain, Malcolm." Her voice sounded melodious as if off
in the distance. "I don't blame you, anymore."

"I was angry with you, but not for...that." Hoshi sniffed but
continued to say her peace to the unconscious man. "The decision to
remove the inhibitor was the hardest decision I ever had to make on my
own and I resented you for leaving me to make it on my own."

Malcolm's dementia came shattering down around him. Mercy was gone,
never born. Hoshi was straddling him, forcing him to look at her.

Sighing, he said, "I couldn't force you again. I couldn't influence
your decision. You hate me - rightly so, I might add. What I did to
you...I tried to stop it. I wasn't strong enough... Am I dying now?"

"Come back to me, Malcolm. Knowing you, you have yet to forgive
yourself. You should. I have." Hoshi pressed her cheek to his,
checking for his temperature, not hearing his side of their
conversation.

"You have to forgive yourself if you are going to pull through. I need
you to do this for me. Don't leave me. Don't take your friendship
away. I miss you."

"That's what I miss most - our friendship. It's impossible to be
friends if you won't forgive yourself. I've done my part. I've
forgiven you." Hoshi whispered into his ear. She could feel the sweat
pooling in the small of her back.

"If you come back... when you come back, we'll start target practices
again, even though I really don't need them any longer. We can start
new... but only if you come back to us." Malcolm felt moisture on his
shoulder.

"Well?" Captain Archer asked impatiently.

"It's remarkable. I don't think I've ever seen this kind of
regeneration before. The enzymes are multiplying exponentially. They
are at fifty percent." Phlox stated with a spark of hope in his voice.

Jon stooped down, looking through the grating. "He's at fifty percent,
Hoshi. Hang in there."

Hoshi hugged him tighter, whispering in his ear.

He wrapped his arms around her and listened.

"What happened...the rape...it happened to both of us. When it was
happening, I was in shock, not realizing what you...whatever it was
inside of you... was doing to me. When I woke up, that shock turned to
denial." She scoffed. "That didn't last long."

He kept listening.

"The next part was the worst. I hated you. I even hated myself for not
being able to stop you. Then I started to remember what we were
talking about prior to the attack and how I was flirting with you. For
one brief second, I actually thought I deserved what you..." Hoshi
twisted her head from side to side, trying to get through everything
she needed to get through. "...What that monster, did to me... to both
of us."

"Phlox started telling me about the contaminated gel and what it did
to you. I still hated you. I even hated him."

Hoshi shifted uncomfortably on top of him. "I had nightmares. It
seemed like the same nightmare over and over again. I couldn't sleep.
When I did manage to get to sleep...I'll never forget that nightmare.
It was different from the rest. I was raping you, and I wasn't able to
control my actions."

She paused. "That's when I realized...you had suffered too. I know you
Malcolm. The loss of control was difficult for you."

Tears welled in his eyes, but she kept whispering to him.

"When you caught me in the shower, I was so afraid. I couldn't even
scream. I don't think I've ever been so afraid in my life, but then
you... you...turned the phase pistol on yourself. I'll always be
grateful to you for that, but at the same time horrified that you did
it."

She sobbed, "I couldn't feel anything more at that point. But now..."
She hugged him to her. "Please come back, Malcolm. Please don't die. I
-I..."

Malcolm's eyes opened slowly, unseen by Hoshi. She was holding on to
him like her life depended on it. He tried moving his arm to hold her,
but it wouldn't work. His mind was muddled yet clearing. He tried
saying her name but only managed to make a noise.

She jolted up; tears flowing freely down her cheeks. She wiped at them
with frustration.

She could see his confusion. "That's right, Malcolm! Come back!
Everybody depends on you. Enterprise needs her armory officer. I need
you."

She buried her face in the crook of his neck and continued whispering
words of encouragement to him.

The cool air as they were removed from the imagining chamber felt
wondrous against her heated skin.

"Hoshi, it's okay. He's going to be okay," Captain Archer tugged her
off Malcolm and into his arms.

Dr. Phlox quickly administered a hypo spray to Malcolm and checked his
PADD. "He's at ninety-six percent and rising. The enzymes are already
hard at work removing the sugars from his brain. He's going to pull
through."

---

A week passed. Hoshi stayed in sickbay, next to Malcolm, never leaving
his side even though Phlox kept telling her that he was well on the
road to recovery. Malcolm gained his ability to speak three days ago,
but said very little.

One night, Malcolm woke. It wasn't a fitful waking. There were no more
nightmares. He just simply woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. He
had been sleeping on his side so that when he opened his eyes, the
first thing he saw was Hoshi.

She was asleep, her features relaxed and her breathing even. He wanted
to reach out and brush the errant strand of hair that fell across her
cheek, but knew better. So, he lay in the semi-darkness, content with
staring at her. He remembered every fantasy he had while comatose,
saddened by most, yet hopeful. He just didn't know what was fantasy
and what was reality.

While not openly pushy regarding Malcolm's recovery, Hoshi had been
persistent in remaining by his side. From what he could gather from
the conversations that flew over his head, the bat episode wasn't
quite finished. When he heard mention of this, he panicked, fearful
that the beast would reassert itself and harm Hoshi.

The only outward appearance that gave any indication to his distress
was the monitors above his bed. Hoshi immediately grasped his hand,
shushing him as he tried to speak, reassuring him that everything was
okay.

At that point, Dr. Phlox regaled him of how close he had come to death
and why. Malcolm looked at Hoshi, who was looking down at her feet.

"Looks like we're stuck together," she said with a slight hitch to her
voice.

Now he propped himself on one elbow and watched her sleep.

He thought of nothing, content just to look at her.

So enraptured with looking at her, he failed to notice her watching
him.

He grinned when he noticed, and then looked away quickly apologizing
for staring.

It seemed like an eternity before Malcolm spoke, his thoughts and his
emotions swirling in his head. Forgiveness - Did she forgive him? He
had to know.

"When," he cleared his throat. "When we were in the imaging chamber, I
dreamt that..."

"I forgive you," she blurted out, trying to make it easier on him but
went further to explain.

"While I was on the V'Nan, I kept in contact with Em. Well, she kept
dropping little hints here and there about your behavior... I know
you've been in pain, Malcolm. It's time you ..."

"Thank you," he whispered hastily.

The awkward silence fell.

"So, what are we going to do?" Malcolm asked, still staring into
Hoshi's almond eyes, scared spitless.

"Well Lieutenant, according to Phlox you're cured. All he needed was a
sample of ...me... to synthesize what you need. You're as good as new,
minus weekly injections." Hoshi smiled as she sat up, hanging her legs
off the bed.

A slight swell of panic rose in her chest. She had made up her mind.
She was staying on Enterprise. This was where she belonged. She wanted
to extend a hand of friendship to Malcolm, but couldn't take that step
just yet. Instead, she opted for a professional relationship.

Malcolm could see her falter. "You're staying, right?" He didn't want
to even consider the possibility that she was leaving again.

"Yes," she stated. "There really isn't much reason for me to leave at
this point... unless...it would make you uncomfortable."

"H- Ensign," he stammered, catching onto the hint of their new
relationship. "Whatever you decide is fine with me."

---

"Chief Medical Officer's Log, December 24, 2153. Yesterday, we docked
briefly with a Denobulan freighter to hand over my bat. She will be
released into a sanctuary. Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Sato are both
doing well, experiencing no physical side effects from the ordeal.
Their 'relationship' is one of utmost professionalism, almost
bordering on comical at times

Neither one of them is willing to take the next step in their
relationship, both comfortable in their current roles as Lieutenant
and Ensign. Although I have it on good authority from Crewman Cutler
that they have resumed their "private" target practice sessions, which
puzzles me somewhat because I was fairly certain that Ensign Sato was
proficient in the use of side arms.

At any rate, I believe that Ensign Sato is at a stage where she would
like to become friends again, as opposed to just co-workers.
Lieutenant Reed, on the other hand, keeps her at arm's length.

Late last night, Lieutenants Reed and Gomez came in with some minor
plasma burns they received while realigning the plasma coils. An
interesting side note to this is that Captain Archer came to sickbay
to check on 'both Lieutenants.' He was dressed in his pajamas, or more
appropriately half of his pajamas. I don't think I've ever seen
Lieutenant Gomez blush before.

If my hypothesis is correct the Captain and Lieutenant Gomez have a
non-professional interest in one another. I even think Lieutenant Reed
picked up on the tension between the two.

Today in the mess hall, I heard Ensign Sato actively chastising
Lieutenant Reed about not telling her about the plasma burns. In turn,
Lieutenant Reed told her it was 'really none of her business,' and
walked out. The whole mess hall was witness to what happened next.
Ensign Sato picked up her tray, complete with beverage and plate and
heaved it at the door. Luckily for Ensign Sato the rest of the mess
hall only consisted of Sub-Commander T'Pol, Lieutenant Gomez, and
myself.

"While cleaning up the mess on the floor, Ensign Sato mumbled under
her breath. Only Sub-Commander and I could hear what she was actually
saying. At that time, the Sub-Commander turned to me and said, "I
certainly hope she does not hit Lieutenant Reed over the head. He
would most likely press charges for striking a superior officer and
confine her to her quarters." I honestly don't think I've ever laughed
that hard before."

---

The End