"Spock, what are you doing?" T'Lora asked noticing Spock was looking at something.
She watched as he picked up a book that had been sitting in the corner. Spock looked at Oxmyx before looking at Kirk.
"Captain…"
Kirk looked at the book, noticing Oxmyx was tensing up.
"Gangsters, Chicago, mobs", Spock explained looking at the book.
"Published in 1992", Kirk read. "Where'd you get this?"
"Hey, wait a minute", Oxmyx said as he threw down his cue pole, pulling the book away from them. "That's the Book."
"I know it's a book", Kirk said not understanding.
"The Book. They left it, the other ship. The Horizon."
"This is the contamination, Captain", Spock said understanding everything now. "Astonishing. An entire culture based on this."
"You said they were imitative", McCoy said. "And the book…"
"I don't want any more cracks about the Book", Oxmyx said throwing down his toothpick. "Look, I brought you here so you could help me, not for you to ask me questions. After that, I'll answer anything you want to know."
"And we're just trying to understand all the changes we've recorded happening on this planet", T'Lora said. "Now, if we give you what you want, then you give us what we want."
"Quite the hustler, aren't you, you little floozy?" Oxmyx said looking at her.
"Floozy?" she gasped. "Alright, I've had it up to here with these names. My name is not toots and my name is not floozy. My name is T'Lora. Got that? T-LO-RA."
Oxmyx looked at her and nodded to Kalo. He nodded and pointed his gun at T'Lora's back. The girl that sat on Oxmyx's desk held a gun and pointed it to T'Lora's head. Other men pointed their guns at Spock and McCoy before they could do anything.
"You Feds must have made a lot of improvements since that other ship came here", Oxmyx said as if what was happening was no big deal. "You probably got all kinds of fancy heaters up there. So here's the deal. You give me all the heaters I need. Enough tools so I can knock off those punks all at once. Then I'll take over, and all you'll have to do is deal with me."
"You want us to supply you with arms and assistance so you can carry out an aggression against your neighbors?" Kirk asked.
"You sir, are what I call the definition of insane", T'Lora scoffed.
The girl chuckled before she slapped her across the face. Spock was almost tempted to run to her, but he had to keep his actions logical. It was beneath him or any man for that matter to hit a woman. Second, it seemed impossible to do anything with the risk of being shot.
"From now on, you're going to take orders from me", Oxmyx said. "I'm going to give you just eight hours to give me the things I want. If I don't have those tools by then, I'm going to call up your ship and have them pick you up in a box. Is that understood, pal?"
"Hey, Boss", Kalo said tossing a phaser to him. "This here's a heater, and I don't know what this is."
"Let's see how this thing works."
"Don't do that", Kirk said grabbing Oxmyx's arm. "You could knock out the side of the building."
"That good, huh?" he chuckled. "All you have to do is give me about a hundred of these fancy heaters and we'll have no more trouble."
"Out of the question", Kirk glared not backing down.
"Captain Kirk, I usually get what I want. What's this thing?"
He held up the communicator letting him see. Everyone glared at Oxmyx instead of answering him.
"All right. Burn him."
Everyone put their finger on the triggers of the guns, ready to pull and shoot. Kirk sighed and looked at Oxmyx.
"Hold it. It's a communication device."
"How does it work?" he asked.
"It's locked onto my ship's systems", Kirk said reaching for it, only to have Oxmyx pull away.
"Kalo, take them to the warehouse and put them in a bag", he ordered. "Keep a sharp eye on them, you hear?"
"In the bag, Boss", Kalo nodded. "Come on."
He pushed T'Lora into Spock, who wrapped his arms around her.
"Your behavior was not very logical", he murmured.
"Spock, now's not the time to think about logic with these numbskulls about", she glared.
Kalo and the other men pushed their guns into their backs, leading them out of Oxmyx's office, leaving him with the phaser and the communicator.
"Hey, you. In the ship up there", he said.
"Scott here", Scotty answered. "Who's this?"
"This is Bela Oxmyx. I got your captain and his friends down here. You want to see them alive again you'll send me down a hundred of these fancy heaters you've got, and some troops to show me how to use them."
"Am I to understand that you're holding the captain and his party?" Scotty asked.
"You heard right, pal. I'm going to give you just eight hours to get me the goods I want, or I put the hit on your friends. You understand?"
"I don't know… Lieutenant Hadley, check the language banks and find out what a heater is."