Two Captains

Chapter 16

I stand there for a moment longer before turning and walking towards the direction of the elevator, heading towards the bridge.

"Have you confirmed that Nero is heading for Earth?" I hear Spock ask as I enter the bridge.

"Their trajectory suggests no other destination, Captain." Uhura answers.

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

"Earth may be his next stop," Jim says, casually sitting in the Captain's chair. "But we have to assume that every Federation planet's a target."

Spock turns and heads towards Jim."Out of the chair..." He warns.

For the first time in his life, Jim obediently gets up out of the chair and stands next to me just a couple feet behind the Captain's chair as Spock walks past him.

"Well, if the Federation is the target, why didn't they destroy us?" Chekov asks, looking at Sulu.

"Why would they?" Sulu replies. "Why waist a weapon? We obviously weren't a threat."

"That is not it." Spock says, holding up an index finger. "He said he wanted me to see something; the destruction of my home planet."

"How the hell did they do that, by the way? And where did the Romulans get that kind of weaponry?" I hear Bones ask.

I look over and see him standing just a few feet away from Jim.

How the hell did he get there so quickly?

Bones looks over at me and I give him a questioning look, I know that he knows what I'm wondering. But after looking at each other for a moment, he turns his head away. Jim notices this and looks at me, giving me a questioning look.

"Nothing." I reply quietly, looking at him.

"What a load of crap." He replies just as quietly.

"The engineering comprehension necessary to artificially create a black hole may suggest an answer." Spock replies.

"Tell me later." Jim whispers to me as Spock walks to the front of the bridge, looking out into space. "Such techonology could theoretically be manipulated to create a tunnel through space-time." He turns to face the rest of the bridge.

"Damn it, man, I'm a doctor, not a physicist. Are you actually suggesting they're from the future?" Bones says.

"If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable must be the truth." Spock says.

"How poetic."

"Then what would an angry, future Romulan want with Captain Pike?" Jim asks.

"As Captain he does know details of Starfleet's defenses." I answer.

"What we need to do is catch up to that ship." Jim says, walking forward. "Disable it, take it over, and get Pike back."

"We are technologically outmatched in every way. A rescue attempt would be illogical." Spock answers.

"Nero's ship would have to drop out of warp for us to overtake it." Chekov speaks up.

"Then what about assigned engineering crews to try and boost our warp shield?" Jim asks.

"Remaining power and crew are being used to repair radiation leaks on the lower decks." Spock answers, speaking quickly. "And damage to subspace communications."

"Okay. Alright. Alright." Jim says, walking towards Spock.

"Without which we cannot contact Starfleet." Spock continues.

"There's got to be some way." Jim says at the same time as Spock speaks.

"We must gather with the rest of Starfleet." Spock says, looking at Jim as he stops a couple feet away from him. "To balance the terms of the next engagement." He finishes stiffly.

"There won't be time for a next engagement, by the time we've gathered it'll be too late!" Jim pauses. "You say he's from the future and knows what's gonna happen, then the logical thing is to be unpredictable."

"But Nero won't know how events are to unfold." I say. "The fact that he's here has altered the flow of history-starting from the attack on the USS Kelvin and leading up to the events taken place today, basically creating a new chain of incidents." I look at Spock. "Right?"

"Precisely." He says, looking at me.

"An alternate reality..." Uhura sums up.

Spock looks at her. "Precisely."

What is it with him and that word? And I thought Bones had a problem with the words, "damn it, man, I'm a doctor, not a..."

"Whatever our lives might have been, if the time continuum was disrupted...our destinies have changed." Spock says, walking to the Captain's chair. "Mr. Sulu plot a course for the Laurentian system, warp factor three." He orders, sitting down.

"Spock, don't do that." Jim says, walking towards him. "Running back to the rest of the fleet for a-a con fab is a massive waste of time."

"There are orders issued by Captain Pike when he left the ship."

"He also ordered us to go back and get him." Jim says. "Spock, you are captain now, you have to make-!"

"I am aware of my responsibilites, Mr. Kirk." Spock interrupts.

"Every second we waste, Nero's getting closer to his next target."

"That is correct and why I'm instructing you to accept the fact that I alone am in command."

"I will not allow us to go backwards and cower from the problem instead of hunting Nero down." Jim says as Spock stands up.

"Security, escort him out."

Spock and Jim stare down each other for a moment as two security guards grab both of his arms and  haul him away. I look away from a moment, but look back when I hear one of the security guards cry out. Jim shrugs them both off of him, knocking them to the ground in the process.

"No, Jim!" Bones cries out as they get back to their feet and fight Jim back. Jim's back is turned to him as Spock calmly walks up behind Jim and grabs the spot between Jim's neck and shoulder. Instantly, Jim looses consciousness and Spock lets go as he crumples to the ground.

"Get them off this ship." Spock says to security.

"Them?" The security guard repeats.

"Yes. Mr. Kirk and Miss Adams."

"Whoa-what did I do?" I ask as one of them walks towards me.

"You violated orders." Spock answers.

"By doing what?'"

"Seeing as you are on this ship..."

"I would've not been had J-!"

"I don't need excuses, Miss Adams, I need you off this ship." Spock says as the security guard takes one of my arms with both hands.

"Spock, she didn't do anything to make her get off the-" Bones starts, but stops when Spock holds up a hand, palm facing him, signifing for him to stop talking.

"You are Mr. Kirk's accomplice-" Spock says, walking toward me.

"Accomplice?" I repeat. "Spock, you're being completely illogica-"

He grabs the spot between my shoulder and neck, and I black out.