The Good That Men Do - Andy Mangels [113]
Lowering the weapon, Trip said, “I’m not about to let that happen, either, Doctor.” He took the old man’s arm in order to lead him to the exit, but Ehrehin pushed Trip’s hand away.
“I have to get you to safety, Doctor,” Trip said, trying to rein in his mounting impatience by sounding reasonable.
“So does Valdore. I believe I shall wait right here for his arrival.”
Trip could feel the floor shake yet again. Coupled with the noise from out in the corridor, the sensation strained his patience that much closer to its breaking point. “Valdore’s men could easily kill you accidentally with a stray disruptor blast, Doctor. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let that happen.” He took the old man’s arm again, grasping it more authoritatively this time.
Ehrehin’s tone mellowed as he weighed Trip’s words. “That makes a great deal of sense.”
“Come on,” Trip said, holding his weapon at the ready as he led the old man out into the corridor, which reverberated with the sounds of combat. Trip was thankful that none of the fighting was in sight as yet. The dim emergency lighting challenged his memory of the facility’s layout, which looked oddly different to him, like a familiar city landmark seen at night for the first time.
He belatedly realized just how much he had become dependent upon Phuong’s talents during this mission. You’d better figure out where you’re going, Charles, and right now, he told himself silently. Or else you and the good doctor both are going to end up just like Phuong.
After spending another few moments coaxing his memory, he guided the old man down the left branch of the corridor.
As they turned at a T intersection, a hulking shape stepped directly into their path. Trip saw the golden gleam of the man’s polished metal helmet a split second before he raised his weapon and shouted “Halt!”
Trip fired, and his disruptor burned a ragged hole in the other man’s torso. He crumpled to the floor in flames, just as Phuong had.
As he hustled Ehrehin past the charred and stinking corpse, he hoped that the old man hadn’t noticed that the dead man was not attired in quite the same manner as Ch’uihv’s men.
He had been wearing what Trip guessed was a regular Romulan military uniform.
Looks like I’m fighting on Ch’uihv’s side after all, whether I like it or not, Trip thought grimly as he and Ehrehin made haste back toward the Ejhoi Ormiin’s hangar area- with what sounded like all the hordes of hell drawing near them, front and rear.
Thirty-Five
Friday, February 21, 2155
Romulantransport Vessel T'lluadh
THE ROMULAN SHROUD had evidently been established to prevent Enterprise from removing anyone from the transport ship. As Malcolm Reed materialized in a darkened chamber, he rejoiced that the shroud apparently hadn’t been devised to keep anyone from beaming in. He turned to check on the rest of the boarding party.
Since the lights that flanked his faceplate were turned off, Malcolm activated the night-vision capabilities built into his helmet’s visor. Although he couldn’t see their expressions, or even facial details, he could tell from body language that the other members of the team- Commander T’Pol, MACO Corporals Hideaki Chang and Meredith Peruzzi, as well as Shran and Theras- had arrived safely. On Enterprise, they’d hurriedly donned environmental suits against the possibility of hull breaches or other dangers, and to facilitate scrambled communications that with a little luck wouldn’t be overheard by the Romulans. Like Malcolm, they had kept their suit’s lamps dark, operating in stealth mode.
Each team member carried a set of twenty transponders, devices designed to enhance the transporter’s ability to establish a positive lock, even in the presence of signal jamming, or countermeasures such as the Romulan shroud. They’d brought three times as many of the small devices as they knew they needed, just in case the team got separated- or worse. Everyone but Theras also carried a phase pistol, set for heavy stun. As