As they neared the back of the base, they could hear the buzzing of the outside wall. Ajah and Helek got ready as did Anakin. "I'll cover you in case something else tries to shoot at you," Anakin said.

"Thanks," Helek replied.

Jim watched as Helek, Ajah, and Anakin moved out of the forest. Helek and Ajah got to the outside wall that was closest to the back gate in the stone wall. "Let's do it," Helek said.

They touched the wall, and the reaction was incredible. Sparks flew, and not only did it short out the section they touched, but the entire wall. They absorbed so much electricity that when they let it go, they broke through the gate of the stone wall. As soon as that happened, they went through the gate and immediately found out where the tesla coils were. They caught the electrical charges coming from the coils as Anakin came through the gate. He blocked the firing from the gun turret. Helek moved up to the tesla coil and fired the electricity at the gun turret, blasting it into pieces. He then aimed at what they knew were the power centers. Ajah did the same thing.

Jim and the others came through the gate as they could see that Ajah and Helek had things under control until they saw more brutes coming toward them. However, they had their phaser rifles ready this time, but there were so many, some of them got around that. One of the brutes knocked the phaser from Jim's hand, but he grabbed the bat'leth from his back as he avoided being knocked down by the creature. He swung the bat'leth at the brute to cut its hand off, but it caught the bat'leth in its vice grip. Jim's mouth dropped open as he saw blood pour out of the hand, but it did not phase the creature any. However, Jim jerked the bat'leth to get it from the grip of the creature. That action sliced some of the fingers off the creature, bringing a wail from it and also made it even angrier. Jim backed up quickly as the creature advanced on him, and another one was coming to help. He finally managed to find his phaser and made short work of both of them. That was not all of them. He thought this was worse than fighting Klingons. The ones who came at him next tackled him to the ground yelling "pound" "smash". They absolutely knew the meaning of those two words. But suddenly, someone yelled, "Back!"

Jim looked to see who had stopped the fray. He looked up to see a bald guy with a goatee standing over him. The guy was dressed in solid black, including a black trench coat. He glared at Jim. "I don't believe we've met," he said as he pointed his rifle at Jim. "Get up."

Jim grunted as he got up. Solan came up beside him as he had succumbed to the brutes as well. Carol stood close to Jim and the rest of the team gathered around as well. However, Jim did not see McNeil in the bunch. He wondered where he was, but he supposed he would show up. Ajah and Helek had not been able to disable the brutes because they were too close to Jim and the others. Ajah looked at Jim with his eyes glowing white. "Just wait," Jim said quietly.

"I am Kane," their captor said. "If you thought you could defeat me, you are sadly mistaken. No one can defeat me."

"Oh yeah? I hear you've been defeated lots of times," Solan declared.

Kane glared at him. "I was never defeated because I am still here."

"That's right. You retreated like a coward."

"Solan," Jim said. "Don't insult the man like that. It takes a lot of planning to be able to live as long as he has."

Solan knew that was sarcasm, but he hoped Kane would fall for it. Kane looked at Jim. "And who are you and why are you here?"

"I'm Admiral James T. Kirk, and I'm here because you are attacking our planet and trying to destroy it."

"Admiral? Admiral of what?"

"The Federation, or what you would probably want to call the G.D.I."

Kane frowned. "You will serve me, Admiral Kirk."

"Never."

Kane motioned to his followers. "Bring them inside." He aimed his rifle at Jim again. "Keep a close eye on this one."

Jim glared at him as two soldiers grabbed him roughly. He looked to see what was happening to Carol, but she was being herded along as well. They were being taken into that big fortress. Jim could see that the fighters could not get inside the base because of air defenses. He supposed they could take that fortress from the inside…and was exactly what they would do. If that guy thought he was going to hold them hostage and take over the planet, he had another thought coming. Jim would not sit by and let that happen if he could do anything about it. He looked at Spock who was wondering what he had planned.

As they entered the fortress, Jim thought it looked a lot like that fortress he and Bones had been in when they were dropped off on a prison world that was being used as an arena. Spock had fought while Jim and Bones figured a way to get them out of there. They had destroyed the dampening field that was interfering with communications and had barely escaped that mess. Now, here they were in an even bigger mess. This fortress was a lot like that one, but it was much more fortified, and the middle was not an arena but a control center. Jim wondered just what it was controlling. He supposed with all those fighters and everything they had out there, they had to have some sort of central controls.

"As you can see, I am quite in control already," Kane bragged. "Nothing out there does anything without my approval from here."

Jim wondered if he could break this lunatic's overconfidence. "You really think you can control that whole mob you have out there?" he asked. "Not all of them are your brainwashed mob."

Kane glared at him. "I see you underestimate the loyalty of the Nod."

"What can you possibly hope to accomplish by destroying this planet?"

"Domination!"

"But if you destroy the planet, what are you going to dominate?"

"Silence! You are in no position to question me!"

"Oh yeah? I'm questioning you. You're insane. You want to cause some explosion that will bring a bunch of warrior bugs to this planet to destroy it? Why?"

"There's no reasoning with an idiot like this," Solan chimed in. "He's so far around the bend, he doesn't even know he's insane."

Kane grabbed Solan by the throat and practically dragged him along with him. "I will show you something," he said. "All of you, this way."

He led them into the communication and control area and shoved Solan against the wall. "This is why we will be victorious," he declared. "Coordination. No one can get into this fortress to destroy this, and as long as I am in control, we will be victorious."

"Think again," Anakin said and suddenly drew his lightsaber. He sliced the ones who were holding him and then shoved some of the brutes backward with a Force shove.

Jim and the others immediately swung into action. Kane yelled a cry of frustration and rage as he tackled Jim. Jim hit the concrete floor hard on his back. Kane did not waste any time drawing his weapon to shoot Jim at close range. However, Jim grabbed his hand to keep him from shooting him. Kane put his full weight down on the gun. Jim was reminded of the time Nero was leaning over him like that trying to choke him to death. They struggled over the weapon, and it fired. Jim realized that weapon was not a laser weapon but a weapon that shot bullets. He had encountered those before, and he wanted no part of being shot. He pushed harder against Kane's strength which was not easy to do. He remembered that Kane was Khan's brother. Jim finally got his feet up and kicked Kane off him. However, that was not the best thing he could have done as Kane now had range to fire at him. Jim dived for cover as Kane fired at him.

Jim landed behind a console where Solan was also taking cover. "They're shooting bullets!" Solan declared.

"No kidding," Jim replied. "Let's try and avoid getting shot."

"I'm with you on that."

"Where is Carol?"

"I don't know. I lost track of everybody."

Anakin was still putting up a fight with his lightsaber. Ajah and Helek were having a hard time avoiding bullets, but they had taken out some of the weapons. Jim did not see Carol and he was deeply troubled about that fact. "Carol!" he called but did not hear anything. "Where is she?" Jim realized he also did not see Spock or Bones either.

Spock leaned over Carol trying to help Bones as they were tending to a wound she had sustained. They heard Jim yelling for Carol. "Don't let go of that," Bones said as he was trying to fix the wound so they could get her out of there.

"Jim is calling me," Carol said.

"I don't have time to answer him," Bones replied.

Carol could hear the fear and anguish in Jim's voice, and she wanted to call out to him, but she could not. They could hear that there was far less shooting going on.

Jim had recovered his phaser rifle, so he was shooting at the enemies across the room. Bullets were hitting the console they were hiding behind. He was just glad they were not coming through it. "What are we gonna do, Jim?" Solan asked.

Jim leaned against the console thinking. "We could use a stun grenade, but I don't know where everyone else is," he said.

"I'm pretty sure they're not over there behind that thing with those shooting at us."

"You're probably right." Jim grabbed the pack off his back and took one of the grenades out.

"How did you manage to keep them from knowing you had that in there?" Solan asked.

"They never searched it, so I didn't say a word." Jim squatted and got the grenade ready. "Cover me."

Solan nodded. "Go!"

As Solan began firing over the console, Jim threw the grenade over behind the console where the enemies were. "Get down!" Jim yelled.

The grenade exploded in a brilliant flash and then everything was silent. Jim and Solan looked at each other. "You think they're fooling us?" Solan asked.

Jim scowled at that question. "What do you think?" he asked.

"I think it's possible."

"I wanta know where that Kane is."

Ajah and Helek came around the corner of the console that Jim and Solan were behind. "That got them," Helek declared.

Jim stood up. "Where's Kane?" he asked.

"You mean the guy in the leather trench coat?" Ajah asked. "I don't know."

"We have to find him."

"Jim!" Bones said. "Get over here!"

Jim thought his heart might have sunk down to his feet. He ran to where Bones was and almost lost his breath when he saw Carol lying on the floor. "Carol?" He fell beside her. "Is she alright?"

"She will be when I can get her back to the ship."

"We can't contact them in here, can we?"

"No."

"Admiral, should we continue on the mission?" Spock asked as he could see Jim's anguish.

Jim looked at him as though he were just noticing that he was there. "Admiral," Anakin said. "We can go on while you get her back to the ship or the hangar."

Jim hated to let them go on without him, but he nodded. "Yeah, go ahead. Make sure he doesn't use that tiberium."

"Yes, Sir. We won't let you down."

Kuaya stood beside Jim. "I will help you, Admiral," he said.

"I'm staying with you too," Ajah added. "Helek can go with the others. I won't leave you defenseless."

Jim was trying to figure out how he could get Carol out of there and what the others should do. "I could fly her out," Kuaya suggested.

Jim shook his head. "Not with all the aerial defenses."

"I'll go out and try to contact the Enterprise," Ajah said.

"I will defend while you are out," Kuaya said as he clanged the end of his spear on the metal floor.

Ajah made sure he had his communicator. He ripped out one of the consoles and stuck his hand in. His eyes glowed as he absorbed power from it. "When did your eyes start glowing white?" Jim asked.

"I do not know, Sir," Ajah replied. "I believe my powers are changing."

"Changing how?"

"I do not know that either, but I am ready. I will get in touch with someone."

"Be careful. We may find a safer place than this."

"Someone should be trying to find that tiberium," Bones declared. "You know it's in this building somewhere."

"That's what the others are going to do," Jim replied. He looked around them. "Where did Kane go?"

"Who knows? Did you check those over there who got the stun grenade?"

"He's not over there. The others checked."

Jim leaned over Carol. "You hang in there," he said. "I promise I will get you out of here."

"I know," Carol replied. She grimaced. "This really hurts."

Jim frowned. He remembered how badly bullets hurt. "I know."

Suddenly, Ajah came back into the room, firing out the door as he did. "They're coming!" he said.

Jim picked Carol up and they all moved into the next room where there was more cover. "This place must be shielded," Jim said. "Maybe that's why we can't talk to anyone outside it. If we could disable that, we might be able to transport out of here."

"But, Jim, you have to make sure he doesn't use that tiberium," Carol said.

"You just don't worry about that," Jim replied. "You think about surviving. I'll worry about this."

Jim got over beside the door with his phaser rifle as some had come in the room they had vacated. Ajah was scattering them with his electric firing, but their numbers were mounting. "What do we do, Jim?" Bones asked. "There's too many of them!"

"We keep fighting," Jim replied as he shot out the door of the room.

"Surrender or die!" Kane said from the other room.

Jim glared out the door. "Never!" he yelled and fired out the door again.

Ajah was giving the ones in the other room trouble as he kept firing. Jim got into his pack and got another stun grenade. He pulled the pin and threw it into the other room. They ducked to let it do its work but suddenly, they heard a metal clang on the floor. All Jim thought of was Carol as he headed for the grenade. He heard Bones yell, "Jim, no!" But he was about to kick it out the door. However, when he kicked it, it exploded.

Jim hit the floor hard, but Ajah was angry, and he was at full power which was much more than normal. He let go of a blast of electricity that blew a hole in the adjacent wall. Kane and everyone with him scattered to avoid the blast, but Ajah was not finished. He went through the doorway and blasted every console in the place which scattered Kane and his bunch even more. "You will not kill any more of my friends," Ajah said, sounded completely electronic. "And you will not take over this planet."

Bones was a little addled from that stun grenade, but he crawled over to Jim. "Jim, are you alright?" he asked, but Jim was out cold. He could hear Ajah still working everyone over, and he was sure he heard someone yelling in pain. He grabbed his communicator, but there was nothing but static.

Kuaya lay on the floor as well although he was not completely out. "I feel quite dizzy," he said.

Bones looked at him. "Yeah, those stunners will do that to you," he said. "I can't get us out of here. I still can't contact the ship."

Kuaya sat up seeming to lean to one side as he felt dizzy. "I do not like this sensation. It is quite uncomfortable."

"It'll wear off. Jim here is out cold though."

"I must help our friend out there."

"I don't think he needs any help." Bones had to admit he had not seen Ajah like he was now except for one time. "We need to get Carol out of here, but we can't until they get that shield down. Just make sure no one comes through that door."

"No one will pass."

They heard a loud explosion out in the corridor as Ajah was still wreaking havoc. He came back into the room not looking at all like his normal self. "We have to get out of this room," he said, still sounding electronic.

"I don't think I can carry Carol or Jim right now," Bones said.

"There are more of them coming."

"You seem to be handling them pretty well."

"I am not sure how long I can hold them off before I would even be overwhelmed."

Bones thought when Ajah was angry or thought someone was trying to kill his friends, his powers really came to the fore. Ajah looked at him. "Anger makes my power much more potent," he said.

"I see," Bones replied. "You can't carry one of them like that."

Ajah seemed to glow brighter. "I cannot just shut it off when I become like this," he said.

Just then, they heard a noise out in the corridor. Ajah whirled around, glowing even brighter. He would just have to keep fighting until the others could get that shield down…

Spock and his team were not having an easy time trying to find the shield generator. He was studying his tricorder. "The generator must be this way since this seems to be the biggest source of power," he said. "And there is a great deal of interference."

"That sounds like it," Anakin replied as he was deflecting bullets with his lightsaber. He had never heard such a sound as what the lightsaber made when it contacted one of those pieces of metal. He thought it sounded something like hearing a homerun being hit in a baseball game from a distance. "How do we get down there?"

"We will keep fighting." Spock looked at Helek. "Do you believe you can short out the generator if we get to this area?"

"Sure," Helek replied. "If it's not covered in some sort of metal."

"Let's try to have a little optimism," Solan said. "I think they've figured out what we're trying to do though since they're over here guarding it so heavily."

Zander was thinking as he looked around the room they were in. "I don't see anything we can use to deter this attack," he said.

"Neither do I," Mac replied. He noticed a grate on the wall a few feet away from them. "We might get somewhere if we got into that."

"You don't know where it goes though."

"Yeah, but we're not getting anywhere sitting here. Buildings always have to have air no matter how advanced they are, and I wouldn't think this one is so modern."

"What do you mean?"

"Those air vents probably are connected all over this thing. If we can find the right direction, we can come right out where they are, just like the access tubes on a ship."

"Don't mention that," Solan said. "And I don't want to be the one who has to crawl in there."

"Don't worry. I'm crawling in there, and Helek can go with me while you guys keep the attention of our enemies."

Solan looked at Spock. "What do you think about that plan?" Solan asked, wondering if Spock trusted Mac.

Spock could see that question written all over Solan's face. "It is a good plan," Spock said. "If we split up, we may have more chance."

"You gonna let Mac and Helek go?"

"I know what you're getting at, Solan," Mac said. "You don't think you guys should trust me."

Solan glared at him slightly. "I haven't forgotten all those bruises and broken bones you gave me."

"I haven't forgotten the ones you gave me either, but we're fighting for our world, so why don't we just put all that aside for now?"

Solan just stared at him a moment, but he could see the logic in that. "Fine." He looked at Helek. "If he even shows the slightest sign that he is going to betray us, shock him. His right hand is metal."

"We must trust each other," Spock said. "We cannot win this battle if we are fighting among ourselves."

"He's right," Anakin agreed. "Why don't I just go with him and Helek? Solan can stay here with you."

"I believe it would be better if it were just Helek and Mac on this mission. Too many will make it more difficult to get in and out."

"That sounds familiar," Solan said.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" Mac asked.

"Go and find the generator and destroy it," Spock said. He looked at Helek. "Do not risk your life, and we will not tolerate betrayal." Spock looked at Mac.

"Don't worry," Mac replied.

Mac and Helek headed for the grate behind them while Solan and the others began engaging the enemies. Mac pulled a screwdriver from his jacket and began taking the screws out of the grate. Once they were all out, he and Helek crawled in, pulling the grate back on. "Well, let's get moving," Mac said.

They began crawling as Mac used a tricorder to know which way to go. "Isn't the generator below us?" Helek asked.

"Yeah," Mac answered. "That's how it usually is. I hate to think of what else may be down there. You know if they're storing that tiberium down there, you can't destroy that generator."

Helek frowned. "Or we'll set off the explosion that they're wanting."

"Exactly."

"So what do we do?"

"Improvise."

"You sound like the admiral."

"I guess that's a good thing."

As they crawled, they began hearing a humming sound that seemed to vibrate the tunnel they were crawling through. "There's something big down there," Mac said.

"Sure is," Helek replied. "You think they're just letting us get to it so we will cause their explosion?"

"I don't know, but we'll know when we get there…I hope."

They soon came to an opening in the tunnel and peered out into the next room…or chamber. Helek thought the place looked like some sort of stone dungeon. They could see a large round room with a large control center in the middle. "How do we get out there without alerting them?" Helek whispered.

Mac was thinking about that. One thing he had always had to contend with in being stealthy was his size. He was a big man and could not always just hide in a corner with his 6'4" muscular frame, but he could surprisingly blend into crowds even with his long, wavy hair. He watched out the grate at the people working in the area. Then he saw Kane come into the area.

"They will be here to destroy the shield," Kane said. "But they will not win."

Mac could see that Kane had brought more people with him. He considered what Kane had just said. He looked at Helek. "Did you hear what he said?" Mac asked.

"Yeah," Helek replied. "It has some dark meaning, doesn't it?"

"I think so. If we attempt to destroy that generator, we're gonna be falling into his plan."

"So what do we do?"

"I'll just have to disable it another way."

"How?"

"I'll have to find a computer console."

"If you could do it that way, why did we come down here? Why didn't we just do it down there?"

"Well, we couldn't because we were under attack."

"So what do we do?"

Mac watched the ones in the room they were looking into. He knew he could break into that computer from another location, but he thought Helek could probably keep them occupied enough that he could do his job. "You think you can keep them occupied while I take care of that thing?" he asked.

"I'm sure I can," Helek replied. "Just tell me when."

"Now would be a good time."

They got the vent cover off, and Helek crawled out. He crouched behind the consoles while he built up his charge. When he had his charge ready, he stood up and aimed right at Kane. However, Kane saw him before he fired and dodged. Helek soon had the attention of everyone there as he began his onslaught. Mac came out of the vent and made his way around one of the consoles, hoping he could get to a computer to try and change the outcome of this situation. As he circled the area, he finally saw a terminal with a keyboard. "Just what I need," he said. He looked to see what was happening around him, and he realized that terminal could be swiveled around. "Oh yeah. This is just getting better and better." He swiveled the computer terminal around toward him and the wall and stayed behind it as Helek continued keeping the enemies busy.

McNeil had almost gotten the shock of his life when he came into the fortress as Ajah was not expecting him. "Whoa!" McNeil exclaimed.

"You should not sneak up on people in such a way," Ajah replied.

"I see."

"Have you found a way to get us out of here?"

"No, and I'm afraid I have even worse news. There are more troops coming. Where's everyone else who was in this group?"

"They have gone to try and get to the generator."

"Did they make it?"

"We don't know yet. We have been defending the Admiral and Carol."

McNeil looked at Jim and Carol lying on the floor. "What happened?"

"Carol was wounded. The Admiral was knocked unconscious from a stun grenade."

"Can he be awakened?"

"What do you think?" Bones asked. "He's out cold."

Just then, Jim moved slightly. "Hey, Jim," Bones said. "Wake up."

Jim groaned as he turned over to his back. "I guess I missed," he said feeling like he was hearing his own voice closed in around him.

"No, you hit it but too late."

"Ugh, I don't think I can get up yet."

"I'm surprised you're even awake."

McNeil leaned over Jim. "More troops are coming, and Kane is in this building somewhere," he said.

Jim's head hurt as he tried to sit up, but Bones helped him to sit up. He was not sure what they should do but he looked around them. "Isn't there some way we can get in control of this place?" he asked.

McNeil looked around them. "Not from here," he said. "So do you know if anyone made it to the control center?"

"No." Jim rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to stand up. Bones and McNeil steadied him as he felt like he was going sideways, and his legs did not feel exactly normal. "I have to get over this."

"Let me see if I can help," Bones said as he opened his med kit again.

Just then, Jim remembered Carol was lying in the floor injured. He hurried over to her. "Is she going to be alright, Bones?" he asked.

"She's stable right now, but we have to get her to the ship," Bones said as he gave Jim a hypospray in the neck.

Jim did not want to leave Carol's side, but he stood up as the hypospray took effect and he felt like he could think again. "Alright, first of all, we're taking over this building and I want it closed down so no one else gets in," he said.

"We'll get it closed down," McNeil replied.

Jim took out his communicator, hoping he could contact Spock in the building. "Spock." He waited a moment. "Spock." He did not get an answer, so he supposed there were no communications within the building. "How does anyone communicate in this place?"

"Don't ask me," Bones replied as he was watching over Carol. "Probably some system wired into it."

Jim looked around the walls, but he did not see anything that looked like a communication system. "Gotta be something," he said. He left that room and went into the other where there were more consoles.

McNeil came in there next. "We have it secured from this side, but you know there are more of them inside," he said.

"Yeah, but we don't want more getting in," Jim replied. "Where is the communication system?"

McNeil moved over to a different console. "It's here," he said. "But I don't think you'll be able to contact anyone you are trying to find. You might give away their position if they're in a situation."

Jim frowned. "We have to move on and find out what's going on with Spock and the others." He thought of Carol. "We also have to get Carol out of here. How can we do that?"

McNeil thought. "I don't think there is a way right now. If we take her out there, she'll be in danger. She's probably better off in here."

"We can't leave her unprotected."

"There should be a medical facility in here…but I don't think there's anything like your medical equipment there. I do think your doctor could help her better though."

"Well, where would that be located?"

"Medical facilities are usually on the lowest floor," McNeil said.

"Below this?" Jim asked.

"Yeah."

"So this goes below ground?"

"Yep. Gotta find the elevator to get down there."

Ajah came up to them just then. He had finally gotten his electricity under control. "Where are we going, Admiral?" he asked.

"We have to get Carol and Bones down to the medical center unless something happens in the next few minutes," Jim said. "McNeil said it's down below this. I'll carry her."

"I will defend you, Admiral," Ajah said.

"As will I," Kuaya added.

Just then, Spock, Anakin, Zander, and Solan came back in. "Where are the others?" Jim asked.

"Mac and Helek have gone to the central control to try and disable the generator for the shield and disruptor," Spock replied.

"We're taking over this place. What better place to make a stand than the fortress?"

"Admiral, I believe there is a sinister plot behind all this. I believe Kane will try and cause us to create the explosion that he so badly wants."

"You mean you think the tiberium is down there with the generator? Do Mac and Helek know that?"

"I believe it is logical that he would try and trick us into causing the explosion so that we will be to blame for our own destruction."

Jim frowned. "You're probably right," he said. "But I can't contact them from here."

"Where were you about to go, Admiral?"

"We're about to get Bones and Carol down to the medical facility in this place, and then we're going to try and help Mac and Helek."

Jim picked Carol up carefully, not without her groaning. "I'm sorry, Babe," he said.

Carol put her arms around his neck. "We're getting you out of here," Jim said. "There's a medical facility."

The others surrounded Jim as they began moving. "You think they have a turbo lift or something?" Jim asked.

"Let's hope," Bones replied.

Anakin was going ahead of everyone so he could know if there were enemies around corners. He suddenly stopped as he felt something in the Force. "Stand back," he said quietly. He activated his lightsaber and then went around the corner. All the others heard was some screams and weapons hitting the floor. Then Anakin looked around the corner. "Let's move."

Jim and the others followed him, and they soon found a stairwell. "Oh, wouldn't you know it would be stairs," Solan remarked.

"Don't complain," Jim replied sounding just a little winded. "Just keep moving." He thought Carol was asleep as he was carrying her. He was worried about her more than he ever had been.

They finally came to the bottom of the stairs and there was a door between them and the next room. "Well that doesn't look good," Solan said.

Spock looked through the window in the door. He looked at Jim. "The room is occupied, Admiral," he said.

"We're gonna unoccupy it," Anakin declared. He activated his lightsaber and went out the door.

The occupants of the room were taken completely by surprise, but they were not surprised long as they engaged Anakin and the others. Jim stayed in the stairwell with Carol trying to keep her safe from anymore injuries. Anakin shoved the enemies down with a Force shove and then relieved them of their weapons.

"Get up," Spock demanded.

They herded them into a corner of the room and restrained them with their own restraints that they carried. Solan watched them while Jim and Bones got Carol into the medical facility which was next to the room they were in now. She was relieved to be lying on a bed and fell asleep. Jim stroked her hair as he watched her sleep and waited for Bones to find what he needed.

Bones soon came over to the bed. "It's not the most advanced but it will save her life," he said. "You best leave some guards and go on with this mission while I take care of her."

They could still hear explosions and fighting outside even from where they were now. "I hate to leave her," Jim said.

"I know but you have to finish this mission."

"I shouldn't have let her come."

"Jim, don't blame yourself."

"Are you sure she will be okay?"

"She has very good chances, and they will be even better if you get that dampener down so we can get to the Enterprise."

Jim nodded. "Okay." He knew Bones would not lie to him about that. He stood up and looked at Carol again, but then he turned and went over to Spock.

"What should we do next, Admiral?" Spock asked.

"How many do you think are between us and the generator?" Jim asked.

"I do not know, but I am supposing that there will be many since he would most likely want to protect it most."

"I was afraid of that." Jim checked his phaser rifle and phaser. "We just have to be ready for them."

"I'm ready," Anakin declared.

"As are we all," Kuaya said.

"Kuaya, I want you to stay here and guard Carol," Jim said. "We can't just leave them here."

"Then I shall. I will guard her as I would my own."

"Zander, I want you to stay as well. We also need to figure out what to do with those prisoners."

Solan walked up at that moment. "I know where we can keep them," he said.

They followed Solan to a room which had energy bars on the door. Jim nodded. "That ought to do it," he said. "Bring them in here." He pressed the button beside the door that removed the bars from the door. He looked into the empty room to make sure there would be no way for them to escape. He wondered if this room was used as a jail since there were no controls for the door on the inside.

Solan and the others brought the prisoners into the room. "Search them," Jim said as he pointed his phaser at them. "Don't move."

Solan and Spock searched everyone and found some knives and even a small explosive and other weapons. Jim stared at it all. "They're as prepared as you are, Solan," he remarked.

They took all the weapons with them and locked the prisoners in the room. "What now?" Solan asked.

Jim was thinking. "We're gonna see if we can get down there and help Mac and Helek," he said. "Something must be wrong, or they would have succeeded by now."

"I agree, Admiral," Spock said. "Unless they have realized they could set off an explosion if they destroy the generator."

"Yeah, and maybe Mac is trying a different way."

"Or he betrayed us again," Solan declared.

"Solan, let's give the guy a little credit."

"No." Solan frowned. "I'll give him credit for helping…" Solan looked away. He could not forget who had been there when his Priscilla died.

"Solan, I know this is hard, but…"

"Don't but me, Admiral. What if it had been Carol?"

Jim frowned. "I know how you feel, but…"

"No, you don't! But can't we just go? I don't want to talk about this. I'm not going to trust him no matter what you say!"

"Solan, you should not speak to the admiral in such a tone," Spock declared.

"Spock, let's not bring up protocol right now," Jim said. "You're right, let's just get moving." He could remember working with Spock after they had that big fight on the bridge of the Enterprise, but he supposed that was a different situation.

Jim looked into the room where Carol was again. "She'll be alright, Jim," Bones said.

Jim nodded. "We'll do this as quickly as possible." He had to wonder what was going on outside now because they could still hear explosions and fighting although very muffled in the fortress they were in now. He just wanted to get up there and find out what Mac and Helek had run into…