"Doctor McCoy?"
Daniel Jackson looked puzzled and even slightly concerned. When he was with the team, Clark Kent jokingly referred to that as "the Daniel look."
Dr. Leonard H. McCoy, chief medical officer of the "U.S.S. Enterprise," with just a touch of gray in his dark hair, held out his hands as he grinned.
"The one and only," he said..
"Apparently not," Colonel Jack O'Neill said with a touch of testiness. "Daniel, exactly how many Doctor McCoy's are there on this planet?"
Making his intense face, Daniel crossed his arms then held up a finger. "If I'm understanding correctly, this is Doctor McCoy from the altered timeline."
O'Neill's eyebrows shot for the sky. "Which one? 'Cause there's about a hundred of those by now."
"A hundred-and-eighty-seven, to be exact, sir," Major Samantha Carter said.
"Luckily, Beckett's working on some of those. But that still means a rescue mission to a Vulcan concentration camp is something we should speed up." With his right index finger, O'Neill gestured "wrap it up."
"No one's arguing that, Jack," Daniel said. "But we can also learn about the altered timeline firsthand now."
"Again, which one?"
Teal'c spoke in his usual stoic reserved tone. "I believe Daniel Jackson refers to the timeline created by Clark Kent."
McCoy stepped forward. "You guys know Clark Kent? Great. Maybe you can get things back to normal, and we can go home."
"Working on it," O'Neill said.
"Sorry, did you say we?" Daniel asked. "Who exactly is we?"
"Are there more Doctor McCoy's?" O'Neill asked, sounding slightly exasperated.
Briefly, Daniel thought if Clark were present, he would say Jack usually sounded that way.
No more time to think about Clark. Two figures stepped out of the darkness. Communications Officer Uhura and Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott.
"Uhura. Scotty," Daniel said. "You guys were left waiting at the Guardian of Forever."
"Aye," Scotty said. "It called itself the Guardian of Forever."
"Captain Kirk and Spock went back in time to get Doctor McCoy," Daniel said.
"That's right." Now Uhura looked concerned. "But how do you know so much?"
"We have our sources," O'Neill said. "Now if you nice folks could just follow us." He made a sweeping gesture with his hand.
As they moved, Daniel lagged behind with the ex-prisoners. "It's a little hard to explain, but we are here to help you. How exactly did you get here?"
"It was right after Captain Kirk and Mister Spock left." As she stammered slightly, Uhura looked a little fearfu.l. "There was this other man."
"He appeared in a swirl of all-black transporter energy," Scotty said, pretty wide-eyed himself.
"And he looked like Mister Spock." Uhura said.
"Except he had these glowing black eyes," Scotty said.
Uhura nodded. "He used a Vulcan nerve pinch on Mister Scott. Then the two of us fought. I guess he knocked me out, too, because next thing I knew I was here."
"It was the same with me," McCoy aid. "After I had lunch with Jim and Spock, I was attacked. He looked like Spock, had glowing black eyes. Just like Uhura and Scotty said." He held out his hands as he glanced around. "One moment I'm in Smallville, the next I'm in some Vulcan Auschwitz."
"Yes, we've seen part of the camp." As Daniel recalled the Vulcans lying on the ground, bugs buzzing all around, he involuntarily shuddered.
Then, making his inquiring look, Daniel looked around. "Maybe I should have asked this earlier, but where are your red-shirts?"
"Red-what?" McCoy said.
"Sorry," Daniel said, shaking his head. "Your two security men. Where are they?"
"The other Spock killed them," Uhura said tearfully.
Scotty looked somber. "Aye. Lifted them off the ground and strangled them. Right in front of us."
Daniel broke the brief grim silence that followed. "Don't worry. They'll be back once we restore the timeline. Right now, a friend of ours, Clark, is stuck in the past."
"Clark," McCoy said. "You're talking about Clark Kent,"
"That's right. You know him?"
"We met briefly."
"Of course," Daniel said. "When the new timeline was created."
"In the diner, Jim, Spock, and I have often discussed the mysterious Clark Kent." McCoy assumed a more serious look. "Now, would anyone here care to explain what's going on?"
"I can explain part of it," someone said.
A gray-haired McCoy stepped forward to walk alongside Daniel. This McCoy had deep dark lines under his eyes.
"What?" McCoy-from-Smallville stammered. "Who in blazes are you?"
"This is the Doctor McCoy of this timeline," Daniel explained.
"A very tragic and troubled timeline, it would appear," Teal'c said.
"Brother, got that right," gray dark McCoy muttered.
"How many of these timelines are there?" Scotty asked.
"Too many," O'Neill said.
"Indeed," Teal'c said.
"By the way, I'm Daniel Jackson, this is Teal'c, Jack O-Neill and Samantha Carter." The archaeologist pointed to each one.
"Howdy," O'Neill said.
"Nice to put a name to a face," McCoy (Smallville) said. "Now, mind explaining what's going on?"
McCoy-with-dark-eyes staggered a little even as Teal'c assisted him. "Brother, have I got a story to tell you. But it's not for the faint of heart. And a happy ending? That's yet to be determined."
This is what happened.
The gray truck barreled toward Edith Keeler. But at the last second McCoy pushed her out of the way. They both landed on the sidewalk. Certainly they had cuts and bruises, McCoy thought as he slowly rose and helped her up. But nothing seemed broken.
"You all right?" he asked quietly.
"Y-yes. I think so." She held a hand to her forehead. "Thank you, McCoy."
"You're welcome. I'll give you a thorough medical examination later." A disgusted McCoy watched as a tearful Jim Kirk staggered across the street, his open palms spread out before him, a look of grief on his face. "Jim, what in blazes did you think you were doing?"
Before Kirk could answer, Spock forcefully moved him out of the traffic, away from the angry drivers honking. As he did so, Spock displayed decidedly un-Vulcan-like anger and irritation.
While Spock stood in silence, Kirk pleaded with him. "I'm sorry, Spock. I couldn't do it. I couldn't hold him back."
Angrily, McCoy stepped forward. "Yes, Jim, why were you holding me back?" Behind him, Edith looked shocked and hurt. "It was all I could do to break free."
Before Kirk could answer, Spock spoke in an almost grumbling voice.
"Captain, you have been drinking a great deal. Ever since the transporter split you in two." The tall Vulcan crossed his arms in front of his black coat. "When I informed you that Edith Keeler had to die, you continued your drinking. Even more than usual."
"Edith has to die? Why does Edith have to die?" McCoy asked. He and Edith both looked confused.
Spock ignored them as, with an angry look, he stepped in front of Kirk. "Your recent behavior has required me to more and more assume the duties of command."
Kirk clutched the Vulcan's black coat. "But don't you see, Spock? Somehow things will be all right. It's all right."
Stoically and purposefully, Spock removed the hands from his coat. In the dark, his grim look was accentuated by his sharp eyebrows. "That is not logical. Things are far from all right."
Spock moved away from Kirk, and his gaze fell on Edith. In response, the mission director's face clearly registered discomfort. .
McCoy moved toward Kirk. "Jim, what's this all about?"
For Kirk, the words came out in a great burst. "Something about how if Edith lives, her peace movment delays America's entry into World War Twoo. Then Germany develops the hydrogen bomb and rules the world. But don't worry, Bones. Somehow I'll make it all right."
McCoy stared. "Scotty's the miracle worker, not you." He shook his head. "Not that I understand any of this."
There was a sharp cracking noise. The two men turned and saw the Vulcan holding Edith a foot off the ground. She was limp.
Lowering her gently, Spock took her in his arms then placed her in front of the gray truck. The driver was gone, probably off getting help.
McCoy was ashen-faced, Kirk speechless.
"Spock! What have you done?"
"What was needed, doctor. What was necessary."
Kneeling, Spock positioned the corpse in front of the truck.
"Spock, what are you doing?" McCoy hissed, his eyes moist. "Do you intend to let this truck driver take the blame?"
"He is of no consequence." The Vulcan rose. "It is done, doctor. Speak of it no more. It was the logical thing to do."
"Logic be hanged!" Now it was McCoy who grabbed Spock's black coat. "Spock, you don't understand what you've done. This will change us all in terrible ways!"
"Speak of it no more," Spock said with greater insistence. "Is it not bad enough the captain drinks? Now you must be more emotional than usual."
A teaful McCoy struggled to speak, only quiet sobs.
"Edith Keeler will no longer impact our future."
McCoy trembled with anger. "Spock, you can never come back from this!" Behind him, Kirk quietly wept.
Moments later, the three men stepped through the time portal known as the Guardian of Forever.
Kirk looked tearful and angry.
"Sir?" Uhura said. "Is everything all right?"
"All is as it should be, lieutenant," Spock said. "It is as if the change in the timeline never took place. As evidenced by the fact that we are back in our Starfleet uniforms."
"Yes, it never took place," Kirk muttered with head bowed.
Now an angry McCoy choked on his warning words. "You mark my words, Spock! This will have consequences!"
"Really, doctor, you must calm yourself." Spock activated his communicator. "Spock to 'Enterprise.' Landing party to beam up."
And McCoy was right. There were consequences. Relations between Kirk and Spock became so strained the captain frequently left the bridge when Spock was present. As Kirk became increasingly unfit for command, he was eventually forced to resign.
Last McCoy heard, Jim hung out in a seedy bar near Starfleet headquarters offering to pilot a ship for anyone willing to pay, human or alien. They could even have robots as cargo.
Spock was, briefly, captain of the "Enterprise." He left to serve elsewhere in Starfleet. Eventually, he returned to Vulcan where, with the help of his people, he set up concentration camps for anyone he deemed inferior in logic. The bullies from his childhood were the first to be imprisoned.
While McCoy paused in his story, both because he was out of breath and full of grief, Daniel also paused as the Guardian revealed something to him about this particular timeline.
The truck driver's name was Robiert Lang. He was Lana's great-grandfather.
A recent immigrant from France, Robiert did not speak enough English to properly defend himself against police officers who were very angry about the death of a mission director. Though never officially charged with manslaugher, Robiert lived under a constant cloud of suspicion. Consequently, he had to leave the city where he found only menial jobs in other towns. This meant his family never became prosperous enough to buy Dust Bowl farms in the Smallville region.
As a result, Lana grew up in a trailer park. The mousy girl with the stringy dark hair and thick dark-rimmed glasses spent most of her time with books. She heard the snickers of Whitney Fordman and Sean Kelvin as she passed them in the school hallways. She was so much of an outsider that even Sasha Woodman and Goth girl Tina Greer didn't want her. She couldn't even imagine being friends with Clark Kent or Chloe Sullivan. With all the yelling she heard at home, Lana certainly needed some friends.
The Guardian showed Daniel a sad image: Lana sitting under a tree watching other people ride horses while she worked to stifle her sobs.
Choking on his words at times, McCoy resumed his story.
"Spock, listen to me! Remember King David: the way he casually put people to death and had them executed. Until finally he killed Uriah for purely selfish reasons. To cover up what he did. He tried to justify himself. Just like you do!"
"Really, doctor, you must calm yourself."
McCoy pleaded with Spock in what he called the "throne room." The ex-doctor often derisively referred to his former friend as "King Spock."
McCoy continued to plead even as large bulky Vulcan guards took him away.
"Turn back, Spock! Turn back! Before some dark force overtakes your soul."
Too late. The Vulcan's eyes turned glowing black.
"I am both Darkseid and Spock," he said in an eerie deep reverberating voice. "I am 'Dark Spock.'"
After that, McCoy spent hours in his cell, drinking Romulan ale while he listened to the moans from the concentration camp prisoners. Their combined moans hung in the air like one great continuous ominous moan.
Daniel thought how it was like when Clark was in Fairview Mental Hospital and heard the constant barking of his dog Shelby.
Once, while he was more drunk than usual, Dark Spock brought McCoy back to the throne room to meet some powerful being called the Joker.
"We have entered into an alliance," Dark Spock said.
"Righty-right-right, Spockie-boy!" The Joker placed a gloved hand on Spock's shoulder.
"And that's the story." McCoy raised a flask of Romulan ale to his lips but the other McCoy snatched it away.
"As your doctor, I'm saying you've had enough of that."
"Yes, I would think so," Daniel said absently.
"Thanks a lot, pal," dark-eyes McCoy grumbled.
Daniel wore his intense look again. "'Any idea what Dark Spock and the Joker are planning together?"
"Got me, brother. I don't remember much about our little meeting." As he staggered, he collided with Teal'c. "Whoa! You're so big, entire moons could orbit around you, buddy."
"That is unlikely."
Uhura gave Daniel a worried look. "Dark Spock said he wanted us all out of the way."
"Aye. Said he didna want us interfering," Scotty said. "In what, I don't know."
"It probably has something to do with the Joker and his altered timelines," Daniel mused aloud.
As they walked on, Daniel glimpsed emaciated Vulcans in ragged clothes.
Once again, the dark-eyed McCoy staggered slightly. "You know, this whole planet is full of Darkness. Not surprising. Since the Vulcans decided to go along with all this." He held out his hands, looked around, teared up. "Just like Spock, the Vulcans found a way to justify themselves."
Daniel had a rather frightening thought. Once he had talked with Sam and Clark about the "Star Trek" episode "City On The Edge of Forever." That's the episode these events were based on: Captain Kirk and Spock went back in time, met a mission director named Edith Keeler, and had to allow her to die. Not only to protect their own future but the future of millions of other people.
At the time, Daniel speculated: What if Captain Kirk had failed? What if Edith Keeler lived? And what if, to protect the future, Spock killed Edith Keeler?
Now he knew. But what was the Joker's plan in all this?
Before Daniel could pursue this line of reasoning, he noticed that next to him Uhura was in tears. It was a little odd but Daniel embraced her and let her cry into his jacket.
"Guys?" Daniel said while lightly tapping Uhura's back. "We should stop and rest."
"I believe it unwise to do so."
"I don't think we have a choice, Teal'c," O'Neill said. "We've got four concentration camp prisoners in a weakened condition. Including a Doctor McCoy trying to sober up."
"Tricorder indicates no enemy forces nearby," Carter said. "Only for now, sir."
Uhura pulled back from Daniel. Briefly, Daniel thought that while he certainly wouldn't mind a relationship with Uhura, the great love of his life would always be Sha're.
"Rest fast," O'Neill advised.
With the back of her hand, Uhura wiped away tears. "Doctor Jackson?"
"Please, Uhura. I think you can call me Daniel."
"Of course. Daniel."
Daniel found he liked the way she said his name in a soft gentle voice. He took note of her dark moist eyes.
"I was wondering if we could have a moment of silence. For our two security officers."
"And all those who have died on Vulcan," dark-eyes McCoy murmured.
"That's a great idea," Daniel said quietly.
"We could honor all those who died in service to Starfleet," McCoy-Smallville said.
"As well as Stargate Command," Carter said.
As they began to form a circle, Uhura already had Daniel's hand then reached out her other hand to O'Neill.
"Colonel?" she said.
"Uhura," he whispered as he took her hand.
As all present bowed their heads, Daniel thought not only of Sha're and Charlie Kawalsky. He also thought of people from Smallville who had died. Some were simply people Clark knew. Others were people who died protecting Clark's secret.
Among them: Whitney Fordman. Alicia Baker. Lionel Luthor. Tess Mercer.
And of course, Jonathan Kent.
Not to mention all the tragic meteor freaks from Greg Arkin to Tina Greer to Graham Garrett. With some of the meteor freaks, friendships ended tragically.
Daniel thought of something Sam said once when they held a moment of silence for Bruce Wayne's parents. She said they should also hope for people like Joe Chill to get better.
To that, Daniel added his hope that troubled people, with or without meteor powers, would also get better.
"Let's go," O'Neill said quietly.
Daniel started to move. That was when the Joker invaded his mind.
"Welcome!" The Joker stood with long purple arms held out wide. "Welcome, Doctor Jackson! Hel-lo! Welcome to the jungle!" He threw his head back as he let out loud shrieking laughter..
Daniel stood in a battlefield. It was the football field at Smallville High. It wasn't the first time the Joker had chosen this setting.
"Nothing! Nothing is going to stand between me and my legacy!"
Fire coach Walt Arnold stood at the head of an army of meteor freaks, all advancing on Daniel at once.
But Daniel was used to this, and mentally he was ready. Teal'c had been teaching him "kel'no'reem." Thanks to this, Daniel quickly summoned allies. Clark, Lana and Chloe stood next to Captain Kirk and Spock. They were flanked by Sam and Dean Winchester. All armed with phasers. Next to Daniel, Dean, much like a gunfighter finishing a battle, blew on the tip of his phaser.
They all opened fire, and meteor freaks went down.
"I got Tina Greer and Van McNulty!" Lana gushed.
"I got Sean Kelvin! And Justin Gaines!" With a big smile, Chloe bounced up and down. "Yay!"
In seconds, the army was gone, disintegrated. Only some acrid mist remaining. Chloe, Kirk, Spock and Lana all beamed out. A fireball headed for Daniel but with a casual move of his right hand he sent it flying over the Smallville water tower.
"Well, that was way too easy," Daniel muttered.
Sure enough, he was whisked to a new location. Now he stood on top of the Daily Planet building. With him were the Joker and Dark Spock. Perversely, Dark Spock wore a black Starfleet uniform with the gold Starfleet symbol. Next to him was a figure very familiar to Daniel: a woman in a light gold gown.
"Sha're," Daniel whispered.
"Hear us, Daniel Jackson." Dark Spock had the distinctive deep voice of Spock but with the reverbreation of Darkseid. "Let us end this illogical and destructive conflict."
"Or what?" Daniel said. "You'll put me in a concentration camp, too?"
Dark Spock crossed his arms. "We can be allies."
"I don't think I can do that," Daniel muttered., But his eyes kept going back to Sha're.
The Joker wiggled his gloved fingers. "Listen up, Danny boy."
With a slightly irritated look, Daniel held up his index finger. "Only Jack gets to call me 'Danny boy.'"
The Joker popped up next to Daniel's head and hovered there. "If you stop fighting us, I'll give you your own little reality where you spend the rest of your life with Sha're."
"While you take over the multiple universes? Don't think so."
"It'd be a lot nicer," the Joker said.
Daniel turned his eyes away from Sha're. "I was expecting something like this. So I brought some people who could help."
Dean stepped forward. "Here's the thing, Daniel. I once lived another life where Sam and I never became hunters. A lot of people we helped ended up dead."
Clark appeared on Daniel's right, knocking the Joker out of the way. With an angry "oof," the clown landed near the door on the roof.
"You've heard this story before, Daniel," Clark said with a grin.
"It'd help to hear it again now," Daniel said, still glancing at Sha're..
"You got it, buddy. Once a Phantom had me trapped inside my mind. It was kind of like one of the Joker's mental illusions. I was in a mental hospital, no powers. He offered me a life with Lana. But if I had done that, the Phantom would have gathered all the other phantoms and ruled over Earth."
"Confirming what I already thought," Daniel said, turning away from Sha're.
"No!" the Joker roared. He jumped up and down, fists clenched, like a child throwing a tantrum.
A Stargate flew above Metropolis, rotating like a Phantom Zone square. Making a mighty leap, Daniel flew into it.
Out of the mental fog created by the Joker, Daniel returned to reality, such as it was.
"We're ba-a-ack!" O'Neill announced.
Daniel saw it. They were back at Home Base. He heard the Stargate deactivate behind him. Obviously, while he fought a battle in his mind, he had gone through space-time tunnels and Stargates.
"Until we restore the timelines back to normal, this is where you nice folks will be staying," O'Neill said.
"And then home," McCoy said. "My real home. Not Smallville.."
Carter looked slightly apologetic. "Unfortunately, Doctor McCoy, we can't return you to Smallville or your friends. It's part of recorded history now that you disappeared from Smallville."
"This could be nicer," McCoy said with a grin.
"For both of us," the other McCoy said.
"I could learn about this...Stargate?" Scotty said.
"I think I can tolerate being around a fine gentlemen like Mister Teal'c," Uhura said with a smile.
Teal'c bowed. "We will restore the timeline once we are reunited with Clark Kent. Unfortunately, he, too, has become part of recorded history and is trapped in the Prime Universe. But there are those who will aid and assist him."
"But when he returns to us, he'll be really old," O'Neill said. "Thanks, Joker."
McCoy (dark) looked grim. "That's the thing. If you're up against this Joker fellow, he says he was the one who got Jim to start drinking. He was the one who gave Spock the idea to kill Edith Keeler."
"If that's true," Carter said, "a time travel team will have to take the Joker back in time to fix that timeline."
"We must then reduce the Joker in power so he may be easily restrained," Teal'c said.
"Which means fixing more timelines," O'Neill said. "We're going to be busy."
"Indeed. But I am confident we can be successful, O-Neill."
Daniel turned to Dark-Eyes McCoy. "You didn't mention any of this stuff about the Joker before."
"Now that I'm sober, I remember. Of course, I thought this Joker was half-crazy."
"He's completely crazy," O'Neill said. "Speaking as someone who once had the head of Homer Simpson, I am not a fan of the Joker."
"I can imagine," dark McCoy said with a slight grin. "Anyway, the clown guy said he was going to try to turn Spock into a killer in other universes. Create a whole army of Dark Spocks. Fill the multiple universes with Darkness, he said."
"That doesn't sound good," O'Neill said.
Daniel thought about this. What if the Joker tried to turn Spock in the Prime Universe into a Dark Spock? Since the Prime Universe was at the center of all other universes, Prime Spock going Dark would fill all the multiple universes with Darkness.
"We need to stay alert, guys," Daniel said.
"Always do, Daniel."
Despite his usual glib tone, Jack looked a little worried. Which was understandable.
This could be a challenge. .