Disclaimer: Star Trek is so NOT mine.
-----------
Reviewer Replies – By the way, everyone, thank you for reviewing! I'm sorry if you don't remember what you wrote... I haven't updated in about... forever.
-
-----------
A/N: And here's yet another note apologizing for not updating sooner... But I just entered high school and have been kind of busy... Anyway, please read, review, and enjoy your flight.
-----------
Identity Crisis
Chapter Sixteen – In the Mind-----------
"No, actually, I have no idea why I am here whatsoever," McCoy stated. "Mind telling us?"
"I thought you were good. You seemed to be. But you stick-people have many tricks up your sleeves. You made me feel this." Suddenly the heat was back, a thousand ovens and suns all right here, now burning... "Yes, that is what your ship felt like to me. Even this temperature is uncomfortable."
"Yes... very sorry," McCoy gasped. He felt drained from the sudden pain.
"No you're not," the walrus-person accused. She was changing shape now, turning into a human woman that made Kirk jerk forward until he realized that this was simply illusion.
"You're not sorry," the walrus-person turned woman said. "You're not sorry at all. You're angry at me for putting you all through this. You wish I would just let you go and fix the sneeze."
"Okay, maybe that is true," McCoy said. He seemed to have been elected spokesperson. "But is there any way to prove that we mean well? Or that we want to mean well?"
"Perhaps," the walrus-lady said. She changed form again, this time becoming an actual walrus. "This is what you see me as, isn't it." This wasn't a question. "But in this little dream we're all having, this collective thought, I can be anything I want. And I can do anything I want."
"Well that's very nice," McCoy drawled. It was somewhat sarcastic, which he realized too late probably wouldn't be the best tone to take with this walrus-person. "I mean, uh, good for you." It would probably be best to stop talking, McCoy decided. Everything he said sounded sarcastic.
Kirk took over as spokesperson. "Is there anything we can do to fix this problem?"
"It is not your problem," the walrus-lady answered.
"Uh... okay," Kirk said, slightly taken aback. It usually WAS his problem, and it could usually be solved with a bunch of heroic fighting, strong speeches, and occasionally the loss of a shirt.
The walrus-thing was laughing again and Kirk remembered at the wrong moment that it was telepathic.
McCoy wasn't sure why the creature was laughing, so he decided to get down to business. And maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't say anything stupid that the walrus-lady would take the wrong way. Though it probably couldn't get any worse.
"Can I fix the problem?" he asked. "Uh, can we?" he glanced at Spock, just to make sure the Vulcan was in on the 'we.' Of course, Spock's face showed nothing. McCoy sighed almost inaudibly and focused his attention on the walrus-lady once more.
She smiled, and it gave her face the odd look of someone who rarely smiles but decides just once to grace someone with a grin. Well, McCoy told himself, she usually looks like a walrus. How much could she smile anyway?
"Yes, you can fix the problem. You have two choices. Both will greatly benefit my people."
"And they are...?" McCoy asked.
"First choice: Come to live on... Seti Olan Two for a human month so that you can be watched again."
Whether or not she noticed the looks of surprise and disgust that formed on both McCoy (and, as the doctor noted for later teasing) and Spock's faces didn't matter. She continued on to option number two.
"Or you can let me come live in your mind for a human week so that I can experience human life."
Neither option sounded particularly wonderful. Go back to that stupid planet! Never. But have this walrus-thing live in his head... that didn't even make sense! He supposed it must mean telepathically. But he'd never been comfortable with the psychic. (Except Spock, of course, but he was practically human, compared to these walrus-y things.)
"In my head?" he asked weakly.
"Yes," the walrus-lady said. "We were intrigued by you humans" Spock gave the tiniest hint of a snort "and we wish to study you more. We find your culture fascinating, and believe learning about it could benefit us. Those are the only two ways in which this can happen.
"Are you sure?" McCoy asked.
"Yes."
"Doctor," Spock said quietly, "You do not have to hold the Setian in YOUR mind. I am sure I can do this myself."
Of course the walrus-thing heard this. "No, you can't. You have too many shields up in your mind. It would be extremely uncomfortable for the both of us. In any case, I would like to learn about humans. So I will be in McCoy's mind."
Spock and McCoy nodded. "So how does this work?" McCoy asked.
"I will enter," the walrus-lady answered simply. Then suddenly McCoy had the strangest feeling. It was as if someone stuck a large, slimy boiled egg into his ear. He yelped. Then the egg liquefied and a cool flowing sensation flooded his brain.
Then it was over, and he was standing in the freezer again. The walrus-thing was nowhere to be seen. Oh, God, he thought, is that thing actually in my head?
YES, IN A WAY, someone answered. McCoy jumped and turned around. Of course, no one was there.
Kirk chuckled. "What're you jumping for, Bones? We're back home."
But this was somewhat drowned out by the voice in his head that stated, FASCINATING! THE HUMAN BRAIN IS AMAZING! SUCH INTERESTING MEMORIES. WHAT IS THIS? A FRIED EGG. I MUST EAT A FRIED EGG! AND THIS GEORGIA! IT LOOKS AMAZING!
'Do you mind,' McCoy thought at the loud voice in his head, 'toning it down a little bit?'
OKAY, the walrus-thing though back at him. I HAD NO IDEA HUMANS WERE SO INTERESTING. HA. PLUM.
McCoy tried to mentally scowl but it must have shown on his face, because Kirk and Spock looked at him funny.
"Sorry," he said, "The walrus-thing is having fun discovering some old memories. She called me 'Plum.'"
"But why not?" Jim asked annoyingly. "You've always been our Plum."
"Shut up," McCoy mumbled absentmindedly. Most of his attention had gone back to that voice in his head.
TALKING. I REALLY MUST TRY TALKING. I WILL, OF COURSE, USE YOUR MOUTH.
'What?' McCoy thought as fiercely as he could. 'You're not talking through me—'
Too late. He could hear himself saying "Amazing. Hello! Helooooo! Laugh. Hahahahah! Huh. Ah! Ha ha! Fried Eggs. Eguh-guh-guh-gsssss." He was suddenly very aware that Kirk and Spock were looking at him. Spock had raised that damned eyebrow.
He tried to say, It's not me, it's that walrus-lady, but as the said walrus creature was also using his mouth, the words came out somewhat garbled.
'Will you shut up for a second?' he thought, and then he had control of his mouth again. The walrus-thing was mentally pouting. He could feel her mope.
"Jim," McCoy began again. "I'm sorry. But the walrus-lady in my mind had control of my mouth, and I couldn't exactly talk through her."
"So that was the... eguggugugs?" Kirk asked hesitantly.
"No, that was just me, having fun with words," McCoy said sarcastically. "Now can we get out of this freezer? I'm cold. Frrrreezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzer! Zz!" the walrus-lady added.
Jim smirked and Spock looked dangerously close to a smile. McCoy sneered at both of them as they left the freezer.
The walrus-lady seemed fairly amazed at the sight of a hallway. There had been nothing like this on Seti Olan Two. So she kept using his mouth to comment on the wonders of things like doorways.
Everyone probably thought he was insane. Oh well.
"We are going to sickbay," he commanded Spock. "And you," he turned to Kirk, "Get Chekov out of the brig and take him to sickbay. We can change them back from there."
-----------
Chekov resisted at first. They came into the brig and he tried to make a run for it, but the force field came back up and he stopped short. Running into an energy field was never a good idea. He was about to fight the security guards and McCoy—why was McCoy there?--when the doctor said something and then the urge to run was gone. He couldn't even remember what the CMO had said. How weird.
But now he was Pavel Chekov. He was a Russian. And very proud of it. What did he want with this Vulcan shell? "It's okay, I vill not fight," he said as the redshirts drew their phasers.
"No, he won't," McCoy agreed. Now that was odd. McCoy was one of the few who knew what had happened.
Come to think of it, what HAD happened? He'd just been sitting there in that room with Mr. Spock, then suddenly he realized that he absolutely needed to keep the Vulcan body. And then he'd actually assaulted an officer and run off into the snow.
Was he insane?
Well, at least he wanted to be Pavel again.
"Come to sickbay," McCoy ordered. "Baaaay. I like the ay. It's okaaay," he added, "He won't fight anymore. I made sure of that. I've brought out the 'I'm Chekov and I'm Russian' in him. Chekovvvvv. Vvvv."
Well, Chekov mused, if I'm insane, at least I'm not the only one.
But he didn't fight, nor could he see any reason to fight. What had gotten into him then? Why had he wanted to be anything but his glorious Russian self. The idea of staying a Vulcan forever just seemed stupid now. Trade his wonderful Russian heritage for some special Vulcan strength? Never.
He walked up to sickbay with the annoying group of security guards aiming phasers at his back. He wanted to yell at them that no, he was not going to run away, but he figured that yelling would only make the situation worse.
And what is the situation? he mused yet again. Well, maybe the others know. Come to think of it, was that McCoy acting strange, or was that Roberts? He'd assumed that the others had gotten switched back, but maybe they hadn't. And something weird must be going on, if McCoy/Roberts had been able to make him not want to run away.
but why had he wanted to run away? The same question, over and over again.
Then suddenly he knew. The idea had come out of nowhere. Complete with images of...of what must have happened. It was McCoy and Roberts running up somewhere, back in their own bodies (and I knew that how?), Spock sitting on the walrus-thing as it carried him across the snow, the walrus-alien lying prone in the freezer, then somehow, somehow transferred into McCoy's head. And he knew exactly what as going on, and why. It played out like a little movie in his head.
It was a lot to take in in three seconds.
Once he'd sorted around the information, which happened to be a detailed...log? of what had happened when he'd run off. He looked around to find the source.
McCoy was winking in a very pronounced and exaggerated way.
Well, of course if it was in McCoy's head the thoughts would have come from there. Everything made sense now.
McCoy clamped his hand over his eye. "Stop winking!" he muttered fiercely.
"This is a human gesture, am I right?" he said in reply.
"Not like that. Now stoppit!"
-----------
Spock sat on the bed, wondering just how long it would take for the security guards to bring Chekov up to the bridge. Surprisingly, they came one minute and eight-point-three seconds early.
Chekov sat down next to him with a muted, "Sorry, sair."
Spock was about to point out the feeling sorry was illogical because Chekov had been under the control of an alien, but McCoy/the walrus-lady glared at him and said "Shut up."
Spock idly wondered which had told him to 'shut up,' but he didn't have the chance to pursue the matter further when suddenly he was floating and then back in his own body.
Any human would have jumped for joy, but Spock only smiled. He had to wipe the expression when McCoy (or maybe the walrus-lady) blurted out, "Look! Spock's actually grinning!"
-----------
-----------
Review? Please? Reviews will be worshipped (as will reviewers). Flames will be used to toast marshmallows.588888320-q