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 fuckin� 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 desist.� 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 you�re 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.

�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.

�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 femininity 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.

�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.

�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.

�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.

***

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.

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 form 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.�

TBC

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