Chapter Text
Inspired by this
„Now this was the worst idea ever“, you complained, carrying a massive pack of toilet paper through the front door. The streets outside were deserted. That made your job no easier.
„Buying a necessary product to keep our hygiene at an acceptable level?“
You rolled your eyes, hoping that Spock was actually just teasing you and not that ignorant of your situation. But Vulcans didn’t tease, did they?
„No. Going to the past to stop a teeny, tiny, harmless, fire breathing alien pet from making first contact before time and ending up in a nationwide quarantine because of a freaking virus. Can’t we just go back to the Enterprise, get vaccinated and come back here?“
„We cannot be sure that a vaccine was found at all. It is possible that humanity just developed an immunity to the virus over time, causing it to go extinct. And if that is the case, this immunity could have been lost in the last 240 years. Do you wish to infect your fellow crewmates?“
You shook your head. Of course that wasn’t what you wanted.
„Furthermore even if we were to get vaccinated, there is still a curfew in place. How will you explain breaking the current law? We are not to be exposed.“
Of course Spock was right. Not to mention that a man with pointed ears and strangely shaped brows was more likely to stick out like a sore thumb when there was close to no one on the streets. Hence your little shopping trips. He was not to go out under any circumstances at the moment.
„But how are we supposed to find that freaking dog, if we can’t go looking for it, Sir?“ Cursing in front of your superior officer was usually frowned upon, but you had to loosen the rules a bit, after sharing a flat with him for more than just a few days.
“As long as close to nobody is outside, there is only a low risk of exposure. At the moment it might be enough to browse the news sites for strange sightings”, Spock replied, gesturing towards the computer.
The same computer that had been your only source of money in the last few days. You answered surveys for companies trying to find out which products might sell and wrote marketing texts. Spock earned more. He had majored in computer science, so coding websites and apps was no problem for him, at least, once he had gotten the hang of this primitive coding languages. He earned enough for your living, even in this dire times.
„And if that thing encounters people and they talk to the media?“ How could he be so calm about this?
„We know for a fact that there have been more non-terrestrial lifeforms on earth than just this one, at all times. I myself have been one of them. Humans tend to overlook what they do not believe to be possible. And the few that do believe there is more out there than commonly known, are usually discredited. The situation at hand is of advantage for us, because the fewer people see what we are looking for, the easier their testimony can be ridiculed.“
You knew he was right. But at the same time, he was wrong. While right now the risk of damaging the timeline was low, you were stuck and couldn’t finish your job. A job that you didn’t even start, mind you.
It wasn’t your fault that the scientists now working with the Guardian of Forever had founded a small scientific outpost on the planet. It hadn’t been your fault that they brought with them their families. It certainly was not your fault that one of them was a xenobiologist who happened to have crossbred an Alfa 177 canine with a doglike creature that was able to breathe fire. And keep the product of this experiment as a pet - among others. And had a daughter who had played with said pet and set it free – among others.
It even wasn’t your fault that when this beast escaped, historians were just exploring the early 21st century on earth. You hadn’t asked for any of it. You just happened to be on board of the Enterprise who had just been the closest ship nearby when the call for help came. Because of course the historians couldn’t handle the situation themselves. They were too few to chase after all the creatures that managed to jump to different years and different continents. And now here you were. Stuck in a european city in early 2020. When all you had to do was capture a fire breathing, horned beast and bring it back as soon as possible to keep the timeline clear of any disturbance.
Just. Great.