Star Trek 1

Spock follows Kirk into the hallway and down to the exit hatch. They stand there, waiting for Sulu to signal that they have successfully docked. Kirk glances at Spock. "I'm not getting you to stay here, am I?"

"Negative."

"Didn't think so." Kirk sighs. "Damn, this sucks."

Spock smiles faintly. "Affirmative."

That makes Kirk laugh. He's still sniggering when Sulu opens the exit hatch. All humor, however, vanishes the instant Admiral Sinclair lays eyes on them. The Admiral smiles. "Welcome, gentlemen."

Kirk's back goes ramrod straight. "Thank you for having us. Is there a reason you called us out here to an unfinished starbase, sir?"

Sinclair simply smiles and turns and walks off. "Follow me."

Kirk glances at Spock before heading down the ramp, his hand resting near his phaser. "I still don't get it, sir. We could have had this meeting anywhere else, but you chose an unfinished base. Forgive me if I'm little hesitant to trust you after our last meeting."

"Keep pushing it, Kirk, and I'll shoot the Vulcan." Sinclair says easily. "I'll tell you what I want to, when I want to. Not a moment before."

Spock glances at Kirk. The captain has gone ramrod stiff, teeth clenched, and the Vulcan can practically taste his fury. He glances at Sinclair. Satisfied they're not being watched, he reaches out and brushes his hand across Kirk's, trying to calm him. Nothing can be accomplished if he is infuriated.

Sinclair doesn't even glance back at him as they walk down a curving hallway. "This starbase is designed for military service - the first of its kind. Starbases are generally for civilians and sciences. Not this one." he says cheerfully.

Kirk gives him a dirty look. "I think I prefer the sciences myself." he says flatly. "Less chance of getting on the wrong side of my medic."

They make it to Sinclair's office. The admiral smiles at them. "Now boys - let's talk plans."

"I'd rather not." Kirk says.

Sinclair produces a phaser. "I was not making a suggestion." he says. "Do you think I won't go through with my threat?"

Spock went still. "Captain, I do not believe he is bluffing."

"I know he's not." Kirk ground out.

Sinclair raised a mocking eyebrow. "Oh, now you're figuring it out?"

"No, we've had you figured out for a while." Kirk said, flashing him a tight grin. "I was just hoping that common sense would override the insanity. As usual, it seems I'm doomed to disappointment."

"I wouldn't advise copping an attitude with me, son. I don't appreciate it."

"Oh, then, while we're on the topic of things we don't appreciate, I don't appreciate being threatened into endangering my crew, and I don't appreciate you calling me son, and I definitely don't appreciate you pointing a goddam phaser at my second in command!" Kirk shot back.

Sinclair scowls, his hand jerking and aiming the phaser at Kirk. "Listen here - "

Spock lunges forward. Sinclair automatically shifts his aim and fires, but Spock has shoved his arm up and back, so the shot hits the ceiling. Kirk joins Spock, forcing the admiral back against his desk and making him lose the phaser. Spock finally gets a good enough grip on him to implement the nerve-pinch. Sinclair back-hands him roughly across the face before he can.

Kirk goes into a fury, punching and kicking the admiral until he finally stops squirming against Spock's grip. Unfortunately, that's when security arrives. "Bail!" Kirk shouts, and the two take off out of the office and into the hallway.

A blast of phaser fire makes both Kirk and Spock duck and run faster. They skid around a corner, and Kirk stops, pulling his own phaser out and peeking around the corner. He fires once, and grabs Spock's wrist. "Run! The Admiral's coming. You go down that hall, I go down this one. We can't let him catch us."

Spock draws his own phaser. "You had better be careful, Captain. I will be very unhappy if you get hurt."

"Yeah, well, the same applies. Now move it!" They split up, Kirk going left, and Spock going right.

The Admiral reaches the deserted corridor and frowns. There are three possibilities for Kirk and Spock to have taken. A blast of phaser fire to the left draws his attention and he runs down the left corridor, firing back.

Spock hears the sounds of footsteps behind him and ducks into what he assumes to be an empty room. He crouches down so he can't be seen through the window, phaser drawn, waiting for the security guards to pass him by. Once they do, he'll double back around and see if he can find Kirk -

"Spock?"

So apparently the room isn't empty. Spock is ashamed to admit - he almost jumps like a frightened child. Instead he slowly turns around to see who is standing behind him.

The man is much older than himself, staring at him like he's seen a ghost. And there's something extremely familiar about him.

"Spock. It is you. But what - "

"Who are you?" Spock demands.

The man looks visibly stricken. "You don't remember? It's me - Jim. Jim Kirk."

Oh. Oh. Spock visibly relaxes. This is unexpected.

"I know you're there, Kirk. And I'm sure your Vulcan friend is too." Sinclair calls. "It's no use running, that hall dead ends at an airlock."

Yeah, no kidding. Kirk thinks as he scans the surrounding area. He ducks into a doorway and waits as Sinclair approaches.

"So what's the point of running? I'm eventually going to catch you. And then I'm going to kill Spock. And if you're lucky, I'll kill you."

Kirk watches Sinclair pass the doorway he's hiding in, the Admiral not bothering to look in the room, sure he's got Kirk and Spock cornered. As soon as Sinclairs a fair distance away, Kirk steps out of the room and shoots the Admiral in the head.

Spock straightens. "You are - Jim Kirk?" he asks hesitantly.

The older man smiles brightly. 'Yeah! But, Spock, you're young again. What happened? The last thing I remember -"

Footsteps outside again. Kirk Prime looks up, eyes widening. Spock glances behind him at the door and makes a hasty decision. "Do you trust me?" he asks.

Kirk Prime nods. "Always."

"Then I need you to follow me." This could get interesting. "Trust that I will explain everything to you later, but right now we need to get off this starbase before Sinclair finds us."

"Yeah, that man is off his frickin' rocker." Kirk Prime agrees. "I don't know how he made it to Admiral; psych evals should have caught that. Lead the way, Spock."

Lead the way. Right. Spock guides them out of the room and down the hall. When security finds them again, Spock does not hesitate to shoot them dead. Kirk Prime is unarmed, and Spock will not risk his safety on a simple stun.

Kirk comes tearing up the hall where he last saw Spock. He hears phaser fire and bolts in that direction, and skids to a stop. "Spock!"

Spock turns and relief shows on his face for a moment before he nods. "Captain. I assume you were able to lose Sinclair?"

"Heh. I'm not sure 'lose' is the word I'd use." Kirk says with a slight grin. His attention turns to Kirk Prime. "It looks like you found someone. I'm Jim Kirk." Kirk says, holding his hand out. "Nice to meet you."

Kirk Prime's eyes widen as he turns to Spock. "Spock, what's going on?"

Spock sighs. "I will explain everything later. Right now, I want off this starbase."

Kirk's eyes widen. "Wait. That's - "

"Yes."

For a brief moment, both Kirks just look at each other. Kirk Prime finally manages a faint smile. "I think I understand why explanations have to wait." he says.

"Probably for the best." Kirk replies. "Follow us. We'll get ya to safety."

The entire base shudders. Spock really, really wants to cuss. "Our hour is up." he says. "Mr. Sulu is leaving."

"Not without us." Kirk pulls out his communicator. "Oi! Sulu, beam us up - we got a hitchhiker, too!"

"Oh, thank God! Ready to beam up, Captain!"

"Hit it!"

They appear in the transporter room, McCoy tearing into the room to make sure they're all right. "You dumbasses!" he rounds on Spock. "You were supposed to keep the idiot out of trouble, you green-blooded hobgoblin!" McCoy pauses at Kirk Prime. "Er. . .I don't know you, so if you'll excuse me, I'll just continue berating these two."

Kirk Prime just nodded, a relunctant grin beginning to cross his face. "Somethings never change."

"Pardon?" McCoy paused in the middle of stabbing Kirk with a hypospray.

"OW! Bones! That hurts! Lemme go, I'm fine!"

Kirk Prime actually has to hide his laughter behind a fake coughing fit. Kirk grins at him. "Some things just don't change, huh?" he asks. Kirk Prime nods, finally getting himself back under control.

McCoy glances between the two. "Okay, guys, what the hell?"

Spock looks at Kirk. "I believe we have a transmission we need to make to New Vulcan." he says. Kirk brightens considerably and takes off. Spock smiles faintly.

Kirk Prime looks at them. "I feel so lost." he says. "Can I have my explanation now?"

"Of course." Spock looks to the older man. "As you may have guessed by now, I am Spock, but I am not the Spock you know." With McCoy staring at the two of them, Spock attempts to explain everything to Kirk Prime. By the end of it, Kirk Prime asks the one question Spock knew he would.

"My Spock is still alive?"

"Yes. He is living on New Vulcan now. If you would like, we will take him to you."

"Yes! Oh, thank you, yes." He sighs. "I thought he was dead."

Kirk walked onto the bridge and grinned at Sulu's relieved expression. "Hey, sorry about that."

"No problem. I'm just glad you guys are okay." Sulu said with a grin.

"Yep. Hey, Uhura, I need you to patch me through to New Vulcan. I need to talk to Spock Prime."

Uhura nodded. "Patching through now."

"On screen."

Spock Prime looked up at the screen and gave Kirk a small smile. "Hello, Jim. It has been a long time."

"It has." Kirk said with a grin. "How're you doing?"

"I am well. Is this a social call?"

"Kind of. We have a surprise for you, and were hoping to stop by New Vulcan and have you aboard the Enterprise for a little while."

Kirk Prime blinks a little. "So - Vulcan is gone."

"Correct."

"Wow." He looks up at Spock from where he's sitting on a bio-bed. "I'm so sorry." Spock opens his mouth to protest, but Kirk Prime cuts him off. "Sympathetic sorry, Spock. I know it's not my fault."

McCoy claps his hands together. "Okay, Q and A time. You still call my counterpart Bones?"

"Of course." Kirk Prime says. "Do you still insist that I'm the one who's allergic to the Universe and not the other way around?"

McCoy sighs. "Definitely Jim. Bloody hell, what am I going to do with two of you?"

"Well, you haven't killed one yet." Spock says blandly.

Spock Prime blinks and smiles. "I would like that. It has been far too long since I've seen either you or my young counterpart. When can I expect you?"

"Expect us in about two days." Kirk's communicator chirped. "And on that note, I've got to go. I'll be back in touch."

"Of course. Live long and prosper, Jim." Spock Prime said, smiling.

"Long life and good health." Kirk said, grinning back. "Bye."

The feed cut just as Spock and Kirk Prime walked onto the bridge. Kirk Prime's eyes widened as he looked at the crew and the bridge itself. He turned to Spock.

"Am I going to see my Spock anytime soon?"

Kirk gave him a grin. "How does two days sound?"

Kirk Prime brightens considerably. "It almost seems too long." he says, an odd warmth in his voice. "It'll be nice to see someone my age again. This whole thing is surreal."

Chekov looks up at the older version of his captain. "You knew us all?"

"Of course." Kirk Prime says. "I feel like I'm watching some sort of home movie."

Spock and Kirk exchange amused looks as Kirk Prime makes his way around the bridge, talking to everyone and getting a feel for the differences. "He seems to be taking things well." Kirk muses.

"Once he was assured of the Ambassador's safety, everything seemed fine." Spock informs him.

Uhura appears behind the two. "They have a special relationship." she whispers. "Maybe you two should take a hint."

Kirk considered kicking her before turning his attention to Spock. "Are Spock Prime's quarters still usable, or do we need to clean them?"

"I do believe that they have been cleaned recently. I'll make sure, but I'm certain that we have nothing to worry about. I have told Kirk Prime that is where he will be staying, so they'll be occupied when Spock Prime arrives." Spock said with a small grin.

"Oh, good." Kirk grinned and walked over to Kirk Prime. "Hey, Kirk Prime?"

Kirk Prime turned and rose an eyebrow. "Kirk Prime?"

"That's the best I could come up with, honestly." Kirk said with a grin. "Anyway, the Captain's chair is open if you wanna sit down."

Kirk Prime's other eyebrow rose. "That's your chair. It's disrespectful to sit in another Captain's chair."

"I'm aware of that, but by the same token, you and I are essentially the same guy. So, what do ya think?" Kirk said with an easy grin.

Kirk Prime smiles faintly. "I may be old, but I'm not that old." he teases. "I can stand for a while." He looks around. "Come on, tell me more. I can already tell this isn't the same ship I'm used to."

With Kirk otherwise engaged, Spock turns to Uhura. "I believe you were insinuating something." he says quietly.

Uhura grins at him. "Oh, come on. You can't tell me you haven't noticed."

"Oh, I have. I'm just waiting for him to give up the subtle approach and actually do something."

That makes Uhura laugh aloud. Spock smiles faintly.

Kirk Prime pulled Kirk off to the side and gave him a look. "So, tell me, when are you planning to make a move on Spock?"

Kirk blinked once before staring at Kirk Prime. "Okay, busted. Jesus, am I that obvious?"

"Well, having been in your shoes, the answer is yes. You are." Kirk Prime said with a grin. "Wanna know the kicker? Spock knew ages before I worked up the courage to admit it to him."

"That's not helping the chronic case of the nerves I've already got, you know." Kirk muttered.

"Oh, it gets better. You know he can hear us, right?" Kirk Prime said with a wicked grin.

"You evil bastard. You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Kirk said, slugging Kirk Prime in the arm.

"I might have. Sulu had some interesting things to say about the two of you."

"Remind me to kill him."

"You don't want to kill Sulu. He's the best damn pilot out there." Kirk Prime laughs. "But seriously, when you do work up the nerve, it won't be as hard as you're making it now."

Kirk sighs. "You're assuming the sentiment is returned."

The older man gives him a look. He glances over at Spock and Uhura, who are still chatting idly away. Spock keeps sneaking glances at the two of them. Kirk Prime grins. "I know it is." he says. "When I saw the two of you together in the starbase, I knew. Some things just stay the same, no matter what."

"Keptin, we are being hailed by Starfleet." Chekov says. "They want to know if we have heard from Admiral Sinclair."

Kirk makes a face. "On screen." He glances at Kirk Prime. "Stay out of sight. I don't know if Sinclair had any inside people with him. Besides," he turns his focus to the screen, "it's none of Starfleet's damn business."

Kirk moved to stand in front of the screen, Spock moving to his right out of reflex. It was enough to make Kirk relax, just a little.

The Admiral on the screen is someone Kirk knows, and gets along with reasonably well. He smiles at Kirk and Spock before growing serious again. "Hello, Captain Kirk, Commander Spock."

"Admiral Davidson, it's nice to see you again." Kirk said with a salute. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes. As I understand it, you were the last person to see Admiral Sinclair. And yes, I'm aware that the two of you were not on good terms. However, his body's been discovered at a starbase that's in the middle of construction that Starfleet didn't approve. Now, I know that you two had been in contact thanks to his ship's logs. Maybe you can fill in the blanks." Davidson said, raising an eyebrow.

Kirk sighed. "Sir, I was really hoping to avoid this. Sinclair was the same kind of crazy as Admiral Marcus. He wanted to start a war in an uncharted sector of space, using my crew and ship to do it."

"I see. And he told you to meet him at this starbase?"

"That's correct. Once we got there, he proceeded to threaten my second in command and myself. The security footage will reflect this."

"I've seen the footage. You killed him." Davidson said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes. It was either him or us, and with all due respect, sir, I didn't want to die at the hands of a bat-shit crazy Admiral with delusions of grandeur."

"No, that wouldn't be high on my list of ways to die, either." Davidson says with a small smile. "The security footage also showed Commander finding a stow-away. Anyone I need to be concerned about?"

"No, Admiral." Spock says calmly. "We know exactly where he belongs and we are on our way there now."

Davidson nods. "I saw the logs. While you're there, tell Ambassador Spock that the next time he finds himself in my corner of space, he really needs to stop by for a chess game. It's been too long, and I'm running out of people to beat."

Kirk grins. "I'll be sure to pass that along. Along with a wish for good luck - Ambassador Spock is one hell of a chess player."

"That he is." Davidson shuffles something on his desk before returning his attention to Kirk. "When you're finished - and take the time you need, there is no rush - you need to come by Starbase 6 for paperwork. That's one hell of a mess you got yourself out of."

Kirk grimaces. "Lovely. Well, the crew will appreciate some shore leave, at least."

"I'm sure they will." Davidson said with a grin. "I'll see you as soon as you get to Starbase 6. I'm stationed here for a few months."

Kirk laughs. "Then while I'm there, we should grab a drink and swap stories. Oh, the yarns I could tell you."

"It's a deal. See you then." Davidson gave him a salute before cutting the link. There was a moment of silence before Sulu spoke.

"I didn't know you were friends with Admiral Davidson. I thought that the Admirals in general didn't like you."

Kirk gave Sulu a look. "Why does everyone think that?"

"Because you have issues with authority, and do not take orders well." Spock deadpanned.

"Thanks, Spock. I can always count on you to give me an honest answer." Kirk said, rolling his eyes with a grin.

"That's why I'm here."

"Okay, seriously." Kirk grins. "Davidson and I met when I mouthed off to one of my teachers in the Academy. He took my side, and we've been buds ever since."

Sulu shakes his head. "Nice to know someone is on our side."

"Damn straight." Kirk agrees. Spock simply nods. Kirk turns to his older self. "Did you know Davidson?"

"I did." Kirk Prime says. "We went through Starfleet together, became Admirals at the same time. He took to it. I didn't."

"I do not believe any incarnation of Jim Kirk was meant to sit still for any length of time." Spock says dryly.

Kirk grins. "Ah, Spock! You know me so well!"

"After the third time you tried to destroy the medbay - "

"That was an accident! I was bored!"

"My point, Captain."