Song for Eurydice, Part 1: Act IV
By all accounts, Argelius IV was an untouched paradise. As the Enterprise dropped out of warp into the system, the thick asteroid belt around the system had kept it relatively hidden from sensors. With some smooth piloting on Sulu's part, they had made it through the belt and to the central planet within hours. In that time, Jim enlisted Spock in finding appropriate attire for the away team. He'd had every intention of doing it himself, but when he'd gone to Engineering to see the Chief and realized that he had not been thinking of Scotty, he'd thought twice.
It had been just as well. Those hours seemed to fly by. With a cup of coffee and the stars to keep him occupied… Jim wasn't sure how much time he'd lost before he'd been told they were in orbit around Argelius IV, hidden in the dark side of the planet's moon.
The itching sensation that he was onto something, that this was Delphi and that he needed to be there, kept him on task long enough to change into clothes that Spock had chosen for him. The blue tunic had seen better days, but had served Jim well on away missions in the past. They hadn't had much opportunity to perform so many pre-First Contact missions in the first three years of the tour. Now, he was getting to make up for lost time…
When he spotted Diana, her armor carefully hidden under a black cloak as she stepped onto the transporter pad, he could feel his heart rate jump. That's still a nice outfit, he thought, smiling to himself as he recalled her scaring the shit out of him in the springs. For a moment, something told him that memory wasn't right, but he brushed it away. He was rather fond of it, and just reminded him that Diana did not take no for an answer. About anything.
It was becoming more and more difficult to recognize when he wasn't even thinking like Jim. And his pulse didn't steady, even after the transporter beam deposited Diana, Spock and Jim on a rocky gully near the capital. It reminded him of Greece. Modern Greece. 23rd century Greece. Lush and green with smooth, modern buildings alongside ruins such as the Parthenon, they could see it all in the distance. He'd made sure to have Scotty beam them just out of any modern sensor range, which meant a hike.
As the last of the transporter beam shimmered away, he was hit by a dry rush of hot air. Coupled by the dusty, rocky terrain, he glanced behind him to check if the row of German biplanes would be waiting for him.
It wasn't the Ottoman Empire. He was a few centuries and several hundred light years away.
Spock's voice anchored him back to the present. His science officer pointed them to a route he'd scoped out, and the three of them quietly set out towards the capital. As they marched, the last of the sedatives Bones had given him finally wore off, so he had no excuse not to be his normal, charismatic self.
For Spock, that must have felt like bliss. For Jim, that would have most likely been torture under typical circumstances.
Instead, he just followed after his first officer, stony-faced and focused. No banter came to mind. All he could do was look over his shoulder at Diana, then around the barren quarry-like terrain below. He was looking for and waiting for…. For something.
Whatever it was he was waiting for, he knew that the metal taste of blood in his mouth, the acrid stench of shrapnel and burning flesh followed in that something's wake.
The sky was blue and clear on this planet. But, it was gray and his feet sloshed through mud on Belgian soil. Just focus on the mission. You can't help these people. Steve Trevor's logic started to sound better and better as they neared the capital. It started to feel like he'd never been the same guy who broke the Prime Directive to save a civilization from volcanic decimation. Not anymore. Now, he just needed the mission. One last mission, one last dirty deed…
Don't let Charlie get to you. He doesn't mean anything by it. He wasn't the only one carrying another pack on his shoulders.
As they came into view of the first guards at the main gate, saw a flash of something in the sunlight. Muzzle flash, take them out first - He reached for his pistol, then remembered it wasn't there.
Instead, someone took his hand. He glanced over towards her, but he instantly recognized the touch. That touch set everything on fire and reminded him that the war had taken almost everything from him. But, at least he'd met her. "Diana…" he breathed, not entirely sure why she'd stopped him. How had Jim held back all this time? How had he managed to keep those feelings buried so deeply? Was it because he'd told himself it was a friendship he was carefully cultivating? He'd known Diana for months. Months longer than Steve had had time with her. I asked for more time and he spends it pussyfooting around like my dad's barn cats.
"Before we go inside, can we speak for a moment?" This wasn't exactly a good time for it, but she had a knack for trying to have conversations when he needed to focus. She could draw his attention from anything. Almost anything. The thought gave him pause. He thought of the plane. His hand started to shake. What was he forgetting about the plane? What plane? This was No Man's Land.
He glanced over at the main gates. It didn't seem right. Didn't look like typical British camp construction. "Ah, this isn't a good time," he said, surveying the situation before turning to face her. Of course, the moment he recognized that subtle pout, he crumbled like a cookie. Sighing, he propped his hands on his hips and turned to face her. "What is it? We're not exactly well-covered here."
"I know, but before we reach Delphi, I need you to know that no matter what price Apollo asks to save you, I am willing to pay it." The sincerity in her voice was a pale reflection of her expression. Her hand remained on his wrist. For a moment, they were past the No Man's Land, to the victory after. All of it blurred together, timeless, disjointed.
Which made telling her 'no' seem easy this time around. "No. Diana, I'm not gonna let you do that. You don't know what could happen when we get there - "
She spoke his name. No, not his name. Another name. A name that didn't feel right. It wasn't one that dragged corpses and espionage through the mud, through his nightmares. "You may be the captain, but I know him. You do not. We have no idea what will be ahead of us, save that I must hope I can reach them."
Steve shook his head, exasperated that they seemed to always come back to the same argument. It was always a losing one, and eventually, he'd just stop trying to tell her no. Except, you never do. Because she couldn't be on that plane. You were.
"Jim, please don't fight me…" She coaxed, still holding his wrist tight. That's not me… that's not me, I don't know who that is… "You're getting worse, and I don't wish to lose you to this…"
He was thinking about the plane. Why was the air getting thinner? The radiation gets to you… limbs first, then your lungs… No, no. That wasn't him talking. Chief had said the payload was hydrogen. Flammable. So, then it was the altitude, right? It's the warp core… It was his voice, but it wasn't him. It didn't make any sense…
He faltered, stepping closer to Diana without intending to. In a breath, her arms were around him, holding him close.
He was going out of his mind. It was as if the lasso was around him, dragging truth after inconvenient truth out of him. Only it wasn't the truth, they were images of a fantastical vessel in the stars… of people he didn't recognize…
His head was splitting open.
"Jim?" The voice sounded familiar. Spock. He knew it, but he didn't. He was steady, like the Chief. "Captain, are you alright?" He sounded far away, even as Diana held him up. He wished it would rain. When it stopped, the mud caked around his shoes and weighed him down.
"We need to keep moving…" The captain breathed, forcing himself upright. "Next crossing's a day's march away. We can't stop here."
"We're not in Belgium," DIana said, a plea in her voice. "We are going to Delphi. You will see the truth, I promise you." Her hand brushed his cheek and he glanced over at her, a rakish smile on his face.
"And a promise is unbreakable." He felt sick. It was all false bravado. Something was very wrong. "I remember."
"That was not your life as Jim Kirk," She said, as if reminding him. He furrowed his brow at her, perplexed. Another riddle. Like Ares. Like the vessel in the stars.
My ship. The Enterprise. I'm her captain. No, he didn't captain a vessel, he wasn't Navy.
"Spock, what's happening?" She asked as he shuddered against her.
Spock was beside him, had some device out and was waving it over him. "The neural patterns are in conflict again. The Doctor warned of such a possibility." His brow furrowed as he reviewed the glowing lights on the device. "The dominant neural pattern is not the captain."
Diana's eyes widened, and she turned to face the man in her arms again. "Steve?"
That lopsided grin grew. "Hey, angel."
That splitting pain made his eyesight white, and he cried out, buckling. He could feel something wet and hot running down his nose, down to his mouth. He tasted iron. Had he been gassed? Oh, shit…
He could still hear Diana's voice, but the words didn't make sense. And then the other voice, but he couldn't comprehend the voices. He was getting lost.
"I need to find Chief…" He breathed, completely unaware that the nosebleed and the pain in the back of his temples were from a seizure. Steve focused on Diana, whose arms were still around him even as he found himself kneeling on the ground. He reached up, slipping his hands to her face, holding tight. "Something's wrong. We need to find Chief."
The other voice - Spock - cut through the warm haze of his memory. "We have gotten the attention of the guards. They are approaching us. We will need to stabilize the captain. I suggest that you encourage the dominant neural pattern until we have located the temple."
It took him a moment to realize there were tears in her eyes, barely restrained. He had no idea what she was feeling. Was she upset with him? Was she upset with Man's World, as she called it? Was she disappointed in him? No. That memory was all too clear. On the guard tower at Ludendorff's facility. "Oh, Steve…" She breathed, reaching out to run her fingers through his hair. "I have missed you so much…" He recalled the same sensation in her bed, feeling profoundly loved. She looked at him with a poignant mix of sorrow and joy that he had never seen before. God, she really is an angel…
"Hurry, Ambassador." Spock urged.
"Steve, we have to keep moving. We must reach the Temple of Delphi."
"On your island?" He asked, recognizing the mythology after a moment of consideration. The fog had started to lift, just enough.
"Yes. We are very close."
Other voices had started to approach them.
Steve turned to face them and steadied. "We need to move…" He breathed, reaching for his pistol. "Those are the bad guys…"
"Steve, no!" Diana caught hold of his wrist. Not for the first time, he felt like a kitten getting slung around. "They are not the Germans. Look closer. They are Amazons."
He narrowed his eyes, watching the approaching crowd. The other thoughts and images seemed to fade away. Come to think of it, it looked more like Paradise Island. "But, I thought you said there were no men." He noticed one of the approaching group with a distinctly masculine build.
"You showed me that mankind can be just and wise.' Diana urged him to his feet, slowly releasing his wrist. "We have accepted a few onto our island. You must let me speak with them. Pay them respect."
His head was finally clearing, but now he had the dull fog from a migraine. He wasn't too keen on having similar treatment from the first time he'd met Queen Hippolyta. As Diana stepped past him, he kept staring ahead, muttering, "Well, that's neat."
Diana made her way over to the crowd, hurriedly beginning a conversation that he vaguely recognized as the same language the Amazons spoke amongst themselves. It didn't make a whole lot of sense, Amazons in Belgium…
Spock hasn't been to Themyscira, either… That same errant voice again. It wouldn't shut up.
Diana waved him forward after another moment and he made his way over to the main gate with her. It reminded him of the grand structures on the island, so… it wasn't the strangest thing he'd ever seen.
Once they passed the threshold of the gates, the sounds of commerce and celebration filled his ears. But, it wasn't Themyscira. The market was still more muted than this. Here, the crowds were vibrant and raucous.
Because this is Argelius IV… Because this is a mission from Starfleet.
Steve squeezed his eyes shut as the thoughts came faster and faster. He stumbled over to the first surface he could: the wall to an alleyway past a stand of radiant gemstones for purchase.
That's not me. I'm not Steve. The voice was louder. The plane, he could hear the plane as it climbed higher…
He was leaving Diana behind again…
Steady finger on the trigger…
Another lancing pain went through his temple and for just a moment, he knew.
He was Jim Kirk.
This was Delphi.
This was exactly where he was supposed to be.
"Spock…" Jim breathed, using the wall to brace himself up as he struggled to turn around and look for his first officer. The capital market was furiously busy. At first, the voices all sounded like the Amazonian language he'd heard when Diana had brought him to the senate building.
Standard began to filter to his ears. The communicator in his pocket couldn't have had enough time to process the language through the universal translator, though. Maybe it was because of the probe. Had the probe data been in this language? They'd read their reports in Standard, but it could have just been the benefit of time and the larger Federation database.
The Federation. It was another anchor for him. As he looked through the streets, he could see the modern architecture, all of the fairly modern technology. Hover-drones sold alongside scarves.
But, he couldn't account for when or how he'd gotten there. One minute, they'd beamed down and started walking. And next, he was here.
He hadn't just lost time in place. Now, he was going places.
Jim turned, hoping to spot Spock or Diana, but found that they'd been separated in the crowd of market goers. He started towards one of the market stalls, thinking that it was better to work with the traffic rather than against it. As he did so, avoiding people who were intent on reaching their next shopping venue of choice, he scanned the crowd both visually and auditorily.
If he couldn't see them, maybe he could hear them. He didn't have much luck, but he could hear snippets of conversation. People were eagerly making their last purchases before "The Vision" arrived.
For just a second, Jim at least felt validated. They were in the right place. He just needed the temple.
As Jim passed another stand selling household statues of The Oracle, he reached a thoroughfare of some kind. The boulevard was blocked off from anything but pedestrian traffic, and even then, people seemed to be lined up on either side. It reminded him of parades back on Earth.
From down the road, he heard - rather than saw - a horn blowing in the distance. The sound reverberated through buildings of metal and of stone. The market behind him went quiet, and the boulevard of pedestrians stilled.
He could feel something coming in the air, and an energy around him. He'd been at rituals on various planets, but he'd never really felt it before. Rationally, he wondered if it was some sort of collective psionic energy. Maybe all of them were low-level telepaths on Delphi.
If that was the case, how did no one realize he wasn't from here?
Bass tones came from the same area of the boulevard where the horn had sounded for attention. When he was in school back in Iowa, he'd taken classical studies and world religions. It reminded him of Gregorian chanting, but this was wordless, a low wave of energy and sound that seemed to fill the boulevard from the ground up.
It never ceased to amaze James Kirk how a group could create resonant, profound emotional reactions in people. And it seemed even he wasn't immune.
In rows two across they came.
First, the men: bearded, older… and white-eyed. Jim's jaw went slack as they came into full view. They were in gold chitons, belted and bangled with more golden jewelry. Their hoods were blood red, the sashes over each shoulder. But, their eyes… They were white and luminescent.
One of the women next to him muttered something. The universal translator wasted no time in reading it back to him.
"As Orpheo gave his eyes in penance for his sin, we thank you for your sight to the Oracle. May Phoebus Apollon bless you. May Phoebus Apollon show the way."
The platitude - or prayer - passed around the crowd in hushed tones as the men passed. Many of those marching bore standards. One held a banner with a raven made of some indigenous, black precious stone. Another held a harp. Ancient design, to be sure, but it seemed like it may have been influenced by earth.
It was too close to Earth. There was another hand at work. Jim was sure of it, just as he was sure that Diana must have known it, too.
Occasionally, the horn sounded again, accompanied by the occasional drumbeat. The procession continued down the boulevard and as the men passed, Jim could spot the women that followed after. They also wore gold chitons, blood red sashes wrapped around their heads and draped across only one shoulder. They continued to walk forward, but they were blindfolded.
Another woman began another mantra, which rippled around the crowd.
"She is sacred, she will be Vision. Apollon Daphnephoros, Apollon Pythios."
Transfixed by the ritual around him, Jim felt distinctly unlike the captain of the Enterprise. For a moment, he found himself feeling remarkably archeological, not scientific.
"We ask favor, Apollon Delphinios. We ask for Vision, Apollon Delphinios." One by one, supplicants began to fall in line behind the procession, but at great distance from a single figure who seemed to button up the formation.
A figure who was not dressed like the others.
Jim knew the black coat. He had seen it before, in his dreams. He knew the hat and he knew the boots.
"Chief…" Without hesitation, Jim wound his way and pushed through the crowd, following after the supplicants. "Chief!"
The figure turned to face him, tipped his hat with a smile, then continued on.
"No, wait!" Jim pled, forcing his way through. He lost sight of the man as the supplicants crowded him, but was undeterred. He wouldn't be stopped. Chief was the only one who could guide him on the journey, he had said as much.
As Jim made his way around the corner…
Steve bolted down the trench, determined not to lose Chief, either.
Two hours had passed on Argelius IV since the away team had beamed down, and if there was one thing Commander Spock excelled at, it was punctuality. And since Hikaru had to keep the chair warm while the captain and commander were both gone, he was never more relieved to hear Lieutenant Uhura alert him that Spock had hailed the ship.
"Go ahead and put him through, Lieutenant." Hikaru said, sitting up and giving Spock his full attention. "Commander. How's it going down there?"
"We have successfully gained access to the capital city. According to Ambassador Prince, the local dialect spoken by the Argelians is the same as Themysciran. We posed as traders from another city on the Northern Continent."
Behind him, Sulu could hear Uhura stand and walk over towards him. It was always interesting how the crew had their own non-verbal ways of showing they were joining the conversation. "But, they're pre-warp." She said, exchanging a curious glance with Sulu. "At this rate, we'll have enough for the Federation Archeological Council to chew on for decades."
Sulu nodded, a touch of a smile on his lips. It was certainly turning out to be an interesting coincidence. Having Diana onboard meant they were confronting this particular phenomenon at an increasing frequency. "I guess that means you're on the right track, then." He offered, hoping his commanding officer would be a little more forthcoming. As he did so, he heard the turbolift doors open behind him and glanced back to spot Dr. McCoy stepping onto the bridge. He was like clockwork. If there was an away mission, he never missed a check-in.
"Agreed. Based on the activity in the capital, the phenomenon that Ambassador Prince hopes will assist the captain will be arriving shortly. I trust the Enterprise is still in position around the dark side of the moon."
Sulu's smile widened at Spock's adherence to protocol. It was always calming in times like this. His stomach hadn't stopped rolling nervously since they went planetside. "Affirmative, sir, we are holding position." As he glanced back at McCoy, he asked the question that he knew was on every bridge officer's mind. "How's the captain holding up?"
"Is Doctor McCoy present on the bridge?"
The doctor scowled. "I'm here." After Spock didn't immediately reply, he crossed his arms over his chest and also sent a furtive glance Sulu's way. "Dammit, Spock, what's wrong?"
"During our travel to the capital, the captain began to experience another conflict between the two neural patterns." The trio on the bridge tensed. "When a neural pattern took precedence, it was that of Captain Steve Trevor. His condition is worsening."
"Good God, man." McCoy blurted. "Why didn't you lead with that? We need to get him back to the Enterprise."
"That will prove more difficult than following this through to completion, Doctor." Spock's tone suggested that he'd also considered the possibility, then thought better of it. "We have been separated from him upon entry to the capital. The Ambass - will - t - locate -" Spock's voice suddenly slowed to a metallic, digital crawl, then cut out entirely.
By the time Sulu had turned to face the comms officer, Uhura was already back at her station, frantically trying to get the signal back. "I can't locate the communicator signal. Transmission's completely lost."
As a helmsman, Sulu's days were often spent listening to his intuition. Coming out of warp, executing maneuvers, they were as much about the command codes as they were about feeling when the ship would finally execute. And right now, his intuition told him that it wasn't a simple communications failure.
"Try to get them back." He said, then turned to the crewman in the operations console beside him. "Run a sensor sweep. Look for anything out of the ordinary. Go to yellow alert." Sulu knew the protocols, he'd sat in the chair before.
After a moment, the crewman at the console spoke again. His voice had pitched higher than he probably intended, but he was young and clearly concerned. "I'm detecting tachyon particles."
"Where?"
"I... " The crewman - Acosta - hesitated, clearly confused by what he was reading. "Everywhere, sir?"
McCoy barked back at the kid, voicing what Sulu was thinking. "What, in all of the Alpha quadrant? Can you narrow it down a bit, kid?"
"Immediately behind and around us." The crewman pointed to his sensor logs, stricken that he couldn't make sense of it. "Almost like it's… it's… run the perimeter…"
Sulu finished the thought as his intuition was proven right. "Like it's a ship surveying us. A cloaked ship." He whipped around in the chair, focusing on the viewscreen. "Red Alert, shields up!"
The klaxons sounded as the ambient lights dimmed to accommodate the red bars across the bridge. Sulu was already thinking of his next move. "Come about! We need visuals!"
As if the invisible enemy knew they were being hunted, Sulu's stomach dropped when the gray D7 class warbird decloak on the viewscreen. There was still so little they knew about cloaking technology, but based on their last few encounters, they couldn't fire while cloaked. Having to decloak meant the Enterprise had beat the clock.
"Hail them," Sulu ordered Uhura from the chair, expecting that a balance of power had been established. A standoff, where both parties would have to engage with the only weapons available to them that could tip the scale: words. It was the match he was always prepared for.
"No response," Uhura sounded as annoyed as she was concerned. He could certainly understand that impulse.
"They're firing weapons." Crewman Acosta called, expecting the same as everyone else on the bridge. The Romulans, or Klingons, maybe, would fire and the shot would deflect off of the shields.
Sulu was nearly thrown clear out of the chair when the warbird's phasers ripped across the underside of the Enterprise's saucer section. It was by sheer luck that he reached out and grabbed Doctor McCoy by a fistful of his uniform sleeve, holding the doctor from being hurled across the room. The explosions pitched the vessel nose-up and shook every bulkhead. "What the hell just happened?" Sulu shouted over the klaxons. "I need a damage report! Our shields were supposed to be up!"
"They are, sir!" Acosta held onto his station with one hand as his other hand flew over the console. "They - the phasers went right through them!"
Sulu finally released McCoy as he and the Doctor both realized that the navigator had taken a faceful of plasma from a power overload. As the doctor went after his charge, Sulu had to keep his eye on the viewport, and more importantly, think of the next move.
Meanwhile, Acosta rattled off the damage. "We have hull breaches on decks 4, 5, and 6. And we've lost long-range sensors."
Sulu pursed his lips, then punched in a command on the console beneath his right hand. "Bridge to Engineering! Mister Scott, we have a D7 warbird firing through our shields! How the hell do we stop it?"
"What? That's impossible!" Scotty barked, obviously as distressed as they were. From the scattered shouting coming over the line, it sounded as if he had repair crews on their way to the afflicted decks. "Are ye sure?!"
Before Sulu could snap back at the Chief Engineer, the ship rocked again, just as violently before. "Evasive action!" He ordered. The helmsman at the conn had already begun to program the maneuver, but the ship was sluggish from the abuse.
"External comms are down!" Acosta said as he held fast to the console, white-knuckled. "They're targeting the deflector dish!"
"Helmsman, whatever you do, you keep that dish out of their crosshairs! Full impulse, we need to get them away from the planet!" Sulu's heart pounded in his throat, blood rushed through his ears."And return fire on the ship!" With the immediate orders given, he had to turn his attention back to the problem at hand. "Scotty! I still need an answer. How could they be penetrating our shields so easily?"
"Och, give me a minute!" The Scotsman snapped. Sulu silently hoped that he had the answer.
"Our phasers have no effect!" Another crewman shouted as the bridge steeled for another blow.
Sulu held out a moment longer, his cool exterior much more resilient than his sense of inner calm. That was shot. "Scotty, do you have an answer?"
"I dinnae! Maybe! It's impossible! They're phasers and shields, they're all keyed to the same frequencies as ours! It's like they've cracked Federation command codes or somethin'! I can reprogram ours, but it'll take time. Time we don't have!" Sulu's heart sank as he realized that the only way out of this competition would be to sacrifice the match. He had to hope that the captain would have agreed and done the same.
"Pull us back." He said, ignoring McCoy's lethal glare. The more he spoke, the more the path ahead became clear and he could regain that inner calm. He wasn't going to die today. The crew wouldn't. But, it couldn't be won right now. "Come about and vent as much excess plasma as we have. I want us to blanket the area and confuse their sensors." Sulu quickly punched one of the nav buttons on the captain's chair, bringing up an overlay of the system in the top right corner of the viewscreen. "Go back towards the asteroid belt, then change course to 227 mark 6 mark 3."
The helmsman turned back to face him. "Sir?"
"That's an order, crewman, let's not waste any more time." He said, clenching his hand into a fist as he waited for the orders to execute.
The ship came about and plasma clouded the screen before steered back towards the belt. As the Enterprise moved at full impulse, darting away from the warbird, he watched the sector markers on screen, waiting for their course to seem like a direct one to the belt.
Just past the gas giant that made up the sixth planet in the system. "Change course, helm!"
"Aye, sir!" The helmsmen swung the ship around and into the upper atmosphere of the gas giant. The moment they hit the gravitational pull, the vessel shuddered in protest.
"Full stop. Acosta, more power to shields and thrusters. Helm, you need to get us into a geosynchronous orbit." After one more affirmation, the bridge went silent save for McCoy ordering a site-to-site transport for the downed navigator.
As if to signal that they were - temporarily - out of danger, the shuddering came to a halt and the navigator disappeared in a shimmer of transporter energy.
"Geosynchronous orbit established. We are maintaining relative position within the gas giant." The helmsman repeated, before finally relaxing a bit.
Sulu exhaled, the same as he did when he heard the whistle blow to call the end of the match. Steadying himself, he ran a hand over his face before he finally caught McCoy's eye. "With any luck, this buys us the time Scotty needs."
"I don't reckon they'll try to follow us in here." McCoy agreed, glancing back at the viewscreen. Even in their position in the atmosphere, it was clear that short range sensors were all coming up blank and scrambled as well. The gas giant's ruddy brown clouds swirled around them and below them. But, at least they were hiding the ship. "But, we just left the captain, Spock and Diana all down on that planet. Think they have any idea what's coming?"
Sulu opened his mouth to reply, then paused. The colors were changing in the clouds. Not indicative of a ship, but of something else. Slowly, he rose from the chair and made his way closer. "If that's what I think it is, then they have a better idea than we do."
"And what's that?"
Sulu pointed to the ribbon that tore across the sky over Argelius VI, then continued past them. It looked like some sort of golden wave and lightning storm combined. It rolled and writhed across the horizon as it made its way towards Argelius IV. It would have looked beautiful if not for the way it made Sulu think of the tatsu painting his parents had kept in their home. The way the long dragon seemed to undulate even on canvas. What was the tale his mother used to read to him? The first dragon, Yamata-no-Orochi. The serpent had eight heads and eight tails. And it was as fearsome as it was great. And it had a taste for those more innocent.
"I think that's their temporal anomaly. And it's headed right for them."
Diana was torn between profound frustration with herself and profound sorrow that she had once again let both Steve and Jim slip through her fingers. She had only gone to speak with the Delphine guard for a moment after guaranteeing safe passage. In that moment, Steve - and that had most certainly been Steve - had vanished. By the time she and Spock had reached the market, they had only barely seen him disappear after the processional to the temple. With the crowd, it would have been impossible to catch up to him through conventional means.
And even Diana had to admit that the stakes were too high to risk alerting the Delphines to her unique physiology.
It would have been all too easy for her to lose herself in the reality of the situation. To see Steve so plainly, to know that he had truly been given a second chance, a start without the war, without poverty, without the suffering she knew he had to endure… all of that was in Jim Kirk. And all of that was at risk. And yet, to have him back for just a moment… Diana knew if she lingered in that place of memory, she may never return. Steve had lived and he had died. If she was to save him, it would have to be in saving Jim first.
Once they lost contact with the Enterprise, Spock and Diana had decided that their only logical course of action was continue the search for the temple. If they all had the same goal in mind, they would reach it. And finding the temple was quite simple. With the procession to the god Apollo on its way to the temple in full splendor, they simply followed the crowd of supplicants until they could spot the building from the Argelian records.
"That is most certainly the Temple of Delphi." Diana said as the two of them rounded a corner, making their way down a deserted alley some distance from the crowd. Upon seeing the roof of the building, they'd had to backtrack to avoid much more of a delay. "What I do not understand is how they can speak Themysciran. Unless Apollo has changed all of the planet to speak our language in his two hundred years, but that does not seem likely. Amazons - we studied all language and its roots. Gods? They touch a man's mind and may learn its secrets."
"What you are suggesting is indicative of invasive telepathy, Ambassador. That would be a violation of Federation and Starfleet ordinances on the treatment of non-telepathic species." Spock remarked. "It is quite likely that both Circe and Apollo would be remanded back to Federation custody for significant punishment."
"I have considered the thought myself," She admitted, frowning. "It pains me to see this place." At the way Spock glanced over at her, she could tell he was skeptical. She came to a halt at a crossroads between a few smaller, older buildings and turned to face him. "You must understand: I do not trust the gods. Not truly. It is difficult to do so when you know how often they play to their own whims, even at the expense of others. Once we have helped Jim…" She faltered as the image of the man she'd seen earlier reminded her of how her heart ached. "And Steve... " She cleared her throat, trying to focus on the greater concern that they both shared. "Apollo will answer for what has happened here. And if what he has done is unjust, then he will answer to me, not to the Federation."
"That is not - " Spock began, but Diana's expression brooked no argument. She crossed her arms across her chest and furrowed her brow, daring him to challenge her on how she should handle her gods.
Wisely, the Vulcan did not offer any additional color. Instead, he looked back down at his tricorder, examining the readings before slipping it back under the purple tunic he wore
Before they could continue any further, Diana realized something had changed around them. Like a static charge in the air. This was not magic, but something… else…
"The Speed Force." She breathed, suddenly aware that something was coming very close to them. "I have felt this only once before. When the Flash and I travelled moments back in time."
Spock pursed his lips, concerned. "Then we are in proximity to the temporal anomaly. I suggest we hurry to the temple."
"But, Jim - "
"Has already arrived. I have found his comm signal." Spock motioned ahead of them.
Diana wasted no time, especially given that she knew she had to restrain her speed.
The temple was closer than it seemed, or at the least, they had chosen a surprisingly direct route. The crowd had made their way to a great courtyard in front of the steps. Every man and woman had fallen to their knees, hands outstretched, facing the sun. Diana knew the gesture to honor Apollo well. The god of light was quite fond of his supplicants that saw him as their source of warmth. Prayers were murmured, but no one seemed to care that Spock and Diana had begun to walk past them. It was almost as if…
As if they were expected.
Of course. The Temple of Prophecy would not have allowed them to get this far if it had not been foretold.
In less pressing moments, Diana knew she would think about this image for a long time to come. In the future, she would consider the supplicants, the prayers they muttered to both Apollo and the Oracle, and the way the doors to the temple had slowly begun to close even as the sky darkened above them.
But, in the moment, all she could think about was who she saw lying on the temple steps, curled up and writhing.
Whether James T. Kirk or Steven Trevor, she didn't care. He was in pain and it had to end. That was all that mattered.
Within moments, Diana was there beside him, pulling him to his feet and looping his arm over her shoulders. In truth, he weighed nothing to her physically. But, his suffering… that weighed on her in an entirely different fashion.
"I lost him… I lost him…" He muttered. Then, as if he had just realized her presence, he looked up at her. "Diana…" He breathed. His face had smeared with blood, his pupils were wide dilated, and he was pale. "Please don't go.." He babbled, pulling her close. "I need you, I need you on my ship, you understand?"
It was Jim. For the moment. Diana swallowed down the sickened way her stomach turned, and she held him close. "I will never leave you. I promised. But, we must get you inside."
"Ambassador." Spock called, motioning to the sky. "I concur. We have run out of time."
Diana turned to where he was facing. She had seen many things, marvelous and terrible, but none quite like the ribbon of light arcing towards the temple. As it approached, she held Jim closer and backpedalled towards the large wooden doors. "Let's go, Spock! Come on!" She ordered. She had seen what happened when mortals were too close to divine grace, unbridled such as this... Vision. She did not wish to see what would happen if they remained outside, unprepared for ritual.
As they finally stepped inside, the doors barely had time to close as the ribbon grew closer and closer in the sky. As the oaken doors slammed shut, bars in place to keep it locked, Diana watched with awe as the light tried its best to leak through every crack or seam in the doors.
She had seen such wonders in this age and the last… but she did not know what that could be.
"What will happen to the people outside?" She asked, turning to one of the blind acolytes that barred the door. He did not answer, but instead turned and pointed behind the trio to the sanctuary beyond.
"The doors to the temple will remain locked until the Nexus has passed, Diana." The voice behind her was unfamiliar, and yet somehow… she knew it. Slowly, she turned to face the woman who had the benefit of already knowing they would meet. She held Jim close, even as his head lolled against her shoulder and he shuddered with pain.
"The Nexus?" Diana repeated, momentarily fascinated and confused by the dark-skinned woman in the royal purple chiton and elaborate headscarf. Those were colors associated with the gods, not to be worn lightly.
"Yes. It can be an eternity or the blink of an eye. It all depends on this place." The woman motioned to the sanctuary around them, then to Diana. "It all depends on you. And I was afraid you would be too late."
"Too late?" Diana shook her head, still unable to shake the sensation that she knew this woman somehow. As if in a dream… "You're her. You're the Oracle."
The woman smiled, almost polite to a fault in her amusement. "Yes, I am. But, you can call me Guinan."
END OF PART ONE.
TO BE CONTINUED...