Star Trek - Blish, James - 09

by 09(lit)

  "Aye," Scott said grudgingly. "There's a service crawlway. But it's not meant to be used while the integrator operates."

  "However, it's there," Spock said. "It might be pos-sible to shut off the flow at that point"

  Scott exploded. "With what? Bare hands?"

  "No, Mr. Scott. With a magnetic probe."

  "Any matter that comes into contact with the anti-matter triggers the explosion. I'm not even sure a man could live in the crawlway-in the energy stream of the magnetic field that bottles up the anti-matter."

  "I shall try," Spock said.

  "You'd be killed, man!"

  "That fate awaits all of us unless a solution can be found very quickly."

  Scott stared at him with mingled admiration and an-noyance. There was a pause. Then he said, "Aye, you're right. We've nothing to lose. But I'll do it, Mr. Spock. I know every millimeter of the system. I'll do whatever must be done."

  "Very well, Mr. Scott. You spoke, I remember, of the 'feel' of the ship being 'wrong'."

  "It was an emotional statement. I don't expect you to understand it, Mr. Spock."

  "I hear, Mr. Scott, without necessarily understand-ing. It is my intention to put an analysis through the ship's computers comparing the present condition of the Enterprise with her ideal condition."

  "We've no time for that!"

  "We have twelve minutes and twenty-seven seconds. I suggest you do what you can in the service crawlway while I return to the bridge to make the computer study."

  Scott's harassed eyes followed him as he left. Shak-ing his head, he turned to several crewmen. "Lads, come with me."

  They followed him quickly.

  Down on the planet Kirk had also indulged some musings. As he watched McCoy check Sulu again, he said, "If this planet is hollow-if there are cities and power sources under the surface, there should be entrances. We'll do our exploring together. Lieutenant Sulu, do you feel strong enough to move now?"

  "I feel fine, Captain."

  "Is he, Bones?"

  "He's back in one piece again."

  "Whatever destructive power that woman has is aimed at a specific person at a specific time. If I'm correct, when she appears again, the other two of us may be able to protect the one she's after. And simply by intruding our bodies between her and her victim. No weapons affect her."

  "But how does she know about us, Captain? She knew my name, my rank-even the name of the ship! She must read our minds-" Sulu broke off at the sound of a whining noise that rose rapidly in pitch. "Captain! That's a phaser on overload!"

  But Kirk had already whipped his weapon from his belt. "The control's fused," he said. "Drop."

  Sulu and McCoy hit the ground. Kirk, flinging his phaser away with the full force of his strength, also fell flat, his arms shielding his head. They acted just in time. There was an ear-splitting roar of explosion. Debris rained down on them. Then it was over. Kirk got to his feet, looking around him.

  "That answers our question," he said. "She does read our minds. Let's go..."

  The crawlway was dark and narrow. Scott, two of his men, beside him, peered up through it. "All right," he said. "Help me up into it." Wriggling through the cramped space, a corner faced him. He edged around it, the heat of the energy stream meeting him. It flowed over him, enveloping him in a dim glow. He spoke into the open communicator beside him, his voice muffled. "Scott to bridge."

  "Go ahead, Mr. Scott."

  "I've sealed off the aft end of the crawlway. And I've positioned explosive separator charges so you can blow me clear of the ship if I rupture the magnetic bottle. I'm so close to it now that the flow around me feels like ants crawling all over my body."

  "Mr. Scott, I suggest you do not engage in any further subjective descriptions. You have precisely ten minutes and nineteen seconds to perform your task."

  Radha turned from her console. "Mr. Spock, we're at warp eleven point two and accelerating."

  From the crawlway, Scott said, "I heard that. The ship's not structured to take that speed for any length of time."

  "Mr. Scott, you now have ten minutes, ten seconds."

  The hot glow in the crawlway was enervating. Every inch of Scott's body was tingling. "All right, Mr. Spock, I'm not opening the access panel to the mag-netic flow valve itself. Keep your eye on that dial. If there's a jump in magnetic flow, you must jettison me. The safety control can't hold more than two seconds after rupture of the magnetic field."

  "I am aware of these facts, Mr. Scott. Please get on with the job."

  Spock had moved to his station, twisting dials. Now, pushing the computer button, he said, "Computer."

  The metallic voice said, "Working."

  "Analysis on comparison coordinates."

  Three clicks came in succession before the computer said, "Unable to comply. Comparison coordinates too complex for immediate readout. Will advise upon com-pletion."

  Scott spoke again. "I've removed the access plate and I've got static electric charges dancing along the instruments. It looks like the aurora borealis in here."

  Spock turned to Uhura. "You're monitoring the mag-netic force?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Don't take your eyes off it." His quiet face showed no sign of strain. "Lieutenant Radha, arm the pod jettison system."

  "Aye, sir." She moved a toggle. "I'll jettison the pod at the first sign of trouble."

  "Only on my order!" Spock snapped.

  "Yes, sir. Warp eleven point nine now."

  Spock used the intercom. "Mr. Scott, what's your situation?"

  In the access tube, sparks were flying from all the metal surfaces. Scott himself seemed encompassed by a nimbus of flowing flames. "It's hard to see. There's so much disturbance I'm afraid any attempt to get at the flow valve will interrupt the magnetic shield."

  "You have eight minutes forty-one seconds."

  To himself, Scott muttered, "I know what time it is. I don't need a bloody cuckoo clock."

  The three on the planet had reached a plateau of the red rock. They paused for rest; checking his tricorder, Sulu cried, "Captain! There's that strange magnetic sweep again! From zero to off the scale and then-"

  "Like a door opening..." Kirk muttered.

  From behind a jutting rock stepped the woman, the dreamy smile on her lovely mouth.

  "And who have you come for this time?" Kirk said.

  "For you, James T. Kirk, Captain of the Enterprise."

  McCoy and Sulu stepped quickly in front of Kirk. "Keep behind us, Jim!" McCoy shouted.

  She was standing quite still, her short, flowing gar-ment clinging to the lines of her slim body.

  Kirk spoke over McCoy's shoulder. "Why do you want to kill me?"

  "You are an invader."

  She moved forward and he spoke again. "We're here on a peaceful mission. We have not harmed you. Yet you have killed our people."

  McCoy had his tricorder focused on her. Reading it, he said amazedly, "Jim, I get no life reading from her!"

  "An android," Sulu said.

  "That would give a mechanical reading. I get noth-ing."

  Warily maintaining his place behind his men, Kirk said, "Who are you?"

  "Commander Losira."

  "Commander of what?"

  "This base," she said.

  Kirk studied her exquisite features. "You are very beautiful, Losira. You-appeal to me."

  Stunned, McCoy and Sulu turned their heads to stare at him. The woman trembled slightly. Kirk noted it with satisfaction. "Do I appeal to you, Losira?"

  She lowered her dark eyes. "At another time we might have-" She broke off.

  "How do you feel about killing me?" Kirk said.

  The eyelids lifted and her head came up. "Feel?" she asked. Then, very slowly, she added, "Killing is wrong." But nevertheless, she took another step for-ward. "You must not penetrate this station." Her arms stretched out. "Kirk, I must-touch you."

  Behind his shielding two men, Kirk was frantically working at his tricorder. Where was t
he door? She must have emerged from somewhere! But as he worked, he talked. "You want to kill me?"

  She stopped her advance, confused. "You don't want to," he said. "Then why do you do it if you don't want to?"

  "I am sent," she said.

  "By whom?"

  "We defend this place."

  "Where are the others?"

  "No more." Abruptly, determination seemed to pos-sess her again. She ran to them, arms out, struggling to get past McCoy and Sulu. They remained, im-movable before Kirk, her touch leaving them unaf-fected.

  "How long have you been alone?" Kirk said.

  Her arms dropped. A look of depthless sorrow came over her face. Then, turning sideways, she was a line that vanished in a flash of light.

  "Where did she go?" McCoy cried. "She must be somewhere!"

  "She isn't registering," Sulu said. "But there's that power surge again on my tricorder! Bight off the scale! The place must be near here."

  "Like a door... closing," Kirk said. He moved forward toward a big, distant, red rock.

  The bridge chronometer was marking the swiftly passing seconds. Spock left the helm position to hit his computer button. "Computer readout," he said.

  "Comparison analysis complete."

  "Continue."

  "Transporter factor M-7. Reassembled outphase point zero, zero, zero, nine."

  Spock's eyebrows arched in astonishment; and Radha called, "Fifty-seven seconds to go, sir."

  "Understood," Spock said. Radha watched him un-hurriedly study the readout-and had to struggle for calm. Nor did he raise his head from his view box when Scott's blurred voice came from the intercom. "Mr. Spock."

  "Spock here, Mr. Scott."

  In the crawlway sweat beaded Scott's forehead. Vari-colored light played over his face as he cautiously eased two complex instruments toward the access hatch. "I'm going to try to cut through the magnetic valve. But if the probe doesn't exactly match the flow, there'll be an explosion-starting now." He crept for-ward with agonizing care.

  Radha, her face drawn with strain, had poised her finger ready to activate the jettison button. Uhura cried, "Mr. Spock, magnetic force indicator's jump-ing!"

  Spock came out of his scope. "Mr. Scott, ease off," he said.

  As Scott withdrew his instruments, the tempo of light fluctuation slowed. Uhura, eyes on her console, said, "Magnetic force back to normal, sir."

  Radha, with forced composure, spoke. "Warp thir-teen point two, Mr. Spock."

  If he heard, he gave no sign. "Computer, for out-phase condition, will reversed field achieve closure?"

  "Affirmative if M-7 factor maintained."

  Spock struck the intercom. "Mr. Scott, reverse polar-ity in your magnetic probe."

  "Reverse polarity?"

  "That is correct, Mr. Scott."

  "But that'll take a bit of doing and what pur-pose-?"

  "Get started, Mr. Scott. I shall explain. You were right in your 'feel'. The Enterprise was put through a molecular transporter. Then it was reassembled slight-ly out of phase. Reversed polarity should seal the incision."

  "I've no time for theory, but I hope you're right."

  Radha said, "Fifteen seconds, Mr. Spock."

  In the crawlway Scott heard her. "I'm doing the best I can. Wait-it's stuck." He struggled frantically with the magnetic probe, the sweat dropping into his eyes.

  "Ten seconds," Radha said.

  "I'm stuck," Scott said. "Blast me loose."

  "Keep working, Mr. Scott."

  "Don't be a fool, Spock. It's your last chance. Push that jettison button. Don't be sentimental. Push it. I'm going to die, anyway."

  "Stop talking," Spock said. "Work."

  Scott retrieved the probe. The control came free. He shoved it quickly into the access hatch. "It's loose now. But there's no time. Press the button." Lights flared wildly around him as the probe sank deeper into its hole.

  Spock was at Radha's station. The needle on her dial had climbed to warp fourteen point one. Uhura, looking across at him, said, "Magnetic force meter is steady, sir."

  As she spoke, the needle on Radha's dial had sunk to warp thirteen. It continued to drop. Spock flipped the intercom. "Mr. Scott, you have accomplished your purpose."

  Scott disengaged the magnetic probe. Then his head fell on the hot metal of the tube. "You might at least say thank you, Mr. Spock."

  Spock was genuinely astounded. "For what purpose, Mr. Scott? What is it in you that requires an overwhelming display of emotion in a situation such as this? Two men pursue their only reasonable course- and you clearly seem to feel something more is neces-sary. What?"

  "Never mind," Scott said wearily. I'm sorry I brought it up."

  The three stranded Enterprise men were nearing the big, red rock. And the readings on Sulu's tricorder still showed off the scale beyond their peak. Kirk ap-proached the rock. "That closed door," he said, "must be right here."

  They all shoved their shoulders against the rock. It didn't move. Panting, McCoy said, "If that's a closed door, it intends to stay closed."

  The rock of itself slid to one side. It revealed a door that suddenly telescoped and drew upward. They stood in silence for a moment, peering inward.

  "You think it's an invitation to go in?" McCoy said.

  "If it is," Sulu said, "it's one that doesn't exactly relax me."

  "The elevator door on the Enterprise bridge would be certainly preferable," Kirk agreed. "But whatever civilization exists on this planet is in there. And with-out the ship, gentlemen, in there is our sole source of food and water."

  Following his lead, they cautiously moved through the doorway. It gave onto a large chamber. Athwart its entrance was a huge translucent cube. Pulsing in a thousand colors, lights flashed across its surfaces. "What is it?" Kirk said. "Does it house the brain that operates this place?" They were studying the cube when, between it and them, the woman appeared, wearing that same look of sadness. She moved toward them slowly.

  "Tell us who you are for," Kirk said.

  She didn't answer; but her arm rose and her pace increased.

  "Form a circle," Kirk said. "Keep moving."

  The woman halted. "You see," Kirk said, "you might as well tell us who you're for." He paused. "On the other hand, don't bother. You are still for Kirk."

  "I am for James Kirk," she said.

  McCoy and Sulu drew together in front of him as he said, "But James Kirk is not for you."

  "Let me touch you--I beg it," she said. "It is my existence."

  "It is my death," he said.

  Her voice was very gentle. "I do not kill," she said.

  "No? We have seen the results of your touch."

  "But you are my match, James Kirk. I must touch you. Then I will live as your match even to the structure of your cells-the arrangement of chro-mosomes. I need you."

  "That is how you kill. You will never reach me." Even as he spoke, he saw the second woman. Silently, unnoticed, she was moving toward them, arms out-stretched. "Watch out!" he shouted.

  "I am for McCoy," said the second woman.

  Kirk jumped in front of Bones. "They are replicas!" he cried. "The computer there has programmed rep-licas!"

  "They match our chromosome patterns after they touch us!" McCoy shouted.

  A third woman, identical in beauty and clothing, slipped into view. "I am for Sulu," she said.

  Aghast, the Enterprise men stared at each other. "Captain! We can no longer protect each other!"

  McCoy said, "We could each make a rush at the other's killer!"

  "It's worth a try," Kirk said.

  Unhearing, dreamy, their arms extended, the trio of women were nearing them, closing in, closer and closer. Beside them, the air suddenly gathered into shimmer. Armed with phasers, Spock and an Enter-prise security guard materialized swiftly. They swung their weapons around to cover the women.

  "No, Spock!" Kirk yelled. "That cubed computer-destroy it!"

  The phasers' beams struck the pulsing cube. There w
as a blast of iridescent light-and the women van-ished. McCoy drew a great gasping sigh of incredulous relief. Kirk turned to Spock. "Mr. Spock, it is an un-derstatement to say I am pleased to see you. I thought you and the Enterprise had been destroyed."