DolenzStarr
Tension on the bridge was soaring high as everyone waited for the captain's orders.
"Sir, they are still gaining speed and closing," Spock spoke up, and Captain Kirk nodded.
"I'm aware of that, Spock. Thank you." It was obvious that Captain Kirk was about as fed up with the situation as he was on edge, and Spock raised an eyebrow as he went back to looking into the problem of ship that was following the Enterprise. They had been trying to open hailing frequencies since they'd spotted it, but with no luck. The only thing the Enterprise crew knew for sure was that a Klingon Bird of Prey had materialized not five minutes ago, and was closing on them much to quickly to for anyone's liking. Not only that, but where it materialized had everyone very worried.
The ship wasn't on an important mission that the whole fleet depended on or anything of that sort, in fact, they were going for some shore leave. They had been heading for the shore leave for some time before the Klingon ship had appeared, and immediately everyone had reacted accordingly, considering both ships were almost within firing distance of Earth. That was the shore leave was to take place.
Captain Kirk was just deciding whether he should simply fly away from Earth and lead the ship away, when Chekhov suddenly let out a sound of surprise.
"Yes?" Kirk glanced at Chekhov, who turned back to his captain, confusion written all over his face.
"Sir, the ship has increased speed, but I haven't touched the controls. We've increased power from our current speed to warp 4." Chekhov stared at Kirk, who frowned.
"Scotty, did you just do something down in engineering to the warp drive?" Kirk asked, hoping for a yes.
"Negative captain, I noticed the increased speed, but I thought it was you trying to get away from those Klingon beasties!" Scotty's voice told Kirk, whose frown deepened.
"No, we haven't touched the controls," Kirk said, just as Chekhov spoke.
"Warp five, captain! We're still gaining speed!" Chekhov turned to look at Captain Kirk for advice, and Kirk said to Scotty:
"Scotty, try to slow us down from the main engine."
"Warp 6!" Chekhov cried in shock, and Captain Kirk frowned at the communicator on his chair arm.
"Scotty, slow us down!" Kirk sternly said, and there was a pause.
"I can't Captain, the engines aren't listening. I'm doing all I can, but it seems as though I can't take full control of them!" Scotty told the captain, "Argh! We just increased to warp 7, we can't keep increasing like this! If we keep this up, the engines won't be able to take it for too long!"
"Try to override the warp drive," Kirk told Scotty, "Is the Klingon ship still behind us?"
"Affirmative, Captain. And they are matching our speed," Spock told Kirk, who was becoming increasingly unnerved by this. Earth was passing now, and with no way to slow down, it was looking as though shore leave would have to wait no matter what he decided.
"Captain," Scotty's voice came on, "We are still gaining speed, and I can't override it! There's something wrong with the engines! We can't keep this up, it's dangerous ground!"
"Sir, look!" Sulu pointed out of the front of the ship, and everyone stared, confused. The stars had been replaced by lines of neon lights shooting by the ship. "What is it? I've never seen anything like it!"
"Spock?" Kirk asked, completely baffled, and Spock tried to discover what was happening.
"Captain, it appears our speed is dangerously high, causing some sort of disturbance in space, the Klingon vessel is having a similar problem," Spock decided, but as soon as the lights had appeared, they went away. Now stars once again filled the screen.
"Sir, this is not possible!" Chekhov frowned, "We are still next to Earth, but at that speed we should have left it long ago!"
It was true, Earth appeared on the screen, as if the high speed had never occurred.
"Sir, the Klingon ship is retreating," Sulu spoke up, and indeed the Klingon ship was heading out of the area, and then disappeared behind their cloaking device.
"Try to get in contact with that ship!" Captain Kirk commanded.
"Sir, they are not responding," Uhura sighed, and Kirk nodded.
"The ship appears to have left." Spock spoke, "Which is most illogical. Why would they have followed us here, appeared somewhat aggressive, and then left?"
"I don't know, we'll have to contact Starfleet, but for now can you get in contact with Earth?" Kirk asked Uhura, who shook her head.
"I cannot, I don't understand it. They aren't answering on any frequency."
"Not only that, but the space station that is supposed to be on the other side of the planet is not there," Spock said, and Kirk looked shocked.
"It's what?" Captain Kirk asked, and Spock shook his head.
"Unless my instruments are failing, Earth seems to have undergone serious changes while you were away. Not only is the space station absent, but the technology on the planet is that of many years ago. Mid twentieth century I'd say." Spock raised his eye brow and looked at the captain, who was speechless at this discovery.
"What's happened?" Kirk said after a moment, his voice quiet with shock, "Do you think we should go down and look?"
"I do not have a logical answer to that, considering the drastic changes of the planet. Perhaps, if you did, it would be logical to bring security with you, just in case. We do not know the cause of these changes, but it would be logical to assume that whatever is happening has something to do with that Klingon ship," Spock told his captain, who nodded slowly.
"Security, send two men to the transporter room. Sulu, if the Klingon ship returns, try anything you can think of to avoid combat. Scotty?" Kirk contacted the engine room.
"Yes captain?"
"Try to find out why the engines behaved the way they did, I'm going down to the planet's surface. Spock, Chekhov, come with me." The three then left the bridge, Kirk saying the correct deck.
"Sir, I was using my scanners, and I've found that it would be a mistake to transport in some places, due to population. I recommend we transport down to a place where the population is low, just in case." Spock told Kirk, who nodded.
"Where do you recommend?" Kirk asked.
"I suggest some countryside or similar place. I was just examining the British Isles, and I was thinking that it may be good to go down outside one of the large cities."
Kirk nodded as they walked out onto the deck and then into the transporter room. Spock gave the correct coordinates, and then the two security officers, Spock, Chekhov, and Kirk stepped onto the transporter platform.
The five were beamed down and found themselves beside a road. Close by stood a city unlike anything that should be found on Earth. Instead of the streamlined buildings that should be in view, large brick, cement, wood, and similar structures could be seen.
"What has happened?" Chekhov stared around them, and Spock began some scanners.
"Scanners show that life forms are all human and normal, and they are all in that city, London." Spock pointed, and Kirk nodded.
"Get your phasers ready, put them on stun. Wait, perhaps you should hide them, but still be ready to take them out. In fact, hide all technology just in case." Kirk commanded, "Let's enter the city, but be careful."
The group headed toward civilization just as a car sped by. The car was again something completely foreign to the group, and they stared. They then began into the city, startled by its strange buildings.
"This is more like a museum than what I thought London was like!" Chekhov exclaimed, and Kirk nodded.
"I agree. What do you think, Spock?" Kirk asked.
"I'm having a hard time absorbing this. This is Earth? It does not appear to be Earth to me, but then the ship's computers must have malfunctioned. I must admit, I don't understand it, captain," Spock told Kirk, who nodded.
After walking down the street for a while, many strange looks being thrown their way, one of the security officers spoke up.
"Captain, these clothes look like those of what I believe were the 1950's, or maybe the 1960's, I can't remember for sure." The security officer reported, and Kirk nodded.
"I must say, I agree with you. Maybe we should try a bit more to fit in to what Earth has become?"
"It says right there that it's a clothing store," Spock pointed.
"That says clothes and records, that means it's what they called back then a 'teen store' or something. I don't think we'd be particularly fitting in with those clothes either," Kirk said, "But considering there's nothing else around, perhaps your idea isn't so bad after all."
The group headed into the store, just to see another group duck into a small isle of records. The desk of the store was currently empty, but the crew could hear someone in the back of the store organizing. The star trek crew began looking through clothes which they wouldn't wear on any other occasion, when suddenly Chekhov stared at something across the room.
"This isn't possible!" Chekhov exclaimed, which drew the others attention to what he was staring at. What he was staring at turned out to be a group of young men with shaggy, brown/black, mop top hair similar to the hair Chekhov had.
"It is highly unlikely that five people would have the same haircut, I suppose," Spock supplied in the following silence.
"I don't think that's what he's referring too. Those four look exactly like a band that existed during the mid 1900's on Earth called the Beatles. They changed history, depending on who you ask," Kirk said quietly, "You know, this is quite unsettling."
The group that looked like the Beatles looked up and noticed the unusual people staring at them, and then began talking amongst themselves quietly.
"I think we should go over and talk to them and try to see if we can figure out what's going on," Kirk said, however, just then his communicator beeped. He nodded to Spock and a security officer to go instead, and then answered the communicator as the two crew members began talking to the people who looked like the Beatles. Their conversation didn't seem to be going well. Kirk turned his attention back to the communicator as he heard words he didn't really want to hear. "What?" he asked.
"The Klingons have returned and are preparing to beam down in your general area, captain," Kirk was told, and Kirk frowned deeply.
"Alright, I have a hunch that things here must be investigated, so go to the other side of the planet and if they try to fire on you, take the ship out of orbit completely. Understand? Good, Kirk out." The captain made his way over to the Beatle looking people, hiding his communicator carefully. Taking the Klingons into consideration, he'd have to find out what was going on, and then try to get out of there as soon as possible.
When he arrived at the Beatle looking people, he found them to be confused and trying to inch their way toward the door, eyeing Spock's ears every few seconds.
"Look, we don't know what you're on about. Klingons? What are they? Anyway, we've got somewhere to be going, so if you'll excuse us please," the one that looked like Paul McCartney spoke.
"Yeah, leave us alone!" the John Lennon one told the star trek crew harshly.
"According to them, it's currently 1965 and they're in that band you mentioned earlier, The Beatles." Spock spoke quietly, "The only way that's possible is if we've entered a time warp, which has virtually never been done. However, they are most insistent."
Kirk's mind raced. 1965? The real Beatles? Time warp? If that was true, not only the Prime Directive, but history itself could be on the verge of disaster. However he didn't get any more time to think for at that moment several beams of light appeared, and Kirk's jaw dropped in horror. Things just kept getting worse and worse.
"Hello, dear Captain Kirk," a smirk filled voice seemed to echo around the room, and the Beatles' jaws dropped.
"What was that? They just appeared out of nowhere!" Ringo jumped.
However, the Beatles were no longer the thing on Kirk's mind. A certain klingon that Kirk knew all too well had taken their place. Koloth.