A/N: Hello, and welcome to the next installment! Yep, this chapter definitely had to be split into two, so we're looking at twelve chapters total: one more, and then the epilogue. Almost there!
Couple things: thank you, once again, to everyone who has reviewed thus far. They really warm my heart :) Also, special shout-out and thanks to Ihamtmus for drawing the cover photo. It was a wonderful present!
Lastly, I have just noticed the particular timing of this post. At 12:15 Pacific Time (3:15 EST) there is going to be a moment of silence in honor of DeForest Kelly, since today marks the 17th year since his passing. Rest in Peace. This chapter is now dedicated to him.
Kaunshuk- united
Spock believed that McCoy was dead. The city darkened as the sun sank lower but against the far horizon he could see fires burning downtown. The rioting and madness had merely grown as people demanded answers to their questions. Confusion and rumors thrummed through the city, and with each passing hour Spock found it harder to believe that a human could survive the chaotic display of Vulcan emotions.
He had started to backtrack towards the energy plant he had seen earlier, though his conscience warred between finding a way out of here and leaving McCoy's body. Of course, he didn't have a body. He didn't know where to begin looking, either. The roads leading to Chancellor Tirann's home were blocked by Varteth's units and Spock could only speculate as to what he might find were he to get there.
Spock stepped out on a wider street where smaller groups of Vulcans traversed. Piles of refuse burned at random places, casting enough light to navigate. He began to cross the street, trying hard to recall the path back to the plant.
Except, distantly, he thought he heard someone calling his name.
For several seconds McCoy could just stare, heart in his throat and lungs frozen. Vilar's voice called him again, and he suddenly snapped, scrambling to pick up all the pieces. "No, no, no!" he mumbled desperately.
A hand grabbed his arm and hauled him up. "MkKoi!" Vilar snapped. She said some other words, but McCoy didn't understand them. He didn't understand, dammit!
He held out the ruined translator. "I don't understand you," he said. Vilar stopped talking and blinked, confused by his language. He furiously tried to recall the phrases Spock had taught him when they were first captured. "Gol-nev ken-tor?" Help, understand.
Vilar glanced between him and the broken circuitry, finally putting two and two together. Surak watched them both curiously. She hesitated, looking at her son, then finally back at McCoy, reading his desperation. She nodded once.
"Nash-yut." This way. McCoy understood the gesture and followed them closely. His anxiety spiked as they passed other Vulcans chatting and he couldn't tell if they were plotting, cursing, or just walking. He caught Surak giving him some strange looks and tried to squelch his emotions. Don't get the kid worked up. Hell, don't give the young philosopher who will completely reform Vulcan into their modern species an anxiety complex!
Unable to make meaning of what he was hearing, McCoy paid rapt attention to what he saw. He helped them duck when he spotted a group of teenagers prepare to throw some rocks at them. Vilar continued to guide them through Shi'Kahr.
They stepped onto a wider street and started to move up it. It was much darker by then, though flaming trash lit their way. McCoy's eyes scanned each Vulcan on the street, looking for any signs of danger. Someone new walked out of an alley and began crossing the road. McCoy's eyes bugged in his head. It couldn't be… but it was…
"Spock!" he shouted, breaking away from Vilar and Surak. Spock turned, his own eyes widening in shock and those damn eyebrows going up… that's it, McCoy was going to just flat-out hug him.
He ran up to him, threw out his arms…
…and Spock ducked. McCoy fell over his shoulder, snatching air, and Spock promptly rose and carried McCoy over his shoulder down the street.
McCoy was flabbergasted. He looked up from Spock's back and saw Vilar and Surak trailing them cautiously. Vilar had two hands on her gun, trying to discern whether she should use it or not.
He swatted Spock. "Happy to see you, too, but you mind putting me down?" Spock tightened his grip and just kept walking. McCoy squirmed. "Dammit, Spock, I'm a doctor, not a duffel bag! What's gotten into you?" He glanced back at his other companions, then lowered his voice to a fierce whisper.
"Spock, I expect you to be on your best behavior in front of Surak!"
That made him stop. Spock put McCoy down in front of him and gripped his shoulders. "Did you say 'Surak'?" he asked, hardly breathing.
McCoy nodded, gesturing behind the science officer. "The boy. His mother's with him. Be nice, Spock, they put up with me even after my translator broke."
Spock turned stiffly to where Vilar and her son had halted. He nodded once and raised his hand in the Vulcan salute. "Greetings," he bade them in Old Vulcan.
They looked vaguely confused. McCoy nudged Spock. "Has that thing been developed yet?" he murmured, nodding towards his hand. Spock looked mortified for a moment and quickly put it down.
Vilar approached them and carefully looked Spock over. "You are Spock?" she checked.
"Indeed," he answered. "My thanks for harboring Dr. McCoy."
McCoy watched as the two conversed in Vulcan, a light smile on his face. Spock kept glancing at Surak like a stupefied fan who didn't quite know how to act around their idol. As Spock and Vilar spoke, he looked his friend over for any injuries. Wrists looked a little sore, and he was generally unkempt, but that was usual for having been through a rough few days. McCoy tried to pay closer attention to Spock's mental state and normal idiosyncrasies. The cavemen greeting had been very unusual. Fortunately, knowing he was before the great Surak seemed to put Spock's mind on the fast track back to himself.
"We only have to go up the Ve'Lassen Road and then we reach the plant," Vilar said.
"Ve'Lassen is burning," Spock replied. "It will be impassable for some time. There is a back way, however. I, too, was heading for this plant."
Vilar hesitated, then looked at McCoy. For some reason he trusted Spock, and for some reason she trusted him. The blue-eyed man was smiling, dutifully looking over his companion.
"Very well," she decided. "Lead on."
The party of four crouched below the gates outside of the plant. Trash and Vulcans milled about in the yards, but the building itself didn't appear to be breached. Spock pointed to an opening between some trucks. They darted across, keeping low around the Vulcans haphazardly carrying torches, and maneuvered towards the back of the building.
Vilar took the lead and led them through some tighter walkways and up to a backdoor. It was tucked away, so most of the rioters hadn't noticed it yet, but she seemed to have used the door before. A glowing keypad stood next to it, but she didn't touch it. Instead, she looked up into the camera above the door and started speaking.
McCoy inched closer to Spock. "What's she saying?"
Spock studied Vilar for a few moments. "She is asking for entrance," he related. "Stating she is the wife of Turek and in need of refuge."
"What about us?" he asked nervously.
Spock pursed his lips. "I do not know." His eyes flicked back to Surak, who watched his mother intently.
Finally, the door opened, and a Vulcan quickly ushered them inside, glancing worriedly around them. He shut the door immediately after the four of them entered, securely locking it. Turning back to Vilar, they started speaking rapidly.
"Spock?"
"He is saying it is very unusual for them to let in civilians, and also against protocol. She is repeatedly thanking him. Apparently Turek has some influence."
They followed the stressed plant worker deeper into the facility. McCoy nudged Spock as they passed a couple rooms. "Is this a nuclear plant? Reminds me of old documentaries on them."
Spock stiffly surveyed the doors they passed. "It would appear so."
"Spock," McCoy prodded. "Maybe we could get home!"
"Do not hope yet, Doctor," Spock replied softly. "This is a very secure facility."
Vilar cried out and suddenly ran forward. A Vulcan from down the hall met her. Surak ran towards them, too, but only watched them interact. His mother sobbed, clutching onto her husband. Turek merely held her and nodded at his son. Spock and McCoy stood off to the side, watching the reunion… and surveying the laboratories.
"But we're inside, Spock," McCoy pressed quietly. "You know we could do it."
Spock said nothing.
The nuclear power plant had been transformed into a fortress against the unrest outside. Most of the workers were unkempt from the long hours and sub-standard living, but there was food, water and, for now, safety.
McCoy and Spock sat down quietly in the corner of a room converted into a larger galley. Surak and his parents stood in line. Spock watched them, and McCoy watched Spock.
"You're not okay," he said flatly.
Spock shifted minutely. "I doubt either of us would be able to meet that assessment."
"I know, it's been rough, but I'm talking beyond surviving the rioters," McCoy pressed. "You're a bit off your game, Spock. Any idea why?"
Spock pressed his lips and studied Surak. He was a Vulcan. He was in control. Breathe deep.
"Well, I've got a couple ideas," McCoy continued in the face of his silence. "Since we're back to just before when Surak here starts preaching I reckon you're reverting back to your ancestors, just like Sarpeidon. To top it off, I don't think any Vulcan here has shields, and y'all are just feeding off of each other's emotions. Self-sustaining, certainly, and I learned a trick of my own that way. I know my emotions subconsciously affect these fellas- why shouldn't they affect each other?"
Spock stirred. "Your emotions influence Vulcans?"
McCoy favored him a smug grin, but largely bypassed the bait (mostly because Spock didn't seem aware of that sublevel in the conversation). "Minorly, and only when they're extremely strong. Still, saved my skin a couple of times already. No shields, like I said. Can you tell you're being bombarded with Vulcan feelings? Or at least my human ones?"
"It may explain certain moments of sarcasm," Spock said slowly. He stiffened. "But their madness is no excuse for my own behavior."
"Right," McCoy said. "Sure. The time period itself we know is working you over, the intense Vulcan passions surrounding you is likely, and we've been here for days… Spock, you can't ignore the factors playing into this."
"Ultimately, Doctor," Spock said sharply, still watching as Surak sat down with his family. "I still remain in control."
McCoy's eyes slowly flicked down to Spock's clenched fists. The whole story wasn't being told. He studied Spock a moment longer before deciding to let the loaded gun lie.
"Alright, new question: how are we going to get out of here? What materials do you need?"
Spock closed his eyes for a while. When he spoke, he kept them closed. "In the first cold start the reverse thrust of the Enterprise's engines propelled us backwards in time. In the test reaction likely the particular spin of the oscillator slung-shot us backwards through the time stream. Logically, to go forward in time we would need a powerful forward thrust or spin to determine our direction."
McCoy nodded. "Okay. But that alone won't send us through time."
"No, doctor. I… will need access to enough power to simulate antimatter. I would also need a way to channel nuclear energy into a similar, if not identical, format as a cold-engine start. It is then that we would tie these elements to the forward propulsion unit."
McCoy chewed on his food thoughtfully. "We'll need some form of precise guiding system. How will we know when we're far enough into the future to stop? Or avoid overshooting?"
Spock sighed. "Doctor, in both cases precision was sorely lacking. The time travel is largely an accidental side effect. I do not have any basis from which to start developing precision." He sounded annoyed, and, apparently realizing such, suddenly reopened his eyes and ogled Surak.
The doctor watched him, amused. "You keep that up and Vilar will order a restraining order against you."
Spock inhaled. "It is… indescribable to be in the true presence of Surak," he breathed. He blinked suddenly. "And a shame that I am not behaving to his standards."
"What standards?" McCoy said. "He hasn't formed them yet."
"I am still not acting like a true Vulcan."
McCoy shook his head, remembering that the tiny spark of surprise and awe Spock had displayed when they met an image of Surak was enough for him to apologize profusely. Now, before the real deal… and greeting him by acting like a caveman…
"Spock," McCoy coaxed. "This is the world he lives in. He's used to it, even if he doesn't understand it. Besides, I'm sure that he finds even the slightest inkling of the logic-life refreshing, but there's no need to drop it all on him at once. Wouldn't that kind of muck-up the future?"
Spock stilled. "We may have already done so," he said quietly.
Hm. There was a bit more to that untold story he was hiding. McCoy decided to sound him out. "I figure that time can fix itself," he dropped casually.
Spock shook his head. "This is irreversible."
That narrowed it down. McCoy didn't like the remaining possibilities. "Look, when I altered time at the Guardian of Forever, there was a quick way to tell. The US not entering the war on time would have been a big red flag that the timeline was changed. So far, is anything that happened different from the Vulcan history you know?"
It seemed to pull Spock back from whatever morose thoughts he was sinking into. "There are records of an event known as the Rumarie Riots," he pondered. "The exact dates were unknown, but it was instigated by a power vacuum."
McCoy nodded. "Which makes sense; Tirann is dead."
He startled. "She is?"
"Yeah." McCoy looked away. "I, uh, heard it from Vilar. Escaped just in time."
"And there was no one to take her place," Spock murmured.
"Oh, so you know something about it?"
"It was orchestrated by Varteth-" Spock broke off, fists clenched tight once more.
Touchy, touchy. That was probably the root of the issue. Still, he did not want Spock going emotional again in front of his idol- he'd suffered enough already.
"So power vacuum," he repeated. "That's good. It means that this was already a part of history. Huh. I guess if you're not messing around with a focal point in time, then your actions in the past are already a part of the past."
"A very crude theory, Doctor," Spock said at last. McCoy grinned. There was a glimpse of the sparring partner he knew.
"But good enough for me!" He sipped some more water and looked around. "Okay, so back to business. Step one: antimatter power, or its equivalent. How do we harness that?"
"There are plenty of reactors in this plant," Spock reflected, grounding himself once more by glancing at Surak. "If we tap into the energy in a raw nuclear core, we could come close."
"Alright, so find core, tap energy. Step two: connect with the time stream, or whatever happens during the cold start."
Spock started to launch into the quantum physics of the equation, and McCoy let him rattle off some numbers before he held up a hand.
"So, I didn't understand any of that," he said. "But what items do you need?"
"It is a matter of recalibration, mostly," Spock reflected. "It's largely a way to convert the raw nuclear energy into the cold antimatter reaction, in layman's terms."
"Can you do that chemically?"
"Theoretically."
"Would the chemicals for that conversion be here?"
"Possibly."
"And would you be able to control elements such as the necessary pressure, temperature, and radiation for the procedure?"
"It is likely, from the control room for the core."
"Well, then I say we've got a shot!"
"Your certainty that the statistically unlikely event of our return to the future will occur successfully is astounding, Doctor."
"Now you sound back to normal."
"We are still missing one crucial element."
"Right, that forward propulsion. That shouldn't be too hard."
"What leads you to that conclusion?"
"Shi'Kahr bombed Da'Kum'Ulcha, Spock," McCoy rolled his eyes. "I know you can put it together. All we need to do is 'acquire' a nuclear missile."