CHAPTER FIVE

On a planet made hostile by the elements, lashed by acid rain and scoured by hurricane force winds, it makes sense that the colonists have carved a refuge underground. What makes no sense is why the colony logs sent to Starfleet failed to outline this as the strategy pursued by Rawlson and his team.

They're standing at the entrance of a tunnel; unlined, black with dust and lit only intermittently, although there's evidence of both electrical conduits and rails for transport. No wonder Jake got so filthy so quickly, thinks Kirk, looking down with some affection at their young guide. Who is determined to lead the way down the tunnel. McCoy is just as determined he should be beamed to safety.

"Jim, he needs medical attention. And those are his people up there. They know him."

The would-be guide plants his feet and narrows his eyes. "My mom is down there," he says simply. And Kirk, perhaps remembering himself at a similar age on a planet in crisis, finds he has some sympathy with that point of view.

"Captain, if I may, a word..." Spock walks to stand apart from the team, hands clasped behind his back. Kirk recognises that stance. He leaves McCoy grumbling and joins him.

"Yes, Mister Spock. What's on your mind?"

"Those readings, Jim. The mineral residue..." The use of the first name, the hint of compassion in brown eyes. This is Spock delivering bad news. Then, "I have seen them only once before." And Kirk knows. The suspicion solidifies.

"Let me guess. Alpha 177, right?"

The pause and the raised eyebrow tells him that, even after all this time, he still has the ability to exceed his first officer's expectations. But Spock recovers quickly. "I should have surmised you would draw the same conclusion. Do you mind if I ask...?"

"...how I knew?" Kirk thinks for a moment, lifting his hand to rub the back of his neck. "Well, there was Miller. What he said, how he behaved."

It's like part of you is missing.

I've seen part of myself no man should ever see.

He almost shudders. Gives himself a mental shake. "And then the duplicate. Same man, different personality. That was something of a clue." Kirk looks his first officer full in the face. "We've seen that before, haven't we, Spock?"

The Vulcan nods slowly. Kirk continues, "But really it was that name - Paul Rawlson. I said it would come to me and it did. Standing there in the warehouse, I remembered." He wonders now if the mental block was a deliberate construct; a protective impulse from his subconscious. He takes a deep breath.

"Commander Rawlson messaged me. The first time not long after... after we left Alpha 177. Then again about a year ago. He was asking questions. Asking for my logs - the personal logs, not the official record. If you remember we kept that rather... bland."

Spock nods again. It wasn't as if they'd lied. The facts were all there in black and white. But neither officer had felt it appropriate to tell the full story. For which Kirk is immeasurably grateful.

And now he knows why that name in the briefing room had had such an impact. It wasn't just the distant stirring of unwelcome memories. It was the accompanying cold lurch in his gut - of something left undone, something crucial missed.

He'd sent a polite refusal to Rawlson's requests couched in the language of Starfleet security protocols. But he hadn't asked why. Why a Commander, then based at science lab half a quadrant away if memory served, would be asking those particular questions about that particular planetfall. He'd been all too keen to move onto the next request in his comms queue; he'd allowed his emotions, still raw and smarting on the subject of buried alter egos, to cloud his judgment.

He continues grimly, "So, somehow, for whatever reason, Rawlson has managed to import some of that ore from Alpha 177. That's what your tricorder is picking up, right?"

"Correct, Captain. The readings are strongest in the warehouse. But the trace residue is everywhere. We are standing in it now." Spock looks meaningfully at their boots, now caked in mud. "Jake is covered in it." He pauses as if wondering whether to go further, to spell out the implications.

But he doesn't need to. Kirk understands and for a moment he is back on the Enterprise of some four years ago. Two memories. Disorientation on a transporter platform and a craving for brandy. With a shudder he brings himself forcibly back to the present.

"So what you're saying, Spock, is that Jake can't beam anywhere. And, until we get decontaminated, and work out exactly what's going on, neither can we."

-oOo-

See, you knew that's where it was going.

Short chapter, sorry. But hope to follow up with another very soon.