Categories > TV > Buffy the Vampire Slayer > BUFFY Meets STAR TREK
- Clear Skies Fade To Black -
7
The early afternoon sun draped a warm and radiant veil over the world below. Spike shaded his eyes from its glare with a hand. He wasn't used to being out in the brightness of daylight. It was almost time. Buffy was coming. This time round the Slayer was going down. This time she was gonna lose.
Xander gave Buffy an earnest look. This was deep. "Buffy. I know we've been through a lot to get this far, but don't worry about us. We can handle ourselves. Me and Willow, we're all geared up for whatever Spike throws at us. We're a team and we can work together on this, Okay?"
She nodded.
Xander was glad she understood the seriousness of what they were about to face. "But if you can hit another one of those homeruns, the game's ours!" He patted her arm. "Go get 'em, Slayer."
"You can do it," Willow assured her from her seat in the dugout. She looked pretty funny in her helmet.
Buffy put the hard-hat on and took the bat in her hands. "One Babe Ruthian homerun coming up," she promised with verve before moving out onto the baseball infield.
It was the Dodgers' stadium, overlooking downtown L.A. and the gang were just playing a few games of three-a-side baseball for fun. Other than the six of them, the 56'000-seat arena was completely empty. Barring the simulated Catcher.
"I'm up next," Xander said to Willow as he sat down with her in the dugout. "Better get me psyched up, Will."
"Or maybe I could get you to tell me what's up," she said, sliding her helmet off onto her lap.
"Huh? What's up with who?"
"C'mon; you might have the others fooled, Xander, but this is me. You haven't been yourself since we got here." She looked at him with the deepest of sincerity that only the closest of friends could know. "You're worrying me."
Xander didn't resist her. She was serious and she was right. He glanced out onto the field where the sunshine touched the Bermuda grass; where pretty much all the people who really understood him were living in the moment and enjoying it to the full. He sighed heavily. Putting things in perspective, it made his feelings seem almost void of reason. "It's stupid, ya know. I should be able to deal. We've been in lots of tough situations before now. But I can't help feelin' like - just when things were startin' to work out for me - just when I thought I'd found my place in the world... a job I'm good at... a home. A real home, not some grotty basement the Munsters' wouldn't wanna be caught undead in ... and Anya."
He watched her for a moment. "Nothing like wakin' up in the wrong universe to shake your tree. And it scares me, Willow. What if we never get home?"
"We will get home, Xander. I've been researching some stuff and you wouldn't believe how much these guys time-travel. I mean, to say they have rules against it, they're pretty lacking in the discipline department. And this whole dimension thing - to them it's like...old news. Been there, done that, got the cellular RNA to prove it. I know they'll work this out."
Maybe she was right. But maybe there was something else that troubled him.
Spike, in his New York Yankee's striped uniform, slipped his cap back on as Buffy, wearing the L.A. Dodger's kit, stepped up to the batter's box.
"Your winning streak's about to end, Slayer." Standing in the pitcher's circle, he took up his set position.
Buffy dug her heals into the dirt and brought the bat up high. "Gimme your best shot, Spike."
'You asked for it' he thought.
The Holo-Catcher gave him a signal. 'Balls to that' he decided. Not that he knew what the sign meant anyway. He was gonna give the Slayer something to chew on. Literally.
He checked his fielders to make sure they were ready. They took up rough positions on either side of him. Anya seemed a little disgruntled and Giles just looked completely out of place. But they were ready. Spike feinted back, stepped forward with a hard swing and pitched a hell of a shot. It wasn't what he was going for, though.
He'd somehow managed to send her a perfect batting shot and she slammed it right back at him.
'Christ!' The vamp ducked in the nick of time as the ball flashed passed his head. It was away. So was Buffy - she dumped the bat and went for first base.
The tightly bound ball sailed along for a couple of hundred yards before gravity worked its will and eased it back to earth...where it continued to roll away from the infield. Buffy passed first base, scuffing the bag and ran for home.
From his position, Spike yelled at his fielders: "Well don't just STAND there, people! GET THE /BALL/!"
Giles looked at the distant ball, still moving, then looked back at Spike and shrugged. "It's gone."
Anya was annoyed. "They're going to win."
Spike opened his arms in an appeal to the gods - maybe they'd send him a better team.
The homerun was well and truly in the bag.
In the dugout, Willow saw that Xander still wasn't convinced. "And, even if they don't find a way to get us back - which they will, at least you've got the most important thing right here."
Anya.
"I know. You're right, but...there's this whole new evil goin' down and...how can you fight what you can't see? What can I do? I don't have powers. I'm not a superhero, Willow. "
"No, you're not," she said. "Buffy's the Slayer. I conjure dark forces to do my bidding. You don't have any of that. Still, you're always out on the frontline with us every step of the way. You're the bravest one of all of us. Brave, smart and funny. You're the three-in-one collector's edition Xander. You're not a 'superhero'. ...You're a /hero/."
He didn't know quite what to say. "Wow. Willow. You do a mean psyche-up."
"Just call me Babe Ruth," Buffy said coming down from the field.
"Okay," said Xander. "Only shorter. And less with the fat and ugly."
"So..." Willow began. "You...got a...a homerun."
Buffy couldn't tell if she was asking or making a statement. "You guys did see my shot, right?"
"Uh..."
"Well..."
"You're kidding me? After that 'go get em girl' lecture?"
"Well..." Willow tried to explain, "Xander was having a slight crisis..."
"Yeah, I'm kinda feeling less than a man. It's this whole crazy predicament we're in. There's a fear I might be loosing my new-found cool status."
Buffy chuckled. "Even Spike seems cool - most of the time - and you're way badder than him."
"Computer! Gimme another soddin' ball!" bellowed Spike.
"Please re-state your request," came the answer.
"Here!" shouted Willow as she picked another ball from a barrel full of them and tossed it his way. "No need to get grouchy just 'cos you're losing."
"I want to be on Xander's team," Anya moaned.
"An," replied Xander, "you were on my team the last two games."
"Yes, but we won those."
"You can't win 'em all though, Sweetie."
"You have," she muttered under her breath, but enough to be heard.
"It's no great wonder we're bloody-well losing!" moaned Spike. "Where's our team spirit? Sittin' on its arse in the bar, I'll wager. Sippin' on a fancy cocktail with its feet up being hand-fed grapes. 'Cos it's not here!"
"For goodness sake, Spike, it's only a game," Giles pointed out.
"You're one to talk, Gramps. You were all - 'Bloody irrational, typically American, glorified Rounders bats! You wouldn't have this absurdity with Cricket!' - All 'cos you couldn't hit the ball. You haven't even tried to catch one yet."
"If you're suggesting you could do a better job of fielding...?"
*
Xander came up to bat. He took his stance, balancing on the inside balls of his feet; bat up with a loose grip; eyes focused on the Pitcher.
Giles stretched his arms and loosened up his neck before he prepared to throw.
Spike stood near right field, hands on hips.
Bringing his knee up and stepping forward, Giles let rip with a Fastball.
Xander saw it coming and cracked it hard. He hit a killer Flyball that sailed up, up and well away.
Yep. Xander the Man was back in the game.
"Well, aren't you going to get it?" Giles called to Spike.
The ball landed in the far seating area and bounced off in all directions. A good 5 or 600 yards away.
"Not likely!"
Xander finished his homerun to Buffy and Willow's applause and the game was over.
The sunlit vamp threw down his cap. "Who's half-baked idea was it to play baseball, anyway?"
"Hey!" Xander shouted at him. "Just think yourself lucky we let you come. You're only here to make up the numbers, buster."
"Oh, yeah? So, why'd they bring you along, College-Boy? Oh, wait a minute, you don't go to college do you? In fact, come to think of it, you never did!"
"At least I'm not a freak!"
"Ya' think?!"
"Impotent demon!"
"Big, ugly Lug!"
It was like watching tennis - The gang looked from Xander to Spike and back to Xander.
"I think I'm gonna hit him," Xander said to them.
"Don't waste your energy. I've got better things to do with my time than hang with a bunch a' geeks like you lot!" Having said that, Spike turned and stormed away in a huff.
Xander remembered the mass of 'dead' bodies they had seen when they first met the Klingons. "Hey, Will, ...remember that thing we joked about earlier? You think you could do it?"
"Sure I could. No problem."
Buffy looked at the two of them. "What thing?"
Spike tried to find the door. He was sure it was near the scoreboard somewhere.
Suddenly he pricked up his ears - he thought he heard ... a stampede?
Stepping back onto the grass, he saw a strange tunnel he hadn't noticed before. It looked out of place somehow. He peered tentatively down the hole. The rumble of thunder got louder and seemed to grow closer...
A battalion of raging, bloodthirsty Klingons - armed to the rotten teeth - tore out of the tunnel and came rushing at him, waving spears and swords. Spike's mouth opened but nothing more than a whimper came out. He spun on his heels and bolted.
Stood under a computer arch, The five Scoobies watched him run, laughing amongst themselves.
Willow saw that Spike was heading for them and quickly entered some new instructions into the computer.
The vampire skidded to a stop on the edge of a canyon, knocking dirt and stone over the sharp lip. On the other side stood the Scooby Gang.
Buffy had her arms folded. "So, now you wanna hang with us? How ironic."
*
An incoming message appeared on Lt. Daniels' console.
Picard heard the chime from his post at the centre of the bridge and spun to face tactical. "Report."
"We're receiving a message from the Klingon vessel /J'Ktah RiJ/, Captain. They will arrive at our position shortly to transport the Klingon delegates to Earth."
"Very well, Lieutenant. Acknowledge their request and inform the ambassador to prepare his group for transport." He swivelled back to the viewscreen and surveyed the wreckage of the planetary observatory one last time. "Off screen," he commanded before the holographic viewer faded away, leaving bare wall.
Riker saw the look on Picard's tired face. "Something troubling you, Captain? Other than destroying a perfectly good science station?"
"I was just thinking about this 'entity' that's been set loose on our ship. If it really isn't a life-form... if it's nothing more than a force of evil... how can we hope to determine what it is capable of? Or what it wants?" He tapped a button on his armrest and the screen reappeared. "If Data didn't accidentally destroy the observatory, ...then someone, or some/thing/, did."
The turbolift doors opened to a bothered-looking Chief Engineer.
Picard rose to meet him. "Geordi. You have the report I asked for?"
He waved a PADD at Picard. "Right here. But I think we should talk in private."
"Number One," Picard said, motioning for Riker to join them as he led the way to his readyroom.
Geordi didn't bother to sit down. "I've been over our sensor logs, Captain, and there didn't seem to be any faults with the observatory."
"So Data's wrong?" Riker speculated.
"Not necessarily, Commander. There could have been a problem and we just didn't pick it up."
"What caused the transporter interference?" asked Picard.
"Well, that could have been one of two things. A dampening field put up to block the transporters - in which case it failed when the field generator was destroyed in one of the smaller explosions. Or simply a wave of ionic interference from the surface."
Picard frowned with dissatisfaction. "We're still no closer to an answer, then."
Geordi handed him the PADD. "So, I decided to analyse the observatories schematics."
The captain didn't like what was on the small screen before him.
La Forge explained: "The first explosion was in the fuel storage pod. And the smaller ones went off exactly where all of the self-destruct ordnance packages were located. Someone on that observatory set off the auto-destruct sequence and managed to do it undetected. As much as I hate to admit it ... It had to be Data."
Riker couldn't believe it. "There must be another explanation, Geordi."
"I wish I could find one."
It was beginning to make sense to Picard - Data reading the inscription and his malfunctioning. It was slowly becoming clear. "It was Data. We must have missed something when he was examined. He may have been affected by the anomaly in a way we weren't able to detect."
Lt. Daniels' worried voice came over the Comm system. "Captain; please report to the bridge."
The three senior officers stepped back onto the bridge and Picard asked for Daniels' report.
"Someone onboard is trying to access the auto-destruct initiation codes!"
"Lock out the codes!" ordered Picard immediately. "All of them!"
He knew what Data was capable of. Once the codes were locked out, they would have to request new codes from Starfleet Command. It was a drastic measure, but...
"Lt. Daniels - take a security team and find Commander Data, wherever he is, and immobilise him."
"Sir?"
"That is my instruction, Lieutenant."
"Yes, sir."
"Commander Riker - take tactical. Geordi - I want you at Ops."
Ensign Fox at the Conn double-checked what her console was telling her. "Captain! We're moving!"
"Heading?"
"Two, four, zero - mark - seven, five, nine. Straight into the planet's atmosphere!"
"All stop, Ensign!"
"Conn not responding, Captain."
"Red alert! Shields up! Direct all available power to shields."
"Shields are not responding!" called Riker. "All bridge controls have been re-routed!"
"Get them back!"
*
Spike was trapped. He couldn't get any farther back and the mad fleet of Klingons was getting very close. He had no other choice. Stepping back from the canyon edge, he made a desperate run and leapt across the abyss.
But it was just too wide.
He realised he was about to fall to a possible 'Death' when the canyon, the field, and the Klingon warriors faded away. Spike hit the holodeck floor with his face and the alert sirens went off. Trouble.
*
"We may have to evacuate the ship," admitted Picard. "Inform the crew. Tell them to take the lifeboats to Tri Ro'Ku-Four. It's the only M-Class planet in the system without indigenous life."
Riker tried to work his station. "It's no use, sir. All bridge functions have been isolated from the system."
"La Forge - go to engineering and try to shut down the propulsion systems."
Picard thought. There was nothing he could do. He didn't understand what was happening. "Find me Rupert Giles."
*
Giles led the group out into the flashing red corridor of the ship, still in baseball kits. "Let's all remain calm until we know if-"
A group of security officers ran screaming at them with guns and sensor handsets.
"OUT OF THE WAY!"
"HE'S HEADING FOR THE TURBOLIFT!"
Just as quickly, they disappeared down the passageway.
"...Or perhaps not," finished Giles rather bewildered.
"This universe is starting to scare me," Anya grumbled.
Xander tapped the badge on his chest. "Uh...Xander Harris to...someone?"
No response.
"We should head for the bridge," Buffy decided.
*
The forward hull of the Enterprise' saucer section hit the atmosphere of Tri Ro'Ku-6 with a bone-shaking jolt and the tip turned fiery red as it dented the ozone.
The turbulence sent a thrashing of angry shudders through the length of the ship.
*
Ensign Fox could only watch as the warning tones sounded on her console.
Lt. Barnaby manned the Ops station and quickly checked his readings.
Riker gave an update: "Hull temperature is at five thousand degrees and rising. At our current trajectory and rate of decent, we'll burn up within a minute!"
Picard hit his Comm badge. "Bridge to engineering - Geordi, can you-?"
"Our computers are off-line, Captain," came his frantic reply. "I'm trying to re-route power to the bridge manually but it's gonna take some time."
"We don't have any time," said Riker, holding onto his station for support.
Picard was about to order La Forge to try and completely shut down the engines and instigate an immediate evacuation, when Riker responded to a beep at tactical.
"Captain! There's a ship entering orbit!"
Barnaby turned. "It's the J'Ktah RiJ!"
*
The re-fitted Bird of Prey slipped into a stationary orbit level with the Enterprise.
On the bridge, the Captain - T'Kelan, son of Gohr - watched the screen in confused disbelief, then looked around for some rationalisation.
His second in command, Gulran, ran a quick scan. "THEIR SHIELDS ARE DOWN! THEY WILL BE DESTROYED IF THEY DO NOT PULL AWAY!"
"HAIL THEM!"
"NO REPLY! ... CAPTAIN! - AMBASSADOR WORF AND CHANCELLOR MARTOK ARE STILL ONBOARD!"
On the viewer, T'Kelan saw the front of the Enterprise was engulfed in a flaming aura. "TARGET THEIR ENGINES! ...FIRE DISRUPTORS!"
*
The wings of the Klingon ship locked into attack position and the powerful disruptor cannons fired twin blasts of energy at a key point on the hull of the Enterprise.
*
"THE ENTERPRISE HAS BEEN IMMOBALISED!"
T'Kelan raised a congratulatory fist. "LOCK ON TO THEM AND PULL THEM INTO A SAFE ORBIT ... IF REQUIRED; DROP SHIELDS AND RE-ROUTE POWER TO THE TRACTOR BEAM!"
*
"What the hell are they doing?!" yelled Riker after the disruptor blast hit the ship.
Fox answered: "They've knocked out our propulsion system!"
"They're locking on a tractor beam, sir!" added Barnaby.
Picard and Riker shared a glance. That was far too close a call.
"Picard to Daniels. Have you located Commander Data yet?"
There was no response.
Riker and Picard stiffened and shared another look. Could things get any worse?
Then Daniels' weary voice came over the Comm: "...Daniels here... we... managed to corner him... in the... cargo bay..."
"Try to hold him there until I arrive, Lieutenant."
"That's not gonna be possible, sir. ... ... He's gone."
*
Everything was confusion. The Enterprise was almost destroyed, the engines were dead, and Data had vanished.
Picard was not a happy captain.
Riker had some good news for him. "Geordi's done it. The bridge controls are back online."
Picard gave a mental sigh of relief.
"The hull is intact ... no casualties reported, Captain," Riker finished.
"Contact Mr. Giles, Number One. And open a channel to the J'Ktah RiJ."
The Commander worked the console. "Channel open."
"This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard. On behalf of my entire crew, I'd like to thank you."
He waited for the Klingon captain to respond.
"Number One?"
"The channel's open, Captain."
"Then why aren't they responding?"
Picard got his answer from his first officer: "The Klingons are charging weapons and locking on to us!"
"Raise shields!"
"Already done, sir!" answered Riker.
The ship rocked with the heavy disruptor blast.
"I'm beginning to tire of these surprises!" Picard stated to himself.
"Shields at eighty-two percent."
"Fire phasers. Target their weapons, Number One."
Riker made it so.
"Their shields are holding - weapons still active. They've fired a spread of torpedoes."
"Return fire! Photon torpedoes - keep targeting their wea-"
The bridge was thrown again.
"Shields at sixty percent!"
Then, something hit them like the wrath of an angry god and the bridge exploded in a shower of sparks. Ensign Fox was thrown out of her seat; landing with a crack at Picard's feet.
He knelt to check on her. "Status?"
Riker looked up from tactical. "They're firing through our shields!"
The damn shield modulation! "Try to reset our shield modulation and get those weapons down!"
"They targeted our shield generators. It was a direct hit."
No shields.
"Their shields are at thirty percent, Captain."
Time to bring out the big guns. "Fire a quantum torpedo ...make it two. Hit their damn weapons system!"
"Aye, sir." Riker tapped in the commands and punched 'launch'.
*
The powerful quantum torpedoes tore across the space between the two ships.
The first hit the shields of the Bird of Prey and extinguished them just as they managed to get off another spread of torpedoes.
The second one hit the hull directly, causing a damaging explosion.
*
"Direct hit to their weapons systems!"
Good.
"Captain ... brace for impact!"
*
A spread of four photon torpedoes came at the Enterprise.
Two of them sailed harmlessly between the warp nacelles and off into the void.
The remaining two slammed into the saucer section in devastating twin explosions.
*
All throughout the Enterprise, there was turmoil.
The corridors between the holodeck and sickbay were overrun with confusion.
The lighting had blown - replaced by an emergency backup - and in the gloom there were pipes hanging inert from panels in the ceiling. Some spewed gas which only served to further hinder the calm, and distressed crewmen were picking themselves up from the deck. A few weren't moving at all.
Buffy and her team drifted through the chaos, closely followed by a slightly pissed-off Spike.
Behind Willow, Xander held onto Anya and guided her along. She'd hurt her arm pretty badly in that last impact.
The others continued on to the elevator while he stopped to take Anya into sickbay.
However, the mess was as bad in there.
The doctor and her staff were running themselves ragged between patients both sitting and standing. All the beds were full.
It was a holocaust.
*
Cmdr. Riker wasn't sure how to tell Picard what he was seeing on his screen. "You won't believe this, Captain."
Picard stepped up to tactical and surveyed the sensor readings. The Klingon vessel was on a direct collision course for the Enterprise.
"Impact in thirty seconds," said Riker. "And we're dead in the water."
"We still have weapons," the Captain replied. "Disable their engines."
Riker locked on phasers.
By the time he fired, the J'Ktah RiJ made evasive manoeuvres. Arcing away from the Federation flagship, the Bird of Prey set course and went suddenly into warp.
They were gone.
*
Hull-breaches, casualties, dead crewmen, no shields, no propulsion, renegade kamikaze Klingons, a missing android and a vaporised space station.
Captain Picard was just about ready for some answers.
As if on cue, the turbolift doors parted to let four of the newcomers onto the dishevelled bridge.
Picard started to ask something of Giles, but he was interrupted by a voice over the Comm system.
"Captain Picard, ...this is Chief Rhannon in science lab one. ...We ...we lost a few systems in the attack..."
"Yes, Chief, but we have more serious -"
"It's the containment field, sir..."
He didn't have to say anymore.
Bad had just got worse.
7
The early afternoon sun draped a warm and radiant veil over the world below. Spike shaded his eyes from its glare with a hand. He wasn't used to being out in the brightness of daylight. It was almost time. Buffy was coming. This time round the Slayer was going down. This time she was gonna lose.
Xander gave Buffy an earnest look. This was deep. "Buffy. I know we've been through a lot to get this far, but don't worry about us. We can handle ourselves. Me and Willow, we're all geared up for whatever Spike throws at us. We're a team and we can work together on this, Okay?"
She nodded.
Xander was glad she understood the seriousness of what they were about to face. "But if you can hit another one of those homeruns, the game's ours!" He patted her arm. "Go get 'em, Slayer."
"You can do it," Willow assured her from her seat in the dugout. She looked pretty funny in her helmet.
Buffy put the hard-hat on and took the bat in her hands. "One Babe Ruthian homerun coming up," she promised with verve before moving out onto the baseball infield.
It was the Dodgers' stadium, overlooking downtown L.A. and the gang were just playing a few games of three-a-side baseball for fun. Other than the six of them, the 56'000-seat arena was completely empty. Barring the simulated Catcher.
"I'm up next," Xander said to Willow as he sat down with her in the dugout. "Better get me psyched up, Will."
"Or maybe I could get you to tell me what's up," she said, sliding her helmet off onto her lap.
"Huh? What's up with who?"
"C'mon; you might have the others fooled, Xander, but this is me. You haven't been yourself since we got here." She looked at him with the deepest of sincerity that only the closest of friends could know. "You're worrying me."
Xander didn't resist her. She was serious and she was right. He glanced out onto the field where the sunshine touched the Bermuda grass; where pretty much all the people who really understood him were living in the moment and enjoying it to the full. He sighed heavily. Putting things in perspective, it made his feelings seem almost void of reason. "It's stupid, ya know. I should be able to deal. We've been in lots of tough situations before now. But I can't help feelin' like - just when things were startin' to work out for me - just when I thought I'd found my place in the world... a job I'm good at... a home. A real home, not some grotty basement the Munsters' wouldn't wanna be caught undead in ... and Anya."
He watched her for a moment. "Nothing like wakin' up in the wrong universe to shake your tree. And it scares me, Willow. What if we never get home?"
"We will get home, Xander. I've been researching some stuff and you wouldn't believe how much these guys time-travel. I mean, to say they have rules against it, they're pretty lacking in the discipline department. And this whole dimension thing - to them it's like...old news. Been there, done that, got the cellular RNA to prove it. I know they'll work this out."
Maybe she was right. But maybe there was something else that troubled him.
Spike, in his New York Yankee's striped uniform, slipped his cap back on as Buffy, wearing the L.A. Dodger's kit, stepped up to the batter's box.
"Your winning streak's about to end, Slayer." Standing in the pitcher's circle, he took up his set position.
Buffy dug her heals into the dirt and brought the bat up high. "Gimme your best shot, Spike."
'You asked for it' he thought.
The Holo-Catcher gave him a signal. 'Balls to that' he decided. Not that he knew what the sign meant anyway. He was gonna give the Slayer something to chew on. Literally.
He checked his fielders to make sure they were ready. They took up rough positions on either side of him. Anya seemed a little disgruntled and Giles just looked completely out of place. But they were ready. Spike feinted back, stepped forward with a hard swing and pitched a hell of a shot. It wasn't what he was going for, though.
He'd somehow managed to send her a perfect batting shot and she slammed it right back at him.
'Christ!' The vamp ducked in the nick of time as the ball flashed passed his head. It was away. So was Buffy - she dumped the bat and went for first base.
The tightly bound ball sailed along for a couple of hundred yards before gravity worked its will and eased it back to earth...where it continued to roll away from the infield. Buffy passed first base, scuffing the bag and ran for home.
From his position, Spike yelled at his fielders: "Well don't just STAND there, people! GET THE /BALL/!"
Giles looked at the distant ball, still moving, then looked back at Spike and shrugged. "It's gone."
Anya was annoyed. "They're going to win."
Spike opened his arms in an appeal to the gods - maybe they'd send him a better team.
The homerun was well and truly in the bag.
In the dugout, Willow saw that Xander still wasn't convinced. "And, even if they don't find a way to get us back - which they will, at least you've got the most important thing right here."
Anya.
"I know. You're right, but...there's this whole new evil goin' down and...how can you fight what you can't see? What can I do? I don't have powers. I'm not a superhero, Willow. "
"No, you're not," she said. "Buffy's the Slayer. I conjure dark forces to do my bidding. You don't have any of that. Still, you're always out on the frontline with us every step of the way. You're the bravest one of all of us. Brave, smart and funny. You're the three-in-one collector's edition Xander. You're not a 'superhero'. ...You're a /hero/."
He didn't know quite what to say. "Wow. Willow. You do a mean psyche-up."
"Just call me Babe Ruth," Buffy said coming down from the field.
"Okay," said Xander. "Only shorter. And less with the fat and ugly."
"So..." Willow began. "You...got a...a homerun."
Buffy couldn't tell if she was asking or making a statement. "You guys did see my shot, right?"
"Uh..."
"Well..."
"You're kidding me? After that 'go get em girl' lecture?"
"Well..." Willow tried to explain, "Xander was having a slight crisis..."
"Yeah, I'm kinda feeling less than a man. It's this whole crazy predicament we're in. There's a fear I might be loosing my new-found cool status."
Buffy chuckled. "Even Spike seems cool - most of the time - and you're way badder than him."
"Computer! Gimme another soddin' ball!" bellowed Spike.
"Please re-state your request," came the answer.
"Here!" shouted Willow as she picked another ball from a barrel full of them and tossed it his way. "No need to get grouchy just 'cos you're losing."
"I want to be on Xander's team," Anya moaned.
"An," replied Xander, "you were on my team the last two games."
"Yes, but we won those."
"You can't win 'em all though, Sweetie."
"You have," she muttered under her breath, but enough to be heard.
"It's no great wonder we're bloody-well losing!" moaned Spike. "Where's our team spirit? Sittin' on its arse in the bar, I'll wager. Sippin' on a fancy cocktail with its feet up being hand-fed grapes. 'Cos it's not here!"
"For goodness sake, Spike, it's only a game," Giles pointed out.
"You're one to talk, Gramps. You were all - 'Bloody irrational, typically American, glorified Rounders bats! You wouldn't have this absurdity with Cricket!' - All 'cos you couldn't hit the ball. You haven't even tried to catch one yet."
"If you're suggesting you could do a better job of fielding...?"
*
Xander came up to bat. He took his stance, balancing on the inside balls of his feet; bat up with a loose grip; eyes focused on the Pitcher.
Giles stretched his arms and loosened up his neck before he prepared to throw.
Spike stood near right field, hands on hips.
Bringing his knee up and stepping forward, Giles let rip with a Fastball.
Xander saw it coming and cracked it hard. He hit a killer Flyball that sailed up, up and well away.
Yep. Xander the Man was back in the game.
"Well, aren't you going to get it?" Giles called to Spike.
The ball landed in the far seating area and bounced off in all directions. A good 5 or 600 yards away.
"Not likely!"
Xander finished his homerun to Buffy and Willow's applause and the game was over.
The sunlit vamp threw down his cap. "Who's half-baked idea was it to play baseball, anyway?"
"Hey!" Xander shouted at him. "Just think yourself lucky we let you come. You're only here to make up the numbers, buster."
"Oh, yeah? So, why'd they bring you along, College-Boy? Oh, wait a minute, you don't go to college do you? In fact, come to think of it, you never did!"
"At least I'm not a freak!"
"Ya' think?!"
"Impotent demon!"
"Big, ugly Lug!"
It was like watching tennis - The gang looked from Xander to Spike and back to Xander.
"I think I'm gonna hit him," Xander said to them.
"Don't waste your energy. I've got better things to do with my time than hang with a bunch a' geeks like you lot!" Having said that, Spike turned and stormed away in a huff.
Xander remembered the mass of 'dead' bodies they had seen when they first met the Klingons. "Hey, Will, ...remember that thing we joked about earlier? You think you could do it?"
"Sure I could. No problem."
Buffy looked at the two of them. "What thing?"
Spike tried to find the door. He was sure it was near the scoreboard somewhere.
Suddenly he pricked up his ears - he thought he heard ... a stampede?
Stepping back onto the grass, he saw a strange tunnel he hadn't noticed before. It looked out of place somehow. He peered tentatively down the hole. The rumble of thunder got louder and seemed to grow closer...
A battalion of raging, bloodthirsty Klingons - armed to the rotten teeth - tore out of the tunnel and came rushing at him, waving spears and swords. Spike's mouth opened but nothing more than a whimper came out. He spun on his heels and bolted.
Stood under a computer arch, The five Scoobies watched him run, laughing amongst themselves.
Willow saw that Spike was heading for them and quickly entered some new instructions into the computer.
The vampire skidded to a stop on the edge of a canyon, knocking dirt and stone over the sharp lip. On the other side stood the Scooby Gang.
Buffy had her arms folded. "So, now you wanna hang with us? How ironic."
*
An incoming message appeared on Lt. Daniels' console.
Picard heard the chime from his post at the centre of the bridge and spun to face tactical. "Report."
"We're receiving a message from the Klingon vessel /J'Ktah RiJ/, Captain. They will arrive at our position shortly to transport the Klingon delegates to Earth."
"Very well, Lieutenant. Acknowledge their request and inform the ambassador to prepare his group for transport." He swivelled back to the viewscreen and surveyed the wreckage of the planetary observatory one last time. "Off screen," he commanded before the holographic viewer faded away, leaving bare wall.
Riker saw the look on Picard's tired face. "Something troubling you, Captain? Other than destroying a perfectly good science station?"
"I was just thinking about this 'entity' that's been set loose on our ship. If it really isn't a life-form... if it's nothing more than a force of evil... how can we hope to determine what it is capable of? Or what it wants?" He tapped a button on his armrest and the screen reappeared. "If Data didn't accidentally destroy the observatory, ...then someone, or some/thing/, did."
The turbolift doors opened to a bothered-looking Chief Engineer.
Picard rose to meet him. "Geordi. You have the report I asked for?"
He waved a PADD at Picard. "Right here. But I think we should talk in private."
"Number One," Picard said, motioning for Riker to join them as he led the way to his readyroom.
Geordi didn't bother to sit down. "I've been over our sensor logs, Captain, and there didn't seem to be any faults with the observatory."
"So Data's wrong?" Riker speculated.
"Not necessarily, Commander. There could have been a problem and we just didn't pick it up."
"What caused the transporter interference?" asked Picard.
"Well, that could have been one of two things. A dampening field put up to block the transporters - in which case it failed when the field generator was destroyed in one of the smaller explosions. Or simply a wave of ionic interference from the surface."
Picard frowned with dissatisfaction. "We're still no closer to an answer, then."
Geordi handed him the PADD. "So, I decided to analyse the observatories schematics."
The captain didn't like what was on the small screen before him.
La Forge explained: "The first explosion was in the fuel storage pod. And the smaller ones went off exactly where all of the self-destruct ordnance packages were located. Someone on that observatory set off the auto-destruct sequence and managed to do it undetected. As much as I hate to admit it ... It had to be Data."
Riker couldn't believe it. "There must be another explanation, Geordi."
"I wish I could find one."
It was beginning to make sense to Picard - Data reading the inscription and his malfunctioning. It was slowly becoming clear. "It was Data. We must have missed something when he was examined. He may have been affected by the anomaly in a way we weren't able to detect."
Lt. Daniels' worried voice came over the Comm system. "Captain; please report to the bridge."
The three senior officers stepped back onto the bridge and Picard asked for Daniels' report.
"Someone onboard is trying to access the auto-destruct initiation codes!"
"Lock out the codes!" ordered Picard immediately. "All of them!"
He knew what Data was capable of. Once the codes were locked out, they would have to request new codes from Starfleet Command. It was a drastic measure, but...
"Lt. Daniels - take a security team and find Commander Data, wherever he is, and immobilise him."
"Sir?"
"That is my instruction, Lieutenant."
"Yes, sir."
"Commander Riker - take tactical. Geordi - I want you at Ops."
Ensign Fox at the Conn double-checked what her console was telling her. "Captain! We're moving!"
"Heading?"
"Two, four, zero - mark - seven, five, nine. Straight into the planet's atmosphere!"
"All stop, Ensign!"
"Conn not responding, Captain."
"Red alert! Shields up! Direct all available power to shields."
"Shields are not responding!" called Riker. "All bridge controls have been re-routed!"
"Get them back!"
*
Spike was trapped. He couldn't get any farther back and the mad fleet of Klingons was getting very close. He had no other choice. Stepping back from the canyon edge, he made a desperate run and leapt across the abyss.
But it was just too wide.
He realised he was about to fall to a possible 'Death' when the canyon, the field, and the Klingon warriors faded away. Spike hit the holodeck floor with his face and the alert sirens went off. Trouble.
*
"We may have to evacuate the ship," admitted Picard. "Inform the crew. Tell them to take the lifeboats to Tri Ro'Ku-Four. It's the only M-Class planet in the system without indigenous life."
Riker tried to work his station. "It's no use, sir. All bridge functions have been isolated from the system."
"La Forge - go to engineering and try to shut down the propulsion systems."
Picard thought. There was nothing he could do. He didn't understand what was happening. "Find me Rupert Giles."
*
Giles led the group out into the flashing red corridor of the ship, still in baseball kits. "Let's all remain calm until we know if-"
A group of security officers ran screaming at them with guns and sensor handsets.
"OUT OF THE WAY!"
"HE'S HEADING FOR THE TURBOLIFT!"
Just as quickly, they disappeared down the passageway.
"...Or perhaps not," finished Giles rather bewildered.
"This universe is starting to scare me," Anya grumbled.
Xander tapped the badge on his chest. "Uh...Xander Harris to...someone?"
No response.
"We should head for the bridge," Buffy decided.
*
The forward hull of the Enterprise' saucer section hit the atmosphere of Tri Ro'Ku-6 with a bone-shaking jolt and the tip turned fiery red as it dented the ozone.
The turbulence sent a thrashing of angry shudders through the length of the ship.
*
Ensign Fox could only watch as the warning tones sounded on her console.
Lt. Barnaby manned the Ops station and quickly checked his readings.
Riker gave an update: "Hull temperature is at five thousand degrees and rising. At our current trajectory and rate of decent, we'll burn up within a minute!"
Picard hit his Comm badge. "Bridge to engineering - Geordi, can you-?"
"Our computers are off-line, Captain," came his frantic reply. "I'm trying to re-route power to the bridge manually but it's gonna take some time."
"We don't have any time," said Riker, holding onto his station for support.
Picard was about to order La Forge to try and completely shut down the engines and instigate an immediate evacuation, when Riker responded to a beep at tactical.
"Captain! There's a ship entering orbit!"
Barnaby turned. "It's the J'Ktah RiJ!"
*
The re-fitted Bird of Prey slipped into a stationary orbit level with the Enterprise.
On the bridge, the Captain - T'Kelan, son of Gohr - watched the screen in confused disbelief, then looked around for some rationalisation.
His second in command, Gulran, ran a quick scan. "THEIR SHIELDS ARE DOWN! THEY WILL BE DESTROYED IF THEY DO NOT PULL AWAY!"
"HAIL THEM!"
"NO REPLY! ... CAPTAIN! - AMBASSADOR WORF AND CHANCELLOR MARTOK ARE STILL ONBOARD!"
On the viewer, T'Kelan saw the front of the Enterprise was engulfed in a flaming aura. "TARGET THEIR ENGINES! ...FIRE DISRUPTORS!"
*
The wings of the Klingon ship locked into attack position and the powerful disruptor cannons fired twin blasts of energy at a key point on the hull of the Enterprise.
*
"THE ENTERPRISE HAS BEEN IMMOBALISED!"
T'Kelan raised a congratulatory fist. "LOCK ON TO THEM AND PULL THEM INTO A SAFE ORBIT ... IF REQUIRED; DROP SHIELDS AND RE-ROUTE POWER TO THE TRACTOR BEAM!"
*
"What the hell are they doing?!" yelled Riker after the disruptor blast hit the ship.
Fox answered: "They've knocked out our propulsion system!"
"They're locking on a tractor beam, sir!" added Barnaby.
Picard and Riker shared a glance. That was far too close a call.
"Picard to Daniels. Have you located Commander Data yet?"
There was no response.
Riker and Picard stiffened and shared another look. Could things get any worse?
Then Daniels' weary voice came over the Comm: "...Daniels here... we... managed to corner him... in the... cargo bay..."
"Try to hold him there until I arrive, Lieutenant."
"That's not gonna be possible, sir. ... ... He's gone."
*
Everything was confusion. The Enterprise was almost destroyed, the engines were dead, and Data had vanished.
Picard was not a happy captain.
Riker had some good news for him. "Geordi's done it. The bridge controls are back online."
Picard gave a mental sigh of relief.
"The hull is intact ... no casualties reported, Captain," Riker finished.
"Contact Mr. Giles, Number One. And open a channel to the J'Ktah RiJ."
The Commander worked the console. "Channel open."
"This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard. On behalf of my entire crew, I'd like to thank you."
He waited for the Klingon captain to respond.
"Number One?"
"The channel's open, Captain."
"Then why aren't they responding?"
Picard got his answer from his first officer: "The Klingons are charging weapons and locking on to us!"
"Raise shields!"
"Already done, sir!" answered Riker.
The ship rocked with the heavy disruptor blast.
"I'm beginning to tire of these surprises!" Picard stated to himself.
"Shields at eighty-two percent."
"Fire phasers. Target their weapons, Number One."
Riker made it so.
"Their shields are holding - weapons still active. They've fired a spread of torpedoes."
"Return fire! Photon torpedoes - keep targeting their wea-"
The bridge was thrown again.
"Shields at sixty percent!"
Then, something hit them like the wrath of an angry god and the bridge exploded in a shower of sparks. Ensign Fox was thrown out of her seat; landing with a crack at Picard's feet.
He knelt to check on her. "Status?"
Riker looked up from tactical. "They're firing through our shields!"
The damn shield modulation! "Try to reset our shield modulation and get those weapons down!"
"They targeted our shield generators. It was a direct hit."
No shields.
"Their shields are at thirty percent, Captain."
Time to bring out the big guns. "Fire a quantum torpedo ...make it two. Hit their damn weapons system!"
"Aye, sir." Riker tapped in the commands and punched 'launch'.
*
The powerful quantum torpedoes tore across the space between the two ships.
The first hit the shields of the Bird of Prey and extinguished them just as they managed to get off another spread of torpedoes.
The second one hit the hull directly, causing a damaging explosion.
*
"Direct hit to their weapons systems!"
Good.
"Captain ... brace for impact!"
*
A spread of four photon torpedoes came at the Enterprise.
Two of them sailed harmlessly between the warp nacelles and off into the void.
The remaining two slammed into the saucer section in devastating twin explosions.
*
All throughout the Enterprise, there was turmoil.
The corridors between the holodeck and sickbay were overrun with confusion.
The lighting had blown - replaced by an emergency backup - and in the gloom there were pipes hanging inert from panels in the ceiling. Some spewed gas which only served to further hinder the calm, and distressed crewmen were picking themselves up from the deck. A few weren't moving at all.
Buffy and her team drifted through the chaos, closely followed by a slightly pissed-off Spike.
Behind Willow, Xander held onto Anya and guided her along. She'd hurt her arm pretty badly in that last impact.
The others continued on to the elevator while he stopped to take Anya into sickbay.
However, the mess was as bad in there.
The doctor and her staff were running themselves ragged between patients both sitting and standing. All the beds were full.
It was a holocaust.
*
Cmdr. Riker wasn't sure how to tell Picard what he was seeing on his screen. "You won't believe this, Captain."
Picard stepped up to tactical and surveyed the sensor readings. The Klingon vessel was on a direct collision course for the Enterprise.
"Impact in thirty seconds," said Riker. "And we're dead in the water."
"We still have weapons," the Captain replied. "Disable their engines."
Riker locked on phasers.
By the time he fired, the J'Ktah RiJ made evasive manoeuvres. Arcing away from the Federation flagship, the Bird of Prey set course and went suddenly into warp.
They were gone.
*
Hull-breaches, casualties, dead crewmen, no shields, no propulsion, renegade kamikaze Klingons, a missing android and a vaporised space station.
Captain Picard was just about ready for some answers.
As if on cue, the turbolift doors parted to let four of the newcomers onto the dishevelled bridge.
Picard started to ask something of Giles, but he was interrupted by a voice over the Comm system.
"Captain Picard, ...this is Chief Rhannon in science lab one. ...We ...we lost a few systems in the attack..."
"Yes, Chief, but we have more serious -"
"It's the containment field, sir..."
He didn't have to say anymore.
Bad had just got worse.
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