The attempt to contact McCoy by communicator was not successful, so they immediately began a search. His coat, tricorder, and medikit were all missing, but they found his access badge and communicator at the computer station in the clinic. Giotto stared at the communicator, his heart sinking as he muttered a curse under his breath and contacted the Enterprise.

Within minutes the security team materialized, the captain at their head. A second group followed, Chief Freeman, Doctor M'Benga, and a medic with a large field kit. Jasso appeared around the corner just as the second group finished materializing, obviously hurried, his face reflecting his alarm. His voice quivered a bit as he addressed Kirk.

"This is horrible, murderers posing as scientists. You brought them here. How did this happen? I insist on a full accounting of this situation from Starfleet."

James T. Kirk wore his anger like an ominous cloak, invisible, but palpable. Underneath was his more personal, immediate concern, the worry over his missing CMO and friend, but outwardly he was all cool and efficient commander. His eyes narrowed as he stepped forward, almost toe to toe with Jasso, who did not give ground.

"They may or may not be the murderers. That is one reason we're here, to apprehend the imposters and ascertain what is going on. We aim to find the truth." He paused for a heartbeat. "We also aim to find my Chief Medical Officer. Where is Doctor McCoy?"

Both Kirk and Giotto were watching Jasso's reaction closely as he blinked in surprise. "I have no idea," he said. "He reported the physicals were complete just before midday. That was my only interaction with him today. You might look for him outside with the bird creatures, even though I have forbidden contact with them. He has some sort of morbid fascination with those beasts."

Giotto held up McCoy's badge. "We found this in the clinic, along with his communicator. He would not have gone outside without it."

Kirk took the badge from Giotto, turning it over in his hand. He looked at Jasso. "Can you track this thing, see where it's been?"

Jasso looked at the device with undisguised revulsion. "Those badges are Arnette's responsibility. I have nothing to do with them."

Kirk was struck by the venom in Jasso's voice, he almost snarled her name. His stomach clenched as a Bad Feeling clicked into place, an intuition he could not explain, but trusted wholly when it occurred. His demeanor turned cold.

"Where are the Andorian imposters? Which site?"

Jasso dragged a hand across his eyes, looking thoroughly miserable. "They are with one of the Andorian teams at Site Four. The map is in my office. You won't be able to transport there, you'll need a crawler."

"And where will we find Arnette?"

"She is probably in her office."

Kirk turned to M'Benga. "Start preparing the teams. We'll leave shortly." He motioned to Uhura, Giotto, and Freeman and they followed Jasso to his office. Jasso punched up a map on his computer. Site Four was the most distant, about six kilometers away, and solidly within a magnesite area.

Kirk flipped open his communicator and hailed the Enterprise.

"Scott here," came the immediate response. "Any sign of Doctor McCoy?"

"Negative. Prepare to receive mapping and coordinates on Site Four. Then have Chekov begin scanning for human lifeforms beginning at this location, expanding the radius every sweep. Doctor McCoy does not have his communicator, but apparently he does have his medikit. " He looked at Jasso. "Does everyone here carry one of these badges?"

"I don't. Neither does Arnette. As far as I am aware, the others do."

"Scotty, scan the device in my hand. Most people here will have one, the individual signature will vary."

"Aye, Sir," came Chekov's voice. "Got it."

"How many do you read?"

"Seventeen, Sir, counting yours. All in the main building."

Jasso nodded. "That would be right. Today there are eleven other personnel, and the six visitor badges belonging to your group."

"Additional life signs, Chekov?"

"Dere are two more in the building, Keptin. You are standing next to one, and a second is thirty two meters distant, bearing twenty mark four."

"That would be down Long Hall, Arnette's office," said Giotto.

"Thank you, Mister Chekov. Continue scanning, keep me informed. Kirk out." He closed his communicator with an abrupt motion, looking at Jasso. "Call Arnette. I have some questions."

"And I have some questions for you, Kirk. How could these criminals get away with boarding a Federation starship without being discovered? Do you not have safeguards in place to prevent this sort of wanton violation?"

"They had credentials and the correct transponder signature. Believe me, they had some help. We will find out who and how. We'll interview anyone who had contact with them, beginning with administration, right after we get them into custody. First I want to talk to Arnette."

Jasso punched a button angrily, barking into the intercom. Arnette arrived quickly, stopping just inside the door with no indication that she was surprised or perturbed by the Enterprise crowd. She gave a spare nod to Kirk before turning to Jasso. "You called?"

"Yes. We have a situation."

"Indeed we do, Miss Arnette," Kirk said. "More than one. Doctor McCoy is missing. What can you tell me about his badge?"

Arnette raised a cool eyebrow, looking at the badge in Kirk's hand. "That is simply an electronic access, taking the place of passwords or physical scans."

"Can you tell where it's been? Especially earlier today?"

"It is not a tracking device."

"Did you speak with McCoy today?"

"I sent the final patient to the clinic just after four, Aminta time. I noticed the reports were filed and the charts finished before lunch. I have not seen or spoken with any of your group since last night."

"What do you know about the two Andorians we transported here?"

"Every scientist stationed here has a dossier in my office, Captain." Arnette paused. "Am I to know what this is about?"

Kirk's mouth tightened, not liking the tilt of her chin and he imagined he could see a glitter of resentment in her eyes.

"Vulcan authorities discovered the bodies of the real Vartheb and Kelan earlier today. It appears the others are imposters or worse. We'll need any information you have on them."

Arnette's expression did not change. "Very well. Will that be all?"

"For the moment. You may deliver those records to Lieutenant Uhura." Kirk watched her depart, then looked at Jasso. "I am beaming down a second team to begin searching for Doctor McCoy. I expect your full cooperation."

Jasso sighed, his anger deflating. "Of course. I tried to warn him about those beasts. He would not listen."

Giotto spoke, his words sharp. "Did he tell you he was going outside today or to hunt the birds?"

"No. He commed me some time before I took lunch. He said the physicals were complete and the records had been forwarded to Arnette's office. We discussed nothing else." He looked at Kirk, expelling a breath through his nose. "I may have clashed with Doctor McCoy, but I have no reason to wish him harm. I hope you find him well, but Aminta is not a friendly planet to the uninitiated."

"Have the crawler ready in ten minutes. Don't announce what's happening, but I think it'd be wise for your people here and at all sites to stay put until we have the imposters in custody. If necessary, you can consider that an order." Kirk motioned for Giotto and Freeman to follow and they stepped from Jasso's office and into the hall. The others were waiting in the commons. He scanned their faces, noting varying degrees of anxiousness and concern before turning to Freeman and Giotto.

"I need both of you at Site Four. I'm bringing down the SAR team to begin the search for Bones. If he is out looking for his birds, he can't have gotten far on foot and without equipment."

Giotto shook his head. "Sir, I don't believe he went out to find the birds. Last night we discussed my unease at splitting the landing party, and he assured me he would not leave the building today."

"That is correct, Captain," said T'Phol. "He did not go looking for Piasa."

Kirk turned to her. "You sound very certain, Miss Grayson. Why? Do you have any idea where he could be?"

"I do not. But he gave his word he would stay inside until we returned. I understand he follows through on his promises."

"He does. But when he has a puzzle, he's also like a dog with a bone, gnawing until he gets to what's inside."

"He did not go looking for the birds," T'Phol repeated stubbornly.

"Maybe not, but we have to start somewhere." Kirk called the ship, speaking orders into his communicator before addressing the others. "Uhura, get those records from Arnette, send them to the ship, then coordinate between the ship and both planet-side teams. Cassady and Nurse Chapel stay here with you. M'Benga can accompany the SAR team, we'll take the medic. Miss Grayson will return to the Enterprise."

"No. I would prefer to stay and help with the search for Doctor McCoy," T'Phol said immediately.

"I can't allow that. I am responsible for your safety, and this mission has turned toward danger."

"I am acclimated already, the thin air poses no problem for me."

"I'm sorry." Kirk nodded to Giotto and Freeman, but found T'Phol stepping in front of him, almost toe to toe.

"Captain, you must let me stay. I have the Moog with new birdsong, Piasa singing to him. I can interface with the record library in the lab, perhaps make a breakthrough in the translation. It may contain answers or clues about what has happened to Doctor McCoy. Perhaps I can be of some assistance down here. I cannot on the Enterprise." She felt Kirk's resolve waver a bit. "I have to try. Please."

Kirk relented, sighing heavily. "Very well. You are not to leave the compound, understood?"

"Understood." T'Phol stepped aside, watching as he and the rest of the security team swept through the double doors and into the waiting crawler. She briefly wondered if she inadvertently used her psi power against Kirk to sway his decision, She had never consciously attempted such a breech, doing so would be anathema to the Vulcan creed. Her father wielded similar psi ability in the exploitation of his followers. The comparison was frightening and left her unsettled, whether the manipulation was deliberate on her part or not, if indeed it existed.

The feeling was rather like telling a blatant lie.

She decided she did not have time to care.


Soon the Search and Rescue team arrived, carrying scanners and other specialized equipment. They consulted with Uhura, gathered M'Benga, then left to begin covering the area surrounding the compound in a feet on the ground search. Uhura and Cassady began setting up operations at a computer terminal in the commons.

T'Phol watched as Chapel fussed with the field kit for a moment, rearranging hypos, then sat on a bench. T'Phol sensed anger and frustration, but overlaying that was fear, swirling and dark. She approached the nurse cautiously and sat on the edge of the bench. Chapel looked away to the greyness outside the window where day was fading into twilight.

"I should have known." Chapel spoke barely above a whisper.

"Known?"

"That he wouldn't be able to resist going to his precious 'birds'."

"He did not go looking for the birds," T'Phol said quietly.

Chapel shifted to face T'Phol. Something in those intense green eyes caused her to swallow the biting comment on her lips. Instead she asked, "Where do you think he went, if not to Piasa?"

"I do not know." T'Phol paused. "But he would not have broken his given word to stay inside until we returned. He promised."

Chapel huffed, shaking her head. "It's not that simple. Jasso was correct when he said Leonard is obsessed with those creatures. And he feels compelled to help them. Compulsion is a powerful force. Powerful enough, maybe, to override a promise."

"In this case you are mistaken."

"You don't understand the irresistible effect that compulsion has on the human mind."

"On the contrary, Nurse, I understand it all too well." T'Phol breathed deeply, closing her eyes against the cold unease rolling in her stomach. She regained control and opened them, meeting Chapel's clinical gaze. "Perhaps the general assumption is faulty and we are asking the wrong question. Other than meeting the birds, what might have enticed him to leave?"

"Nothing, short of a patient needing help." Chapel drew in a sudden breath. "Of course! His Oath takes precedence over everything."

Uhura, just finishing the final connection, looked up at Chapel's exclamation. "I thought of that, too. But neither Jasso nor Arnette mentioned a medical emergency, and everyone who is supposed to be here is present and accounted for." She returned a fine tool to its case and turned to face them. "The captain is going to interview everyone as soon as he returns." Her eyes cut involuntarily to the window and the approaching night. The last of daylight was fading away. The perimeter lights came on, casting dull pools of light, which only made the darkness seem deeper beyond their pallid reach. She shuddered at the thought of Len being out there alone in the cold and dark. If he did go looking for his bird friends, she hoped he had found them and they were keeping him safe.

T'Phol stood. "I shall go to my quarters and begin working with the translation."

Uhura also stood. "Can't you do that here? It's past time to eat. I think the landing party should stick together."

"I am not hungry. Time is at a premium. Minimal distraction will accelerate my pace. May I borrow your tricorder? There are certain things I will not trust to the interface."

Uhura hesitated a moment, then handed her the tricorder.. T'Phol bowed slightly, formally, then headed down the hall toward their quarters. Uhura's eyes followed her until she turned the corner. Then she turned to Cassady.

"Give her a few minutes. Get some fruit and energy bars from the galley. Take them to her. Even Vulcans have to eat."

"In other words, make sure she's where she is supposed to be."

Uhura shot him a withering glance, which Cassady shrugged off. "Then can we eat? We skipped lunch and I'm starving."

Uhura's look softened. Her own stomach felt like it contained rocks mixed with equal parts of worry and trepidation. She was not sure she would be able to force a bite down, but Cassady was a young man, barely grown into adulthood. This was his first landing party mission in his first deep space assignment, and he was still armored with a veneer of invincibility. She fervently hoped that armor would not be cracked this time. She mustered a smile and patted his arm.

"Yes. After that, we'll have 'supper'."

Cassady's look grew serious. "I know you're good friends with Doc, I mean Doctor McCoy. You know, for a skinny, old guy, he's pretty tough. He's going to be all right."

"Of course he is. Thank you, Cass." Her eyes pricked with tears, so she turned her attention to the new communication console, busying herself with testing a connection. Chapel moved to a more comfortable desk chair. Cassady waited a few minutes, then went to the galley, selecting a handful of fruit and bars and headed to their quarters.

T'Phol's door was standing partway open. Cassady could see her hunched over the desk, pressing earphones to her head. The Moog was attached both to the tricorder and the terminal. He knocked on the frame. She looked up and waved him in. He set the food on her desk. "Uhura though you might get hungry."

T'Phol glanced at the offering. "That was very thoughtful. Thank you."

He looked at the Moog. "Do you think there's a chance of breaking through soon?"

T'Phol shrugged. "There is always a chance."

"Yeah, but do you think there's something on there that might help? Find Doc, I mean."

"It is a place to begin."

Cassady tilted his head. "They say Vulcans are deliberately obtuse."

"Indeed?" T'Phol supressed a smile. She liked Cassady. They had a good many conversations while she was sequestered in the guest area. He was open and talkative, a somewhat sheltered child, doted on by a loving mother. He was an interesting mixture of innocence and insight, still almost an adolescent, but then in Vulcan terms, so was she. She laid the headphones aside. "What else do 'they' say?"

He sat on the edge of her bunk beside the Moog, rubbing the polished edge. "I dunno. Lots of things." He glanced up with an impish smile that made him look about fourteen. "Most of them are good."

T'Phol allowed her smile to show. "I am gratified the consensus is favorable."

"They say Vulcans can feel the thoughts of their mate, even when they're not near. Can't you feel his to know he's OK?"

T'Phol's brow raised in surprise. Obviously Vulcan ways were not as hidden as they used to be. Not so many years ago such a question would have been a repugnant invasion of privacy, especially coming from an off-worlder. The years of exposure to and inclusion of other worlds and cultures seemed to be eroding the insular and secretive nature of Vulcan mysticism, especially when it involved Earth and Humans.

"I feel obligated to tell you that such things on Vulcan are considered to be private."

"Oh. Sorry."

"However, I will answer your question. I cannot read his thoughts at any distance, because Doctor McCoy and I are not bonded in the Vulcan way."

"That's too bad. That skill would come in handy right now."

"Yes it would."

"Uhura is afraid you are going to sneak off to look for him. Are you?"

"There is an experienced and well-equipped team searching for him as we speak, as well as the crew on the Enterprise. I have neither the skill nor the expertise to attempt such a search. I intend to work on this translation, most likely all night, and await good news with the rest of you."

Cassady stood, steadying the Moog. "They'll find him."

T'Phol nodded. "I have no doubt. You can go eat now. I will be good." She put the earphones on her head and touched a button. Cassady left, quietly pulling the door shut behind him.

T'Phol waited a moment before slipping off the headphones. She donned a second thermal shirt from her bag, pulling on a sweater over both and stuffed the snacks in a small bag along with a couple of tri-ox hypos she had appropriated from Chapel's kit and a few magnisite-nitron tabs and emergency blankets from the cold weather kit. She quickly started the program she designed for the Moog, adjusted the volume, and shouldered Uhura's tricorder.. Pulling on her coat and gloves, she opened the door an inch, peering through cautiously. Their rooms were deserted. She said a silent apology to Uhura and Cassady for her deceit as she pulled her door shut behind her. In a moment she was outside, skirting close to the building. She could see the SAR teams' lights in the distance. She tried to stay in the shadows as she worked her way across the field to the roadway outside the perimeter gate. If she recalled, it was fairly level for a while before it passed into rougher terrain further from the compound. She set off at an easy lope, disappearing into the night.