From: "Lenora McCoy" (formerly FRYC03A@prodigy.com) Date: Thu, 7 Mar 1996 02:09:20 -0500 Subject: Quantum Kirk, part 01 There was a bright flash of light on the bridge of the great starship. When the leap finished, Sam saw people scurrying around while a loud siren whined and a woman's voice repeated the words, "Red Alert" over and over again. A man's voice said, over the siren, "Admiral, we have just experienced an attack of sub-quantum particles, in a beam aimed directly at you. They were accompanied by tachyon and Z-particles which, if you may recall, are characteristic of time-shift. The tachyon's red shift appeared to be characteristic of travel forewords in time. The danger has passed and it should be safe to secure from Red Alert, but I feel that Dr. McCoy should perform an examination of you to be sure." Sam looked toward the voice to see a man with a yellowish-green tint to his skin and...POINTED ears! "Are you all right, Admiral?" the strange man asked, looking directly at Sam. "Spock, are you sure it's not some crazy weapon Khan's invented?" The man who had spoken had a gravely voice and a slight Southern accent. The strange, pointed-ear man said, "Your examination should show that, Doctor. However, it is an illogical conclusion." "Jim, let's go get that exam over with, before Spock starts goin' on about particles that are too small to see with a microscope." He laid a hand on Sam's shoulder and said, "Come on, Jim." As they walked to the back of the small room, the strange pointed-ear man-Spock said, "Admiral, are you not forgetting something?" Sam replied, "Uh, no, I don't think so." The man with the Southern accent looked at him strangely and said, "Jim, I'm going to take you off of duty for a few hours. I think it's best. Spock, you' take over. Come on, Jim. Let's go to my office and talk over a nice, cold Mint Julep." Sam muttered, "Oh, boy" to himself as they stepped into a closet. "Sickbay," the man said aloud, "Jim, are you feeling all right, or was there more to Spock's crazy particle beam than he thought? Is it possible that he's wrong about something for once in his logical life?" "No, I'm perfectly fine," was Sam's quick reply. Suddenly he saw a bright flash of light and Al was there. He walked through the man's arm, which was still outstretched with his hand on Sam's shoulder, and Al stood in front of Sam. Without thinking, Sam blurted out, "I wish you'd stop doing that!!" The man looked at him strangely, raised his left eyebrow and said, "Stop doing what, Jim?" Sam quickly replied, "Uh, nothing..." Al interjected, "Bones" and Sam repeated, "Bones. I was a little...preoccupied." The man cocked his eyebrow even higher and his reply sounded a bit skeptical, "Sure, Jim." The doors opened then, into a hallway. The closet must have been an elevator! "Come on, Jim, exam first, then I'll walk you to your quarters and tuck you in, but only if you're a good little boy and don't try to pull rank to get out of this exam." Sam followed him and so did Al. They walked into a small room that adjoined several others. "Here, lie down, Jim," the man said as he pointed to a strange-looking cot. Sam laid down on the cot and suddenly a thumping sound began and colored lights appeared on a panel above his head. The man looked at the panel with a great deal of scrutiny before he spoke, "Everything looks hunky dory, Jim. You want a brandy or a Mint Julep before you go to your solitude?" Sam wondered what a Mint Julep was as he replied, "No, thanks. I just want to be alone." "OK with me, Jim. Let's go." was the man's reply. They went to the closet again and this time the man said to the air, "Deck Five, Officer's Section" The man left him standing in front of a blue door, leaving him with the words, "If you need me, I'll be in sickbay Jim. Let me know when you're ready for duty so I can pull you off of my medical hit list." Sam walked up to the door, and when he got within six inches of it, it opened. He walked through and saw a chair and a bed. He sat down on the bed and looked at Al, who was standing in front of him and said, "So, where, when, and who am I?" Al poked and slapped the device in his hand, and after it squealed a few times, he replied, "You're a...James Tiberius Kirk, who holds the rank of Admiral in something called Starfleet-some sort of military, I guess. You're aboard a...USS Enterprise- the starship you're in temporary command of at the moment. You commanded it for five years but then got promoted. The ship is owned by some organization called the...United Federation of Planets. The year is 2285. You're in the future, Sam." Sam jumped up and looked in a mirror to see a handsome face, lined by years of worry, then he turned to Al and screamed, "Future! That's impossible!!" Al looked at him and replied, "Sorry, Sam. That's what Ziggy says. Furthermore, Ziggy can't figure out how you got here or why-yet. I'm going to go to the waiting room and question this James T. Kirk. Stay tight, so I can find out what you're supposed to be doing." Al punched the device again and in a flash of light, was gone. Sam laid down and closed his eyes. A few moments later, a beep was heard-the doorbell? he guessed. "Come in!" The Southerner walked in, carrying two glasses with celery sticks in them. He said, "Beware of Romulans bearing gifts," then he set the glasses on the desk and continued, "One cold, Georgia-style Mint Julep." He handed one glass to Sam. "Doctor's orders. Drink up, Jim!" While they were drinking, Al reappeared. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Your mission is a mere training cruise. You were aboard as an inspector, inspecting a class of cadets, commanded by your former First Officer, Captain Spock. He's the guy with the pointed ears. The man with you right now is Chief Surgeon Dr. Leonard McCoy-also your best friend. He calls you Jim and you call him Bones-short for Sawbones, which is an old nickname for surgeons. The mission as of right now, is to find out what happened at Regula One space station-commanded by your former girlfriend, Dr. Carol Marcus and your son?...Dr. David Marcus. In a few hours, James Kirk is probably going to hesitate to take the ship into battle when they run into a Khan Noonien Singh who has taken over another starship-the USS Reliant. Khan wants vengeance on Kirk for marooning him and his followers on Ceti Alpha V eighteen years ago, where his wife and several followers were later killed by a native predator. He's already attacked your ship once-there were great casualties, including the Chief Engineer's young nephew, Peter Preston. Since there are so many cadets aboard, Kirk will most likely retreat to get help from Earth, but meanwhile, Ziggy thinks that Khan will take over the United Federation of Planets. Ziggy says you're here to stop that. And now, I have a date. Bye, Sam!" Al disappeared and McCoy said, "Jim? Jim! Are you listening to me?" Sam replied, "Sorry, Bones, just thinking." McCoy looked at him, raised that eyebrow again, and said, "You mean, if we should go into battle, if necessary, with this 'boatload of children'-to quote you earlier?" Sam started at the doctor's amazing perception, "You must be psychic, Bones, that's exactly what I was thinking." McCoy smiled and drawled, "I've been taking lessons from Spock." Sam replied, "Then, he taught you well" and immediately regretted it because then McCoy began to look at him strangely. "Jim, come with me." He said it with such authority Sam did as he said-even though Sam guessed that he could have pulled rank-whatever that was. As they walked back to the closet and McCoy said to the air, once again, "Sickbay," Sam began to worry. Then McCoy said, "Jim, when was your last psyche test?" Sam almost panicked. "I don't recall, Bones. Why?" McCoy raised his eyebrow so high it almost disappeared under his hair. "Then it must be too long, or is your memory going out to lunch with your eyesight? Well, we're going to do a psyche test-and a Steinman analysis. I think that particle beam of Spock's affected your brain." Sam really panicked then and replied, "Nope, it didn't Bones. Deck Five, Officer's Section!" McCoy heard that, grabbed Sam's arm and yelled, " Medical emergency! Override last destination! New destination-Sickbay!" The closet began to move! It felt like they were speeding downward, then sideways. McCoy, as soon as the closet stopped and the doors opened, hauled Sam out and dragged him to sickbay with amazing strength Sam wouldn't have thought McCoy had-since he was so thin and weak-looking. They went to a different room this time and McCoy threw him on another strange cot and put...straps!...over his arms, legs, and waist. "You can't do this, doctor!!!!" McCoy glared at him, "Oh, yes I can, Jim. 'Starfleet Order 104, Section C- the Chief Medical Officer may relieve a commander of duty if he or she is mentally or physically unfit for duty.' I'm taking you off of duty." He then walked to a thing in the wall by the door that looked like a speaker, pressed a button on it and talked into it, "McCoy to bridge." The pointed-ear man-Captain Spock, replied through the speaker, "Spock here, Doctor. Is the Admiral fit for duty yet?" McCoy's reply sounded somewhat ragged, "No, Spock, He's not. That's why I'm calling you. He's acting crazy and he was about to run away when I suggested a psyche test and a Steinman Analysis. He's acting weird, Spock." He heard Spock say to another person, "Mr. Saavik, you have the bridge. Mr. Sulu-maintain present course, but slow to Warp 1. I shall be in Sickbay." McCoy yelled into the speaker, "Spock! You're NOT doing the Vulcan Mind-Meld! In his condition, you might end up just like him!" Spock replied, coolly, calmly, "Doctor, we will discuss it when I arrive in Sickbay, not over the intercom." Sam heard a soft click that apparently meant the connection had been cut because then McCoy yelled, "Christine! Get me a glass of Romulan Ale!" Sam wondered what Romulan Ale was and hoped it was a kind of tranquilizer because McCoy certainly needed it! A few minutes later Spock walked in. By that time, McCoy had his "Romulan Ale"-a blue liquid which was apparently an alcoholic drink. He ran at Spock and yelled, "I'M NOT LETTING YOU MIND MELD WITH HIM, SPOCK! YOU'LL TURN CRAZY LIKE HIM!" Sam tried to sit up, couldn't, and shouted, "I'm not crazy McCoy! I'm just under a lot of stress!" Spock looked at him and the drunken McCoy-that Ale must be pretty strong stuff, and said, "Doctor, you are drunk and are in an impaired state. I will take care of the psyche test and the Steinman Analysis. You will lie down and sleep off the effects of the alcohol you have consumed. Precisely what have you drunk?" He didn't get an answer because by that point McCoy was fast asleep and snoring loudly. "He had a pretty big glass of Romulan Ale, Spock" Spock placed McCoy on another cot, strapped him in quite reluctantly, and turned to Sam. "Romulan Ale? A large amount?" Sam looked at him and said, "Yes-the glass is on his desk. He asked Doctor Chapel for it immediately after you said you were coming here." "I see," was his reply, "His temper flared and then he imbibed a large amount of alcohol. Where is Doctor Chapel?" By that point, he had unstrapped Sam and Sam pointed to a doorway, "She went through there after bringing the Ale. She looked frightened." Just then, Doctor Chapel walked in. "Oh, Captain Spock. Where's Doctor McCoy?" "He is sleeping on that cot," Spock pointed, "And he has imbibed a large amount of Romulan Ale while in an unbalanced emotional state." Doctor Chapel sighed, "I know. I heard that loud snore of his and I brought some Dexterenin for him." She held up a strange-looking contraption, then walked over and pressed it to McCoy's shoulder. It hissed-maybe a form of hypodermic needle that didn't puncture the skin? The woman then clicked a switch on the side of the panel above the bed. She and Spock looked at it, then Chapel said, "He looks fine now. He just needs to sleep it off. And he'll do that for sure." Spock asked, "Oh, really?" Doctor Chapel smiled and said, "I slipped in a sedative to keep him asleep and a little something to stop the noise-it should start working soon." Almost as if on cue, McCoy became silent. Spock turned to Doctor Chapel and said, "Please, Doctor Chapel, may we have a little privacy?" She said, "Why don't you go in the Doctor's office, I'd like to keep an eye on him." "Very well, we shall do so. Thank you Miss Chapel," was the cool reply. "Come, Admiral." When they entered the office, Spock placed his fingers on Sam's face and began intoning, "My mind to your mind, my thoughts to your thoughts." Suddenly, he was in Sam's mind! He 'looked' at Sam's knowledge of the Quantum Leap project, at Sam's memories, and everything else. He...thought?...to Sam, 'I understand completely. I assure you my full cooperation and complete secrecy.' He then removed his hands from Sam's face and the mental link was broken. He went to the rear wall and flipped a switch on a device and said, "Nothing said now will be recorded or heard by anyone else. Do you want some information?" They talked, Spock telling Sam about the bridge crew, their previous encounter with Khan Noonien Singh, and even Carol & David Marcus and Project Genesis. By the time Spock finished, the Bridge was calling for both of them. Spock told Doctor Chapel that Sam was fit for duty and the Steinman Analysis & Psyche Test were deemed unnecessary because of the mind meld, then he and Sam returned to the Bridge. When they reached the bridge, Sam sat in the Conn-the command chair, and asked, "Status, Mr. Sulu?" The handsome, dark-haired, Asian man sitting in front of Sam turned around and said, "We have reached space station Regula One, sir. Entering Standard Orbit." Sam nodded and Sulu turned back to his console. Sam turned in his chair and looked at Spock, who was sitting at his console toward the back of the circular room-the Bridge, Spock called it. "Spock, sensor readings of Regula One?" Spock turned from his console and said, "Sensor readings show no life forms aboard Regula One, Admiral. Station power is minimal." Sam got worried and said, "That's odd." He hit a button on the chair arm, prayed it was the right one, and spoke into it, "Scotty, do we have enough power to send a landing party over to the station?" A thick Scottish brogue was heard over the speaker, "Aye, Admiral. We can send over one landing party but that's aboot it. We're verra low on power, ye know." "I know, Scotty. We'll be beaming down in, oh, ten minutes. Kirk out." Sam hit the button again, grateful that it was the right one, and turned to Spock. "Spock, you have the bridge." Sam hit another button and said, this time more confident, "Sickbay, can you spare someone for a landing party?" He heard, oh no!, McCoy's voice over the speaker. "I can spare me. When do we beam down?" He heard a bit of coldness in McCoy's tone and he thought he heard a small shudder when McCoy mentioned beaming down, but he could have been mistaken. Spock stood up and said, "I shall see you off at the Transporter." Sam smiled and begun to leave, but was stopped by the Vulcan woman who sat next to Sulu-Mr. Saavik. She stood up and said, "Begging the Admiral's pardon, General Order 15, 'No flag officer shall beam into a hazardous are without armed escort.'" Sam grinned at her, "There's no such regulation!" She just looked at him and raised an eyebrow like McCoy and Spock were so fond of doing, so Sam continued, "All right, all right you're in the party. Mr. Spock, the ship is yours, once we leave, that is. Spock raised an eyebrow once more and answered, "Very well, Admiral." They walked to the turbolift and Spock said, "Transporter Room." When they reached the Transporter Room, McCoy was waiting for them wearing a maroon jacket. He handed one to Sam and Saavik took one from a nearby panel. They put them on and stepped on to the circles on the large platform. Spock said, "Jim, be careful." In a voice that rung with contempt, McCoy replied, "WE will!" Sam, as they dematerialized, thought to himself, 'McCoy and Spock really must be eternal enemies.'