Day 49: Morning - Main Street

[sanguinario]

[From here.]

Easily forgiven? Unlikely. A pair of (presumably) mental patient committing theft. No, it was highly unlikely they would be easily forgiven. Conscience-wise? It wouldn't even stain his thoughts, really. Nothing like ten years of judgemental slaughter to make your mind jaded against the simpler crimes in the world

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[doneinthree]

Kirk transferred his attention back out the window as they approached what he guessed to be Doyleton. A small town. He hadn't expected anything else, but simply seeing the cluster of low buildings made his shoulders tense up and his face shutter. The place wasn't Riverside, of course, but was just as dim green and picturesque as any other Iowan small town he'd rolled through for the majority of his life

[hes_deadjim]

That was one of the oddest commutes he'd ever sat through. McCoy was glad when the buses rumbled to a stop, and not just because the vehicles looked highly unsafe. He stood up. All around the doctor, patients were shuffling out. He caught a glimpse of Chekov while he waited. The ensign looked about as hale as ever, which was promising. He'd managed to stay out of trouble. With any luck, he'd managed to keep the captain out of trouble as well. McCoy thought it more likely that it'd be Jim who dragged Chekov into something. The captain had a way of being a bad influence; if he could get to Spock, Chekov didn't have a prayer.

The doctor glanced out the window as the line inched its way off the bus. The place looked like it could have been almost anywhere back on Earth. A decent sized town, small enough to feel comfortable. There were touches of modernization obvious all over, although it wasn't consumed by it like the high density cities. It was pleasant enough

[sewenteen_sir]

Chekov hurried off of the bus, but tried not to look as though he were fleeing from Commander Spock's roommate and near-twin. There was something about him that just set Chekov on edge--something that he couldn't quite put his finger on, but was nagging at the back of his mind. He passed it off as discomfort at speaking so familiarly with someone who looked exactly like the Commander, and put the incident aside

[doneinthree]

Kirk didn't have to wait long. While his face broadcast nothing less than the cheerful blondness he tended to radiate in most situations (regardless of appropriateness), he may have held himself a little less rigidly as he saw his crew approach. As he'd observed earlier, McCoy and Chekov looked well, although Bones was scowling slightly more fiercely than usual, and the ensign seemed a touch uneasy.

His eyebrows quirked at Bones, curious, before he turned his smile to Chekov. "At ease," said Kirk, and scanned the area for Spock as he continued: "Looks like we're blending in with normal people today, so just act natural. Sadly, I don't imagine all these nurses are going to let us run off like free men either."

He tossed the apple up again, catching it neatly before taking a bite out of it. "So, how was the ride over, you two?" Kirk asked. They could debrief once the whole crew was here.

[hes_deadjim]

"Chekov," McCoy acknowledged. The ensign seemed uneasy, although that could be attribute to just about anything, from riding around in that bus, one without a decent restraint, bumper, or any other safety features, to watching out for that other patient from earlier.

McCoy's attention returned to the captain. Act natural? A skeptical look crossed his face. Was there a natural to this planet?

It'd help if we knew what natural was with these people in the the first place, he thought. They looked all human, but that could easily be superficial and Hodgkin's Law of Parallel Planetary Development at work. That was if it wasn't an illusion tailor-made for them to actually comprehend what they were seeing.

Either way, there could be plenty of customs they wouldn't know about. They didn't have access to the Enterprisedatabases or any information from surveys about the locals, only had what their eyes and ears were telling them. In his experience, you couldn't always trust them. Fitting in wasn't going to be easy as taking a stroll through

[dual_worlds]

Learning that most of the patients were going to be relocated to Doyleton for the day did not surprise Spock. After all, this weekly trip had been the reason why the building was largely empty the night he had initially arrived at the Institute. From what he understood, the trip was not always a peaceful one. In fact, he vividly recalled his conversation with the female patient during his first full day in Landel's.

Doyleton, she had said. We go there every week on a 'field trip'. And once in a while, we end up wishing we'd stayed here.They would need to prepare for the possibility that tonight would be just as dangerous. It was for that reason Spock had largely spent the bus ride observing their surroundings and mentally tracing the route his assigned bus took as they wound their way through the Earth-like countryside. Of course, if they were ever stranded out here for the night, then plunging back into the wilderness was likely the worst place for them to go. That did not make knowing the area any less important, however

[sewenteen_sir]

How was the ride over? Somewhere between a strange parallel universe and dancing on a razor's edge. The stranger had drawn Chekov into talking about Commander Spock, and he was regretting it tremendously. Especially now that Commander Spock was standing amongst them. What if, in an effort to help Gabriel understand Commander Spock, he'd said too much and opened up a floodgate for Gabriel to start asking questions?

He fell into the at ease position and nodded to Commander Spock in greeting. The only way this would be alright was if he informed both Captain Kirk and Commander Spock of the encounter. If he mislead them... he would be thrown out of Starfleet for starters.

"I had an encounter wiz a man..." he looked up at Commander Spock, as though apologizing for the random meeting. "Zough I did not catch his name, he claimed to be Commander Spock's roommate."

And had his face on top of that. Though he didn't think that portion of the report was strictly necessary.

[doneinthree]

They were already attracting attention for clustering like this, but Kirk was determined to stand here for as long as it took to see all of his men face-to-face. Until then, he could do his best to make it look like they weren't planning to escape (for the benefit of the staff) or planning a heist (for the townspeople). With the tense mood they'd encountered upon entering Doyleton, for once he'd much rather they be taken as just a few harmless mental patients on a field trip, instead of the trained Starfleet officers they were.

So Kirk kept talking through his mouthful of fruit as he smirked at Bones, looking like the least likely candidate ever for a starship captain. (That he'd done this exact thing before while sitting in a command chair was irrelevant. The Kobayashi Maru test had been a simulation, and that apple had been delicious.) "I didn't think it was all that bad. I mean, the atmosphere of this planet has it a lot worse than- Spock

[hes_deadjim]

Despite years of knowing the captain (his captain), McCoy couldn't stopped the faint look of exasperation at Jim talking with his mouth full. It just drove in what ten years difference could make. The sass hadn't changed much, however

[dual_worlds]

Spock did not return Kirk's smile, though his mouth relaxed somewhat. "You and Mr. Chekov appear uninjured," he remarked. It was difficult to make an accurate assessment beneath some of the clothing the nurses had given in order to protect them from the potential rain, though neither of them appeared to hold themselves in a way that indicated they had sustained any wounds. Even so, he trusted that someone would correct him if his observation was wrong

[sewenteen_sir]

'Remarkable physical resemblance' seemed to be Commander Spock's way of saying, 'The man looks like he could be my twin.' Not as though Chekov was complaining. The Commander hadn't looked disapproving, nor had he tried to delve into what their conversation had been about. Nothing would be more embarrassing than being lectured by the Vulcan Commander about how it didn't matter if he and his roommate 'got along'--especially after his efforts to make it so the other man had some clue as to what might make things rocky. He couldn't help it. Whenever someone looked perplexed, he had to help.

Chekov nodded to Commander Spock. "I wanted to meke you aware, sir. So zere would not be any surprises should he mention we spoke."

And if that indeed happened, at least Chekov would only get an explanation as to why his actions were unnecessary, instead of an explanation as to why his actions were unnecessary and a reminder to report any seemingly significant encounters or details. Possibly

[doneinthree]

Kirk listened to the conversation with half an ear as he surveyed the area. As with the Institute, uniformed staff members could be spotted everywhere you looked, most of them still guiding the rest of the patients off the bus, but others were fanning out in every direction like a well-organized away team. From where he stood, he could see a few promising locations: an inn would be used to visitors coming and going, but a bookstore might be more private and provide some clues to the world they inhabited - assuming, of course, the late-twentieth-century Earth masquerade didn't extend this far. Otherwise, they could take their chances with the large park they'd been deposited in-

Hold on. "Nearly identical"?

"Wait. They made your evil twin your roommate? Or good twin, rather, since... I mean..." Kirk remembered joking about it with Spock that first day over the bulletin board, but hadn't heard anything else about Zachary since then. Of course, there had been several other more important things to discuss in the few times they'd talked

[hes_deadjim]

Oh ho, so this must be that man Jim had mentioned, the one who he claimed was a scruffier version of Spock. McCoy couldn't deny that he'd harbored a secret curiosity about him. Spock always looked so impeccable, not a single hair out of place, that it seemed completely impossible that the universe could harbor anything else.

McCoy's gaze drifted from Jim to Chekov. He wanted to make them aware of Spock's roommate? The doctor still wasn't sure why it was that noteworthy in the first place that the ensign had talked with him, and amiably at that. It was interesting that he could very well have a twin going around, one from another universe that wasn't a counterpart.

Assuming Spock doesn't surprise us and spring the news that he's got siblings, he thought. Spock was notoriously tight-lipped about anything to do with Vulcan ritual and tradition, and even more so when it came to his personal life. It took him nearly losing his control, his biosigns going through the roof, and Jim wearing at his defenses to admit that pon farr business.

[dual_worlds]

"Yes, Captain, we have been assigned to the same cell." He was aware that pointed ears and slanted eyebrows lent him a more demonic appearance when viewed through the lens of Earth lore. This was not the first time anyone had made reference to it. Spock raised an eyebrow at Kirk and added, "Although I must confess I find the manner in which you divide us into the categories of 'good' and 'evil' rather curious

[sewenteen_sir]

"Euh... yes sir," Chekov said, and left it at that. For whatever reason, Doctor McCoy seemed to be disquieted by Chekov's report, and was watching him more intently than Chekov could remember. The ensign gave the Doctor and the Commander a nervous nod, and fell silent. Perhaps he should have kept his concerns to himself and voiced them privately to Commander Spock. For now, though, he would listen to the brief without interjecting. Unless he had something he was certain was relevant

[doneinthree]

Kirk merely smirked at Spock's mild protest at being designated the "evil" one. As un-PC as the joke was, it wasn't a particularly uncommon one in the halls of the Academy - frankly, the Vulcans invited it with all their seriousness and secretiveness. The playful normalcy of the moment took his mind off, just for a bit, but ribbing his first officer would have to be saved for later. His crew reminded him that they had more important concerns.

"Spock's right: this town and our prison are connected, but I don't think that graffiti has to do with us, necessarily. Last night, the radio woman told us of an injured ally... I don't suppose you two managed to make contact with him?" asked Kirk, looking to the science officers. If someone had been gravely hurt, no matter how dubious, Bones would've insisted on helping them, and Spock wasn't nearly as cold as he acted. Kirk was willing to bet they would've tried to follow Jill's hint. However, his and Chekov's own night had been short in the unpredictable way time flowed in this place, and