Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all its characters belong to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., Bloomsbury, and Scholastic respectively. Star Trek is owned by Gene Roddenberry, CBS, and Paramount Pictures. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me, and I make no profit from this story.
Beta Love: Scarlet Dewdrops, Insanity-Red.
Chapter 4
Pike and Harry boarded the small shuttle that had been selected for their impromptu mission, while Kirk, Sulu, and Olson put on their suits.
"I know you have your wand and all, and I know what you can do with it from Hermione's memories. But I would still feel better if you had this as well. It's called a phaser," said Pike, handing Harry the weapon. "It's relatively simple to operate. Just point and shoot like a gun, flip this section to toggle what kind of shot. Blue for 'stun,' red for lethal."
He handed the young man a utility belt. "Here, use this to keep it on you at all times."
"Thank you," Harry replied simply, accepting the proffered objects.
The Captain sat himself in the pilot's seat, gestured to the copilot's seat for Harry, and started pressing buttons and flicking switches as he calculated and laid in the ideal course for the shuttle to take to give the trio the best chance of successfully landing on the drill.
Harry took his seat, and not knowing what else to do, simply stared out the forward viewport unseeingly. Though he should have been mentally preparing for the inevitable danger to come, this was the first moment he'd gotten a chance to stop and think.
Home. Will we ever get back there? he thought wistfully. But without knowing how they had got there in the first place, he and Hermione had nothing in terms of a way to return.
The dull clunk of boots against the metal floor of the shuttle announced the arrival of Kirk, Sulu, and Olson. The trio, clad in mismatched environmental suits – Sulu in gold, looking very confident, Kirk in blue, seemingly calm, and Olson in ruby, vibrating with way too much enthusiasm for someone who was quite possibly jumping to his death – took their seats in the main chamber as the shuttle hummed to life.
"Shuttle 89, U.S.S. Enterprise, you are cleared for takeoff," announced a disembodied male voice from somewhere overhead.
Harry tensed and gripped the armrests as the shuttle flew out into the blackness of space.
Pike sensed Harry's uneasiness and tried to reassure him. "It'll be fine, Harry. Relax. I've done this a thousand times. Just breathe."
"I know, it's just – I haven't exactly ever been in space before," admitted Harry, feeling embarrassed. "This . . . er . . . shuttle doesn't feel as safe as the Enterprise."
Pike just chuckled as his fingers continued dancing around the control panel.
After a few minutes, Pike announced, "Pre-jump."
The trio in the back immediately stood and put on their helmets just before the doors between the cockpit and the main chamber slid shut.
"Gentlemen, we are approaching the drop zone," Pike stated, pressing a button on the console.
Three lever-like stabilizing bars extended from the ceiling with a hiss and slam. The jumpers gripped the bars above their heads with both hands, waiting for further instructions.
"We have one shot to land on that platform. They may have defences, so pull your chute as late as possible. Three, two, one."
Pike pressed another button, and the artificial gravity in the back compartment of the shuttle cut off, slamming the three jumpers into the ceiling.
"Remember, the Enterprise won't be able to beam you back until you turn off that drill. Good luck," Pike finished as he pulled the lever down to open the floor of the shuttle's main chamber, through which the trio were launched downwards.
"And that's completely safe, is it?" said Harry, pointing after them.
"There are always risks in this line of work. They've been trained for it. I'm confident that they will succeed," answered Pike calmly.
He might have been trying to convince himself of that more than he was trying to convince Harry.
Harry hummed thoughtfully. "A fall like that, though . . . I once fell off a broomstick from very high up, and it was terrifying. But they're falling for ages!"
"A broomstick, huh?" Pike shook his head with a wry smile. "It still amazes me – the idea of a whole world of people like you, living on the same planet as us, right under our noses. I don't know how you guys manage to stay hidden, with today's technology and all."
"We have our ways," Harry grinned, visibly relaxing, then added thoughtfully, "Although, they must have improved beyond what I know in the past few centuries, since you still know nothing about us . . ."
Pike merely nodded and said, "You might want to put your invisibility cloak on now, just in case. We're approaching the Narada."
Harry did as he was told and disappeared from sight.
As the shuttle flew closer and closer, the silence grew in tension.
Pike felt the need to lighten the mood. "So, tell me about you and Hermione. You seem very close."
"Yes. Yes, we are. She's my best friend . . . Actually, more than that – she's practically my sister. We've been through a lot together – and she's always stuck by me, even when no one else did."
Pike threw a quick sideways glance to where he knew Harry was sitting. He found it somewhat disconcerting to talk to someone he couldn't see, even if he knew he was right there.
"And what about you?" Pike asked. "Anyone special waiting for you back home?"
"Yeah, there is," Harry spoke with fondness. "Her name is Ginny, she's my best friend Ron's younger sister. We've been engaged for three months now. She's – she's very beautiful. Fiery, just like her red hair, stubborn, brave, funny. She's not afraid to speak her mind, and she casts the best Bat-Bogey Hex," he finished, laughing.
"Bat-Bogey Hex?" Pike asked in puzzlement.
"Yeah. It's a hex that turns the target's bogeys into giant, black bats that fly out of their nose," explained Harry with amusement.
Pike laughed as well and said, "She sounds like a fun person to know."
"Yeah, she is . . ." Harry said wistfully.
He shook his head a little to snap out of it and blurted out, "And what about you, sir? Are you married? Do you have children?"
Harry threw a quick glance at Pike and noticed a pained expression cross his face before his features became unreadable again.
Harry made to apologize for bringing up what was obviously a sensitive subject for the Captain. "Er –"
"No, I'm not married. Not any more," Pike cut him off, silently excusing the personal nature of the questions since they weren't ill-meant.
The shuttle slowed significantly as he carefully navigated through the long, tentacle-like extensions of the Narada.
"I was married once, years ago, but my wife couldn't handle me being away so much, so she left. We didn't have any kids, either. Both of us were too busy with our work. So, now I'm married to my job," stated Pike with a sigh.
He didn't know why he'd told Harry – who he barely knew, Hermione's memories notwithstanding – such personal information. Maybe because the odds were so heavily stacked against them? Not many people knew that he had once been married. In fact, most people knew nothing about his personal life – he was a rather private man.
But Pike felt a strange connection to Harry, a gut feeling that he could trust the young man.
Still, he surprised himself when he continued sharing, "I'm not entirely alone, though. I have a sister, Charlotte. We're pretty close – like you and Hermione as far as I can tell. She has a son, William, whose father died when the poor kid was only seven. Charlotte never got over it, never remarried, so I kind of took on the role of a father-figure for Will. He enrolled in Starfleet Academy, following in my steps. He'll be graduating next year . . . Top of his class," he finished proudly.
Harry was silent for a moment as he let the Captain's words sink in.
Then he said, "Sir, I just wanted to thank you . . . for everything . . . for believing us, regardless of how mental our story sounded or how strange Hermione's memories must have been. I just wanted you to know that I'm grateful. I know Hermione is too."
"You are welcome," answered Pike with a hint of a smile. "I can only imagine what you two are going through. I might as well not make things harder for you."
They were very close to what must have been the hangar doors. It was hard to tell. The design of the grossly ostentatious ship didn't make any sense. As if in confirmation, the doors slid open.
"Well, looks like we've arrived," Pike announced with a heavy sigh, and began to guide the shuttle inside.
At first, it seemed as though there was no one in sight. But as soon as the shuttle landed and its doors hissed open, two Romulans with different tattoos all over their skin appeared, carrying weapons. They waited, impatience screaming from their expressions and postures, as Pike walked down the ramp of the shuttle and onto the metal floors of the ship.
"Follow me," one of the Romulans barked out, turning to walk away without waiting for Pike's response.
The other Romulan roughly grabbed Pike by the arm and started dragging him after the first one. Harry wordlessly cast a silencing charm on his feet and soundlessly made his way out of the shuttle to follow them. He could clearly see more Romulans – some hustling to accomplish some task or other and some working quietly at their stations, though all spared a moment to cast hostile glances at Pike as he was escorted past them.
The ship seemed even more massive from the inside, vast enough that the ceiling was lost to view. The light was an eerie shade of greenish-blue, and dim enough to throw strange, twisted shadows over everything. Distant noises filtered through here and there: sounds of footsteps, the faint hum of computer systems, echoes of an unfamiliar and harsh-sounding language, the hissing of hydraulics. Naked wires and tubes were everywhere, attached to innumerous computers and machinery, and steam rose off the equipment in certain areas.
In short, the interior of the vessel was just as chaotic and unpleasant to the eye as the exterior. To top it all off, it was very warm – considerably warmer than on the Enterprise – which made it even more uncomfortable for the two humans.
There were many levels to the Narada, and as Harry followed the trio deck after deck he wondered how in Merlin's name they would ever find their way out of here if he were to lose his wand. His hand gripped it tighter and he tried to commit to memory and make sense of every labyrinthine corridor they passed through. But it was akin to the maze of twisting passages in the tunnels beneath Gringotts; as they turned through similar hall after similar hall, he became more convinced that escape from this place without the use of magic would be unimaginable and futile.
Finally, they arrived at what must have been the Bridge. Although replete with instrumentation, it had the look of barely-organized bedlam. Through the large view screen, a planet could be seen – Vulcan. Right in front of the view screen was a rather large, black command chair, where Nero sat, his gaze distant and unfocused. He looked up as the group entered and his eyes locked with Pike's.
"Ah, Christopher. You finally made it," he sneered. "Took you long enough."
At that moment, a Romulan came up beside Nero and said something quietly to him. Pike didn't hear what was said, but Harry snuck forward to stand somewhere between Nero and Pike and heard every word.
"The red matter has reached the planet's core," the unnamed minion reported.
"Retract the drill. Move us to a safe distance. I still want to be able to see the planet though," ordered Nero loudly enough for everyone to hear.
The Romulan who delivered the message nodded and swiftly left to follow his Captain's orders and get back to his duties.
"Well, it looks like you arrived just in time to see the show," said Nero harshly, locking his eyes with Pike's once again.
His lips curled open, and the laughter that emerged made Harry's skin crawl as it echoed off the metal walls.
Spock and Hermione made their way back to the Bridge in silence, each immersed in their own thoughts – or in Hermione's case, absorbed in fiddling with the PADD he had given her to use.
As soon as they stepped onto the Bridge, Spock gestured for Hermione to take a seat at the secondary science station (currently empty due to Lieutenant Sommers filling in for Spock at the primary science station). He then went on to sit in the command chair, issuing out orders and receiving reports.
"Hi, I'm Nyota Uhura," said the communications officer with a wide smile and an outstretched hand.
"Hermione Granger. Pleasure to meet you," responded Hermione, returning the smile as she shook the woman's hand.
"Nice to meet you too. Tracey filled me in about everything," Nyota explained, indicating the woman in a blue dress at the primary science station.
Tracey smiled and gave a wave but continued working at her station.
"I'm really sorry," continued Uhura. "This must be quite a shock for you. If you need anything, don't be too shy to ask."
Nyota gave Hermione's hand a firm squeeze and then let it go.
"Thank you," Hermione replied quietly and took a steadying breath.
Hermione had been a bit concerned about staying alone on this ship with a bunch of strangers, since it would have only been natural for them to treat her with suspicion and caution – especially after witnessing her magic. However, it seemed that the good word Captain Pike had put in for them had made his officers treat her accordingly. For that, she was very grateful.
"Mr. Spock gave me a . . . PADD," she said uncertainly as she spoke the new term, indicating the device in her hands. "So that I could learn about Earth's history for the last two and a half centuries."
Not that she was averse to studying, but somehow this didn't seem like the appropriate moment for it. Harry had managed to put himself in danger yet again, and this time neither she nor Ron were there to back him up.
"Yeah, he's nice like that," said Nyota, looking over her shoulder at the Acting Captain with a fond smile.
Hermione immediately recognized that look. That was how her parents looked at each other; that was how Ginny and Harry looked at each other; that was how Ron and she . . .
No, no, no! I can't think of that right now!
She forced herself to smile at Nyota, pushing away thoughts of Ron, of her family and friends. There would be time to think of them, and how to get back, after she and Harry were out of immediate danger.
With that in mind, she inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly to calm her nerves and turned to her PADD, as Uhura returned to her duties.
Hermione was grateful for the PADD and the distraction that it provided. She allowed herself to sink into the deluge of new information; unfortunately, it seemed that the deeper she went into the available history, the more it seemed like a new source of stress. These peoples' records from the 21st century and before . . . Something was wrong.
Harry and I might be in even bigger trouble than we originally thought . . .
Her thoughts were interrupted when Uhura next to her suddenly exclaimed, "The jamming signal is gone! Transport abilities are reestablished!"
"Transporter control is reengaged, sir," stated Chekov from his station.
"Chekov, run gravitational sensors," Spock ordered. "I want to know what they are doing to the planet."
"Aye, Commander," said Chekov, his hands already rapidly moving around the terminal with determination to fulfill the task set before him.
Then realizing his slip of the tongue, he corrected himself hurriedly, "Keptin! Sorry – Keptin!"
"Kirk to Enterprise! They just launched something at the planet through the hole they just drilled. Do you copy, Enterprise?" Kirk's concerned, static-filled voice resounded over the Bridge speakers.
"Yes, sir. Analyzing data now," one of the red-shirted officers confirmed.
"Keptin, gravitational sensors are off ze scale," Chekov suddenly announced, turning to Spock. "If my calculations are correct, zey are creating a singularity zat vill consume ze planet," he finished – shock, sadness, and disbelief evident in his voice.
"They are creating a black hole at the center of Vulcan?" Now it was Spock's turn to be shocked. How was that even possible?
"Yes, sir," Chekov nodded sadly.
"How long does the planet have?"
"Minutes, sir. Minutes."
Spock abruptly stood and made his way to the turbolift, halting briefly near the communications station to give Uhura her orders. "Alert Vulcan Command Center to signal planet-wide evacuation – all channels, all frequencies."
"Spock, wait!" Uhura took off after him, Hermione leaping to her feet to follow them.
"Maintain standard orbit," Spock threw another order at an officer in a red shirt as he stepped into the turbolift.
"Yes, sir."
"Where are you going?" Nyota asked, concerned.
"To evacuate the Vulcan High Council. They are tasked with protecting our cultural history. My parents will be among them."
"Can't you beam them out?"
"It is impossible. They will be in the katric ark. I must get them myself.
"Chekov, you have the conn," said Spock just before pressing the button for the lift doors to close, eyes still locked on Uhura's.
"Aye!" Chekov responded as he took a deep breath. "Ой-ой-ой!"[1]
Just before the doors of the turbolift slid shut, Hermione slipped inside.
"What are you doing?" Spock asked calmly as he looked at her.
"I'm coming with you," Hermione answered just as evenly, having made up her mind.
"No, you are not. The planet is about to be destroyed, and I will not allow you to go into danger. Captain's orders."
"You're the Captain now," she pointed out. "You could allow me to go, if you wanted."
"No. You are staying here," he said firmly as the doors of the turbolift slid open and he started walking down the corridor so fast that Hermione had to jog to keep up with his long strides.
"I can help you! Just let me help!" she raised her voice, attracting several looks from those they passed.
"You were not fit to go on a mission to the Narada; therefore, you are not fit to go on this mission," he countered calmly.
Spock reached the weapons room and hastily punched a code to open the door. Then he picked up a phaser and a utility belt, punched the code once more for the door to glide shut, and resumed his rapid walk.
"But this is different! This is a rescue mission! This is your parents' lives!"
Spock just kept walking.
"Look, there is every indication I'll never see my parents again. If I can – and I know that I can – I want to make sure that you get to see yours!" she finished, shouting.
A heavy silence hung in the air for a moment. The others in the corridor paused to stare – someone openly disagreeing with Spock was nigh unbelievable. He was too intimidating, too implacable.
But contrary to their expectations, Hermione's words made Spock halt for a moment. He turned to look at her, sharp eyes searching.
"You discovered something on that PADD," he said, more a statement than a question.
Hermione just nodded solemnly.
Spock must have seen something in her eyes that made him change his mind.
"Very well. You are to follow my orders without question and stay close," he conceded.
After all, Pike did tell him to keep an eye on her and to keep her close. Spock knew it was not completely logical and he probably was letting his half-human part rule at the moment, but frankly, they were running out of time. Apart from that, with his parents – or rather, the Vulcan cultural repositories on the line, her unique abilities would likely be useful.
At that moment frantic-looking Chekov came out of seemingly nowhere and sprinted down the corridor, shouting, "Move! Move! Move! I can do zat! I can do zat! I can do zat!"
Hermione spared one incredulous look at the young Russian as she and Spock moved out of Chekov's way – then turned to give Spock a confident nod of agreement.
Spock turned on his heel and resumed his speedy walk towards the main transporter room with Hermione jogging after him.
"How are we getting there?" Hermione asked as she tried to keep up with Spock.
"We are beaming down to the surface of the planet," he responded coolly.
The unfamiliar term made her pause for a brief second, and she rushed to catch up as Spock whipped around a corner. "Er . . . right . . . What's 'beaming'?"
"Beaming is the term that is commonly used to describe the act of transporting. The transporter is a subspace device capable of almost instantaneously moving an object or a person from one location to another by dematerializing, transmitting, and reassembling said object or a person," explained Spock.
His answer was so precise and complete that it almost sounded like he was reading the explanation from a textbook. Hermione briefly wondered if this was what she sounded like in class while answering a professor's question.
"I am assuming that your method of transporting which you call 'Apparition' is similar to beaming?"
"Well, only somewhat," answered Hermione, coming out of her musings. "Both involve disappearing from one place and then reappearing in another almost instantaneously. But Apparition is much less technical and more about visualization and concentration. You can also Side-Along Apparate someone or something with you."
There was a heartbeat of silence before he stated, "Fascinating. Am I right to conclude that, unlike beaming, Apparition to a location one has never been to before is not possible?"
Hermione nodded in confirmation as she and Spock have finally reached the transporter room. She was happy to note that despite her jogging after Spock she wasn't out of breath. Yet another benefit of her Auror training.
Almost as soon as they entered the room, Kirk and Sulu materialized out of thin air, enveloped in golden light, as they fell on the transporter pad.
"Gotcha!" exclaimed Chekov excitedly from his position behind the transporter room terminal. "Ё-моё!" [2]
"Thanks," Sulu gasped out, trying to peel himself off the surface of the pad.
"No problem," Kirk wheezed similarly.
"Clear the pad. We are beaming to the surface," ordered Spock, stepping onto the platform and gesturing for Hermione to do the same.
"The surface of what?" Kirk asked incredulously as he and Sulu stepped down from the pad. "What, are you going down there? Are you nuts?"
Spock ignored him entirely and crouched into a position that would provide him with better balance on the likely unstable ground he was about to arrive on. Hermione followed his example.
"Spock, you can't do that! You can't take her with you! Pike said –"
"Energize!" Spock ordered, cutting Kirk off.
He and Hermione were enveloped in golden spheres as the outlines of the transporter room disappeared and were replaced by those of the doomed planet. They reappeared at the foot of a mountain. The ground was shaking, and rocks of all shapes and sizes tumbled down the slope in rapid succession. Hermione looked up and saw something like an entrance to a cave a little uphill from them, towards which Spock was now headed.
"Wait!" she shouted over the apocalyptic crashing of earth and stone, but Spock kept on running. "I can get us up there faster!"
That statement made Spock pause and Hermione took that opportunity to catch up with him.
Once she reached him, she held out her hand and said, "Take my hand and don't let go!"
Spock stared at her hand for a moment, but made no move to grasp it with his own. Vulcans were touch telepaths, so he would be reluctant to oblige her under normal circumstances – and currently, his mental shields were not exactly at their strongest.
"Just do it! We're wasting time!"
This got Spock moving. He took hold of Hermione's hand, and she turned on her heel, Apparating them right to the entrance of the katric ark.
Spock immediately released her hand and stumbled back to grab at the wall for support, his free hand rising to clutch at his now-churning stomach – the tube-like squeezing sensation, combined with the brief connection to her mind, was extremely disorienting.
"I'm sorry, I should have warned you. First time is always difficult," Hermione said gently.
She turned and ran through the tunnel into the ark. Spock took a deep breath and followed after her.
I hope I won't die here today, Hermione thought wildly as she ran.
Small rocks and dust fell all around them. This place wasn't going to hold for long. Finally, the tunnel opened up into a large cavern featuring massive statues of what Hermione guessed were some Vulcan deities or historic figures. In the center of the cavern on an elevated platform, surrounding one of those tall statues, were eight Council members. They looked like they were in deep meditation.
Spock's mother, Amanda Grayson, was the first one to see Spock and Hermione as they ran up the stairs.
"Spock!" she exclaimed, rather surprised, as she rose to her feet.
The other Council members came out of their meditation at Amanda's outburst.
"The planet has only seconds left," said Spock quickly. "We must evacuate. Mother, now!"
He took hold of his mother's hand and the group ran for the exit.
Hermione stayed close to the majority of the group. One of the statues began to fall with a titanic groan.
"Arresto Momentum!" Hermione shouted, pointing her wand at it.
The statue froze mid-air. The two Vulcans who had narrowly escaped being crushed slowed in their escape, staring at Hermione in utter shock.
"Go! Go!" Hermione shouted, bringing them out of their daze and sending them running ahead of her as she levitated the statue over to the side and safely released it. It landed with a loud crash that rocked the ground beneath them.
She didn't make it another ten feet when a crumbling chunk of another statue began falling right over an elderly Vulcan male. She dealt with it the same way she did with the first one. This Vulcan, thankfully, did not waste time as the other two did and kept on running towards the exit. She could hear Spock shouting at her to hurry up and to stay close, since she was now following at back of the group.
Several similar incidents occurred before they had all made it safely out of the katric ark.
As soon as they were out, Spock pulled out his communicator and spoke into it, "Spock to Enterprise. Get us out now!"
"Locking wolume," Chekov's voice sounded from the other side. "Don't move, stay right where you are."
Destruction was all around them. It was like seeing the fires of hell erupt from the planet's core and devour the mountainous terrain around them. The Council members looked at the sight in front of them, their faces blank, but their eyes full of agony. The ground continued shaking violently. It was hard to hear anything else other than the rumbling thunder of falling rocks. Their time was running out.
Then, golden light began to encircle them as the ground beneath them started giving out.
Attempting to comfort them in case they didn't make it, Amanda – who was standing closest to the edge of the cliff – turned around to look at her son and her husband.
"It's okay," she told Spock gently, "to be scared."
And then the ground beneath her feet vanished and she fell.
"MOTHER!" Spock shouted, his face twisting in agony, as he stretched out his arm, trying desperately to hold on to her, to lessen the distance – only a few meters – that separated them.
But she was already gone.
Then, to make the situation even worse, Hermione dove off the cliff after her.
"NO!" he shouted as the outlines of his dying planet disappeared, and he found himself in the transporter room again, arm still outstretched.
A/N. Has anyone ever wondered what it was that Chekov was saying in Russian in the movies? Here's the translation, if you have:
[1] Ой-ой-ой - Russian interjection, colloquial, which means "My, my!"
[2] Ё-моё - colloquial, which means "Oh, boy!"
