Spock wakes with a start. His usually accurate time sense seems to fail him, so he turns his head to view the wall chronometer. It reads 6:05 in the morning. That is two hours and five minutes later than he wished to arise. His body must have needed to recuperate more than he realized. He glances at his wife, who is still sound asleep. With some regret, he gently touches her arm.
"T'Mara…I need you to wake up," he says gently.
She stirs groggily. "H'm…what?"
"I need you to wake up. I need you to assist me."
She sits up, her mind reeling with worry. "What's the matter? Are you in pain?"
"No, T'Mara, nothing is physically wrong with me. I want to go back to the outlook. That is why I left the girls with Andre. I need…answers. I must know if that overhang is still there." He gets out of the bed.
Startled, T'Mara studies his face. "Why now? Can't it wait?"
"No, I need to go there now. I realize this is an unusual request, but please…"
He holds his hands out, and she goes to him. Was he actually pleading with her? "Okay," she agrees, "let's get ready and go find your answers."
Once clothed, Spock gathers two flashlights and his tricorder. Due to the shortness of time, they enter the skimmer and fly into the morning gloom. He lands the vehicle right on top of the Corvette's skid marks. A temporary rope barrier bridges the broken area in the safety fence. Spock exits the skimmer, and turning on his high-intensity flashlight, heads towards the roped-off area. T'Mara does the same.
Spock peers down the cliff and runs his flashlight along the length of the bluff. He does not see any ledges. The rocky hillside is just as it was before the accident.
At his side, T'Mara also gazes downward and speaks in stunned voice. "My husband, the ledge…it's not there!"
It all seems inconceivable to Spock. Something made of rocks, dirt, and other organic materials just does not disappear without a trace. His eyes flicker with an intense desire to know.
"Perhaps," he considers aloud, "the ledge was an artificial safety construct triggered by sensors."
Retrieving his tricorder from the skimmer, he painstakingly scans the cliff's edge and the turnout for any sign of sensors. Finding none, he then opens a cargo door on the skimmer and removes a pair of jet boots.
T'Mara is right behind him. Realizing what he is about to do, she seizes his arm. "When did you pack those? Have you lost your mind? You aren't going down that cliff! What if those boots malfunction?"
"I assure you, I have not misplaced my mind. It is still in my head where it belongs," he replies, attempting levity to dispel her anger.
Her grip on his arm tightens. "Damn! That isn't funny! Don't do it...please."
Spock gazes into her troubled eyes. "T'Mara, I must see for myself if the overhang appeared through miraculous means. Trust me, these jet boots are completely reliable."
She slowly releases her grip and lets her hand drop to her side. She knows there is no stopping him, for he is determined to head down the embankment. Offering a silent prayer, she shakily says, "Okay. But so help me, if you get yourself killed…"
Spock sets down the boots, and taking her into his arms, kisses her tenderly and says, "T'Mara, my love, I should have died yesterday, but was spared. I will be alright. My scientific mind needs to investigate... I have a strange feeling that my life will be changed from this day forward."
She studies his face and relaxes. It dawns on her that this might be the very test that leads him to Christ. "Go ahead, then. Find the answers you seek."
He gives her a brief smile, then turns away and changes into his jet boots and straps on the control belt. With his tricorder hanging from his shoulder and a flashlight in hand, he soon levitates to the spot where he calculated that the overhang should have been. Hovering, he studies the surrounding rocks and boulders. Then he takes some dirt into his free hand and rolls it between his fingers. He feels each fragment and mentally analyzes it. Finally, he takes hold of his tricorder, turns it on, and adjusts its settings to analyze the rock formation and search for any hidden mechanical device. Data flashes across its small screen.
The rock face is composed of common minerals formed 3586.57 years ago. There is no artificial mechanism present, nor did a mechanical device emerge from the boulders.
Suddenly the tricorder begins to vibrate and the screen turns yellowish-orange. The entire tricorder heats up and glows the same color. As Spock stares at it, dumbfounded, the light encompasses him. A ledge grows under his feet, and his jet boots settle to the ground.
Spock stands frozen as a white-robed figure appears nearby. In a deep voice, the figure addresses Spock in his native tongue. "My son, all was as it is now. Oh, ye of little faith. Throw your skepticism away for now, and believe. Trust in the Lord your God. After you died aboard the Enterprise, I allowed your soul to be placed back in your body because you gave your life for your friends. Now, once again, I have spared you. Yes, it was I who out of love placed that outcropping of land where you fell yesterday. Ask me into your heart so that your soul will be mine, and when your day comes to depart from this world, you will spend all eternity in Heaven. Remember, blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. So, my son, go back to your loving wife and start anew."
Spock continues to stare at the glowing, robed figure. He could not help but recall his experience with his misguided half-brother, Sybok. Crossing the Great Barrier to a planet that held an evil creature trying to pass itself off as God. It was not logical, but this figure before him seems to emit pure holiness. Spock is greatly attracted to him, but a lifetime of doubts remain.
Gathering himself, he asks, "Who are you?"
"I AM WHO AM," speaks the penetrating voice with love. "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. I am the Living Water. I am the Good Shepherd."
Spock knew enough of Judeo-Christian scripture to grasp the references. "If you are…who you say you are…why would you choose me? Someone who has never accepted you as my God and Savior."
With infinite patience, the wonderful Being tells a story about a shepherd seeking a lost sheep. Finishing, he says, "Just so, I left the ninety-nine and went in search of you. Each soul is precious in my sight. Go now, your wife awaits you."
Slowly the white splendor fades, and Spock's tricorder begins to functions normally. He stares at the instrument. His body shudders for a few seconds, then he exhales as if he had held his breath the entire time the Being spoke to him. He closes his eyes and attempts to regain control over his rioting emotions, but does not totally succeed.
He glances at the clear blue sky; it was as it should be, a dawning morning sky. He looks up to where T'Mara stands. He sees that she appears awestruck to see him standing on the ledge that had reappeared. He wonders how much she had seen. Had she, too, heard God's words?
At last he finds his voice and calls to her, "I…I am coming back up!"
Engaging his jet boots, he rises above the cliff and descends to the ground beside T'Mara. He guides her away from the cliff's edge, and they stand facing each other.
"My…my wife," he asks, looking deeply into her eyes, "have I changed?"
She is at first confused by his question, and ponders for a moment. She had witnessed the glowing tricorder and the intense light that seemed to surround Spock. Maybe he fears that the phenomenon had somehow transformed his appearance.
"Uh, no," she replies at last, frowning. "You look the same to me." But did he really? Deep in his eyes, there was a strange radiance…
Spock put his hands on her shoulders and draws in a deep breath. How can he explain what has just occurred? He only knows that for the first time in his life, he feels completely whole. For the first time in his life, he believes in something, in Someone, beyond dry scientific facts. "T'Mara…listen to me. As outlandish, as illogical it may seem, God has just spoken to me. Did you hear his voice?"
T'Mara's jaw drops. Fear stabs her heart, for Spock's injuries must be worse that the doctor realized. Clearing her throat, she says, "There was only light. It became so bright that I couldn't look at it. Did the flashlight malfunction? I got worried and began to pray…" She takes hold of his hand. "Come back to the skimmer and rest."
Spock draws his hand away and begins to pace and gesture, which is totally out character for the normally restrained Vulcan. "I do not need to rest. There is nothing wrong with me. In fact, I have never felt so well." Coming to sudden halt, he faces his wife. "You saw the ledge. How do you think it got there?"
T'Mara had no reply.
"My aisha, God spoke to me in words from your Christian scripture. He called himself 'the Way and the Truth and the Life'. He reached into my soul, and I cannot help but believe. What do I do now? How do I answer him?"
The enormity of what is happening begins to dawn on T'Mara. Yes, surely the ledge is proof of her husband's sanity. She saw it with her own eyes. Sudden joy sweeps away her fear. Holding out her arms, she rushes over and embraces Spock. He holds her close and he feels her great happiness.
"I will help you," she promises. "You need to ask forgiveness for your wrongs, then ask Jesus into your heart, into your life. When you are ready, I'll guide you through a prayer." She smiles at him.
"Then proceed, T'Mara," he tells her. "Let us pray now."
Drawing back, she holds his hands, and they pray. It was a short prayer of repentance and inviting the Son of God into his heart. Once they finish, T'Mara senses a peace in her husband that she never felt before.