"That's pretty much it, Jim," Allison said, emphasizing the nickname. Kirk looked a bit more surprised at the fact that she called him that, instead of 'Captain Kirk' as all the others had used. And she seemed the most comfortable speaking with him, almost as if she had known him for years.
They were in one of the Enterprise's briefing rooms; just Allison, Captain Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. The other six teenagers were getting used to their new quarters, having already been questioned by the three officers. Allison had just finished a rather detailed explanation about the Star Trek original series, and mentioned a few points of interest that fit the facts exactly.
Kirk thought hard. "I want proof," he said finally. "Since you know all this...what was our most recent mission of importance?"
"It was on Stardate 4768.3," Allison started. "You, Spock, McCoy, and Muhall beamed down to a nearly-deserted planet. There, you met Sargon, Thalassa, and Henoch, who then temporarily took over your bodies in order to build android forms for themselves." She noticed Kirk's look of absolute shock, but kept going. "Henoch, in Spock's body, poisoned you and you 'died' for a few hours, until Sargon and Thalassa worked together to put your mind back in your body. Then you had McCoy 'kill' Spock, getting rid of Henoch and returning Spock's mind from Nurse Chapel's body." She smiled slightly. "That was one of my favorite episodes," she added.
Kirk sputtered incomprehensibly for a few moments. "That's incredible," he said at last, stunned.
"Fascinating," Spock agreed. "She appears to know everything about that mission. Allison, are there any other mission you would care to mention as proof of your knowledge?"
Allison looked over at Spock, one Vulcan eyebrow raised in a quizzical expression. "How about the Babel conference, Spock? That was when Kirk first met your parents, a Vulcan male named Sarek and a human woman named Amanda. That was also the mission where the murder of a Tellarite was carried out, and an attempted murder of Jim by a cosmetically-altered Orion that appeared to be an Andorian who eventually suicided. Jim got put in Sickbay for a while, which he wasn't happy with, but Bones 'finally got the last word' as he put it."
"I think that's proof enough that she knows almost everything there is to know about us," McCoy put in, directing his comments at Kirk. "Two instances, some details kept secret, and she knows them all by heart. Hell, she even knows our nicknames and uses them freely!"
"Would you prefer if I called you Leonard?" Allison asked the doctor.
"All right, that's enough, dammit! This is getting spooky!" McCoy said, standing up. "How'd you know my first name?"
"Leonard Horatio McCoy, I already told you," Allison said, enjoying the look of absolute astonishment on their faces. "I've researched you guys. I've watched the episodes. I know your name, I know Jimmy's whole name...I know all the senior officers like the back of my hand. And, unfortunately, I can tell each and every one of you exactly how and when you are going to die. Of course, some of you die multiple times..."
Spock lifted an eyebrow. "Fascinating."
"Jim and Bones have already died at least once," Allison said. "McCoy died on the amusement park planet, and Jim has 'died' about four times by now." She smiled. "Don't worry Jimmy, you've got three more deaths comin' up of your own." She looked over at Spock. "You're going to die at least once that I know of, Spock."
"Can you tell us anything else about the future?" Kirk asked, captivated by the amazing revelations this girl had given them.
Allison shook her head. "No, I can't."
"Why not?" McCoy asked, puzzled.
"If I tell you...what I know may never come true," Allison tried to explain. "For example, if I told you exactly where and when your enemies would attack you on a mission and you purposefully avoided them, it may change the entire future as we know it...as I know it, rather."
"Quite logical," Spock stated.
"If you want more proof that I know all this, listen to me," Allison said. "In seven or eight days, you're going to get an important order from Starfleet Command regarding an asteroid on a collision course with a planet." She looked directly at Kirk. "You will not be aboard the Enterprise for more than two months during the mission," she said plainly. "But only you. And you will not know it, either." She stood up. "I believe I have told you all that I can safely give at this time."
"Yes, I'd say that's quite enough," Kirk said, still wondering about her last enigmatic clue. "Mister Spock will escort you to your quarters."
Allison nodded. "Thank you, Captain Kirk." And with that, she and Spock exited the room with all the stealth of two shadows.
"What do you think she meant by it, Jim?" McCoy asked Kirk. Both were still seated at opposite ends of the table, but it was obvious what McCoy was asking.
"If I knew, Doctor, it wouldn't be a mystery," Kirk said, pondering the unusual human-turned-Vulcan girl. "So Bones, what did your bioscans tell you about these kids?"
"Well, several of them had to be treated for vision and skin problems, and one of them for misaligned teeth, but other than that they are just your average teenagers," McCoy said.
"I want your COMPLETE report, Bones," Kirk clarified. "I want specifics."
McCoy looked down at his PADD. "Well...the two half-Vulcans are just about identical to Spock, as far as sensation and degree of change from human normal. Kristian has a higher IQ than any other person his age I've ever seen, and May has obviously gained quite a bit of IQ points since mutation. They can both stand Earth-normal temperature with only slight discomfort." He looked under their entries. "The half-Klingon girl, Jessie, has benefited from the physical aspects of the Klingons and also some of their martial arts skills. She's also showing signs of heightened senses and an added craving for adventure and battle."
"What about the three humans?" Kirk asked.
McCoy frowned down at the PADD. "They're the strangest of the lot. They haven't changed in appearance, but all were altered at the same time as the others. Michael has somehow gained telepathic and telekinetic powers, though he's still having a hard time controlling them with finesse. Lia is a partial shapeshifter, able to take on another form for about two minutes at a time. Earlier today, she did an exact duplication of me so precise I thought my mirror had come to life."
Kirk tried not to laugh at the mental picture that brought up. "What about the last one?"
"Steve has regenerative powers," McCoy said. "He accidentally cut his hand on Jessie's bat'leth, but the cut healed within minutes without a trace. Medical scans indicate that he will even be able to grow new limbs should they ever be amputated."
"Hmm. Most peculiar. What about Allison, Bones?"
"Well, putting her massive knowledge aside, she is a normal Vulcan in almost every way. Jessie tells me that before the mutation, Allison was near-sighted and needed a special kind of lens to correct her vision. But now, she's far-sighted instead. A side effect from the mutation, I think. Either way, I can't correct it. None of the available treatments will work on her, and the ones we don't have access to would cause a violent allergic reaction. She'll need a new pair of glasses, or everything close to her will be seen as a blur. I've already sent in a request to some antique shops I know on Earth who have been known to carry that kind of thing." McCoy sighed. "She's a really special case, Jim. I had to treat two nearly unheard-of diseases that she tells me she's had for years...and as for the problem with temperature, I've prepared special quarters for her set specifically for Vulcan-norm and provided a hypospray compound for the times she is out of the room. With luck, she should be able to stand a lower temperature eventually."
"Sounds like they've been keeping you busy," Kirk said, slightly amused.
"Believe me Jim," McCoy said, "You have NO idea."
~~~~~~~
Allison and Spock stopped right outside the doors of the younger Vulcan's quarters. "These are your quarters," Spock said. "The temperature settings have been placed at a comfortable Vulcan level for the duration of your stay."
"Thank you, Spock," Allison said. "I just wish I could have been human during all this."
"I cannot claim to know what the experience of mutation feels like," Spock admitted. "However, I do sympathize."
"Don't worry about that," Allison said, thinking back to another episode yet to come. "You and Jim will get first-hand experience in that area in about two years."
If Spock found anything strange with that statement, he didn't mention it. "I am curious. Why do you refer to us by our names, rather than our earned ranks?"
Allison grinned a little sheepishly. "Back in the twenty-first century, when I watched the episodes I would get used to calling you by your names rather than your ranks. If I discussed a mission I saw with anyone, I would usually use nicknames. For example, ever since I became a Trekkie I've called McCoy 'Bones,' I've called Captain Kirk 'Jim,' and I would name all the other senior officers by their first names. It just became a habit, I guess. I never thought I'd get to meet any of you in person."
"Understandable," Spock agreed. "In that case, I believe the Captain will not mind if you continue to use our given names."
"I tend to agree." She looked up at him. "Well, I guess you've got work to do, right?"
"Correct," he confirmed. "However, talking with you has proved to be a fascinating experience. Perhaps after I am off duty, we can discuss this... 'Star Trek' in more detail."
"Okay. Well, see you around." Then she went into her quarters, leaving the older Vulcan to his own thoughts as he made his way to the bridge.