Fic: For the Universe is Curved
Fandom: Star Trek: The Original Series/Star Trek: Reboot
Rating: G
Pairings: Kirk Prime/Spock Prime, Scotty/Uhura, Chekov/Sulu
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek, when I write stuff like this I really wish I did.
Written for the kink meme prompt: Because the fact that Spock Prime being alone seems seriously tragic to me....This must be fixed. And I mean in the form of Kirk Prime coming over to the alternate universe.
Bonus if Kirk is literally /bounced/ across the Bridge. Uber bonus points if on the Enterprise's way to New Vulcan, the rest of the classic bridge crew joins Kirk Prime.
For the Universe is Curved
James Kirk was not allowed to do reconnaissance ever again, Spock decided, because every time he did everything ended up going to hell in a hand-basket. This time was no exception. The Defiant had now vanished taking Jim with it and an unknown man, wearing a uniform Spock could not identify, had just appeared in his place on the transporter pad in their attempts to rescue him.
“Security.”
“Hey, wait!”
Two men went up to restrain the man and Spock cocked an eyebrow as they began to have difficulty doing so. For an older gentleman the intruder certainly knew how to throw a punch. Spock quickly moved to help them and managed to get his hand against his neck.
“Spo-”
The nerve pinch took affect and he dropped to the floor.
“Take him to the brig.”
***
Spock was not a happy man. The Tholians ship had disrupted space and so they had been unable to retrieve the captain at the time of inter-phase; which the Tholians had taken as a hostile action, the crew was showing detrimental effects from being in the current area of space, and doctor McCoy refused to get off his back!
“Of course the antidote probably doesn’t concern you. Vulcans are probably immune so just take your sweet time!”
In a fit of human deviance Spock turned off the com without answering. The good doctor would increase his efficiency by 35.8% if he put his total focus into finding the cure for this space instead of questioning every command decision he was making.
Spock rubbed one hand against his forehead to halt the oncoming headache and ran through the events again. He came to the conclusion that they could get Jim at another inter-phase, but calculating it was proving difficult, with the added factor of the man who had shown up in Jim’s place. No one alive had been on the Defiant. There was no reason for the transporter to pick up anyone else they only had Jim’s structure, unless…unless that man was also Jim. In the transporter room he had tried to say his name. He was familiar to the intruder. If it was that universe they had overlapped with, the one where his counterpart had come from, it explained the age difference. The inter-phase could have swapped positions and sent that man to their ship to compensate. Also if he was from the other universe he had already dealt with this situation and could prove a valuable ally.
Spock got up from the chair and raced down to the brig. He was shocked to find the cell empty and he turned to call for security; just in time to see the intruder fall out of one of the air vents.
“Bones was right I do need to spend more time at the gym.”
He bent down and helped the man up just as McCoy came storming out of the turbolift.
“What are you doing down here?!”
“I am attempting to ascertain the identity of this man in order to pinpoint the captain-”
“Jim is dead! The crew are tearing themselves to pieces and you want to play a game of good cop, bad cop!”
“This man came from where the captain is it is possible-”
“I can’t believe this! You’re endangering the crew and the ship all in the name of theory! You’re the most cold-blooded man I’ve ever met.”
“Doctor, this is not the time to give out compliments.”
“You inhuman-”
The other man whistled loudly and McCoy fell silent.
“Unbelievable! If you guys acted like this the last time I’m amazed I didn’t come back to a Vulcan nerve pinched doctor and a first officer with a black eye.”
Spock turned to face him fully.
“I was correct in my calculations you are James T. Kirk.”
“Yes I am, now would you mind being so kind as to tell me exactly where I am? And what’s going, the most I’ve managed to get is that you’re dealing with the Tholians.”
“You are in a dimension, or universe if you prefer, parallel to your own. I believe you were brought here when our James Kirk was sent to your universe.”
Jim’s eyes hardened slightly at those words.
“Did you shave off a beard recently?”
“My lack of facial hair is not of paramount concern at the moment what is important is that we get the captain back and the crew to safety and this is proving difficult. The variables are many and in constant flux.”
“If anyone can get the Enterprise out of this mess it’s you, Spock, I have the utmost confidence in you.”
“Most…kind, sir.”
The three of them went inside the turbolift.
“And you came to get me just now because you believe I can help you because I’ve gone through this before right?”
“You are older than our captain at this juncture which would indicate that you were successfully retrieved, and the crew fully recovered from the effects of this space.”
“Yes they did.”
“Do you remember what it was that worked?” McCoy asked.
“Theragen derivative I believe.”
“Well at least we now have a hundred fewer things to try, Nurse Chapel!”
He got off the turbolift and went to the lab.
“I thank you for your support, Mr. Kirk.”
“Bones tends to blurt out crap he doesn’t mean when he’s worried and stressed. He also tends to forget that just because you have different ways of dealing with it doesn’t mean you’re hurting any less.”
Spock turned away from him as the lift continued to the bridge, both slightly embarrassed and yet grateful for his affection. Having someone who believed in him so much at this time was very comforting.
Things went much smoother after that. Spock, with information from the older Jim, was able to calculate the next inter-phase and that it was going to occur just before the Tholians completed the web. Mr. Scott would have the engines repaired at that time, and it appeared that doctor McCoy had succeeded as well; as he came to the bridge with a triumphant smile and a beaker full of orange liquid.
“You have found the antidote?”
“Yes and I’ve ordered it orally or intravenously for every member of the crew.”
“Ensign Chekov was affected so early, has he recovered?”
“He has and is on his way back to the bridge as we speak.”
Spock swirled the concoction in his hand.
“Well drink it down, Spock, it’s the human thing to do.”
He hesitated and Jim reached out clinked their glasses together.
“Cheers.”
Both, at last, drank the liquid down.
“Doctor, the captain’s air supply will be running out in 2.4 minutes. You should have a hypo of tri-ox compound ready for him in the transporter room.”
“Of course, Mr. Spock.”
McCoy left the bridge and the other Jim slid up close to Spock with practiced ease as he stared at the viewscreen.
“Worried, Mr. Spock?”
“Uneasy. My last performance at command was…poor. I have no wish to further diminish my perceived command abilities in front of the crew should this final attempt fail.”
“You will succeed, Mr. Spock, I trust you.”
He put his hand on Spock’s arm and Spock felt the comfort and warmth that he wished to convey, but it just wasn’t the same. With his captain there was also that free floating energy that came from youth, the need to tease, and to play in their relationship, that Spock never knew how much he enjoyed until now.
“I must succeed. We cannot remain here and I must have my captain back.”
“And what happens to me when you do get him back?”
“Experience would indicate that you should remain here unaffected.”
“Experience?”
Spock didn’t answer him. The time of inter-phase was approaching, and besides he didn’t want to spoil the surprise by telling him the name of the person who was going to be very pleased to have his captain back.
“Transporter room, do you have the captain’s signature?”
“I can’t get a lock on him, sir, there’s some kind of interference!”
Unacceptable, this was their last chance to get Jim.
“Mr. Kirk, you have the conn!”
Spock ran down to the transporter room.
“Mr. Kyle, report!”
“There are other signatures, sir, and they seem to be human we can only guess if we’ve got him!”
“Then our best guess will simply have to do,” he said taking the controls and working furiously to make a proper connection, “energize.”
The ship shuddered as Kirk gave the command for full power. The transporter then flared to life and after several tense moments Jim at last appeared, facing the wrong way, and collapsed to his knees. The hypo made it infinitely easier to breathe and cleared his vision and the first thing he noticed was that the people he was seeing in some other universe were still there.
“Bones, why haven’t the hallucinations gone away?”
The others had no answer to give him as to why there were five other people standing on the pad all looking equally disoriented. Spock and McCoy quickly helped them off the pad and sat them on the floor to carefully check them over. One of the men was the first to get to his feet and Spock noted that he seemed unaware of their presence, merely content to focus on the floor and the wall.
“Who are you?” Spock asked.
“Captain Montgomery Scott,” he muttered, still focused on the slight rumbling beneath his fingers and the movement of the deck plates beneath his feet.
Spock raised an eyebrow and continued watching.
“Warp 1. It is you old girl!” Scotty shouted, dropped to his knees, and kissed the floor.
“Good God man! Do you know how unsanitary that is?!”
The outburst was in unison from the doctor and the man he had been looking over. They turned to face one another, each eyeing the other warily.
“What is your name, boy?”
“Sir, I am not a boy don’t call me that.”
“I judge you to be at least thirty years my junior so boy is what you get to be called unless you’d like to give me your name.”
That earned him a glare and the answer, “Leonard McCoy chief medical officer aboard the USS Enterprise.”
“Great we’ve finally done it!” McCoy Prime announced practically throwing his arms up in exasperation, “we broke the universe!”
Uhura got up at that moment her whole world focused on one man.
“Scotty, is, is it really you?”
“Aye, all in one piece too.”
She barely managed to choke back her sobs as she ran over and hugged him, and then curled one hand into a fist and punched him in the shoulder.
“Scotty, if you die on me one more time I’ll kill you!”
He chuckled and hugged her tight.
“Don’t laugh at me while I’m mad at you.”
“Nyota,” he whispered, and kissed her hair.
“I’ve missed you, so much.”
“I’ve missed you too. More than you’ll ever know.”
The last two men now got up and approached one another.
“Are you all right?” Sulu asked.
“Don’t touch me I’m still mad at you!”
“Oh, look, Pavel, I’m sorry! The next time they send me on a mission I’ll insist that you be there. In fact I tell them I want a two man ship and we can roam around together just you and me if that’s what you want!”
“I would like that. Very well you’re forgiven.”
“Thank you, you sure know how to hold a grudge you know that?”
“Of course I do, Hikaru, it’s a Russian invention.”
“Well now that everyone is on speaking terms again would you three mind explaining how the universe has malfunctioned…again to get us wherever the hell this is?”
Spock glanced at McCoy and then to the others a theory beginning to formulate in his mind. “What is the current stardate?”
Spock received five different answers ranging from several months to several decades apart.
“How can that be, sir?” Kyle asked.
“While exaggerated the doctor’s earlier statement may not be entirely incorrect. The universe was curved at the time of inter-phase and we no doubt disrupted it greatly in our escape from the Tholians. This could account for how we have pulled all these people from so many different points in their own timeline when retrieving the captain. As to how we obtained these particular people, I would put that down to your notorious ability to tilt universal probabilities in your favour, Jim.”
“Hey, it’s not like I planned it, Spock.”
“So just how old are you?” Bones asked his other self.
“Southern gentleman like myself doesn’t reveal that to just anyone.”
“Seventy-five, accounting for his earlier estimate logic indicates that-”
“Screw logic you pointed eared Vulcan I’m going to age like fine wine!”
McCoy’s eyes widened at his younger self’s outburst. “Well I’m…flattered.”
Suddenly a voice on the intercom filled the room.
“Not to put too fine a point on it, but, what in the world is going on down there?”
McCoy turned to the control panel in complete disbelief. It can’t be. “Jim.”
“It’s the captain,” Chekov said, and looked like he was about to cry.
They glanced at each other to all be sure they had heard his voice and then all five ran out of the room at top speed.
“Wait none of you have been given clearance yet!” Jim yelled after them.
No one even acknowledged him as they all crowded into the turbolift.
“Spock, am I in charge here or not?”
“Technically, Captain, you are not until we get to the bridge and relieve their Kirk.”
“Their what!?”
The doors open and McCoy shoved everyone aside to be the first one out.
“Jim!”
“Bones!”
Jim was grateful he’d stayed in the chair as McCoy hugged him. The old country doctor was strong for a guy built like a toothpick. The rest of the crew joined him and Jim found himself ushered out of the chair, that the other Jim promptly took over, in a sea of old friends. The excitement eventually died down enough for McCoy to finally notice that there was a missing member from their dysfunctional family.
“Where’s Spock?”
The smile faded from Jim’s face. “I thought he was with you guys. I mean he came here with you didn’t he?”
“No, he’s got to be with you he’s always with you!”
No one said anything.
“No, he, he can’t be gone…not again.”
Spock raised an eyebrow at the word again, but noting the slight panic beginning to rise in their voices he stepped closer to his Jim.
“Captain, I request we set course for Earth.”
“Why?”
“The ambassador has been requested there and being there will no doubt ease the stress of our new passengers.”
“You inhuman-our stress and grief will certainly not be decreased by dealing with your version of bureaucracy!”
“There is no need to alarm yourself, Doctor. I was making the suggestion because the ambassador is your Spock and you seemed to be in a hurry to see him.”
“A suggestion I fully agree with, Spock. Mr. Sulu, set course for Earth warp factor 5.”
“She’s a bit sluggish, sir.”
Jim hit a button on the conn. “Scotty, what’s wrong with our lovely lady?”
“That last jump has fried most of the panel, sir, I’ve got the controls strung together like my grandmother’s knitting basket, one wrong move and we’re going to be rowing ourselves home.”
“I can fix that!” Scotty exclaimed, and made for the turbolift.
“Sir, aren’t you the least bit concerned about meeting uh…another you down there?”
“I don’t care! This is my ship I know how she works and I’m going to be useful!” he announced, and dashed off the bridge. Uhura quickly followed him, not wanting to spend another moment away from his side.
“Is everyone comfortable with this, but me?” Jim asked, swinging his chair to face front again.
It appeared so as Sulu and Chekov began earnestly talking with their counterparts and Bones merely glanced at McCoy before going over to his Jim to inspect him some more. While Spock went over and put his hands possessively on the back of the captain’s chair.
Well would you look at that, a universal constant.
“Would you like a tranquilizer?”
Kirk smiled and motioned to McCoy. “Walk with me.”
They left the bridge and wandered the halls just taking in their surroundings.
“Well what do you make of all this?”
“It’s a different ship, but she still has the right name.”
“What do you think of them?”
“They’re young, but they seem to know what they’re doing, and blue eyes certainly look better on me than you.”
“How do you think they came to know him already?”
“Obviously Spock made it here through some other hole in the fabric of space-time before we did. Don’t know why I was even worried that green-blooded computer is immortal after all.”
Jim smiled. “Ambassador Spock they said, hard to believe isn’t it?”
“I’m going to tease him mercilessly for being his father’s son after all.”
He laughed at that. Glad that McCoy was handling this so well. For him it was still jarring to be here in this universe with no way to get back, not that he wanted to go back with everyone he cared for here already, but still. Well at least the crew here knew what they were doing. They were competent that much was certain. The children were going to be okay and once he was back with his Spock he knew he would be okay too.
***
It had rained in San Francisco the entire week he had been in town. The weather had only served to dampen Spock’s already depressive state. The reconstruction of the Vulcan society had kept him busy until now and able to not think about how out of place he really was. He pulled his jacket tighter around him feeling cold as he was reminded that he had no duty here. The duty to the Enterprise and her captain belonged to his young counter-part and with his father alive in this universe his role as an ambassador was slowly diminishing as the people got back on their feet. Soon they would not need him at all. Alone in this room he was reminded of just how long he had lived and of how many people he had had to say goodbye to. The thought makes him colder still as the com beeped and informed him that someone had an urgent request for him. Strange, he has met with all the necessary officials and he was not expecting anyone.
He got up and pushed the button to unlock his door and was very surprised to see Jim Kirk standing outside in the hall. He quickly went out to greet him.
“Jim, it is good to see you again, but I thought the Enterprise was stationed in the gamma quadrant for the next six months.”
Jim smiled. “Unscheduled detour I’m here to return some things that belong to you.”
“Oh, I was not aware I had left any possessions with you.”
“I resent being called your property, Spock.”
“Well I don’t.”
The moment he heard their voices Spock was convinced he had lost his sanity and stood frozen on the spot. Jim just took him by the arm and guided him around the corner of the hallway where ghosts of his past were standing there and smiling.
“Never thought I’d live to see the day the emotion shocked stupid would be written all over your face, Spock, this is an historic occasion.”
Then there was hugging and handshaking and suddenly the universe was not cold anymore.
The End
Rating: G
Pairings: Kirk Prime/Spock Prime, Scotty/Uhura, Chekov/Sulu
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek, when I write stuff like this I really wish I did.
Written for the kink meme prompt: Because the fact that Spock Prime being alone seems seriously tragic to me....This must be fixed. And I mean in the form of Kirk Prime coming over to the alternate universe.
Bonus if Kirk is literally /bounced/ across the Bridge. Uber bonus points if on the Enterprise's way to New Vulcan, the rest of the classic bridge crew joins Kirk Prime.
For the Universe is Curved
James Kirk was not allowed to do reconnaissance ever again, Spock decided, because every time he did everything ended up going to hell in a hand-basket. This time was no exception. The Defiant had now vanished taking Jim with it and an unknown man, wearing a uniform Spock could not identify, had just appeared in his place on the transporter pad in their attempts to rescue him.
“Security.”
“Hey, wait!”
Two men went up to restrain the man and Spock cocked an eyebrow as they began to have difficulty doing so. For an older gentleman the intruder certainly knew how to throw a punch. Spock quickly moved to help them and managed to get his hand against his neck.
“Spo-”
The nerve pinch took affect and he dropped to the floor.
“Take him to the brig.”
***
Spock was not a happy man. The Tholians ship had disrupted space and so they had been unable to retrieve the captain at the time of inter-phase; which the Tholians had taken as a hostile action, the crew was showing detrimental effects from being in the current area of space, and doctor McCoy refused to get off his back!
“Of course the antidote probably doesn’t concern you. Vulcans are probably immune so just take your sweet time!”
In a fit of human deviance Spock turned off the com without answering. The good doctor would increase his efficiency by 35.8% if he put his total focus into finding the cure for this space instead of questioning every command decision he was making.
Spock rubbed one hand against his forehead to halt the oncoming headache and ran through the events again. He came to the conclusion that they could get Jim at another inter-phase, but calculating it was proving difficult, with the added factor of the man who had shown up in Jim’s place. No one alive had been on the Defiant. There was no reason for the transporter to pick up anyone else they only had Jim’s structure, unless…unless that man was also Jim. In the transporter room he had tried to say his name. He was familiar to the intruder. If it was that universe they had overlapped with, the one where his counterpart had come from, it explained the age difference. The inter-phase could have swapped positions and sent that man to their ship to compensate. Also if he was from the other universe he had already dealt with this situation and could prove a valuable ally.
Spock got up from the chair and raced down to the brig. He was shocked to find the cell empty and he turned to call for security; just in time to see the intruder fall out of one of the air vents.
“Bones was right I do need to spend more time at the gym.”
He bent down and helped the man up just as McCoy came storming out of the turbolift.
“What are you doing down here?!”
“I am attempting to ascertain the identity of this man in order to pinpoint the captain-”
“Jim is dead! The crew are tearing themselves to pieces and you want to play a game of good cop, bad cop!”
“This man came from where the captain is it is possible-”
“I can’t believe this! You’re endangering the crew and the ship all in the name of theory! You’re the most cold-blooded man I’ve ever met.”
“Doctor, this is not the time to give out compliments.”
“You inhuman-”
The other man whistled loudly and McCoy fell silent.
“Unbelievable! If you guys acted like this the last time I’m amazed I didn’t come back to a Vulcan nerve pinched doctor and a first officer with a black eye.”
Spock turned to face him fully.
“I was correct in my calculations you are James T. Kirk.”
“Yes I am, now would you mind being so kind as to tell me exactly where I am? And what’s going, the most I’ve managed to get is that you’re dealing with the Tholians.”
“You are in a dimension, or universe if you prefer, parallel to your own. I believe you were brought here when our James Kirk was sent to your universe.”
Jim’s eyes hardened slightly at those words.
“Did you shave off a beard recently?”
“My lack of facial hair is not of paramount concern at the moment what is important is that we get the captain back and the crew to safety and this is proving difficult. The variables are many and in constant flux.”
“If anyone can get the Enterprise out of this mess it’s you, Spock, I have the utmost confidence in you.”
“Most…kind, sir.”
The three of them went inside the turbolift.
“And you came to get me just now because you believe I can help you because I’ve gone through this before right?”
“You are older than our captain at this juncture which would indicate that you were successfully retrieved, and the crew fully recovered from the effects of this space.”
“Yes they did.”
“Do you remember what it was that worked?” McCoy asked.
“Theragen derivative I believe.”
“Well at least we now have a hundred fewer things to try, Nurse Chapel!”
He got off the turbolift and went to the lab.
“I thank you for your support, Mr. Kirk.”
“Bones tends to blurt out crap he doesn’t mean when he’s worried and stressed. He also tends to forget that just because you have different ways of dealing with it doesn’t mean you’re hurting any less.”
Spock turned away from him as the lift continued to the bridge, both slightly embarrassed and yet grateful for his affection. Having someone who believed in him so much at this time was very comforting.
Things went much smoother after that. Spock, with information from the older Jim, was able to calculate the next inter-phase and that it was going to occur just before the Tholians completed the web. Mr. Scott would have the engines repaired at that time, and it appeared that doctor McCoy had succeeded as well; as he came to the bridge with a triumphant smile and a beaker full of orange liquid.
“You have found the antidote?”
“Yes and I’ve ordered it orally or intravenously for every member of the crew.”
“Ensign Chekov was affected so early, has he recovered?”
“He has and is on his way back to the bridge as we speak.”
Spock swirled the concoction in his hand.
“Well drink it down, Spock, it’s the human thing to do.”
He hesitated and Jim reached out clinked their glasses together.
“Cheers.”
Both, at last, drank the liquid down.
“Doctor, the captain’s air supply will be running out in 2.4 minutes. You should have a hypo of tri-ox compound ready for him in the transporter room.”
“Of course, Mr. Spock.”
McCoy left the bridge and the other Jim slid up close to Spock with practiced ease as he stared at the viewscreen.
“Worried, Mr. Spock?”
“Uneasy. My last performance at command was…poor. I have no wish to further diminish my perceived command abilities in front of the crew should this final attempt fail.”
“You will succeed, Mr. Spock, I trust you.”
He put his hand on Spock’s arm and Spock felt the comfort and warmth that he wished to convey, but it just wasn’t the same. With his captain there was also that free floating energy that came from youth, the need to tease, and to play in their relationship, that Spock never knew how much he enjoyed until now.
“I must succeed. We cannot remain here and I must have my captain back.”
“And what happens to me when you do get him back?”
“Experience would indicate that you should remain here unaffected.”
“Experience?”
Spock didn’t answer him. The time of inter-phase was approaching, and besides he didn’t want to spoil the surprise by telling him the name of the person who was going to be very pleased to have his captain back.
“Transporter room, do you have the captain’s signature?”
“I can’t get a lock on him, sir, there’s some kind of interference!”
Unacceptable, this was their last chance to get Jim.
“Mr. Kirk, you have the conn!”
Spock ran down to the transporter room.
“Mr. Kyle, report!”
“There are other signatures, sir, and they seem to be human we can only guess if we’ve got him!”
“Then our best guess will simply have to do,” he said taking the controls and working furiously to make a proper connection, “energize.”
The ship shuddered as Kirk gave the command for full power. The transporter then flared to life and after several tense moments Jim at last appeared, facing the wrong way, and collapsed to his knees. The hypo made it infinitely easier to breathe and cleared his vision and the first thing he noticed was that the people he was seeing in some other universe were still there.
“Bones, why haven’t the hallucinations gone away?”
The others had no answer to give him as to why there were five other people standing on the pad all looking equally disoriented. Spock and McCoy quickly helped them off the pad and sat them on the floor to carefully check them over. One of the men was the first to get to his feet and Spock noted that he seemed unaware of their presence, merely content to focus on the floor and the wall.
“Who are you?” Spock asked.
“Captain Montgomery Scott,” he muttered, still focused on the slight rumbling beneath his fingers and the movement of the deck plates beneath his feet.
Spock raised an eyebrow and continued watching.
“Warp 1. It is you old girl!” Scotty shouted, dropped to his knees, and kissed the floor.
“Good God man! Do you know how unsanitary that is?!”
The outburst was in unison from the doctor and the man he had been looking over. They turned to face one another, each eyeing the other warily.
“What is your name, boy?”
“Sir, I am not a boy don’t call me that.”
“I judge you to be at least thirty years my junior so boy is what you get to be called unless you’d like to give me your name.”
That earned him a glare and the answer, “Leonard McCoy chief medical officer aboard the USS Enterprise.”
“Great we’ve finally done it!” McCoy Prime announced practically throwing his arms up in exasperation, “we broke the universe!”
Uhura got up at that moment her whole world focused on one man.
“Scotty, is, is it really you?”
“Aye, all in one piece too.”
She barely managed to choke back her sobs as she ran over and hugged him, and then curled one hand into a fist and punched him in the shoulder.
“Scotty, if you die on me one more time I’ll kill you!”
He chuckled and hugged her tight.
“Don’t laugh at me while I’m mad at you.”
“Nyota,” he whispered, and kissed her hair.
“I’ve missed you, so much.”
“I’ve missed you too. More than you’ll ever know.”
The last two men now got up and approached one another.
“Are you all right?” Sulu asked.
“Don’t touch me I’m still mad at you!”
“Oh, look, Pavel, I’m sorry! The next time they send me on a mission I’ll insist that you be there. In fact I tell them I want a two man ship and we can roam around together just you and me if that’s what you want!”
“I would like that. Very well you’re forgiven.”
“Thank you, you sure know how to hold a grudge you know that?”
“Of course I do, Hikaru, it’s a Russian invention.”
“Well now that everyone is on speaking terms again would you three mind explaining how the universe has malfunctioned…again to get us wherever the hell this is?”
Spock glanced at McCoy and then to the others a theory beginning to formulate in his mind. “What is the current stardate?”
Spock received five different answers ranging from several months to several decades apart.
“How can that be, sir?” Kyle asked.
“While exaggerated the doctor’s earlier statement may not be entirely incorrect. The universe was curved at the time of inter-phase and we no doubt disrupted it greatly in our escape from the Tholians. This could account for how we have pulled all these people from so many different points in their own timeline when retrieving the captain. As to how we obtained these particular people, I would put that down to your notorious ability to tilt universal probabilities in your favour, Jim.”
“Hey, it’s not like I planned it, Spock.”
“So just how old are you?” Bones asked his other self.
“Southern gentleman like myself doesn’t reveal that to just anyone.”
“Seventy-five, accounting for his earlier estimate logic indicates that-”
“Screw logic you pointed eared Vulcan I’m going to age like fine wine!”
McCoy’s eyes widened at his younger self’s outburst. “Well I’m…flattered.”
Suddenly a voice on the intercom filled the room.
“Not to put too fine a point on it, but, what in the world is going on down there?”
McCoy turned to the control panel in complete disbelief. It can’t be. “Jim.”
“It’s the captain,” Chekov said, and looked like he was about to cry.
They glanced at each other to all be sure they had heard his voice and then all five ran out of the room at top speed.
“Wait none of you have been given clearance yet!” Jim yelled after them.
No one even acknowledged him as they all crowded into the turbolift.
“Spock, am I in charge here or not?”
“Technically, Captain, you are not until we get to the bridge and relieve their Kirk.”
“Their what!?”
The doors open and McCoy shoved everyone aside to be the first one out.
“Jim!”
“Bones!”
Jim was grateful he’d stayed in the chair as McCoy hugged him. The old country doctor was strong for a guy built like a toothpick. The rest of the crew joined him and Jim found himself ushered out of the chair, that the other Jim promptly took over, in a sea of old friends. The excitement eventually died down enough for McCoy to finally notice that there was a missing member from their dysfunctional family.
“Where’s Spock?”
The smile faded from Jim’s face. “I thought he was with you guys. I mean he came here with you didn’t he?”
“No, he’s got to be with you he’s always with you!”
No one said anything.
“No, he, he can’t be gone…not again.”
Spock raised an eyebrow at the word again, but noting the slight panic beginning to rise in their voices he stepped closer to his Jim.
“Captain, I request we set course for Earth.”
“Why?”
“The ambassador has been requested there and being there will no doubt ease the stress of our new passengers.”
“You inhuman-our stress and grief will certainly not be decreased by dealing with your version of bureaucracy!”
“There is no need to alarm yourself, Doctor. I was making the suggestion because the ambassador is your Spock and you seemed to be in a hurry to see him.”
“A suggestion I fully agree with, Spock. Mr. Sulu, set course for Earth warp factor 5.”
“She’s a bit sluggish, sir.”
Jim hit a button on the conn. “Scotty, what’s wrong with our lovely lady?”
“That last jump has fried most of the panel, sir, I’ve got the controls strung together like my grandmother’s knitting basket, one wrong move and we’re going to be rowing ourselves home.”
“I can fix that!” Scotty exclaimed, and made for the turbolift.
“Sir, aren’t you the least bit concerned about meeting uh…another you down there?”
“I don’t care! This is my ship I know how she works and I’m going to be useful!” he announced, and dashed off the bridge. Uhura quickly followed him, not wanting to spend another moment away from his side.
“Is everyone comfortable with this, but me?” Jim asked, swinging his chair to face front again.
It appeared so as Sulu and Chekov began earnestly talking with their counterparts and Bones merely glanced at McCoy before going over to his Jim to inspect him some more. While Spock went over and put his hands possessively on the back of the captain’s chair.
Well would you look at that, a universal constant.
“Would you like a tranquilizer?”
Kirk smiled and motioned to McCoy. “Walk with me.”
They left the bridge and wandered the halls just taking in their surroundings.
“Well what do you make of all this?”
“It’s a different ship, but she still has the right name.”
“What do you think of them?”
“They’re young, but they seem to know what they’re doing, and blue eyes certainly look better on me than you.”
“How do you think they came to know him already?”
“Obviously Spock made it here through some other hole in the fabric of space-time before we did. Don’t know why I was even worried that green-blooded computer is immortal after all.”
Jim smiled. “Ambassador Spock they said, hard to believe isn’t it?”
“I’m going to tease him mercilessly for being his father’s son after all.”
He laughed at that. Glad that McCoy was handling this so well. For him it was still jarring to be here in this universe with no way to get back, not that he wanted to go back with everyone he cared for here already, but still. Well at least the crew here knew what they were doing. They were competent that much was certain. The children were going to be okay and once he was back with his Spock he knew he would be okay too.
***
It had rained in San Francisco the entire week he had been in town. The weather had only served to dampen Spock’s already depressive state. The reconstruction of the Vulcan society had kept him busy until now and able to not think about how out of place he really was. He pulled his jacket tighter around him feeling cold as he was reminded that he had no duty here. The duty to the Enterprise and her captain belonged to his young counter-part and with his father alive in this universe his role as an ambassador was slowly diminishing as the people got back on their feet. Soon they would not need him at all. Alone in this room he was reminded of just how long he had lived and of how many people he had had to say goodbye to. The thought makes him colder still as the com beeped and informed him that someone had an urgent request for him. Strange, he has met with all the necessary officials and he was not expecting anyone.
He got up and pushed the button to unlock his door and was very surprised to see Jim Kirk standing outside in the hall. He quickly went out to greet him.
“Jim, it is good to see you again, but I thought the Enterprise was stationed in the gamma quadrant for the next six months.”
Jim smiled. “Unscheduled detour I’m here to return some things that belong to you.”
“Oh, I was not aware I had left any possessions with you.”
“I resent being called your property, Spock.”
“Well I don’t.”
The moment he heard their voices Spock was convinced he had lost his sanity and stood frozen on the spot. Jim just took him by the arm and guided him around the corner of the hallway where ghosts of his past were standing there and smiling.
“Never thought I’d live to see the day the emotion shocked stupid would be written all over your face, Spock, this is an historic occasion.”
Then there was hugging and handshaking and suddenly the universe was not cold anymore.
The End