Re: ALL MIMSY WERE THE BOROGROVES-collection PART ONE
STAR TREK
ALL MIMSY WERE THE BOROGROVES
(The Entire collection of the story as of June 25; PART 2)
By
Mistral
Vixen
Cejay
Hellsgate
Robert Scorpio
Kirk and McCoy stood like petrified, staring at the man who had appeared with stunned silence.
It was Bones, to his credit, who was first to regain his voice. “This … is impossible,” he said and then kept looking back and forth between Kirk and … Kirk. “Jim?” he asked the man he believed to be the real James Kirk.
But he wasn’t paying attention, instead he studied the man standing opposite him very closely. He was a meticulous copy in every detail, except for his clothes.
“You see, friend Kirk,” Belar said joyfully. “We have met you before. Except he isn’t really you. And yet he is,” the Mallusian added and chuckled as if he had made a terrific joke.
Kirk’s initial shock quickly passed. This had not been the first time he had been faced with a double. Not by a long shot. “So what are you, a clone? A shape-shifter?” he asked and turned to Belar. “What do you hope to achieve with this trick?”
“I assure you this is no trick,” the other Kirk answered. He sounded like Jim Kirk alright, except for a gleeful aggressiveness that was nothing like Kirk. “I am James T. Kirk.”
“Nonsense,” McCoy said. “There is only on James Kirk in this universe and he’s standing right next to me. You are an imposter.”
“Not at all, doctor. But you are quite correct. There is only one James Kirk in this universe.”
It dawned on Kirk before it did on McCoy. His guards allowed him some leeway and he began to circle the other Kirk slowly. His mirror image didn’t seem to mind, in fact he appeared to appreciate the attention. He was vain.
“You are not … from this universe,” Kirk said slowly.
“Very good, Captain. In fact I believe you know where I’m from. You’ve had the pleasure to visit my home once. And now I’m coming to visit yours. No,” he said, correcting himself. “I’m here to take yours.”
* * * * *
“Mister Spock, there is no response from the captain,” Uhura reported with a twinge of concern edged in her voice.
The Vulcan stood from the center seat. “Mister Chekov, can you detect the captain by utilizing the sensors?”
The young Russian shook his head with frustration. “I can no longer detect them in the vicinity of the beam in coordinates. And scanning the entire planet would take hours, if not days.”
“We only have ten minutes,” said Uhura.
“Correction, Lieutenant, only two minutes and twenty-two seconds remain since we have been given the ultimatum,” said the Vulcan and walked over to the science station, his usual domain. He began manipulating the bubblegum colored buttons and sharply peered into the scanner hood.
The bridge crew watched him with impatient anticipation.
“Mister Spock!” interrupted Sulu and pointed at the screen.
All three ships had apparently disposed of the their opponents and were now approaching the Enterprise in a tight formation which could only mean business. The clearly Federation vessels which had very much looked like saviors a few minutes ago had taken on a much more menacing appearance now.
“They are punctual,” the Vulcan observed and sat once again in the captain’s chair. “Mister Sulu, set course two four mark two, one quarter impulse.”
“This will take us out of the system,” Sulu protested after he realized which way they were headed.
“Precisely.”
Scotty stood from his engineering station. “Mister Spock, you cannot seriously suggest we leave the captain and the doctor behind.”
But the Vulcan’s eyes remained fixed on the view screen as the Enterprise slowly drew away from the planet.
Scotty stood a moment longer, staring at Spock with an outraged look on his face. Then he marched off the Bridge without another word. Spock did not react. Instead, he walked over to the science station and bent his head to the analyzer hood.
“What are you looking for, Mr. Spock?” Uhura asked.
“Lieutenant, logic dictates that those ships were in that location for a reason. Furthermore, when they ordered us to depart there was something there they did not want us to discover. I am currently attempting to determine what that was.” He continued his work as Uhura suppressed a grin. Sulu didn’t even try to hide his.
It was close to a half hour before Spock lifted his head or spoke. A trademark, “Fascinating,” escaped his lips and he looked at his station for a second as though it had betrayed him. Collecting himself, he returned to the Captain’s chair and sat down.
“Mr. Sulu, please reverse our course and return us to the planet ,” he ordered. Sulu was an excellent officer and didn’t even allow a questioning look to cross his face as he executed the command. Uhura quietly tapped a text-only message into her board and routed it to the office down in Main Engineering, letting Mr. Scott know of the change in direction. A few moments later Scotty stepped back out onto the bridge.
“So y’ave come ta yar senses, have ya, Mr. Spock?” he queried. Spock swiveled his chair to face him.
“I was not aware that I had lost my senses, Mr. Scott,” he replied.
“Well, I woudna say leavin’ the Captain behind was the sanest thing y’ave ever doon.”
“It was not a question of sanity, Mr. Scott, it was a question of knowledge. I did not have enough information to argue against the orders I had been given. Now I do, and so we are returning to the planet to retrieve the Captain.” Uhura decided to jump into the conversation before Scotty blew a gasket over the Vulcan’s single-minded logic.
“What information is that, Mr. Spock?” she asked.
“I know what those other Federation vessels were trying to keep secret and since I do know it is no longer logical to order us away.”
He stopped there and everyone on the bridge waited for him to elaborate. As the silence stretched on, an exasperated Scotty asked, “And would ya be wanting to let us in on your little secret, Mr. Spock?”
“Certainly, Mr. Scott,” Spock replied. “What they were trying to hide is the fact that the planet Captain Kirk beamed down to does not belong in our universe.” He centered his attention on the viewscreen in a complacent fashion as the officers stared at him with their mouths hanging open.
**
McCoy eyed the James Kirk from the other Universe. McCoy had often wondered what kind of ship that Kirk returned to. Now he knew. His once full head of hear was replaced by a bald head. It was obvious he had barely survived what ever happened due to the scabs that still draped his now barren head. There was also a patch over his left eye.
But the most apparent difference between now, and then, was a metal, artificial right arm. It’s metal hand looked like that of a metal skeleton.
“Do you like the results?” Kirk (2) asked McCoy.
Kirk (2) walked down the ramp of stares and stood before McCoy. “I killed your counterpart the moment we got back.” Kirk (s) said, with the stench of rotting teeth mixed in with his breath.
“Why?” McCoy asked. “He was as savage as the rest of your universe I presume.”
Kirk smiled. “I killed him because he was the one who suggested we beam up when we did.”
“Oh, joy,” McCoy said back to him, “swift justice.”
Kirk (2) slammed his metal arm against the good doctor’s face. Kirk (1) ran to his fallen friend. He looked up to his evil counterpart.
“Why?” Kirk demanded, “he was of no threat to you.”
“Because,” Kirk (2) replied with a devious smile, with missing teeth, “I can. Oh, watch this.” He said. He snapped his fingers and one of the Mallusians came down to him.
Kirk (1) looked to Belar. It was obvious that the Mallusian leader was unable to stop Kirk (2), for whatever reason.
Kirk (2) grabbed the Mallusian soldier by the back of the hair and ordered him down to his knees.
“What are you doing?!” Kirk (1) demanded.
“I need to show you,” Kirk (2) “that I have total control over everyone in on this planet. This way you will know that I am,” Kirk (2) paused, “GOD!!!!!!!”
He pulled out a large jagged knife. He reached down to the Mallusian who was on his knees, and grabbed the top of his head. With two swift motions, and with out mercy, Kirk (2) sliced his head off and soon held the head up to Kirk to see up close.
“Only a GOD can do this, Kirk!” Kirk (2) said to Kirk (1).
James T Kirk (1) knew that their lives, and the lives of everyone on this planet, were in mortal danger. What bargain had Belar made with this monster from the Mirror universe.?
**
"Commander Spock, we will be arriving back at Mallus in approximately 15 minutes at our present speed," Sulu said, attempting to shake everyone out of their shocked silence. The alternate universe whose shroud had been pierced not too long ago by the same crew?
"Thank you, Mister Sulu. Keep us on our present course and speed." Spock said as he sat in the center chair, hands steepled together,
Scotty was growing impatient. "How can ye jus sit there and not feel the urge to speed up, Spock?! The captain may be in a whole host a' trouble!"
Keeping his voice level, as all Vulcans are wont, Spock turned towards him with an appraising look. "Mister Scott, if you have nothing else to do, perhaps you could cross-reference the third starship we encountered? It would be beneficial to everyone if we could go into a potential confrontation with all available information."
With a grunt, Scotty muttered to himself and settled in at the Engineering station on the bridge, working quietly by himself for most of the rest of the journey back to Mallus. At about 5 minutes until arrival, he walked over to Spock and reported. "The third starship, Commander, does not match any single starship that Starfleet has, and the computer cannae place it."
"And...?" Spock calmly prompted, knowing that more information was incoming.
Breaking into a slight grin, Scotty stood taller. "I, however, was able ta analyze the starship and compare it ta design characteristics in Starfleet vessels. The nearest I can make out is that the ship is some combination of a Constitution-class starship, an Antares-class, and for some odd reason a Federation-class. She's ugly, and mean. I wouldna recommend goin up against her unless we have ta. The Enterprise cannae and wouldna take too much damage," he concluded with the standard engineer's grim warning.
"I shall take that under advisement, Mister Scott. Thank you for the report. Lieutenant Uhura, sound Red Alert, all duty stations active."
With a nod, Uhura adjusted the Feinberger receiver in her ear and switched to intership communication. =^=Attention all hands, Red Alert. All duty stations active. Red Alert, all duty stations active.=^=
The klaxons blinked into existence, with red highlights added to the Bridge and the Red Alert siren going off.
"Mister Spock, I am receiving a communication from the third ship, the 'ugly' hybrid Scotty identified. They are only transmitting. The message is 'You have 1 minute to turn around, or suffer the consequences', sent Captain Joel Randolph...I.S.S Yorktown."
"Drop out of warp, shields active," was Spock's only reply.
Meanwhile, on the planet...
Kirk (1) looked on in disgust, fear, and loathing at his hideously scarred counterpart, still bearing the Mallusian head aloft, and engaging in the barbarian act of smearing the dark blue blood on his face and body. McCoy was still knocked out, and apart from bruises and a bloody nose he was relatively okay.
With a laugh, Kirk (2) tossed the head aside and, looking like a modern-day Germanic barbarian warlord, snapped his fingers. Immediately, two young brawny Mallusians came forward and grabbed Kirk (1) by the arms.
"Take my...self," Kirk (2) said with a evil chuckle, "yes, take myself to the special area I had set up for dealing with people like him." With a nod, they carried him off deeper into the cave, leaving the unconscious McCoy behind.
After a short walk the group of four arrived at a larger, well-lit portion of the cave, where a large metallic box was standing.
"I come bearing gifts, my undamaged friend. I have been tutoring the Mallusians, who are fast learners in the art of pain." Smacking the metallic hand against the box, Kirk (2) watched as the metallic sides slid down to reveal something that caused Kirk (1)'s stomach to clench, for he had encountered it before. It was an fully-functional agony booth, gleaming dully in the cavern's light.
"Put him in," came the brusque order, and Kirk (1) found himself contained within the clear transparent aluminum walls of the booth.
Grinning maniacally, Kirk (2) leaned over and whispered "I'm going to enjoy this," before standing back and personally activating the agony booth. Immediately Kirk (1) felt his nerves explode in pain, causing a grimace and clenched teeth. Stumbling around inside, attempting to evade the pain, he collapsed to his knees and heard a loud cracking noise. Reaching a hand up, he felt around his mouth. The pain had caused him to clench his teeth hard enough to break them, and his mouth was filled with blood and shards of tooth. And then the pain increased...
END OF PART TWO...
stay tuned for more exciting 'serial' episodes...and join the writing rotation, if you dare!!!
