Myriad Universes_ Echoes And Refractions Part 2

Kirk and Thelin followed the doctor's lead, but not before Kirk took a quick gander about the room. "I thought David had said he was coming down here."

"He's here," McCoy said, looking back over his shoulder. "He wanted to spend a few minutes alone in the morgue."

"The morgue?" Kirk said.

"Well, yeah, the scientists that Khan murdered at the Regula One s.p.a.celab are in there. They were David's colleagues and friends, you know. I'm sure he wanted to pay his respects."

"Of course," Kirk replied with embarra.s.sment. "I'm sorry; I should have realized."

McCoy stopped before the door reading Intensive Care Ward. "It's all right, Jim. We've all got a lot on our minds right now." The door slid open and he stepped through. Kirk and Thelin closely followed.

On the bed nearest the door laid a young man, the eyes on his cherubic face closed in quiet but uneasy slumber. The readouts on the monitor above him flashed routine status updates and echoed his heartbeat in a steady audible rhythm. McCoy approached his bedside and gripped the seam of the sheet that lay across the patient's bare torso. "We're keeping him sedated for now, partly due to the pain, but mostly because he's not quite prepared to deal with this yet." He drew down the sheets until the cadet's full frame lay uncovered.

"Oh my G.o.d," Kirk gasped.

The man's body appeared strong, chiseled and perfectly healthy from his head and torso down to the lower seams of his undergarments. But about halfway down his thighs, the skin became discolored and increasingly mottled. The muscular tone weakened considerably at about the area where his knees had once been, beyond which the bone structure disappeared, and each of his limbs tapered off into a tentacle-like appendage with a dark leathery surface, the ends gently quivering as they curled up into tight spirals.

"The explosion did this?" Kirk asked with astonishment.

"The wave did it," McCoy clarified. "It's like it fundamentally altered his molecular biology, right down to the DNA. His limbs were reconst.i.tuted into something much more genetically primitive."

"Could it be reversed?" Thelin asked.

McCoy blew out his breath and shrugged. "I dunno...Maybe, with genetic modification therapy. It won't be easy for him, in any event."

"Dammit, Bones," Kirk bitterly complained, "I need more than that. What am I supposed to tell this kid's parents?"

"Calm down, Jim," McCoy chided him. "I know what you're feeling, but use your head. It's not your place to plan out his rehabilitation. He'll get the best treatment Starfleet has to offer. Your job is to make sure his parents know that their son put his life on the line to save the Federation from a terrorist with a doomsday weapon."

Kirk held up his hand in acquiescence. "You're right...as usual."

Thelin had always admired McCoy's pragmatic ability to rein in Kirk's headstrong nature-something Thelin himself, as a highly emotional first officer, had never quite been able to do. It seemed as though the doctor's medical instincts gave him insight into the psychological, as well as the physical, needs of the command crew.

"We've got four more crewmen with similar injuries," McCoy went on. "If you want to see..." He cut himself short and tilted his head to look over the shoulders of Kirk and Thelin, nodding as the sound of footsteps approached from behind them.

"Thanks, Doctor," David was heard to say. "Like you asked, I engaged the security locks when I left the morgue, and I..." He stood looking over his father's shoulder at the unconscious patient. Thelin turned toward David, only to see the young man's face turn as white as the Andorian's own hair. "Oh no..." David moaned, then turned and walked swiftly back out of the room.

"Excuse me, gentlemen," Kirk said, then hurried out the door after his son.

He found David back in the main corridor outside sickbay, leaning against the wall and breathing deeply, as if trying not to become violently ill. Kirk approached him slowly, not sure if he would be emotionally ready to discuss what he had just witnessed. "David? Are you all right?"

"No, apparently not," he softly replied, looking down at the deck. "It seems that I'm some sort of mad scientist bent upon creating Frankenstein's monster."

"David," Kirk said in a firm, fatherly voice as he placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "You didn't do this. What you saw in there was the work of a gang of madmen-outlaws-who corrupted your invention into something it was never meant to be."

David was trembling. "I should have known better. I should have been responsible enough to realize that the galaxy is full of evil psychopaths like that Khan..." He spat the name out angrily.

"David, we can't...paralyze ourselves out of fear of what others might do. We can't withhold our gifts from the universe because we don't trust that they'll be used wisely. We just need to have faith that the good out there will outweigh the bad. That's why we're out here, exploring, seeking new cultures, sharing our knowledge...because we believe that ultimately it can only make us stronger."

David raised his head high enough for his eyes to see out from beneath his knotted brow, and he met his father's gaze, and smiled gently. "Good words," he said. "You know, I was wrong about you...and I'm sorry."

"Well, we all need to forgive," Kirk said, "as much as it may wound our pride. If we were driven only by our anger and spite, we'd all end up like Khan."

David was now steady on his feet, and together they began walking back down the corridor toward the turbolift.

"I know you're angry," Kirk continued. "Angry about the deaths of your friends, the theft of your work, and...angry that I wasn't there to be your father when I should have been." They stopped, and Kirk turned to face David, gripping both of his arms. "But don't let that anger define who you are. You're so much more than that, David...and I'm proud of you."

"I know," David replied with complete honesty. "And I'm very proud to be your son."

The journey back to Earth aboard the Yorktown was rather uneventful for David Marcus and his mother, and the duration, though brief, provided David ample opportunity to reflect upon the sudden appearance of his father in his life.

Surprising to him, James Kirk was not at all what he had expected. Of course, David had never asked his mother much concerning the admiral, but reputation alone had led David to antic.i.p.ate a brash, swaggering arrogance about the man...when in fact, Kirk's actions during the recent crisis reflected an intelligent, thoughtful leader who obviously cared deeply about those who served under him. The brief moment they had shared outside the Enterprise sickbay had swiftly torn down barriers that David had thought were impenetrable, and the young man now felt committed to further exploring the relations.h.i.+p.

But for now they were separated, as the Enterprise was left light-years behind, slowly limping back home behind an escort, barely able to sustain warp drive.

David shared a meal with his mother in their quarters that night, then retired for some well-earned rest. His dreams, however, were troubled. Throughout the night, visions of the tortured scientists on Regula One repeatedly tormented him, and the sounds of their screams continually echoed through his mind. He had left them there to die. He had run away and hid deep underground, ostensibly to save Genesis...but had he really only saved himself?

He awoke the next morning in a cold sweat just as the Yorktown was entering the Sol system. After he had showered and dressed, he and Carol devoured a quick breakfast just as the vessel began procedures to enter the s.p.a.cedock in orbit around Earth-a planet where David had not lived on a permanent basis since he was very young; yet now, with nowhere else to go, he and his mother were faced with the unforeseen prospect of finding a home there. It was while the final docking routines were locked down that the message came through to David and Carol-an official government communique, requesting (or rather, politely demanding) their immediate presence at a formal debriefing.

As they disembarked the vessel along with numerous Starfleet cadets who had transferred from the Enterprise for the return voyage, they were greeted by a Starfleet admiral in full uniform, accompanied by a shorter, older man smartly dressed in typical business attire. "Doctors Carol and David Marcus?" he inquired.

"Yes, that's right," Carol replied.

"Good morning. I'm Admiral Harold Morrow, Starfleet Command. This is Mack Kane, Federation Secretary of Defense."

The elder gentleman nodded to them. "How do you do," Carol replied in an even tone, though David knew her well enough to realize that she was concealing a fair amount of nervous surprise. Neither he nor his mother had antic.i.p.ated that this meeting would be with two of the top officials in the Federation's entire defense command structure.

"If you would please just follow me a short way," Morrow continued, gesturing further down the hall. "I apologize for the suddenness of this request, but it was necessary. Hopefully we can keep this brief. I know you are both anxious to return home."

"Actually, Admiral," Carol replied as they moved down the crowded corridor of the s.p.a.cedock, "we had been stationed at the Regula s.p.a.celab for more than a year. Neither of us has a home on Earth."

Morrow seemed taken aback. "Oh, my apologies. Well, if neither of you is able to secure housing right away, you're welcome to stay tonight in guest quarters at Starfleet Command. Here we are," he said, entering the door to a small conference room. The four of them filed in and took seats around a display monitor at the end of a long table, though Morrow remained standing. "Can I get any of you something to drink?"

They all shook their heads. "We're fine, thank you," David spoke up.

"Very well," Morrow said, taking his seat, then grimly focusing his gaze upon Carol and David each in turn. "Doctors, we're in the midst of a crisis. Word has spread much faster than antic.i.p.ated...though I suppose it would have been naive to expect the creation of a new planet in the Beta Quadrant to go unnoticed by our adversaries. No doubt the explosion was picked up on long-range scans, probably by the Klingons, and by the next day the entire subs.p.a.ce net was buzzing with rumor and innuendo. Today, I don't think there's a s.p.a.cefaring civilization this side of the galactic core that doesn't know about the Genesis planet."

"Have they learned anything about the technology behind it?" Carol asked.

"That's one of the things we wanted to ask you," Kane replied. "We've read Kirk's reports, but we need to be very clear. This Khan Noonien Singh...he compromised the Regula laboratory and retrieved the Genesis Device. Is there any possibility he gained access to your technical databases?"

"No," David replied. "We made certain of that. We...that is, several members of our staff sacrificed themselves to buy us time, so that we could get all the data secured in the underground cave."

"And such actions are indeed heroic, and will be recognized," Morrow said. "So aside from the device itself, which was detonated during the battle, all other confidential data was successfully secured? We need to be certain of this."

"Yes," Carol said confidently. "We're quite certain."

"Very well," Morrow said. "Doctors...I'm sure that, in the wake of the incident with Khan, it's clear to both of you the danger that Genesis represents, were it to fall into the wrong hands."

"Yes, crystal clear." Carol nodded.

"Then I trust that both of you will understand why, in the interest of Federation security, President Roth has no other option but to place control of the Genesis Project entirely under the oversight of Starfleet."

Carol sighed. Certainly this was not unexpected, but it carried such a sense of finality-an abrupt ending to years of intense work-that was difficult to acknowledge. She turned toward David, whom she expected would not be so agreeable.

But David, feeling defeated but cooperative, shrugged meekly. "I'm not surprised. A few days ago, I would have been infuriated, but now...I understand."

"Good!" Morrow smiled. "I'm glad we're all on the same page. Because the fact of the matter is, we still require your expertise."

"Oh?" Carol said.

Kane leaned forward. "Even though Starfleet will command the forthcoming operations," he said, "we still are going to require civilian involvement. Look, we've got amba.s.sadors from every planet in both quadrants beating down the door wanting to know what this new technology is all about; they've got genuine concerns. But other than the limited data collected by the Enterprise, we still don't know enough to set any policy going forward."

He tapped a couple of controls upon the monitor in front of David and Carol. An image appeared of a smiling, dark-haired Starfleet captain. "This is John Esteban, captain of the science vessel U.S.S. Grissom. He's a good man...smart, creative, but knows to do things by the book. He's putting together a crew for the first fact-finding mission to Genesis. And Doctor," he said, indicating Carol, "we'd like you to be on board. They s.h.i.+p out tomorrow."

Carol looked down at her hands. "Sir, I'm honored by your request, but...is this an order?"

Kane shook his head. "You're a civilian, Doctor Marcus. I can't order you to do anything."

She raised her head and faced him humbly. "It's just that...an awful lot has happened these past few days. And while I fully understand and respect my civic duties, right now I think my first responsibility is to contact the families of Jedda, Zinaida, March, Madison-all our friends who were killed at Regula One-to express my condolences."

"I understand," Morrow said. "We can still find..."

"I'll go!" David interjected.

Morrow looked at him under a raised eyebrow. "Are you sure you're up to the task?"

Carol jumped to his defense. "Admiral, my son is more intimately knowledgeable of the Genesis technology than I am. Although," she added, turning to David, "he'll have to promise me that he'll be careful."

David smiled sheepishly. "Mother, I think I can take care of myself."

"Very well, then," Morrow said. "Doctor David Marcus, you'll need to report to Captain Esteban aboard the Grissom at oh-eight-hundred tomorrow morning." He looked both of them over. "I'm sure I don't need to tell either of you that any unauthorized discussion of Genesis with anyone is prohibited. The existence of the planet may be common knowledge, but the secrets of the technology behind it must be contained at all costs."

"I understand, sir," David replied, "but I am curious. You mentioned the Klingons. What are we telling them about this?"

Morrow looked over to Kane, who gave a slight shrug before responding. "Right now, not much...except that a scientific experiment had some extraordinary unintended consequences."

"And they're buying that?" David asked.

"No, they're not," Kane replied, shaking his head. "Amba.s.sador Kamarag of the Klingon Empire tells me that the High Council is demanding access to the planet. We've a.s.sured them that they will be allowed to send a representative, but not yet. Not until the Grissom returns and we know what we're dealing with."

David nodded. "What about the Romulans?"

"Ah. With them, at least we're making a token gesture." Kane tapped a few keys on the display, and an image of an attractive young Vulcan woman appeared. "Her name is Saavik. Ever heard of her?"

David and Carol shared a glance, and both shook their heads.

"She's become something of a young celebrity-a Vulcan national, but she's also half Romulan. I don't know her entire background, but she was raised as an orphan at the Gamma Eri science station, so her scientific knowledge is pretty formidable. But now she's become a diplomat." He pressed another key, bringing up a picture of her alongside a middle-aged human male. "Seems that Amba.s.sador Sarek of Vulcan pulled some strings and got her an interns.h.i.+p as an aide to John Talbot, the Federation amba.s.sador to Nimbus III. In her eighteen months there, she met the Romulan amba.s.sador, Caithlin Dar, and apparently they became pretty close. Now that she's returned...h.e.l.l, Saavik's practically the poster girl for Federation-Romulan relations."

He flipped off the monitor. "Anyway, she'll be joining you tomorrow, along with whatever team Esteban can recruit in the next twenty-four hours."

Morrow, sitting with his hands clasped together, nodded and turned back toward the doctors. "Any questions?"

They had none. Morrow and Kane extended their hands, and following a few firm shakes, the Marcuses were dismissed.

As they filed out the door, Carol held her son by the arm. "I mean it, David...please don't do anything foolish out there."

"I'll be fine, Mother," David said. "Maybe this 'Starfleet experience' will be good for me." And then he laughed. "Can you just imagine what my father will think?"

Carol kissed his cheek. "Call me before you s.h.i.+p out," she said.

"I will," he replied.

And Carol walked away, leaving David alone with his thoughts, contemplating what his own reaction would have been a few days ago had he known that he would be embarking on a Starfleet mission.

2.

David Marcus still found the experience of traveling through the transporter a little unsettling. Unlike Starfleet, which used the devices regularly for moving personnel to and from orbiting s.h.i.+ps while a.s.suming the risks and the incredible energy costs, civilian use was much less common. Of course, with all his recent experiences on the Regula One lab and aboard the Enterprise and the Yorktown, culminating in his transfer to the Grissom for the return journey to the Mutara sector, David had been transported more times in the past few days than he cared to remember.

However, the disconcerting notion of having his own component atoms momentarily torn apart and rea.s.sembled was quickly forgotten as he and Saavik materialized on the surface of the newly created Genesis Planet. A pastoral scene emerged around them, with fields of prehistoric ferns extending for hundreds of meters in front of them to the base of a large plateau, atop which sat more varied forms of vegetation not easily identifiable from a distance. Behind them lay the edge of a great forest, with tall, majestic trees whose sweeping branches formed a vast enclosed canopy, providing shelter for the more exotic plant life that thrived within. To set foot upon this world for the first time-a world that he played an active role in creating-was an indescribable thrill.

Saavik, with her tricorder in hand, was already actively scanning the surroundings, frowning at the displayed results. They had just met the day before, but already David was rather intrigued with her striking beauty, and her complex and seemingly conflicted affect. In the short time they worked together at the science stations of the Grissom, Saavik had left no doubt about her intelligence; but both her enthusiasm for knowledge as well as her frustration with the unusual data they had collected were reflected in a muted but clearly apparent emotionalism. David wondered if the admixture of Romulan genes could really have such a p.r.o.nounced effect, or if there might be some other explanation.

"The symptoms of geological aging are even more p.r.o.nounced than what we were reading from orbit," Saavik said. "I'm reading some tremendous instability here."

"That's really odd," David said as he removed his heavy equipment pack from his back to retrieve his own tricorder.

"Is it any less odd than our detection from orbit of four different climate zones within the same sector?" Saavik inquired.

"The whole thing is odd," David said, powering up the device and beginning his own scan of the area. "I mean, sure, the matrix is designed to produce a varied climate. But it's like everything has been...I don't know, amplified...and accelerated somehow."

Saavik shouldered her own tricorder and reached into a pocket. "Any theories, Doctor?"

"I have a few," David said, allowing a touch of concern to creep into his voice. He looked up at her. "And please, call me David."

"As you wish," she replied, retrieving her communicator and flipping it open. "Saavik to Grissom."

"Esteban here," came the immediate reply. "Saavik, what's your status?"

"Orbital readings are confirmed. We have life-form indications approximately two point four kilometers southwest, at bearing zero-two-four. Radioactivity detected in the same vicinity, well within safe levels."

"Very well. Proceed, Saavik, but exercise caution. This landing is at captain's discretion, and I'm the one who's out on a limb."