Chapter 2

New Earth 2368

Thwarted for the moment by LaForge's disinterest, Rasmussen walked back to his time pod, climbed inside and hit the auxiliary power. The air inside cockpit fluctuated for a few moments before growing still. The inertial stabilizer was still compromised from the travel here. Until he was able to have it fixed properly, travel would be risky, whether in this dimension or another. His travel would be limited to atmospheric flight, at least until he enlisted LaForge's help. If this had been a machine from an earlier generation, then he may have been able to repair it. He was an inventor after all. At the same time, he was a lazy inventor; which was why he was in this situation now. He sighed, both impressed and annoyed with himself.

No, this time machine was from the 26th century-one he'd stolen from a time traveler, which had been stolen back from him, and which he had eventually retrieved to use with mixed results. But because he'd been doing so much traveling recently, he hadn't had time to properly study the technology of this vehicle. So, his immediate thought had been to seek out LaForge first. Because even though LaForge was from the 24th century operating with a two hundred year disadvantage, Rasmussen was willing to bet he was a brilliant engineer in any century. So tomorrow, he would approach LaForge again, using a different tactic.

LaForge, although claiming not to know who Picard was, could certainly be enlisted to help find the captain. And he needed Picard's help to ensure his plans worked this time. It was clear that his initial plans had been too humble, and as a result (with other factors involved) his prize had slipped through his fingers. Sometimes you had to be willing to go the extra mile in order to succeed...no matter the cost; even if that meant horribly warping the space-time continuum. Most problems could be remedied, and he had a plan to reverse some of his previous results, and improve the next time around. And to succeed he needed some help.

So far, it seemed he would have a long way to go to convince the former crew to listen him, but thanks to the time pod's archive, he knew roughly where to find at least some of the remnants of what was once the Enterprise D crew. LaForge had been easy enough to find, as he had been "registered" as a licensed mechanic on New Earth, and so his general location had been known.

Anyway, now that he was here on New Earth, as it was now called, he could contact his old acquaintances, the Enterprise crew. Only as far as they were concerned, they had never been a crew at all. This time, in order to succeed he would need to not just fool Khan, but Kirk as well. And in order to fool Kirk, he'd need Picard's help.

He'd have to create a story that worked, draw them in enough to make it worth their while. The best stories held an element of truth, or several. Without that, Picard and his people would never be convinced. The good news was, he had all the time in the universe...so to speak. So he had to have something to captivate Picard's ridiculous sense of honor. It was questionable whether in this dimension, Picard even knew that Admiral James T. Kirk had ever existed. So he would have to rely on something more than just the captain's knowledge of Starfleet history.

Rasmussen scrolled through some of the information on the screen which gave him some clues about the society of New Earth, but he was still largely in the dark.

"Where is Beverly Crusher?" he asked out loud. She had been his only friend during his short stay on board the Enterprise, and he hoped he could rely on her good sense again. And she wasn't bad to look at either.

The computer, which contained all data gathered during its various travels between dimensions, responded dutifully. "Beverly Crusher is a known criminal, currently on probation, and living in the hills surrounding your current location."

"Criminal? What's her record?"

"Twenty five arrests and six convictions for impersonating a physician, three unsubstantiated charges of receiving stolen goods, and five arrests for disturbing the peace."

"Impersonating a physician? She is one!"

"Beverly Crusher is listed only as a convicted criminal in the recorded archives."

"I see...well what about Jean-Luc Picard and William T. Riker? Neither one of them could stand me, but let's hope we can begin with a clean slate, given that they'll have no recollection of me at all."

The computer paused. "There is no record of a Jean-Luc Picard living during this time period."

"Oh no...well, that must be a mistake." He needed Picard, didn't he? Well...maybe Riker was good enough to achieve his aims.

The computer ignored his growing distress. "There are two individuals identified as William Riker listed in the archives. Both reside in Alaska. One is registered as having no occupation. The other is listed as Tourism Broker."

"Hmm. Interesting. Computer, let's hear that summary of the history of New Earth again."

"Khan Noonien Singh...Ruler of New Asia between 1992 and 1996, and Ruler of New Earth from 2285 to 2335. Singh was considered the most superior of Human Augments, genetically engineered for superior intelligence and strength, and who became overlords of the planet Earth during the Eugenics wars of the 1990s. When Khan and his fellow tyrants were finally overthrown in 1996, Singh and 80 of his followers escaped on the ship the USS Botany Bay. Khan Singh, or "Khan" as he was popularly named, and his crew were awakened by James T. Kirk in 2267, and later marooned by the Enterprise captain on Ceti Alpha Five-"

"Skip that part," Rasmussen interrupted lazily. "I know all about it first-hand...in fact, if you think about it...I'm totally responsible for this...New Earth, or whatever you called it. My bad." For some reason his own words sent him into a fit of giggling laughter, and he nearly fell out of his seat. Catching himself on a nearby control panel, he sobered. "Go on."

"In 2285 after the victory over the villain James T. Kirk in the Mutara sector, Khan and his people returned to Earth on the famed but captured USS Enterprise. Khan immediately located hundreds of other Augments who had been hidden away in secret for hundreds of years, awoke them from suspended animation, and staged a bloody coup at Starfleet Command. Khan clung tenuously to power during those early days by holding the former seat of the Federation literally hostage, while Earth's allies were reluctant to intervene in its inner turmoil. By the time Vulcans attempted to interject, it was too late. Faced with treachery at every turn from the inhabitants of his former home, Khan soon instituted the so-called Redemption. During the Redemption, Khan unexpectedly and mercilessly used the powerful Genesis device he had stolen from Kirk with the aid of-"

"Skip that part," Rasmussen interjected again, this time less inclined to fall out of his seat with laughter.

"Khan used the Genesis device to eliminate his enemies and to create a so-called New Earth. Due to Singh's misuse of the powerful device, billions of plant and animal lifeforms were destroyed, including over 4 billion of Earth's human inhabitants who were killed by various stages of the Genesis wave. Entire civilizations were destroyed, although some areas were spared to provide cheap labor for the Augments. The remaining humans, referred to as Deficients, were forbidden from holding any positions in the sciences, and inter-breeding of Deficients and Augments was made illegal, to retain the purported purity of the Augment gene pool."

"What about the Augments?"

"Singh and his followers easily took control of the remaining inhabitants, and those he could not control were so scattered around the globe, they posed no real threat. Once Khan took power, he decimated the last vestiges of the sitting Federation government on Earth, and established a dictatorship, with Singh at its head."

"And Starfleet?"

"Starfleet, Earth's exploratory, quasi-military organization was disbanded without delay. The government on New Earth drew into itself becoming isolationist, and forsaking all its former Federation allies, despite late attempts by Vulcan to peacefully intervene, and abandoning stellar exploration. However, the Deficients were taught from an early age that the Augments continued to explore and dominate the galaxy, and that New Earth was caught in a seemingly endless war with the Klingon Empire. Just before his death in 2332, Khan tried to improve his image somewhat by perpetuating the lie that the Klingon Empire had actually used the Genesis device on the people of Earth. Of course, no one ever truly believed that."

"So...Khan dying didn't change the status quo. At the point we are in now, 2368, the Augments still rule."

"That is correct."

"Anything else I need to know?"

"At this point in history, many parts of Earth are nearly uninhabitable. The majority of the population resides in metropolitan centers like this one, where laws are closely adhered to, and violence against Deficients is sanctioned by the state."

"Wonderful. I should have come just a little later in history...maybe things will improve here?" he asked hopefully.

"There is little information indicating that will be the case. In fact, there is no information at all."

Rasmussen jumped to his feet. "Wait a minute! What are you talking about?"

"This history archive contains no entries after May 12, 2368."

Rasmussen glanced at the control panel. The date was very plainly displayed: May 2, 2368. "Ten days?"

"Yes."

Rasmussen grabbed tufts of his unruly hair, suddenly filled with anxiety. "What happens in the next ten days?"

"Unclear."

Rasmussen paced the small pod. "I've got ten days to convince them to leave with me. What if I told them their world was ending?"

"Such a statement may be accurate."

Berlinghoff sat down slowly in the pilot's chair. Things were more complicated than he had anticipated. "Are you telling me that the Earth is going to be destroyed in ten days? Why? What happens?"

"Unclear."

"Well...does it involve the Genesis technology? Can you at least give me a theory of what might happen?"

The Genesis effect has damaged the Earth's equilibrium to the extent that the Earth's core has been destabilized by excessive gamma radiation. A cataclysmic event could result in the destruction of the Earth."

"That's it? You can't tell me why or how this may happen?"

"Insufficient data."

"Damn it! What have I gotten myself into?"

"Please re-state your query."

Suddenly and inexplicably the time pod began to shake. There was a loud bang against the bulkhead, and Rasmussen nearly fell to the deck.

"What's happening?" he shouted to his digital companion.

The computer remained silent, perhaps computing to itself.

Suddenly a voice blared through some kind of amplification device from above. "Attention intruder, you will exit your vessel immediately or be destroyed."

Rasmussen climbed back into the pilot's seat and frantically began to activate the propulsion systems. When that didn't work, he tried to activate the shields. When that didn't work, he searched around for his phaser, which was attached to the underside of the navigation panel. Just as he found it, the main hatch blew inward, and the interior of the pod was filled with dust and smoke.

He felt strong arms yanking at his limbs and pulling him out of the pod. He shouted, but to no avail.

Rasmusssen was tossed like unwanted refuse onto his stomach. Unable to breath momentarily, the side of his face that was not planted on the sidewalk allowed him to see not one, not two, but several looming shadowy figures. Their faces were hidden behind helmets. "Hey," he called out just as a hard boot struck his side and he rolled onto his back, immediately blinded by intense lights from above. A large transport ship, much larger than his time pod, hovered above his vessel, covering the area with waves of heat. He tried to shield his vision with his forearm, at the same time wanting to get a look at what was happening out of curiosity.

One of his assailants reached down and grabbed a handful of his shirt, pulling him up off of the hard ground. "Where did you get that ship?" The voice was sinister, yet cultured. An Augment.

"I-it's a long...long story," Rasmussen squeaked. "If you let me up, I'll tell you."

"Let you up?" There was more than a touch of arrogance in the question, but Berlinghoff didn't have a chance to examine it further, as his captor lifted him off of the ground and into the air with one hand. The helmeted face stared into his. "Now you are up, Deficient. Now explain what you are doing out in the streets in violation of the curfew, and what you are doing with this vessel."

Rasmussen kicked his legs uselessly, as the Augment held him in mid-air with little effort.

"I can't explain it like this. Please, just give me a chance to-"

"Too many demands," the Augment grunted, and tossed Rasmussen back down to the street. He felt his head crack against the hard surface, and could not roll out of the way before a heavy boot was planted on his chest exerting a sickening downward pressure.

Unable to do little but struggle for breath he could see another large figure walk almost casually over to the time pod and slap a small magnetic device to the hull. The man turned to nod at one of his fellow officers, before the time pod shimmered away in a transporter beam. The Augment leaned down. "What is your registration?"

Rasmussen could not breath, and consequently would not have been able to answer the question, even if he had understood it. His only response was a croaking sound. The last thing he saw was a gloved fist descending rapidly, and then blackness.

When Rasmussen awoke, he was surprised to be alive. His face and head were bruised, and he had a splitting headache. He was vaguely aware that he was alone, before he heard quick footsteps approaching. He closed his eyes, fearing the Augments had returned.

"What were you doing out here so late?"

He opened his eyes, now recognizing Geordi LaForge's concerned voice. He still hadn't gotten used to seeing the man without the odd Visor he had worn on the Enterprise.

"I didn't know-"

"Didn't know? Well you're lucky they didn't kill you."

He grabbed a hold of the gangly man and pulled him to his feet. Rasmussen leaned against him shakily. "You're not from around here are you?" questioned LaForge.

"No," groaned Rasmussen, as he took a halting step forward. He was battered and bruised, but as far as Geordi could see in the dim light, he would survive.

"Is this typical for around here? Being mercilessly beaten for walking in the street?"

LaForge stared at him in confusion. "Yeah. It's normal, especially if you're out here when it begins to get dark. There's a curfew, you know."

"Ow!" the man cried out. "I think my leg is broken."

Geordi was skeptical. "You'll be alright," he said reassuringly. "As long as we don't stick around much longer. Come on, I know someone who can help you."