"Course ready, sir."

"Engeineering reports ready, captain."

"Medical standing by, sir. Operations reports the ship is secure. Damange control departments on standby."

The remaining departments chimed in. Elle, sitting at the unused science station, gave the captain a thumbs-up when he turned to look at her.

Kirk grinned and faced forward. "All right, people, let's do this. All hands, brace for a slingshot maneuver."

The nice thing about real life versus shows from the sixties, seat belts were actually a thing. Safety harnesses unfolded from the back of the chairs, and Elle strapped herself in.

She stared at the sun as it loomed large on the screen. This close to the sun she saw it boiling, seething with heat and power, buffeting the Enterprise with solar winds as the puny ship marched up to the dragons fiery maw and angled around it.

"Warp 5. Warp 6. Warp 7." Sulu sounded stressed. He was sweating, even in the cool ship's temperature, but his hands were rock-steady on the controls.

Elle didn't know if she really felt it, or if it was her imagination, but as they zipped around the sun, the moment seemed to streeeeeeeetch and snapped-

She blinked. "Huh."

"Did it work?" Kirk asked, shaking his head.

Sulu, Chekov, and Spock hunched over their consoles. "Stars are in alignment with info recorded from the 1960's, captain," Chekov said.

"Let's see Earth," Kirk said.

The screen switched aft from the diminishing sun to forward view: a beautiful blue-green marble with an accompanying pebble of a moon. No Spacedock. No orbiting ships. No lunar edifices.

"Excellent work, gentlemen," Krk said, patting helmsman and navigator on the back. "Lt. Uhura?"

"Radio broadcasts emanating from the planet suggest March, 1968," Uhura said, one hand to her ear.

"Perfect," Kirk said. "Sulu, take us into high orbit, we don't want to let anyboy know we're up here."

"Don't want the Cold War getting hot," Elle agreed, unbuckling the harness. She went to stand next to the captain's chair. "Now what?"

"Now we obsrve the planet, try and find evidence of this Aegis, and wait for this mysterious operative to arrive," Kirk said. "With a transporter beam that strong we'll be able to track it, even if we don't intercept it."

"Cool."

Sulu turned to look at her. "You know, we could just drop you off," he teased. "Isn't this much closer to what you're used to?"

Elle grimaced. "This was fifty years ago, from my point of view. That's an entire lifetime, I, my parents wouldn't even be alive yet! Oh, that's so weird." She contemplated it with a shudder. "Ugh. No thanks. The fashion and the moon landing next year is cool, but I much prefer a world without racism, inequality, poverty, the impending threat of annihilation... no. I'm good here, thanks." She grinned. "Though if we do end up having to go down there I want to come."

"No," Kirk told her.

"Aw, c'mon," Elle said. "You'd look much less conspicious with a kid. A kid who knows twentieth century Earth better than any of you, I might add." She gave Kirk a hopeful smile. "Please?"

He rolled his eyes. "It's highly unlikely we'll leave the ship at all, but if we do, I will consider it."

"Thank you captain."

"In the meantime, make yourself useful to the Communications and Anthropology departments," he added.

Elle sighed. More research. "Yes, sir."

-/\-

"Buy now, for only 8.99!"

If Elle heard one more commercial she was going to scream. "Less than a year without commercials and you're spoiled," she muttered to herself.

"Not true," her brain whispered back. "Netflix spoiled you long before."

"True."

Lt. Uhura raised an eyebrow. "Are you talking to yourself?" she asked.

Elle blushed. "Maybe?" She changed the frequency and paused at a familiar sound. "...is this Doctor Who?"

"No time to explain, Jamie, we have to-"

"It is!" Elle cheered. "I found BBC!" She fumbled for the screen and turned it to the signal. A grainy, black and white, budget alien 'planet' appeared. "Ha! Oh, this is great! Aw, look, it's the Second Doctor! Wow, I've never seen these super-old ones."

The signal fritzed out and Elle whacked the side of the monitor.

Uhura glanced at her. "You realize that does literally nothing?"

"It makes me feel better." Elle fiddled with the controls. "Aw, I think I lost it."

"You realize we have all those old shows on the database," Uhura pointed out.

"It's not the same," Elle protested, still fiddling with the knobs.

"You're so weird."

-/\-

"...more protests as military officials withdraw from peace talks..."

"...new pesticide-spray the bugs away!"

"...musicians scheduled for next year, a landmark festival at Wood-"

"Rock'n'roll, baby!"

-/\-

"Elle to Transporter Room 2, on the double!"

The alert jolted Elle from her reading homework. She fell off the couch, scrambled for her shoes. "On my way!" she hollered at a wall comm as she passed.

She skidded into the room two seconds before Kirk, Spock, and a security contingent, just as a figure materialized on the dais. "Gary Seven! Isis!" she blurted, before anyone could move.

"Who are you?" he demanded, his sharp gaze traveling over the console and pausing on Spock. "A Vulcan?"

"We're from the twenty-third century," Elle said, raising her palms in the age-old gesture of 'no harm'. "We got in the way of your transport beam, sorry."

"How do you know who we are?" Gary Seven asked suspiciously. "What are you doing in this time?"

Kirk stepped forward. "Looking for you, actually. Well, your sponsors. The Aegis."

Elle looked at Isis pointedly. She could have sworn the cat winked at her before looking away.

Gary Seven frowned. "You shouldn't even be aware of us, how-"

"Omega IV and the Planet of Rome," Kirk said simply.

"Ah. Well. Yes." Seven and Isis exchanged a glance. "As impressive as your discovery is, you really shouldn't be here. And I have a mission to complete, so if you wouldn't mind sending me on my way?"

"Can we come with?" Elle asked. "There's some things you should know."

"Like what?"

Elle grimaced. "I'm pretty sure the two agents you have down there died in a car crash and haven't sabotaged the rocket yet."

Seven stepped forward, a thunderous look on his face. "How-"

Kirk and the security officers stepped in front of Elle. Seven backed off.

"I just know," Elle added, from behind Giotto's bicep. "Sorry."

"If you knew why didn't you prevent it?" he demanded.

She gave him a flat look. "Because finding one specific car crash on this planet is like looking for a needle in a haystack. A haystack that's on fire."

"Then how..."

Isis meowed.

Seven frowned. "Well I suppose it's possible." He sighed. "Regardless, I really do have to get down there. If you know us and you know my mission then you know it's vital to the safety of this planet and this people."

Isis meowed again and jumped off the dais into Elle's arms.

"Uh..." Elle clutched awkwardly at the shapeshifting-cat-being.

Seven sighed again. "You're kidding. She's a child."

Isis placed a delicate paw on Elle's forehead. "Mrrr."

"Fine. Come along, miss."

Kirk put a hand on Elle's shoulder. "Hold it."

Seven rolled his eyes. "You and your XO can come as well if it means we can move on with life. I'm an operative, not a babysitter."

Elle grinned at Kirk. "Please?"

He looked at Seven. "Give us five minutes to put on the appropriate disguises."

"Agreed." Seven glanced at his watch. "Five minutes."

Elle grinned. "Good thing I dressed for the occasion." She smoothed her striped tunic dress over her pink leggings.

"You planned this, didn't you?" Seven asked, as Kirk and Spock hustled away to go change.

"Kind of," Elle replied. "I didn't know which day you'd be arriving, so I just planned my outfits accordingly for these last few days."

Isis patted Elle's shoulder with a paw and meowed.

"Thanks." Elle smoothed the silky black fur. "So, what's with the shapeshifting?"

Kirk and Spock came back, appropriately costumed.

"You look good in a trenchcoat," Elle said, as they took their places on the dais.

Seven rattled off a string of coordinates to Chief Kyle.

"Energize."

They materialized in a foggy chamber and stepped into a large office. "Nice," Elle said, letting Isis leap to the ground.

"Hello?" A woman's voice called from the other room.

Everyone froze.

Elle facepalmed. "Roberta Lincoln."

"Who?" Seven hissed.

"They hired a local girl to be their secretary and keep up their cover of historians or whatever it was," Elle explained. "She doesn't know anything about your mission."

Seven frowned. "Maybe she knows where they went."

Elle followed him out of the office. "Don't freak her out."

He pushed her back into the office. "Stay here."

Elle pouted.

It went about as well as could be expected. Roberta tried to bonk Seven over the head with a bookend. Seven retaliated with interrogation about his two agents. The captain tried to be diplomatic, Roberta wasn't having it, Spock tried to overwhelm her with logic. His hat came off. There was some mild shrieking, invoking of deities, and finally Seven gave up and explained everything.

Roberta took the whole aliens, time travel, human-otherworld, nuclear rocket thing with remarkable calm and ran with it. "So what do we do?" she asked.

"We complete the mission," Seven said. "You go home."

"Oh no, you don't," Roberta retorted. "I was hired to assist, so that's what you're getting."

Seven raised his eyes heavenward.

Isis made a sound remarkably similar to a snigger.

Elle poked her head out of the inner office. "Can I come into the out, now?" she asked.

Roberta pointed. "Who's that?"

"I'm Elle. I'm, uh, the mission consultant," Elle said, shaking Roberta's hand.

"You're like, twelve."

"Thirteen," Elle protested.

Seven moved to the inner office. "Computer on. Specify locations of agents two oh one and three four seven."

Elle put a hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh as he wrestled with the Beta-5 computer's, ahem, idiosyncracies. Kirk just gave Seven a look of commiseration.

The Beta-5 coughed up the information. "Occurrence, automobile accident. Location Highway nine four nine, ten miles north of McKinley Rocket Base. Agents three four seven and two oh one were killed instantly."

Seven closed his eyes briefly. "Of all the senseless deaths," he said, grieved. He turned away to fiddle with the main computer bank. "I'm setting the coordinates for McKinley Base itself. I need you to stay here and supervise. If something goes wrong, I'll need a quick exit. I'll need one regardless once I finish the alterations. Mister Spock, let me show you how to set the recall."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Roberta asked.

"Giving the USA an orbital platform in this year is like giving a toddler a flamethrower," Elle said frankly.

"That is a disturbing analogy," Kirk said, shuddering. "But, you're not wrong."

Robera frowned. "Well, I guess."

Seven cleared his throat. "Ready, Isis?"

The cat leapt onto his shoulder.

"See you in a bit," Seven said, and he was gone.

Elle perched on the edge of the desk as Kirk started to pace. Spock studied the computer console. Roberta glanced from one to the other and settled next to Elle on the desk. "So what's the twenty-third century like?"

Elle grinned. "It's incredible. I'm still getting used to everything, but yeah, it's great."

Roberta gave her an odd look. "Still getting used to... where are you from, then?"

"2018, exactly fifty years in the future. But not this future. I'm from a whole 'nother universe."

"Elle."

"What?" Elle asked, glancing at the captain. "Who's she gonna tell?"

He conceded her point with a roll of his eyes.

"So where's your parents, then?" Roberta asked.

Elle froze. "They, um, they're at home," she said, her voice strangling in her throat.

"Oh." Roberta glanced away. "Sorry."

"No, sorry, I just," Elle shifted uneasily. "they, you're the first person to ask me that. Threw me off." She poked at the typewriter and chewed on her lip.

Something on the computer console beeped.

"Ah," Spock said, satisfied. He turned a knob and the viewscreen switched on to reveal Gary Seven climbing into the back of a trunk. "Fascinating."

They watched the feed with bated breath.

Elle got bored and poked at the green control cube. "Hey, computer?"

"Voiceprint not recognized," the computer replied.

"Oh. Hi. My name is Elle."

"Elle. Please state authorization code."

"Uhhh..." Elle bit her lip. "I don't have one. I just have a question."

The cube flashed cautiously.

"What's your favorite color?" Elle asked, wondering if this was a true AI.

"Favorite... color?"

"Yeah."

Lights flashed. "I've always been partial to the color green."

"Cool. My favorite color is, well, lots, but I like purple. What's your name?"

"I am Beta-Five."

"Beta," Elle mused. "Can I call you Betty?"

"Betty," the computer repeated. "That name is agreeable. How are you aware of this unit, and these operations?"

This would get back to the Aegis at some point, so might as well make it honest. "I'm from another universe that's aware of the Aegis."

"The probability of the Aegis failing to conceal their identity is too low to consider," Betty replied with an almost audible sniff.

"We don't have an Aegis, I think, though that would make sense that we haven't blown ourselves up yet. Anyway, I know about this specific one. You, Gary Seven, Roberta, Isis. In my universe you are a tv show."

Betty paused. "Like Bonanza?"

Elle smiled. "Yeah. Like Bonanza."

"Input received." Betty's green cube flashed sporadically for a while. "Voiceprint recorded, authorized, recognized. State query."

Elle blinked in surprise and glanced over at Kirk'n'Spock. They were focused on the screen, watching Seven do his thing. She looked back at the cube. "Officially, who are the Aegis?" she asked. Might as well go for broke.

"The Aegis are responsible for guiding and protecting the human race until they reach their full potential."

"Are humans the only ones they guide and protect?"

"Negative."

Well that was interesting. Elle leaned forward. "What measures do they take to protect the planets?"

"Measures such as the current mission," Betty replied.

"What about Omega IV?" Elle asked.

"The Roman Empire was established on a separate planet to give humans another viable path to self-actualization," Betty replied. "It did not succeed."

"Civilizations in isolation aren't super great," Elle agreed. "They might get somewhere, some day."

"Perhaps. Humans are very adaptable."

"He's done it," Kirk said, interrupting Elle's train of thought.

Seven pressed the recall button on his servo device. Spock worked his magic at the computer and a few seconds later, Seven walked through the transporter chamber, the mists dispersing around him.

"How'd it go?" Elle asked.

"Easy enough."

Elle pointed at the servo. "That looks like a sonic screwdriver."

Seven wrinkled his nose. "You're a Doctor Who fan, aren't you?"

"Who isn't?" Elle asked blithely. A thought came to her. "Did you... well not you, but one of you... is it based on an Aegis operative?"

Seven sighed. "No, unfortunately. Time travel. Ugh. I wouldn't touch that with a ten-mile pole. You are a brave man, Captain Kirk." He entered some information. "They'll be launching shortly and I can detonate the warhead at the right moment."

"According to history, 104 miles above ground," Spock informed him gravely.

Seven frowned. "No, no, that's far too low."

"Regardless," Spock said. "That is what the historical records say."

"Hmph."

Elle poked at Betty's cube. "Hey Betty, have the Yankee and the Communist societies been removed to a separate colony yet?"

"Preparations are underway," Betty said. "This unit is not authorized for details on that mission."

Seven glanced at Elle. "How did you- the computer shouldn't have- what?"

"The computer gave me authorization."

"What." Seven stabbed at one of the buttons. "Computer, specify the details of the latest authorization."

"Supervisor-level status assigned to Eleanor Wilcott," Betty reported.

Kirk leaned over to Elle. "How did you do that?" he whispered.

She shrugged. "I didn't do anything," she whispered back.

Seven looked fed up. "Did this unit authorize it?" he demanded.

"Negative," Betty said, offended. "Authorization came from the Aegis Homeworld Council."

Elle's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Reason for authorization?" Seven demanded.

"Classified," Betty replied, smug.

Elle glanced at the captain. He shrugged expressively. Elle turned back to Seven.

"No, I mean, it's odd, but if you're from an alternate universe there's no reason not to give you clearance if you know the basics already," Seven rationalized. "After all, who are you going to tell?"

Elle bobbed her head. "True that." Something ocurred to her. "So, you do know about alternate universes."

Seven grimaced. "Just that the multiverse exists, I'm afraid. I was raised and geared towards this Earth."

Elle glanced at the cube. "Betty, do you have information about alternate universes? How to travel between them?" Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kirk and Spock exchange a glance.

"This unit is aware of several incidents of travel between universes, incidents recorded in this planet's history. Details of the mechanism of travel are not available to this unit."

Elle chewed on her lip. "How about the Aegis homeworld? They must know something. Can't you uplink to them? Same query? Please?"

"Processing." Betty's cube blinked rapidly for a few long moments. "All incidents are classified. That information is not available."

Elle's heart sank. "Are you sure?"

"Affirmative."

Elle curled into herself. "Okay. Thank you." She looked up when Kirk put a gentle hand on her back. "It was a long shot, anyway."

He squeezed her shoulder in silent sympathy.

Robert cleared her throat. "Uh, hello? The missile?"

Seven whirled around to the console, mutttering under his breath about 'time-traveling distractions.' He poked at the buttons savagely. On the screen, the nuclear warhead exploded. "104 miles," he said. "Huh."

Spock gave him a satisfied (dare Elle say, smug) look.

"So that's it?" Robert asked. "What now?"

"Now..." Seven sighed. "I will stay here, and I'll have to call for a partner."

"Or," Elle said, and looked at Roberta.

Seven followed her gaze. "You're kidding."

"Nope."

"She's a regular human."

"Exactly."

"There's no way she can keep up."

Roberta narrowed her eyes at him. "Hey, Mr. Secret Agent, I have just as much interest in keeping humanity alive as you and your overlords do, mister. And, I know how to be normal, unlike you."

Seven grinned. "I suppose you do. Very well. Welcome to the Aegis, Miss Lincoln."

"Thanks." She shook his hand, and paused. "I'm still getting paid, right?"

Seven laughed. "Yes." He looked over at Kirk and Spock. "You got what you came for, I believe? You really shouldn't be here, you know."

"There's nothing more you can tell us?" Kirk asked.

"The only thing I can tell you, is that we are working towards the same goal," Seven said. "The betterment of humanity and the realization of all their true potential. It's my job to keep humans from killing themselves before we get there." He extended a hand. "It's your job to realize that potential. Goodbye, Captain Kirk."

They shook hands. Kirk called for a beam-up.

Elle knelt down to say goodbye to the cat. "Goodbye, Isis. Thank you. And, you know, if you're still around in the twenty-third century, you can maybe tell me the secret to traveling between universes, okay?"

Isis placed her paw on Elle's hand and looked at Elle for a moment, eyes solemn. Then she leapt away to twine around Spock's ankles.

"It's the ears," Elle told a fascinated Roberta.

Kirk smothered a laugh. "C'mon, Elle."

She waved at Seven. "Bye. Be mindful of what genetic engineering can do to humans, okay? You guys need to live to a ripe old age."

Seven squinted at her. "Should you be telling me this?"

"I don't know. I'm not an expert on time travel."

Seven huffed a laugh. "Safe travels, Elle."

-/\-

The office dissolved in a swirl of light and the universe reformed into the Enterprise transporter room. Elle stepped off the dais and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Elle," Kirk said, pausing in front of her.

She forced a smile. "Like I said, it was a long shot. At least we completed the mission, though, right? Admiral Nogura will be happy. I just," she sighed. "Never mind."

The two senior officers headed up to the bridge and Elle went to change her clothes. She recycled the pink leggings and the shimmery tunic-dress. "Minidress uniforms aside, we're not doing the whole sixties thing anymore," she told her synthesizer. "This is the future, don't you know."

"Input not recognized," the synthesizer declared.

Elle rolled her eyes. "Never mind." She put on her dark blue leggings and a long T-shirt and added her flannel over top for extra comfort. She stuffed her feet into her favorite boots and sighed. "I need chocolate," she decided.

Thankfully, her chocolate sundae survived the trip back to the twenty-third century. Elle focused on enjoying the ice cream and not on the fact that she was stupid enough to raise her own hopes to find a way back home instead of remaining calm and rational and realizing that it's a very big multiverse and if the Aegis still aren't visible then why would they give the information to a kid-

"Elle?"

She wiped at her eyes and looked up. "Captain?"

He smiled at her gently. "You want to get some sunshine?"

Elle frowned. "Huh?"

"We're in orbit around Earth." He held out a hand. "C'mon. Everybody gets shore leave while we're here. After we debrief, we can go see my parents."

Elle took his hand and pulled herself up from the table. "Wait a second," she said, stumbling to a stop. "After we debrief?"

He gave her an innocent smile. "You were the one who got the computer authorization. They'll need to hear it in your own words."

Elle groaned. "Am I gonna have to write a report?"

"No, just verbal."

She groaned again.

"What, you don't want another opportunity to yell at an admiral?" Kirk asked, snickering.

"I don't yell," Elle said primly. "I scold. There's a difference."

"Oh really."

"Uh-huh." She gave him a dramatic look. "You'll know when I'm yelling at an admiral."

He laughed. "I look forward to the day."

They beamed down to Star Fleet HQ. The grassy knoll overlooked the San Francisco Bay, and on the other side, the sprawling, gleaming complex of buildings that commanded the 'fleet.

Elle gaped. "Whoa... It looks so much cooler than in the movies!"

Kirk smiled. "Shall we?"

She grimaced. "Wait. Do I look okay? I'm not too informal for HQ?"

"You're a civilian, you look fine. C'mon."

Elle dragged her feet. "But I'm gonna be like the only kid, aren't I? Do I need a visitor's badge or something? Are you gonna look weird dragging a kid around-"

Kirk paused on the footpath and turned to face her. "What happened to 'scold all the admirals'?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"There's a lot of them," Elle protested.

"It's going to be fine," he promised.

She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "Okay. Let's do this."

"That's my girl."

They met Spock at the edge of the complex and the three of them walked into the commons. Quite a few people stared, a few more whispered, a few waved or nodded to the captain and Spock as they passed. One, a fellow captain, stopped to chat. "Hello, Jim," he said.

"Amir," Kirk replied, giving the man a smile. "Long time no see. Still on tour?"

"Still," the captain replied. He glanced at Elle and smiled at Kirk. "Your CMO's looking a little shrunken, there."

Kirk grinned. "This is Elle. Elle, Captain Amir Sundar, fastest secure courier in the 'fleet."

"Sir," Elle replied politely.

Amir smiled at her. "I'll let you get on," he said to Kirk. "Good seeing you again."

"You too." Kirk led them onwards until they reached Admiral Nogura's office. They were admitted immediately. "Admiral."

"Captain. Cmdr." Nogura's gaze went positively icy. "Miss Wilcott, here you are again."

"Miss Wilcott was a key part of our mission," Kirk interrupted. "Without her we wouldn't have gotten any of the information we now have."

Nogura frowned. "Report."

Kirk and Spock handled everything up to Elle's exchange with the computer.

"What led to your authorization?" Nogura asked.

Elle refused to fidget. "I asked it's favorite color, sir."

Nogura blinked. "Favorite.. color?"

"Yup."

"And?"

"Green."

The admiral narrowed his eyes at her.

Elle continued, "We chatted for a bit, I named her Betty, since she's a Beta-5 model, and out of the blue she said I had access. So I asked her what the Aegis was."

They took turns recounting the rest of the mission. When Kirk finished speaking, Nogura stared at the three of them for a moment. "We obviously sent the right crew for the job," Nogura said. He looked at Elle. "And you, Miss Wilcott. You are the strangest child I've ever met."

"Thank you, sir," Elle replied, deadpan.

Nogura nodded. "Dismissed."