Chapter Text
As Hoshi opened the door to her quarters, she hesitated for a second before stepping in. It felt like just a normal room, empty but relatively tidy, the bed rumpled where she had lain, trying to read. She still felt uneasy in the space, though.
T’Pol entered behind her and stood in her customary pose with her hands loosely grasped behind her, looking around. Is she judging? No, Hoshi decided, she wasn’t going to worry about that, and she certainly wasn’t going to do anything as silly as show human embarrassment, rushing around apologising for the place being a mess, when it clearly wasn’t. The logical Vulcan would only raise an eyebrow if she did so.
“Please, have a seat, Commander,” she offered. “I’ll be as quick as I can.” So saying, she grabbed a fresh uniform and underwear from her locker and headed for the bathroom. Just before she reached the door, she stopped and turned to the Vulcan. “Thank you for accompanying me. I know it’s illogical, but it does feel better to have someone else here and not be alone.”
“Certainly, Ensign,” T’Pol replied. The first officer turned and sat down on the desk chair, perfectly upright, focusing her attention on the PADD she had been carrying. As Hoshi turned back to the bathroom door, T’Pol looked up and halted her. “Ensign. You appeared disconcerted when Lieutenant Reed asked me to accompany you to your quarters. Do not forget that it is perfectly logical to seek aid when needed.” Clearly considering that she had said all that needed to be said, the Vulcan turned back to her PADD.
Blinking at the thought that T’Pol had been attempting to reassure her, Hoshi hurried into the bathroom, letting the water heat while she brushed her teeth and tied her hair back. Hopping into the shower, she sighed in enjoyment of the hot water, making quick work of washing herself, before towelling off and dragging on her underwear, undershirt, coveralls, and socks. She quickly brushed her hair and put it into its customary double ponytail.
As she turned away from the mirror, she caught a glimpse of a figure standing in the corner, and spun around with a cry.
It was Tarquin after all. Or, at least, his Malcolm-like avatar. He didn’t say anything, just stared at her. There was something a little different, though. The avatar’s face seemed more bitter than she remembered. It was understandable, she mused, since he was now more alone than ever after she had rejected his overtures.
But that didn’t mean he could just show up - in her bathroom, no less, where she’d just been naked! It might have provided incontrovertible proof that he was around and very likely delving into her mind again, but showed yet again that he had no concept of boundaries. At least she wasn’t physically naked now, but that meant very little when he had the habit of stripping her mind bare.
“Why can’t you just leave me alone, Tarquin?” she said angrily. “Why do you keep following me around? I told you I don’t appreciate you invading my mind at your leisure, when I don’t even know you’re there! It’s invasive and controlling and I don’t want it!”
Tarquin’s avatar remained silent, but his face twisted slightly, and Hoshi felt a shiver run through her at the undisguised anger she glimpsed for a moment.
Then T’Pol called through the door, “Are you alright, Ensign?” and she half-turned to reply, “Yes, Commander.” When she looked back, he had disappeared.
Rubbing at her forehead, Hoshi opened the door and walked through to find that the Vulcan had risen from her seat and come closer to the bathroom.
“Who were you talking to?” she inquired.
“The telepath—Tarquin,” Hoshi explained. “Or at least his avatar. He didn’t speak, but I did. I told him to leave me alone and stay out of my mind. But from his expression—I don’t think he will.”
T’Pol kept her thoughts to herself, waiting for Hoshi to put on her boots before gesturing for the junior officer to precede her out of the room. They maintained silence as they headed toward the captain’s ready room, arriving a minute before the designated time.
Malcolm stood outside, his hair slightly damp but neatly combed, uniform pristine despite the rush with which he’d dressed, boots shiny. He nodded at T’Pol, and gave Hoshi a quick, reassuring smile, squeezing her arm for a moment before dropping his hand back to his side.
The ready room door opened, and T’Pol walked inside, Hoshi following, and Malcolm bringing up the rear, the door closing behind him. The captain and Trip were already waiting, both standing near the window.
Hoshi came to a stop, swallowing hard. She suddenly felt like a young school child called in front of the headmaster. She could see from his profile that Captain Archer was frowning, doing nothing to dispel the notion that she was in trouble.
Then Malcolm put his hand on her back as though to direct her, giving her a quick rub down her spine, and she felt some of her apprehension ease as he came to stand beside her, allowing his shoulder to touch hers as they both stood at parade rest.
T’Pol continued to the centre of the room, where she stood between the two groups, her face inscrutable. Trip moved to stand near her, leaving the captain near the viewport.
Turning to look more directly at his two officers, Archer’s expression softened from its frown as he saw the tension in Hoshi’s shoulders and how close Malcolm was standing to her, clearly in a protective mood. The look on the tactical officer’s face seemed to dare anyone to discomfort Hoshi, even though he kept his eyes firmly fixed above Archer’s eye-level.
Hoshi, on the other hand, simply stared at the table in front of her until Malcolm said, his voice quiet but firm, “Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Sato reporting as ordered, Captain.” Then she started almost imperceptibly, casting a quick glance at Malcolm’s profile before straightening to match his pose, her eyes lifting like his.
Archer hid a smile at his communications officer’s unconscious imitation of his tactical officer, coughing before acknowledging Malcolm’s words. “Lieutenant, Ensign. At ease.” As they both relaxed their shoulders - Hoshi once again following Malcolm’s lead - he followed up with, “Now I’d like to know just what’s going on, and why the two of you were sleeping in the observation room instead of each in your own quarters.”
Hoshi barely stopped herself from snorting at the captain’s none-too-subtle implication that they should stay far apart, preferably not touching in any way. Malcolm didn’t say anything, so she took the lead and repeated his words to her. “Lieutenant Reed was acting as my personal security officer so I could sleep without interruption, sir.”
Archer looked taken aback. “Has someone been bothering you, Hoshi?” he demanded. “A member of the crew?” He seemed to have forgotten his unspoken threat to Malcolm on the observation deck.
“Yes, sir, and no, sir,” Hoshi replied. This time it was Malcolm throwing her a sidelong glance. She hadn’t been so certain when they’d spoken earlier. Although Hoshi knew he was looking at her, she kept her eyes on the captain, who was frowning once again as he parsed her words. Then his brow cleared as the implication became clear.
“That telepath?” he asked, in a voice that boded ill for Tarquin. Though what he imagined he could do, Hoshi wasn’t sure.
She nodded. “Until now I just suspected, but while I was getting ready, he appeared in my bathroom.” She forbore from mentioning that he’d appeared in the form in which he looked similar to Malcolm; she hadn’t told anyone but the tactical officer about that.
“Did he say what he wanted?” Captain Archer asked.
“No, sir,” Hoshi replied. “He didn’t say anything. But … he looked pretty angry. So I don’t think it’s anything good.”
This time Malcolm turned his head and looked at her, a slight frown on his face. “Do you think he would hurt you?” he asked, his tone serious.
Hoshi hesitated. Would he hurt her? She wanted to say no, but the look in his eyes had been almost murderous. “I’m … not sure,” she said slowly, her eyes tracking past the captain and through the window as she considered the question. “An hour ago I would have said no, but the way he looked in my quarters … he might.”
“And you can’t feel whether or not he’s inside your head?” the tactical officer probed. This time Hoshi looked at him. His frown had deepened, and he looked worried. She shook her head.
“He could be here right now, and I wouldn’t know,” she acknowledged. “And that’s what I told him over and over; that I wasn’t comfortable with someone whose mind I couldn’t see, but who could enter mine at will when I had no way of knowing. Especially now, seeing his anger—who knows what he’s doing in there? Because I have no doubt he’s combing through my memories again.”
“Captain, we have to do something!” Malcolm blurted, turning to Archer. “The situation is untenable. We can’t have some telepath lurking around in Hoshi’s head like this, especially so soon after…” his words trailed off, and Archer’s face tightened. No one needed reminding of what she had gone through at the hands of the Xindi. That still didn’t make it any easier to talk about.
Archer frowned even more deeply, and opened his mouth to speak. Before he could utter a word, the door chime sounded. “Who is it?” he called, and a familiar voice came through the speaker.
“Let me in, pinkskin,” said Shran, his voice sounding tinny through the comm panel. “Jhamel has something she wishes to say.”