"Hasta que el sol se des-van-ez-ca," Elle sounded out. "What does Spanish have to do with Vulcan?"

"You get some of those vowels," Lt. Anderson replied. "And you should know Spanish anyway. It's part of your heritage."

"Well, I guess." She turned the page on the computer and a moment later it fritzed out. "Uh..."

Lt. Anderson's whacked at her own monitor. It began to flicker with coordinates. "Huh. That's weird." She tapped the comm. "Maintenance, the computers in this section are... hello?"

Comms were down, the computers were down, and there was a high-pitched sound in the air, pressing on Elle's brain. "What is that?" Elle asked, clapping her hands over her ears. Her tongue went numb. "Ohhh, th's weird. Don' like tha'."

The all-call clicked on. "This-captain-speak-. Distress sig-follow it-Kirk out."

"Well he didn't sound worried so we're fine," Lt. Anderson said.

A few moments later, as the Enterprise changed course and accelerated, the high-pitched sound and the pressure on Elle's brain disappeared. She slowly lowered her hands from her ears. "Are we good? That was weird. My ears are ringing."

Lt. Anderson frowned. "Mine aren't."

"You didn't hear that?"

"No... Sickbay. C'mon."

"N'awww," Elle complained, getting to her feet. "Why?"

"This is the Enterprise. Anything out of the ordinary should probably reported before it kills a poor redshirt."

They entered Sickbay and Lt. Anderson towed Elle over to Nurse Chapel. "She could hear whatever was happening with the computers," the lt. reported.

Chapel frowned. "Elle?"

"It hurt my ears, like a really highpitched sound, and then I couldn't feel my tongue. I don't know, I couldn't really hear it but it felt like sound, you know? And now I have a headache."

"Doctor McCoy," Chapel called, picking up a medical tricorder.

He came out of his office, grumbling. "Darn fool computers. What's up?"

Elle repeated her symptoms and tried not to fidget while Bones ran a scan.

"Hm."

She opened her eyes. "What?"

"Spike in neurotransmitters," McCoy said, frowning. "These readings look like Spock's after a psychic event. Lt, get Spock down here."

"Yes, doctor." Anderson squeezed Elle's hand and booked it.

"Are you sure it's not just me being like way younger and hearing something you guys didn't cuz you're old?" Elle asked, kicking her heels against the biobed stand.

"If it was that, other 18- and 19-year-olds would have reported symptoms," McCoy said.

"Oh." Elle caught a glimpse of her reflection in the monitor and pulled her head back to make a thousand double-chins. She wrinkled her nose to complete the look, and then turned back to McCoy.

He was staring at her. "What was that?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

Elle shrugged. "Don't have a phone, so my ugly selfies are now live! With audience on occasion." She tipped her imaginary hat. "Here every week, tip your waiter."

"You're so weird," McCoy said fondly.

Spock came in, followed by Lt. Anderson. "Doctor?"

"What's going on with the computers?" McCoy asked.

"A signal emanating from a nearby solar system caught the comm channel designated for distress signals and overrode our helm controls," Spock said. "We have no choice but to follow."

"Did you feel it?" Elle asked. "Cuz I felt it." She tapped her forehead.

Spock frowned. "I felt nothing, however, it would be difficult to breach my mental shielding. For a moment, I did sense..." He extended a hand. "May I?"

"Yeah."

He barely pressed his fingers to her face before retracting his hand. He frowned almost visibly. "It was most definitely a psychic force of some kind, if you were able to feel its effects."

"Do you think they found what they were looking for, that's why they eased off?" McCoy asked.

"Most likely. Elle, when did the noise recede?"

"When the ship accelerated."

"I see." Spock clasped his hands behind his back. "To impose such a will on an external mechanical force... I must inform the captain. Elle, instead of meditation this evening we will work on crafting mental shields."

"Okay."

Spock strode out.

McCoy frowned. "I wanna keep you here until your headache goes away, just in case something else happens. Lt. Anderson, you can bring the class down here, right?"

"Yep. We were just doing some reading."

After two Tylenol and some orange juice, classes resumed. Elle finished reading the chapter of the book in Spanish, had dinner with the nurses, and went to meet Spock.

They convened in a quiet corner of the Observation Deck and sat across from each other. Spock waited until Elle was sufficiently calm and then started instructing her.

"You already have basic mental shields," he said. "Today, you will be reinforcing them. Imagine your mental shields..."

By the time they were done Elle's brain definitely hurt and she was pooped. She went straight to bed and fell asleep thinking of brick walls.

-/\-

The next morning she got up as usual and had some oatmeal and a fried egg in her quarters before going to math class. The office where she and Chekov worked was empty. "Is today an A day?" she asked aloud, frowning. She pulled up the calendar. It was definitely math class today... She tapped the comm. "Elle to Chekov."

"Chekov here. Oh! I'm so sorry, classes have been cancelled today, we are on yellow alert."

"...why?"

Something beeped. "I have to go," he said, sounding harried. "Ask the yeomen." He signed off.

Elle frowned. "Well that weird," she said, and picked up her PADD. She walked back down the hall and got in the turbolift.

The turbolift stopped at the next floor and picked up Spock. He blinked at her.

"Spock," Elle said, pleased. "What's going on? Why are we at yellow alert? Did we figure out where we were being led? Are we there?"

"Uhhh, yes," he said, still visibly shocked.

Elle took a step back, immediately wary. "Who are you?" she demanded. "You're not Spock."

He raised both eyebrows. "How do you know?"

"Who are you?" she asked again, inching toward the comm.

"I am Henoch," he said. "Your captain, first officer, and a female doctor gave their permission for myself and my companions to inhabit their bodies."

Elle's eyes widened. "Henoch?" she asked. "Sargon? And, his wife?"

"How do you know that?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

It was weird to see such blatant suspicion on his face. "I... I just do," Elle said. "Give his body back, right now."

"I will not," he said. "I still have need of it."

She hit the emergency stop and darted towards the corridor. "No! I know what you want to do to Sargon."

He dashed after her. Even if it wasn't really Spock, Vulcans were still fast. He caught her by the wrist and pushed her against the wall. "Scream and I will dissolve you and anyone else who comes to your aid," he threatened. "If you know anything of us, you know my power is vast."

Elle bit her lip so hard that a moment later she tasted blood but she didn't dare move.

"Good little mortal," he said patronizingly. He tilted his head to the side. "I can see the layout of the ship in your mind."

Elle was half-dragged, half-marched to her quarters and then Henoch sealed the doors from outside. She tried the comm. It was dead. She tried the computer. It didn't work either.

"So that was terrifying," she told her reflection in the black screen. "How do I get out of here?"

She surveyed her options. No comm, no computer... tablet? She pressed the power switch. Nothing. She pried open the back of it and checked it. The battery was fine. She scowled. If Henoch was as powerful as Sargon he could probably keep her locked in as long as it took for them to finish their android bodies. Great. But, on the other hand, if he thought of her as a useless little mortal, would he really waste time on her?

At least the plumbing still worked.

Elle checked the door again. Nothing. And it was the middle of the morning so literally nobody would be on this deck.

She flopped back on the bed to consider her options and her eyes fell on the air vent. The air vent that ran parallel to the Jefferies Tube. The Jefferies Tubes that Giotto had insisted she memorize.

"Aw, yisss." She rolled off the bed and grabbed her tool kit from under her desk. The customized tools were smaller but just as sturdy. "Not proper safety procedure but oh well," she muttered, climbing on top of her desk. She pried the cover of the air vent off and set it on the floor.

The little tool kit folded into a belt, so she tied it around her waist and grabbed the edges of the air vent. "I can't do a pull-up," Elle realized, as her fingers slipped and she dropped back onto the desk. "That's so lame."

Back down off the desk. She placed her chair on top of the desk, and then clambered on top of both of them. She pulled herself up into the vent and shimmied further down the tube to a junction. This was the spot where they connected.

A few turns of the wrench and she managed to get into the Jefferies Tube. From there she crawled to the next deck and popped out into the corridor, startling Lt. Riley.

"Elle! Goodness!" He helped her to her feet. "What're you doing gallivanting through the Jefferies Tubes?"

"I need to talk to the captain," Elle said.

Lt. Riley frowned. "The captain's indisposed, Elle."

"I know, but I need to talk to him. And Sargon. And his wife."

"Well, c'mon then, I'll walk you." He offered his elbow with a dramatic bow and tipped an imaginary hat.

She giggled and accepted his arm.

They went down to Sickbay. Thankfully, Henoch was absent but Bones, Sargon, and what's-her-name were there, speaking with Chapel.

Elle went up to the three glowing orbs. They were flickering dimly. "Hi, guys," she said softly, patting the nearest one.

"Elle, if it's not urgent, not right now," Bones said, grimacing.

"It's about Spock," Elle said. "I mean, Henoch."

"What has he done?" Sargon asked.

"He's planning to kill you and take Spock's body for himself," Elle said. "I knew what he was doing and he locked me in my room. I got out through the Jefferies Tubes." She patted her tool kit.

Sargon looked shocked. "I can't believe it, after all this time, has he learned nothing?" he said, shaking his head.

Chapel checked the time. "It's time for your next injections, Sargon, Thalassa."

Elle gasped, part of the plot coming back to her. "Wait, no. Henoch's using the injections to weaken the captain's body."

Chapel frowned. "No he's not!" she shouted.

"Nurse!" McCoy said, shocked.

Chapel pressed a hand to her temple. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me, I..." She shook her head.

Sargon pressed his lips together grimly. "He has altered your memory. I can sense it. And the contents of the hypospray. They would indeed kill this body after repeated injections."

"We gotta get Spock back in his body," McCoy demanded. "I knew this was a bad idea."

Sargon looked sorrowful. "I'm sorry. I had hoped it would be different, but no. We were gods, once, but this physical world can no longer hold us." He looked at Thalassa and a Look passed between them. "It holds too much temptation."

The two of them approached their respective globes. A flash of light engulfed both bodies and then Kirk and Dr. Mulhall were back in their own bodies.

A moment later, Henoch ran full-tilt into Sickbay. He saw Elle and snarled, and that was a terrifying expression on Spock's face. "You!" he growled, extending a hand.

Elle flinched as flames sprung up around her, but they had no heat and a moment later they vanished.

Lt. Riley promptly stepped in front of her.

"Henoch, stop!" Sargon's voice commanded, booming and deep in its intensity. "Vacate Mr. Spock's body at once."

"You are not my master," Henoch sneered.

"I would wish us to be equals, but we are not," Sargon said. "It is time for us all to depart. Our civilizations are gone, and we are not meant to be here."

"No!"

Light from the two orbs roiled around Spock's body and then vanished. His body fell to the floor, and then a moment later he sat up. The light in Henoch's globe flickered wildly, an aura of pure anger roiling from it.

"Jim?" Spock asked, as visibly confused as he allowed himself to be. "I... captain, what happened?"

Kirk helped him up. "Good to have you back, Spock."

Elle gaped as a bolt of lightning literally came out of nowhere and struck Henoch's orb. It shattered and blackened and Elle felt an almost visible 'whump' as he/it/the energy being dissolved. "Whoa."

Spock, too, looked owl-eyed. "Indeed."

Sargon spoke again. "We are sorry for the trouble we have caused," he said. "We shall also depart."

Elle spoke up. "Wait, before you go, are you the Preservers?" she asked.

"We do not know," Sargon replied. "We would hope that you are the descendents of our species, but so much time has passed, we cannot know. Thank you, Captain Kirk, for allowing us to use your physical bodies."

"I wish things had turned out differently," Kirk said.

"As do I. Farewell."

The two orbs slowly dimmed until they went solid black.

"Well that was spoopy," Elle murmured, trying to bring back some levity. Not like three people had just died right in front of them, ending a race of ancient, powerful people, or anything.

Kirk snorted. "What?"

"Nothing," Elle said. "Just a meme." She pushed her hair out of her eyes.

McCoy touched her arm gently. "And what's this?" he asked, pushing her sleeve back.

Elle stared at the dark purple bruise on her wrist and forearm. "It's where he grabbed me," she said. "Ow. It didn't hurt until I noticed it. Ouch."

Spock frowned. "Henoch did this?"

"He locked me up so I wouldn't tell anyone I knew what he was doing," Elle said, and grinned. "Too bad for him I only rate as puny mortal, so I climbed out the air vents. Kind of felt like Hawkeye... I want pizza now."

"First, let's get this taken care of," McCoy said, rolling his eyes. "Then you can have as much pizza as you want."

"Is that a promise?" Elle asked eagerly.

"Just don't make yourself sick, please. I had enough of stomach aches with Joanna, I don't need you overindulging in junk food, too."

"Yes dad," Elle said, giving him an innocent smile.

Spock still looked disturbed. "I ask forgiveness," he said quietly.

"It wasn't you," Elle protested. "Literally, you were literally body-swapped. Vessel. Swapped. Orb and meat sack swapped. Wait, no, that sounds wrong. Anyway, point being, it's illogical to say sorry for something you didn't do."

Spock accepted with a bow of his head. "Your logic is satisfactory," he said, and the topic was dropped.

Elle got her bruise taken care of and then all of them went to the Mess Hall.

"Dealing with energy squids makes me hungry," McCoy grumbled.

"Being an energy squid makes me hungry," Kirk chimed in, grinning.

"What was it like, anyway?" McCoy asked.

"Like being weightless," Kirk said, his gaze unfocusing. "It was infinite, it was..."

"Beautiful," Spock supplied quietly.

Elle leaned against his sleeve for a moment and then said, "Please don't decide you'd like to be a brain in a jar, because you haven't shown me how to nerve pinch people yet."

Spock raised an eyebrow. "I assure you, I would not choose to do so," he said dryly.

"Good."