(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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[usethecompany]

Despite Styles' occasional propensity for catching rats, the dog was quite well-mannered and obedient in all other things. So much so that Kennedy never put him on a lead when they were out and about together. This had never posed a problem before; however they have never before come upon a lost looking gentleman who appeared out of thin air wielding a weapon in Archie's memory.

With no reason to presume him dangerous, the black and gray speckled dog ventured forward with shyly wagging tail, while his master, also without reason to presume the man dangerous but of a slightly more cautious temperament, followed at a polite distance.

"Styles, heel," he commanded sharply, sending the dog immediately scampering back to his side. "Ah, hello," Archie said to the man with a tight but polite smile.

[keepurshirtonlt]

There was a guy with a dog and a British accent. It was almost normal for him but the dog wasn't a beagle and the man definitely wasn't the Tactical Officer of Enterprise so Trip eyed him warily. His nerves were so worn by this point that the wary look was about all the normally explosive engineer could mange by way of reaction.

"Hi. I'm a bit 'fraid to ask, but where the heck am I?" He paused, thinking for a moment before adding, "The year would help too, if ya don't mind."

[usethecompany]

"I'm sorry to say that you almost certainly will not approve of the answer," Kennedy replied with his own brand of frankness. Given the man's secondary question, Archie reasoned that perhaps he would take it better than most, however it was still a hard thing with which to come to grips.

"You've come to an island called Tabula Rasa. It's a fair ways off the beaten path... which is to say it is only accessible by sudden appearance, as you have just done, and inescapable. The calendar here counts the year at 2011 A.D. but men from all times and places find their way here."

[keepurshirtonlt]

"It wouldn't be the first time, believe me." Really, just the word Vulcan or Daniels caused just about anything to meet with Trip's disapproval so that wasn't difficult.

Trip was glad politeness had been bred into him from his Southern roots because it was about the only thing keeping him from making a rude noise at that explanation given. Not that he didn't believe, just that he couldn't believe that after everything else, he just couldn't catch a break.

"Considering I'm from the 22nd century and was just back during World War II, I believe ya. Inescapable huh?" That just earned a heavy sigh. "'course it is. Why would ma luck go any other way?" He rubbed his free hand down his face before looking at the other man again. "So, what do ya'll do around here in the meantime?"

[velation]

Another day, another clueless newcomer on the beach. Seemed as close to routine as Faye had ever managed to find in her life, and so she greeted it with a weary sigh, though in truth, she found it comforting. A steady influx and outflow of citizens meant that she herself could leave in time, could find her way to that endless sky again. But it also meant that her time on the island wasn't going to be eternally unpredictable in a way that her life as a bounty hunter had been. No matter how much it suited her, Faye knew well enough that there were certain parts of hunting that she didn't miss

[keepurshirtonlt]

To be perfectly honest, Trip really wouldn't mind a little boredom right about now. Granted, he's prefer it if Enterprise had gotten home, and to the right time, first but really, a pause in the action would be more then welcome. This being on edge thing all the time was more Malcolm's thing. He was definitely recommending some more training in high stress situations to Starfleet when he got home. If he got home

[velation]

"We all were," Faye points out, even though she knows that it's the explanation that people always want first, something to help them orient themselves, figure out how they should feel or view the situation. Hell, it's the information that she went after first, herself, after landing her craft on the island's sandy shores. Wouldn't let herself rest until she'd scoped out the more helpful souls on the island, the ones with the patience to sit down with someone only a few hours in and lay it all to her straight. Unfortunately, that's not a service that she feels capable of handing off in kind. Bound to lose her patience, she might as keep this guy's expectations realistic, offering him no more than what would otherwise try her patience. "We were all in the middle of something, before winding up here without explanation and, more importantly, without a way of leaving

[keepurshirtonlt]

He'd been listening, really, but Trip couldn't stay quiet at one point. "What do ya mean, no way to leave? How did we get here then?" He had to ask, even if he didn't like the explanation. Really, at this point he'd be lucky if there was one, as many things that had happened to Enterprise lately didn't have the most logical explanations.

Good god, he was starting to sound like T'Pol.

"Second chance huh? So this is some kinda purgatory?" What did he need a second chance for? Despite not getting home, and doing quite a few things he regretted, Enterprise had accomplished their mission and destroyed the Xindi weapon. If anyone needed a second chance...it was Lizzie.

"Well, guess it could be worse. Kinda reminds me of home." Trip looked around at the beach again, which did a lot for his nerves. It was almost like being back home in Florida. Almost. "Name's Trip. Nice ta meet ya, Faye. Though I didn't realize the Mars colonies needed bounty hunters. I though they were just mines."

[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?"

[girlsolo]

Kate's on her way to the Compound to do some of her Big Cheese-mandated community service. Doing it sucks, but it's actually better than it was before. She doesn't give a crap about this island or most of the people here, but she's not going home tomorrow, clear enough, and she doesn't want to prove Magnus and Will screwed up by trusting her when she's already proven they didn't at home. So no more spinning out of control. Distraction, not destruction.

Maybe that's why she stops when she sees the guy with the lost look on his face and the holstered weapon at his side. It's something to do, yeah. And he looks as lost as she feels sometimes. "Hey, new guy," she calls, hands up like a smartass but grinning. "Don't shoot."

[keepurshirtonlt]

After getting the lowdown on the beach, Trip had been wandering what was apparently his new home. He vaguely recalled the training Malcolm had given him about scouting out a new planet but for the life of him he couldn't remember it and with everything else, he was more ambling blindly then scouting. The gun he'd arrived with wasn't even in his hand anymore, instead tucked into his belt.

The smartass look was familiar, Trip was quite good at it or so Jon liked to tell him, and he laughed despite himself. "How'd ya guess? Do I still have the glassy eyed tourist look? An' I promise, I got no plans on shootin' anybody."

[girlsolo]

Kate grins sharper when he laughs. For some reason, it reminds her a little bit of Henry. Kind of warm and friendly. Feels good in her chest.

She lowers her hands and shrugs at him, extra casual, a little smirky, and something playful in her eyes. "Now, new guy, that'd be telling. Can't go giving away my tricks for nothing."

[keepurshirtonlt]

Not so much lately, but warm and friendly usually pretty much described Trip. Maybe it was this place, this ability to stop and just be, was attempting to bring it out in him again.

"Well, guess I can't have ya goin' around callin' me new guy or my secret would be outta the bag too. So, hows about ya call me Trip instead?" He says, a shadow of his own casual grin attempting to reappear on his face for the first time in a very long time.

[mademighty]

Not far from Serenity, Mal stops. He's been spending most of his time with Zoe; River's had the grace to leave them alone a couple of times and Mal's been workin' hard on knowing his daughter, as much as he can know a child that young who changes daily. So it's enough to give him pause to find a man on that stretch of sand with a gun in his hand.

And it doesn't take long for him to answer in kind.

"Easy there," he says, not pointing his gun at anything yet but, hell, way he sees it? It's just a matter of time.

[keepurshirtonlt]

The voice causes Trip's head to snap up and he immediately drops his grip on the handle of the gun, letting it spin on his finger until he's holding the barrel in his hand, with both hands held up in an innocent gesture. Malcolm would probably have berated him for surrendering so easily but he wasn't looking for a fight. He more wanted answers.

"Hey, wow! I promise, I don't want any trouble!" He used every bit of diplomacy training Starfleet had given him to keep his voice even after his initial surprise. "A moment ago, I was steppin' into a fire fight on the streets of Brooklyn. While I like the change, I wouldn't mind knowin' where the heck I am?"

[mademighty]

Mal's many things but he's not about to shoot a man who doesn't deserve it. He studies him for a moment. He shifts his grip on the gun.

Swearing colourfully in Chinese, he reholsters it and takes a step forward.

"It's some kinda magic island," he says. "And wherever you were before, friend, you are not there now."

[keepurshirtonlt]

As the man reholsters his gun, Trip breathes a sigh of relief and moves to do the same. Of course, he didn't have a holster for his stolen weapon so he made sure the safety was on and shoved it through his belt.

"Magic island?" Well...that one was new. "So, if I ain't on Earth in the 20th century, where am I then? 'cause really, this bouncin' back an' forth through time is startin' to wear on my nerves."