Author's Note: You'll notice a few minor changes to this first chapter, I promise it;'s all for the better! This is a twisted love story with a few songs thrown in, cause I'm a nut like that. I'm not all that sure about the title so any suggestions are greatly appreciated! Don't forget to review!
Disclaimer: If i owned Star Trek, let's face it, the story would be a lot different!
Time Twist
Ch1
Lara looked around the lush spa. She had never been here before; her mother swore this place was a piece of heaven and could often be found here. The clerk smiled politely as Lara handed in her gift certificate.
"First time?" she asked kindly. Lara nodded. The clerk handed her a soft terrycloth robe. "You can put this on in there, our masseuse prefers you bare, but if you are uncomfortable doing that, it's quite all right to leave your underwear on. Did you bring an IPOD with you?" Again Lara nodded. "Good. After you're ready, you can either let the music flow through the room or use ear-buds to relax. Any questions dearie?" Lara shook her head. The clerk continued to smile and motion her towards the dressing rooms.
Once Lara was dressed in the robe, she was quickly led to a massage room. Her masseuse had her lay on the table and take off her robe. A towel was placed on her rear. Turning her IPOD on Lara closed her eyes and let the music and the masseuse, relax away her tension. A tingling sensation flowed through her body; she opened her eyes and looked at her masseuse. The masseuse had a look of utter horror on her face as light rings engulfed Lara. The room around her disappeared replaced by a very white room. As she was registering the change, she started to fall, the towel and her IPOD falling to the side. She hit the cold floor and looked up, the table she had been on was gone; this room was a completely different. Where her masseuse had stood now stood four men in strange cloths; Lara screamed.
~OOO~
Spock and Kirk entered one of the engineering labs to find Scotty and Chekov arguing over a set of controls.
"Lad, I'm telling you it isn't going to work. The science isn't there." Scotty called.
"But vis vill vork. Trust me." Chekov hit the transport button before another word could be said. The plant that had been sitting on the transporter pad disappeared. But on reentry, a girl appeared, clad only in a towel; she hovered for a moment then fell. The girl looked around confused and screamed when she saw the Starfleet officers. Kirk quickly grabbed the towel and tried to hand it to the girl, but she had fainted.
"I'm not sure what experiments you two were trying but from my experience, women like to be clothed when they meet new people." Kirk half joked as he wrapped the girl in the towel and picked her up. "Spock, why don't you get caught up to speed while I take our guest to medical."
"Yes captain."
Kirk felt rather lucky as he walked toward medical. Very few crew saw him, it would be hard to explain why he was carrying a mostly naked, unconscious girl around. Entering medical he looked straight at McCoy.
"Bones, we have a small situation here." McCoy turned in his seat and stared.
"I'm not sure what kind of med bay you think I run, Jim, but I generally want my patients dressed."
"Scotty and Chekov were running some sort of experiment and transported her aboard like this." Kirk put the girl on a bed.
"I'll give her a once over, make sure everything's fine. And get her a uniform."
"Thanks Bones. Also see if she can tell you what this is." Kirk handed him the IPOD.
~OOO~
Lara woke slowly. It had to be a dream, she had never been to a spa before so her mind of course would come up with some crazy dream ending with her naked in a weird place right? But when she opened her eyes, she was still some place she didn't know. It kind of looked like a futuristic sci-fi hospital. Looking down at herself, she was very happy to see she was no longer naked.
"Well good morning sleeping beauty. Since I hadn't heard from Bones, I was just coming to check on you." Lara looked over at the man speaking to her. His crystal blue eyes and mischievous smile seemed friendly enough. His cloths were odd though.
"Now, now Jim. Don't bother my patient. She still needs a little bit of rest." Although the new voice was gruff, with his slight southern accent and soft brown eyes, Lara new it was a tease among friends. He was dressed similarly to the first man, but where the first man wore black and gold, this one wore black and blue.
"Who are you?" Lara asked softly eyes switching between the two.
"James T. Kirk, captain of the Enterprise. This is my ship you're on. This is Bones, our doctor." Gold shirt offered her his hand, with a charmingly flirtatious smile. Lara reluctantly shook it.
"Doctor Leonard McCoy. Jim's the only one that calls me Bones." McCoy also offered his hand.
"And you are?" Kirk asked. Lara ignored his question.
"Why did you kidnap me? My family doesn't have any way to pay for a ransom if that's what you're after. And how can we be on a ship? I don't feel us moving with the waves." Lara seemed to shock both of them.
"This is a starship, we're in space. And … I'm sorry we transported you up here. We were experimenting with the transporter and accidently brought you here. The system went hay-wire after that, we couldn't get reading where you were from so I wanted to wait until you woke up to send you home. It wouldn't do any good to send you to the wrong planet, right?"
"Spaceship? Wrong planet? Yeah right. We haven't even had a manned mission to Mars yet, but somehow I'm magically transported to a spaceship, with gravity and weird futuristic sci-fi décor." Lara crossed her arms over her chest.
"Listen I don't know what you're talking about. We have several cities on Mars. Heck my mother is living on Mars right now." Kirk eyed the girl.
"The first manned mission landed on Mars in 2017, if I remember my history right." McCoy looked thoughtful.
"Alright where's the hidden camera. You can't actually expect me to believe this crap. It's 2014. I'm done with this." Lara slid off the table and started for the door.
"Missy where do you think you're going?" McCoy called walking after. Lara looked over her shoulder at McCoy.
"Out of this nuthouse." She bumped into a hard chest and quickly turned around and looked up into an emotionless face. She looked at his ears. "Nice elf ears, now if you'll excuse me." She tried to walk around him, but he didn't move, only raising one eyebrow at her.
"Captain, Lieutenant Scott was able to reconstruct the transporter path. This girl was transporter here sometime from the early twenty first century. So far every computer simulation we've run does not look like we're able to repeat the process. We cannot send her back."
"Thanks Spock, we've just figured that out."
"You three can't be serious. There's no way this is real!" Lara looked from face to face.
"How about I show you that were telling the truth?" Kirk asked. Lara spun to face him.
"Alright Captain, show me." Lara frowned as Kirk went over to a wall display and motioned her over. He typed a few buttons.
"This is Starfleet's historical database. Look-up anything you want." Kirk stepped back and Lara looked at the display. The three Starfleet officers watch her for an hour while she searched the database. Finally she turned back around. The last thing she had looked up was her family.
"You're really telling the truth aren't you? God I'm really almost three hundred years in the future, and stuck here. My friends, my family they're all gone." there was a waver in her voice, and her eyes watered.
"It's undoubtedly a nasty shock. Why don't you take a seat." McCoy helped Lara sit down on one of the Bio beds.
"Are you ready to tell us your name?" Kirk's voice was gentle.
"Lara Jones."
"Well, Lara Jones, Welcome aboard the USS Enterprise."
~OOO~
"Captain it is most illogical. We cannot keep her aboard the Enterprise. When we return to Starfleet, we should report her and give her over to them."
"My God Spock! You make it sound like she's a criminal! She was accidently brought to our time against her will. The choice should be hers, if she wants to stay on the enterprise let her. We can see what skills she has to build on and get her caught up to speed if that's what she wants."
"Doctor we are not equipped as well as Starfleet is to 'get her caught up to speed' as you put it."
"She lost everything she knew and loved because of us. We should have the decency to let her choose her own future!"
"Both of you stop. I am going to inform Starfleet command about Lara and how she got here. I'm also going to recommend that the decision to leave or stay be up to her. You know admiral Pike will want to talk to her, so stop this bickering. You two are sounding like an old married couple." Kirk turned and walked away from his stunned friends. Spock rose an eyebrow at that. McCoy looked horrified at the comparison and stormed away.
~OOO~
Lara was walking the halls trying to remember the way back to the mess hall from her quarters. She knew she had taken about a dozen wrong turns and was hopelessly lost. Now she just wandered hoping to find someone , anyone who could help her get back on track. She was really starting to get nervous when she heard a familiar song. She hummed with the music and swayed her hips walking closer and closer to where the music was coming from. The closer she got, she began to hear a male voice sing with the melody.
I want to party
And live my life
I want to party
And fly
There was a small instrumental break and someone sing Hey over and over again. Smiling Lara began to sing the next part of the song.
Laya laya laya laya
Laya laya laya laya
Laya laya laya laya
A head popped out around the corner and smiled at her. She blushed, she never sang in front of people before.
"You have a beautiful voice. I haven't seen you around, I'm Hendorff." He came complete out into the hall. He was tall and bulky, a little scary looking at first to Lara.
"I'm Lara. Sorry I'm a little lost."
"You're lucky you came this way instead of left back there, not to many people come down this way, which is why I play music rather loudly. What else is there to do in an empty brig?" he laughed. Lara laughed with him.
~OOO~
Kirk practically skipped as he led Lara and Spock to Admiral Pike's office. "A five- year mission Spock! That's deep space, that's uncharted territories! Think how incredible that's gonna to be. … Hello ladies, Jim Kirk."
"God Jim, you're as bad as a teenager." Lara smirked.
"A little flirting never hurt anyone." Jim smiled back at her.
"That's not how Uhura or Hendorff tell the story. You apparently got an epic beat down for a little flirtation, right before you entered the academy." Lara laughed.
"Wait… since when do you and Cupcake know each other?" Jim looked down at her. She walked in front of kirk and turned to stare at him walking backwards.
"I haven't been spending the last two months cooped up in a cabin, you know Jim." Lara stuck out her tongue and turned back around. "Which way are we going anyway?" Jim laughed and led the way to Admiral Pike's office.
Lara sat quietly as admiral Pike chastised Kirk and Spock. She tried so very hard not to laugh as Pike started in on Spock but she couldn't help it, when the Admiral asked Spock if was giving him attitude. She started to snicker.
"I am expressing multiple attitudes simultaneously. To witch are you referring?" Lara's laughter burst through the room all three turned to her as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
"I'm sorry, but it's just so funny. You're getting sassed, and Spock doesn't even know he's doing it!" Lara took get gulps of air trying to stop laughing.
"Out. You're dismissed, commander. Miss Jones if you can't be quiet I'll have to ask you to wait in the hall." Pike rubbed his temples. Lara sobered and nodded at him. Lara watched and listened in horror as Kirk got the enterprise taken away from him. Kirk stormed out of the office a few minutes later and Pike turned to Lara.
"What are we going to do with you?" he asked softly.
"I was prepared to beg you to stay on the enterprise. I had even prepared a speech about how I've lost everyone I knew and loved and all I have left is the friends I've made on the enterprise. But now I'm not sure. In just two months Jim became a good friend to me, the enterprise wouldn't feel right without him aboard, but at the same time I don't know if I can start all over again." Lara looked at the floor.
"This report here says you've been helping Lieutenant Scott. Why don't we talk about that. Ok?" Pike offered a small smile. Lara nodded.
"Well they gave me this test, I guess to see how much I knew and if I had any extra skills. Honestly more than half the test I didn't understand. I got frustrated and reprogramed the test to read out a bunch of profanities at Jim and Spock." Lara blushed.
"How, if you don't mind me asking, did you 'reprogram' the test?"
"As advanced as your computers are they still run on base code, on binary. I grew up learning the ins and outs of binary, there wasn't much I can't get a computer to do."
"You just heard me and Jim going on about fudging reports. I'm sorry but can you show me how you reprogram? I can't trust any of Jim's reports at the moment." Lara looked up into Pike's eyes. He looked sad, not angry. Lara nodded.
"What would you like the computer to do, or say?" she asked as she took the PAD from Pike.
"Surprise me." Lara nodded. Half an hour later she handed the PAD back to Pike. The screen was like nothing he had ever seen, just two colors, some sort of game was on the screen. There seemed to be a very primitive diagram of a hanging post and blank spaces at the bottom of the screen. When he tried to exit out of the strange game a message popped up. 'Surprised yet?'
"What is this?"
"Hangman. It's a game where you try to guess the word. Each wrong letter adds a part to the person your hanging."
"How do I get my PAD functional again?"
"Win the game. There's only one word programmed in. it shouldn't be that hard."
"Alright the report on you was honest. I think keeping you with Lieutenant Scott is a good idea, but the choice is ultimately yours. You can join the academy and become an actual member of Starfleet, you could join the civilian section, whatever you want. I'll back your decision."
"I think I want to stay with the enterprise. Just promise me one thing, if Jim does good at the academy let him come back?" Lara looked innocently up at Pike.
"Just between us, he isn't going back to the academy. He's been demoted to first office under my command. I needed to get through that thick head of his that there are consequences to his actions. Don't worry I'm not going to let him stew for long." Pike smiled.
"Wow, just wow."
"I'll get someone to take you back to the enterprise."
"Thank you … sir?" Pike laughed.
"You don't have to call me sir, Christopher is just fine." Lara smiled. He would be a different type of captain than Jim was, but no less likeable or approachable.
~OOO~
Lara and the rest of the bridge crew watched in horror as the news played clips of first the bombing in London and then the attack in San Francisco. A Tear rolled down Lara's check.
"When will we know if Jim, Spock or Christopher made it out of there?" she asked softly.
"It might be a couple hours yet. They'll have to be debriefed and medically cleared first, and there's no telling how long that will take. The council won't release the names of the dead for a few days, either." Uhura answered softly. Lara leaned over and gave her a one armed hug.
"Why would someone do this?" Lara whispered, Uhura shook her head.
"Kirk to the Enterprise" a relieved gasp flew through the bridge crew.
"Enterprise here Sir" Uhura responded at once.
"Admiral pike is dead. Spock and I are fine. I need all of you to stay put and wait for further orders."
"Yes Sir"
"Kirk out."
"At least now we know…" Lara hugged Uhura again.
~OOO~
"Scotty what's going on? What are these things?" Lara asked watching as men tried to load what looked like enormous 8 foot long bullets onto the Enterprise.
"Torpedoes with an unknown payload. I'll no' have them brought on my ship!" Scotty began yelling at the men again as Kirk came running up.
"Scotty I need you to approve those weapons."
"Do you know what this is, Captain?" Scotty pointed vaguely at the warp core.
"I don't have time for a lecture, Scotty!"
"Do you know what it is?"
"It's a warp core."
"It's a radioactive catastrophe waiting to happen. A subtle shift in magnetic output from, say, firing one or more of six dozen torpedoes with an unknown payload, could start a chain reaction which will kill every living thing on this ship. Letting those torpedoes on board the Enterprise is the last straw."
"What was the first straw?"
"What was the…? There are plenty of straws! How about Starfleet confiscating my transwarp equation? And now some madman is using it to hop across the galaxy. Where do you think he got it from?"
"We have our orders Scotty."
"That's what scares me. This is clearly a military operation. Is that what we are now? Cause I thought we were explorers. I thought we-"
"Sign for the torpedoes. That's an order."
"Right well you leave me no choice but to resign my duties."
"Oh, come on, Scotty."
"You're giving me no choice, sir."
You're not giving me much of a choice!"
"I will not stand by and-"
"Will you just make an exception and sign!"
"Do you accept my resignation or not?"
"I do!" Kirk snapped; Scotty looked shocked.
"NO Jim, you can't!" Neither Kirk or Scotty so much as blinked at Lara's outburst.
"I do. You are relieved, Mr. Scott." Kirk was calmer this time. Lara hugged Scotty.
"Jim, for the love of God, do not use those Torpedoes. It'll be all right lass." Scotty gave Lara a gentle squeeze and handed his report to Kirk. Kirk and Lara watched Scotty leave, Keenser following closely behind. Lara walked away from Kirk slow tears falling down her face.
~OOO~
When Chekov walked into engineering wearing a red shirt, Lara's tears returned. Both stared at each other for a moment wondering what they were going to do without Scotty. Chekov opened his mouth when the captain's voice was heard over head.
"Attention crew of the Enterprise. As most of you know, Christopher Pike, former captain if this ship and our friend is dead. The man who killed him has fled our system and is hiding on the Klingon homeworld, somewhere he believes we are unwilling to go. We are on our way there now. Per Admiral Marcus, it is essential that our passage go undetected, Tensions between the federation and Klingon Empire have been high, any provocation could lead to an all-out war. … … I will personally be leading a landing party to an abandon city on the surface of Qo'nos, whrere we will capture the fugitive John Harrison, and return him to earth so he can face judgement for his actions. Alright, let's go get this son of a bitch, Kirk out."
"I guess Scotty got through to him after all." Lara smiled. "Chekov, since I really have no idea what to do around here, I'm going to take off. If you want me to try to help call me ok?"
"Yes, I vill."
After a nice walk around the ship and a nap, Lara grabbed the violin Hendorff had given her, lunch for the two of them and made her way down to the brig. Hopefully he still wanted to practice music, and hopefully they still had some time before Harrison was brought aboard.