Title: The Real Thing

Author: Wildcat

Series: TOS

Rating: K+

Codes: S/U, Kirk

Summary: Kirk, Spock, and Uhura reencounter their old friend the Squire of Gothos, who takes them back to one of the most violent periods in the history of Earth.

Disclaimer: Paramount owns Kirk, Spock, Uhura, and company. I have just borrowed them for a while and will not profit from any of this.

Although this story is part of my Spock/Uhura universe, it is intended to stand alone. If you want to place it in the timeline, it takes place between A Roll of the Dice and The Most Forgiven.

Thanks go to Jungle Kitty, my New York City tour guide, to Suzie for her terrific idea, and to ebonbird for her comments.

This story won 3rd place for "Best S/U" in the 2000 Golden O Awards.

Feedback is desired.

The Real Thing, chapter 1

Comfortably ensconced in the center chair, Captain Kirk sipped his coffee as he thumbed forward to the next report on his padd. The Enterprise was on routine passage through a featureless area of space, and he found that his biggest challenge at the moment consisted of simply trying to stay alert. He could also tell by the silence surrounding him that his crew was every bit as underwhelmed by the inactivity as he was. As a matter of fact, the only two people who seemed to be enjoying themselves were Spock and Uhura, who sat at the communications station trying to track down an insignificant glitch in one of Uhura's diagnostic routines.

Kirk grinned as he glanced in their direction. While debugging communications might not be his idea of fun, Spock and Uhura obviously relished any chance to work together, no matter how tedious the task. As a matter of fact, even after four years of marriage and countless more years of friendship, they had clearly never tired of the professional aspects of their partnership. It was interesting that he, Kirk, had once worried about the complications of fraternization. If anything, their contentment had rubbed off on everyone around them, and the smooth functioning of the command crew had only been enhanced.

His musings were interrupted by Chekov's puzzled voice.

"Captain? Sensors are detecting what appears to be a planetary body ahead."

Kirk put down his coffee and moved over behind Chekov. "How could that be? Our charts show that this area of space is nothing more than a wasteland."

"I cannot explain, Captain, but there it is."

"Affirmed." Back at the science station, Spock leaned over his viewer. "Iron silica body, magnitude 1E. It is inconceivable that this body has gone unnoted on all of our records..."

Spock's voice trailed off, and when he turned to meet Kirk's eyes, Kirk caught his breath at the realization that he'd heard those words before. That was exactly what Spock had said when they encountered another planet floating unexpectedly in barren space almost twenty-five years ago.

Kirk frowned. "It couldn't be—"

"Ah, yes, my dear Captain, but it very well could! After all this time, we meet again."

Turning sharply at the foppish voice, Kirk curled his hands into fists when he saw that they had an uninvited visitor on the bridge.

"Trelane."

"In the flesh! So to speak." The dark-haired man giggled. "I am so very touched that you remember me. But then again, we had quite an adventure, you and I. It is such a pity that my parents interrupted us."

Kirk felt Spock's presence by his side. "It would appear that Trelane has updated his costume," Spock muttered.

Trelane lifted his arms, posing in the crisply tailored green jacket and trousers. "Very good, Mr. Spock! I see that you recognize my uniform. Smashing, isn't it? It comes from a period in Earth history that is infinitely more interesting than the one I was studying before. Such a bloody and cruel time, it almost sent your human friends back to another dark age. Wonderfully entertaining, really, the killing and maiming, the fight for supremacy. I'm utterly captivated by it all."

"What do you want, Trelane?" demanded Kirk.

"Oh, how I love your violent tone. It serves so well to illustrate your predatory inclinations." Trelane smiled charmingly. "I've had a long time to think about what you told me when we met before. Do you remember? You said that the real thing is much better than make-believe, and you were so right! Why, I have never felt more alive than I did when I was chasing you. The thrill of pursuit, the excitement of bloodlust. I've taken your words to heart, and I have the most heavenly idea."

Filled with foreboding, Kirk took a deep breath. "Trelane, leave my bridge. Now. You're an intruder, and we want no part of whatever you have planned."

"Oh, pish posh. You'll change your mind once the fun starts. You're coming with me, and I won't take no for an answer."

Trelane waved his hand, and suddenly Kirk found himself attired in a tunic and trousers from the same era as Trelane's uniform. Looking to his side, he saw that Spock wore a similar outfit.

Trelane turned his gaze toward Uhura. "Ah, Sheba, the beautiful Nubian prize. I think you should join our little outing, too. There!"

Uhura sat back in bewilderment as her uniform was replaced by the same loose-fitting attire, except that she also wore a lightweight jacket that Kirk recognized as having been fashionable long ago.

"Trelane—"

Before Kirk could continue, Trelane cried, "Tally ho! Let the adventure begin!"

With a flash, Kirk found himself standing on a sidewalk in the middle of a bustling city. Ground vehicles whizzed past, and a single air vehicle could be glimpsed between the tall, crowded buildings. He could even fancy that he felt the ground shake as subterranean trains roared through the tunnels he assumed existed beneath his feet.

Trelane lifted his arms and shouted, "Marvelous!"

Moving close, Uhura whispered, "Where are we?"

"I'm not sure, but I think that I have a pretty good idea," replied Kirk. "New York City, right?"

Spock nodded. "Specifically, Manhattan. Note the street signs describing various local attractions. Judging by Trelane's summary of the period as well as his attire, I would assume that the year is 2035. Nyota, may I have your sash?"

"Sure."

She pulled the strip of soft, brown fabric out of the loops on the back of her jacket and handed it to Spock, who promptly tied it around his head.

Looking at the sky, Kirk said, "Colonel Green is probably up on the moon right now, amassing his forces and fine-tuning his weapons. In Europe, the economy is just poised to crash. Opposing armies in Asia are wiping out each other and anyone who gets in their way. A cartel in Africa is plotting world dominance. And just west of here, two so-called eugenics research facilities are being prepared for the internment and eventual murder of over a million people."

"Oh, my God." Uhura's voice was hushed. "World War III. And we're right here where it all began."

"Exactly," said Spock. "Since Trelane evidently brought us here for the purpose of witnessing Colonel Green's destruction of the city, I would suggest that we leave the vicinity as quickly as possible—"

"Too late! Too late!" Trelane clapped his hands gleefully. "Oh, I'm so good! I timed it perfectly!"

Kirk realized that an ominous, almost subsonic rumble was beginning to fill the air, causing the busy pedestrians to stop in confusion. He knew exactly what was about to happen, so he turned Uhura roughly toward a nearby subway tunnel just as the shadows began to fall over the city. Not even bothering to look up at the immense ships blocking the sun, he shouted, "Run! Quick, find shelter!"

Suddenly, a blinding red bolt streamed down from the sky. A nearby building exploded into a shower of fiery debris as the top two-thirds were crudely vaporized, and the crowd erupted into a screaming panic. People surged in every direction, and Kirk held onto Uhura's arm with all of his might as they struggled to reach the subway. Although he knew from historical records that this was the period of Earth's greatest overpopulation, nothing prepared him for the hordes of people streaming from the buildings to the streets.

He kept his eyes on his destination as he heard another building explode, and another, and another, but he knew that for every three steps they managed to move forward, the multitudes swarming up from the subway pushed them back two again. People were falling all around them, some struck down by the debris, others simply trampled by the mob. He almost ran into Uhura as she recoiled, and he realized a moment later that she had dodged a bloody, unidentifiable body part that had rained down from above. Instead of resuming her forward motion, however, she stopped in her tracks, her eyes big as she looked wildly over his shoulder.

"Where's Spock?"

"What?" He leaned close, buffeted mercilessly by the ebb and flow of the mob as he tried to retain his grip on her arm.

"Where's Spock? I thought that he was right behind you!"

Kirk whipped around and searched the crowd. Instead of finding Spock, he saw Trelane, standing frozen in the midst of the chaos. The former Squire of Gothos, so imperious and smug before, was obviously terrified by the realities of war.

"Trelane!" Kirk shouted. "Get us out of this!"

"No." Trelane took a step back, cowering. "No. This isn't what I expected."

"TRELANE! Take us back!"

Trelane wailed, "I can't! I can't! Nothing is working!"

Kirk turned away in disgust, understanding that he and Uhura were on their own. Quickly scanning the area, he pointed at a nearby building. "See that high, decorative railing? Can you make it over there?"

"Yes, I think so."

Pushing her way through the crowd, she moved toward the building. It seemed to take forever, but finally they were able to scramble up the heavy iron bars of the railing.

Uhura frantically scanned the crowd. "Do you see him?"

"No."

Kirk realized that the air attack had ceased when a new sound began to ring in the air, the concerted marching of heavy, booted feet. Pushing down a frisson of terror, he shouted, "Spock!"

Uhura joined in. "Spock! Spock!"

A line of huge transport vehicles lumbered around the corner, and as he watched, uniformed troops came from the other direction and began herding the masses of people toward the vehicles. The people seemed almost relieved to find shelter from the devastation of the air attack, but Kirk knew better.

His heart leaping into his throat, he gasped, "Oh, my. Uhura, we have to go!"

"But Captain, we need to find Spock!"

"Spock can take care of himself, but if we don't leave, we'll be taken away and we'll never see him again. Go, Commander! Now!"

Taking one last quick look around the area, she reluctantly climbed down from her perch. The instant she hit the ground, Kirk grabbed her arm and dragged her away, and soon they were running for all they were worth with Trelane at their heels. Smoke streamed from the destroyed buildings, but they rushed toward the flames instead of away; the burning city was their sanctuary, for the troops surely couldn't be bothered with the few stragglers who were foolish enough not to flee the fires.

Just as the three of them slipped into the ruins, Kirk heard the first of the transport vehicles rumble away.

The genetic purge had begun.

...

Spock sat on the floor of the vehicle and ran his hand through his hair, verifying that the blow to his head had not actually broken the skin. Although he could hardly consider himself fortunate to have been stunned by the falling debris, he knew that it would have been disastrous had he begun bleeding. Many people of this era were receptive to the concept of intelligent life on other planets, but the period was also highly unstable, with suspicions and paranoia running high. Presented with an actual extraterrestrial, the decent, average citizens who shared this vehicle with him would react in an unpredictable manner, one that would most likely result in an unacceptable fate for the extraterrestrial in question.

At least Jim and Nyota had managed to flee the troops. Momentarily dazed, Spock had not been able to avoid being separated from them as the panic-stricken crowd swept him away. He had quickly regained his strength, but by then it was too late. Three burly soldiers overpowered him, forcing him into one of the vehicles. At the last moment, he had looked up to see Jim and Nyota jump down from their perch atop the fence and run, and even though the slamming of the door obscured his vision, he knew that they were safe.

Now it was up to him to devise a method of escape so he could rejoin them.

...

Holding her side, Uhura stumbled to a stop beside Kirk. They were both too breathless to speak at first, but finally he asked, "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she gasped.

Trelane staggered up behind them. He had whimpered and complained throughout their entire flight, and she was already sick of him.

"You were running too fast!" he whined. "Next time, wait for me."

She raised an eyebrow at the look Kirk gave him, but instead of commenting, the captain gestured toward the remains of a nearby building. "Here, let's sit down by this wall. It looks sturdy enough that it won't fall over on us."

Trelane scowled. "But it's dirty down there."

Uhura slumped by the wall and covered her face. Trying to slow her racing heart, she said, "I've seen the history vids and read the accounts of the first strike, but this is more horrible than anything I could have imagined. Have you noticed that there's almost no one left? Not even any wounded. They're just all... gone."

Trelane perked up slightly. "Ah yes, my dear Sheba. You're so right. The historical reports didn't do it justice! You know, for a brief moment, I actually experienced terror. How exhilarating. How real."

Ignoring him, Kirk wiped the perspiration away from his eyes. "Colonel Green was experimenting with a very early prototype of the phaser. It might have been crude, but it was effective. In a heartbeat, he managed to obliterate New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto, Dallas, Fort Knox... After that, he held all of North America hostage to his reign of terror." He faced Trelane. "Explain to me why you can't get us out of this mess."

Trelane shrugged. "You expect so much of me, Captain. Remember that I'm only a beginner. Why, I think I did very well to accomplish this much."

"If you can't take us back, then what about your parents?"

Leaning close, Trelane whispered, "I ran away. They had so many rules. Be nice to your pets, mind your manners, study your lessons. I decided that I just couldn't tolerate it for another moment. They're probably worried sick about me right now! They have no idea where I went."

"Then snap your fingers and take us to Spock."

"I'm too far from my power source. I'm afraid that I'm completely helpless, just like you." He sounded anything but regretful.

Kirk pressed his lips together, but finally turned away from Trelane. Everyone was silent for a long moment, and she could tell from Kirk's expression that he was worried about Spock, just as she was.

"I hope he can find us," she said.

"We'll give the troops time to leave, then we'll go back to where we last saw him. There are so few survivors left that it should be easy for us to locate each other as long as he's not..." Kirk looked away without completing his sentence.

"Dead? He's not dead, Captain," she said gently. "He's a little dazed, but he's alive and well. He's also very concerned about us."

"Really? Can you tell what happened to him?"

"No. I think that he was injured somehow, but it's not serious enough that he's impeded by it. I do believe that he's no longer in the city."

"Just who are you talking about?" asked Trelane impatiently. "Surely not that Spock fellow."

"Yes," Kirk snarled, finally expressing his frustration. "We're talking about that Spock fellow. Why the hell not?"

"Because you seem so worried about him. Why, he's not even human. The charming Sheba speaks as if you actually care about him."

"Damn it!" Uhura snapped. "My name is Nyota. Nyota Uhura. And of course we care about him! He's my husband, for God's sake, but even if he wasn't, we wouldn't think less of him just because he's not human." She stuck her finger in his face. "Your problem is that you have no feelings for anyone other than yourself. We're not like you, so you don't see us as beings who deserve decent treatment! Just sit there and shut up. If you can't help us, I don't want to hear another word from you."

"But my dear—"

"Shut up! I mean it."

Uhura glared at him for a moment, and when she turned back to Kirk, she saw that he was actually smiling for the first time since this all began.

He took a deep breath and became serious again. "Did they take Spock to an internment camp?"

"I don't think so. I'm not sure." Uhura concentrated. "But I know he's very uneasy about his situation."

"Can you tell him where we are? Tell him how he can find us?"

"Oh, Captain, it doesn't work that way. It's not like we have communicators implanted in our heads. I've learned to read him well enough to know when he's sleeping or when he's unwell, and to discern his general state of mind, but that's about it. Of course, he's better at reading me, but it's not like I can actually send him a message."

"Well, I didn't think so, but it was worth a try." He stood and surveyed his surroundings. "Our first order of business is survival. We're going to have to be extremely careful entering any buildings that are still standing, but we should be able to find some food. Also, if I remember my history lessons correctly, the date is October 12th and it'll get cool in the evenings. We'll need to look for blankets and shelter, too."

"Yes, sir."

Trelane didn't respond, so Kirk turned to him. "Mr. Trelane, as of this moment, you can either come with us and consider yourself under my command, or you can sit here by yourself and rot. It's your choice."

Trelane looked up balefully. "You are no fun at all, Captain. Very well, I'll play soldier with you, but I'm the one with the general's uniform. It's no fair that you get to be the boss."

Kirk shook his head with distaste before helping Uhura to her feet. She smiled briefly in thanks, then looked up at the heavens. Even though the smoke had begun to clear, the sky was not growing any brighter. Clearly, nightfall was not far away. She tried to take courage from her own confident words. Spock was alive and well, and would soon be on his way back from... wherever. Wherever he was.

As she fell into step beside Kirk, she said a quick, silent little prayer that they would remain safe—all of them—until they were reunited.

End chapter 1