Area 51, Stardate 1986.29 (2260.29)

Light burned Amara’s eyes as her suit’s helmet retracted back into the collar. When it did that the dry heat became immediately apparent along with the taste of dry sand in her mouth. Dust that was kicked up when she landed. Her back and bottom were very sore as she shifted to make certain nothing was broken. Nothing was that she could tell but landing on her backside HURT!

She tilted her right hand up and the Holo interface appeared for her suit’s built in tricorder. She had no idea where she was and as she attempted to orientate it to the navsat system supplied by Section 31, she quickly found that it wasn’t there. She paused as she tried to think what to do and she shrugged and opened the system up to locate ‘any’ system linked to any available GPS system. As she set her suit into locating one she sat up and brushed herself off.

Amara was thankful that she had been wearing her Section 31 suit. Without it, she knew that she would be in a lot more pain right now. She was able to move her arms, legs, fingers and toes without any indication that anything was broken so she knew that, other than being a little sore, she was alright. However, she had no idea where she was. She attempted to use her suit's built in tricorder to orient it to the navsat system, but it wasn't there. She then decided to try to locate any available GPS system. She could only see desert around her so she began to assume she was on a desert planet of some kind. The air was dry and hot, but breathable. The last thing she could remember was being on the bridge of the Enterprise and then having several tendrils from the light pillar envelope her. She hoped that everyone else was alright. She could only imagine that James was going out of his mind at this point. She remained calm though as she continued to scan for any GPS system.

She stood up and brushed herself off and then began to look around her a little more. She thought she spotted some buildings in the distance so she started to walk that way.

The buildings were fairly far away but their lights made it easier to know they were there. The terrain here was fairly level and there was enough scrub and brush peppered nearby that if she had to dodge into one for concealment she could. Her suit resisted cameras and the like so anything that might use infra-red or movement would likely not lock onto her.

When she got closer to what she thought were buildings however, it quickly became apparent that this wasn’t just buildings, it was some kind of Military installation. It was nestled down on a flat plane below where she crouched down next to a bush. Her eyes telescoped her vision and she saw that everything looked very antiquated. They drove around in ground vehicles and had uniforms of some sort. She also saw all the weapons they carried. Some just sidearms but others had long guns as well. There were men in towers all around a high fence and people moved about doing...something, she didn’t know what. Her tricorder told her they were all human but there was one non-human in there and it knew what it was. An Etarian was somewhere down there.

As Amara drew closer, she began to see that these weren't ordinary buildings. They were military buildings of some kind. Everything looked very old...much like pictures she had seen in museums of Earth in the 20th century. She could see signs and could see they were in English. The men wore uniforms and carried guns. Some where in vehicles and others were in towers all around a high fence. As she studied her tricorder she could see that they were all human except for one non-human...an Etarian. She now knew that she was on Earth and had somehow been sent back in time. Was it to rescue this Etarian? She couldn't be certain, but she knew she needed to try and get to it somehow. She didn't have a phaser, but she did have other weapons in her suit that she could use. 

Looking up at the sun, she could tell it was past noon, but still hours away from nightfall. She wouldn't dare try anything until then. She moved closer to the fencing, but still stayed out of sight. She studied the security more closely and found that the western most corner was the least secured. That is where she would make her attempt to get inside. It was going to be dangerous, but she felt that she didn't have much of a choice. She currently had no way of getting back and they did have an Etarian, the alien race that the Enterprise had just encountered. That couldn't just be a coincidence. 

She moved over to the western most corner, but remained hidden in some shrubbery until nightfall.

Scarlett’s coordinates put the origin of the probe down on the planet. A small Island near a large continent in the upper hemisphere had projected the Probe. The ship’s sensors had detected an energy reading there but nothing else. The area appeared to be a ruin of some kind. Kirk decided to take an away team down.

The moment Amara had vanished, Kirk had a growing pit in his stomach and he found it difficult to concentrate. Amara was the love of his life and she had come a long way since he met her. The thought of losing her forever was unthinkable. That and he didn’t want pity or words of support. He just wanted to find her.

“Elyse, I want you to gather Scarlett, yourself and McCoy for an away mission. Tricorders and phasers,” he said. “Have them report to the transporter room in two hours,” he said as he stepped off the bridge. Once again he didn’t relieve himself. Spock just stood and moved over anyway though and gave Scarlett a look. He was uneasy and concerned about his friend.

Scarlett and Elyse both looked over at Spock. It was clear that Jim was upset about Amara's disappearance. There was no doubt in anyone's minds of his love for her. Elyse wondered if Jim wasn't emotionally compromised by what was happening. How could he not be? However, no one seemed willing to say something to him. At first, Elyse thought about going after him to talk to him, but she got the feeling he didn't want words of support. He would want them all to do their jobs and what he asked them to do. 

Elyse did go to sickbay though to talk to Leonard. She told him what had happened on the bridge and about Amara's disappearance. "Jim wants you to be apart of our away team to go down to the planet." She was quiet a moment before looking at him. "I'm worried about Jim."

McCoy greete Elyse warmly but when he saw the concern on her face and then listened to what she told him he was concerned as well. But he also knew the man. Kirk had been in tight spots before and he always came out on top. Always.

“Well, all we can do is continue to be behind him. He usually finds a way...so lets just go find her,” He said.

In the transporter room Kirk was waiting for them. Once they all took their places, Scotty transported them down.

They were indeed in ruins and Kirk drew out his phaser immediately. McCoy and Scarlett used their tricorders and Elyse pulled out her phaser as well. The ground was just a pale sand but the broken stone of the walls looked very old.

“Its over 3000 years old Jim,” McCoy said. Scarlett managed to lock onto the power signature and she pivoted her body to face where it was coming from. Kirk touched the stone and rubbed a bit of the sand out of a rune embedded into the stone. “Elyse,” he said and pointed to the carved runes in the wall. Elyse pulled out her holo camera and took photos of the runes.

Elyse and Jim grabbed phasers and McCoy and Scarlett had tricorders. When they were beamed down, they found themselves in what appeared to be old ruins. While McCoy scanned the ruins themselves, Scarlett locked onto the power signature. She turned to face where it was coming from. As Kirk rubbed some sand out of the stone, they discovered there was a rune embedded into it. Elyse began to take pictures as Scarlett scanned it with her tricorder. 

"I don't see anyone around," Elyse stated. "Are you picking up any life forms?"

“No,” McCoy said plainly but he still looked at the tricorder. The energy reading was unfamiliar to Scarlett but it did resemble the probe’s energy signature. Kirk eventually led them on with his phaser at the ready. As they explored the ruins they eventually found a slope that led them down underneath the surface, deeper into the ruins. The odd writing was there too and it gave off an eerie, pal green light. Even so Kirk used his wrist torch as did the others. Eventually they made their way down and the room opened up. The room they stepped into was whole. The floor, ceiling and walls were whole and the room was large and round. In the center was an oddly shaped, silvery disk. As they approached it they could see that it was taller and wider than a large man and that the silvery texture resembled a mirror but inside of it their reflections shifted and roiled as if it wasn’t entirely solid. Behind the mirror there was a backing but it just appeared as some kind of dark stone. There was a small ramp carved into the stone base that denoted people might have, at one time, gone into the mirror.

“So the energy source is coming from here?” Kirk asked. When Scarlett confirmed that it was unclear what to do then. Kirk bent down and picked up a small stone. He took a few steps up toward the mirror.

“Jim, now you don’t know what…” Bones began but Kirk just tossed it into the mirror anyway. The stone disappeared into it. Kirk picked up another stone and this time he stepped up to the mirror. He held the stone with 2 fingers and held it into the mirror halfway. Nothing happened. When he tossed the stone into it, the stone disappeared.

Scarlett was fascinated by the mirror, but Elyse was much more cautious. Scarlett double checked her findings and then confirmed to Kirk that the energy source was coming from the mirror. It didn't look like a normal mirror. It wasn't cracked or broken, but the surface almost seemed to ripple and ungulate. Elyse watched as Kirk bent down and picked up a small stone. When he tossed it at the mirror it disappeared. He picked up another stone, but this time he tested with his fingers to see what would happen. He held them about halfway into the mirror, but nothing happened. However, when he tossed the stone into it, the stone disappeared. 

"What are you thinking Captain?" Scarlett asked.

The moon was just a sliver but the stars were out which made the night very dark. There was a patrol in some kind of small, open ground vehicle, 2 men that drove around the fence line with their lights on. There was also a man on foot with a fairly large Canine. He stayed much closer to the buildings though. The chain was made out of some kind of alloy but it didn’t appear to be all that strong. Above the fence though was some kind of wire that looked like it was designed to cut flesh. The fence was buried into the ground so the only real choice was to cut it. Amara reached behind her as she backed up a few steps. She pulled out her monofilament blade. It was still folded but she didn’t need to unfold it for this. She sliced the fence in a circular motion. The round section fell inside and landed flat on the ground. She had to bend her body tightly to get through but when she did she replaced the fence piece and managed to loosely wedge it back onto the fence. She replaced her blade into its holster and continued forward to the mass of buildings in a low crouch. From her collar she lifted up a black piece of material and set it over her face. Her suit made it difficult to see her as she moved quickly away from the fence toward the buildings in the center.

Amara was nervous about how she was going to get home and was missing James, but she knew she needed to focus. She needed to get to the Etarian and one mis-step could spell disaster. All of her Romulan and Section 31 training meant that she knew what to look for and how to think through situations. She often did things without even thinking about it. She used her monofilament blade to cut a circle in the fence and then carefully slipped through it. She replaced the piece she had cut out so anyone walking by wouldn't immediately notice that anything was amiss. She was able to use a black piece of material from her collar to cover her face, causing to her almost be invisible. She moved quickly, but stealthily away from the fence and towards the buildings that were in the center of the compound. Her feet made almost no sound as she moved, partially a result of training, but also from her boots that were designed to make a minimal amount of noise.

The installation had a few larger buildings and then several out buildings. Not quite as large but as she looked at her tricorder she could easily see that the installation had a massive basement area. Laboratories, troop bunkers, weapon ranges, storage, mess hall, a massive underground complex. And the Etarian wasn’t down there. She was in an outbuilding not far from her location. As she moved that way the canine perked up and looked in her direction though she didn’t know it. The night hid her form as she slinked from shadow to shadow in the darkness. She evaded men in lab coats, guards and soldiers who blew smoke from their mouths. Light bloomed briefly by their faces but she had never seen anything like that before. The smoke smelled horrible but it also did much to hide her scent. Not well enough for the canine though. She moved right past the two who were on a smoke break and flattened her body against the building.

“Gabe, what is it boy, do you smell something?” The soldier asked the animal. The two soldiers looked over as the one with the dog approached them. “Hey Andy, whats shakin?” One of the soldiers asked. “I’m not sure, Gabe’s all on high alert,” The soldier said. “Probly a fox or an armadillo,” one of the soldier’s said. “Maybe,” the soldier agreed. The door nearest to her was not locked and Amara was able to slink inside.

Starfleet was a military under the Federation and some aspects of the base were familiar, but others were antiquated. The smell of the cigarette smoke filled her nose and lungs and nearly made her cough, but she was able to remain quiet. It was an awful smell that made her wrinkle her nose though.

She flattened her body against the building and moved in the darkness, but suddenly she saw the dog’s attention perk up. She froze for a moment, but as the soldiers talked she saw an opportunity and slid inside the door nearest to her.

The building had a white, tiled floor and the two guards reacted to her entrance. They had sidearms on their hips and they were quite large and wore black berets and green, dress uniforms. There was a white man and a black man, both younger. The black man moved toward her.

“Uh, can I help you miss?” He asked though as he got a better look at her she could tell his stance changed to being more on guard. She looked alot like some kind of Russian agent though she didn’t know that. His and his partner’s hands rested over their weapons.

Amara knew that there was no way for her to get past these guards without using a weapon on them. She saw they were both on guard and when their hands moved to their weapons she reacted. She fired two stun discs at their feet. She could see the electric charge travel up their bodies. They jerked and then fell to the ground in an unconscious state. She hurried past them and walked deeper into the building. She used her Tricorder to help her locate the Etarian.

The building wasn't huge but there were more hallways and the other set of guards were not difficult for her to avoid. She came up to another set of doors. A double door and she knew the Etarian was just inside. It was then that she heard her voice inside her head.

"Hello Amara, why don't you come inside," She said.

As Amara ventured further into the building, she did her best to try and not think about the situation she was in or if she would ever see her husband again. James was the absolute best thing in her life. She loved him more deeply than she could ever express and knew that he had changed her life for the better. He had saved her in more ways than one. She needed to get back to him...she needed to.

She followed her Tricorder readings and came to a set of double doors. She knew the Etarian was inside. However, before she could open the doors, she heard the Etarian’s voice inside her head. She was surprised that it knew her name. She glanced around her before opening one of the doors and moving into the room.

Two older men were in the room with the Etarian that loomed tall over them. She was large and had a brownish flesh underneath its mesh clothing. The two men were also in uniforms, but it appeared that the uniforms were much more decorated than the others she had seen. The two men didn't move and just stood there. Their eyes had a blank look to them.

"How did you arrive here Amara? Your arrival is...unexpected," She said. As she looked at her Amara felt compelled to answer.

Amara stepped further into the large room and saw two older men that were in the room with the female Etarian. The two men didn't move or speak. They just stood there with a blank look on their faces. However, Amara's attention turned to the Etarian when it spoke to her. She felt compelled to answer.

"I'm not sure," she answered honestly. "I was on the bridge of the Enterprise when suddenly a bright pillar of light appeared. It was nearly blinding and had tendrils that came out. It investigated Elyse McCoy first before it turned to me. It didn't take Elyse, but it took me instead."

She could feel the Etarian, probing her mind. It was like someone forcing her to tell her most intimate secrets. It's dark eyes looked into hers as if it were looking into her soul. "Ah, you are an open book to me Amara...Kirk. You are transparent. I think I will keep you, for now," it said. Amara tried to lift her arm and fire a disk but her arm wouldn't move. She tried to step toward it but her foot wouldn't move. It was like some sort of clamp had removed her will. Suddenly she saw the two men's necks. They began to glow an eerie green. And Etarian reached down below her stomach and produced a small, glowing green orb. Amara could speak but she couldn't move as it brought forth an Egg.

Amara could actually feel the Etarian proving her mind. Nothing was off limits to it...nothing was hidden. It could see her darkest secrets and her hopes and dreams. It seemed to be able to pierce right into her very soul. Amara tried to move, but she was shocked to find that she couldn’t move. She tried everything to break free, but she remained frozen to the spot. Then, she suddenly saw the two men’s necks begin to glow an eerie green. But even more disturbing was the egg that the Etarian suddenly produced. Amara was terrified as she began to think about what this creature might do to her.

“No,” she said in her mind. “Please don’t. I’ve already been manipulated too many times. I beg of you not to do this.”

The two men moved as the Etarian moved toward her. They grabbed hold of her arms as the large creature forced her to open her mouth. The egg smelled horrible and it it was covered in a translucent slime. She felt it enter her mouth and the Alien pushed it down into her throat. Her eyes watered as she felt it slide down into place and it appeared to take hold of her somehow. The Etarian seemed to grin as she nodded.

“There, that’s better, isn’t it?” She said darkly.

“They will wonder who this woman is,” one of the men said. His rank marked him as a Colonel but Amara didn’t know that. The other was a Lt. Colonel. Probably two of the highest ranking men on the base.

“The plane is nearly fueled my Queen,” the Colonel said. The Etarian looked at Amara. “Those two guards you hurt, will they die?” She asked. “No? Go and..dispose of them,” the Etarian said and though Amara was horrified by the command she could do nothing but obey, it seemed.

Amara felt herself nearly begun to panic as the two men grabbed her arms. She was utterly helpless and defenseless to stop them or the Etarian. She felt her eyes water as the egg was forced into her mouth and down her throat. The slime made her want to gag and she felt her stomach turn. She desperately wished James was there.

There was nothing she could do now. She didn’t entirely know what was going to happen to her. When the queen asked her if the two men she had hurt earlier would die she shook her head. Her eyes widened when she was then ordered to do so. She didn’t want to kill them. They didn’t have to die. However, she felt compelled to do as commanded.

She left the room and walked back to where the two men were. She pulled out her monofilament blade and extended it. The two men were just starting to awaken. As the first one picked his head up, she swung the blade and in one, swift movement she took his head off. It rolled a few feet away and dark red blood began to steadily stream out of the wounds. The sight made her feel ill. She wanted to stop, but she couldn’t. She moved over to the second man. He was still unconscious and was on his back. She placed the tip of the blade over his heart and then sank it down until it pierced through his back and hit the floor. She pulled the blade out and then used his uniform to wipe the blood off. Tears were in her eyes. She had just killed two innocent men who hadn’t deserved to die. She felt like a monster.

When she returned The Etarian and the two officers came up to her. They acted as if they hadn't noticed the two men and together they headed toward the tarmac where their plane was.

-----------------

"Jim, we have no idea where it leads. I find the suggestion a dubious one at best," McCoy said. "Bones I know it's risky but Amara could be on the other side!" Jim said urgently. "Jim, you're allowing your feelings for her to affect your judgement. She could be on the other side or there could be lava or a 100 foot drop," McCoy said warningly. "The fact is, we just don't know," he said.