Double Assignment Earth
By Rob Morris
Scotty stared in wonder at the readings. "Cap'n! It's a transporter beam. It's headed from the South Pacific to the United Kingdom."
Kirk shook his head. They had only traveled back to the late 1960's to find out if their previous accident was duplicable. Encountering this, though, added a new wrinkle to things-a huge wrinkle.
"Captain, historical records are clear. Twentieth-Century Earth possessed no such technology."
"Well, Mister Spock, then either it's a pre-Contact alien technology, or someone on Earth had it, and kept quiet about it. Possibly to avoid further escalation of the arms race."
"Aye, Cap'n. Such a gadget would be far more useful as a scalpel than as a bludgeon."
"But to continue Mister Scott's analogy, such a scalpel would only be entrusted to the most expert of 'surgeons.' Someone truly committed to his cause."
"Point taken, Spock. But on the chance it's time-travelers like ourselves...Scotty, can you lock in on that beam, bring the individual here?"
"Cap'n! I'm insulted that you'd even ask such a thing."
As Scotty's hands played over the transporter controls, a figure coalesced. It was a very tall man, powerfully built, but not overly so. The way he was dressed and how he carried himself seemed to those of the twenty-third century like someone had taken everything thought to be elegant and suave in this past era and placed it into one man. The transport complete, he looked around, and spoke.
"A true pity that this, of all of Q's gadgets, chooses to fail in so spectacular a manner. Where am I, may I ask?"
"I am Captain James T. Kirk. The rest--is more than a little complicated. Suffice it to this : We have no desire to hold you here, and you will not be harmed while you are here-you have my word."
"I'll accept that word for now, Captain Kirk, since it's really all I have. But until you choose to release me or I find my own exit from your hospitality, could you at least tell me who this fellow is? He looks like a Three-Dimensional Relief of the Greek God Hephaestus."
"I am Spock, sir. And this is Chief Engineer Scott. You have our names, now. What might your name be?"
Kirk knew the suddenly silent man was already working out an escape, just as Kirk himself would be doing under similar circumstances. Even with Spock in the room, Jim felt that this particular man might actually be able to do it. Kirk walked up to him.
"I'm sorry for this interruption, but Mister Spock just asked you a simple, non-intrusive question. What, then, is your name?"
The visitor spoke the next words with true verve behind them, as though to him, it signaled some sort of beginning.
"The name is Bond...James Bond."