New Story: Who Do You Trust? Intoabar
Title: Who Do You Trust?
Author: ultrapsychobrat
Prompt: James Kirk walks into a bar and meets...Pete Lattimer
Fandoms: Star Trek TOS and Warehouse 13
Word Count: 2946
Rating/Contents: PG-13, Gen/no warnings needed
Who Do You Trust?
Nobody really cared anymore what he did on his off time, where he went, or who he spent his time with. James T. Kirk didn’t count anymore. His stories about the good old days on board the Enterprise were just that-stories. Technology kept advancing, and the starships kept changing-bigger, better, faster. The ships moved out farther and farther into and around the galaxy. And everywhere they found a civilization they could trade with or a planet that could be inhabited, a Guardian gate was built, linking said world to Terra. No one wanted to hear his story of how the first Guardian of Forever was discovered, even though that discovery had made every discovery before that shrink in importance.
His promotion to admiral had carried with it a change in venue-he had been assigned to Luna Base, Bright in charge of communication with all deep space ships. No one would ever understand how much it hurt to hear the report from a captain concerning a new planet visited, or an old civilization discovered, or a breathtaking scientific discovery on some alien world. He’d never be there again, never again know the heart-stopping excitement of seeing the previously unknown for the first time. The sadness of it all was almost too much to bear.
With bowed head and sagging shoulders, he made his way to Moon Madness, a rather seedy and lesser frequented bar on the outskirts of the base. The old place looked its age-dark, depressing, and very well worn-but it suited his present mood. He sat at one end of the bar, asking for a bottle of Anadu brandy and a glass-this would get rid of the pain and longing, for a while at least. He wondered how he’d ended up here, alone and lonely. Promotion, that’s what had happened, damned promotion. Bones could always be a doctor, no matter where he was assigned, and Spock could always do research. So why were they still on board the Enterprise, still where he should be, but wasn’t? Life certainly wasn’t fair.
After his second glass of brandy, when he was feeling the sweet glow of Anadusan euphoria, he noticed the young man sitting a few seats away. There was a man who looked down on his luck. “Hey, guy, whatsa matter? Girl troubles?” He moved down a couple of seats, taking the bottle and glass with him. “Now. That’s better. Here, have some of the best brandy that was ever made. Another glass, barkeep. This’ll fix you right up. Anadusan, you know.”
“Huh?”
“Haven’t you been listening to me? I offered you some Anadu brandy, and you know how good that is for what ails you.” A second glass had been delivered by then, and Kirk pulled it over and prepared to pour a generous amount of the outrageously priced liquor.
“No, nothing with alcohol! I can’t have anything like that-I...I don’t...I’m allergic,” the man said rather frantically, looking at the bottle Kirk held with longing.
“You never had that fixed? Don’t tell me you’re one of those weirdos who doesn’t believe in vaccinations or correctives. Early death, my son, early, avoidable death.”
The stranger shook his head slowly and returned to staring blankly at the empty cup he held between his hands.
Kirk looked at the young man for a few moments, the brandy giving flight to his fancy. “What’re you doing in a bar, then? Seems like a coffee house might be more to your liking. That is coffee you’re drinking, isn’t it?” But he didn’t wait for the confirming answer. “Nothing wrong with coffee, of course. Seen me through many a day and night. Where you from?” Kirk poured some more brandy in his glass and took a hefty swallow.
“Earth. I-I’m from earth. Where is this?” The young man looked about as though he’d never seen the likes of Moon Madness.
“Earth? Nobody’s called it earth since sometime last century. Are you from one of the rural parts? I’m from Iowa, myself. It used to be rural way back.”
A look of thankfulness crossed the stranger’s face. “Iowa? I know where Iowa is. It’s real close to South Dakota-that’s where I’m from...well, I’m not really from there; it’s where I work. Right now, I mean. It’s pretty desolate, but I guess it’s a good place for the Warehouse, not that there’s a really good place anywhere, but at least it’s not like some places. You know?”
Kirk was beginning to think it had been a mistake to start a conversation with this manic man. Maybe he was a runaway from some asylum or something. “No, not really,” he answered the last question. “What kind of warehouse are we talking about?”
“Oh...I...uh...well, see...um...it’s sort of classified.” The young man leaned toward Kirk and whispered, “I’m not supposed to say.”
“Then I guess you’d better not, but I do have a level A security clearance, if that makes it easier for you.” Kirk assured him. “I used to be the captain of a starship, you know. Went all over, saw things you wouldn’t believe. Now, that was a life! I loved it.” Kirk faded away into his memories, reliving the good times.
He came back to a tug on his sleeve, looking blankly at the stranger who was saying something he hadn’t heard.
“...just want to know where I am. You can understand that, can’t you? I’m so confused about everything.”
The strident voice filled with anxiety grated on Kirk’s ears. What the hell was the matter with this man? He managed to pull his sleeve away from the frantic grasp, drawing in on himself with all the dignity of his station and past accomplishments. “Get a grip on yourself,” he ordered the other man.
“Hey, you sound just like Artie!”
Strangely, Kirk thought he saw tears gathering in the dark eyes. A change in tactics was definitely called for. “Yeah? Who’s Artie?”
“He’s my boss-knows all about Artifacts: what they do, how to capture them, how to store them-everything. I think you’d like him-almost everyone does.”
“Hmmm. Artifacts, huh? What are they, exactly?”
“Well, we’re not really supposed to share that knowledge with outsiders, but since you’re an admiral....”
Kirk leaned in a bit, waiting.
“Well, you see, it’s like these ‘things’ people use for something...uh...well, a bit ‘different’.
Like, well...like say you really like toast-it’s your comfort food.” The stranger was very intense, totally focused on his subject.
“Toast.”
“Yeah, toast. And, see, you use this old toaster you inherited from your mother, and you always talk about the things that are bothering you. You have always blamed other people; I mean you really hate them. So you end up killing yourself and now this toaster kills anyone who uses it. It’s become an Artifact.”
“A toaster? How?”
“I don’t know. That’s not important, just an example. Anyway, me and the others who work at the warehouse hunt down these Artifacts and bag ‘em and store ‘em. That’s what the warehouse if for, see. And there’s thousands of things in there. I’ve been working there years and I’ve only seen a little bit.” He stopped, apparently waiting for Kirk to say something.
“What’s your name?” Kirk asked quietly.
“Pete. Pete Lattimer. Glad to meet you.” He stuck out his hand.
Kirk grasped it cautiously, and gave it a gentle shake. Must be from Terra, since no other people that he had met in the galaxy used a handshake as greeting. “How did you get here?”
Pete’s face fell again. “I don’t know, though it was probably an Artifact I accidentally triggered. I know this is probably sometime in the future-you’ve got starships and all.” He shook his head sadly. “Before this happened, I’d have told you I wanted to be the first one to take a ride on a ship, but I can tell you now I just wanna go home, and I don’t know how to do that or get back to my own time.”
Well, Kirk knew about a lot of strange things, in fact, he and his crew had discovered a lot of them, however, he’d never heard of Artifacts or a warehouse where they were kept. It was certainly something he was interested in. “When were these Artifacts discovered?”
Lattimer shook his head and shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess since people used objects, so probably since people were.”
“You think the warehouse is still in Dakota?” Maybe there was a method to how it was done. Maybe it was something Lattimer knew.
“I have no idea. There have been twelve warehouses before this one-that covers about two thousand years. How far in the future do you think I’ve travelled? A hundred years? A couple? What?”
“What year was it when you were there?” Kirk asked curiously.
“2013.”
“That long ago, huh? Well, right now it’s 2273.”
“Oh, God! That’s more than 250 years! And you said this is Luna Base, so that’s really the earth I see out there?” Pete’s hand was shaking as he pointed to the earth scape visible through the picture window.
Kirk nodded. “That Artifact must be awfully powerful. It not only brought you forward a long way, but it moved your location almost four hundred thousand kilometers.” He didn’t know about Artifacts, but this really sounded like a Guardian effect. Was it possible they had found an ancient Guardian they thought was an Artifact? Unaware of the way a Guardian worked and unable to control what it did, would be a perfect explanation of how Lattimer had arrived at Bright without knowing how he had got there. Kirk remembered his own experience, and shook his head. Yes, it could be very confusing.
“Well, son, I tell you what I’m going to do for you. First, we’re going to get your allergy to alcohol taken care of, and then I’m going to introduce you to a Guardian specialist who can get you back where you belong.” Kirk stood and patted Lattimer on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s get the first thing taken care of. I can’t believe things are still so primitive. What’s your favorite drink? I’ll buy it for you as soon as we get you set up with some correctives.”
“What if they don’t work? I haven’t had a drink in years; I don’t want to mess that up, so I’ll just stay dry, okay?”
Kirk stopped and looked at the young man. “You really just want to get home, huh? Well, I thought it would be something from here you could take back with you, but if you don’t care, then we’ll skip that part.” He shook his head again and led on. Some people you just can’t help.
He waved at the sergeant on watch-duty in the Guardian sector and walked on in to the office of the man who knew all there was that was known about the ancient technology. “Hey, Warren, meet Pete Lattimer. Pete this is Warren Zykes, the man who’s going to send you home.” A quick handshake was exchanged by the two men, both of whom looked at Kirk to explain what he meant.
“Let’s get comfortable.” Kirk sat and indicated the other men should do likewise. “Well, Warren, it’s like this. See, I haven’t any proof for this yet, but I think what I’m going to tell you is probably what happened. Pete works at a warehouse on Terra. This isn’t an ordinary warehouse-it houses what Pete calls Artifacts.”
Lattimer leaped to his feet, gesturing wildly. “Wait a minute! You’re not supposed to tell that to anyone. You said you were an admiral and had a high security clearance. You_”
“Settle down. Warren’s security classification is higher than mine, and he’s the only one who can send you home.”
After a searching look at Kirk and Zykes, Lattimer reseated himself, but he still looked nervous. Kirk ignored him and went on with his story. “Now, Pete tells me that these Artifacts have powers-you know, like they can kill people, even. Anyway, I think they found an old Guardian and didn’t know what they had. So it was stored in the warehouse and Pete accidentally fell through it and ended up here.” Both his companions stared at him open mouthed.
“Where was this?” Zykes asked with a bit of doubt.
“Terra, Dakota, I think. Right, Pete?”
“South Dakota, yes. What’s a Guardian?”
Zykes eyed him with a bit of incredulity, but Kirk quickly explained. “2013. See why we need a Guardian?”
“Come on, Jim. You know I can’t send anyone back in time. He’d know things he can’t, and I’d get courtmartialed. No, I won’t do it. He’ll just have to make the best of his new world.” Zykes looked nervous and stubborn at the same time.
“Now, Warren, you’re not going to make me blackmail you, are you?” Kirk looked a bit stubborn himself.
“Jim, please, you don’t want to do this.”
“Sure he does. I won’t tell anyone-besides, no one would believe me anyway. You’re the only one who can help me. Don’t you care?” Lattimer looked like a kid given nothing on Christmas morning.
“I don’t think that has anything to do-”
“Sure it does, Warren. He’s just a kid, and all he wants is a way home. Now, don’t you want to show your kind, understanding self to a child of earth? I mean, that’s a lot nicer to remember than giving in to a blackmailer.” Kirk smiled his best charm-the-birds-out-of-the-trees smile and threw a strong left arm about Warren’s shoulders, giving the smaller man a hearty shake.
Defeat was in Zykes face, as his will crumpled under Kirk’s persuasion. He nodded his head as he expelled a heartfelt sigh. “Give me the particulars, and if anything untoward happens, I’ll squeal-long and loud. You’ll take all the blame.” He tried to give Kirk a baleful look, but the Starfleet admiral was paying him no attention.
Lattimer showed a glimmer of hope as Kirk turned to him and smiled, clapping his hands together in the age-old signal for let’s get started.
“Okay, Pete, lets get the coordinate readings for your warehouse. Dakota, you said.” Kirk walked over to a wall screen and typed his request into the attached computer.
“South Dakota,” Lattimer specified.
“Yes,yes. First we have to pull up a map of the old United States.” He watched the screen until it showed Terra, 2020. “There, that should be close enough. Now, do you know the name of a nearby town?”
“Univille, that’s the closest. It’s sort of small, but there’s postoffice, an inn, a service station, a-”
“That’ll do,” Kirk interrupted. He typed in the name and saw that the screen placed cross hairs over a seemingly empty spot.
“That’s it!” Lattimer shouted and grinned happily. “You’ve found it!” He grabbed a surprised Kirk and danced him in a little circle.
Patting Lattimer on the shoulder, Kirk pulled free and turned to Zykes. “Well, there it is, Warren. The year is 2013 and the date is-” He turned back to Lattimer expectantly.
“Uh, the date, yeah, well I think it was Thursday, uh.... It was April...umm....” Lattimer looked miserable.
“You don’t know the date,” Kirk stated, a bit disappointed in him. How could he not know the date he’d been whisked away from his life?
Zykes typed a few words into his computer. “Come look at this. It’s a list of all the Thursday dates for April, 2013.”
Lattimer bounded over, eager to get the show on the road. “The twenty-fifth, that’s it.”
“You’re sure?”
“Well, yeah, ‘cause I was wondering if I was gonna make till next week. See, we only get paid once a month, which is the government for you, and the first wasn’t until almost a week. That’s it.”
“Okay. Well, go on through that door and wait.”
“Oh, yeah.” Lattimer hurried over and pulled open the indicated door and entered the room cautiously, unsure of what he would see.
Kirk left him to it and turned back to the Guardian operator. “I really appreciate this, Warren, and I’m going with him to disable their Guardian and find out what the hell this warehouse is full of. According to Pete warehouses have existed for two thousand years, but these Artifacts have been around since the first humans started amassing things. Have you ever heard about them?” He took no answer as a negative. “I want to know about this, and the only way is to go to the warehouse and find out. You with me?”
Zykes looked at Kirk disbelievingly, his hangdog face creased in a severe frown. “You’re going, too? You’re willing to double the risk of contamination?”
“Do you have another idea? What if they figure out how to control the Guardian and go even further back in time and really change things around? I think that’s a lot more terrifying than sending me back with him. You’re going to have to buck up some, Warren. We’ve got an important job here.”
Zykes shook his head and looked as though he were about to cry. Kirk patted his shoulder soothingly. “It’ll be all right-promise. And it’s something that has to be done. We can’t trust the future of the human race to chance.” He guided the reluctant scientist to the door through which Lattimer had disappeared. “Besides, when have I ever steered you wrong? Trust me.”
***************
Well, there is another half to this tale, if you want to read it-let me know at ultrapsychobrat@yahoo.com/
Author: ultrapsychobrat
Prompt: James Kirk walks into a bar and meets...Pete Lattimer
Fandoms: Star Trek TOS and Warehouse 13
Word Count: 2946
Rating/Contents: PG-13, Gen/no warnings needed
Who Do You Trust?
Nobody really cared anymore what he did on his off time, where he went, or who he spent his time with. James T. Kirk didn’t count anymore. His stories about the good old days on board the Enterprise were just that-stories. Technology kept advancing, and the starships kept changing-bigger, better, faster. The ships moved out farther and farther into and around the galaxy. And everywhere they found a civilization they could trade with or a planet that could be inhabited, a Guardian gate was built, linking said world to Terra. No one wanted to hear his story of how the first Guardian of Forever was discovered, even though that discovery had made every discovery before that shrink in importance.
His promotion to admiral had carried with it a change in venue-he had been assigned to Luna Base, Bright in charge of communication with all deep space ships. No one would ever understand how much it hurt to hear the report from a captain concerning a new planet visited, or an old civilization discovered, or a breathtaking scientific discovery on some alien world. He’d never be there again, never again know the heart-stopping excitement of seeing the previously unknown for the first time. The sadness of it all was almost too much to bear.
With bowed head and sagging shoulders, he made his way to Moon Madness, a rather seedy and lesser frequented bar on the outskirts of the base. The old place looked its age-dark, depressing, and very well worn-but it suited his present mood. He sat at one end of the bar, asking for a bottle of Anadu brandy and a glass-this would get rid of the pain and longing, for a while at least. He wondered how he’d ended up here, alone and lonely. Promotion, that’s what had happened, damned promotion. Bones could always be a doctor, no matter where he was assigned, and Spock could always do research. So why were they still on board the Enterprise, still where he should be, but wasn’t? Life certainly wasn’t fair.
After his second glass of brandy, when he was feeling the sweet glow of Anadusan euphoria, he noticed the young man sitting a few seats away. There was a man who looked down on his luck. “Hey, guy, whatsa matter? Girl troubles?” He moved down a couple of seats, taking the bottle and glass with him. “Now. That’s better. Here, have some of the best brandy that was ever made. Another glass, barkeep. This’ll fix you right up. Anadusan, you know.”
“Huh?”
“Haven’t you been listening to me? I offered you some Anadu brandy, and you know how good that is for what ails you.” A second glass had been delivered by then, and Kirk pulled it over and prepared to pour a generous amount of the outrageously priced liquor.
“No, nothing with alcohol! I can’t have anything like that-I...I don’t...I’m allergic,” the man said rather frantically, looking at the bottle Kirk held with longing.
“You never had that fixed? Don’t tell me you’re one of those weirdos who doesn’t believe in vaccinations or correctives. Early death, my son, early, avoidable death.”
The stranger shook his head slowly and returned to staring blankly at the empty cup he held between his hands.
Kirk looked at the young man for a few moments, the brandy giving flight to his fancy. “What’re you doing in a bar, then? Seems like a coffee house might be more to your liking. That is coffee you’re drinking, isn’t it?” But he didn’t wait for the confirming answer. “Nothing wrong with coffee, of course. Seen me through many a day and night. Where you from?” Kirk poured some more brandy in his glass and took a hefty swallow.
“Earth. I-I’m from earth. Where is this?” The young man looked about as though he’d never seen the likes of Moon Madness.
“Earth? Nobody’s called it earth since sometime last century. Are you from one of the rural parts? I’m from Iowa, myself. It used to be rural way back.”
A look of thankfulness crossed the stranger’s face. “Iowa? I know where Iowa is. It’s real close to South Dakota-that’s where I’m from...well, I’m not really from there; it’s where I work. Right now, I mean. It’s pretty desolate, but I guess it’s a good place for the Warehouse, not that there’s a really good place anywhere, but at least it’s not like some places. You know?”
Kirk was beginning to think it had been a mistake to start a conversation with this manic man. Maybe he was a runaway from some asylum or something. “No, not really,” he answered the last question. “What kind of warehouse are we talking about?”
“Oh...I...uh...well, see...um...it’s sort of classified.” The young man leaned toward Kirk and whispered, “I’m not supposed to say.”
“Then I guess you’d better not, but I do have a level A security clearance, if that makes it easier for you.” Kirk assured him. “I used to be the captain of a starship, you know. Went all over, saw things you wouldn’t believe. Now, that was a life! I loved it.” Kirk faded away into his memories, reliving the good times.
He came back to a tug on his sleeve, looking blankly at the stranger who was saying something he hadn’t heard.
“...just want to know where I am. You can understand that, can’t you? I’m so confused about everything.”
The strident voice filled with anxiety grated on Kirk’s ears. What the hell was the matter with this man? He managed to pull his sleeve away from the frantic grasp, drawing in on himself with all the dignity of his station and past accomplishments. “Get a grip on yourself,” he ordered the other man.
“Hey, you sound just like Artie!”
Strangely, Kirk thought he saw tears gathering in the dark eyes. A change in tactics was definitely called for. “Yeah? Who’s Artie?”
“He’s my boss-knows all about Artifacts: what they do, how to capture them, how to store them-everything. I think you’d like him-almost everyone does.”
“Hmmm. Artifacts, huh? What are they, exactly?”
“Well, we’re not really supposed to share that knowledge with outsiders, but since you’re an admiral....”
Kirk leaned in a bit, waiting.
“Well, you see, it’s like these ‘things’ people use for something...uh...well, a bit ‘different’.
Like, well...like say you really like toast-it’s your comfort food.” The stranger was very intense, totally focused on his subject.
“Toast.”
“Yeah, toast. And, see, you use this old toaster you inherited from your mother, and you always talk about the things that are bothering you. You have always blamed other people; I mean you really hate them. So you end up killing yourself and now this toaster kills anyone who uses it. It’s become an Artifact.”
“A toaster? How?”
“I don’t know. That’s not important, just an example. Anyway, me and the others who work at the warehouse hunt down these Artifacts and bag ‘em and store ‘em. That’s what the warehouse if for, see. And there’s thousands of things in there. I’ve been working there years and I’ve only seen a little bit.” He stopped, apparently waiting for Kirk to say something.
“What’s your name?” Kirk asked quietly.
“Pete. Pete Lattimer. Glad to meet you.” He stuck out his hand.
Kirk grasped it cautiously, and gave it a gentle shake. Must be from Terra, since no other people that he had met in the galaxy used a handshake as greeting. “How did you get here?”
Pete’s face fell again. “I don’t know, though it was probably an Artifact I accidentally triggered. I know this is probably sometime in the future-you’ve got starships and all.” He shook his head sadly. “Before this happened, I’d have told you I wanted to be the first one to take a ride on a ship, but I can tell you now I just wanna go home, and I don’t know how to do that or get back to my own time.”
Well, Kirk knew about a lot of strange things, in fact, he and his crew had discovered a lot of them, however, he’d never heard of Artifacts or a warehouse where they were kept. It was certainly something he was interested in. “When were these Artifacts discovered?”
Lattimer shook his head and shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess since people used objects, so probably since people were.”
“You think the warehouse is still in Dakota?” Maybe there was a method to how it was done. Maybe it was something Lattimer knew.
“I have no idea. There have been twelve warehouses before this one-that covers about two thousand years. How far in the future do you think I’ve travelled? A hundred years? A couple? What?”
“What year was it when you were there?” Kirk asked curiously.
“2013.”
“That long ago, huh? Well, right now it’s 2273.”
“Oh, God! That’s more than 250 years! And you said this is Luna Base, so that’s really the earth I see out there?” Pete’s hand was shaking as he pointed to the earth scape visible through the picture window.
Kirk nodded. “That Artifact must be awfully powerful. It not only brought you forward a long way, but it moved your location almost four hundred thousand kilometers.” He didn’t know about Artifacts, but this really sounded like a Guardian effect. Was it possible they had found an ancient Guardian they thought was an Artifact? Unaware of the way a Guardian worked and unable to control what it did, would be a perfect explanation of how Lattimer had arrived at Bright without knowing how he had got there. Kirk remembered his own experience, and shook his head. Yes, it could be very confusing.
“Well, son, I tell you what I’m going to do for you. First, we’re going to get your allergy to alcohol taken care of, and then I’m going to introduce you to a Guardian specialist who can get you back where you belong.” Kirk stood and patted Lattimer on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s get the first thing taken care of. I can’t believe things are still so primitive. What’s your favorite drink? I’ll buy it for you as soon as we get you set up with some correctives.”
“What if they don’t work? I haven’t had a drink in years; I don’t want to mess that up, so I’ll just stay dry, okay?”
Kirk stopped and looked at the young man. “You really just want to get home, huh? Well, I thought it would be something from here you could take back with you, but if you don’t care, then we’ll skip that part.” He shook his head again and led on. Some people you just can’t help.
He waved at the sergeant on watch-duty in the Guardian sector and walked on in to the office of the man who knew all there was that was known about the ancient technology. “Hey, Warren, meet Pete Lattimer. Pete this is Warren Zykes, the man who’s going to send you home.” A quick handshake was exchanged by the two men, both of whom looked at Kirk to explain what he meant.
“Let’s get comfortable.” Kirk sat and indicated the other men should do likewise. “Well, Warren, it’s like this. See, I haven’t any proof for this yet, but I think what I’m going to tell you is probably what happened. Pete works at a warehouse on Terra. This isn’t an ordinary warehouse-it houses what Pete calls Artifacts.”
Lattimer leaped to his feet, gesturing wildly. “Wait a minute! You’re not supposed to tell that to anyone. You said you were an admiral and had a high security clearance. You_”
“Settle down. Warren’s security classification is higher than mine, and he’s the only one who can send you home.”
After a searching look at Kirk and Zykes, Lattimer reseated himself, but he still looked nervous. Kirk ignored him and went on with his story. “Now, Pete tells me that these Artifacts have powers-you know, like they can kill people, even. Anyway, I think they found an old Guardian and didn’t know what they had. So it was stored in the warehouse and Pete accidentally fell through it and ended up here.” Both his companions stared at him open mouthed.
“Where was this?” Zykes asked with a bit of doubt.
“Terra, Dakota, I think. Right, Pete?”
“South Dakota, yes. What’s a Guardian?”
Zykes eyed him with a bit of incredulity, but Kirk quickly explained. “2013. See why we need a Guardian?”
“Come on, Jim. You know I can’t send anyone back in time. He’d know things he can’t, and I’d get courtmartialed. No, I won’t do it. He’ll just have to make the best of his new world.” Zykes looked nervous and stubborn at the same time.
“Now, Warren, you’re not going to make me blackmail you, are you?” Kirk looked a bit stubborn himself.
“Jim, please, you don’t want to do this.”
“Sure he does. I won’t tell anyone-besides, no one would believe me anyway. You’re the only one who can help me. Don’t you care?” Lattimer looked like a kid given nothing on Christmas morning.
“I don’t think that has anything to do-”
“Sure it does, Warren. He’s just a kid, and all he wants is a way home. Now, don’t you want to show your kind, understanding self to a child of earth? I mean, that’s a lot nicer to remember than giving in to a blackmailer.” Kirk smiled his best charm-the-birds-out-of-the-trees smile and threw a strong left arm about Warren’s shoulders, giving the smaller man a hearty shake.
Defeat was in Zykes face, as his will crumpled under Kirk’s persuasion. He nodded his head as he expelled a heartfelt sigh. “Give me the particulars, and if anything untoward happens, I’ll squeal-long and loud. You’ll take all the blame.” He tried to give Kirk a baleful look, but the Starfleet admiral was paying him no attention.
Lattimer showed a glimmer of hope as Kirk turned to him and smiled, clapping his hands together in the age-old signal for let’s get started.
“Okay, Pete, lets get the coordinate readings for your warehouse. Dakota, you said.” Kirk walked over to a wall screen and typed his request into the attached computer.
“South Dakota,” Lattimer specified.
“Yes,yes. First we have to pull up a map of the old United States.” He watched the screen until it showed Terra, 2020. “There, that should be close enough. Now, do you know the name of a nearby town?”
“Univille, that’s the closest. It’s sort of small, but there’s postoffice, an inn, a service station, a-”
“That’ll do,” Kirk interrupted. He typed in the name and saw that the screen placed cross hairs over a seemingly empty spot.
“That’s it!” Lattimer shouted and grinned happily. “You’ve found it!” He grabbed a surprised Kirk and danced him in a little circle.
Patting Lattimer on the shoulder, Kirk pulled free and turned to Zykes. “Well, there it is, Warren. The year is 2013 and the date is-” He turned back to Lattimer expectantly.
“Uh, the date, yeah, well I think it was Thursday, uh.... It was April...umm....” Lattimer looked miserable.
“You don’t know the date,” Kirk stated, a bit disappointed in him. How could he not know the date he’d been whisked away from his life?
Zykes typed a few words into his computer. “Come look at this. It’s a list of all the Thursday dates for April, 2013.”
Lattimer bounded over, eager to get the show on the road. “The twenty-fifth, that’s it.”
“You’re sure?”
“Well, yeah, ‘cause I was wondering if I was gonna make till next week. See, we only get paid once a month, which is the government for you, and the first wasn’t until almost a week. That’s it.”
“Okay. Well, go on through that door and wait.”
“Oh, yeah.” Lattimer hurried over and pulled open the indicated door and entered the room cautiously, unsure of what he would see.
Kirk left him to it and turned back to the Guardian operator. “I really appreciate this, Warren, and I’m going with him to disable their Guardian and find out what the hell this warehouse is full of. According to Pete warehouses have existed for two thousand years, but these Artifacts have been around since the first humans started amassing things. Have you ever heard about them?” He took no answer as a negative. “I want to know about this, and the only way is to go to the warehouse and find out. You with me?”
Zykes looked at Kirk disbelievingly, his hangdog face creased in a severe frown. “You’re going, too? You’re willing to double the risk of contamination?”
“Do you have another idea? What if they figure out how to control the Guardian and go even further back in time and really change things around? I think that’s a lot more terrifying than sending me back with him. You’re going to have to buck up some, Warren. We’ve got an important job here.”
Zykes shook his head and looked as though he were about to cry. Kirk patted his shoulder soothingly. “It’ll be all right-promise. And it’s something that has to be done. We can’t trust the future of the human race to chance.” He guided the reluctant scientist to the door through which Lattimer had disappeared. “Besides, when have I ever steered you wrong? Trust me.”
***************
Well, there is another half to this tale, if you want to read it-let me know at ultrapsychobrat@yahoo.com/