Текст книги "Killing Time "

Автор книги: Della Hise

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Chapter Twenty-five

KIRK STARED ATthe floor for a very long time after the meld was dissolved. Even the Watcher had gone to sleep; his flames had quieted to embers, and the faraway hum of the Enterprise's massive engines was the only sound. He found himself unable to speak, to think, or even to breathe at a normal rate. Willing himself back to the present, he shook his head, looking up into the dark eyes.

"Did … did anyof it really happen, Spock?" he asked. He'd seen everything that other Kirk had experienced, everything that other Spock had experienced, and he now found himself shaken, troubled … irrefutably guilty.

Studying Kirk carefully, an eyebrow rose as the Vulcan lounged wearily against the thick black pillows, resting his head against the bulkhead. "We can never be certain, Jim," he stated. "There is no proof other than what we have shared in the meld; and that is, of course, purely subjective."

Kirk sighed to himself, studying his folded hands for a long time. But his eyes widened as he finally noticed the gold band on his fourth finger. "The ring!" he exclaimed, slipping it from his hand and presenting it to the Vulcan. "I– he—was wearing it when he first came aboard the ShiKahr, Spock!" He replayed the images from the meld through his mind, seeing it in a slow-motion panorama, seeing even the minute detail of the ring falling from the young ensign's finger to land in the precise location where he'd discovered it that morning. He swallowed hard, and wondered if that alternate self had deliberately left it for him to find.

The Vulcan turned the plain gold band over in his hand several times, finally glancing at the inscription. When his eyes returned to Kirk's, they were distant. "Are you certain, Jim?" he asked. "It could be …" But he knew it wasn't a coincidence. It fit Kirk's hand perfectly … as if it belonged there.

"I'm sure, Spock," the human replied. Again, he turned to the meld, but even though it had been dissolved only moments before, certain aspects were already dimming, growing more distant and obscure. There is an energy field between the two universes.The words came back to him; and he wondered if some part of that other Kirk and Spock still existed in disjointed, ethereal form, if they walked the corridors like ghosts in a last moment attempt to prove that they had lived and breathed and existed. "I don't know what the ring meant to him personally," he murmured, "but I doknow that it was important."

The Vulcan leaned forward, genuine curiosity lighting the angular features. "Starfleet would hardly accept a ring as sound evidence of alteration of the universe, Jim," he pointed out logically. "And …" His voice trailed off. "I am not certain we should inform Command at all."

Kirk glanced up sharply, remembering the morning's message from Starbase—and its sudden relevance to what he'd witnessed in the meld. If Thea was serious about forming peaceful relations between the Empire and the Federation, it would only be a matter of time before she didseek them out. "Why not?" he wondered.

"Starfleet Command is, unfortunately, run by what you might term 'desk-bound paper-pushers,' Captain," Spock replied. "Without hard evidence, they would not be inclined to believe us." He paused. "And in that event, we would both find ourselves enduring a series of physical and mental examinations which would make Doctor McCoy's beads and rattles seem most enjoyable by comparison."

Kirk smiled to himself, knowing it was a bridge they would simply have to cross when they came to it. But he wasn't about to let the Vulcan get off that easily either. A devious smile lit the hazel eyes. "And you're also afraid Komack might not appreciate the fact that your counterpart got a little carried away by the Romulan Praetor," he jabbed devilishly. "Don't worry, Spock," he continued with exaggerated seriousness. "I agree. And your little secret's safe with me." He shook his head in manufactured disbelief, ignoring the twin brows which slid up to hide beneath the long bangs. "But if Thea was a product of First History to begin with, she'll have the memories, too—even more so than you or I." He paused dramatically. "And there's another matter, Spock," he added, tone deepening progressively.

The Vulcan waited, knowing his friend was teasing him; but it was still difficult to believe that he had succumbed to the persuasive powers of the enemy … in anyuniverse. He turned away from the thought, finding it distasteful to the logical portion of his mind.

"What other matter?" he asked innocently.

"Well," Kirk said with a grin, "if Thea doeshave the memories, and if we doeventually end up participating in treaty negotiations … you couldfind yourself being the center of attention for a long time to come, Mister Spock!"

The Vulcan stared at Kirk. "I do not understand, Captain."

Kirk shrugged with seeming nonchalance. "You couldbe the first person in Federation history to be sued by the Romulan Praetor!"

The eyebrow climbed. "Captain!" the Vulcan responded with an exaggerated air of sourness. "Need I remind you that I am not responsible for my counterpart's actions? Starfleet could hardly hold me accountable for—"

Kirk laughed, reaching out to slap his companion lightly on the back. "Just plead the Fifth, Spock," he suggested.

Spock's jaw went slack with genuine disbelief, but he knew it was the only way either of them would be able to accept the scope of what had transpired. Remembering an ancient human proverb, he found some small comfort in the knowledge that Kirk was obviously laughing to keep from crying.

"Really, Captain," he said in the customary banter, "I am due on the bridge in less than five hours. I believe a period of rest is required by regulations."

Kirk nodded, standing up and moving toward the door. He felt the lingering warmth of the meld, and settled into it. But he turned to meet his friend's eyes one last time. "Thanks, Spock," he said gently, thinking for a moment of Ensign Kirk. "From both of us."

Epilogue

IT WAS LATE in ship's night when Kirk found himself in the lift which would lead to the lower levels of the Enterprise.Without understanding why, he knew he had to go to the gardens once again. There is an energy field between the two universes.And it worked both ways, he reminded himself. Soon, the time-door would be closing forever, separating him from a man very much like himself and a Vulcan very much like his own first officer.

As he entered into the surrealistic moonlit setting, he thought for a moment that he sensed another presence. It did not frighten him; instead, a feeling of warmth and familiarity lingered. He followed it, unconsciously walking faster toward the center of the garden and the old stone bench.

Parting the cascading branches, he slipped inside the circle of trees with a reverence, going to sit on the cold concrete slab which was moist with dew. For a long time, he remained there, utterly still, waiting for someone or something he couldn't quite define. A few times, there was a warmth by his side, almost as if an unseen hand touched him gently on the shoulder. But when he turned, only the darkness and the eerie sensation of loss remained.

He glanced down at his hand, caught himself absently twisting the gold ring on his fourth finger. Then, in a moment of dawning comprehension, he understood precisely why he had come here. There was one last tie to be severed. . . . One last duty to be performed.

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, he slipped the ring from his hand, held it for just a moment, then let it slip to the ground where he had first discovered it. For an instant, there was a sadness which seemed to wash in on him from everywhere and nowhere; but when he felt the surreal hand touch him on the arm once again, his suspicions were confirmed. The ring had been an offering—from one part of himself to another—and now the time had come to return it as freely as it had been given.

He opened his eyes to see the band lying on the cold ground at his feet; yet he dared not pick it up again. It belonged to a different man, another reality; and he wondered if, given the same circumstances, he would have been able to do what Ensign Kirk had done. The ring stared up at him … and without understanding how he knew, he also realized that it would not be there when morning came. Feeling a combination of joy and sorrow, he studied the serene surroundings, trying to catch just a glimpse of an illusion, trying to see a ghostly phantom which had once been himself.

There was nothing … other than the persistent knowledge that he was not alone.

For an instant, he felt like an intruder; but that thought departed when a gentle thread seemed to enter his mind for just a moment. He did not know if the warmth came from his alternate self, or from the Vulcan who had befriended that young ensign. Or, he decided, perhaps there was no real difference.

He rose slowly, and walked to the edge of the circle of trees, turning to see the glint of metal in the loose sand. In another moment …

But it was a moment he could not share, an instant out of time reserved for someone else. He had his own life now.

"'Luck walks with you,'" he murmured, stepping back onto the garden path without a backward glance. Whoever they were, they had found their peace, had made their own reality … and, without selfishness or regret, they'd given him back his own.

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What You Leave Behind• Diane Carey

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#7 • The Quiet Place• Peter David

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Legends of the Ferengi• Ira Steven Behr & Robert Hewitt Wolfe

Strange New Worlds, vol. I, II, and III • Dean Wesley Smith, ed.

Adventures in Time and Space• Mary P. Taylor

Captain Proton: Defender of the Earth• D.W. "Prof" Smith

The Lives of Dax• Marco Palmieri, ed.

The Klingon Hamlet• Wil'yam Shex'pir

New Worlds, New Civilizations• Michael Jan Friedman

Enterprise Logs• Carol Greenburg, ed.