Another Piece of the Action 26
Another challenge for the Green Hornet, his aide Kato, and their rolling arsenal the Black Beauty!
Another Piece of the Action
Prologue
It was one of those clear nights when the stars seemed to fill the sky from horizon to horizon. They glittered cool and hard in the chill night air. One star detached itself from the heavens and began falling to the earth. Suddenly it made a right hand turn.
The black car stopped without warning. No matter how much the starter grinded, the big engine under the long hood refused to turn over. The driver, a trim young man in a black chauffeur's uniform climbed out, raised the hood and bent down to check the engine. After several long minutes, the passenger, a tall man in a dark green overcoat joined the chauffeur under the hood. No amount of tinkering could bring the car back to life. The distasteful idea of calling for a ride back into town was increasingly becoming a definite possibility.
Suddenly overhead a brilliant light stabbed out, impaling the two men and the disabled vehicle, bleaching them into ghosts in shades of white and grey. A moment later the road was empty of men and car as if they had never existed.
Chapter One
The Sleepers
I
"Captain's personal log, Stardate 6667.9. We are en route to the Sigma Iotia system and are expecting to reach Sigma Iotia II in a few days. This is primarily a showing of the flag by visiting many of the planets that were introduced to the Federation through our explorations. It is interesting to see the changes that have happened in these five years of our mission. I am heartened to see that most of these changes have been for the better. I am looking forward to seeing whether or not the Federation contingent has been successful in helping the people of Iotia develop a more representative form of government than the chaotic mob run one that was present on our first visit.
At the end of the Enterprise's five year mission I am finding myself both excited by the challenges that will be brought about by my promotion to the Admiralty and saddened by fact that all too soon our tightly knit group will be broken up. No matter how much we may try, things will never be the same again."
"What is it?" Captain Kirk asked, watching a slender disc shape appear on the viewscreen. It was nearly invisible in the empty space between star systems. The disk's dark gray surface was pitted from innumerable meteorite strikes. As it slowly rotated on the screen, a dark jagged hole in its side became visible.
Mr. Spock straightened from over the science station. "Sensors show that it is a space vessel. Its conformation doesn't match any known ship, either Federation or non-Federation."
"It looks old," Kirk remarked.
"Without more information, I cannot say exactly how old it is, but the sensors indicate that it is approximately 300 years old."
Kirk watched the derelict for a few moments. They were due in to Iotia in a few days, but there wasn't any real rush. A day or so late shouldn't make a big difference. They could always make up any lost time by flying at a higher warp speed.
"Mr. Spock, notify Dr. McCoy to meet us in the transporter room in EVA gear in half an hour," he ordered.
Mr. Spock's slanted eyebrows rose in an unspoken question.
Kirk smiled, mischief gleaming in his hazel eyes. "I've always wanted to see what was inside a flying saucer."
Dr. McCoy clomped into the transporter room in a pair of heavy magnetic space boots. Like Kirk and Spock who were already there he was wearing a full EVA suit of silver metallic material. He held a heavy helmet under his arm. "Bad enough to go beaming in and out of places," he grumped, "but to have to wear a damn space suit as well . . . "
"An EVA suit is what is required in an airless vacuum, doctor," Mr. Spock remarked dryly.
"I know, but you would think they could manage to make these damn things a tad more comfortable, you know. Not that I can see any reason why I'm needed to explore some ancient derelict. It's not like there's going to be anybody, or anything that's going to be in need of my medical care."
"Perhaps doctor, that will be a point in their favor," Spock replied.
Kirk smiled to himself as he watched McCoy pull the helmet over his scowling face. He nodded to the transporter chief. Moments later the bright lights of the transporter room had been replaced by the freezing night within the derelict.
The beam of his flash joined those of Spock and McCoy. "I wonder what happened," he said. Odd shapes appeared then disappeared out of the darkness as the light passed over them. "It looks like we might be in their command center."
"Could be the galley for all I can tell," Dr. McCoy muttered. "Anything that was loose was blown out when it decompressed. It'll take a science survey team weeks to figure out what we have here."
"Captain," Mr. Spock said, frowning over his tricorder. "I seem to be picking up life signs."
"You're kidding," McCoy said, activating his own tricorder.
Spock glanced at the doctor, the raising of his eyebrows barely visible through his helmet's faceplate.
"Sorry. I forgot," McCoy said drily. "Vulcans never kid." He checked the readings in his tricorder, shook it a moment, then checked the readings again. "Spock's right. I'm picking up life signs too. They're too faint for me to tell what they might be though."
"From what direction?" Kirk asked.
"That'a way," McCoy answered, leading the way.
Through a maze of ramps and access tubes the three men wandered through the ancient ship. Occasionally Spock would stop, examine pieces of equipment with his tricorder, then with a grunt and a raised eyebrow continue on, following the tantalizing signal.
"What do you think?" Kirk asked him.
"There is not enough data yet, but much of the material we are encountering are containers of specimens from different planets. Much of it appears to be either plants or animals."
"Collectors for some kind of interplanetary zoo?" Kirk asked.
"There is not enough data to support that theory in the positive or the negative," Spock replied.
"I think I've found what we're looking for," interrupted McCoy from a few feet away from them.
"What is it?" Kirk asked, quickly coming to the doctor's side.
"Human, looks like."
"Human or humanoid?" Kirk asked, trying to peer through one of the two black pods that the doctor was running his tricorder over. Through the barely translucent surface he could see a body floating or imbedded on some kind of clear substance.
"Human, at least according to the readings. Everything's on the money for Earth-type. There's no evidence of the genetic drift you'd find in modern Earth colonies either."
"What about the other one?" Kirk asked, passing his flash's beam over the pod behind the doctor.
McCoy passed his tricorder's handset over it. "Same thing. Pure Earth-type human."
"Alive?"
McCoy nodded. "Yes. They're both in stasis."
"Suspended animation," Kirk murmured. "This isn't an Earth sleeper ship, is it?"
"No," Spock responded, joining the two men. "This ship is not of any known Earth type, modern or historical. It is also not of any planet that we know of. I believe I may have found the remains of one of the crew."
The three men knelt near a severely desiccated form wedged between some specimen crates. It had become mummified in the cold vacuum of space but its delicate frame was still evident, if not more so. Its wide mouth was a lipless slit beneath two slashes of nostrils and two huge empty orbits. No hair was visible on the triangular skull and the ears were mere holes on either side of the head. A silver body suit covered the figure's body including the long, thin legs and arms. Very long delicate fingers were splayed out, reaching, in its final moments of death.
"Do you think it might be one of the 'specimens' that got loose in the collision?" Kirk asked.
"I doubt it," Spock answered. "All of the specimen crates are securely fastened. I have not found any evidence of any of them having been breached. I also believe that the facilities that we have seen of this craft would be consist with a crew of a similar conformation."
"I think he means that this guy is probably one of the 'zoo keepers'," McCoy commented wryly.
"Doctor," Spock responded, "I do not think that the term 'zoo keeper' would be a valid name for this species."
Kirk shook his head, "Whatever, or whoever they might be can be argued about later. I'm more interested in if either of you can pick up any other life signs besides these two."
McCoy frowned over his tricorder, "Nope."
Spock made a few adjustments to his tricorder, "I concur."
"Well, glad to see you two can agree on something." Kirk flipped out his communicator. "We'll beam these two up and send in science survey crew to do a quick check to see what else we should take with us before we leave."
II
Captain Kirk glanced up from the duty roster he was going over. "Okay, Mr. Scott, did the landing party find anything interesting?"
The chief engineer's brown eyes glimmered with barely restrained delight, "Aye Captain, I have," he said in a warm Scottish brogue. "I envy the crew Starfleet will be sending out to examine the derelict. It'll take years to pry out all of her secrets." His smile broadened. "I have found meself a wee souvenir to take with us though."
"Oh? What kind of 'wee' souvenir?"
"An automobile."
"An automobile?" Kirk echoed, remembering with distaste his last experience with the recalcitrant mechanical beast the last time they were on Iotia.
"Aye, and she's a beauty too. Black as space itself and bigger than an Altairian royal van. I can't wait until I can get my hands on its internal combustion engine. I hope I can get it to run."
"Maybe our guests can help out with that," Doctor McCoy said, joining Scott beside Kirk's command chair.
"Are you seriously thinking of reviving them? I'd really rather not have another Khan on my hands if you don't mind," Kirk commented uneasily.
"I don't think you have to worry about that. While they're both fine specimens physically, they're nowhere the supermen that Khan and his crew were. Besides there's only the two of them."
"If you don't mind Doctor, I'd rather wait until we got into a Starbase until we wake them up. Besides, don't you think it might be better if we had a crew of psychologists and sociologists to help them deal with the shock of waking up after 300 years?"
"Normally I'd agree with you, Jim, but I don't think we're going to get the choice."
"Why's that? Do you think there's a chance we might lose them?"
"Hopefully nothing that drastic. At least I hope not, it's just I'm not crazy about the readings I'm getting on them. It could be a normal part of the suspended animation process that was used, but I'd like to be prepared if we have to wake them up."
"Okay, well, keep on an eye on the vitals and let me know if there's any change."
"I'll do that, but there's one other thing . . . " McCoy hesitated.
Catching the worry in the doctor's gruff voice, Kirk frowned. "I take it there's another reason you want to wake up our sleepers before we reach a Starbase?"
McCoy nodded. "Yeah, Crispin's heard about them and he's sounding real interested in them."
"How'd he hear about them?" Kirk growled.
"Our dear Ms Alicia Meyers told him about them. She told me that they're thinking that we should drop the Iotia run and head back to Starfleet headquarters in 'Frisco."
Kirk cursed under his breath. "Dammit, having that woman on board is almost as bad as if Crispin himself was on board."
"I know what you mean. If there's one thing I hate, it's politicians. Crispin's been making a lot of noise about taking Earth out of the Federation ever since he became one of Earth's representatives to the council."
Kirk nodded his agreement. "Crispin's out to prove that being in the Federation does Earth a lot more harm than good."
"And that's why he sent our dear Ms Meyers on this little fact-finding mission of hers. He's hoping she'll show that Starfleet, and the Federation along with it are nothing but an expensive waste," McCoy said, finishing Kirk's thought.
Kirk sighed, "So how do you thing our sleeper's might fit into Crispin's plans?"
"Damned if I know," the doctor admitted, "But I'm tending to think that whatever Crispin or Ms Meyers have in mind I'm going to do the exact opposite."
"So you're thinking it might be a good idea to wake them up now?"
"Tell me what would you prefer if you just woke up after 300 years of suspended animation. Waking up in a nice cozy starship like the Enterprise or waking up surrounded by politicians and publicists?"
Kirk grimaced at the thought. "All right, Bones, I see your point." He glanced at the chief engineer who had been listening silently to their conversation. "I take it Mr. Scott, you would enjoy meeting these men from the past as well?"
Scott grinned, "Aye Captain, anything that would put a bind in Mr. Crispin's knickers, I would."
"Mr. Spock," Kirk turned in his chair to address the Vulcan who was bent over his science station, "I take it you've heard our conversation."
"I have, Captain," Spock said, straightening to face Kirk.
"Do you agree with Dr. McCoy and Mr. Scott, here?"
"I do captain. I believe that it would be far better if those two men were awakened under the controlled conditions that the Enterprise could afford them. Even though I do have severe doubts about the good Doctor being the first person of our era to greet them, it would be far preferable to what they would encounter if they were returned to Earth and put into the hands of those who support Mr. Crispin's agenda."
"I think he means yes," McCoy growled.
Spock's right eyebrow rose. "I believe I did speak in the affirmative," he said.
"Man can't even use one word to say yes," McCoy muttered.
"Okay, gentlemen," Kirk broke in, "Mr. Spock, I want you to work with Dr. McCoy to find a way to wake up our sleepers. I also want you to have some people research the era these men might have come from as well as a psych-team to help them through the transition once we do wake them up. Mr. Scott, give whatever help Mr. Spock or Dr. McCoy needs. I also want you to work on that automobile."
Scott's grin widened, "Aye, Captain, that I will do."
"Mr. Scott, I want you to see if there's anything about it that can give us a clue about who our sleepers will be. Find out what kind of vehicle it might be and who would most likely use it. Anything that will give us a handle on how to best deal with them when they wake up."
Scott's grin dimmed, "Can I still see if I can make her run?"
"Yes, Mr. Scott, you may, just as long as you do not wind up tearing around the shuttle bay with it."
"Aye, Captain, you can count on me," Scott said, his grin returning as he headed for the turbo-lift.
"I think I'll get to work too," McCoy said starting for the turbo-lift.
"I shall join you as well, Doctor," Spock said, following McCoy.
Kirk heard the hiss of the turbo-lift as it closed behind him. At least now he had everybody occupied and could get back to running his ship in peace.
III
It was a few days before the call came, but when it did Kirk found that besides the medical staff, Dr. McCoy and Mr. Spock, Alicia Meyers was waiting for him in sickbay. There was no doubt the Alicia was a beautiful woman, no matter what planet you hailed from. The long blue silk dress she wore flowed over her slender figure like a waterfall. The two long slits that extended up past her hips showed soft turquoise linen leggings that complemented the curves of her impossibly long legs. Honey-colored hair hung behind her back in a thick braid entwined with strands of fresh-water pearls.
Despite himself, Kirk recalled how soft her unbound hair was when it had covered Alicia and himself during their lovemaking. She had come to his cabin several times until she had discovered that Kirk was content to remain in Starfleet and had no desire to further her political ambitions. Then she had stopped coming and had started on the rest of the command crew. She went through most of the Enterprise's officers in a similar fashion, finding none of them powerful enough or interesting enough to keep her attention for very long. She had even dallied with Dr. McCoy, until she had found out that his simple country doctor demeanor was genuine and not a cynical facade.
The only one Alicia did not approach was Mr. Spock, although Kirk wondered whether it was more to the fact that even she found his cold exterior far too frigid to melt, than to the fact that the pure-Earth movement would have frowned on sex with a half-Vulcan. Kirk had finally put a stop to it when he found Chekhov and Sulu at each other's throats over her.
"Good morning Captain," she murmured seductively as she moved gracefully to his side. It was quite a change after weeks of icy avoidance. Kirk wondered whether she thought sharing a bed with an unambitious Starfleet officer was better than sleeping in an empty one.
He noticed that she held a tiny holo- recorder in her delicate hands. "Ready to transmit our sleepers' first words to your boss?" he asked, a charming smile hiding the bite of his words.
An equally charming smile met his. "All of Earth should hear them. Not just an elite few on a starship."
"I don't know if their words are going to be very memorable," Dr. McCoy said breaking up the electrical moment. "These men have been asleep for around 300 years and encased in an organic goo to boot. I know if I wouldn't be up to making any speeches under the same circumstances."
"Captain," Spock said, "It might not be advisable for non-essential personnel to be present during this procedure."
"Are you suggesting that I should leave, Mr. Spock?" Alicia asked archly.
"I am merely suggesting that too many people may add to what will already be a stressful situation."
"Then surely, Mr. Spock, you should not be here either. Since I'm sure these men have never seen a Vulcan before, I would think that seeing an alien for the first time would be extremely stressful."
Spock nodded his agreement, "That is a logical assumption, however it is incorrect in this situation. As the Science Officer of the Enterprise, it is my duty to be present in order to observe the procedure as it is being conducted. I will, of course, take the necessary precautions so as to not alarm or add further stress to the subjects when they become conscious. You, Ms Meyers, I'm afraid would not be able to escape the subjects' notice."
"That's for damn sure," Dr. McCoy muttered under his breath.
Alicia glared sharply at the doctor.
"I'm sure Ms Meyers," Kirk quickly interrupted before she could say anything, "Will be content to observe from the sidelines and not get involved in what is going to be a very sensitive situation. Isn't that right, Alicia?"
Alicia bit off an angry retort, realizing that she would only be able remain on Kirk's say so. "Of course, Captain. The welfare of these gentlemen from the past is foremost in my mind," she answered sweetly.
Kirk nodded to McCoy, "Doctor, I think you can get started now."
"Good," McCoy answered. "Actually, we will be reviving only one of them right now. It's a lot easier to control things if we only have one person to worry about at a time."
"Which man will be first?" Alicia asked.
"We're going to revive the taller one first. His pod is in better shape than the other. I want to see first how things go with an undamaged one first," McCoy explained as he touched a number of controls on the console in front of him. "You'll notice that we have each pod in its own isolation chamber. In each chamber we have duplicated the same conditions that existed on the derelict since it was under those conditions that they remained stable for over 300 years. In the first chamber, the one that holds the first man we will be reviving, we are slowly bringing up the pressure, gravity and oxygen levels. Once they are at standard shipboard levels we will start waking him up."
Looking into the isolation chamber Kirk could see the pod resting on a medical bed. Above it was a standard medical monitor. So far the indicators rested slightly above the bottom of the gauge. In other words, alive, but barely. As he watched, the pod's surface began to clear until its occupant could be clearly seen. He was a well-muscled man, completely nude, with a deeply tanned complexion, dark, almost black hair and strong, regular features.
"Magnificent," Alicia breathed.
Kirk grimaced. That's not exactly the word he would have used. McCoy was right, he thought, feeling a little more reassured, while athletically built he was definitely not a superman like Khan.
Increasingly the fluid inside the pod thinned until it was completely gone, leaving the man resting on the surface of the medical bed. Then the pod itself began to thin until it was no more substantial than a soap bubble. Finally it was gone, leaving not even a damp spot on the chamber's floor.
The man's chest rose and fell slowly as if in a deep sleep. Kirk looked questioningly at McCoy.
"Respiration's detectable," McCoy supplied, checking the indicators on the console in front on him. The indicators were well above the zero mark, but still not at normal levels. "There's evidence of brainwave activity, mainly alpha..."
"Dreaming..." Alicia murmured. "I wonder what kind of dreams a person dreams when they're asleep for three centuries."
"How long until he's fully conscious?" Kirk asked.
"At this rate, maybe about an hour. Hard to tell. I guess the designers of these things figured the sleeper would be lot easier to handle if he regained consciousness slowly. At least it'll give us some time to run decontam."
"Decontam?" Alicia echoed.
"That is a necessary step," Spock supplied for the doctor. "He could very well harbor microorganisms for which our immunological systems have had no experience with. If you remember Earth history correctly the exposure of seemingly harmless microorganisms to an immunologically naive population can be extremely deadly."
"But couldn't we be dangerous to them for the same reasons?" Alicia asked.
"Definitely not," Spock responded. "All crew members and visitors to the Enterprise routinely go through decontamination procedures when they enter this ship. Of course, since the Enterprise's mission involves a great deal of planetary visits, we go through the same procedures when we go off ship as well as maintain immunizations against a wide variety of etiological agents."
"What Spock is trying to say," McCoy growled, "Is that he's more of a danger to us than we are to him. That's why we're running decontam. So you don't have to worry, we're no danger to him."
"At least not micro-biologically," Kirk muttered under his breath.
Alicia shot him a sharp look which he returned with what he hoped was a winning grin. "I'm sorry you didn't get to see anything exciting yet," he said to Alicia as he escorted her out of sick bay. "But don't worry, as soon as he comes around we'll let you know."
IV
It was much later when Kirk found himself again at McCoy's side in sick bay. Thankfully, this time Alicia was nowhere to be seen. Arms crossed against his chest McCoy glumly rocked on the balls of his feet as he watched on the remote screen in his office the dark haired man who was now clothed in the standard blue medical jumpsuit.
"What's wrong?" Kirk asked.
"Damned if I know. He's been conscious for some time, but instead of acting like I'd expect of somebody in his situation, he's playing possum."
"Playing possum?"
"Yeah. He's pretending he's asleep. It's like he's taking his time before he has to deal with us; like he wants to find out more about his situation before we know that he's awake." McCoy gaze sharpened as he watched the screen. "Well, there he goes..."
The man's eyes opened for a few minutes, obviously making sure the coast was clear. He cautiously sat up, again making sure there was no one around. Finally he slid off the bed. For a few moments he stood shakily next to the bed, fighting to get his balance back after the centuries long sleep.
McCoy moved toward the separating door, but found that Kirk had grasped his arm, stopping him in his tracks.
"Not yet," Kirk said, his eyes still on the monitor.
McCoy shrugged. "Don't blame me if he falls on his face and hurts himself," he growled.
Kirk shook his head. "I doubt that's going to happen," he commented, drawing the doctor back to the monitor.
True to the captain's words, the dark haired man had quickly found his balance. He moved surely around the room, critically observing everything around him. Kirk found it interesting that the man paid special attention to the walls surrounding him, going so far as to run his fingers around the featureless door that led out of the room. Obviously he was looking for some way out. Even more obviously the man seemed to suspect that he was being watched.
"He acts like he thinks he's a prisoner," Kirk commented.
"Yeah," McCoy agreed, "And he's damned calm about it too. Mighty strange behavior for a guy who's been asleep for three hundred years. Most people of his time would either be screaming about their rights and demanding to be let out, or sitting in the corner in a catatonic state."
"I don't think he's the kind of person to do that," Kirk said thoughtfully, "He's the kind of man who knows how to handle himself in an emergency. In fact if I was in the same situation I'd be doing the exact same thing."
McCoy's eyebrows lifted in interest, "So we've latched on somebody who is not quite your normal 20th century human being. Considering those rockets Scotty found on that car, I'd say our patient has had some experience with danger."
Kirk nodded his agreement. "I can't wait to meet him," he said, leading the way out of McCoy's office.
The first thing about the man that struck Kirk when he came into the room was the unusual color of his pale eyes. If anybody had asked him, he couldn't have said definitely what color they were. The moment he decided they were blue was the same moment he decided that they were green. It was like trying to describe the color of the Mediterranean Sea on a sunny day.
The next thing and the most important was the clear intelligence in those eyes and the way the man held himself. As soon as Kirk and McCoy entered the room he had assumed a stance of quiet readiness. He seemed to be watching them not only with his eyes and ears, but with his entire body. He was waiting to decide whether they presented a threat and how best to defend himself. Remembering the man's muscular build, Kirk had no doubt that the stranger was perfectly capable of defending himself.
Deciding to make the first move, Kirk presented his hand. "Welcome aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise," he said, "I am Captain James T. Kirk, and this is
Doctor Leonard McCoy."
The man's eyes swept around the room; with a frown he replied suspiciously, "This is not the Enterprise. I've been on it, and this is most definitely not an aircraft carrier."
Kirk smiled. "You're right this is not the Enterprise. At least not the one of your era. This is the United Federation Star Ship Enterprise."
"Starship?" the man echoed.
"Yes, we're several light years from earth and about three hundred years from your time," Kirk explained.
The man shook his head. "You don't expect me to believe that, do you?" he snapped. "C'mon, I've never seen anything that looks as cheesy as this," he answered indicating the room around him.
"Cheesy..."McCoy muttered.
Kirk placed a warning hand on the doctor's arm. "I can understand that you might find this all a bit bewildering," Kirk continued, even though bewildered is not how he would have described his attitude, "but this is indeed a real starship."
The man crossed his arms across his chest. Obviously he was not about to buy into what Kirk was telling him. "Where's my man?" he demanded.
His man, Kirk thought, interesting. He forced a reassuring smile, biting back a sharp remark about the stranger's high-handed attitude. Apparently he was used to being in command. "He's in the next room. We'll take you there." Kirk said with a nod to a fuming McCoy. "Doctor, if you'll lead the way," Kirk said pleasantly. "By the way, I didn't get your name," he added to the man who had not yet taken a step toward the door.
The man slightly rocked on his feet, a muscle tightened in his jaw as suspicion and indecision warred for a few minutes across his face. Finally he breathed out his name, "Britt Reid," he said in a tight voice as if identifying himself was the most dangerous thing he could do.
With McCoy in the lead, Kirk and Reid walked the short distance to the second isolation room. During the walk Reid remained silent in thought. Kirk reluctantly left him to his thoughts. He was brimming over with questions, but he knew that Reid still not believe that he was in space aboard a star ship. Outside of the all too natural reluctance to believe that one has slept away centuries there was another overriding reason for Reid not to believe the truth. After all, what kind of man uses a car equipped with rockets? Perhaps when he saw his "man" in the sleeper pod he would finally believe.
Kirk was to be disappointed. Even though Reid could see through the observation window that his man was encased in a sleeper pod, he still did not believe. "Impossible," Reid said, "It can't be."
"It is," Kirk said, "You were in a pod just like that one," he explained. "We found the two of you on board a derelict space ship."
Reid shook his head as he closed his eyes. "It can't be," he whispered.
"The ship had been holed, probably by a large meteor. There was an explosive decompression. It happened around three hundred years ago."
Staring into the isolation chamber, Reid pressed his hands up against the glass, as he rested his forehead against it. The awful truth was starting to dawn on him. "No," he protested quietly, "It's impossible."
"What do you remember?" McCoy gently asked Reid as he glanced at Kirk.
Reid sighed before answering. "I was hoping it was all a nightmare. A hoax, a trick or scam," he said.
"What happened?" McCoy asked.
"We were on a back road," Reid answered, his eyes locked on the pod in the isolation room. "We were heading home. It had been a long night. The car suddenly stopped. We couldn't get it running again. Then a very bright light surrounded us. It was blinding." Reid's voice died for a moment as he remembered. The past played itself out in his mind. "They were very short and bald. Their eyes were huge, but their mouths were tiny, only slits. They didn't have noses, just openings where a nose would have been. I couldn't move. I was paralyzed even though I could feel and see everything they did to me." Again his voice died out, the memory too painful to describe.
McCoy placed a comforting hand on the much taller man's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "The beings we found on the ship match your description. It looks like they might have been collecting specimens from the planets they visited," he explained.
"So was that what we were? Specimens? For what? A zoo?" Reid said bitterly, the fire coming back into his voice.
"We don't know," Kirk answered.
Reid turned toward the doctor. "How long will he be in there?" he asked.
"Maybe for the next few days," McCoy answered. "I want to make sure that you have no ill effects before we bring him out."
Reid glanced reflectively at the pod in the chamber. "You will let me be there when you wake him up?" he asked.
"Of course," McCoy answered. Then trying to lighten the mood, he added, "I'm sure everything is going to turn out fine."
"Yeah, sure," Reid answered doubtfully.
"Captain Kirk," interrupted Alicia's voice, "You should be ashamed of yourself."
Kirk groaned inwardly as he watched Alicia glide into the room. That's all I need now, he thought.
Alicia tilted her head charmingly as she regarded Reid, obviously liking what she was seeing. "I'm sooo glad that you've finally awakened."
"Uhh," Kirk began, thinking that he might as well get it over with, "Mr. Reid, Ms Alicia Meyers. Alicia, Mr. Britt Reid."
Alicia held out her hand delicately to Reid, which he took into his own hands, dwarfing hers. "I'm so glad to meet you," she breathed. "So what do you think of the 23rd century?"
"I haven't seen enough it to judge yet," Reid replied smoothly, seemingly beguiled by Alicia's charm, "but if you're representative of it, I may come to like it."
Alicia's smile widened as she preened under Reid's compliment, "I'm sure you will like it very much. Have you had a chance to tour the Enterprise yet?" she asked.
Reid shook his head, "No, I wanted to check on my friend's condition first."
"Of course," Alicia answered. She regarded the pod through the window, "Are you close?" she asked.
A shadow fell over Reid's face as he joined her gaze, "In many ways, yes. He works for me, but we're as close as brothers. We've been through a lot together. And now this..." Reid sighed thoughtfully.
Alicia grabbed Britt's arm, wrapping an arm possessively around his waist, "Don't worry," she said, "Dr. McCoy will take good care of him while I show you around the ship." She shot a look at the doctor, "Won't you, doctor?" she asked sweetly.
"Now, Alicia, I don't know if Mr. Reid is up to a tour yet," Kirk said. "Doctor, don't you have some tests you need to run?" he asked McCoy.
McCoy shook his head, "Not anything that can't wait. It might be a good idea for Mr. Reid to stretch his legs and get a good look at the Enterprise while he's at it." He grinned, oozing with Southern charm, "Besides I can't imagine a prettier tour guide."
"Spock?" Kirk asked the science officer.
Spock's eyebrow rose. "I agree with Doctor McCoy. Any tests that need to be done can be postponed until a later time. I believe that Ms Meyers' presence would be most beneficial in helping Mr. Reid adjust to our era."
McCoy muttered, "Wasn't that what I just said?"
Kirk glanced at Spock and McCoy. "I guess we're in agreement then," he said to Alicia, "I hope you have a good time."
Alicia pressed closer to Reid, "Don't worry we will." Her eyes speculatively slid up and down his tall frame. "But first we must find something for you to wear," she said to him, "We absolutely cannot have you looking like an escapee from sick bay."
Kirk turned to Spock and McCoy after the doors had swooshed closed behind Alicia and Reid. "You think it's a good idea to leave him alone with her?" he asked them.
"I do not think Ms Meyers is a threat to Mr. Reid's well-being," Spock replied.
"What about you doctor? I thought you were concerned about her getting her hooks into our sleepers."
"I still am," McCoy replied, "I think it's more important that we keep Mr. Reid busy. I don't much like the looks of his friend's pod. I don't want to alarm him yet, so the longer we keep his mind off things the better."
"Are you thinking that we might lose the other one?" Kirk asked.
"No, at least I hope not. But I'm starting to think it might be better if we can wait until we get to better medical facilities at a Starbase. That's going to be at least two weeks including our visit to Iotia. I'd rather Reid was occupied with something else instead of worrying about his friend's condition."
"I concur," Spock replied, "I believe that the sooner Mr. Reid becomes acclimated to our century the better it will be for his psychological health."
"I see, so you both think that Mr. Reid will be okay with Ms Meyers," Kirk replied. Spock and McCoy nodded their agreement. "Okay then, Mr. Spock, I have an assignment for you. Now that we have a name, I want you to do some research. I want to find out who he is and why in the world does he have a rocket-equipped car. There's something odd about that man and I want to find out what that is."
V
Inside the Enterprise's engine room Britt listened politely as chief engineer Commander Scott explained the complexities of dilithium crystals and warp engines. Although the huge ship was not powered by anything even remotely related to late 20th century technology, Britt could still sense power that was capable of moving the ship rapidly through unimaginable distances. The very air itself vibrated around him with that power, he could even swear that he could hear the thrum of mighty engines even though they had no mechanical moving parts like those of his own time.
"Thank you, Mr. Scott," Alicia said, breaking through the Scotsman's monologue, "I'm sure Mr. Reid is finding this so very fascinating, but we must really be going."
"Aye, Ms Meyers," Scott replied in embarrassment, "I'm sorry. Forgive me, I dinna realize that I was going on so long." A crooked grin appeared on the Scotsman's face. "I'm afraid when I start talking about the Enterprise, I find I canna stop."
"It's obvious that you're very proud of this ship," Britt commented. "From what I see, you have every right to be so," he added.
"Thank ye," Scott replied. "That reminds me of that vehicle we found in the derelict. I've been meaning to ask you about it."
"The car?" Britt asked.
"Aye, the black car. Tis armed to the teeth, we've been wondering why."
"Oh that," Britt answered too quickly, "It's nothing really. It's just a stunt car. We were just, ah, trying it out for a friend of mine. It was for a movie he was working on."
"I see," Scott said, "It looks mighty realistic to me, but I guess that's the way they made films in your time, them not having the technology we have today."
"Yes, exactly. You really shouldn't bother with it. It's too old for you to trouble with."
"Perhaps she is old," Scott replied, "but I enjoy working on old things, especially those old internal combustion engines. It's gives me great pleasure to make them like purr like a kitten again."
"Oh course," Brit replied, "but surely you have something more important to do with your time."
"Tis nothing, Mr. Reid. To tell ye tha truth I'd rather be working on an engine, any engine, than be sittin on tha bridge. For tha Captain and Mr. Spock that might be fine, but here," Scott said, proudly pointing about the engine room, "this is where I belong."
"I sure you do," Britt said, "but don't waste any effort on that car." A rough edge appeared in his voice. "It's nothing but a piece of junk," he continued bitterly, "You should have left it on that derelict. That's where it belongs." As much as he wanted to, he didn't add that he wished he had been left there as well.
Scott's face fell in dismay. "I'm sorry that ye feel that way."
Alicia wrapped an arm around Britt. "Don't worry about it, Mr. Scott," she said, "I think it's just that the suddenness of waking up in another era is catching up with Mr. Reid." She turned to Britt with a concerned look on her face.
"Oh course, Miss Meyers," Britt replied, "That must be what it is."
"Aye," Scott said, "I've gone on too much. I hope we will have a chance to talk later when you've had some time to adjust."
"I'm sure we will," Britt replied as he followed Alicia out of Engineering.
"I'm sorry, Britt," Alicia said once they were out in the corridor, "I'm afraid Mr. Scott tends to prattle on."
"That's all right," Britt answered, "Like you said, I just need time to adjust."
"Right," Alicia agreed. "By the way how are you finding the 23rd century so far?" she asked.
"I find it very interesting," Britt began thoughtfully.
"We've come a very long way since your time. There's been a lot of progress technologically. You must find the very thought of interstellar travel mind-boggling."
"That's not what I find so interesting," Britt said, "That's been gone over ad infinitum in science fiction. I would have been more surprised if we hadn't achieved space travel by the 23rd century."
"What do you find so interesting then?"
"The people. Look around you. There are men and women of all races, hell, species working together peacefully on this ship. In my time the world was an armed camp. The only thing that prevented a major war was the threat of mutual nuclear annihilation. Instead we were fighting half-heartedly in a bunch of minor wars that were bleeding us dry spiritually as a nation. Everywhere you looked there were riots between races, between generations, between sexes. I'm surprised that earth hadn't blown itself apart by now."
"We came close," Alicia admitted, "but we were lucky enough to escape that fate, however..."
"However?"
"You noticed that we do have aliens on this ship..."
"Yes..."
"It's that way on Earth too."
"And is that bad?"
"Yes, it is. We're losing our identity as a world. A lot of our young people abandon the Earth to be lost forever to alien worlds and in return we get all sorts of strange aliens. Creatures who have no respect for our ways, for our traditions. Worse than that is the fact that earth blood is being mixed with alien. Look at Mr. Spock. He's half-human, but did he choose to honor his human half? No, he has totally rejected his human side in favor of the alien Vulcan side. It's wrong, but it's happening all over Earth, not just on this ship but everywhere you go on Earth. People are forsaking their human heritage in favor of the alien.
"We should be the first among worlds in the Federation, but instead we're just one voice among many. That's not the way it should be. We have the greatness for so much, much more," she said passionately. "That's why we need you, I need you," she continued. "You will show the people of Earth the best of their heritage. You will help me make the people of Earth proud of what they are."
Britt nodded thoughtfully. "Does Captain Kirk know you feel this way?" he asked.
"He does," Alicia said with a frown, "I thought he would help me, but he has been in space too long. He's lost all emotional contact with Earth. Sometimes he seems to be more alien than the aliens themselves."
"So you want to use me to further your political ends," Britt asked evenly, carefully watching for Alicia's reaction.
Lost in her own vision of greatness, Alicia did not at first notice Britt's coolness. "Yes," she began, then corrected herself realizing that he was not sharing her enthusiasm. "No. Not use you. I want your help. I need you to help me get Earth out of the Federation and take full control of Starfleet. I need your help to set things right."
"I see," Britt murmured quietly.
Alicia caught herself, quickly changing tack, "I'm sorry, Britt, I didn't mean to do overboard like this. You must think I'm some terrible jingoist. All I want is what is best for my people. Surely you understand that."
"Of course, we all want what's best for everyone," Britt answered.
Alicia smiled at him. "Actually I'm impressed by how well you're adjusting to everything. I don't think that I would have adjusted to things as well as you have. Are you always in the habit of landing on your feet, no matter what life throws at you?"
"Not always, but in this case I think it's because I don't quite believe this is real," Britt answered.
"So do you think this is all a dream?" she asked.
"Maybe," Britt thoughtfully answered. "Maybe I'll wake up and find out that this was all a bad dream caused by too much spicy food the night before. Or maybe...," he hesitated.
"Or what?" Alicia asked.
"Or it could some elaborate trick."
"A trick?" Alicia retorted, "How can you even think that? After all that I have shown you. There is no way that these things could be faked by someone of your time."
"Miss Meyers, things are not that primitive in my time. You'd be surprised what can be done with a bit of paint, glitter, and some plywood."
"So do you think this is just a bunch of plywood," Alicia answered gesturing at the walls around them. Do you think that we're just a bunch of actors. Why would anyone go to such extremes to convince you that you are on a starship?"
"I don't know," Britt answered. "That's what I keep on trying to figure out. Maybe this is some kind of publicity stunt or some kind of hoax."
"And who are you that someone would want you to believe that you're in the future on a starship?"
"I own a very influential newspaper and television station," Britt explained, "People trust what I print in my paper and air on my station. Perhaps this is all some kind of attempt to defraud people. It's happened to me before. I didn't believe it before, and I have no intention of believing anything until I have irrefutable proof."
"It looked like you were convinced in sick bay," Alicia reminded Britt.
Britt sighed. "I was, but now... I don't know."
"Maybe it's easier for you not to believe," Alicia said thoughtfully.
"Maybe you're right. Maybe it's better to think that all of my friends are still alive, that I still have something to go back to than to consider that I have been cast adrift without anything to my name; that all of my knowledge, all of my skills, that I myself have suddenly become obsolete in what is to me overnight."
"Britt," Alicia answered, "You are far from obsolete. Your life still has meaning." She gazed into his eyes. "I will bring meaning into your life." She pressed her lips against his. For a moment he tensed than returned her kiss as his hands pulled her closer to him.
