Vulcan Twilight: Chapter 05 - Questions and Answers
Spock was not prone to hallucinations, but perhaps, the escalating dizziness now affected his vision.
He had just witnessed the three humanoid males in his room move in a manner so fast, that even to his Vulcan eyesight, they seemed almost a blur! Moreover, all three males gawked at him with varying degrees of absolute shock.
Why? They had shown frustration of his feigned ignorance in understanding their language and they had expressed the desire to communicate with him several times. Now that he had spoken, in their native tongue no less, they should have reacted more positively. Instead, they showed disbelief and even a little fear.
It was most perplexing.
Glancing toward the doorway, Spock saw the arrival of other humanoids: three females and one robustly built male. All of them possessed similar physical traits of anemically pale skin and vividly amber eye pigmentation.
"It - He...speaks English!" Jasper blurted out; eyes so wide they felt like popping out of his head.
"Yeah? No shit," Edward replied, gaping at the alien.
"Incredible," Carlisle murmured with a boyish smile.
"Fucking told you so," Emmett said triumphantly. He stared directly at Edward, who he argued with earlier, and he'd vehemently insisted that they were somehow stuck in an episode of the Outer Limits, or in this case, the X-files. He was also immensely relieved that the alien they'd brought in hadn't transformed into a Predator. Sort of. Because even if it did, he'd have just as much fun trying to rip it to pieces.
Edward gaped at Emmett like he'd grown a second head. Then again, Emmett would've probably liked that. It gave him a raging headache whenever he attempted to analyze how his brawny 'brother's' mind worked. Trust Rosalie to pick a premium specimen from the male population as the perfect mate, he thought sardonically, rolling his eyes.
"Would you like some water?" a woman offered, who stood next to the alien's bed with a glass in her hand.
Spock was so preoccupied with observing the humanoids' interaction on the left side of the room, he failed to register anyone standing to his right and was dangerously caught by surprise. On a side note, how had the woman known he was thirsty? Was she telepathic like the humanoid named Edward?
"It must've been hard to say what you did with such a dry throat," the woman said kindly and inched a little closer.
Clearing his own throat, Carlisle strode forward to stand by the leather chair to the alien's left. "My name is Carlisle Cullen. Behind me are my children. These are my sons, Edward, Emmett and Jasper, and my daughters, Alice and Rosalie. The beautiful woman to your right is my wife, Esme."
The kind and gentle manner the humanoid female named Esme exhibited brought a painful twinge of sadness to Spock. The woman reminded him too much of the mother he'd only recently lost. Worst of all, he felt his composure slipping. The mounting dizziness from his physical injuries and dietary needs mercilessly combined with the emotional turmoil he was experiencing from the memory of his mother's death and the loss of his home planet. It was almost too much to bare! He closed his eyes and pursed his lips, forcing himself not to crumple in distress.
"Now that we know you can understand us, will you allow us to help you? You're obviously in pain and we mean you no harm," Carlisle coaxed.
Opening his eyes, Spock turned to look at Carlisle and slowly nodded once. At this point, in his weakened condition, he had no other choice but to yield to their ministrations. At least, as long as he remained conscious, he could further observe them.
Different things happened all at once. Before Spock knew it, he was being carefully shifted to an almost sitting position against a massive pile of pillows stacked behind him for support. In his near upright state, the wave of dizziness crashed over him like a tidal wave, forcing Spock to again shut his eyes, the room spinning like a top with him as the axis. He slumped back, sinking his full weight into the pillows.
"Here, drink this," Esme encouraged softly, guiding the glass into the alien's hands. She watched as he placed the glass to his lips, took a tentative sip, then eagerly drank every drop.
Gratefully, the water was clean. Spock detected no unusual substances in the distilled liquid. Now that his throat no longer felt like an arid desert, he could better communicate with his mysterious hosts. He was also pleased to note that despite the absence of his uniform, they had given him a simple pair of loose-fitting, soft, gray pants made of a light, porous - cotton? - fabric. He was grateful, at least, that he wasn't entirely naked.
"Would you like something to eat?" Esme continued.
"That...would be most...appreciated," Spock replied, his voice still a bit hoarse. In addition, he wished the room would stop spinning. It was irritatingly distracting.
Carlisle was relieved that their alien patient was responding more agreeably to their care, knowing it must have been difficult to do so. Waking up in a totally unfamiliar place, greeted by totally unfamiliar people would be a terrifying experience for anybody. He then glanced at Alice who snuggled in the tight embrace of her mate, Jasper, and he felt a pang of sadness knowing how this situation closely mirrored her own past.
"What the hell does it eat," Emmett commented, receiving a snicker from Rosalie and annoyed glances from the others. "What? It's a perfectly good question."
Spock agreed. Having no idea where he was in the galaxy, he wondered what kind of food they could provide him with. Therefore, best dispense with the major questions first.
"Would you like another drink?" Esme asked again rather unexpectedly, already reaching toward him with another glass of water.
His slanted eyebrows rose up perceptively. Nevertheless, Spock accepted his second drink of water and emptied the glass.
"Geez, mom, don't the drown the guy," Edward chuckled, effectively easing the tension in the room.
"Well, now that you'll be eating and drinking, you won't be needing this anymore," Carlisle said, pointing to the translucent tube attached to the alien's arm. "May I?" When the alien nodded, he swiftly removed the I.V. needle, wrapping the excess length of tube around the pole.
"If I may inquire...in which part of the galaxy are we located?" Spock asked, and noted the mixed reactions from the humanoids present.
"Uh...east of the sun, west of the Milky Way?" Emmett answered, snickering along with Rosalie. The two were amusing themselves at the alien's expense.
"You're on Earth," Edward said plainly, glaring at Emmett and Rosalie, still giggling and whispering to each other.
"Earth?" Spock said with a look of subtle bewilderment on his face. It was a reply he had not expected. "Earth...in the Alpha Quadrant?" Impossible! He had led the Narada...the Enterprise...they were parsecs away from the Sol System!
The Cullen family all exchanged dubious glances, some of them mouthing the words 'Alpha Quadrant.' To Emmett and Rosalie, it sounded like hilarious sci-fi mumbo-jumbo.
"Yup. Good 'ole planet Earth. Third blue-green ball of dirt orbiting in a solar system of nine or eight planets - stupid scientists can't figure out how many - floating somewhere within a slowly expanding swirly galaxy named after a chocolate bar," Emmett stated with a grin, the couple dissolving into fits of laughter. "That sound about right?"
Carlisle quickly grabbed Edward's arm to prevent him from tearing into the snickering couple. Though the rest of them strongly disapproved of Emmett and Rosalie's embarrassing conduct, now was not the time or place for violent reprimands. Their first responsibility was to ensure that they earned their alien guest's trust while he stayed under their care and protection.
"I apologize for my children's behavior if they've offended you," Carlisle said regrettably.
"None taken," Spock answered and paused a moment before he added, "I am confused. If we are indeed on Earth, as you claim, why do none of you exhibit the standard characteristics of the humans that inhabit this world?"
The room was abruptly silent as all the Cullens froze in place.
Again, their collective reactions were mystifying to Spock. Why had that simple question filled the room with such suffocating tension?
"Carlisle, I shall speak directly to you since you are clearly the figure of authority in your family," Spock stated. The man then briefly glanced around him and hastily took a seat on the leather chair by his bedside. "I find myself baffled by you and your family's reactions to my simple questions." Before the man could answer, he held up his hand. "Before we begin, please, permit me if I may, to conduct the interrogation. I am, after all, the outsider here."
With a another glance from Carlisle, the rest of his family shuffled to different parts of the room, giving their patriarch some space as they settled down to listen, some pairing off with their respective siblings. To Spock's left, Edward stood leaning against the tall leather chair where his father sat. Esme remained on the right side of his bed, seated comfortably on a leather chair that matched Carlisle's, which had somehow materialized inside the room. Jasper sat leaning against the wall on the sturdy end table at the foot of his bed tightly embracing Alice - a young female brunette with short, spiky hair - as she curled herself snugly between his legs. And lastly, the robust male Emmett, grinning broadly with anticipation, sat cross-legged on a wide footstool cradling an amused female with long blonde hair, Rosalie, in his lap. Evidently, his benign hosts seemed eager to cooperate.
For now, Spock's overwhelming curiosity outweighed the needs of his body, quelling the aches and pains to a tolerable level. He then wondered how many questions he would receive satisfying answers to, so Spock began with something easy.
"Where precisely on Earth are we stationed?"
"The town of Forks, Washington State, in the country of the United States of America on the North American Continent," Carlisle answered.
Spock was familiar with the geographical location of Washington State on the North American continent. This meant he wasn't far from Starfleet Headquarters located in San Francisco, California. Then why was he here, when Starfleet's renowned Planetary Defense Grid would have easily detected his arrival in any form, whether he crash-landed or was transported or even telaported to the planet's surface. He would have left an anomalous energy signature...unless, some kind of cloaking device had been used. Was he secretly being sequestered here?
"Is Forks a civilian compound?" was Spock's next question.
"If you mean nonmilitary, then yes, the town of Forks is mainly populated by civilians," was Carlisle's best answer.
The circumstances surrounding his arrival here were rapidly becoming incomprehensible. Also, his sensitive Vulcan hearing distinguished no trace of treachery in the cadence of Carlisle's voice. In fact, no one in the room had spoken in a remotely deceptive fashion.
"You and your wife found me severely injured nearby?"
"Yes. My wife and I were exploring the forests around our home when we found you. Frankly, we didn't know what to think. You literally popped out of nowhere, crashing into a group of trees and breaking several branches before you hit the ground. We expected to find you mashed to a bloody pulp from the height you fell from, instead, you were intact and breathing. Esme and I then carefully transported you back here to our home where I quickly began treating your wounds. I removed all the debris I could find, mostly chunks of wood and these metallic fragments." Reaching into his pant pocket, Carlisle pulled out a small, white bundle.
Edward watched as Carlisle passed it to the alien who carefully unwrapped the neatly folded handkerchief on his lap, revealing a few sharp slivers still caked with green blood. For now, the part about his own bizarre involvement in saving the alien's life was edited out, since it wasn't Carlisle's story to tell.
Spock stared at one of the larger slivers of metal he held between his fingertips. He would have it immediately analyzed once he returned to Starfleet. He then securely re-bundled the slivers in the piece of fabric on his lap.
"You are this community's elected physician?" Spock continued.
"Well, I wasn't elected. I applied for a position at the local hospital, went for an interview and because of my credentials, I got accepted. My family and I only recently moved here to Washington state from Los Angeles, California."
Los Angeles? There was no such city in the state of California...unless... "How long have you and your family lived here?" Spock marched on, determined to unravel the convoluted snippets of information.
"Less than a year. We found you in the woods thirty weeks after we moved here. You were in a comatose-like state for two more."
"Why was I not taken to the local medical facility for treatment?" Spock said.
"There wasn't time. You were literally bleeding to death. It was my decision to bring you here. I had the necessary medical supplies and equipment to help you."
Medical supplies and equipment in a civilian home? A laboratory? Have I become the subject of biological experimentation? Spock felt his heart starting to race. "Then, as the respected community physician, why have you not informed the local authorities of my presence here?" Thereby allowing Starfleet to find me. Even to his own ears, his voice sounded slightly agitated.
"Because...that would've been very dangerous for you," Carlisle said calmly.
Spock was taken aback by this. Looking around the room, every member of the Cullen family - excluding the amused Emmett and Rosalie - agreed with what Carlisle had said. Dangerous? For me? Why? If I'm on Earth, what would be the danger? The stubbornly recurring word 'unless' increasingly troubled him. This word, compounded by Carlisle's continued sincerity, inevitably propelled him toward a theory he was reluctant to consider. 'When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.' It was a quote he favored the moment he had read the it in a book a fellow first year cadet had lent him. Ironically, the quote applied to him now more than ever before! So, he decided, in the interest of totally discounting a particularly disturbing realm of thought, Spock asked breathily with just the barest trace of discernible desperation, "What...is today's stardate?"
"Star-date?" Carlisle said, unsure how to respond. "I don't know the 'star-date', but I can tell you today's Gregorian calendar date, which is September 29, 2005."
It was Spock's turn to freeze in place. He stared at Carlisle in expanding horror as the oppressive magnitude of his condition gradually sank in.
There was a strangled gasp from somewhere in the room. In his attempt to decipher the alien's intentions, Jasper was caught unprepared for the colossal impact of the alien's emotions when he briefly slipped through its mental barriers.
"Jasper?" Alice said worriedly. She stood facing him with her hands on either side of his face as he sat paralyzed, his eyes eerily fixated on their alien guest.
"That thing's got Jasper this time!" Emmett shouted angrily as he surged forward, slamming into Edward who tried to restrain him along with Carlisle. Esme now stood in front of the alien, shielding him from view.
By Spock's calculation, the elapsed time between the instant Emmett shouted to the point where Esme now stood before him occurred in exactly a millisecond. The Cullens have now, more than once, demonstrated speeds of movement totally unachievable by Terrans from Earth!
"Carlisle, I demand to know who you are and why I've been imprisoned here," Spock declared in a loud voice.
"You're not our prisoner, you stupid Martian! We've been telling you the truth!"
"Emmett!" Carlisle said angrily. "Either behave yourself or leave this room: Choose!" Emmett wisely chose to back off. He then turned to address their distraught alien guest. "We are who we claim to be. This is my family, you're in our home, and we mean you no harm."
Spock felt his anger building. He needed definitive answers, not statements that led to more questions! Under normal circumstances, he was much more calm and collected...but these were hardly normal circumstances. So far, what he'd learned currently implied, that aside from his miraculous resurrection from death, he was somehow thrust centuries into the past, on a planet that may or may not be Earth, in the company of Terrans that were definitely not Human!
"Though you speak the truth and act sincere, the conflicting evidence I've gathered, so far, suggests otherwise," Spock argued.
"What evidence?" Edward replied, taking over the conversation for Carlisle who had stepped aside looking frustrated.
"Let me begin with the obvious: you and your family are not Humans," Spock asserted.
"No...not anymore. But we were," Edward admitted, then scowled, appearing to speak wordlessly to every member of his family. He gazed sternly at the outraged faces around him, fairly sure that the Volturi edict of absolute secrecy didn't apply to aliens! "I know what I'm doing."
Spock's aches and pains grew increasingly aggravated by his soaring stress levels as Edward's reply further confounded him. What in Surak's name did Edward mean by saying that they 'were' Human?
"Then tell me, Edward, if you used to be Human, what are you now?" Spock asked, slightly pursing his lips in annoyance.
"Alright, since you seem to know so much about Humans...the reason my family and I look the way we do is the fact that we're vampires," Edward said casually with a smile, crossing his arms.
"Vampires?" Spock repeated as he took a moment to seek the definition in his mind. When he found it, he jerked his head up sharply, his brows crunching together in consternation. "Myth! Vampires do not exist."
Suddenly, the room erupted into peals of laughter as all trace of the suffocating tension vanished from every Cullen present.
"That thing's a fucking riot!" Emmett guffawed. "I changed my mind, let's keep 'im!" He was laughing so much that he toppled to the ground.
One slanted eyebrow rose considerably up Spock's forehead and remained there. He was unable to grasp the humor in what he'd just stated.
Carlisle was the first Cullen to surface from their collective fit of unrestrained hysteria. Grinning, he approached the bed, leaning against the high-back leather chair. "Again, I apologize for the inexcusable behavior of myself and my family," he said, still smiling broadly. "It's just that...you're the first living being to ever say 'You do not exist' straight to our faces like that...and with such conviction." His last few words sent Emmett and a few others into another round of guffaws.
"Let me propose this," Edward began, and everyone in the entire room had his undivided attention. "Is there any way to completely convince you that we're telling you the truth." He already knew the answer to his own question and hoped that the alien would choose the same course of action. He was equally curious about their guest's extraterrestrial origins, willing to gamble that his idea went both ways.
Spock hesitated. For him to gain the absolute truth, only one alternative remained. That meant he would have to perform a mind-meld on one of his unknown hosts, a method that also provided many risks for both sides. However...it was the most effective technique he had available to extinguish any shred of doubt.
"Very well," Spock said softly. "I know of a way..." When he tried shifting slightly, he winced. His internal organs were still tender and required several more days of healing.
"Here," Esme said, quickly coming to the alien's assistance and effortlessly moving him to a more comfortable position with one arm.
Seeing this, Spock mentally added physical strength to the Cullen's growing list of unusual traits. "Thank you." She smiled in reply. Now that he was settled, he proceeded to explain his 'way.'
"Among the integral characteristics of my Vulcan species is the ability of touch-telepathy, particularly, what we call a Mind-meld. Training to manage this ability begins at a very young age. And, though I am not inexperienced, I have yet to achieve mastery of it."
"Then, it's safe to say, as far as skill level, you're an intermediate?" Edward interjected, which he guessed probably placed him at about the same standard.
"That is a fair appraisal, yes," Spock replied. "I presume, since you are the resident telepath, you will volunteer for this procedure?"
"I will," Edward said without hesitation, amid the murmur of his family's protests both mental and audible. "Tell me what I have to do."
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to interrupt," Esme spoke up surprisingly as they all stared at her in confusion. "Are you sure you wouldn't like something to...um...eat first?" If her ears hadn't deceived her, she may have just spared the alien some embarrassment.
"As...a matter of fact...I would very much appreciate something to eat," Spock admitted. Again, he wondered if Esme was telepathic. He'd been actively suppressing his body's needs in his pursuit of determining the mystery of how he'd arrived, that his hunger had gotten to the point where he would've had to devise a way to discreetly ask for nourishment before he and Edward began the mind-meld. Gratefully, Esme had spared him from having to do so. "And...Esme, you may call me Spock."
As a precaution, Esme and Alice did a wide variety of shopping, stocking up their kitchen pantries with all sorts of food items during the two weeks they waited for their alien guest to awaken. Imagine their delighted amusement when they learned that Spock's Vulcan race was primarily vegetarian!
"Crazy coincidence, isn't it?" Alice beamed at Esme, zipping around the kitchen and supplying whoever with whatever they needed to prepare the meal. If she'd already known the fact that Spock was vegetarian, she gave no indication.
"I know," Esme said happily, shaking her head slightly in disbelief. "It's almost like...I don't dare say it." She tossed a few more vegetables into the stir-fry Emmett flung expertly into the air from a wok with flicks of his wrist.
"Ssspauuwkk...Ssspock..." Emmett muttered to himself, adding a few spices to the dish he was mixing. "What the fuck kinda alien name is Spock, anyway? Spock sports short socks sparingly in space. Sporks spark Spock's suspicion with surprising success. Y'know, Spock totally rhymes with - "
"Zucchini," Esme chimed in. "We need more zucchini."
"Edward, are you sure it's wise volunteering yourself like this?" Carlisle asked worriedly, remembering his 'son's' frightening experience in the kitchen when he and Esme first brought in the alien.
"Well, I'm the resident mind-reader which gives me an idea of what to expect. He realizes this, which is why I knew he'd agree to my proposal," Edward replied and noticed Jasper's apprehensive gaze. "Hey, Jaz, you sure you're alright?"
"I was caught off-guard," Jasper responded, masking the unease of his own unique connection with the alien's psyche. He watched Alice cheerfully zipping around like a hummingbird in a garden from where he stood, one side of his body propped against a small support wall on the hardwood floor a step above the main kitchen area. Edward was leaning against the extended stone counter-top of the custom island, two steps down, away from the hubbub of activity, absently watching as Emmett tossed stir fry up into the air at a height no human chef could manage.
Carlisle was cutting and arranging a selection of fresh fruit on an ornately decorated silver serving tray. Their guest hadn't specified a quantity, so he guessed that Spock might need a double helping of food based on his approximate height and weight and the severity of his injuries. In this instance, he used Edward for comparison since his height and build closely matched that of their alien guest.
Upstairs on the third floor, Spock took the opportunity to meditate while the Cullens were away and concentrated on healing the heavily damaged areas of his body. After about fifteen minutes, the Cullens returned upstairs and presented two trays filled with food.
Scanning the trays, Spock recognized most of the fruits and vegetables the Cullens used to prepare his meal.
"I hope you don't have food allergies," Carlisle remarked.
"There is no need for concern. My unique physiology allows me to quickly adapt to food grown on Earth," Spock answered.
"Here's a pitcher of water, room temperature," Esme said, smiling, placing a glass and a pitcher on a small table by his bedside. "If there's anything else you need, just ask. We'll be right outside."
"Thank you, Esme, everyone," Spock said, looking sincerely at each individual present. "I am indebted to you all for your hospitality."
"You're welcome, and the whole 'in debt' thing's irrelevant," Edward said and smiled. He and his family slowly filed out of the room to give their guest some privacy while he ate. Being the last one out the door, he caught Spock peeling a banana with his knife and fork.
to be continued
Author's Note:
In 2047 (following the Star Trek universe timeline) the 'Hermosa Earthquake' caused the L.A. region to sink under 200 meters of water, creating one of the planet's largest coral reefs, home to thousands of marine species.
All the food Esme and Alice bought were from the best organic local farmers' markets and small businesses in the area. Their vampire senses can't stand all the generically grown, chemically and hormonally altered crap we normally eat.
The book was titled, 'The Sign of the Four', a series of fictional novels centered on the main character, a detective named Sherlock Holmes, written by the literary author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. (Spock found Sherlock Holmes intriguing in his exploits, using his impressive analytical skills to solve his criminal cases. ^_^ Heh. Like a bee to honey!)
Ah, Emmett! Bless him. He's the gift that keeps on giving. As the crazy wild card, I just never know what he's gonna do or say next! Try saying all those Emmett tongue twisters three times, fast! xD
Special thanks to the super-fab *Simpleinsanity * for her Community support!
The Ruby Red Raven - As you can see, poor Spock didn't take the news too well...wonder how the mind-meld's gonna go with Edward...
Obscure Stranger - Oh, yeah. I think Spock's super awesome too! ;D (especially in Scruffy mode)
Kanashii Kopper - Wow, I'm flattered by your compliments, thank you! I read your suggestion and tweaked the first chapter, so give it a gander. ;)
Aspriles - Thank you! I'm quite proud of this crazy plot bunny. (pats the bunny's head) I love the characters of both the new Star Trek and Twilight...so I've decided to let them meet each other. LOL As for how far into the Twilight universe Spock goes...(grins)...let's just say, I have no intention of leaving anyone out. ;p
Go ahead, drop me a line! Place your names on the Review Page Hall of Fame! I'd love to hear from my readers! ;3