[fic] Start Infinity Again (K/S, 3/13, NC-17)
Chapter Two
Three
2258 - Reboot Universe
Nero seemed to ignore Jim after Spock had been taken away, other than ordering him bound. He didn't even order him taken off the bridge.
A Romulan bound Jim's wrists behind him in chainless cuffs. Standard cuffs he might have been able to get out of, given all the different protrusions on the bridge he could potentially use to pick the locks. He couldn't even get his wrists to bend in these. He was stuck in them.
He watched Vulcan out the viewscreen instead as Nero ordered the drill ready and lowered. He didn't know exactly what Nero's plan was, but he could guess.
Drill to the center of the planet, then launch the red matter. The red matter would implode on contact with the matter in the planet's core and create a singularity that would consume the entire planet.
Nero was insane. He had to be. Spock had told him once that madness had no logic, but it did have reasons. There was no logic to Nero's actions, and as Jim had already seen, no reasoning with him.
They could only find a way to stop him.
Jim didn't know how long the drill would take to reach the center of the planet, but he sat there in a corner of the bridge, coming up with and discarding plan after plan. God, if his hands had even been bound in front of him, he might do something. As it was, he wasn't flexible enough anymore to work his hands around to the front without dislocating his shoulders.
He was helpless.
He sat there for hours, and wished for something to happen to change things around enough to give him some sort of chance. When something finally happened, Jim immediately wished it hadn't.
Seven Federation starships warped into view. Constitution-class, Jim thought, though they were bigger than the class he knew the best. Jim, who couldn't even see Nero's face from his position, nonetheless heard the utter glee in his voice when he ordered, "Fire disruptors and torpedoes. Don't let a single ship escape."
Jim watched what ensued in absolute horror. He couldn't do anything -- he tried, after the Narada's advance weaponry tore one ship to pieces in seconds. When he approached one station, the Romulan standing there shoved him back less than gently. He tried twice more at different stations with the same result, even when he tried surreptitiously hitting a few buttons. Finally, his ribs throbbing again from the shoves, he sank down in his corner again and watched, determined to bear witness if he couldn't do anything else.
In less than twenty minutes, Nero had decimated all seven ships. They'd raised their shields and started attacking as well, but the Narada had far more powerful shields, and nothing got through.
In less than twenty minutes, seven Constitution-class starships were reduced to debris floating around Vulcan.
Not even minutes after such devastation, another starship warped onto the scene. The Narada started firing on this one as well, though it had its shields up and fared somewhat better than its fellows had.
Then Nero roared, "Wait!" The Romulans stopped firing and Nero ordered, "The hull -- magnify!"
Jim's heart skipped a beat when the screen zoomed in. Emblazoned on top of the saucer was NCC-1701 U.S.S. ENTERPRISE.
It was the Enterprise. His Enterprise. Not one of the later ships to bear that name and designation, but the original one.
"Hail them," Nero ordered, and then just seconds later the bridge of the Enterprise appeared on the screen.
Jim's first reaction was a minute slump in disappointment. It was not his Enterprise. It might have been a Constitution-class ship, and the first one to bear the designation NCC-1701, but the bridge gleamed white and far too bright, and had more room than his own. There were flat screens in the middle, and more stations. The captain's chair was shaped and colored differently.
A few seconds later, he forgot his disappointment. He hadn't been expecting to see himself in the captain's chair -- Nero had said earlier he'd been in this universe for twenty-five years since 2233, meaning the current stardate was 2258, seven years before he took command.
He hadn't been expecting to see himself, but he did. He stood behind the captain's chair, oddly not dressed in uniform, but unmistakably himself at age twenty-five.
Why was he on the Enterprise? He'd been on the Farragut at that point. And -- dear God, was that Sulu and Chekov at helm and navigation? They hadn't joined until he was captain! Chekov shouldn't even be old enough to serve on a starship yet! And he thought he could see Spock and Uhura at science and communications, and Bones hovered near his younger self--
How much had this universe changed? These people shouldn't have even met for years yet.
"Hello," Nero said, with a banality that made Jim feel slightly sick at how ridiculous and inappropriate it was.
The captain, who Jim recognized only belatedly as Chris Pike, replied sternly, "I'm Captain Christopher Pike, to whom am I speaking?"
"Hi, Christopher, I'm Nero," Nero returned, still as calm and polite as if he hadn't been shooting at them moments before.
"You've declared war against the Federation," Pike said in commanding tones. "Withdraw. I'll agree to arrange a conference with Romulan leadership at a neutral location."
"I do not speak for the Empire," Nero replied, the politeness gone from his voice. "We stand apart. As does your Vulcan crew member, isn't that right, Spock?"
Spock. He was so young. He stood up from his chair at the science station, coming around to stand closer to the viewscreen. "Pardon me," he said, "I do not believe that you and I are acquainted." His voice sounded higher-pitched than Jim's Spock's did. He was actually not even fully grown yet by Vulcan standards, Jim realized. His face was even somewhat rounder, not yet matured into the angles he would later have.
How utterly strange to see Spock at this stage of his life.
"No, we're not," Nero replied. "Not yet." He paused for a moment. "Is that James Kirk? You shouldn't be on the Enterprise yet."
The younger Kirk also came around to stand closer to the viewscreen as other people on the Enterprise bridge turned to look at him. "Excuse me?" he asked, and Jim started at hearing his own younger voice. "How do you know me?"
Nero turned to look at Jim, still in his corner on the Narada. This was utterly surreal.
But Nero didn't let on that he had an older version of James Kirk on his ship. "I looked you up," he told the younger version. "Spock and Captain Pike served on the Enterprise at this point, but you didn't until 2265."
"You're from the future?"
Nero ignored him and turned his attention back to Spock. "Spock, there's something I would like you to see," he said, then addressed Pike. "Captain Pike, your transporter has been disabled. As you can see by the rest of your armada, you have no choice. You will man a shuttle, and come aboard the Narada for negotiations. That's all."
And he cut the frequency before anyone on the Enterprise could respond.
"What are you doing?" Jim demanded, moving out from his corner. "Nero?"
But Nero ignored him except to tell Ayel, "Bring him to the interrogation room. I want to see what kind of effect he'll have on Captain Pike. I'll meet Pike myself at the shuttle bay."
"Yes, sir," Ayel said, and took hold of Jim by the arm. Jim thought about wrenching himself away, but knew it wouldn't do him any good.
Interrogation. Jim shivered, though from what he could tell, he wasn't the one to be interrogated. He had nothing useful to be drawn from him, fortunately.
But Pike...as a starship captain, he would hold some of the keys to Starfleet's defenses. That had to be what Nero wanted. Vulcan had been confident enough not to have a planetary defense system, which was how Nero had already started drilling before the Federation took notice.
Earth, as the headquarters of Starfleet and where the president of the Federation resided, did have planetary defenses. The Federation Council, too, based itself on Earth. Earth had not seen any serious threats in decades and wouldn't until the V'Ger crisis, but it still maintained defenses.
And Nero had proclaimed his intention to destroy Earth after he destroyed Vulcan. Had gloated that he'd put Jim down there to be consumed by the singularity that would devour his planet.
Ayel pulled Jim into a large room with as many unidentified apparatuses as every other part of this blasted ship. Jim didn't know much about mining, but he was pretty sure a mining vessel would not typically have rooms set out for interrogation. Yet more evidence that Nero had planned this carefully. But speaking with Captain Pike had been almost coincidental. Nero had been willing to destroy the last ship until he'd realized it was the Enterprise. How had he been intending to get past Earth's planetary defenses then? Or had he just been going to blast his way through? Judging by how he'd decimated the armada above Vulcan, he probably wouldn't have had any more trouble with Earth. That was a disturbing thought.
Not that anyone was typically prepared for technology from the future.
Ayel hooked Jim's handcuffs against a pillar in the center of the room, though Jim couldn't see what he did to secure them. He heard a faint click, but didn't see any sort of key in Ayel's hand. Ayel pulled at Jim's arms, but the cuffs held -- he couldn't get away from the pillar. And he would have to stay in a standing position for who knew how long. He hadn't been imprisoned like this for a very long time. He had not particularly missed it.
When Ayel finished securing Jim, he stood there, obviously waiting for Nero. Jim stared back at him. "What do you think of Nero's plan?" he asked after a moment. Ayel glanced at him, but said nothing. "Romulus still exists," Jim said, trying again. "You don't have to do anything to Vulcan. All you have to do is deal with the Hobus star before it goes supernova in a hundred-some years and Romulus will be just fine."
But Ayel still did not reply. Were all of Nero's crew as insane as their captain, or just loyal? Jim understood loyalty, but there was a point when it needed to be broken. Attempted genocide was certainly one of those points.
Jim was going to try again, but before he could do more than open his mouth, the bottom dropped out of his world. He was caught a maelstrom of pain. Every sense in Jim's body felt like it screamed the universe is wrong. His bond with Spock, even muted by distance, transmitted a sort of broken-glass slashing mental agony.
Jim came back to himself a few moments later to find himself hanging by his wrists, his legs having collapsed without him realizing. He got his feet back under him, slowly, trying to put off the horrifying realization a few seconds longer. Then he had to face it.
Nero had destroyed Vulcan. He'd actually gone through with his plan. The timelines had screamed at Jim as it happened, and Spock's anguish at losing most -- surely not all -- of his race in one blow blasted across the bond, too strong for the distance between them to matter. Spock had once been severely shaken at just feeling a ship full of Vulcans die...to feel the destruction of his entire planet now...
Jim couldn't even find words.
"These Vulcans did nothing to you," he hissed at Ayel, his voice hoarse, as if from screaming. Had he screamed? He didn't know. "That was an entire planet full of innocents!"
"So was mine," Ayel said simply, and Jim actually shook with rage.
"We didn't murder them! We were just too late to save them!"
"So you say," Ayel said. Then he turned away, the conversation clearly closed.
God, Spock. The need to be with him now rushed through his veins with his blood and it very well might have been the greatest cruelty in Jim's long and full life that he was prevented. Spock needed him now, and he wasn't there.
Jim had not hated Nero before this. Early on he'd felt pity for him, pity later transformed to a mixture of anger and fear in the early hours of his imprisonment. After Nero had taken Spock away, he'd felt more of a dull anger and numbness, compounded by disbelief that this could actually be happening.
He hated Nero now. There were not many beings Jim could honestly say he hated. For what he'd done to Vulcan and to Spock, though, an overarching hatred for Nero settled into Jim's bones.
Only a few minutes later, Nero came in, followed by two of his crew holding Chris Pike between them. How long had it been since he'd seen Christopher Pike, healthy and whole? At least forty-five years. Yet here he stood, probably about forty-five himself.
"Who is that?" Pike demanded, catching Jim's eye briefly. "Is that another human? How did you get hold of another human?"
"Don't worry about him," Nero said. "You're the only human from your Federation who I've picked up." Then, to his crew, "Put him on the table. Strap him down. Ayel, go and supervise the drill." Ayel nodded, and left.
"You said negotiations, Nero! These are not negotiations--"
"They are," Nero interrupted. "They're just not ones where you have any power. I am going to tell you what I want, and you will give it to me."
"I'm not going to say anything until you tell me where you got that man."
Jim had never really had a chance to see Captain Pike in action except in Talosian memory. He had a pretty impressive command presence, for all he was in hostile territory and strapped to a table.
"You want to know who he is? Fine. He's one of the men who allowed my home to be destroyed."
"I don't understand. How--"
But Nero shook his head. "That's not how this is going to go. You must have a lot of questions. I only have one for you. I need the subspace frequencies of Starfleet's border protection grids. Specifically, those surrounding Earth." Pike didn't respond, turning his face away slightly. "Christopher, answer my question."
"First you answer for the genocide you just committed against a peaceful planet," Pike replied savagely.
"No, I prevented genocide!" Nero denied, exultant. "In my time, where I come from, this is a simple mining vessel. I chose a life of honest labor to provide for myself and the wife who was expecting my child." He walked around the table to press a button and put up a hologram of a smiling Romulan woman. Nero's wife, Jim recognized. "I was off planet, doing my job, while your Federation did nothing and allowed my people to burn while my planet broke in half. And Spock, he didn't help us, he betrayed us. He and Kirk--"
"We tried, Nero!" Jim shouted. Nero and Pike both turned to look at him. "We just didn't get there in time. That doesn't mean we betrayed you!"
"Spock promised," Nero spat at him. "He promised he would help us, and he lied. Thanks to him, thanks to the both of you, my planet was destroyed!"
"No, you're confused, you've been misinformed," Pike said, stammering through the words in haste and obvious horror. "Romulus hasn't been destroyed, it's out there right now, you're blaming the Federation for something that hasn't happened--"
"It has happened!" Nero yelled, suddenly erupting. "I watched it happen, I saw it happen, don't tell me it didn't happen!" He paused for a moment to regain control of himself. "And when I lost her, I promised myself retribution. For twenty-five years I planned my revenge against the Federation, and forgot what it was like to live a normal life. But I did not forget the pain. It's a pain that every surviving Vulcan now shares. My purpose, Christopher, is not simply to avoid the destruction of the home that I love, but to create a Romulus that exists free of the Federation. You see, only then will she be truly saved. That is why I will destroy all the remaining Federation planets, starting with yours."
"Then we have nothing left to discuss." Pike turned away, though he caught Jim's eye again.
Nero moved off to the side of the table, where he had a container and tongs set on a table. He picked up the tongs and drew a squirming, horned insect out of the container. "You will give me the frequencies to disable Earth's defenses." He held the wriggling insect higher, where Pike would be able to see it. "Santorian slugs. They latch onto your brain stem and release a toxin that will force you to answer." He came closer to stand by Pike, holding the slug above his mouth. "Frequencies, please, sir."
"Christopher Pike, captain, U.S.S. Enterprise," Pike began, the litany of name, rank, and serial number every captured Starfleet officer was supposed to give in the face of interrogation.
But when Pike's mouth was open during his litany, Nero dropped the slug in.
"Hold him down," Nero told the two of his crew members who had stayed close by during his discussion with Pike, just as if Pike were not screaming and thrashing about on the table.
"Nero!" Jim yelled. "That's torture! Pike hasn't done anything!"
Not looking away from Pike's writhing body, Nero replied, "Torture has been a way of gaining information for millennia, Kirk. You know that. And as for not having done anything -- he's from the Federation. That's enough."
"Nero--"
"Be quiet," Nero said, looking at him suddenly, "or I will have you silenced. And I do not think you will like my manner of silencing you."
Jim shut up.
Jim's stomach twisted as Pike's screams died away into loud pants, and then into nothing louder than simple breathing as the slug injected its toxin. His stomach twisted further as Pike, his face and voice both blank, told Nero everything he wanted to know.
They didn't remove the slug when they finished. "The toxin will wear off in a few minutes," Nero tossed off casually as he left, "but I don't think trying to remove the slug will be worthwhile. When we get to Earth, I think the both of you are due for one last visit home."
"What is that slug going to do to him? Nero!"
But Nero left without answering. Jim was alone with Pike, who still twitched in pain.
Jim let five minutes pass before he spoke, hoping the toxin wore off in that time. "Chris?" he said. "Are you all right? Is there anything I can do for you?"
"I've been better," came the groaning reply. "Though I don't know what you can do for me unless you can get me off this ship."
"I would if I could figure out a way to get myself away as well," Jim said wryly. "As it is, we're in a similar predicament."
"Well, I wouldn't mind finding out how you got into this predicament," Pike invited. He shifted on the table before he stilled himself. Jim guessed he wanted to keep himself distracted. "I've been in a few myself, but I can't think of many that have been worse."
"Yeah," Jim agreed. "I've been in some pretty hairy situations, but not many have been near this dire. Or have involved the destruction of an entire populated planet. Some, but not many."
Pike chuckled, then gasped. "So, who are you?" he asked. "Nero's from the future, right? And you?"
Jim sighed. "And me," he confirmed. "The short story is, a supernova threatened Romulus. Spock and I volunteered to carry red matter to neutralize it, but too late to save Romulus. Nero blamed us, but we still injected the red matter into the supernova to stop it from traveling further and destroying more planets. The red matter created a black hole, which drew both Nero and us inside, and we found ourselves here."
"Your story would be pretty unbelievable if I weren't living it," Pike said after a moment. He blew out a sharp breath. "Time travel. Right. He got here before you?"
Jim nodded. "He entered the black hole first. We entered the black hole only seconds after him, but apparently those seconds translated into a gap of twenty-five years in this timeline. He changed so much in just that time." He tilted his head back against the pillar, closing his eyes.
The Kelvin. The tensions he described between humans and Vulcans. And now Vulcan itself.
Pike coughed. "You didn't say who you were. Nero mentioned Kirk, but..."
"But?" Jim asked. "I am James Kirk. A good fifty years older than the one you know, but still James Kirk." He shook his head and mustered a grin. "You have no idea how disconcerting it is to see yourself at twenty-five. I've seen some pretty strange things, but that is definitely up there."
"It's pretty disconcerting seeing a promising young cadet fifty years on. Are you still with Starfleet?"
"No, I retired years ago." Jim blinked. "You said cadet? I'm -- he's -- a cadet right now?"
"Yeah -- almost done, though. He claimed he'd do the program in three years, and hell if he hasn't actually managed. He's smarter than he likes to pretend."
Jim wished he could shift to a more comfortable position, but his cuffs held him fast. "More differences between our universes, then. I entered the Academy when I was seventeen. At twenty-five I was a full lieutenant, and tactical officer on the Farragut."
"I don't think the Kirk I know realized he wanted to be in Starfleet quite so early," Pike said carefully. "I get the impression he resented the service for a long time because it took away his parents."
Jim sucked in a breath. "Mom? Did something happen to Mom, too?" he asked quickly. "Nero told me about Dad and the Kelvin, but he said Mom survived--"
"Winona's fine," Pike assured him. "She was just off-planet pretty often when Jim was a kid. I think he resented that. You mean you grew up with your father?"
Jim shook himself. The panic had been brief, but still disturbing. This universe had so many little changes -- not even his time in the mirror universe had felt so strange. The mirror universe had been just too different for him to feel a connection, but this one was close -- just off.
"Yes," Jim answered. "He'd died when I was in my forties. My mom only lasted a few years after that. She'd loved him very deeply."
"She did," Pike agreed. "She handled it for young Jim and his brother, but it's been pretty difficult for her."
Poor Mom. But, she was still alive here. He could see her. He didn't know what he would say -- "Hello, I'm your younger son from an alternate timeline, can I have a hug?" -- but it reassured Jim to know she still lived.
"All right," Jim said, deciding to turn the conversation back to his younger counterpart himself. Talking to Pike was better than dwelling on everything else. "So, my younger self. He's assigned to the Enterprise now? What are his duties?"
Pike grimaced. "Actually, he's not," he replied. "We had an emergency situation, so we spread all our final-year cadets around our new ships to get to Vulcan. Kirk was on academic probation, so he shouldn't have even been on any ship. McCoy smuggled him aboard."
"Academic probation? What for?"
Jim had had an exemplary Academy record. That was why he'd taught there for a couple years before he reported to the Farragut, and one of the reasons behind his early promotion to captain.
"He's been accused of cheating on the Kobayashi Maru."
"Installed a subroutine, did he?"
Pike turned his head to focus on him more clearly. "You too?"
Jim nodded. "I got a commendation for original thinking, though, not accusations of cheating."
Impossibly, Pike chuckled, a rusty sound. "I bet he'll love hearing that," he said. "Was Spock not the administrator of your test, then?"
Jim blinked. "No," he replied. "He was on the Enterprise with you at that point. Are you saying Spock accused my younger self of cheating?"
"Yes. Is that really so surprising? Spock follows rules and regulations, and acts according to logic. Is he different in your universe?"
"Not so much," Jim said, still stunned. The idea of Spock not being on his side was mind-boggling. Even when he disagreed with Jim's decisions or methods, he'd never done anything to possibly put Jim's career in jeopardy. "He's logical, yes, but he's always found my solution to the Kobayashi Maru mildly amusing, I think. He never exactly approved, but he understands how I responded the way I did."
"Well, the Spock I know accused him of cheating in front of his entire class," Pike informed him. "And he brought up George as an example of the no-win scenario the test is meant to teach."
The words stunned Jim yet again. This was...almost worse than the mirror universe. At least there he expected the people to be cruel. Now Jim understood what Nero meant when he talked about how the tensions between his peoples might have changed Spock. His heart ached to hear about any version of Spock acting without the compassion so characteristic of Jim's bondmate.
"I don't suppose my counterpart reacted very well," Jim said, swallowing against a throat gone dry.
"Not very well, no," Pike replied. "I don't think they're on very good terms right now, but oddly enough, I still think they'll work well together. I named Kirk Spock's first officer when I gave Spock command to come here."
The information surprised a laugh out of Jim. "I'd like to see that," he said. "Me first officer to Spock -- that's great. I wonder how it'd work."
Pike regarded him curiously. "How was it, in your universe?" he asked. "I get the impression you're on good terms with the Spock you know."
"That's an understatement," Jim replied wryly, though he thought this was not the time to inform Pike he and Spock were married. Still, no harm in a few details. "As a matter of fact, he was my first officer for years, and the closest friend I've ever had. He told me once that being a starship captain is my first, best destiny."
"He thought I was joking, when I made Kirk his First."
"They got off to such a great start, how could he have doubted you?" Jim shook his head. "They'll hit their stride, though. Spock and I always made an amazing team."
"You think that won't change between universes?"
"This isn't the first alternate universe I've been to," he responded after a moment. "A transporter malfunction once sent me and several of my crew to a universe where the Federation was the Terran Empire, their mission to conquer the galaxy. My counterpart was a sadistic tyrant, Spock's completely ruthless and calculating. But they were still Captain and First Officer, still partners in a way. If Kirk and Spock could still be drawn to each other in a universe where friendship was a dirty word and a weakness, I don't think I'm too worried about how they'll end up here."
"Well, they have to work together now." Pain flashed over Pike's face. "They don't exactly have a choice."
Jim looked at him closely. "Are you all right?"
"I don't know what the slug is doing," Pike said, shifting uncomfortably. "I've been trying to hold back the pain, but it does hurt. And I feel like I've got pins and needles all along both of my legs."
Jim frowned. "We'll need to do something about these restraints soon, then," he said. "You need to get back to the Enterprise, and a doctor."
"You have any ideas?"
"Not yet," Jim replied, "but give me some time. I'll think of something."
He hoped.
--
Chapter Four
Three
2258 - Reboot Universe
Nero seemed to ignore Jim after Spock had been taken away, other than ordering him bound. He didn't even order him taken off the bridge.
A Romulan bound Jim's wrists behind him in chainless cuffs. Standard cuffs he might have been able to get out of, given all the different protrusions on the bridge he could potentially use to pick the locks. He couldn't even get his wrists to bend in these. He was stuck in them.
He watched Vulcan out the viewscreen instead as Nero ordered the drill ready and lowered. He didn't know exactly what Nero's plan was, but he could guess.
Drill to the center of the planet, then launch the red matter. The red matter would implode on contact with the matter in the planet's core and create a singularity that would consume the entire planet.
Nero was insane. He had to be. Spock had told him once that madness had no logic, but it did have reasons. There was no logic to Nero's actions, and as Jim had already seen, no reasoning with him.
They could only find a way to stop him.
Jim didn't know how long the drill would take to reach the center of the planet, but he sat there in a corner of the bridge, coming up with and discarding plan after plan. God, if his hands had even been bound in front of him, he might do something. As it was, he wasn't flexible enough anymore to work his hands around to the front without dislocating his shoulders.
He was helpless.
He sat there for hours, and wished for something to happen to change things around enough to give him some sort of chance. When something finally happened, Jim immediately wished it hadn't.
Seven Federation starships warped into view. Constitution-class, Jim thought, though they were bigger than the class he knew the best. Jim, who couldn't even see Nero's face from his position, nonetheless heard the utter glee in his voice when he ordered, "Fire disruptors and torpedoes. Don't let a single ship escape."
Jim watched what ensued in absolute horror. He couldn't do anything -- he tried, after the Narada's advance weaponry tore one ship to pieces in seconds. When he approached one station, the Romulan standing there shoved him back less than gently. He tried twice more at different stations with the same result, even when he tried surreptitiously hitting a few buttons. Finally, his ribs throbbing again from the shoves, he sank down in his corner again and watched, determined to bear witness if he couldn't do anything else.
In less than twenty minutes, Nero had decimated all seven ships. They'd raised their shields and started attacking as well, but the Narada had far more powerful shields, and nothing got through.
In less than twenty minutes, seven Constitution-class starships were reduced to debris floating around Vulcan.
Not even minutes after such devastation, another starship warped onto the scene. The Narada started firing on this one as well, though it had its shields up and fared somewhat better than its fellows had.
Then Nero roared, "Wait!" The Romulans stopped firing and Nero ordered, "The hull -- magnify!"
Jim's heart skipped a beat when the screen zoomed in. Emblazoned on top of the saucer was NCC-1701 U.S.S. ENTERPRISE.
It was the Enterprise. His Enterprise. Not one of the later ships to bear that name and designation, but the original one.
"Hail them," Nero ordered, and then just seconds later the bridge of the Enterprise appeared on the screen.
Jim's first reaction was a minute slump in disappointment. It was not his Enterprise. It might have been a Constitution-class ship, and the first one to bear the designation NCC-1701, but the bridge gleamed white and far too bright, and had more room than his own. There were flat screens in the middle, and more stations. The captain's chair was shaped and colored differently.
A few seconds later, he forgot his disappointment. He hadn't been expecting to see himself in the captain's chair -- Nero had said earlier he'd been in this universe for twenty-five years since 2233, meaning the current stardate was 2258, seven years before he took command.
He hadn't been expecting to see himself, but he did. He stood behind the captain's chair, oddly not dressed in uniform, but unmistakably himself at age twenty-five.
Why was he on the Enterprise? He'd been on the Farragut at that point. And -- dear God, was that Sulu and Chekov at helm and navigation? They hadn't joined until he was captain! Chekov shouldn't even be old enough to serve on a starship yet! And he thought he could see Spock and Uhura at science and communications, and Bones hovered near his younger self--
How much had this universe changed? These people shouldn't have even met for years yet.
"Hello," Nero said, with a banality that made Jim feel slightly sick at how ridiculous and inappropriate it was.
The captain, who Jim recognized only belatedly as Chris Pike, replied sternly, "I'm Captain Christopher Pike, to whom am I speaking?"
"Hi, Christopher, I'm Nero," Nero returned, still as calm and polite as if he hadn't been shooting at them moments before.
"You've declared war against the Federation," Pike said in commanding tones. "Withdraw. I'll agree to arrange a conference with Romulan leadership at a neutral location."
"I do not speak for the Empire," Nero replied, the politeness gone from his voice. "We stand apart. As does your Vulcan crew member, isn't that right, Spock?"
Spock. He was so young. He stood up from his chair at the science station, coming around to stand closer to the viewscreen. "Pardon me," he said, "I do not believe that you and I are acquainted." His voice sounded higher-pitched than Jim's Spock's did. He was actually not even fully grown yet by Vulcan standards, Jim realized. His face was even somewhat rounder, not yet matured into the angles he would later have.
How utterly strange to see Spock at this stage of his life.
"No, we're not," Nero replied. "Not yet." He paused for a moment. "Is that James Kirk? You shouldn't be on the Enterprise yet."
The younger Kirk also came around to stand closer to the viewscreen as other people on the Enterprise bridge turned to look at him. "Excuse me?" he asked, and Jim started at hearing his own younger voice. "How do you know me?"
Nero turned to look at Jim, still in his corner on the Narada. This was utterly surreal.
But Nero didn't let on that he had an older version of James Kirk on his ship. "I looked you up," he told the younger version. "Spock and Captain Pike served on the Enterprise at this point, but you didn't until 2265."
"You're from the future?"
Nero ignored him and turned his attention back to Spock. "Spock, there's something I would like you to see," he said, then addressed Pike. "Captain Pike, your transporter has been disabled. As you can see by the rest of your armada, you have no choice. You will man a shuttle, and come aboard the Narada for negotiations. That's all."
And he cut the frequency before anyone on the Enterprise could respond.
"What are you doing?" Jim demanded, moving out from his corner. "Nero?"
But Nero ignored him except to tell Ayel, "Bring him to the interrogation room. I want to see what kind of effect he'll have on Captain Pike. I'll meet Pike myself at the shuttle bay."
"Yes, sir," Ayel said, and took hold of Jim by the arm. Jim thought about wrenching himself away, but knew it wouldn't do him any good.
Interrogation. Jim shivered, though from what he could tell, he wasn't the one to be interrogated. He had nothing useful to be drawn from him, fortunately.
But Pike...as a starship captain, he would hold some of the keys to Starfleet's defenses. That had to be what Nero wanted. Vulcan had been confident enough not to have a planetary defense system, which was how Nero had already started drilling before the Federation took notice.
Earth, as the headquarters of Starfleet and where the president of the Federation resided, did have planetary defenses. The Federation Council, too, based itself on Earth. Earth had not seen any serious threats in decades and wouldn't until the V'Ger crisis, but it still maintained defenses.
And Nero had proclaimed his intention to destroy Earth after he destroyed Vulcan. Had gloated that he'd put Jim down there to be consumed by the singularity that would devour his planet.
Ayel pulled Jim into a large room with as many unidentified apparatuses as every other part of this blasted ship. Jim didn't know much about mining, but he was pretty sure a mining vessel would not typically have rooms set out for interrogation. Yet more evidence that Nero had planned this carefully. But speaking with Captain Pike had been almost coincidental. Nero had been willing to destroy the last ship until he'd realized it was the Enterprise. How had he been intending to get past Earth's planetary defenses then? Or had he just been going to blast his way through? Judging by how he'd decimated the armada above Vulcan, he probably wouldn't have had any more trouble with Earth. That was a disturbing thought.
Not that anyone was typically prepared for technology from the future.
Ayel hooked Jim's handcuffs against a pillar in the center of the room, though Jim couldn't see what he did to secure them. He heard a faint click, but didn't see any sort of key in Ayel's hand. Ayel pulled at Jim's arms, but the cuffs held -- he couldn't get away from the pillar. And he would have to stay in a standing position for who knew how long. He hadn't been imprisoned like this for a very long time. He had not particularly missed it.
When Ayel finished securing Jim, he stood there, obviously waiting for Nero. Jim stared back at him. "What do you think of Nero's plan?" he asked after a moment. Ayel glanced at him, but said nothing. "Romulus still exists," Jim said, trying again. "You don't have to do anything to Vulcan. All you have to do is deal with the Hobus star before it goes supernova in a hundred-some years and Romulus will be just fine."
But Ayel still did not reply. Were all of Nero's crew as insane as their captain, or just loyal? Jim understood loyalty, but there was a point when it needed to be broken. Attempted genocide was certainly one of those points.
Jim was going to try again, but before he could do more than open his mouth, the bottom dropped out of his world. He was caught a maelstrom of pain. Every sense in Jim's body felt like it screamed the universe is wrong. His bond with Spock, even muted by distance, transmitted a sort of broken-glass slashing mental agony.
Jim came back to himself a few moments later to find himself hanging by his wrists, his legs having collapsed without him realizing. He got his feet back under him, slowly, trying to put off the horrifying realization a few seconds longer. Then he had to face it.
Nero had destroyed Vulcan. He'd actually gone through with his plan. The timelines had screamed at Jim as it happened, and Spock's anguish at losing most -- surely not all -- of his race in one blow blasted across the bond, too strong for the distance between them to matter. Spock had once been severely shaken at just feeling a ship full of Vulcans die...to feel the destruction of his entire planet now...
Jim couldn't even find words.
"These Vulcans did nothing to you," he hissed at Ayel, his voice hoarse, as if from screaming. Had he screamed? He didn't know. "That was an entire planet full of innocents!"
"So was mine," Ayel said simply, and Jim actually shook with rage.
"We didn't murder them! We were just too late to save them!"
"So you say," Ayel said. Then he turned away, the conversation clearly closed.
God, Spock. The need to be with him now rushed through his veins with his blood and it very well might have been the greatest cruelty in Jim's long and full life that he was prevented. Spock needed him now, and he wasn't there.
Jim had not hated Nero before this. Early on he'd felt pity for him, pity later transformed to a mixture of anger and fear in the early hours of his imprisonment. After Nero had taken Spock away, he'd felt more of a dull anger and numbness, compounded by disbelief that this could actually be happening.
He hated Nero now. There were not many beings Jim could honestly say he hated. For what he'd done to Vulcan and to Spock, though, an overarching hatred for Nero settled into Jim's bones.
Only a few minutes later, Nero came in, followed by two of his crew holding Chris Pike between them. How long had it been since he'd seen Christopher Pike, healthy and whole? At least forty-five years. Yet here he stood, probably about forty-five himself.
"Who is that?" Pike demanded, catching Jim's eye briefly. "Is that another human? How did you get hold of another human?"
"Don't worry about him," Nero said. "You're the only human from your Federation who I've picked up." Then, to his crew, "Put him on the table. Strap him down. Ayel, go and supervise the drill." Ayel nodded, and left.
"You said negotiations, Nero! These are not negotiations--"
"They are," Nero interrupted. "They're just not ones where you have any power. I am going to tell you what I want, and you will give it to me."
"I'm not going to say anything until you tell me where you got that man."
Jim had never really had a chance to see Captain Pike in action except in Talosian memory. He had a pretty impressive command presence, for all he was in hostile territory and strapped to a table.
"You want to know who he is? Fine. He's one of the men who allowed my home to be destroyed."
"I don't understand. How--"
But Nero shook his head. "That's not how this is going to go. You must have a lot of questions. I only have one for you. I need the subspace frequencies of Starfleet's border protection grids. Specifically, those surrounding Earth." Pike didn't respond, turning his face away slightly. "Christopher, answer my question."
"First you answer for the genocide you just committed against a peaceful planet," Pike replied savagely.
"No, I prevented genocide!" Nero denied, exultant. "In my time, where I come from, this is a simple mining vessel. I chose a life of honest labor to provide for myself and the wife who was expecting my child." He walked around the table to press a button and put up a hologram of a smiling Romulan woman. Nero's wife, Jim recognized. "I was off planet, doing my job, while your Federation did nothing and allowed my people to burn while my planet broke in half. And Spock, he didn't help us, he betrayed us. He and Kirk--"
"We tried, Nero!" Jim shouted. Nero and Pike both turned to look at him. "We just didn't get there in time. That doesn't mean we betrayed you!"
"Spock promised," Nero spat at him. "He promised he would help us, and he lied. Thanks to him, thanks to the both of you, my planet was destroyed!"
"No, you're confused, you've been misinformed," Pike said, stammering through the words in haste and obvious horror. "Romulus hasn't been destroyed, it's out there right now, you're blaming the Federation for something that hasn't happened--"
"It has happened!" Nero yelled, suddenly erupting. "I watched it happen, I saw it happen, don't tell me it didn't happen!" He paused for a moment to regain control of himself. "And when I lost her, I promised myself retribution. For twenty-five years I planned my revenge against the Federation, and forgot what it was like to live a normal life. But I did not forget the pain. It's a pain that every surviving Vulcan now shares. My purpose, Christopher, is not simply to avoid the destruction of the home that I love, but to create a Romulus that exists free of the Federation. You see, only then will she be truly saved. That is why I will destroy all the remaining Federation planets, starting with yours."
"Then we have nothing left to discuss." Pike turned away, though he caught Jim's eye again.
Nero moved off to the side of the table, where he had a container and tongs set on a table. He picked up the tongs and drew a squirming, horned insect out of the container. "You will give me the frequencies to disable Earth's defenses." He held the wriggling insect higher, where Pike would be able to see it. "Santorian slugs. They latch onto your brain stem and release a toxin that will force you to answer." He came closer to stand by Pike, holding the slug above his mouth. "Frequencies, please, sir."
"Christopher Pike, captain, U.S.S. Enterprise," Pike began, the litany of name, rank, and serial number every captured Starfleet officer was supposed to give in the face of interrogation.
But when Pike's mouth was open during his litany, Nero dropped the slug in.
"Hold him down," Nero told the two of his crew members who had stayed close by during his discussion with Pike, just as if Pike were not screaming and thrashing about on the table.
"Nero!" Jim yelled. "That's torture! Pike hasn't done anything!"
Not looking away from Pike's writhing body, Nero replied, "Torture has been a way of gaining information for millennia, Kirk. You know that. And as for not having done anything -- he's from the Federation. That's enough."
"Nero--"
"Be quiet," Nero said, looking at him suddenly, "or I will have you silenced. And I do not think you will like my manner of silencing you."
Jim shut up.
Jim's stomach twisted as Pike's screams died away into loud pants, and then into nothing louder than simple breathing as the slug injected its toxin. His stomach twisted further as Pike, his face and voice both blank, told Nero everything he wanted to know.
They didn't remove the slug when they finished. "The toxin will wear off in a few minutes," Nero tossed off casually as he left, "but I don't think trying to remove the slug will be worthwhile. When we get to Earth, I think the both of you are due for one last visit home."
"What is that slug going to do to him? Nero!"
But Nero left without answering. Jim was alone with Pike, who still twitched in pain.
Jim let five minutes pass before he spoke, hoping the toxin wore off in that time. "Chris?" he said. "Are you all right? Is there anything I can do for you?"
"I've been better," came the groaning reply. "Though I don't know what you can do for me unless you can get me off this ship."
"I would if I could figure out a way to get myself away as well," Jim said wryly. "As it is, we're in a similar predicament."
"Well, I wouldn't mind finding out how you got into this predicament," Pike invited. He shifted on the table before he stilled himself. Jim guessed he wanted to keep himself distracted. "I've been in a few myself, but I can't think of many that have been worse."
"Yeah," Jim agreed. "I've been in some pretty hairy situations, but not many have been near this dire. Or have involved the destruction of an entire populated planet. Some, but not many."
Pike chuckled, then gasped. "So, who are you?" he asked. "Nero's from the future, right? And you?"
Jim sighed. "And me," he confirmed. "The short story is, a supernova threatened Romulus. Spock and I volunteered to carry red matter to neutralize it, but too late to save Romulus. Nero blamed us, but we still injected the red matter into the supernova to stop it from traveling further and destroying more planets. The red matter created a black hole, which drew both Nero and us inside, and we found ourselves here."
"Your story would be pretty unbelievable if I weren't living it," Pike said after a moment. He blew out a sharp breath. "Time travel. Right. He got here before you?"
Jim nodded. "He entered the black hole first. We entered the black hole only seconds after him, but apparently those seconds translated into a gap of twenty-five years in this timeline. He changed so much in just that time." He tilted his head back against the pillar, closing his eyes.
The Kelvin. The tensions he described between humans and Vulcans. And now Vulcan itself.
Pike coughed. "You didn't say who you were. Nero mentioned Kirk, but..."
"But?" Jim asked. "I am James Kirk. A good fifty years older than the one you know, but still James Kirk." He shook his head and mustered a grin. "You have no idea how disconcerting it is to see yourself at twenty-five. I've seen some pretty strange things, but that is definitely up there."
"It's pretty disconcerting seeing a promising young cadet fifty years on. Are you still with Starfleet?"
"No, I retired years ago." Jim blinked. "You said cadet? I'm -- he's -- a cadet right now?"
"Yeah -- almost done, though. He claimed he'd do the program in three years, and hell if he hasn't actually managed. He's smarter than he likes to pretend."
Jim wished he could shift to a more comfortable position, but his cuffs held him fast. "More differences between our universes, then. I entered the Academy when I was seventeen. At twenty-five I was a full lieutenant, and tactical officer on the Farragut."
"I don't think the Kirk I know realized he wanted to be in Starfleet quite so early," Pike said carefully. "I get the impression he resented the service for a long time because it took away his parents."
Jim sucked in a breath. "Mom? Did something happen to Mom, too?" he asked quickly. "Nero told me about Dad and the Kelvin, but he said Mom survived--"
"Winona's fine," Pike assured him. "She was just off-planet pretty often when Jim was a kid. I think he resented that. You mean you grew up with your father?"
Jim shook himself. The panic had been brief, but still disturbing. This universe had so many little changes -- not even his time in the mirror universe had felt so strange. The mirror universe had been just too different for him to feel a connection, but this one was close -- just off.
"Yes," Jim answered. "He'd died when I was in my forties. My mom only lasted a few years after that. She'd loved him very deeply."
"She did," Pike agreed. "She handled it for young Jim and his brother, but it's been pretty difficult for her."
Poor Mom. But, she was still alive here. He could see her. He didn't know what he would say -- "Hello, I'm your younger son from an alternate timeline, can I have a hug?" -- but it reassured Jim to know she still lived.
"All right," Jim said, deciding to turn the conversation back to his younger counterpart himself. Talking to Pike was better than dwelling on everything else. "So, my younger self. He's assigned to the Enterprise now? What are his duties?"
Pike grimaced. "Actually, he's not," he replied. "We had an emergency situation, so we spread all our final-year cadets around our new ships to get to Vulcan. Kirk was on academic probation, so he shouldn't have even been on any ship. McCoy smuggled him aboard."
"Academic probation? What for?"
Jim had had an exemplary Academy record. That was why he'd taught there for a couple years before he reported to the Farragut, and one of the reasons behind his early promotion to captain.
"He's been accused of cheating on the Kobayashi Maru."
"Installed a subroutine, did he?"
Pike turned his head to focus on him more clearly. "You too?"
Jim nodded. "I got a commendation for original thinking, though, not accusations of cheating."
Impossibly, Pike chuckled, a rusty sound. "I bet he'll love hearing that," he said. "Was Spock not the administrator of your test, then?"
Jim blinked. "No," he replied. "He was on the Enterprise with you at that point. Are you saying Spock accused my younger self of cheating?"
"Yes. Is that really so surprising? Spock follows rules and regulations, and acts according to logic. Is he different in your universe?"
"Not so much," Jim said, still stunned. The idea of Spock not being on his side was mind-boggling. Even when he disagreed with Jim's decisions or methods, he'd never done anything to possibly put Jim's career in jeopardy. "He's logical, yes, but he's always found my solution to the Kobayashi Maru mildly amusing, I think. He never exactly approved, but he understands how I responded the way I did."
"Well, the Spock I know accused him of cheating in front of his entire class," Pike informed him. "And he brought up George as an example of the no-win scenario the test is meant to teach."
The words stunned Jim yet again. This was...almost worse than the mirror universe. At least there he expected the people to be cruel. Now Jim understood what Nero meant when he talked about how the tensions between his peoples might have changed Spock. His heart ached to hear about any version of Spock acting without the compassion so characteristic of Jim's bondmate.
"I don't suppose my counterpart reacted very well," Jim said, swallowing against a throat gone dry.
"Not very well, no," Pike replied. "I don't think they're on very good terms right now, but oddly enough, I still think they'll work well together. I named Kirk Spock's first officer when I gave Spock command to come here."
The information surprised a laugh out of Jim. "I'd like to see that," he said. "Me first officer to Spock -- that's great. I wonder how it'd work."
Pike regarded him curiously. "How was it, in your universe?" he asked. "I get the impression you're on good terms with the Spock you know."
"That's an understatement," Jim replied wryly, though he thought this was not the time to inform Pike he and Spock were married. Still, no harm in a few details. "As a matter of fact, he was my first officer for years, and the closest friend I've ever had. He told me once that being a starship captain is my first, best destiny."
"He thought I was joking, when I made Kirk his First."
"They got off to such a great start, how could he have doubted you?" Jim shook his head. "They'll hit their stride, though. Spock and I always made an amazing team."
"You think that won't change between universes?"
"This isn't the first alternate universe I've been to," he responded after a moment. "A transporter malfunction once sent me and several of my crew to a universe where the Federation was the Terran Empire, their mission to conquer the galaxy. My counterpart was a sadistic tyrant, Spock's completely ruthless and calculating. But they were still Captain and First Officer, still partners in a way. If Kirk and Spock could still be drawn to each other in a universe where friendship was a dirty word and a weakness, I don't think I'm too worried about how they'll end up here."
"Well, they have to work together now." Pain flashed over Pike's face. "They don't exactly have a choice."
Jim looked at him closely. "Are you all right?"
"I don't know what the slug is doing," Pike said, shifting uncomfortably. "I've been trying to hold back the pain, but it does hurt. And I feel like I've got pins and needles all along both of my legs."
Jim frowned. "We'll need to do something about these restraints soon, then," he said. "You need to get back to the Enterprise, and a doctor."
"You have any ideas?"
"Not yet," Jim replied, "but give me some time. I'll think of something."
He hoped.
--
Chapter Four