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As he worked on the recalibration of the outpost's transporter, Scott kept up a steady line of chatter.
"So you were on the Enterprise, eh? That's one gal that's been my pin-up of choice since I caught sight of her blueprints. I'm a nacelles man and I'm told hers verge toward the enormous side."
"I have to admit to not having had time to get down to the Engineering area before I was forced off the ship. I have a good friend in Engineering that talks a lot like you do though, Mister Scott."
"Just call me Scotty, lad. Hand me that thing there to your left, would you? Thanks. What name do you prefer, Doctor?"
"Len works fine."
"Well then, Len - looks like we're ready to go. No, Keenser - not you. You'll need to stay here for now."
McCoy glanced across the room to where the older Spock was looking over one of Scott's many PADDs.
"Spock? Time to head out."
"I will not be accompanying you, Doctor."
Scowl forming, McCoy went straight up to Spock.
"Why the hell not?"
"I should not meet with my younger self."
"We've already been through this. That's not your younger self. That's an entirely different person from an entirely different universe. But one thing is the same and that's Nero. You know things about him that might help us end the destruction before its too late for Earth. How many more billions of souls do you want to feel responsible for?"
The pained look on the old Vulcan's face showed that McCoy had touched on a sore spot and finally, he nodded.
"Very well, Doctor. I will accompany you."
"Come along, lads. Do or die, let's be at it."
Taking a deep breath, McCoy stepped into the chamber, followed by Spock.
"You know, I'm going to need something else to call you. One Spock at a time is plenty."
"I must agree with you again. I have made use of the name Selek in the past. I will do so again now."
After setting the delay on the teleporter, Scotty joined the two of them.
"Hold onto your arses, men. Here we go."
McCoy closed his eyes and kept them that way until the teleportation effect ended. It was with a deep breath of relief that he recognized the Enterprise, but when he looked, he saw Selek/Spock, but not Scotty.
"Scotty?"
Selek/Spock laid a hand on McCoy's shoulder and pointed to one of the water tubes.
"There!"
Seeing the figure of Scott being pushed along helplessly by the water, McCoy let out a heartfelt curse.
"How do we get him out before he drowns without crippling the ship?"
Looking over the pipes, Selek/Spock began moving quickly.
"This way - unless the design has changed radically, we should be able to flush him from the system before he reaches the turbine."
It proved to be a close thing, but Selek/Spock managed to activate the emergency flushing system for the coolant system just before Scott would have entered the machinery. The activation of the emergency system caused an alert to go off on the Bridge. Chekov reported it to Kirk immediately.
"Captain Kirk, someone has activated the emergency flushing system for the Section Three turbine."
"Give us a look at who's down there, Mister Chekov."
Chekov quickly put the image up on the viewscreen. None of the three figures seemed familiar at first until one of them threw back his hood to start checking over another of the men who was drenched and gasping. Kirk was on his feet, relief mixed with confusion.
"Bones? What the hell is Bones doing in Engineering with an old Vulcan and some other guy?"
Spock hadn't been paying attention until Kirk spoke, but when he looked at the viewscreen, he spoke without considering that Kirk didn't know what had been done to McCoy.
"We are moving at warp speed. That is impossible."
Kirk's eyes narrowed as he turned to face Spock.
"What is it that's impossible, Mister Spock? Do you have something you need to share with the rest of the class?"
Stiffening, Spock answered the question while still evading speaking about McCoy.
"I was merely commenting on the fact that those two in the Section Three turbine room were not aboard the Enterprise. For them to be where they are, it would seem to indicate that they teleported aboard somehow, but as we are currently traveling at warp speed, that would be impossible."
Kirk's immediate thought had been to call Security, but McCoy seemed to be doing what he would normally do without any duress. Then what McCoy was wearing clicked in and he narrowed his eyes at Spock. As much as shuttles terrified him, no way in hell did McCoy willingly enter an escape pod.
"Impossible or not, there they are. And they got onboard somehow. Mister Chekov. Have the computer go back to when they first entered the Section Three turbine room."
The Bridge as a whole watched as the old Vulcan and McCoy rushed into the room - the puzzling part being the sure way in which the Vulcan operate the system. Eyes glued to the scene, Kirk drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair.
"Mister Chekov - see if you can determine where that man entered the coolant system and give me a playback for that area going back two minutes before that event?"
It took a several moments for Chekov to comply, but the image on the screen shifted to another section of Engineering near the coolant pipe. Nothing at all showed for the first minute, but then the tell-tale signs of a teleport began to show, ending with McCoy and the Vulcan standing beside the pipe and the other man inside of it. It didn't escape Kirk's attention that it was the old Vulcan who led the way to the flushing system, but his primary focus was on one thing.
"Bones teleported onto the ship? Why the hell would Bones have had to teleport onto the ship? And why do I have the feeling you can answer that question, Spock?"
Then Kirk stood up, waving his hand dismissively.
"Never mind. I'm sure I can hear this story from the source. Mister Chekov, you have the conn. Mister Sulu, you're with me."
Pacing back and forth alongside the table that Pike was still strapped to, Nero scowled. If it wasn't for the fact that the slug made evasion impossible, he would have sworn that Pike was telling him an elaborate fairy tale. He had Pike repeat the story to him three times until Pike's voice was raw.
He was not avenging his people. His people were in another universe altogether. The Romulans of this universe were allies of the damned Empire as were the Klingons. Uneasy allies perhaps, but allies who divided up the majority of the known inhabitable planets between them.
Things got worse than that once he began dragging more details from Pike. If the actions of the Narada reached the Emperor, they would be treated as an act of war - a war in which the Klingon Empire would gleefully join forces with the Terran Empire to wipe out the Romulans in exchange for dividing the Romulan worlds between them.
There was only one way that Nero could see to prevent the Romulans of this universe from being annihilated. If he continued as he originally intended and destroyed Earth, the Terran Empire would be weakened enough that the Klingons would be highly likely throw their lot in with the Romulans to overthrow the rest of the Imperials worlds. Then he and the Narada would seek to make use of the red matter again to return to their own universe and retake up the fight against -
Nero froze then as another thought occurred to him and he raced back to Pike's side, demanding answers. Then he sat back, stunned.
This universe had a Narada as well, it seemed. One that had encountered the Kelvin much the same as his own had. Did that mean that if he was here that his Mirror counterpart was in the other universe? If so, would his universe even be recognizable to him once that Nero finished carving his path of destruction?
Shaking his head, Nero gave Pike a scowl as if he was somehow responsible for all of this. He made his decision - he wouldn't tell any of this to his men. It would only destroy morale to no good end. Moving to one of the Narada's comm units, he activated the unit.
"Nero to Engineering. Have the repairs to the drill platform been completed?"
"Not yet, Lord Nero. But we should be finished or close to it by the time we reach Earth."
"Excellent. Keep at it. Nero out."
Leaving Pike alone, Nero headed back for his Bridge. There was nothing else worthwhile to get out of the human. He could lie there on the table until he rotted.
Kirk and Sulu entered the Section Three room with their weapons drawn in case some hold was being used on McCoy that hadn't been apparent over the video feed. Hearing the doors open, all three men turned in near unison, but only McCoy broke out into a smile.
"Bones - to me."
The command puzzled McCoy, but he obeyed it without asking. Once McCoy was next to him, Kirk gestured to the other two.
"Who are they and where are they from?"
"Long story, Captain, but the short answer is that they came here from Delta Vega - icy little rock in the same system as Vulcan. The extremely wet guy is Montgomery Scott, Imperial Lieutenant Commander and the other gent is Selek. Jim, Selek's been aboard Nero's ship. He might be able to help us fight that thing."
When Kirk went quiet, McCoy always viewed that as a bad thing. Right now, Kirk was very, very quiet.
"You teleported in with them, Bones. I saw it on playback. How the hell did you end up on Delta Vega?"
"That's another long story, Jim - do we really have time for it now?"
"No. No, we don't."
Jim began talking faster, first pointing to Scott.
"You're an engineer?"
"Aye, sir - that I am."
"After you're dry and in uniform, I could use you in Engineering. We lost our Chief Engineer trying to save Vulcan."
Scott's eyes cut to McCoy, who reassured the hungry Engineer.
"Your meal card will be with your uniform, I promise. Everything but protein nibs."
That was obviously part of the long story, so Kirk put that aside for the moment as he turned to Selek/Spock.
"I want you to accompany me to the Bridge. Bones?"
There went the sudden silence again and this time it made McCoy's guts churn.
"What happened, Jim?"
"Sickbay took a direct hit from the Romulan ship. The Engineers are still working to clear it, but we haven't been able to contact anyone in the area."
Without waiting for an order, McCoy cursed and headed toward Sickbay. Kirk watched until he was out of sight. Spock. Spock had to have been the reason that McCoy was on Delta Vega. Was on Delta Vega when Sickbay was hit. Suddenly, the irony hit Kirk and he began laughing. Sulu gave Kirk an uncertain look.
"Captain?"
Still amused, Kirk put his phaser back away.
"It occurs to me that through what appears to have been his treachery, Mister Spock inadvertently saved Doctor McCoy's life. He must be having a massive case of indigestion by now."
Kirk noted that Selek seemed a bit disturbed by that comment, but attributed it to the fact that Selek likely knew Spock - or at least knew of him.
"Mister Sulu, when we reach the Bridge, work with our guest. I want as many details of Nero's ship diagrammed as he can remember. The Romulans have Pike. I want him back."
McCoy's heart was in his throat as he got his first sight of Sickbay. The engineers working on the area had managed to unblock the door and he headed inside despite the warnings that it wasn't safe in there.
"I know the damn equipment in there. Follow me in and help or stay out here and keep the hell out of my way."
Shoving everything but the medical professional inside him out of the way, McCoy began a rapid review of both equipment and people. When the Engineers saw what he was doing, they followed him and began obeying his crispy snapped orders without hesitation.
"We need to set up an auxiliary Sickbay until this area can be repaired. Lieutenant!"
"Yes, sir!"
"You know this ship better than I do. I need a room or a connected set of rooms where we can move the equipment that's still in working order so that I can start tending the injured. This, this and this can go to start with. The more we move out of the way, the more room we have to work here."
It quickly became an assembly line - some of the crew helping pass out equipment and supplies and some helping bring out the injured and dead. McCoy was grateful to find a blocked room where some of the nurses had fled for safety. Other than for bruising and minor cuts, they were unharmed - they just hadn't been able to free themselves. He immediately put them to work.
"Nurse Chapel, you're with me. Nurse H'laran and Nurse Lopez, following the lieutenant to the temporary Sickbay and help get things ready for use. Nurse Barrows and Nurse Channing, start triage on the ones we've already pulled out of here. Three categories only - dead - dying - viable with minimal intervention. Got it?"
The nurses all nodded and hurried to their assigned tasks. Chapel was the only one with a question.
"Has Doctor Puri given any orders?"
"I'll let you know when we find him. Check out that supply closet and send out everything that looks intact to the new Sickbay."
Glad to have something solid to do to take her mind off the destruction all around them, Chapel got to work, stopping when she heard what sounded like a pained intact of air by Doctor McCoy. She pulled out of the closet in time to see him drop down to his knees beside a body. She hurried over to see if she could help, but on closer look, it was obvious the man was far past the ability to be helped. It was Doctor Puri. His lifeless eyes were open and starting upward toward where the shard of metal had probably come from that was embedded in his skull.
Nurse Chapel had never considered that there might have been anything but the standard mentor relationship between Puri and McCoy, but even to her jaded eyes, it appeared that McCoy was sincerely mourning the passing of a man that he would have been expected to celebrate. Getting to his feet slowly, McCoy looked around and spotted an intact intercom. Moving over to it carefully, he activated it.
"McCoy to Bridge."
"Kirk here. What is the status?"
"I have already asked the Engineers here to assist in setting up the equipment that's still operational in a non-damaged area. So far, I have five nurses able to work, one doctor other than myself, but he's in need of treatment and three other nurses in similar condition to the doctor. Chief Medical Officer Puri is dead."
There was a long silence from the Bridge before Kirk responded.
"I need you to assume the CMO position, Bones. Do whatever you feel necessary to get a Sickbay up and running as quickly as possible. Anyone questions your orders, send them to me."
"Yes, Captain. Are you going after Nero?"
'Yes."
"Kill the bastard."
"I fully intend to. Kirk out."
Moving from the chair to where Sulu and Selek/Spock were working, Kirk took a look at what they had so far.
"We don't have a lot of time. Any idea where they might be holding Captain Pike?"
"Were I to make a guess, I would say that your Captain is most likely in this area. It is the same area that I was kept in until Nero stranded me on Delta Vega. My ship and it's supply of red matter is here. This is the area where Nero's bridge is located. If it would be useful knowledge, the Narada was built as a mining vessel."
"That explains the presence of that drill, but it doesn't explain his rampage."
"To be blunt, both Nero and I come from a future that is not even of this universe. Doctor McCoy can verify this for you. Nero's is taking revenge for an act that will not happen for more than a hundred years from your time - the destruction of Romulas in a supernova."
Kirk gave Selek/Spock a long, hard look.
"It probably doesn't say anything good about our circumstances when I say that's not the craziest thing I've ever heard. For the sake of argument before I verify anything with Bones, what would you suggest?"
"If you can get the Enterprise close enough to the Narada before the drill is activated, a strike force could beam aboard. Were I allowed to join that force, I could reclaim my ship and use it to destroy the drill probe when it is lowered. The remainder of the force could locate Captain Pike and beam back to the Enterprise."
A sudden flurry of activity at Chekov's station drew Kirk's attention and he moved closer. He had never seen that particular look on Chekov's face unless he was about to take a blade to flesh.
"Talk to me, Pavel - what are you thinking?"
"I do not know about the rest of his plans, Captain, but I believe I know how we could get close enough to try. If the Romulan takes the most direct route to Earth, then he will pass by Saturn on his way. The rings of Saturn distort sensor readings. If we are by the largest moon, the sensors will be unlikely to distnguish our ship from the moon's mass."
Kirk looked back to Selek/Spock.
"What you propose is asking me to trust you - not only with the lives of my crew, but with all the lives on Earth."
The actual question wasn't asked, but Selek/Spock answered it. The old Vulcan stood very straight and looked directly at the viewscreen as he spoke.
"Time has taken away from me all those who made my life rich. Nero stripped from me all that gave my life meaning. Doctor McCoy was correct - I do not desire more deaths on my conscience. I will do all in my power to prevent Nero from destroying Earth. If doing so means my death, I will welcome it as an old friend that I have put off seeing for far too long."
Silence held on the Bridge as Kirk also stared at the viewscreen. Then he snapped around to face Uhura.
"Contact Mister Scott in Engineering."
Uhura's mouth formed a question, but she didn't voice it, following orders exactly as stated. She was slightly surprised to be answered by a voice unknown to her.
~Scott here.~
"Scott, I need you to do whatever you did to the Delta Vega system to ours. We're taking the fight to the Narada and I want a way back off."
~Aye, sir. I'll get on it right away. Once you know who the teams are, I'll set the system to track them.~
"Excellent. Kirk out."
While Kirk had been speaking to Scott, Selek/Spock turned around, even though he was not at all sure that he wanted to see. There was the Spock of this universe, younger yes, but already with the goatee that Leonard had remarked on. Then their eyes met and both Vulcans stiffened slightly. Selek/Spock saw in the younger man many of the attributes that he had strove for in his own youth. Part of him wished he could return to the past of his own timeline, find his own Leonard and apologize to him now that he could see for himself what it was that Leonard had been trying to keep him from becoming.
After another brief glance toward Selek/Spock, Kirk gave a nod then drew the older Vulcan out of his thoughts when he spoke.
"Fine. Mister Chekov -get us into position by Saturn and do whatever you need to get us there ahead of Nero. Mister Sulu, take the conn. Mister Selek, with me."
A slight shudder passed through Selek/Spock as his body automatically fell into following behind this James Kirk the same as he had followed behind his own Kirk for so many years. As the turbolift doors shut behind them, Kirk gave the order for Sickbay as he continued to study the old Vulcan, wondering exactly what it was that seemed familiar about him. They couldn't have met before - he would have remembered running into a Vulcan this old.
The doors opened to a scene of organized chaos. Destruction was still everywhere, but some order had been carved out of it and, when he heard the voice ringing out over all of the others, Kirk gave a small chuckle. McCoy was a force in his own right whether he cared to admit it or not.
"Come on, people! We have a limited window here! Harvest everything useable from the dying. Concentrate the supplies we have on the ones that have a better than 75% chance of pulling through. M'benga! You go against an order of mine one more damn time and, doctor shortage or not, I will toss you out the damn airlock!"
"Must you be so brutal, Doctor?"
The soft voice of Selek/Spock reached McCoy and he turned around, his scrubs deeply stained with blood.
"I can be brutal and save the folks that have a fighting chance or I can play nice and watch everyone die, Selek. If it was the only choice he had, what would Leonard choose?"
Suspicious blue eyes were on McCoy as Kirk waited for Selek/Spock to answer. He heard a heavy sigh from beside him.
"Leonard would never stand by and let death occur while there was anything he could do to prevent it."
McCoy gave a curt nod, then looked around.
"Come on, Jim. The three of us need a quick chat where there aren't so damn many ears. Chapel! You know what I want - you're in charge while I'm gone. You have my full permission to make use of your blade if anyone gives you any lip."
The blonde gave him a silky smile.
"Yes, Doctor."
Once they were away from the group, McCoy gave a small stretch to relieve his back.
"Well, I guess I should start with introductions. Jim, this is Spock. Spock from a parallel universe and about a hundred or so years in the future."
He expected the incredulous look Kirk gave him.
"He initiated a mind meld, Jim. Rashea's taught me enough over the years that I did some looking. He's not insane - or if he is, he's the most orderly insane guy I've ever run into. And he's met versions of me and you - about, I would guess, ten to fifteen years older than we are right now. I believe you even referred to them as 'refreshing', didn't you. Spock?"
It was a fascinating thing for Kirk to see the older Spock's expression. He didn't believe he had ever seen a recognizable look of embarrassment on a Vulcan before.
"Had I the opportunity, I would apologize to my old friends for both that remark and many others as well, Doctor."
"Bones, this Spock thinks if he can get to his ship that he would be able to destroy the drill."
"He knows the capabilities of his ship better than any of us would, Jim. If he offered, I'd take him at his word. Only thing that's guaranteed is that if we don't do something, Earth is doomed."
"Fine. You're with us, Spock."
"Us?"
"I want you with me, Bones. There's no telling what condition Pike will be in - immediate attention might make all the difference. Is there anyone that you can trust to keep things going here?"
"Chapel. But if I'm off the ship, M'benga is likely to try and over-ride her."
"I'll take care of that. You go with Spock here and get him geared up. We need one more, but I want Chekov and Sulu both at the Helm ready to maneuver the ship in case something goes wrong."
"Uhura. She knows every dialect of Romulan there is. If something needs to be translated, nobody could do it faster."
A small smile began to form on Kirk's face. He was starting to see how this might actually work. And if a plan could possibly work, he could make it work.
"Agreed. Get moving. We have to be ready to go when Nero passes Saturn."
"Right, Jim."
Moving carefully around the debris, Kirk found Chapel and could see why McCoy had already taken a liking to her. She was giving orders and glaring with an attitude that screamed 'mess with me and you will regret it'. Kirk moved to the intercom, getting the attention of the whole ship.
"Attention all personnel. We are in an emergency situation and for the duration of this emergency, the following field promotions are in effect. Hikaru Sulu will assume position of First Officer. Christine Chapel will assume the position of assistant CMO. Any attempts to override their authority during this emergency will be viewed as mutiny and dealt with under Imperial law. That is all."
Moving close enough that only Chapel could hear him, Kirk spoke softly.
"He showed a lot of faith in your abilities. Don't screw up."
"I won't, sir."
It wasn't long before the team of four was assembled in the Transporter room, each dressed in body armor that resembled wet suits to a degree. Uhura had her hair done in a tight bun at the back of her head. Selek/Spock didn't seem particularly comfortable, but he wasn't lodging any complaints. Scott was there to man the controls himself since he had the best understanding of the adjustments he had made to fine tune the system. He handed each of them a band to slip around their left wrists.
"This will help me keep track of you. Here, Len - take this one for Captain Pike. Slip it on him as soon as you're able."
"Right, Scotty. Get us all back whole and I've got a bottle with your name on it."
"Don't be kidding a man that's been dry for over six months, Len."
"Not kidding and I'm not taking replicator crap either. The real thing."
"You have a deal, laddie. Going in won't be exact, but I'll get you into the area best I can."
Kirk looked over the three going with him - two known and one? Well, he was going to have to trust McCoy's guts on that one. McCoy's little sister was at stake. He wouldn't be putting her life into that Vulcan's hands unless he was sure.
"Phasers out. Take no prisoners, but don't go out of your way looking for Romulans. He gets his ship, we get Pike, we get the hell out. Everyone clear on that?"
All three responded positively as Kirk drew his own phaser and looked to Scott.
"Energize when ready, Mister Scott."
"Nero's ship is approaching our target zone. Energizing in three . . . two . . . one."
As the transporter effect faded, Selek/Spock immediately looked around to get his bearings as Kirk, Uhura and McCoy all scanned for the enemy. It unfortunately didn't take long to find them.
"Uhura! Go with him and make sure he gets to that ship!"
"Aye!"
Selek/Spock headed for where he knew the ship had been left with Uhura covering him, firing at the one Romulan that seems to be targeting them. Kirk and McCoy were exchanging fire with another pair when Kirk spotted the area Selek/Spock had spoken of.
"We need to make our way over there, Bones! It's likely where Pike is."
"Cover me, Jim. I'll make a break for it and then cover you from the door."
Rising up to make himself a more visible target, Kirk started shooting hard and fast. McCoy headed for the door, but fell when one shot from the Romulans connected. The armor protected him from severe injury, but as he scrambled for the door again after Kirk drew their attention again, he knew he'd be feeling that bruise for some time to come.
The relief he felt when he finally made the door was enormous and a glance inward confirmed that they were in the right place, but he couldn't go after Pike. Not yet. Positioning himself, a faint smile formed as one of the Romulans leaned out to get a better shot at Kirk. McCoy's shot from behind left a void where the Romulan's head had been. The second man didn't last long after that and Kirk hurried over to join McCoy.
Uhura was dealing with only one Romulan, but he had the advantage of knowing the Narada intimately. Still, despite a couple of close hits, Selek/Spock was unhurt and his ship was now in sight.
Entering that area must have alerted the Romulan to what was happening and his shots started coming faster, but not with any better aim. Eyes narrowing in annoyance, Uhura took a stance, allowing herself to be a better target in exchange for greater accuracy. Her gamble paid off and as Selek/Spock was re-entering his ship, the Romulan tumbled from his perch, dead.
Uhura darted over to the control panels and quickly read over the displays. Within minutes, she was typing in the sequence that released the Jellyfish from its moorings and then watched as it came to life and began to exit. As she headed back the way they'd come, she hit her communicator.
"November to Juliette. Sierra is away."
Kirk scowled at his communicator even as McCoy chuckled. Juliette? He owed her for that one.
"Return to Echo, November."
"Aye."
Uhura changed her setting slightly.
"Echo - bring me home."
Almost immediately, she felt the pull of the transporter effect even as she began to hear the shouts of approaching Romulans. Not a trace of her remanded by the time they reached the empty room.
"Lord Nero - the Vulcan's ship is gone."
"Go get the prisoner! Bring him to the Bridge at once!"
McCoy was working as quickly as he could to release the straps holding Pike and was nearing the end when the Captain finally started coming to.
"Wha? What are you doing here?"
The hoarseness of Pike's voice was painful to hear and he was barely audible.
"Retrieving you, sir."
Pike was unresisting as McCoy slipped the band over his hand. Kirk hit his communicator. The shouts he'd heard in the distance were getting closer.
"Now, Echo!"
Khoal and his team came into the area just in time to see the last of the transporter effect fade. This was one report he didn't want to make.
"Lord Nero - the prisoner has been taken."
The maddened roar from Nero made even the most seasoned of the Romulans flinch.
"Back to the Bridge! I want Earth to be nothing but a distant memory within the hour!"