Thanks to KaylaDestroyer for her review!

Yeah, I know I'm reusing bits of Chapter 2, but I thought it was getting a bit to long so I cut it into little bits. And sorry this chapter took so long to post up, but I've had a bad case of writers block.

Please enjoy the chapter!


March 22 2268AD Martinique, Caribbean Sea

Stardate 4209.082


Martinique was in chaos. Mount Pelee had unexpectedly erupted and shattered the peace on this tropical paradise. One minute, it had been a typical sunny day for the thousands of tourists and locals. The next, their resident volcano was belching out fire and ash.

Soon the volcanologists would be in the firing line of the media for not predicting the eruption. To be honest, the scientists were just as confused as anybody. Their readings had only spiked just moments before the volcano erupted, and they had absolutely no clue why.

On the plus side, nobody had been killed. The first set of pyroclastic flows had been sent down the uninhabited northern slopes of the volcano.

But there was no doubt that there would be more. And who knows where they would be directed.

Already, most of the population had escaped from the island in luxury yachts, hover vehicles, private aircraft, and even a cruise liner. It would not be long before the rest joined the huge flotilla forming out in the Caribbean Ocean.

Already, the final few groups of people were racing to the last remaining air-going and sea-going vehicles, waiting impatiently to take them away from the quaking, shattering island.


However, one person was not joining the stampede to the remaining transports. Protected from the rain of hot ash by a heavy-duty jacket, with a large pack on her back, she headed inland, through the deserted ash-coated streets of Saint-Pierre. She did not seem to notice even as burning buildings crumbled around her, threatening to end her life with falling debris.

She had a starship to catch.

She turned down another street, lined with abandoned, half-destroyed shops and businesses. Right at the end of the lane was the empty town square – once a thriving green park bustling with people, now a dead grey wasteland.

But it was an open space. That was all that Nurse Christine Chapel needed.

Quickly, Nurse Chapel pulled something off her belt. It was a communicator; an instrument merely the size of a small 21st century flip-phone, but with far greater capabilities. It could be used to contact an orbiting starship, pinpoint a crewmember's location so he could be beamed aboard, and even project 3D holograms.

Chapel flipped open the communicator. "Nurse Chapel to Enterprise. Come in, Enterprise."

Another voice sounded through the speakers. "Transporter room here. This is Lieutenant Kyle. We read you loud and clear, Nurse."

"Request permission to beam aboard," Chapel replied to the transporter operator.

"You might want to hurry up down there." Kyle sounded concerned. "There's been another eruption."

"Copy that." The nurse glanced up at the volcano looming above her. Sure enough, a fresh cloud of ash was billowing up from the crater…and a huge surge of volcanic material was rolling down the slopes towards Saint Pierre. "I'm ready."

"Just hold on a sec. The ash cloud's interfering with your signal. It'll take me a moment to fix onto you. Keep your communicator open."

"Understood." Chapel looked back up at the glowing avalanche barrelling towards her. It was getting closer and closer by the second.

'Please, guys…hurry up.'


Scrat raced through the ash-coated streets and alleyways, dodging collapsing walls and tumbling chunks of debris. He had nearly been incinerated, crushed, trod on, and trapped so many times today. And now he was running from yet another pyroclastic flow that would instantly burn his body to a crisp.

Why was he always running for his life?

Ahead of him was a large clearing. Standing right in the centre of it was a human figure. Normally, Scrat would have been frightened of a human, but a volcanic eruption was much more terrifying to him than anything else.

He made for the figure at top speed.

On the figure's back was a strange backpack. Scrat had seen humans carrying similar packs as they travelled to a new campsite. Once or twice, he had leaped into the packs and hitchhiked with the humans…at least until he was discovered or realised the humans weren't actually going where he wanted to go.

But if this human had a pack, she was probably going somewhere. And if she was going somewhere, it must be away from imminent death by suffocation and burning.

Anywhere except here was good for Scrat.

One of the bag's pockets had been left unzipped. With a flying leap, Scrat plunged into the pocket. He nestled down into the warmth of the pack, trying to ignore the tremors that continued to shake the ground.

Suddenly, he felt a strange feeling of disorientation. Even though he had been still only a second ago, now he was suddenly spinning around and around, getting dizzier and dizzier by the second…

and then the dizziness stopped. In its place was deathly stillness and a brilliant white light shining in through the narrow opening.

"Good to see you again, Nurse. Did you have a good holiday?"

"Well, John, apart from the very large volcanic eruption that completely devastated the island, it was great!"

"Nice that you enjoyed yourself. I'd love to set foot on Earth again. Anyway, you've got to be decontaminated before you get back to Sickbay, or McCoy's going to have a fit."

Something was going on, although he didn't know what. Scrat could only curl up in a ball and hope that he wasn't found.

"Alright. I'll just put this back in the bag."

Suddenly, the zipper was pulled open by two pink hands. Scrat found himself looking up into the wide blue eyes and startled face of a blonde-haired human female.

"Oh my GOD-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
The woman leaped back with a high-pitched scream not unlike that of the prehistoric humans as they were about to butcher their prey. As far as Scrat could tell, he was about to suffer the same fate.

He screamed.


Within minutes, the Starship Enterprise was ready for departure. Every crew member was at his or her station. Scotty was in Engineering, warming up the warp cores and scolding another crewman. ("How many times do I have ta tell you? Use th' right tool for th' right job!") Uhura was sitting at Communications. Sulu and Chekov were at the helm and navigation consoles. Spock was conducting a routine check of the ship. McCoy was in Sickbay. And Captain Kirk sat in the captain's chair.

"All hands," he called into the comm. "This is your captain speaking. We are about to depart for the Betelgeuse Nebula. I want everybody ready for a possible battle by the time we get there. I need Damage Control ready to contain and repair possibly heavy damage. Thank you for your attention."

Spock appeared from one of the twin turbolifts. "Engineering reports ready for warp, Captain, and the transporter room confirms that Nurse Christine Chapel has been beamed aboard."

"Thank you," Kirk replied, turning to the helmsman. "Mr Sulu, thrusters, please. Take us out."

"Aye sir," replied Sulu. "Moorings retracting. Thrusters fired."

Slowly, the sleek starship separated from the docking arm and coasted away from the spacedock, out towards the starry backdrop of space. Earth quickly fell behind as the Enterprise headed out for open space.


Kirk turned around to face his bridge crew. "You all know this mission could be extremely dangerous," he began, "so I understand that some of you may be feeling nervous…"

"Captain," interrupted Uhura. "You heard what Nogura said. You're one of the best in Starfleet. With you, our chance of survival is much higher."

Everybody nodded in agreement.

Kirk couldn't help but feel touched by his crew's trust and Uhura's kind words. "Thank you."

"Sir," reported Mr Sulu. "We have cleared the Warp Restriction zone."

"Route to Betelgeuse Nebula is plotted in," Chekov added. "All phaser banks and photon torpedoes awailable at your command, Keptin."

Kirk grinned. The jump to warp speed always excited him. No matter what it led to.

"Warp speed, Mr Sulu!"

Sulu smiled, punching a large lever in the centre of his console forward.

Outside, the impulse engines died down, and the two long warp nacelles began to glow. Controlled matter-antimatter reactions produced the energy needed to deform the very fabric of space-time.

The space around the starship started to ripple as the warp drive got to work…then, with a bright flash and a streak of light, the Enterprise disappeared from view as it leaped past the speed of light.


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