Chapter 3: The Die is Cast

The taxi pulled up to the entrance of the closed-off road that led to the old observatory. Kirk, Spock and McCoy got out. Whilst Spock mind-melded with the taxi's driver to make him think he had stopped to see if he had a flat tyre, Kirk questioned the contankerous doctor.

"Look familier?" McCoy grunted.

"Meh. Never seen it before. My aunt lived in Columbus. Used to go there quite alot. This was never here. I mean, sure, it may have been knocked down since 2014, but there has always been a McCoy living this town and never once did they mention an observatory." he explained. Kirk nodded in acknowledgement.

"The maps the computer has stored also don't show anything like it," the Captain spoke candidly, "I wonder what other surprises this place has in store for us." The pair turned to see how Spock was doing and they were caught off guard by another 'surprise'. Two even, as the skyline was disrupted by two very unfamilier landmarks.

"Whoa," exclaimed McCoy, his agape, "Now those definately don't exist." They were staring at two very tall towers, identical in appearance. This version of Columbus had its own Twin Towers. They weren't as tall as the originals in New York and didn't look at all like the them, being shaped more like Canary Wharf in London.

To the north of the city was a massive Olympic style stadium. There was no doubt this place had once held some major sporting event.

"Captain," Spock had returned, "The driver has been confused. We must continue with our objective." Kirk nodded.

"Yes Mister Spock I agree. Doctor, come with." McCoy, who was still surprised, walked backwards while still staring at the buildings, before turing around.

The trio walked silently for the 500 metres to the chainlink fence surrounding the observatory. The fence was rusty, the building itself was covered in green moss. There were chips in the stonework and the doors on the domed roof were wide open.

"Someone was in a hurry to leave this place." chimed McCoy. He would've gone on, but Spock's tricorder chirped alarmingly.

"Captain! I am reading massive amounts of localised gravitic forces!" The group watched in disbelief as the chainlink fence tore itself apart, bringing chunks of earth up with it. The rusty connections couldn't cope with the unusual forces and broke. In no time at all, a vast section of fence and part of the gate was floating in the air as the three men backed up in alarm. Not long after, to the confusion of the Starfleet team, a fat, strangely dressed woman also floated up, but unlike the fence, which was crumpling and spinning around, she seemed to be in a far more controlled environment... if you could call call hovering women controlled!

With a flick of her arm, the fence suddenly flew towards Kirk, Spock and McCoy, folding into a giant chainlink cannonball along the way.

"GET DOWN!" shouted Kirk. The trio leapt this way and the other just in time as the fence-ball smashed into the ground, gouging the earth and rupturing an old waterpipe. Stale water gushed through the breach, fountaining through the air. The three men scurried over to the ball and took cover, just as another fence-ball hurtled past. McCoy was hysterical.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!" he screamed, "First flying cars, then flying fences, then flying women throwing fence cannonballs! Jesus Christ, HELL JUST OPENED UP!"

"Captain!" called Spock over the racket of the water and McCoy in his hysteria, "I believe the gravitational disturbances are coming from that woman! I see no logical explanation for this being-so!"

Kirk formulated a plan, "At least she's not telepathic! Get ready to fire phasers! On my mark... MARK!"

Spock and Jim pulled out their phasers and swung into action. Swirling around and bringing their phasers to bear over the fence-ball, the pair aimed at the fat girl and pressed the trigger. Two purple beams of phased particle energy lanced out at the floating woman, who crossed her arms in defence. As she did so, a great chunk of earth rose in the path of the phaser beams like a wall. The beams hit the earthern wall and started to bore through. But just as suddenly as it had been created, the wall of earth fell to the floor and the beams continued on towards their target...

...who was no longer there. The womans gravitised powers had allowed her to dodge the beams. In response to being attacked, the woman motioned picking something up with each hand. Two great monoliths of asphalt were ripped from the observatory car park. With a clap of her hands, the two slabs of tarmac slammed together to create a several foot wide spear. Kirk watched in terror as the woman used her powers to throw the mighty object at the fence-ball that he was hiding behind. He couldn't close his eyes, the fear was too great. He had fought a Gorn warrior that was many times stronger than he was, stared death in the face fighting a Romulan bird of prey and diced with it infiltrating that very same vessel and never before had he felt as scared as he did now. At least then, he stood a chance. This time, he had none. Death was going to win.

Time seemed to slow down. The asphalt spear inched towards the totally unprepared men. But, when the end looked near, a great net seemed to catch the spear in its path. The spear slowed down tremendously. It came to a stop just centimetres away from Kirk's head. Spock peered over the top of ball cover and was surprised to be greeted by a wall of false stone and earth. Then, ever so slightly, the great spear inched away, then virtually flew away. Whatever had caught it seemed to have elastic properties as if in a cartoon. The great net that had caught the monolithic spear flung it back towards its source... the gravitised woman. Surprised, she put her hand up in a sort-of 'Police STOP' fashion and the spear disintegrated once in was within 3 foot of her. Slowly, she turned her head angrily towards the source of the net.

"SPINNERETTE! MECHA MAID! BLACK TIGER!" the woman screamed.

"Jim look!" exclaimed a shocked McCoy. Spock and Jim looked over their shoulders and, in Kirk's case, gasped in amazement.

Three figures stood defiantly just metres away. A normal looking woman in a mechanized maids outfit, an incredibly heavily built african-american in an orange and white suit and an astonishing girl in a black skin-tight suit with an extraordinary number of arms, six to be precise.

"It's just TIGER!" screamed the african-american muscle man angrily, then he crossed his arms and sulked.

"Greta! What business do you have throwing cars skywards and attacking these men?!" demanded the mechanized maid. The gravity woman pouted.

"None of yours that's for sure!" she replied in a thick german accent, "Now go away, I have some laser men to kill.

"LASER MEN?!" McCoy shouted. He had gotten up and was perched on the fence-ball, "We defend ourselves with high powered weapons and the best thing you can call us is laser men?!" Kirk looked at McCoy in horror.

"Bones get down!" he seethed through his teeth. Spock, however, didn't wait for McCoy to heed this and just grabbed his neck. McCoy instantly jolted and crumpled. His limp, unconscious form was captured by the vulcan.

"Threat neutralized Captain." The slight vulcan humour lowered the tension a little bit, but this situation was just getting wierder by the moment.

"GRETA! We must leave now! I have the data I need. This place has served its purpose!" The Captain looked to towards the owner of the new voice. A man wearing dark goggles, a white labcoat and the wackiest red hair was walking down the steps from the the observatory entrance.

"Dr. Universe," growled the muscle-man, "We knew you'd be behind this! We know you're around if Greta is around." The wacky scientist just stood there, but he was getting visably agitated.

"Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes, I have an agenda to stick to heroes. Greta, it's time to go!"

Kirk watched wide-eyed, the man referred to as 'Universe' started to float himself. However it was clear he wasn't doing it himself. 'Greta' came close then took hold of him by the waist.

"Ta-ta Heros!" he called.

"So long armpit girl!" called the woman mockingly. The six armed girl raised her right fists and waggled them in annoyance. Then the pair of villains flew away. Kirk was so confused that he didn't notice the rapid chirping sound coming from Spock's hand.

"Captain, their is an energy build-up inside the observatory. I believe a self-destruct device has been activated. We must return to the Enterprise!"

Kirk turned to his friend and saw a rare hint of emotion on Spock's face. He was afraid.

"Agreed!" was all Jim said. Withdrawing his communicator and flipping it open, Kirk contacted his ship, "Kirk to Enterprise! Three for immediate beam-out!" Just seconds later, the Kirk, Spock and the unconscious McCoy disintegrated in a golden light, much to the astonishment of the three strangers not far away.

"You heard that man! This pace is gonna blow!" cried Tiger, before turning and sprinting at an incredible pace. Spinnerette held out her top two arms so Mecha Maid could grab them. On MM's back, a plate of armour folded open and her jetpack whirred out of the opening. Then, with a roar, its motors blasted into life and the pair rose up and sped away from the observatory and just in time aswell.

Golden light shone out of the roof doors, then cracks in the stonework were illuminated by the same golden hue. With an almighty rumble, the building exploded, leaving nothing but an imprint of where it had once been...

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SORRY IT'S TAKEN SO LONG TO RELEASE THIS CHAPTER GUYS, BUT FANATIC AND I BOTH, DON'T HAVE THE TIME WE USED TO NOW.