A/N: Thank you for sticking with me and leaving reviews. I'm sorry to any and all who I've made cry. This is why I waited until AFTER the holidays to post.

Chapter 3

U.S.S. Enterprise, 2277.127, 1312 hours. He'd been vigilant—on the watch for any sight or sound of the man over the last four days—but was still caught by surprise. Gary's nerves were wound so tight that by the time the call he'd been dreading came he still leapt a foot into the air.

"Lieutenant."

The Commander came down the corridor and fell into step alongside him as he headed back to the labs. Try though he might Gary couldn't slow his racing heart. Every second that passed seemed longer then the last and the Vulcan's silence weighed heavily upon him.

They reached the turbo lift and entered together, the Commander staying his hand before he could press the Comm deck button. "You will accompany me to Deck 17."

His tone brokered no room for argument and Gary's eyes shifted about as the lift descended, his mind rapidly working to try and figure out the man's plan. Deck 17 was far from isolated but it wasn't exactly bustling either. There were also quite a few airlocks.

As far as Gary knew the Commander thought things like blame and revenge were illogical notions…

…right?

The door opened and he was grateful to see a few colleagues milling about in the halls. It was obvious that the Commander had an agenda as he didn't waste a step, exiting and turning quickly to the right all the while expecting him to keep up. Gary's horror only grew when he realized they weren't headed for an airlock but straight toward the transporter room. Mr. Spock could orchestrate any number of 'accidents' from there and Gary just knew he'd end up like that beagle Mr. Scott was rumored to have lost all those years ago. Worse still, no one would be the wiser.

Shit, shit, shit!

Two crewmen stood behind the control panel and looked up in surprise as they entered. One of them even tried to speak to them. "Commander, I gri…"

"Beam us down to the surface, Ensign."

If Gary thought he was panicking before now it increased tenfold. He didn't want to go back to Unohdettu at all, least of all with him. He shot a wild-eyed look at the ensigns on duty even as the Commander stepped up onto the transporter platform.

The woman who'd spoken looked from him to Commander Spock and back again, torn between duty and her own healthy dose of fear. Mr. Spock's recent loss was no secret and none of them thought it was a good idea for him to travel to the surface and the spot where his wife had died.

"Lieutenant Burgess," the Vulcan commanded sharply. He was so given to following orders Gary was startled to find his feet moving of their own accord. "Ensign, I ordered you to beam us down."

His heart raced as the transporter lights swirled around them both, taking him back to the scene of the crime.

The orange shrubbery at the cave entrance bristled like sea anemones against the howling wind. As they drew closer Spock saw the Starfleet warning buoys outside declaring the area closed off to those not involved in the investigation. He strode right past them and into the caves, insisting on seeing the spot where Nyota died with his own two eyes. Much to his annoyance the Lieutenant kept a good three paces behind, forcing him to slow down.

"Sir?" Spock ignored him and walked on but Burgess insisted on speaking with him. "Sir, it says this is a restricted area, are you sure we have permission to be here?"

He bore down on the younger human with a look normally reserved for chastising his children. He had had to employ it so seldom now but it had not lost it's effectiveness, and if he thought Lieutenant Burgess was frightened before it was clear to him that he was now terrified.

A small part of Spock smugly crowed in satisfaction. Lieutenant Burgess' fear whipped his own natural retaliatory instincts into an almost frenzied state. Vengeance against this man for the death of his bond-mate would be sweet indeed—if he decided to disregard his own plan.

But he did not.

They wended their way through the cave and as they approached the room in question he could hear the voices of fellow officers echo off the walls. At present there were only three personnel members on the grounds and as they rounded the last corner he saw Lieutenant Commander Paxton, Lieutenant Urell and Lieutenant Wahl debating methodology near the hole in the wall.

"What we need are better angles on those images in the upper southeast corner."

"Agreed," Lieutenant Urell added.

"Sir, I understand that, but I'm telling you that from this trajectory and with our limited range it is impossible to get those pictures. We simply don't have the means," Wahl argued back.

He stepped around the corner and all three heads snapped up, Lieutenant Urell looking especially affrighted by his presence. "You will step aside and grant me entrance into this cavern."

"Sir?" Lieutenant Urell asked dumbly.

Spock wanted to roll his eyes. The humans he was coming up against today were sorely trying his limited patience. "I order you to step aside and allow me to gain entrance into the cavern."

Lieutenant Commander Paxton stepped up to him. "Commander, you know we can't do that, Sir. Now I appreciate the difficult time you're having right now but…" his dismissal was cut off as he slumped unconscious to the floor.

The remaining three Lieutenants looked up at him in shock, Lieutenant Wahl's jaw open so wide he was not entirely certain that she was fully human. "If there is anyone else who wishes to try me I suggest they step forward now."

He was not surprised when Wahl and Urell each stepped aside, giving him a wide berth; he was, however, taken aback by Lieutenant Burgess as he stubbornly dug his heels in.

"No! No Sir! I let you drag me down here but I will NOT go back in there! You can't make me, you can't…"

Burgess' protests died off as Spock stepped inside. Nothing happened. No alarms sounded and no weapons were discharged. His eyes quickly adjusted to the decrease in light and Spock made out the pictures and glyphs on the walls. He could easily tell why Nyota had been fascinated with this place.

"Where was the Lieutenant Commander standing when you left her to retrieve the requested equipment, Lieutenant?"

The communicator's mouth opened and closed several times in succession with no sound forthcoming. As he waited Spock noted the prone form of Lieutenant Urell on the ground; judging by the way he crumpled he determined that the man had fainted.

"Lieu-…Lieutenant Commander Uhura, Uhura, Sir, she was…she stood right over there." Spock moved to the appointed spot and examined the image before him. Black cloud-like blobs were scattered along the bottom, cushioning three concentric circles, the outer and inner ones painted a deep violet and the middle one painted turquoise. Arrows moved outward on either side of the circles pointing away to other drawings. Above all that was the glyph of what appeared to Spock to be a three-headed bird unlike any species he had ever encountered.

He pointed to the spot at his feet. "She stood here?"

"Yes Sir."

"Right here? You must be very precise in your accounting now Lieutenant."

Burgess swallowed hard. "Uh…maybe a bit more to your right, Sir." He clenched and unclenched his fist. What about the word 'precise' did the man not understand? Before he could ask again Burgess amended, "20 centimeters; she stood 20 centimeters to your right."

Spock adjusted his stance accordingly. He knew it was impossible but he felt a slight weight settle about his shoulders. Closing his eyes he took a deep cleansing breath, counting off the seconds. In 76 seconds his adun'a had somehow moved from this spot and lost her life.

"The Lieutenant Commander named each of the twelve previous rooms in this location, did she not?" The communication's officer simply nodded. "As I recall she had not yet informed me on what this chamber was to be called. What appellation did she finally settle on?"

Lieutenant Burgess' voice cracked as he replied, "She had decided to call this one the Pointer Room, Sir. She didn't tell me why." Almost as an afterthought he quietly added, "It was one of the last things she said to me before she died."

Ignoring them all now he turned and faced the opposite wall, crossing five meters to stand near the spot where Nyota perished without desecrating the space. On the wall were a series of jagged black and white lines, similar to depictions of lightning strikes only there was no distinction of ground or sky. Figures of various sizes and shapes were seen collapsing down the lines, their reason for falling and ultimate destination unknown.

Spock also noted a perfect hole in the wall exactly .30 meters up from the ground, no larger then 8 centimeters in diameter. He was about to examine it further then thought better of it, instead turning to finally address Lieutenant Wahl who had been watching the exchange in stunned silence. "Lieutenant, I require your holo camera." With trembling hands she unhooked it from her belt and tossed it to him from the opening. He took the images she and her teammates had been discussing before his intrusion as well as several others for his own use, then sent copies of them all to his personal computer terminal before stepping out and returning the equipment to her.

Having gotten all that he came for he left and listened to the others' shock as Lieutenant Burgess fainted dead away behind him.

1338 hours. Selas sat cross-legged on the floor in the middle of his room, listening to the same computer read-outs of the reports that were filed by all the away teams that had been down to the surface. He and Mama had discussed the caves of Unohdettu at great length each night after dinner; she had even taught him the meaning of some of the glyphs she had deciphered and allowed him to see them through her eyes.

She had always said that he had a knack for languages, just like her.

There was a knock at the door that was quickly followed by a sugar and fresh linen scent. Rebecca. "Selas?"

"Computer, pause program," he ordered as he prepared to rise to his feet and greet her.

"No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." He listened as her footfalls drew closer; she pushed some of the holos in front of him away and took a seat beside him. "I missed you in school today. I thought I'd come by and see how you're doing." He said nothing and she tried again. "So…how're you doing?"

It was not the first time someone had asked him that question since his mother's funeral; still, he did not feel he had a satisfactory answer to give. "I am…" his voice trailed off as he thought about it "…coping."

She patted his arm sympathetically and he drew comfort from her touch. Soon he heard the rustle of holos being shuffled about as Rebecca turned her attention to the work at his feet. "Uh oh; you look like you're getting to be as messy as me! What were you doing before I came in?"

Selas sighed. How could he even begin to explain? She was his best friend but he had the feeling that she would not approve of his current project. "I was attempting to discover what Mama had uncovered in the cave. I…I want to understand what she died for."

"Oh Selas…" She rubbed his back and he felt immense relief at her lack of judgment. She picked up another holo, this time seemingly studying it more closely. "Would you like some help?"

He perked up. He knew what she was offering—the borrowed use of her eyes—but did she understand? Not only was it important to him but it was likely to be very taxing to her. Would she change her mind before he could unravel the mysteries of the caves?

Would he ever unravel them?

"Do you truly mean that, Rebecca?"

Without warning she stopped and grabbed his hand, intertwining his fingers with hers; reflexively he pulled at her optic nerves and blinked at the sudden bright light. Her vision was not nearly as crisp as that of Sa-mekh or his siblings but it was sufficient for his needs. Looking down at her lap he saw an image of a yellow circle with a regal red bird with long tail feathers flying out of it. It was from the 'Genesis Room'.

"Yes, I'm sure."

He did not waste anymore time.

1407 hours. "What the hell, Spock? You know you can't go around nerve-pinching people just because they get in your way!" Kirk banged a hand down on the table in the Ready Room. "You're lucky no one's pressing charges!"

Indeed, Spock knew it was wrong to act as he had and that he was, as Kirk had said, 'lucky'—yet if given the chance he would repeat the same actions again without deviation. Given that he also agreed with the Captain's statement in every way he did not attempt a reply.

After trying to stare him down for 40.9 seconds Jim sagged in defeat and ran a hand down his haggard face. "Look, I can only imagine what you and the kids are going through right now but you can't do this to yourself. If you go down this road you'll never come back from it, trust me. In the end you'll all only suffer more for it. It's not what she'd want for any of you."

He quirked his head. Though Spock knew full well what was meant it was not advice he had requested nor had any intention of following. "Captain, I can assure you that I am not traveling down any 'road'—I am merely gathering evidence to aid in the investigation and uncover what specifically happened to Nyo…" he stopped himself short, his true motivation made blatant by the slip, "…Lieutenant Commander Uhura on the planet's surface. That is all."

"That's all, huh?" After another short-lived staring contest the Captain dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "Fine. In the meantime stay away from Burgess and Paxton, ok? And don't be surprised if Giotto pays you a visit and reads you the Riot Act; you have it coming." He was a step away from the door when he heard, "Oh, and Spock? Just because I didn't call it don't think I don't know bullshit when I hear it."

He had learned long ago that his Captain was far from stupid, and with a nod at his superior officer he left the room to return to the relative privacy of his quarters where he could review the evidence he had gathered thus far in peace.

U.S.S. Enterprise, 2277.128, 0433 hours. T'Alora slipped in the door and paused, listening to the ambient sounds of the apartment. Only the hum of the ship's engines could be heard beneath her feet as the family slept and she quietly padded down to the bathroom. She peeled off her sweaty clothes and undid the tie at the end of her braid, finger-combing loose the long hair that ran halfway down her back. Stopping and sticking the laundry in the 'fresher chute she took a moment to study herself in the bathroom mirror.

She had always been lithe by Vulcan standards but now she was fast becoming skeletal. Prior to her mother's death T'Alora had had a healthy 81 kilograms on her 1.8 meter frame, but between caring for Sa-mekh and her brothers, exercising multiple times a day to purge herself of her grief, and forgetting to eat, the weight was rapidly falling off. She had already lost 3 kilograms in the last five days while the respite she sought through her exertions remained elusive.

As she primed the sonic shower she ran a hand over her vanishing stomach and tried to recall the last time she had felt hunger. She recalled Ensign Kyle pressing a fork and plate of assorted fruits and cheeses into her hands after the service. She had munched on three or four pieces of…something…out of politeness to the other woman more than anything else. The food tasted like poorly replicated plomeek soup and T'Alora disposed of it shortly thereafter. She could not recall actively seeking out any nutrition in the intervening time.

Still, she was less concerned with her eating habits and more disturbed by the recent behavior of her sa-mekh and brothers. For as long as T'Alora had known him Sa-mekh had never acted in anything less than a logical manner; now she was hearing rumors of him physically intimidating subordinates and running amok on Unohdettu. She had even caught whispers that he had been personally reprimanded by Uncle Jim, and though she was not fond of ship's gossip it was a rumor she took none to lightly.

And Se'tak! Ever since he had learned to talk she had longed for him to be quiet and now he barely spoke more then three or four words a day. Sa-mekh was so lost in his own despair he did not notice how Se'tak glared at him in outright contempt; he was missing the signs that Se'tak's anger was building and she was uncertain as to whether she would be able to restrain him when he finally burst. He was nearly as skilled in suus mahna as she and in a few years time he would overthrow her in height and weight; if he really were to let loose it would be difficult to physically contain him.

Selas was the only one who gave her very little trouble yet she was still concerned. He kept to his room mostly and had allowed her to enter a few times but when he did it was always after hiding some PADDs and holos away. Given everything else that was going on she had not had much time to dwell on his strange behavior yet she had certainly made note of it for future reference, hoping he would enlighten her soon.

Leaning back against the glass wall T'Alora closed her eyes and allowed herself a very human sigh. The mind-numbing exhaustion she longed for began to take hold and she was glad for it. Staying awake long enough to stumble into her room she crawled under the covers and slept a dreamless sleep. In this time of uncertainty and upheaval it was all she truly wanted.