When Solan's ship dropped out of warp, they could see the space station in the distance. Jim and his team were ready in their suits for the space jump. Tony climbed down into the chamber where he would exit into space. "Good luck," Jim said.
"You too," Tony replied.
Jim closed the hatch, and they saw when Tony exited the ship and headed toward the space station, followed closely by two Klingon warbirds. "Let's get ready," Jim said.
They all climbed down into the chamber. "Solan, are you ready to send your ship back?" Jim asked.
"I'm ready, Admiral," Solan answered. "It's odd how we came over here on a diplomatic mission and we end up doing something like this."
"Isn't that how it always goes?" Bones asked. "We think we're only going to help somebody and we end up running full speed through a jungle or a space station, or some ship like none we've ever seen wondering if we're gonna die then or later."
"Doctor, I believe that is how you see every situation," Spock said.
"Because that's how it always turns out. Come on, even you can't deny it."
"Perhaps not. However, this is an unexpected situation."
"We should have expected something to happen when we found a man floating in space in some sort of super suit."
"Relax, Bones," Jim said. "We're gonna get this station back."
Bones wished he had that much confidence in what they were doing…
Tony made his way around to the viewports of the control room of the station so that Hammer would be sure to see him. "Justin Hammer!" he said establishing a connection.
"Well, if it isn't my old friend Tony," Hammer replied.
"You have to give up this station!"
"Why?"
"Because…it's not yours, and we have to go back to our own time."
"Maybe I don't want to."
Just then, a blast from the station's weapons was fired at Tony, but he managed to dodge it. "I told them," he said, referring to his joke about the Dodgers.
"Let's go now!" Jim said as he could see what was happening.
The hatch door was opened, and they were on their way to the station. Solan pressed the button that sent his ship back to the Enterprise. Jim arrived at the hatch first and typed in the code to open it. They all got inside and sealed the hatch, and then they were in the station. "Tony, we're inside!" Jim said.
"Good, I was about to run out of room to dodge," Tony replied. He headed toward the bottom of the station while the Klingons began a new distraction.
Jim and the others waited for Tony to arrive inside the station. "You guys all know what to do," Jim said to his team. "Tony, you, Solan, and Bones are with me. We're gonna find the guy controlling this station. Everyone clear on their part?"
There was a unanimous affirmative…
"Let's go," Jim said.
Everyone scattered in different directions. Spock, Scotty, Artie, and Ajah headed for the main power system of the station so they could cut power to the weapons of the station.
Jim and his team went down the corridor and just as they were rounding the next corner, they came upon four armed guards. Jim and the others moved as they were fired upon, but Tony took out all four at the same time. Then they headed on down the corridor.
Spock and the others had gone the other way and were also meeting up with resistance. Ajah gave them a taste of electricity, and they moved on. "Don't you think it's odd that they have this many helping them?" Scotty asked.
"I am not certain," Spock said. "As was stated earlier, they could have sent out messages to get help."
"Right."
"We must concentrate on shutting down the weapons."
"I wouldn't count on that if I were you," someone said.
Spock and the others whirled around to see Justin Hammer standing in the corridor with a large cannon-like weapon. He fired before they could react. They were all hit at the same time, but this was not a cannon, nor a laser weapon, but it short circuited their protective suits causing them to retract. Then there were four more with him. "Now, I suggest you drop your weapons or you will be dead," Hammer said.
Scotty, Artie, and Ajah looked at Spock, who dropped his weapon. "What do you hope to accomplish by this?" Spock asked.
"Plenty. I'm learning more about this station and this…Federation all the time. Oh, and don't worry, your other friends will be joining you soon, and won't Tony be surprised?"
Jim and the others had met up with several more guards but they discovered that the suits Tony had constructed did just what he said they would do. As they moved on, they did not see anymore guards until they were coming around to the corridor that would go to the central control system. None other than Justin Hammer stepped out with four others. However, he fired at them as they saw him unexpectedly. Their suits had the same reaction and retracted. Tony's suit actually opened up and shut down, leaving him vulnerable.
"I wouldn't move if I were you!" Hammer said. "How'd you like that, Tony? The last thing you expected that I would come up with a weapon that could deactivate your suit."
Tony stood stunned unable to think of anything he could do. "Now that I have your attention," Hammer said. "You have no choice but to surrender."
Jim glared at him, but he knew he was right, so he dropped his weapon. Solan dropped his but he always had more…
They were taken to the brig where Jim immediately found out that Spock and the others were also being held. They were all disappointed but none so much as Tony Stark. He wanted to refuse to cooperate but without his suit, he could not do much, so he went on into the cell.
"Now, isn't this a switch?" Hammer asked, gloating. "The great Tony Stark in a jail cell…or I guess it's not a jail here. But it's all the same effect. What does it feel like to lose?"
"You're not winning," Tony declared. "You're only bringing more down on yourself."
"Always doom and gloom with you. How do you think anyone can take this station away from me?"
"There are many others besides us."
"Yeah, but there are many others coming to help me. You'd be surprised how many don't like the Federation…especially the admiral there." He held up his new weapon. "This took a lot of work, but Ivan figured it out. He's very intelligent. But that's enough chatting. Got other places to be. Enjoy your stay."
When Hammer and his guards were gone, Tony looked across the way at Jim who was standing in his cell. Jim kicked the wall. "Well, that was short," he said. "How did he develop a weapon like that?"
"I don't know," Tony replied. "He's never used it before."
"I thought you knew this guy."
"Are you saying this is my fault?"
"Admiral, this turn of events was surprising to all of us," Spock said.
"Yeah, but we don't know the guy," Jim said. "That thing completely short circuited the suits."
"He's obviously been working on that," Tony said. "How could he know what frequency to use…unless…"
"Unless what?" Jim asked.
"Unless he was able to get the specks about the Ironman suit that was stolen before."
"Are they all the same?"
"Yeah. Ivan Vanko must have figured it out. I don't know what to do. He has my suit."
"Ah, no, don't get anxious about it," Bones said.
Tony sat down beside the force field. "So do any of you know how to get out of one of these?"
"I do," Ajah said.
They all tried to look toward Ajah's cell. Jim could see him as he was bringing his electrical nature to view. Ajah moved closer to the force field and put both of his hands close to it and finally touched it. There was an incredibly bright flash of sparks and then Ajah was out. An alarm began sounding, but Ajah took out the two guards who came in. He hurried over to Jim's cell.
"You don't have time for that!" Jim said. "Get out of here!" He could see the conflict on Ajah's face. "Go!"
Ajah turned and ran out of the brig. He took out two more guards and ran around the corridor until he came to an access hatch. He got it open and crawled in. He had no idea which way to go, but he sealed the hatch and crawled down into the darkness. He sat down with his back against the wall wondering what he should do. He did not like making decisions that affected others. He had been in a position like this before, and he did not like it then either. He was not sure what Admiral Kirk wanted him to do, but he would find a place to absorb some electrical power.
"What can he do alone?" Tony asked as he still stood in his cell.
"He can do a lot," Jim replied.
Tony did not like doing nothing. Just then, Hammer came in with two armed guards. He had no trouble seeing which cell had been deactivated. "Didn't you people search them for weapons?" he asked. He walked over between the cells where Tony Stark and Jim Kirk were. "How did he escape?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Jim asked.
"I guess he just outsmarted you," Tony said. "Not too difficult."
Hammer frowned. "You won't win this time," he said. "You don't even have your suit and as soon as Ivan can break in, we'll have a new weapon."
Tony was rather alarmed at that. However, he had installed protocols for just such an occasion. "Do you really think I would make it easy to do that?" he asked.
Hammer stared at him a moment and then turned to Jim. "How did he get out?" he asked.
Jim just stood there. Hammer waited a moment. "You're not gonna tell me?" he asked. Jim folded his arms. "I have ways of making people talk. You wouldn't want me to make you tell me, would you?"
"You can try," Jim said. "But I think you'll find out soon enough."
Hammer turned to Tony. "He's probably right," he said. "I'd rather make you talk about your suit. You have thirty minutes to comply."
Hammer left. Tony looked at Jim. "If he gets into that suit, it's not gonna be good," Tony said. He went over to the force field but there were no controls on the inside. "There has to be a way out," he said.
"If there was a way out, the brig would do no good," Jim replied.
Tony squatted and looked at the projectors that created the force field. He only had one thing that he could try. He thought Jarvis might have figured out how to straighten out the circuits. He held his hand out to call the suit.
"What are you doing?" Jim asked.
"I'm trying to call the suit to me," Tony said.
"Is it gonna run into that force field?"
"No. He took my earbud. I can't call Jarvis."
Jim bent down and pulled the communicator from his boot that he always carried. He opened it. "Jarvis," he said. "This is Admiral Kirk."
"Yes, Sir," Jarvis answered.
"Can you get to us?"
"I have traced your signal. However, I find that I am rather tied up at the moment."
"They haven't hacked in, have they?"
"No sir, but they are trying."
"Can you get loose?"
"I am working on that. Is Mister Stark okay?"
"Yes. He's here in the brig too. We need you to help us get out."
"I believe I will be free momentarily," Jarvis said.
"Come to the brig."
"Yes sir."
Jim ended that transmission and put the communicator away. "He's coming as soon as he can."
"What do we do once we're out?" Tony asked.
"We'll go on with our plans," Jim said. "If he takes one of us, the others need to get out and do something. One of us has to try and take out that weapon."
"Admiral, I believe our first priority would be to rescue the others," Spock said.
"Some of us will. We have to get to that guy controlling the station."
"We must also consider the fact that he has disabled our suits and we would be vulnerable if he cuts life support systems."
"Scotty, can you figure out how to get them to work?" Jim asked.
"I'm working on that, Admiral," Scotty answered.
"So am I," Artie added.
Jim frowned. "What will he do?" he asked.
"Whatever he thinks will get what he wants," Tony said.
"We still can't know what exactly that is."
"I'm not sure what he wants here."
Tony squatted to look at what made the force field work again. "If we could get something in there, we could make it kill itself," he said.
"What?" Jim asked.
"You ever seen a scorpion sting itself?"
"No. I don't think so."
"You should get out more. The repulsors in the hands of the suit could short this out."
"Yeah. If we could get them to work."
"We can." Tony wished he could talk to Jarvis but he could not. He was wishing he had kept that communicator in his boot.
They heard someone coming into the brig again. Hammer came and stood between Jim and Tony again. "Tony, how do we get into your suit?" he asked.
"You really expect me to answer that?" Tony asked.
"You should."
"Why? Just why should I tell some ego maniac how to get into my suit? Not gonna happen."
"Because I'm in charge here and I can do what I want. Maybe I'll just start killing your friends one by one."
"Why? They don't know, and they have nothing to do with this."
"No. But I know that you care about them, and you don't want them to die."
"He won't tell you," Jim interrupted.
Hammer turned to him. "It's only a matter of time before we find your friend who escaped. He has some sort of electrical powers, right? That shouldn't be too hard to stop with a little water."
Jim frowned. He knew what water would do to Ajah if he was hit by it while at full power. However, he would not let Tony give up that suit. He also knew that Ajah would be aware of the danger.
"I'm not gonna give you much longer," Hammer said. He stepped closer to Tony. "We'll see whether the great Tony Stark bleeds like everyone else."
With that, Hammer left again. "Scotty, Artie, are you making any progress?" Jim asked.
"Yes Sir," Artie answered.
Just then, Jim heard the sound of the repulsors starting up. "Artie?"
"I'm ready to get out, Sir," Artie said.
"So am I," Scotty said.
"Get out of here and go on with the mission," Jim said. "Hurry!"
There were bright sparks again as Artie and Scotty got out of their cells. "Step back, Admiral!" Scotty said.
Jim moved back as a blast from Scotty's repulsor hit the force field. There was a brilliant display of sparks, but it did not take out the whole force field. "Run, Scotty!" Jim demanded.
Scotty turned and ran out of the brig. Artie had already gone down the corridor and he crawled into an access tube. Ajah had crawled further into the access tubes to find his way to the control center of the station. As he was crawling now, he thought he heard something in the access tube. He looked behind him but did not see anything so he continued. However, he heard something again, so he stopped and soon Artie came around the corner. Ajah was startled and almost shocked him. Artie was also startled, but he realized he was looking at Ajah.
"You just about scared the life out of me," Artie said.
"I almost shocked the life out of you," Ajah replied.
"We need to get going. They're gonna be looking for us."
They continued crawling. "I'm glad someone's here besides me," Ajah said. "Where are we going?"
"We have to find that main computer system so I can try to get control of the station. You can take out the one who is in control if he's there."
"And if not?"
"Then I'll hack in and get control from him."
"I'm glad it's you and not me."
Artie brought up the map display to show him where he was going. "We can follow this map and find the control center through this access tube," he said.
"I'm with you," Ajah replied.
They crawled until they came to the hatch that led out into the control center. "What do we do?" Ajah asked.
Artie was not sure what to do. "We can't know how many are in there," he said.
"I can go out first and take them out."
"Are you sure?"
"Well, I can sure cause a distraction."
"Just don't get hurt."
"Don't worry."