Oh my Gosh, guys! Fifty Chapters and 200 reviews! Thanks so much for continuing to read this story. Love you all!
Idea for this Chapter came from Minecraft Guardiansaiyan (who left me well-detailed prompt-like I asked for in the last chapter)
200th reviewer is Dlldarkwolf (a first-time reviewer!)
"There! An' faster than ever I might add." said Scotty. He had been working on a way to speed up the ground-based transporters and had gotten permission to test it. Jim had volunteered to help test it and volunteered Spock and Bones too. Spock readily agree when he heard. Bones came along with some complaint, but he did come.
"And I materialize facing the wrong way, of course." grumbled Spock.
"Strange to hear you complain about something like that, Spock." said Bones with a smile. then he made an odd face. One mirrored on Spock's and Scotty's faces.
"Oh my god." said Spock. "Scotty, what the heck did you do?" It was then that Kirk spoke.
"I would assume Montgomery's accelerated transport caused our patterns to be put together incorrectly. Particularly in assigning mental patterns to the wrong body. An understandable occurrence since the transporter was not allotted it's normal amount of time to reassemble our patterns."
Silence.
"Spock?" said Spock's body. 'Kirk' nodded.
"I'm Jim!" piped up McCoy's body.
"That means I'm Leonard. But I'm..." he reached up to feel his ears. "Oh my god! what the-" Kirk in Bone's body placed a hand over real Bones' mouth.
"Let's not finish that sentence"
"Cadet Spock's original assessment of the situation is correct." The three switched-around boys and Scotty were told a few hours later by the principal
"How can we get sorted out?" asked Kirk-in McCoy's body.
"Well, I donnae know how ta fix ya." said Scotty. "I think I could use some more qualified help in this."
"You'll be working with others to see if this can be reversed using the transporter. Spock."
"Yes?" responded Spock-In Kirk's body.
"Could a mind meld be of any use here?"
"No. This exceeds the ability of all but the most highly trained Vulcans." The officer nodded.
"You're all excused from classes. Scott, report back here in one hour. The rest of you, stay out of the way unless we call for you. Dismissed.
"We can't 'go to class anyway'!" said Bones-In Spock's body to Kirk.
"Why not? It'd be so cool! to just, live each others lives for a day." explained Kirk. "Granted, we'll all probably mess up each other's grades a little, but we can get that sorted out afterwards."
"I do not see the logic of this idea." Spock said. he glanced at a girl who walked past.
"You just checked her out." commented Bones.
"This...body is not as...physically controlled as my own." was Spock's excuse.
"What would Christine think?" said Kirk, forming a grin that looked a little odd on McCoy's face.
"I'm not going to Spock's classes. He's in advanced everything!" said Bones.
"Hey, keep your voice down, a yelling Vulcan is gonna attract some pretty weird attention." Said Kirk.
"We have people from twenty different planets, some of which barely count as being humanoid in this school and I'm the one who's gonna attract attention?!" exclaimed Bones. That did earn a strange glance or two from a few passersby.
"Okay, okay fine." relented Kirk. "It was just an interesting idea, that's all." they walked back towards the room in silence for a moment. "Besides, I'm the only one who could've pulled it off anyway."
"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded McCoy.
"it means you do not have the emotional and physical control to impersonate me." said Spock plainly.
"And You, Spock, don't have the acting skills or ability to let loose to even make a half-hearted attempt at being me." said Kirk.
"Perhaps. Or perhaps your behavior patterns are easier to duplicate than you realize."
"Are you saying I'm simple?"
"I am saying you are...uncomplicated."
"Well...maybe I am. But however easy it is to be me, it has got to be twice as easy to be Bones."
"Hold on just a sec there Jim!" said Bones. "I don't like what you're implying."
"Then give me a chance to prove me wrong. If we're stuck like this for awhile, let's at least get a kick out of it." reasoned Kirk. Bones sighed and ran a hand through his/spock's hair.
"I guess it's worth a shot." He agreed. Spock nodded.
"It would be an interesting social experiment."
"Then let's get to class."
Bones flung open the door to his room and slammed it shut. And sat on the bed, clenched his hands into fists, breathing heavily. He wanted to break something. He pick up a PADD, intending to read to calm down, and his grip cracked the screen.
Spock entered the room to see himself-or at least his body-clutching his head in his hands and swearing profusely.
"Leonard." he said. Bones looked up. "
"Spock! Spock what the heck is wrong with you?" he demanded, getting up and walking over to his friend.
"The same thing wrong with you."
"Not that! Why do you put up with so much crap?! Seriously, I know a little of the teasing must be pure ignorance, but still! You're not the only alien here! you don't have to put up with it!"
"It isn't much, and you know that. And I am not being physically injured, as was the case on Mars. And while the verbal abuse may effect you. I am able to ignore it."
"I can't! I came this close to punching a guy across the face full strength." Bones glanced over at the PADD he had set down. "And I dread to think what would happen then."
"I hope nothing more important than a PADD has been broken?"
"No." Bones sat back down. "So, what's it like being Jim?"
Spock blushed. He turned away at seeing the surprise on Bones' face. "Are you blushing?"
"I cannot control the physical and emotional reactions of this body as well as my own. It isn't as easy..."
"Okay, what happened?" Spock at down.
"Janice Rand kissed me."
"Did you tell her who you are?"
"No, I did not have the presence of mind to."
"Did you like it?"
"I do not feel the emotional state to which you are referring."
"Uh-huh." said McCoy. "Bet that made Janice real happy."
"I did not give her any indication of it..."
"So you kissed back."
No response from Spock. Bones smirked. A strangest expression to see upon the Vulcan face he currently had.
"What would Christine think?" This caused a darker blush to Leonard's amusement.
This was when Kirk entered the room.
"Bones!" he sat down on his own bed. "I didn't know you were smart!"
"Gee, thanks Jim." said McCoy dryly.
"That came out wrong. I knew you were smart. But you're, like, Spock smart, Bones!
"Is there any particular reason my academic ability is used as a standard for excellence?" asked Spock.
"Because you're a genius." stated Jim. "And apparently, so is Bones."
"Or you just don't have the same education I've had after three years of medical school." countered Bones.
"Which you've managed to get through. And who is Sheryl Prince?"
"Some girl people in my classes keep trying to set me up with. I'm not interested." said Bones. "How 'bout giving me my homework and seeing if I can salvage some part of this semester?" Kirk handed over a PADD. "Thanks."
"Why is practically everyone is your medical classes older than you, Bones?" asked Kirk.
"Because they've all been here four five years and I've been here three." he explained, distractedly, looking at the PADD he was holding with unnecessary gentleness.
"Why is that?" asked Spock, raising an eyebrow.
"Stop making that expression with my face, Spock!" complained Kirk.
"I've been trying to get through the work required for a medical degree in four years instead of six." explained Bones.
"I didn't know that." Said Kirk.
"Well, it's true." said Bones. "Of course, none of my training or work can change us back to normal."
"I am confident Montgomery will figure out how to reverse the effects of the transporter." said Spock.
"Soon hopefully." added Kirk. "Your body is weird, Bones."
"My body? I'm stuck with the body of an entirely different species! Same with Spock! You have nothing to complaint about, James Tiberius Kirk! Same as usual. How the devil do you even manage that? Always getting the good end, the good luck?"
Jim shrugged and leaned back a bit. "I Think happy thoughts."
"And somehow that makes you pretty freaking annoying." grumbled Bones. he sighed and stood, pacing. "Scotty better hurry up. I want my body back! this one is too...tall."
"And you're shoulders are funny." said Kirk.
"Stop pacing!" said Spock. causing both his roommates to look upon hearing a tone of slight irritation. "It is...unsettling. I also apologize for my tone it is more difficult to keep control."
"You're unsettling! Both of you." McCoy did sit down though.
"What if we're stuck like forever?" speculated Kirk.
"Do not even think that!" said Bones.
"It is a valid point, it may be impossible to separate our mental patterns from these bodies and return them to the correct ones." said Spock. "We would to be prepared for that eventuality."
All of the young men's PADDs beeped.
"Or not." said Kirk, reading the message they had all received.
Report to Transporter room.
"So we beam up your mental patterns separately from your bodies and then purposefully jumble them-or rather unjumble them-when we rematerialized ya." explained Scotty.
"Could this have any adverse effects?" asked Spock.
"Any number of them, but it's the best anyone could think of." admitted Scotty.
"I'll take the chance." said Kirk.
"As will I." said Spock.
"I will too, but I am never using another transporter again!" Kirk rolled his eyes.
"Then on the transport pad, all of ye." said Scotty, standing behind the controls with an officer. They complied.
"Energizing." Bones closed his eyes. He felt a weird feeling, strange and unplaceable. He wanted to shudder at it almost but found he couldn't. Had transport always took this long? He opened his eyes and saw Scotty through the haze of rematerialization.
"Did it work?' asked Kirk's body. Scotty nodded. Bones held out his face then touched his face before glancing around.
"Thank you Montgomery." said Spock.
"Don't thank me, I caused the problems to start with."
"But it's all good now." Kirk smiled. "So, thank you." He hopped of the transport pad. "Are we able to leave?"
"Infirmary first," directed the officer. "Just to be sure." Kirk nodded and left the room with Spock and McCoy.
"One question though. Bones?" McCoy looked up. They were all back in their room, thankful the ordeal was over.
"What, Jim?"
"Could you possibly not graduate with us? I mean, you're already working like crazy to try to make up two years."
"Yeah, there's a good chance of it." said Bones. "We'll see."
"I hope you graduate with Spock and me." said Kirk.
"I as well." added Spock.
"Thanks guys. I do too."
"It was kind of cool to be you." said Kirk.
"Hold on, you weren't 'me'. you just had my body for awhile. Just like I wasn't Spock either."
"A fact for which I am extremely grateful." said the Vulcan.
"Same here, Hobgoblin. Same here."
Kirk chuckled at his friends.