It came out of nowhere, a howling so loud it seemed to

shatter the air. Kirk found himself gasping, unable to

breathe against the noise, unable to think. His knees

buckled, and it took all his will-power to stay standing, to

force himself to believe that he could breathe, move, see.

Spock had caught himself against the wall, and now

turned to face the captain. "Jim ..." he said,

stopped, and tried again, his voice barely audible

through the clamour. "Jim, it has ... changed ... "

"Form up, everybody!" Kirk shouted into the sound that

swallowed his words as he spoke them. He reached out

his hand, ready to support Spock if he needed it.

"What, Spock?"

"It ... it wants..." Spock straightened with an

effort. "It is ... distressed, is angry.

Something has happened." With an effort of will that

Kirk could see, the Vulcan regained his composure.

"It *is* a life-form, Captain, as I suspected. Non-

corporeal. It seeks now ... to communicate - no. Not

communication. It wants my ... attention. It wants

our distress. It ...it *wants*, Jim."

"It wants our distress," Kirk said, to himself.

"I sensed as much, earlier." Spock said, leaning

close to make himself heard. "A feeling of -

enjoyment, of pleasure, when the events on this

starbase caused the crew anxiety and fear. Our

emotions are - I believe 'consumed' would be an

accurate description."

The screaming was dying away now, fading into an

intense, *listening* silence that made Kirk's skin

prickle. It seemed much hotter, all of a sudden.

The air itself was heavy, and resisted being

disturbed.

"That makes sense." Kirk said. "All that we've

experienced - designed to evoke feelings of fear and

pain."

"Yes," Spock said. "But also, designed to move us in

the direction we have come - down here, towards the

central core of the Starbase. I surmise there is some

value in physical proximity for this creature."

"Or else," Kirk said, "value in preventing us from

getting back to the ship. It's only just started -

seeking your attention? Specifically, I mean?"

"Yes," Spock said. "At the same moment as that

auditory manifestation of anger and pain began, I

observed a sensation as if I were being watched, or

stared at, by some great force, closely followed by an

attempt to - language is inadequate to explain. It

seeks to engage me in some form of mental

interaction."

Kirk looked at him. "It's *talking* to you?" he

asked.

"That is not precisely what it is doing." Spock said.

"It wants - my engagement. My consent. It makes

promises. I suspect it would be very unwise of me to

heed them."

"Can you resist it?" Kirk asked.

"I believe so, Captain." Spock said. "For some time,

certainly."

"Do you have any notion of why now? And why *you*?"

"I do not know, Captain. It has not previously made

a direct psychic assault on the crew, but rather has

physically attacked us telekinetically and manifested

disturbing phenomena." He checked his tricorder and

phaser with steady hands. "I do not know what this

change may mean. I sense a great weakening in its

telekinetic powers. The ability to affect the

physical world has diminished, though it remains. It

seems that there is a corresponding increase in its

capacity to make a direct psychic assault. A

functional working hypothesis would be that there has

been some change in the being's form or function that

prompts it to seek direct connection with a corporeal

being who has a high psi rating. It is ... very

strong, but unfocused. It seeks to dominate my mind,

but I cannot establish communication with it - it is

too diffuse."

"If we're being forced to move in this direction,"

Kirk said, "away from the shuttle-bay and towards the

core, there's obviously some advantage to our

adversary in it - whether it's to keep us off the

Enterprise or bring us into easy reach. I don't like

the idea of just playing its game, but on the other

hand, we were sent here to determine the nature of

the phenomena and end any possible threat to the

Federation. Returning to the Enterprise will allow

us to regroup, but that's all."

"I doubt that would serve much purpose." Spock said.

"It might, indeed, allow this entity to gather its

own strength."

"And that assumes we ever made it back to the

Enterprise." Kirk said.

"Indeed. Many of the phenomena have been purely

perceptual, but our opponent has demonstrated the

ability to move objects and thus cause physical

harm." Spock paused. "I believe it likely that many

of the crew who have - vanished from their teams may

be found, as you found Mr Drysden, mentally

distressed but physically unharmed."

"I hope so." Kirk said, thinking of the numbers still

unaccounted for. "Will it increase our chances to

try and gather more of our people together?"

"I do not believe it will make a material

difference.' Spock said. "And the time taken to do so

would increase the pressure on, and consequently the

vulnerability of, those who *are* with us." He did

not say, And I as well, but Kirk heard it

nonetheless.

"Then we put our head in the lion's jaws?" Kirk asked.

"I believe the metaphor you are seeking," Spock said,

"is 'springing the trap'."

"Calling its bluff?"

"It is fortunate indeed," Spock said, "that you are so

good at poker."

"Sir, security reports phaser fire in section 16!"

Iyen said.

Scotty gritted his teeth. "Nae point in asking where

they got the phasers," he muttered, "as it's sure to

be that bastard Whittaker and his command codes."

"Sir?"

"Nothin', lad. Any report on the intruder systems?"

"Still off line, sir."

"Aye, well, they would be. And us down to skeleton

crew and Himself off the ship. It nivir rains bu' it

pours, hae yet noticed?"

"Sir, what do we do, sir?" Iyen asked desperately.

"Do? Why, lad, there's nothin' we *can* do. Just

wait. Just wait, tha's all." Scotty turned back to

the image of Starbase34 as it hung glittering before

them, and began to hum softly, an old and plaintive

air of defeat.

"If you'd let people get on with their jobs, Doctor,"

Chekov shouted, "and not insist on being part of

ewery landing party the Enterprise sets down, you

wouldn't be here! Bohez moi, and now you complain!"

"Now listen here," McCoy began, equally heated, "I

won't be given orders by a stripling like yourself,

d'ye hear me? Why, when I was your age I knew to mind

my elders and listen to their advice -"

"Then giwe me some adwice! All you do is find fault!"

"Len," Chapel said. 'Len, Pavel, stop it!"

They paid no attention to her, and she had to push

between them and force them apart.

"The two of you, you're behaving like three year

olds!" she said. "How on earth is this helping?

Huh?"

"Well he -"

"ME! ME! Hah! *You* -"

"WILL you SHUT UP!" Chapel screamed. She shoved McCoy

back against the wall and turned to face Chekov,

levelling one finger threateningly in his face. "Not

one word, Pavel, not one, I'm telling you! I have had

it up to *here* with this, we've been lost for hours,

we have no idea where we're going and the Captain and

- and - and Commander Spock are lost in here somewhere

too and all you can do is - is - is wave your *dicks*

at each other! Grow up! Grow goddamn up, goddamn you!

There's more than you two at stake here!"

She thought suddenly of Spock, somewhere in the

starbase, no doubt facing whatever dangers he

encountered with cool self-possession, probably

getting ready, *at this very moment*, to sacrifice

his life for the captain or the ship -

Overwhelmed, she sat down on the floor and cried.

"Ah, Christine?" McCoy said. "I'm sorry, Chris. I'm

sorry. Don't cry like that. We'll get out of this.

We always do."

"Yes, Christine." Chekov said, kneeling beside here.

"I will stop shouting, I promise."

"And so will I." McCoy said, in a tone of voice that

made it clear he considered this a *great* concession.

Unable to explain to them or to herself the storm of

grief that shook her, Chapel wept on.