(Untitled)

[keepurshirtonlt]

Trip was getting real tired of all this. They’d found the Xindi weapon and stopped the Spherebuilders from destroying Earth. He’d lost his sister and his best friend. Now, not only were they stuck in an alternate past, but he was trapped in a compound of time traveling alien Nazis thanks to the shapeshifter Silik tying him up in a closet to use

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[arrownomore]

What was it with her meeting new arrivals with weapons lately? Cissie eyed the stranger and his gun warily then put her hands up to show that she was unarmed. It didn't seem like he was going to shoot her on sight or anything, but it was better to be safe and sorry, rather than shot and hearing a lecture from Bart or whoever.

"Believe me, things can get way stranger," she said. "But this place isn't too bad, really."

[keepurshirtonlt]

When Trip spotted the girl with her hands up, he immediately dropped it down further and let his hand with the gun hang slightly behind him, while his other came up in a placating gesture. He wasn't so far gone that he was gonna threaten teenagers.

"Believe me, I'll believe that when I see it after the months I've had." Trip said blandly, really not wanting to think about it. "And exactly what place would that be?"

He paused then added spectically, "And what exactly does 'isn't too bad, really' mean?"

[arrownomore]

That sentiment was something Cissie could definitely get behind after the past couple weeks of weirdness. She relaxed, putting her hands down and smiled ruefully at the guy. "It's Tabula Rasa. I know this is going to sound weird, but this place somehow takes people out from wherever they are and pulls them here."

"And it's really kind of nice considering we can't get off," she added, "But it does crazy things like give you powers or turn you into a guy or something every once in awhile."

[keepurshirtonlt]

Trip could only stare at her for a moment.

"Alright, I've lived through some down right crazy things that would make a gator turn right back around and go back to it's swamp, but that's easily the craziest thing I've ever heard. Nice ain't exactly the word I'm thinkin' to cover it." He stopped and took a deep breath, since it really wasn't the girl's fault he was here.

"Tell me about the can't get off part?"

[arrownomore]

Cissie felt bad for the guy, she really did. It was bad enough showing up here in the first place and then she really hadn't helped things by being all casual about the situation. She really had to remember that not everyone had the wide variety of weird experiences she had.

"We're stuck here," she said. "I wish I could tell you otherwise but if we can leave, no one's figured out how yet. We get pulled here and that's that."

[keepurshirtonlt]

Oh, Trip had had his share of strange experience. What else did you call male pregnancy for touching a bowl of rocks or time travelers who had a habit of kidnapped your best friend? But super powers and changing genders was a little out of his experience.

He considered this, then sighed, as that was the easy part for him to grasp. Of course no one could figure out how to leave, it was just his luck after all.

"'lright, so if no one can leave, what do ya'll do around here for livin' and such?" If he was going to be become a resident, he might as well find out what he was to expect.

[arrownomore]

"Pretty much what we feel like," Cissie answered. "We've got the beach as you can see, there's classes and things to take up at the school. There's a range for archery and that kind of thing. There's huts around or the building crew can get you one or you even stay in the Compound for awhile. Everyone just kind of pitches in and does what they can."

[keepurshirtonlt]

"Sounds real Utopian like. And no one has a problem with any of this?" It sounded almost too good to be true and this was from Trip Tucker, the optimist of Enterprise, sometimes even more so then Captain Archer.

[arrownomore]

"Not really," Cissie answered after a bit of thought. "I mean, it all kind of depends on the person, you know? Some people do a lot, some don't but it all seems to work out in the end. I think we're kind of lucky, really - I know it could be so much worse."

[keepurshirtonlt]

"Much worse." Trip said more to himself, as he'd seen it himself.

Checking the safety of the gun, he tucked it in his belt for lack of anywhere else to put it. "So, now what?"

[arrownomore]

"Well, we should get you to the compound so you can get checked in and all of that stuff and after that, I could show you around the place, give you the tour and all of that?" Cissie suggested. "And oh, I guess I should probably mention the dinosaurs at some point too, huh?"

[keepurshirtonlt]

"That sounds like as a good a plan as I ever heard an'..." He trailed off and stared at her, a conversation with Malcolm that he'd had in the cargo bay coming back to him. "Dinosaurs?"

[arrownomore]

"Dinosaurs," Cissie confirmed. "They're all in a pen with collars and they're way off at the other end of the island, but yeah. We have dinosaurs."

[keepurshirtonlt]

"Dinosaurs." Okay...now Trip thought this was weird. As if time traveling Nazi's wasn't enough, now he had to deal with dinosaurs. "Right. Of course. Why not?"

[arrownomore]

"That was kind of my reaction," Cissie said. "Well, right after I got over the whole 'I'm where now' kind of thing."

"But yeah, the compound's this way - no dinosaurs there, I promise. The weirdest thing you might see is a fruit bat trying to steal fruit, but he's really sweet."

[keepurshirtonlt]

“Any stegosaurus? Always wanted to meet one o’ them.” What else could he say to that? It’s not like he could call her a liar because what did he know about this place and he wasn’t one to discredit things just because they might be illogical, like T’Pol. “But I think I can handle the bat. I really appreciate this…” He shook his head. Really, where were his manners? “ An’ I didn’t get yer name. Mine’s Trip. Trip Tucker.”