Having walked, slipped and slid down the hazardous trail they stepped cautiously onto the relatively flat landscape of the valley floor. Jim glanced at the sky, still being torn by skeletal fingers of white hot lightning. He didn't relish walking out into the open and being the tallest thing between the rocky outcroppings of the slope and the small shelters before them. The buildings weren't all that far now, and yet seemed much farther.

Spock touched his arm to get his attention and pointed to the roof of the larger building. Pacing alone, facing them was the Romulan Commander. It was too far to make out her features for a positive identification, but they both knew it was she. Not tall, but proud, aristocratic in manner and bearing, Spock was suddenly assaulted by the memory of the brush of her mind against his. Daphne had been right; the Rihannsu had no more mental control than the Earthlings. He had given her only his curiosity and fascination with the Romulans. It had been enough to convince her of his permanent devotion.

Arrogance and ego had been her downfall. Spock was hoping that not much had changed. Even now she paused as if realizing they had seen her, she stopped pacing and faced then with deliberate insolence. The blood-red sky silhouetted her like molten lava. Lightning seemed to flash at her command.

"The Keeper of the Gates of Hell," Jim said, ruefully.

Without further hesitation and unable to ignore so bold a challenge, Kirk began striding across the open space with Spock at his heels. The Vulcan cast his commander a glance, measuring his strength and degree of exhaustion. Kirk didn't have Vulcan strength, and he was far out of his element, but there was a power in the man that was apparent, indomitable. He possessed a fighting will that would see his body broken into pieces before he would yield. It was a quality of mind that had kept Spock following him for four years. It was a quality he understood.

The ground here was scoured clean of sand by millennia of hot winds. Disregarding the heat and imposing gravity Kirk fixed his eyes on the image of the Romulan Commander and continued forging ahead. Spock was at his shoulder now, in lock-step. They were both intent on their quarry so they saw it when it happened.

A flash of lightning arrowed from the sky as if thrown by an angry god and struck the building on which she stood. There was an explosion and shockwave that rocked Spock and Kirk back a step and then the building burst into flame. Furious red flames erupted behind the Romulan Commander and Kirk and Spock broke into a dead run.

By the time they reached the buildings, the larger one was almost fully engulfed in flame. The heat roiled from it and the flames crackled with glee. Hell had indeed come to Vulcan and the Gates had been flung open. They were heading for the flaming building when Spock's Vulcan hearing picked up the sounds of someone shouting and pounding on the door of the other building. He turned quickly. Jim skidded and turned to run after him.

"Stephen!" Spock shouted by way of explanation.

By the time they reached the sealed door even Jim could hear the pounding and shouting. There was a small access panel set into the wall by the door. Jim tried to open it without success, sliding his fingers around the edges of it looking for purchases, a look of grim determination on his face. Spock touched his shoulder suddenly, and with the delicacy one might use with a child he moved Kirk aside and then slammed his fist through the panel.

Sparks shot from it and Spock stared at it for a moment, frozen, looking like he had needed to do something like that for a long time. Then heedless of the sparks and sizzling sounds he reached inside and simply ripped the electronic guts out of the panel.

The door slid open and Stephen stumbled out into Hell. He grasped Spock's forearms to stop his momentum, looked up into Spock's face and burst into a wide grin.

"Damn it, she picked a fine time to start locking that door! Good GOD you sure know how to make an entrance!" he cried. "You look like the devil himself and you brought your place of residence with you!"

"It is gratifying to see you well, Stephen," Spock replied.

"You haven't changed at all," Stephen observed and then he looked over Spock's shoulder at the blazing building and his face fell, "The Commander, she's in there! I know she caused all this but…."

"I'll get her," Spock said, "Go with my captain."

"Now just a damned minute, Spock," Jim began, command lacing his voice.

Spock turned, his face held a kind of quiet urgency. "No, Jim," he said, as if he knew this man and that tone of voice too well, "This is between her and me. It always has been. Get Stephen into the cold suit and out of here. I will follow with her. You can't survive these conditions much longer and neither can Stephen. The later it gets the hotter it will become and we still have to regain the shuttle."

Jim Kirk looked back at him unflinchingly but knew he was right and they were wasting time. A crashing, splintering sound behind them told him the burning building was collapsing. He hustled Stephen back inside to change into the cold suit they had packed for him and cast one helpless look over his shoulder at Spock making his way to the burning building. From the roof, the demonic shadow of the Romulan Commander stood in defiance and looked down.