Hoshi (cont'd)

She swivels back to Archer, "I'll need to work closely with the science team, Sir, anyone who has any background in quadratic harmonics..." Hoshi thinks furiously, she knows there's nobody else than her that does, she bites her lip nervously, looks at Trip, "... or is a musician." She must be thinking engineer, not musician. She doesn't know why she even looked at him, he doesn't play a musical instrument that she knows of. Ah, but yes, she realizes, the sound of his engines, he can tell what's happening just from the sound. She doesn't think that's going to help in this case, but...

Archer is still staring at the screen, "... But the initial distress signal, Ensign, how did you know?..." The question hangs there, waiting for an answer.

She has to think back, how did she know...? "I'm not sure, Sir," her brow wrinkles, "it was very repetitive, there was something in it, it sounded like a cry for help."

Archer nods in response, Hoshi may be closer to solving this than she thinks, "Very well, Ensign."

He makes for his chair. He's almost there when the intercom beeps. The Captain frowns at the disruption, sits as he opens the com, "Yes?!" he says forcefully.

"Phlox here, Captain!" The doctor doesn't notice the curt tone. Or he does and ignores it, "You've got to see this!"

Archer silently sighs, what now? "What is it, Phlox?!" He would cut the doctor off but he's learned not to discount anything from the Denobulan. At least not unless he wants to painfully pay for it down the line.

"I've figured it out!" Phlox announces triumphantly. He's so excited the words scramble to come out, "I've re-rigged the medscan to display ionization interference!" He can tell by the answering silence he's confused his audience, "I can see the alien!" he adds.

Archer pauses, looks up at Trip who looks back quizzically. Then, as one, the two men break into an almost run to the lift. Archer stops the closing door with one hand, pops his head back outside, "Hoshi! Gather all the resources you need! You have carte blanche!"

xxx

Sickbay

The three of them are grouped at the edge of the stasis field, staring in silence at the screen jerry-rigged by Phlox.

"What are we looking at?" Archer asks his voice barely over a whisper. He doesn't know why he's whispering. Perhaps now that they can see the alien, he's more aware It can see them.

Phlox points to a corner of the screen, crackling with bursts of colors flashing across in a random pattern. Archer squints, looks at Trip to check if the engineer is seeing anything, because for sure he isn't. "It's there, can you see it?" Phlox seems a little bit surprised that the Humans can't. He helpfully draws the contours of the alien with a finger.

Archer takes a step forward, tries again, but in vain. "Oh, I just go it!" Trip exclaims behind him. Archer strains further, trying to see what they're both seeing. Finally, after what seems like minutes of hard-staring, he notices what could be a variation in the pattern of the illuminations, like a veil has been laid over, but he's not sure. He points to it, "There?"

"Yes!" Phlox nods animatedly, "it takes some getting used to, but you can see how the ionized lights divert away from that area!"

That seems to be wishful thinking, partly. Archer looks at Trip, "What are the chances this is a random event?"

The engineer shakes his head, "Too regular to be random; no, there's something there."

"You can even see it move," Phlox adds.

Archer frowns, pointing at the screen, "What's with those color streaks there?"

Phlox looks in turn, "We still don't know exactly how the ionization operates..." Silence falls as the men contemplate the thinly veiled shape that seems to occupy a corner.

"That's great but how do we get rid of it?" Trip breaks the silence.

Phlox rocks back on his heels, his smile dimmed a little bit, "...Well... have we made contact with the planet yet?" He doesn't know about the bridge, Hoshi, the birds.

"We're working on it, doctor," Archer replies. They're needed back on the bridge, to try and make that happen. The Captain turns to leave, notices the glassy look in Trip's eyes, "What is it, Trip?"

The engineer seems to wake up, "We need to bring them to the surface," he answers.

"Trip?!" What does he mean, bring them to the surface. Doesn't he realize T'Pol is under a stasis field? Archer voices his thoughts in rapid succession, "What d'you mean? Bring who? T'Pol too?"

"We need to bring them to the surface," Trip repeats stubbornly.

"We can't do that!" Archer barks. He turns to Phlox, "Can we?"

The doctor shakes his head, "I don't know how we could. It's too risky."

"See, we can't!" Archer glances at Phlox, who nods in agreement.

Trip's quick to the draw, "Then, if you don't mind, Captain, I'll stay in Sickbay."

Archer narrows his eyes at his friend. Of course he minds, why would Trip even think of asking that?! Unless the alien is influencing him... He can't risk it. He shakes his head, "Sorry, Trip, Hoshi needs all the help she can get. I need you on the bridge."

The engineer's visibly not happy but he doesn't protest. Archer turns to leave, talks over his shoulder to Phlox, "Just make sure you know where that thing is at all times."

Phlox clears his throat, "As a reminder, Captain, Healer E'Shara said the alien can understand what we say, hmm." He lets the sentence hang meaningfully.

"Of course, Doctor, of course," Archer placates, and keeps going.

As the two of them leave Sickbay, Dr. Phlox sighs and walks back to the medical database. He needs to be ready for when they make contact with the planet and the alien releases T'Pol.

xxx

It

It doesn't understand. They're at the realm. Why aren't the aliens releasing the stasis field? They have an agreement. They release the stasis field and It releases the host. It pulsates slowly in confusion. The ship is there, right there. All they have to do is bring It to the surface, to the realm.

To be so close and yet so far.

It doesn't want to wait any longer. Eternity is meaningless when what It wants more than anything else is right there at its fingertips. If It had fingers or knew what they were...

The striations of anxiety show red on the ionized screen, but there's nobody to see them. The stasis field is not released. It needs the stasis field released. They had an agreement. Bring It to the Realm, and It will release the host. That was the agreement. If they do not release the stasis field, It will not release the host.

It is aware that is not a most compelling position. It needs more. It cannot influence the almost-host, he hasn't come back. There must be something else It can do. The glow of determination streaks pink on the ionized screen, but there's still nobody to see it.

It suddenly knows what It can do. If the aliens won't release It, It will go back to the host.