Gemini (26 page)

“Normal magnification,” said Kirk.

“That is normal magnification, sir,” replied Sulu.

“The manifestation's size—if not its mass—is appreciable larger than during our last encounter, Captain, by at least one hundred and fifty percent.”

The thing neared them slowly, tendrils of energy flicking from it, like a cat twitching its whiskers as it approached prey.

“Shields on maximum,” said Kirk.

“Aye, sir,” said Chekov.

“Spock,” said Kirk, without taking his eyes from the screen, “are other like storms appearing over the planet, as they did last time?”

“I scanned for that immediately, Captain,” replied the science officer, “and have found other manifestations across the planet. Some of them over the same sites as the last time, some over entirely new sites, such as the Royal Art Museum.”

“Have those storms grown in size, like this one?”

“I read an average size increase of one hundred and forty-five percent, yes, sir,” he replied. “Sir,” Spock continued, in the same tone of deadly calm, “the storm is attacking.”

A tendril of energy flicked lazily from the cloud's center, a second later the
Enterprise
shook.

“Shields to ninety-five percent,” said Sulu.

“Shield update in ten-percent increments,” said Kirk. “Spock, I asked you and Scotty to put your heads together for options on how to fight that thing. Well?”

“We have developed a method of temporarily increasing phaser power, Captain,” said Spock.

“Let's try it out,” said Kirk, grimly. “Target the darker portion of it as it gets ready to discharge …
there! Fire!”

A stream of energy leaped onto the viewscreen, targeting the thicker part of the energy cloud precisely. For a few seconds that area grew slightly less opaque, then coalesced to its original texture.

“Its new strength seems to make it more resilient to attack,” said Spock, in a tone that was almost admiring.

“Captain,” said Sulu, “I'm reading another patch of the manifestation darkening.”

“Target and fire,” said Kirk.

“Which one, sir?” asked Chekov. “There are five.”

True enough, now five darkened regions appeared on the storm's mass, darkening and fading alternately, as if daring the
Enterprise
to hit them.

“Fascinating,” said Spock, inevitably.

“Target all of them. Fire,” said Kirk, and a moment later, five quick phaser blasts shot out, just too late to strike the darkened patches of the cloud before they faded.

“Shields down to eighty percent,” said Sulu, as the ship quivered.

“All power to aft shields. Rotate the ship so the aft hull is closest to that thing,” Kirk said. “Opinions, Spock?”

“I shall have to revise my previous estimate of the manifestation's intelligence, Captain. It seems possessed of the capacity to learn from its previous experience.”

“Options, then?”

“Mr. Scott and I have also developed a manner of rotating the shield power, so any given area of the ship can be covered at each nanosecond. It is virtually as effective as full shields.”

“Give it a try,” said Kirk, as a new tremor shook the ship. “And forward current readings on that thing down to engineering. Scotty may be able to make use of them.”

“Aye, sir.”

“Sir, it's firing again,” said Sulu. “With seven dark patches this time.”

“Target a spread of phasers and photon torpedoes,” said Kirk, “and fire.”

The shuddering of the ship almost obscured the voice from Kirk's console.
“McCoy to Kirk.”

“We're a little busy up here, Doctor,” said Kirk, with no trace of irony.

“Jim, I picked up the readings Spock sent down to Scotty. Take a look at the records I just sent Spock.”

“What was that?” The last part of McCoy's speech had been obscured by a sound Kirk desperately hoped wasn't hull plates buckling. “Spock, prepare an anti-matter charge if there's no other—”

“Captain,” sounded Spock's measured tones, over the din, “I suggest you see this.”

“What in hell—?” But Kirk pulled his way to Spock's station and looked at the readings on his console. “That looks like the energy field of the storm! Spock, we need—”

“But it is not, Captain,” said Spock. He tapped more buttons and a second, identical pattern appeared beneath the first one. He then manipulated the two over one another; they were a perfect fit.

“What is this?” asked Kirk, pointing to the first one.

“That's what I've been trying to tell you,”
came McCoy's voice.
“It's the
twins'
encephalogram reading—
before
they were separated.”

“But how could that—?” The
Enterprise
shook again, as if possessed of a seizure. “Bones, get up here right away—and bring Lonal with you. Sulu, all power to shields … !”

Lonal wasn't enjoying his tour of the ship nearly as much now. He took one look at the roiling mass of chaos on the viewscreen and nearly fainted.

“You were going to tell us why the princes were conjoined,” said Kirk. “Does it have something to do with that?” He thrust a finger at the viewscreen; Lonal literally hid his eyes from the sight.

“They were naught but hours old,” said Lonal, getting a grip on himself, “when a small storm—like that one,” he waved a hand in the direction of the viewscreen, but did not look at it, “was created somehow. The scientists said it had something to do with their pure bloodlines … ”

“And to the history of psionic abilities historically attributed to the Nadorian people,” said Spock. “The twins' abilities were mutually destructive?”

“Yes,” cried Lonal, clinging to the arm of Kirk's chair. “It was determined that the only way to quell them was to mingle their nervous systems—what better way to do that than to conjoin them?”

“And condemn them to a life as aberrations,” said Kirk, grimly. He shook his head; now wasn't the time. “You're saying the twins' psionic abilities are doing this, without their even being aware of it?”

“It does correlate with the history of the Nadorian people, Captain, and the princes' pure bloodlines. Unfortunately, such ‘purity' of bloodlines has historically resulted in minor genetic imperfections being intensely magnified.”

“Bones, can you—” Kirk had to wait for the ship to stop shaking. “Can you somehow link the twins' minds together?”

“Already working on a neural link,” nodded McCoy. “That'll take the heat off for a little while.”

“Then go,” said Kirk, jerking a thumb to the lift. “And take this with you.”

“I suppose I can put him to work sweeping up,” grumbled McCoy, dragging Lonal with him.

“Spock,” said Kirk, “how far away is that thing?”

“Five hundred kilometers,” replied Spock. “It seems to be readying another assault.”

“Shields at thirty percent,” said Sulu.

“Sulu, deploy a fusillade of photon torpedoes, set to explode at two hundred meters.”

“Aye, sir, two hundred meters.”

“It's discharging,” said Spock. “Such a barrier will absorb only a portion of the blast.”

“It'll buy us a little time. Fire.”

The ship shook a little less this time, as the barrier of exploding torpedoes diffused some of the storm's attack.

“Ready another round, Sulu.”

“Torpedo room reports no more ready, sir,” said Sulu.

“Bones,” said Kirk, making no attempt to keep the urgency from his voice, “if you're going to do anything, it better be now.”

“Understood, Jim. C'mere, Your Highness.”

“It tingles,”
said one of the princes, presumably in reply to whatever action McCoy had taken.

“Mine itches,”
said the other prince—right now, Kirk didn't have the wherewithal to tell them apart over the intercom.

“They better do more than that,”
said McCoy.

“Sir,” said Spock, “the storm is readying another assault.”

“All power to shields,” said Kirk, in a tone of resignation.

On the viewscreen, several dark spots on the surface of the energy manifestation coalesced. Below them, energy flashed like blood pulsing below living skin … .

“Here it comes,” said Kirk.

Then the flashes dimmed and the storm began to fade, the dark spots being the last to go.

“The manifestation has dissipated, Captain,” said Spock.

“Secure from red alert,” said Kirk, leaping from his chair. “Sulu, you have the conn. Spock, with me.”

* * *

“Most interesting,” murmured Spock, examining the metallic patches fastened to the backs of the necks of Their Serene Highnesses.

“Thank you,” said McCoy, clearly uneasy at receiving an unalloyed comment from Spock. Kirk kept his grin to himself. Bones would replay Spock's remarks a thousand times in his head, causing himself more worry than if Spock had simply insulted him. Whether Spock had intended to do so would remain unknown; McCoy would never give him the satisfaction of asking.

“These neural links are normally used to facilitate the repair of nerve damage, but I reprogrammed them to do just the opposite of what they're usually used for, to intercept brain impulses rather than relay them.”

“Good job, Bones. How long will they work?”

McCoy's smile faded to a frown. “That's another matter, Jim. I can't be certain; maybe a few hours, maybe a few days. Since there's nothing really wrong with the princes, eventually their neural impulses will find their way back to the proper paths.”

“Then you'd better—”

“I'm already trying to develop other methods.”

“Is there any kind of operation that might work?” Kirk glanced at the princes, and saw their expressions fall. “Other than reconjoining them, of course.”

McCoy shook his head. “Not a one, Jim. The brain is the trickiest organ in the body, and we don't know one-half as much as I'd need to know to operate without turning them into breathing vegetables. And as for reconjoining them … don't even think about it. They're still recovering from being separated. An operation like that would kill them for sure.”

Kirk nodded, and turned to Lonal, who had been lurking in a corner of sickbay, trying to remain unnoticed.

“Regent Lonal,” said Kirk, “do you have anything else you'd care to share with us?”

“I have told you everything I know,” he said, summoning up all the dignity of a man trying to bluff on a pair of twos. “You will return me to the palace immediately.”

“That would not be advisable, Captain,” said Spock. “Should the conspirators learn that the princes are still alive—”

“Thank you, Spock,” said Kirk, dryly. “Regent Lonal, I'm afraid you're going to have to remain our guest for a while yet.”

“I will not! You have no right to keep me here!”

“Technically, you're right,” said Kirk. He seemed to think for a moment, then nodded. “Very well, you may return to the palace.”

“I should hope so,” said Lonal, huffily.

“But you do realize that once you set foot back on Nador, we can no longer help you.”

“Help?” Lonal's tone was contemptuous, but Kirk thought he heard a sliver of uncertainty in it. “Why would I need your help?”

“The conspirators think they have been successful in murdering the princes,” said Kirk with a shrug, on his way to the sickbay door. “And if they're working their way down the chain, well … ” His voice trailed off, but he suspended his hands in the air resignedly.

“You mean …
my
life may be in danger?”

“Perhaps,” said Kirk, “but ‘uneasy lies the head' and all that.” Kirk resumed his progress toward the door. “Coming, Regent—?”

“I am not,” said Lonal, emphatically. He had withdrawn to the farthest wall, spread-eagled against the instruments there. “I demand sanctuary!”

Kirk smiled. “I thought you might.”

“A
RE YOU SURE
this will work, Spock?”

“The efficacy of the device is not in question, Captain. It does function. Rather, it is the outcome of the mission it makes possible which is open to question.”

Kirk examined the polyglot device Spock had presented to him. It was slightly smaller than a human index finger. Its original surface was studded with microcircuits that gave it a jury-rigged look. “It seems a little large to have been concealed on the chair the princes sat in.”

“This version is admittedly larger than the original,” said Spock, “owing largely to the fact that much of the circuitry has been retroengineered, and is therefore doubtless not as space-efficient as the original model.”

“But it will work?”

“Undoubtedly, sir. When activated, it will broadcast the same frequency which the missile that assaulted the princes was designed to follow.”

Kirk hefted the object in his hand and swiveled to face Uhura. “And you can trace the frequency, Lieutenant? Enable us to send a landing party back to its source?”

“I'm sure I can, sir,” said Uhura, “but why would they keep that frequency open, after all this time? Why should its operators respond?” These were good questions, so Kirk looked inquiringly at Spock.

“Remember, Lieutenant,” said Spock, “the manufacturers of this device believe it destroyed in the attack on the princes. They therefore have no reason not to believe the frequency is available for further utilization. And if the frequency had eluded detection in the past, there is no reason for them to discard a tool which has proven useful.”

“Especially if they've gotten careless in the wake of the princes' deaths,” said Kirk. “Our opponents have accomplished at least one of their major objectives.”