Evol-Q-tion A wacky, wacky departure from your standard, everyday STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION stories. by Dayton Ward -------------------------------------------------------------------- Why ANOTHER Crossover? I must admit, that I have enjoyed reading the various crossovers that have been uploaded to the data banks, as well as others that I have read in fanzines and elsewhere. They provide a unique departure from standard Trek stories. They blend our favorite heroes and heroines with characters and situations from other settings and genres to create some fun story telling. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Okay,' you say to yourself, 'why THIS crossover?' Because I have never heard of it being done before, and I thought it might be fun. I toyed around with the idea when the Apes' popularity briefly surged a couple of years ago, with the new comics. I just couldn't think of a plausible way to make the two universes come together. 'Till now. If you have never read any crossovers, I highly recommend the following, all of which are available on AOL in the Star Trek Club's data banks: LeapTrek and LeapTrek II (ST:TNG and Quantum Leap) -- by Katreana Knights. the ST:TNG/Battlestar Galactica crossovers -- by an author that I am ashamed to not be able to remember the name of. The Doctor and The Enterprise (ST:TOS and Tom Baker's Doctor Who) -- by Jean Airey. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Evol-Q-tion -------- Prologue -------- :: December 24, 1968 - Old Earth Calendar :: :: In orbit around Terra One :: Mankind's greatest achievement to date: the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon, Apollo 8. Ten orbits around Earth's only natural satellite, before returning safely home three days later: the most fantastic manned voyage of any kind. I can't believe they ever got this far. To the naked eye, the entity that trailed the Apollo capsule appeared to be nothing more than a point of light, easily confused with any of the stars visible from Earth, or even from the capsule itself. How primitive. Absolutely vulgar. This simply would not do. Manned spaceflight had reached a new pinnacle. A new age of exploration had been born. Future flights would see the first human walk on the moon, the first spacecraft travel to Mars. Other voyages would have ships leave the confines of Earth's home solar system, travelling to distant stars. But not for far too long a time. Too long for my tastes. In order to accomplish it's goals, it would have to make "adjustments" to the tiny blue world that had sent this primitive spacecraft out so far from home. The humans would realize nothing, of course, and his dear friends would only discover what had happened long after it was too late. It's time to begin a new game. A brief flash of light marked the disappearance of the entity. And Earth's destiny.......made a sharp left at the next intersection. * * * * * :: February 3, 1972 OEC :: :: Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, planet Terra :: "It's gone!" Michael Allen, Control Chief for the current operation, turned to the sound of the voice. It was coming from one of the junior control technicians, one whose name he couldn't remember at the moment. As he moved down the stairs to the banks of control consoles, he threw a questioning look to the tech. "What are you talking about?" The rookie checked, then double-checked his readouts before tearing the headset from his head. "The ship, it's gone. One second I'm tracking it clear as day, the next, 'Poof!' It's like it was never there." Allen picked up a headset from the console top and placed it on his head, aligning the microphone with his mouth as he keyed in the frequency for the base-to-ship radio channel. "X-ray Tango Seven, this is Houston Control." He paused for several seconds, the reply over the speakers being only dead air. He repeated the call, received the same results. "X-ray Tango Seven. Colonel Taylor, do you read me?" Again, empty static was the only answer. Allen removed his headset, turned in the direction of his office, pausing only to give one last order, "Get me the President on the red-line." * * * * * :: May 5, 1979 OEC :: :: Space Station Skylab :: :: In orbit around planet Terra :: The first fully functional space station to be launched into space by the United States of America, Earth, circled the globe in an ever-decaying orbit. Scientists on Earth had projected that the station would not last another three months before plummeting back to the world from which it had come. Skylab had been devoid of human life for nearly five years. Budget constraints had prevented the American space program from conducting further missions aboard the space station, so they had left it in orbit, empty. They had, however, left several long-term experiments active aboard. Experiments that would have sent the world's population into an uproar, had they known about them. Now that the station's orbit was decaying, all evidence of these experiments would be erased. Better to not clue the world into such things as genetic mutation, biological toxins, and things of that nature. There was no one aboard Skylab to report the sudden flash of light and appearance of a humanoid form to the controllers on Earth. No one to describe the being as appearing to be a human male, mid-thirties, with dark hair and dark eyes. No one to see the mischievous grin that broke out onto his face as he adjusted the maroon and black jacket he was wearing. The jacket had four small circular pins on the collar, and an arrowhead-shaped emblem pinned to the chest. There was also no one to see the grin grow into a broad smile as the chemicals imprisoned within their individual sealed containers were rearranged at the subatomic level, then mixed into combinations that the originating scientists would never have imagined possible. Anyone witnessing this act would also observe that the chemicals performed this feat seemingly with the wave of the man's hand. The figure looked about the interior of the space station once more, then the bright flash of light appeared again, and he was gone. Of course, there was no one aboard to see this. * * * * * :: July 11, 1979 OEC :: :: Planet Terra :: After nearly thirty-five thousand orbits of the Earth in just over six years, Skylab plunged into the atmosphere, burning up and scattering debris across vast expanses of the Indian Ocean and western Australia. All of the secret experiments that the American government had wanted destroyed were vaporized upon the stations reentry. Almost. :: October 22, 1979 OEC :: :: Long Island, New York, Planet Terra :: Ed Johanson reverently placed Alex's body into the wooden box that he had just finished constructing. The dog was wrapped in a quilt that his wife had made originally as a sofa covering, but their daughter had convinced them that Alex had been more comfortable sleeping on it instead of the bare floor of the garage. The dog had been one of the last to succumb to the plague that had swept the planet in the last three months, killing all cats, in addition to dogs. Something about their unique genetic structures had made them easy prey. Scientists conjectured that it had something to do with chemical toxins released into the atmosphere when Skylab had fallen from orbit, but the Government wasn't talking. As Ed nailed the cover onto the makeshift coffin, he began wondering how to help his five year old daughter cope with the loss. Alex had been the center of her world since Ed had brought him home two years ago. With no dogs, or cats, to substitute for him, he would have to turn to something else in order to lift his daughter's spirits. * * * * * :: November 15, 1981 OEC :: :: Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, planet Terra :: "Houston.....re encount....g some ki.........ctrical storm. The ship's guida........ems are not respon..............enga........ rgency return proce......." Mark Bedford adjusted the gain on his receiver panel. The message had been sent over two weeks ago, and had taken that long to reach back to Earth. If the emergency return programs loaded into the ship's computer had not engaged, then it was most likely that three very good astronauts had been lost. Further, it was also highly probable that their fate would never be known. ----------- Chapter One ----------- In the 24th Century... :: Captain's Log: Stardate 46573.4. We are enroute to Earth :: :: in order to participate in ceremonial proceedings. It has :: :: been nearly four hundred years since the first human being :: :: set foot on the Earth's moon. Were it not for the actions :: :: such as those of the Apollo astronauts, there would be no :: :: Starfleet, no United Federation of Planets, and no ongoing :: :: stellar exploration such as that which I have been :: :: privileged to be a part of. :: "Riker to Picard. I think you may want to have a look at something, sir." Captain Jean-Luc Picard replied as he rose from the chair behind his desk in his ready room, "On my way, Number One." He exited the small room onto the main bridge. A quick glance to the main viewscreen revealed nothing but streaking stars, signifying warp velocity. Commander Riker was hunched over Lieutenant Commander Data, at the Science I console on the bridge's upper deck. The first officer turned to face Picard as he ascended the gentle slope to the rear of the bridge. "Report." Riker inhaled sharply as he began his report. "Data's been conducting long range sensor scans. He's been monitoring the Terran system since we came into range. But, there's something wrong." He turned to look down at the android, who was seated at the console. Data pointed to various blips on the screen. These blips signified Sol and her nine planets, along with their individual moons. "Captain, sensors reveal no artificial satellites or space stations in any assigned orbits of the planets or moons, with the exception of Earth." Picard frowned. "None? No debris or signs of destruction?" The android shook his head. "Nothing, sir. There are no signs that any man-made object has ever been in orbit around the other eight planets. In addition, the only satellites that I can locate in orbit around Earth appear to be non-functional." That wasn't right at all. "Are you saying that there are no signs of SpaceDock or the orbital dockyards, nothing?" Data nodded. "That is correct, sir." Riker straightened from his bent over stance to move to the tactical station, where Lieutenant Worf waited. "There's more, sir." He nodded to the Klingon. "Sir, I am not picking up any subspace communications whatsoever. No transponder beacons, warning buoys, distress signals. It's as if the entire solar system simply....." "Packed up and moved with no forwarding address." Riker finished for the security chief. Data rose from the chair at the science console to rejoin the group. The captain turned to face his science officer again. "Life signs?" The android nodded. "Affirmative, sir, but only on Earth. Sensors detect humans, animals, and vegetation. However, they indicate a human population far below what it should be. They appear to be scattered in small groups across the surface of the planet. There are no substantial population centers anywhere." "No cities of any kind?" The android shook his head. "No, sir. However, we are still far enough away that scans are inconclusive." Picard turned to face the Ops station. "Ensign Ro, how soon to Earth orbit?" The Bajoran navigator keyed her console momentarily. "Seventeen minutes at present speed, sir." Picard descended the ramp to his command chair. Data and Riker moved to their customary places. The whisper of an idea formed in the back of Picard's mind. "Mister Data, attempt to contact a Federation time beacon." Data turned to key the necessary commands to his console. He paused when nothing happened, attempted the commands again. Still nothing. "Sir, I am unable to locate a beacon anywhere in sensor range." Riker turned to face his captain. "I think we're in trouble." * * * * * "Standard orbit." Earth rotated slowly on the viewscreen as Enterprise nestled itself into a standard parking orbit above the planet. From here, at least, the globe looked just as it should. Data was once again back at the Science I station. Picard and Riker stood behind him as the android's fingers moved over the computer console's keyboard. Finally, after a minute, he turned to face his superiors. "Sensors confirm what we saw on the long range scans, sir. No sign of any modern technology is present anywhere on the planet. There is humanoid life, but they appear to be scattered in small groups over only about twenty-two percent of the Earth's surface. There is no sign of any man-made energy output except on a limited level at a few widely scattered areas. I would theorize that some sort of battery power is being employed, as the energy readings are on the most minimal levels." Riker began to pace the length of the upper deck, shaking his head in a mixture of confusion and frustration. "What the hell is going on? It's like the dark ages down there. Is it possible that we've gone back in time?" The android shook his head. "I am unable to be certain, sir. Sensors show large structures constructed of metal and plastic composites, indicating cities. Background radiation levels are high enough in sufficient portions of the entire planet to suggest a nuclear holocaust of some kind. But there is an anomaly. The readings suggest that the incident would have had to occur over one thousand years ago. Therefore, we must assume that we have traveled forward in time." "Another world war?" "I do not know, sir. The last war fought on Earth with nuclear weapons was World War III. But that war was a limited nuclear engagement. Sensor readings now support the hypothesis that this planet suffered a devastating global thermonuclear confrontation nearly a thousand years ago. World War III as we understand it occurred sometime during the mid-21st century. There is insufficient information to theorize further." Captain Picard was rubbing his chin. "Is it possible that we have traveled into another universe? A parallel dimension of some sort?" "Again, I do not have sufficient information at this time, sir." Riker was becoming exasperated. "This is impossible." Picard raised a hand, ending further debate. "Is it safe to beam down, Mister Data?" "Yes, Captain. Background radiation is well within tolerance levels." The captain nodded as he turned to his first officer. "Prepare your team, Commander." Riker tapped Data on the shoulder, pointed to Worf. He then glanced to the ceiling, "Riker to LaForge. Report to Transporter Room Three." The engineer's reply was immediate over the intercomm. "On my way, Commander." Data finished his studies at the science station. "I have selected the city that corresponds to the location of San Francisco as our landing site, sir. It is one of the locations that registers minimal power readings." Picard nodded. "Very good. Number One, be careful." The larger man nodded as he turned to the turbolift, closely followed by Data and Worf. * * * * * The silence was broken by the sound of the transporter effect. Four columns of energy coalesced into the shapes of the away team members. Data immediately opened his tricorder and began scanning the area. Worf and Riker eyed the windows in the decimated buildings warily, searching for signs of movement. There were none. As for the buildings themselves, they bore testament to the fact that at least this particular part of the world was the target of mass destruction. Huge craters occupied areas where entire city blocks once stood. Those buildings that were still standing looked to be on the verge of collapse. Riker could not find one single window where the glass remained. The android looked up from his readings. "Commander Riker, I detect several humans in the surrounding buildings. None appear to be armed. I have also detected what appears to be a crude form of battery power emanating from the large building at the end of this street." He pointed to a building that rose twelve stories from the rubble. Riker rubbed his jaw has he eyed their potential destination. "Can you figure out what it is that this battery is supposedly powering? A defense system of some kind?" Data shook his head as he replied, "No, sir. The reading appears to be coming from a sublevel underneath the building. That area would seem to be heavily shielded, as are numerous other areas underneath the city. That also presents another anomaly." "How so?" "The readings indicate a vast underground tunnel network, complete with multi-level rooms and passageways, totally inconsistent with anything on record for this city in Federation databanks." The first officer nodded. "Alright, let's go check it out. I'll take the point. Mister Worf, you watch our backs." The away team proceeded in a staggered column up the street. During the move, Riker couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. Once, he turned back to make eye contact with Worf, his eyes silently stating his concerns. The security chief nodded back in agreement, mirroring the commander's feelings. Finally, they made it to the building. After moving up the marble steps, they quickly proceeded inside. Picking their way cautiously through the rubble-littered passages, they were guided by the telltale readings received by Data's tricorder. Other than the destroyed furniture and other varied refuse that lay beneath collapsed ceiling and floor panels, the building itself seemed to have held up surprisingly well. The going was not overly difficult, yet Riker decided that care was warranted in navigating the hallways. Data, now in the lead, suddenly stopped, his free hand signalling the others to halt in place. Riker edged forward to confer with the android. "What?" he whispered, barely audible. Data understood him perfectly. "The tricorder registers three lifeforms in the room at the end of the hall." He was pointing to a large, reinforced door set into the wall. "Human?" The android actually frowned. "The readings suggest humanoids, sir, but the shielding in these walls is making scans difficult. I can ascertain that they have no weapons, however." A reading suddenly changed on the tricorder. "They appear to be moving rapidly within the room now, sir. It is probable that they know we are here, and are moving for cover." Riker motioned for Worf to move up. When the Klingon was abreast of him, he indicated the door with a nod of his head. "We've got company. You're on point. Phasers on stun, but holstered. Data says that they're not armed. Let's be careful, though." Worf nodded and proceeded to the large door. The door itself was nondescript, the distinguishing feature being a large red handle. The Klingon grasped the handle and pulled the door open a fraction, then peered through the crack he had created. Riker, standing a few meters behind him, waited as the security chief completed a rudimentary visual sweep of the room. Worf had the door almost halfway open at this point, then turned his head to look at Riker. The first officer swallowed the lump in his throat, then moved forward. They entered the room together. The chamber was similar in appearance to the rest of the building that they had seen. Rubble and refuse littered the floor. There was an alcove at the rear of the room, where the debris had been recently cleared away. Standing, alone, in the center of the alcove was a machine of some kind. Riker's eyebrows rose as he beheld the mechanism. It resembled an ancient computer bank, the likes of which had not been seen outside a museum since the late 1990's. First things first, however. Straightening his posture, he called out in a normal voice, "We know that you're in here, and we mean you no harm. You can come out, now. I promise you that it's safe." There was a shuffling sound from behind one of the piles of rubble as a figure emerged. A human, with blonde hair, dressed in rough-hewn clothing, stepped forward. The uncertainty was evident in the man's eyes as he studied Riker. Then he turned to gaze at Worf. "What the hell is that?" Riker held up his hands. "It's alright. I said that we wouldn't hurt you." Another man stood up behind the pile. This one was dark haired, but dressed similarly to the first human. He took in the two Starfleet officers with a quick glance, also pausing when he looked at Worf. "Nice head, pal." The blonde man motioned for the other to be quiet. "Who are you people? It's obvious that you're not from around here." He nodded to Worf, "Plainly obvious." Riker couldn't help but grin at that. "I'm Commander William Riker, first officer of the USS Enterprise. This is my security officer, Lieutenant Worf." The blonde man's eyes suddenly widened. "Where did you come from? Where is your ship? Where are the rest of your people?" Riker held his hand up, again. "Whoa, slow down. Who are you two?" "My name is Virdon, Alan Virdon. This is Peter Burke." He pointed to his companion, who waved. "We've been looking for someone like you since we got here. We're hoping that you might be be able to help us, help us to get home." Riker shrugged. "It's possible. But maybe I could ask that the third member of your party come out? We know there are three of +ou." Virdon seemed hesitant to comply. Finally, he turned to the hiding place. "Galen, come on out. It's okay." The third figure to emerge from hiding caused Riker to gasp, audibly. It was an ape. A chimpanzee, to be precise. A large chimpanzee. Dressed in a leather suit, it wore a rucksack on it's back. It stood almost completely upright. Virdon spoke again. "This is Galen." "Hello." Galen said. "Oh my god." Riker croaked. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's Disclaimer and Acknowledgments: A few pseudo-legal matters to attend to: Copyright Acknowledgments. STAR TREK, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, USS ENTERPRISE are trademarks of Paramount Pictures, Inc. PLANET OF THE APES is a trademark of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All other copyrights and trademarks associated with the properties listed above are hereby acknowledged and respected. 'Evol-Q-tion' is copyrighted (c) 1992 by Dayton Ward. This story is in no way intended to infringe on the established copyrights and trademarks of Paramount Pictures or Twentieth Century Fox. This story is for entertainment purposes only and is not intended for sale. This story may be freely distributed, subject to the following conditions: (1) The copyright notices listed above and the author's name must accompany all copies of the story. (2) The story may not be modified in any form without the express written consent of the author. (3) No charge other than reasonable distribution compensation be charged. Please send any comments to 'NetRunr'. Evol-Q-tion A wacky, wacky departure from your standard, everyday STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION stories. by Dayton Ward -------------------------------------------------------------------- "Critics are raving about 'Evol-Q-tion'....." - "It was deep. Really deep. I mean that it was, ya' know, deep. Ya' know?" - Beavis, MTV. - "A literary masterpiece. Ward deserves to sail the stars with the likes of Heinlein and Clarke." - some guy who delivered me pizza. - "It sucked." - Crow T. Robot, Satellite of Love. - "We can make a movie out of this! All we need is a love interest between Galen and Doctor Crusher, maybe add a few car chases. And dancing girls, we need dancing girls....." - Unnamed ABC programming executive. - "Even I could do better than this." - William Shatner, author of the 'Tek' novels. - "Who wrote this piece of $#*@ ?" - Mrs. Ward. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you enjoy this story, I would also ask that you take a chance on the first story that I have written, entitled "The Road Less Traveled," available in four parts in the data banks. It's my speculation as to what might be the FINAL mission of Captain Kirk after the events of Star Trek VI. There is also a part five addendum, titled 'CrossRoads,' that takes the story one step further. It is not necessary to read this with 'Road,' as it was written well after the first story and answers questions many people had asked me. I would appreciate any comments that you may have on either story. The four parts of "Road" ask the reader to submit comments to 'YourNameHr', but I have since deleted that screen name, so please send any correspondence to 'NetRunr'. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's Disclaimer and Acknowledgments: A few pseudo-legal matters to attend to: Copyright Acknowledgments. STAR TREK, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, USS ENTERPRISE are trademarks of Paramount Pictures, Inc. PLANET OF THE APES is a trademark of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All other copyrights and trademarks associated with the properties listed above are hereby acknowledged and respected. 'Evol-Q-tion' is copyrighted (c) 1993 by Dayton Ward. This story is in no way intended to infringe on the established copyrights and trademarks of Paramount Pictures or Twentieth Century Fox. This story is for entertainment purposes only and is not intended for sale. This story may be freely distributed, subject to the following conditions: (1) The copyright notices listed above and the author's name must accompany all copies of the story. (2) The story may not be modified in any form without the express written consent of the author. (3) No charge other than reasonable distribution compensation be charged. Please send any comments to 'NetRunr'. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Evol-Q-tion ----------- Chapter Two ----------- Is it possible that they could be piecing it together? No. They suspect nothing. They have no idea what they're dealing with. Why are we allowing this to continue? It is always interesting to see how these humans adapt to the unexpected. It can be quite entertaining on occasion. If it amuses us to observe these events, why did you punish the other? Because he was rash in his actions. He should have consulted the group before proceeding. Besides, he needs a good dose of humility. It may help to alleviate some of his obnoxious behavior. But isn't that contradictory to what you told him? I suppose that it is. But it is amusing also, don't you think? * * * * * "You talk?" It required physical effort on Riker's part to reign in his acutely open mouth. "Of course I do. Why shouldn't I?" The chimpanzee actually appeared to be annoyed at the first officer. "Well, it's just that where we come from, apes don't speak. They don't wear clothes, either." Galen looked positively indignant as he replied. "And where exactly do you come from?" Riker shook his head. "That's a little difficult to explain, actually. What about you?" Virdon had been studying Riker and Worf during the conversation. Finally, he spoke up. "You're not from this planet, are you?" "That depends on what planet this is." The blonde man looked quizzical. "Earth. This is the planet Earth." "No. No way. That is impossible. There is absolutely no way that this is the same planet I was born on." "I know how you feel. We were born here, too. About a thousand years ago." Riker and Worf exchanged glances. Then refocused their attention on the three strangers. "What are you talking about?" "Pete and I are astronauts. We were on a mission to Alpha Centauri when we encountered some kind of electrical storm, so we attempted to activate our onboard automatic return program. We made it back here, but we entered some kind of a time warp. "According to our ship's chronometers, this is the year 3085. Of course, that's when the clocks stopped working. It could be farther into the future. I don't know." Riker shook his head. "3085? Then how the hell did we get here?" He tapped his communicator. "Riker to Data. Come on in, everything's okay here." "On our way, Commander." the android's voice replied. He turned back to Virdon. "We seem to have hit some kind of time warp, also. We're from the twenty-fourth century." Virdon looked perplexed. "You say that you're from Earth of the twenty-fourth century? Now, that's impossible." At that, they were interrupted by the arrival of Data and LaForge into the chamber. Riker made the introductions. "What is that on your face, sir?" Galen had stepped closer to Geordi, examining his VISOR. "It's a device that allows me to see. Without it, I'm blind as a bat." Burke, in turn, had turned to scrutinize Data. "What the hell are you?" Data's head cocked slightly as he answered, "I am an android, sir." Virdon had begun pacing the room, shaking his head as he walked. "Something isn't right, here. According to everything we know, there's no way that Earth could have produced the type of technology that you people are carrying, unless you're part of a civilization that managed to escape the wars." "What wars, Mister Virdon?" "The wars that handed this planet to the apes, Commander." * * * * * The man reeled under the force of the blow, falling to the ground. One hand immediately went to the side of his head. The blow had broken the skin above his right ear. Blood had begun to flow, but he imagined that it would momentarily be the least of his problems. The savage strike that had sent him to the ground had been delivered by one General Urko, a massive gorilla that also happened to be the chief of police. His absolute hatred of all things human was well known. He automatically assumed them all to be liars, so why not quell his frustrations by beating one to death now and then? "I will ask you once more, human. They were seen entering this city. A chimpanzee, accompanied by two humans. The ape and these humans are renegades. Have you seen them?" The man had indeed seen the individuals that the gorilla sought, but he was reluctant to betray them. However, the fact that his wife and son were being held at gunpoint by two of Urko's soldiers battled with his convictions. Urko had climbed down from his horse and stepped up to the fallen man. Reaching down, he grabbed the human by the front of his handwoven shirt, lifting him to dangle almost a foot above the ground. Looking into the man's eyes, he waited for an answer. But he did not intend to wait long. Finally, the human answered meekly, "Yes, sir. I have seen the ones you are looking for. They came to the city yesterday, and they went into the white building, the ones with the stone steps." Urko released the man without a word. As the man tumbled back to the ground, the gorilla signaled to his two soldiers. The rifle barrels swung to point at the hapless human. * * * * * Galen had taken the liberty of answering Riker's question. "You see, this world was once ruled by man, but due to a rather complex set of circumstances, his empire fell, and the apes rose in his place." Riker was stunned. "When did this happen?" Galen shook his head. "We really don't know. That's why we're here now." Virdon indicated the machine in the alcove. "That is a computer memory bank. We found one like it in what's left of Oakland. It told us of how some scientists had managed to stockpile vast storehouses of knowledge on computer tapes in various cities around the world. We didn't have time to get to what was stored in that city before the apes found us. We barely got away that time." "I take it that apes and humans don't get along in this time period." Riker already knew the answer. "For the most part, no. There are some apes that are sympathetic to humans. Mostly, though, humans are used for slave labor and things of that nature. "The humans that we've encountered seem to be more docile, even more primitive than humans of mine or your time. They have no spirit, and only average intelligence. Pete and I have been on the run practically since the minute we got here. The apes are afraid that we might somehow inspire the humans of this time to rebel against them and take the world back. They deny any knowledge of a time when humans were superior to apes, and are scared to death of any man-made technology. They destroyed the computer we found in Oakland, along with the cache of information that it pointed us to. We figured that there might be one of these", indicating the ancient computer, "somewhere in this city. We're hoping it can give us some answers." Burke had moved back to an area behind the computer. "We managed to construct a crude battery out of some copper and insulation we found outside. We did the same thing in Oakland. We were almost ready to start it up when you guys showed up." Data moved forward. "Perhaps I can be of some assistance." The android examined the makeshift construction briefly, then looked up to Riker. "This unit will be sufficient to power the machine for a limited time, Commander." Virdon reached for a series of switches on the computer's front panel. Status lights began to blink, and the machine emanated a barely audible hum. Riker, meanwhile, was still trying to sort it all out. "How could we have done this to ourselves in so short a time? After the advances that we had made? I can't believe it." Geordi was deep in thought. "Maybe the captain's guess was right. Maybe we have been thrown into an alternate timeline, or something. It's happened before, that is, if we can believe Sela." "Well, from what we've seen so far, I'm not about to rule anything out at this point." Data looked up from his tricorder to speak to Riker. "Sir, I believe that I can scan this machine's secondary storage facilities and save that information in my tricorder. We would then be able to access it via the ship's computer. It would be a much faster process than allowing the unit to access the information at it's own speed." Riker nodded. "Do it." Galen in the meantime had moved to join Worf. The chimpanzee studied the security officer in silence for several moments. "What manner of being are you, sir?" Worf turned to study the smaller form of the ape. "I am a Klingon. My race spawns from a planet in another part of the galaxy." "Really? I have read of such things in some of the books I had found. But, I never thought that it could really be possible." The Klingon's reply was cut short by Galen's sudden shift of attention. "Alan! Someone's coming!" Virdon and Burke immediately began to scramble about the chamber. "Come on, Commander, we've got to find someplace to hole up." Geordi was inspecting the readouts on his tricorder. "I've got ten figures moving onto this level, most likely from above. At the rate they're moving, they'll be here in about three minutes." Riker pointed to Worf. "Cover the hatch." He moved over to where Data was standing, still entranced in the haphazard data transfer that he had managed to create. "This process will take another thirty seconds to complete, Commander." "Forget it. We've got to get out of here." The android looked at his superior officer. "Sir, if those individuals that are approaching are indeed apes, they may see fit to destroy this machine, and all the information that it contains will be lost." Riker exhaled with a frustrated sigh as he nodded for Data to continue. Turning to Virdon, "Is there a way out of here without going past them?" "Yeah, I think so, but we'll have to move fast. If those are gorillas, they'll be more of them around outside. If it's who I think it is, they may already have the building surrounded." Riker tapped his communicator. "Riker to Enterprise." There was no response. He repeated the call, received the same result. Geordi looked up from his tricorder. "The shielding in these walls might be interfering with communications. We'll probably have to get outside to call the ship." Data closed his tricorder and holstered it. "Download complete, Commander." "Good. Let's get the hell out of here." * * * * * With Virdon leading the way and Worf bringing up the rear, the group exited the chamber into the rubble-strewn hallway. Geordi was monitoring the advance of their uninvited visitors. He pointed down one of the dark passageways. "This way." Moving quickly yet quietly, they managed to make it back outside, stopping just inside the door to study the street before moving from cover. The area appeared to be deserted. Riker waited for Worf to exit the building before speaking. "Alright, Mister Virdon, we're transporting back to our ship." He moved to tap his communicator when a voice suddenly echoed. "Halt!" All seven swung around, searching for the voice. Even though he had heard Virdon, Burke and Galen describe it, he still wasn't ready for the mental shock of a gorilla, dressed in leather, sitting on a horse and pointing a rifle at him from the far end of the street. Let alone a squad of them. "Scatter!" Virdon's whispered order was barely heard, yet fully understood. Everyone dove for the cover of the rubble piles and partially demolished buildings. Rifle shots rang out as the group split up and headed in seven different directions. The horse-mounted gorillas yelled as they began galloping up the street. From behind the protection of a pile of smashed concrete, Riker pulled his phaser and aimed it at one of the approaching ape soldiers, pressing the firing stud. Click. He tried it again, and again the weapon refused to fire. Without looking back, he headed for the nearest building. Riker had almost made it when the bullet took him in the left shoulder. He was thrown to the ground by the force of the impact, a fireball forming in his body where the bullet had entered. He struggled to get to his feet, his left arm dangling uselessly at his side, when the horse came alongside of him. A large boot lashed out to strike him in the chest, sending him back down to the street. Then, the darkness came. * * * * * The two gorilla soldiers made their way cautiously down the narrow alley on foot. The confines of the passageway had forced them to leave their horses outside. They had seen the large, dark skinned figure in the strange clothes run in this direction when the fugitive group had scattered. However, there was no one in the alley now. One of the gorillas stopped to poke his head into the first open doorway that they came to. His mistake. Worf exploded through the doorway, propelling the ape into his companion and sending them both to the ground. As they fought to disentangle themselves from each other, the Klingon stepped forward and with two well-placed punches, sent them both to unconsciousness. A quick frisk of the two soldiers yielded two pistols, in addition to the rifles each of them had been carrying. He also helped himself to one of the bandoleers of ammunition that they also wore. Slinging the rifles across his shoulders, he made his way down the remainder of the alley, brandishing a pistol in each of his massive hands. * * * * * Data had sprinted across the open street with his inhuman speed to a nearby building, where he then proceeded to climb the stairwells four levels to the roof. From his vantage point, he could see the three gorillas dismount from their horses and move to where the unconscious form of Commander Riker lay. He could see that though his wound was not immediately fatal, it would cause serious complications if not treated soon. Seeing no alternative, he drew his phaser and aimed. Click. He pulled the weapon closer to inspect the power indicators. The tiny gauge registered a full charge. A quick inspection of the unit revealed no damage or fault. Something was preventing the phaser from firing. Meanwhile, the apes on the ground had taken Riker and thrown him across the back of one of the horses. They were preparing to move somewhere. At the moment, his options were limited. With no weapons, he stood a good chance of being damaged by the projectiles that the apes' rifles were firing. Without a working phaser, he could not take down the gorillas from a distance. It was obvious that the apes intended to take Commander Riker prisoner, or they would have simply killed him outright already. He tapped his communicator. "Data to LaForge." Geordi immediately responded in a low voice. "I'm here, Data." "Are you in trouble?" "Not at the moment. I managed to give the two that chased me the slip, but I think that they'll double back in a minute or two." The android nodded. "The ape soldiers have injured Commander Riker and taken him prisoner. I would suspect that they intend to take him somewhere for interrogation." "We have to do something." "I agree, Geordi, but I have discovered that something is preventing our phasers from operating." Worf's voice suddenly broke into the conversation. "Commander Data, I have disabled two of their soldiers and acquired their weapons. I am currently in a position to ambush the apes carrying Commander Riker." Data looked over the short wall of the roof in an attempt to locate the security officer. As he did so, he saw a group of six more gorilla soldiers maneuver to take up positions with the other three. "Negative, Lieutenant. You are outnumbered and outgunned." "But sir, I......" Data cut him off. "That is an order, Lieutenant. Stand by to return to the ship." He glanced briefly at his tricorder. "Commander Riker's communicator is still functional. I will have him beamed up. Do either of you know the location of Virdon, Burke and Galen?" Geordi answered first. "I saw Burke head into a building just to the right of where we scattered. I don't know about Galen and Virdon." "Attempt to locate them. They will transport back to the ship with us." * * * * * "You got it, Data. LaForge out." LaForge stood to make his way from his hiding place when he heard the movement behind him. Then, there was the voice. "Halt." * * * * * Fear began to manifest itself in the belly of General Urko as he grabbed the unconscious human by the hair to inspect it's face. More humans in strange clothes. This one's clothing reminded him of the silver clothing worn by the dead human they had found in the spacecraft that had crashed several months ago: an abominable machine that had also brought Virdon and Burke into his world. Now, more of these astronauts were popping up, seemingly everywhere. Three of them were still on the loose, along with the fugitives he had sought all these many months. He let the human's head drop and turned to his soldiers. "Sergeant. Take him to my headquarters. Find Doctor Zaius and inform him that I have a prisoner for interrogation." The gorilla sergeant nodded as he moved to carry out the orders, anxious to be away from his angry superior as quickly as possible. Urko had become obsessed with capturing the fugitive humans over the months since they had escaped from Ape City. Urko turned to study the buildings surrounding him. They were here, somewhere, hiding. Most likely watching him as his soldiers carried their companion away. Show yourselves, so that I may kill you and be done with it. * * * * * Peter Burke watched the gorillas as they led the horse carrying Commander Riker down the street. When the troop of soldiers moved from his field of vision, he stepped away from the window. It was time to plan the next move. He would wait two hours, then return to the computer room. Alan and Galen would know to go there, and the new humans could surely find them if they had already done so once before. "Mister Burke." He whirled to face the voice, only to see the android, Data, standing in the doorway. "It is time to leave. We are going back to our ship." "Have you seen Alan and Galen?" Data nodded. "Lieutenant Worf found them in another building. They are uninjured. However, Commander Riker has been shot and taken prisoner by the gorillas." Burke's expression grew wild, almost panicked. "You have to get him away from those guys, now. They'll take him to General Urko. He's the Chief of Police, and has no love for humans. Riker will be interrogated, possibly killed, if Urko has his way." Data held up his hand. "We will be able to rescue him." He reached up to tap his communicator. "Data to LaForge." * * * * * Geordi stood with his hands held in the air as the three gorilla soldiers approached him. One was talking to his companions, "See? I told you one of them was in here." They moved to surround the engineer. "What is that thing on his face? I've never seen anything like it. Do you suppose he's one of General Urko's as-tro-nauts?" One of the soldiers shook his head. "He doesn't match the description. He may be another one, though." The first gorilla looked back to Geordi. "No sense in asking you anything. You'd probably lie. All humans lie." He pointed to one of his fellow apes. "Bind his arms." The second soldier removed a length of rope from his belt and moved to tie Geordi's arms behind his back. He was just finishing the knot when a voice erupted from the air. "Data to LaForge." All three apes jumped at the sound of the voice. A quick scan of the area revealed no one else. They were alone. "Geordi, are you there?" The leader of the apes, a sergeant, focused his attention on the unusual piece of jewelry on the stranger's chest. The voice was coming from the pendant! The sergeant reached out to rip the metal voice-maker from his captive's shirt. As his fingers closed around the device, a chirping sound emanated from it. "What is this, human?" The voice returned. "Geordi? Is that you?" The gorilla failed to hide his shock. "What trick is this? Where are you? Show yourself!" * * * * * Data turned to look at Burke. "I believe that Commander LaForge may be in some difficulty." Burke nodded in agreement. "Sounds like he's been captured, too. We need to help them." "We need to contact Lieutenant Worf and find your companions. Where will they take Commander Riker and Geordi?" Burke paced the littered room. "Urko most likely has a headquarters somewhere nearby. He'll have your friends taken there for interrogation. He'll probably have Dr. Zaius there, too." "Zaius?" "He's the Minister of Science. He will most likely be the one element that keeps Urko from killing them outright. He'll really want to get his paws on all the nifty gadgets you guys are carrying. Data's communicator chirped. "Worf to Data." "Go ahead, Lieutenant." "I have located Virdon and Galen, sir. We are standing by for instructions." The android considered the options for a moment. "One moment. I need to inform the captain." He tapped his communicator again. "Data to Enterprise." He was rewarded with the captain's voice. "Picard here. Go ahead, Commander." "Captain, our away team has run into serious difficulty. Commander Riker and Commander LaForge have been captured by....the indigenous population." There was an uncomfortably long period of silence. Then, "Return to the ship immediately, Mister Data." "But, sir, I...." "Now, Commander." Data's reply was hesitant. "Yes, Captain. Data to Transporter Room Three. Lock onto mine and Lieutenant Worf's signals. Five to beam up." Burke looked around, confused. "Where are we going? Where's your ship?" Data only had time to direct a finger upward before the transporter beam engulfed them both. ------------- Chapter Three ------------- "What is your name, Human?" Riker struggled against dizziness and nausea. His vision careened in and out of focus. His shoulder throbbed where the bullet had entered. A chimpanzee had cleaned and dressed the wound after he had been brought to this room, but he had received no other medical attention. They wanted him alive, yet not necessarily comfortable. He was tied to a chair that one of the gorilla soldiers had brought at the order of the general he now faced. General Urko had removed his helmet at the start of the interrogation and placed it on the small field desk a few meters in front of Riker. The large gorilla paced back and front before him now, obviously growing more angry at each passing moment that failed to elicit information from him. Urko stopped pacing and grabbed Riker by the hair, forcing the first officer to look directly into the rage-filled eyes. "I will ask you again, what is your name?" Riker relented, a little. "Riker, my name is Riker." Urko released Riker's hair. "There, you see, that was not so difficult after all, was it? We will be able to get along much better now. Tell me, Riker, where are you from?" "I come from a far away village. It's called...Disneyland." "Disneyland?" "Yes, it's a beautiful place, with castles and rivers and forests to walk in. I think that you would like it." The gorilla leaned closer, curiosity now replacing the hate in his eyes. "Humans like you live in this Disneyland?" "Oh, yes. There are many of us. We live and work together." "Where is this place that humans live and work?" Riker paused for a moment. "Somewhere...somewhere over the rainbow." The rage returned as realization sank in. "Lies! More human lies!" He pulled back a giant arm to deliver what Riker was sure would be a killing blow. He tensed and waited. "Urko!" The voice had come from the door. At the threshold stood what appeared to be an orangutan, dressed in a long leather coat with matching pants. He obviously possessed some authority, because Urko lowered his fist, albeit grudgingly. The orangutan approached Riker and studied him for a few seconds. Then, turning to face Urko, said, "I wish to speak with the prisoner alone for a few moments." "He should be executed! He is a menace, just like Virdon and Burke!" The new arrival stood his ground. "I said I will question him myself. Perhaps you should return to searching for the fugitives. They could not have gotten far." The gorilla muttered something inaudible as he picked up his helmet and left the room. The orangutan turned to face the lone remaining gorilla soldier. "Post yourself outside, and close the door. I will call if I need you." The soldier did as he was told. When the door had closed, the ape turned back to his inspection of Riker. "I am Doctor Zaius, Minister of Science. Who might you be?" Riker, though still on guard, was slightly more comfortable talking to this new ape. From what he had observed, chimpanzees performed medical, administrative and scientific functions. Gorillas appeared to be utilized solely for military and police matters. That left the orangutans, who must occupy the positions of leadership, such as this one appeared to do. "My name is William Riker." Zaius nodded. "Very well, William Riker. That appears to be some sort of uniform that you're wearing. What army do you represent?" Riker shook his head. "I am not part of any army. We are not here to hurt anyone." "We?" Riker's mind raced. "Yes, I am a scout for our exploration party. The rest of my people are onboard a ship, out at sea." Zaius' eyes narrowed. "Is that so? Then perhaps you can explain why our soldiers reported seeing four humans dressed like yourself, walking on one of the streets with three known fugitives?" Riker kept silent. "I know what you are, William Riker. You are an astronaut, just like Virdon and Burke. You have come here from some other time. Did you come here to find them?" Sounds good enough to me. "Alright. Yes, we were sent here to find Virdon and Burke. We were very worried about them." "Just like those two, you are a danger to my way of life. You represent what man used to be, before the dark time in man's history, before ape rose and relieved him as ruler of this world. Your ways mean destruction and death for us, and we don't want you here." Riker was stunned. "I don't understand what you're talking about." The orangutan was pacing back and forth across the small room now. "How can you not understand! It is the way of man to wage war on himself! Yours is the only species that does this. It is in your nature to destroy yourselves." Realization dawned. "Oh Lord...." Zaius nodded. "Yes, you destroyed yourselves, with your weapons and your machines. You destroyed everything! The apes rose from the ashes of what was your world, and began anew. Now, the humans of this time know their place. We have a balance here. You and your fugitive friends would upset that balance. I cannot permit that to happen, even if it means killing you and your friends." "We come from a time when waging war on ourselves has long past, Doctor. We direct that effort to the exploration of space, to searching for other intelligent life. We...." Riker's sentence was cut off. "Lies! You would infect the stars with your destructive ways? I will not hear anymore of this!" Zaius stopped his pacing to stare directly at Riker. "How many more of you are there? How many more humans like you are on the loose?" "Just the four of us. I don't know what happened to the others. We scattered when your soldiers came after us." Zaius' features brightened slightly. "Well, let us see if we can't help you in that area." He turned to the door, "Guard! Bring the other human here." Riker's eyes widened as the door opened to admit the gorilla soldier, pushing Geordi into the room. LaForge's VISOR and communicator were missing. Come to think of it, so was his own. The ape thrust LaForge into another chair next to Riker. He quickly tied the engineer's hands to the chair and, with a visual cue from Zaius, left the room again. "Commander Riker?" Geordi's blind eyes darted about, hopelessly. "I'm here, Geordi. I'm okay. Are you alright?" "I've been better, if you know what I mean. They took my VISOR. I don't know where it is." Riker turned to Zaius. "Doctor Zaius, my friend was wearing a device on his face when he was captured. It allows him to see. May we have it back?" Reaching into a pocket of his coat, Zaius produced the VISOR. "You mean this?", indicating the prosthesis. "This thing allows you to see, human?" Geordi nodded. "Cursed human magic." Before Riker could utter another word, the orangutan proceeded to crush the VISOR with his bare hand. * * * * * Worf and Data led their visitors to the conference lounge, where they then proceeded to await the arrival of Captain Picard. The captain had given express orders that no attempt be made to retrieve Riker or Geordi for the time being. Galen was awestruck at the idea of viewing his homeworld from orbit. Virdon and Burke, no doubt used to the view, were more interested in the ship they now found themselves aboard. Virdon shook his head. "It's amazing to think that your society managed to build something like this, while the rest of the world fell apart." Worf had nothing in the way of a reply, so he sat silent in his chair. Data, meanwhile, was intent on the computer screen before him. The doors at the far end of the lounge parted to reveal Picard. Worf and Data immediately came to their feet. Virdon, Burke and Galen looked expectantly at this man who emanated authority. His very presence instilled respect. The captain approached the newcomers. "I'm Captain Jean-Luc Picard. My science officer tells me that you have quite a tale to tell." He directed the group to take seats as he moved to the head of the conference table. Virdon proceeded to repeat his story to the captain, supplying as much detail as he could. Their arrival in this strange world; apes as masters and humans as servants. Picard was silent through it all, listening intently as Virdon unraveled the entire tale, with Burke and Galen offering supplemental information when it was warranted. When Virdon had finished, Picard was left at a loss for words. "Extraordinary." was all he was able to say. When he had let the facts, as they had been related to him, sink in, he turned to his science officer. "Mister Data, I understand that you were able to download information from a computer storage bank. What were you able to learn?" "The data bank that we encountered was intended mostly as a guide to the actual repository of information that it told us about. I have been able to determine the location of the cache. It is in a cavern several hundred meters below what was known as 'Candlestick Park.' It was a coliseum where people went to observe various sporting events in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. We will no doubt be able to ascertain just what did happen during the period that Colonel Virdon and Major Burke were away from Earth." At this, Worf spoke for the first time during the meeting. "Sir, I respectfully submit that our first priority should be locating Commander Riker and Commander LaForge. Commander Riker has been wounded. He may be in need of medical treatment. I...." He fell silent as Picard raised a hand. "Lieutenant, I have instructed Tactical to monitor their coordinates until such a time that they are isolated. We have not yet determined that we are indeed dealing with the planet Earth. Until that can be proven, I consider the Prime Directive to be in full effect." He did not, however, convey his personal anxiety at the thought of two of his officers at the hands of the apes. Data spoke again. "Captain, I have continued to encounter difficulty with sensor readings and navigational systems. I have repeatedly attempted to determine our location based on known astrogational charts, and the computer refuses to confirm or deny this." "Might there be some kind of interference that would account for these malfunctions?" The android shook his head. "None that we have been able to identify. Of course, the fact that the sensors are malfunctioning would account for inaccurate or incomplete information. Also, on the planet surface, I attempted to use my phaser, but it also malfunctioned. I was not able to determine the cause, as the unit appeared to have no damage and a full power cell. It simply did not fire." Picard shook his head. "These anomalies and malfunctions are connected somehow. We must have encountered something that would explain them. I want Science and Engineering departments examining all possibilities. I'll want a briefing at 0600 tomorrow." "Aye, sir." Virdon spoke once more. "Captain, I have something that might help us to figure out what happened to Pete and I." He reached into a pouch hanging from his woven belt and withdrew a metallic disk, no larger than a poker chip. "This is the computer log from our ship. it might explain how we got here. I've been hoping we would run into someone who could interpret it." He handed the disk to Data, who examined it briefly. "I am unfamiliar with this storage method. However, I will consult the ship's computer for information." He rose and, with a cursory nod from Picard, left the room. "Mister Worf, assign quarters for our guests." Looking to Virdon and Burke, he smiled slightly as he continued, "I'm sure that it's been quite a while since you had a comfortable place to sleep and decent food to eat. Mister Worf will see to it that you are provided with everything that you might require." Burke's face threatened to split open from the massive smile that appeared on his face. "You have no idea, Captain." Virdon's face remained passive, however. "Captain Picard, I'd like to join Mister Data while he's examining our log disk. I might be able to help." Picard nodded. "I'll see to it that you are given a guide to help you get around." Galen looked to the captain, also. "I for one would love to look around, if that's possible, Captain. I am quite frankly amazed at the demonstrations of technology that I have seen." Picard's smile widened. "Of course. If there is nothing else, I would ask that you remain here momentarily while I speak with my security chief. Mister Worf, would you join me in my ready room?" The Klingon replied tersely as he rose from his chair, "Aye, sir." As the two officers left, Burke relaxed in his chair. "Now this is the life. I can't get over this ship. It's monstrous." Virdon nodded as his mouth twisted into a slight grimace. "I know, but how could they have built it? They said that they're from the 24th century. But everything that we've learned says that's impossible." Burke shook his head. "Just because every place that we've been to has apes in control and humans as unintelligent slaves doesn't necessarily mean that it's that way all over the planet. Surely somebody must have ridden out the wars. If those scientists had time to cache all that information around the world, there must have been groups that went into hiding before the war." Virdon shrugged. "I don't know. Even if they can help us to get home, what good will that do? If this is what we've got to look forward to, why bother?" * * * * * "Mister Worf, believe me when I tell you that I sympathize with your feelings in this matter. However, we must remember who we are and what we represent." The Klingon remained silent for a moment, then nodded his head respectfully to his captain. "Understood, sir. If I may ask, what do you intend to do?" Picard pursed his lips as his mind formulated the answer. "Once Mister Data has analyzed Colonel Virdon's computer disk, I intend for you and he to beam down, along with our guests, to the location designated by that data bank you found. Once there, hopefully we can obtain some answers to this puzzle." At that, the intercomm signaled. "Ro to Captain Picard." "Picard. Go ahead." The ensign's voice was full of energy. "Sir, sensors indicate that Commanders Riker and LaForge are currently isolated." "Are you sure?" "Affirmative. However, their communicators have been removed from their persons. We traced them while they were still wearing them, then simply followed the two human life signs in closest proximity when the badges were removed." Picard nodded. "Very good. Alert Transporter Room Two to beam them directly to Sick Bay immediately." There was a pause as Ro carried out the orders. Then, her voice returned. "Captain, the Transporter Room reports that they can't lock onto them." "What do you mean?" The ensign's voice seemed harried. "She says that there isn't any malfunction that she can locate, just that when she energizes the beam, nothing happens." The captain exhaled sharply. "Damn. Very well, Ensign. Have Engineering perform a level 1 diagnostic on the transporter systems." "Aye aye, sir. Ro, out." Picard began to pace the ready room. "There was no sign of malfunction when the away team went down, or when you and Mister Data returned to the ship. These 'selective' malfunctions of our equipment are beginning to worry me, Mister Worf." The Klingon eyed his captain warily. "Are you suggesting that something on the planet may be affecting our equipment?" The captain halted his pacing, pursing his lips and shaking his head. "No, Lieutenant. I hardly believe that anything down there could influence our systems. For the last few hours, I have felt as though we were being toyed with. A specific system only seems to malfunction when we attempt to utilize it. There is an intelligence at work here." * * * * * After their questioning with Doctor Zaius, Riker and LaForge were herded from Urko's command post and thrown into the back of a horse-drawn carriage. A cage, built from tree limbs and lashed together with lengths of roughhewn hemp rope, became their temporary home as the two officers were flung unceremoniously into it. One of the two gorilla soldiers that had brought them out closed the door to the cage and secured it with a crude padlock and a piece of rusty chain. Riker winced at the pain that shot through his shoulder as he landed on it. A cursory check of his bandage showed that the gunshot wound had begun to bleed again. Placing his hand over the dressing, he applied pressure. They were flung about again when the soldier applied his whip to the team of horses pulling the carriage. Riker was forced to release the pressure on his wound in order to grab one of the cage's bars for support. Geordi, blind without his VISOR, had a harder time trying to find a handhold. Riker watched the city fall behind them as the carriage moved out onto the dirt trail. Soon, the trees and hills effectively hid the deserted city from view. "Wonder where they're taking us." Geordi asked. Riker shrugged, then realizing that his companion couldn't see the gesture, replied "I don't know. One of the soldiers mentioned something about a city. They've probably got some more interrogation planned for us." "Yeah. That Urko has it in for us, doesn't he?" "Virdon said that most of the apes don't like humans. But, this general seems to have a specific problem with us. I think it's because of what Virdon said, about the apes being afraid of all man-made technology." "Remember when Zaius crushed my VISOR? He said something about it being 'cursed human magic.' Maybe they're afraid that our technology will somehow influence the humans here, help them to overthrow the apes." Riker nodded. "Could be. I guess we'll find out soon enough." * * * * * Picard had convened the meeting with Data and Worf in the conference lounge along with Counselor Troi, as well as Virdon, Burke and Galen. Troi had been shocked to meet Galen at first, but had, after experiencing the chimpanzee's friendliness and genuine curiosity, come to like him. She was equally at ease with the two astronauts, but had sensed Virdon's uncertainty about the whole situation. He seemed on edge, not willing to completely trust these newcomers. Just prior to the meeting, Ensign Ro delivered a distressing report: they had lost sensor contact with Riker and LaForge. The crewman on duty explained that he had run diagnostics on the equipment, to no avail. One moment he had been tracking them, the next, nothing. No explanation could be found. Yet another in a series of unexplained shipboard systems' malfunctions. Of course, the captain had ordered a level 1 diagnostic of all sensor and scanning systems. He cleared his throat, signalling the start of the meeting. "Mister Data, what were you able to learn?" The android leaned forward, clasping his hands together as he spoke. "The events that Colonel Virdon and Major Burke have related to us are accurate, at least as far as they can ascertain. According to the log from their spacecraft, they left Earth on November 2, 1981, and encountered an unknown type of electrical storm while enroute to Alpha Centauri. This storm evidently had the effect of catapulting them through time to the present. When they attempted to activate their onboard automated return programs, the time distortion effect had already occurred, so they were brought to the planet below. The log lists the date of the crash landing as 3085." Picard held up his hand. "Are you saying that this planet is indeed Earth, of the year 3085?" "So far, there has been nothing to dispute that observation, sir." The captain digested this information. Then, looking back at his science officer, "What information did you acquire from the storage bank on Ea...the planet?" "Apparently, the turn of events that led to the downfall of the humans and the rise of the apes began over a thousand years ago. Using the log disk as a guide, this would put the events as occurring during the late twentieth century, probably sometime in late 1970's. A plague swept the planet, killing all of the dogs and cats. As humans began to desire some sort of household pet to replace these animals, they turned to small apes," he glanced over at Galen before continuing, "chimpanzees, for instance. It appears that the plague which decimated the cat and dog population also affected the various ape species as well. It seemed to have the effect of stimulating various areas of the brain, causing them to evolve more quickly. This, coupled with close interaction with humans, allowed them to learn at a startling rate." "How long did this process take?" "It is not possible to be precise, sir, since we are not sure when the plague originated. However, the records that we found on the planet indicate that over the course of the next ten years, the apes had reached a plateau of intelligence that allowed them to perform menial tasks, such as housekeeping or courier service. Eventually, a government body was enacted to control the training and distribution of apes as inexpensive labor." "Slavery." Picard whispered the word. The android nodded. "That is correct, sir." Galen snorted. "It's no wonder that apes hate humans so much now." Data nodded again. "Apparently so, since in the year 1991, the apes revolted and began burning cities and terrorizing nearby countrysides." Picard was now sitting up in his chair, his hands placed on the conference table. "What happened after that?" "Sometime around the turn of the century, global thermonuclear war erupted. The data banks had no information regarding who may have started the conflict. As a result, many major population centers were destroyed and rendered uninhabitable for decades afterwards. That is where the information from the data bank ends, sir." Galen sat up at this point. "Captain Picard, my ancestors wrote of villages where the humans and apes attempted to live in harmony with one another. It was a strained relationship, at the best of times. However, over the centuries, humans began to withdraw from these villages and founded their own communities. As the years passed, humans became more and more passive, while the apes continued to evolve more aggressive tendencies. Now, it is an almost complete role reversal from the events that Mister Data described. Apes are the masters of humans. Humans are servants and laborers." Picard pursed his lips. "Are there no records of these events?" The chimpanzee shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Almost anything that can show that humans once ruled apes has been destroyed, and those articles that have not are illegal to possess. The very thought that an ape was once inferior to a human is considered treason in our society. I have seen books with pictures showing your cities and your machines. To even possess such a book is an offense punishable by death." Counselor Troi spoke for the first time. "Haven't the humans attempted to stage revolts against their masters? Surely this must have occurred to someone." Virdon, silent until now, spoke up. "I have a theory about that, Captain. The same plague that killed the cats and dogs, what else could it have done? Maybe, while it sparked accelerated evolution in the ape population, it also retarded intelligence in the humans?" "The humans here have almost no aggressive tendencies whatsoever." It was Burke who was speaking now. "They run in fear from the apes. There's no way they're going to stage a rebellion or anything along that line." Galen spoke again, "That is an interesting observation. Ancient texts written centuries ago tell of battles and skirmishes between apes and humans. This does not seem consistent with the humans of this time." "It is possible" Data replied, "that the plague that initiated these events is still present in some form, possibly passed on genetically from one generation to the next. As time passes, it may be causing a reversal of natural evolution. Humans would become less and less intelligent, while the apes continue their accelerated forward evolution." Picard exhaled audibly. "Extraordinary. To think that a world could undergo such a radical upheaval." Galen snorted, again. "You will forgive me, Captain Picard, if I do not share your view of my home. You must remember that this 'arrangement' has been in place for over a thousand years, if your calculations are correct. Long before any of us was born. To us, this is the natural order of things." "Yes, of course, please forgive me. It was not my intention to insult you or your people. You must understand that this is indeed a shock to us." The chimpanzee nodded. "Apologies are not necessary, Captain. I have learned during the past several months that humans have many good qualities. At least, these two do." He indicated Virdon and Burke, who smiled back. Picard tugged at his uniform jacket. "What we need to attempt to determine now is, whether or not this is indeed the planet Earth and if so, how these events came to be. Obviously, this is not history as we know it." Data replied to this. "There are two possibilities at this time, sir. The first is that somehow, history was interfered with sometime before the late twentieth century, setting these events in motion. The second is that we have somehow been transported into a parallel dimension. This possibility is remote, however. There is one anomaly, which could theoretically support either argument. Though the databanks contained historical accounts of every space mission launched, including the one that Mister Virdon and Mister Burke embarked on, there there is no record in Federation memory banks of a mission to Alpha Centauri in 1981. In the history as we know it, Earth had not even sent a manned mission to any of the other planets in the Sol system by this time. There are service records for two air force officers by the name of Burke, Peter J. and Virdon, Alan M., but they never took part in any manned space missions." Picard tugged at his uniform tunic. "You say that one theory is intentional interference in Earth history. Do the Romulans or the Cardassians have access to some form of time travel capability that would allow them to do this?" The android shook his head. "Intelligence reports to date have not revealed any such venture by either race, sir. That does not discount the possibility, however." "What about the Borg?" this from Worf. Picard's blood grew cold at the thought. But, logic quickly took over. "I don't think so, Lieutenant. If the Borg are responsible, they wouldn't waste time with genetic manipulation of various Earth species. They would simply 'assimilate' the human population and destroy everything else." The captain rose from his chair and began a slow circuit around the conference table. "I believe that we should operate under the second premise that Mister Data presented. Therefore, if this is not Earth, then we will have to devise a plan to rescue Commander Riker and Commander LaForge. Even if it is an Earth of a parallel universe, we are still honor bound to observe the Prime Directive." Worf sat forward in his chair. "Captain, the damage has been done. The...indigenous population has already seen our devices and our clothing. They must be aware that strangers are among them. We know that they are aware of man's spaceflights prior to the apes' uprising. Why can we not just beam them out?" "They may not be aware of our technology, Mister Worf. You reported that your team's phasers did not function on the planet. The communicators may have been discovered, but only if one of the apes saw one of our people using one. We have not received any transmissions from the planet since your return. Sensors have detected no phaser fire. We must, therefore, assume that they have not discovered anything as of yet. Until such a time that the away team is isolated, there will be no attempts at a rescue." The tone of Picard's voice was such that further debate was not welcomed on the subject. "In the meantime," the captain continued, "I want you to accompany Commander Data and our guests back down to the surface, to investigate this cache that the computer bank mentioned." The security chief rose and nodded his head respectfully. "Aye, sir. I would suggest that Commander Data and I outfit ourselves in clothing similar to the indigenous humans." "Make it so." -- Still interested? Then stay tuned as it starts to get really weird in -- -- the next chapter or so. I promise not to draw this out forever, ok? -- Evol-Q-tion A wacky, wacky departure from your standard, everyday STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION stories. by Dayton Ward -------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's Disclaimer and Acknowledgments: A few pseudo-legal matters to attend to: Copyright Acknowledgments. STAR TREK, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, USS ENTERPRISE are trademarks of Paramount Pictures, Inc. PLANET OF THE APES is a trademark of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All other copyrights and trademarks associated with the properties listed above are hereby acknowledged and respected. 'Evol-Q-tion' is copyrighted (c) 1993 by Dayton Ward. This story is in no way intended to infringe on the established copyrights and trademarks of Paramount Pictures or Twentieth Century Fox. This story is for entertainment purposes only and is not intended for sale. This story may be freely distributed, subject to the following conditions: (1) The copyright notices listed above and the author's name must accompany all copies of the story. (2) The story may not be modified in any form without the express written consent of the author. (3) No charge other than reasonable distribution compensation be charged. Please send any comments to 'NetRunr'. -------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------ Chapter Four ------------ Data and Worf, accompanied by Virdon, Burke and Galen, materialized within a cavernous tunnel. The two Starfleet officers wore rough hewn clothing similar to Virdon and Burke. Looking around them, the landing party could see giant concrete and metal beams that formed a criss-cross matrix throughout the giant chamber. It was at this level that the once proud sports complex was supported. Worf removed his phaser and scanned the immediate vicinity. Sensors had detected no lifeforms within a one-mile radius of their current position, but the security chief was taking no chances after their last encounter. He still fumed over the captain's decision not to launch a rescue operation. His training told him that Picard's ruling was proper for this situation, but his loyalty to Riker and LaForge waged war over it. This fact made for an unpleasant Klingon. Data had begun scanning the area with his tricorder. Virdon and Burke scrutinized their surroundings, attempting to locate signs or landmarks that might be helpful. Galen simply stared, awestruck, at this latest example of human technological achievement. The readouts on Data's tricorder changed. "This way." he said, turning to move down one of the gargantuan passageways. The others followed, with Worf bringing up the rear. The corridor dead-ended after two hundred meters. They stood facing a concrete wall. No doors or other means of entry presented themselves. Data adjusted the controls on the tricorder. "This wall is two point three meters thick." With that, he reached into the burlap knapsack slung over his shoulder and retrieved his phaser, adjusting the power setting. Taking aim, he fired at a point on the wall at ground level. This time, the weapon emitted its familiar beam of energy, and the android proceeded to carve an opening into the wall. He cut a rough approximation of a door into the concrete. When he had finished, he returned the weapon to his pack. Placing both hands on the section that he had cut, he pushed. Concrete scraped against concrete as Data proceeded to push the severed section into the next chamber. Air rushed out as a vacuum seal was broken. The android continued to push with his inhuman strength, with Worf stepping up to add his formidable Klingon muscles to the task. When a sufficient opening had been created, Data stepped into the room beyond. It was like stepping into a museum mockup. Since the room had been vacuum-sealed, there was little of the dust and none of the debris that they had encountered everywhere else. Rows of computer tape banks and disk drives lined the walls. Printers stood in the center of the room. A smaller room sat to the right side of the main chamber, separated by a glass window. The smaller office held computer consoles and terminals, with their ancient keyboard interfaces. The room looked as if the personnel manning it had simply stepped out for a moment, rather than having died over a thousand years ago. Lighting panels adorned both walls and ceiling, illuminating the entire room. "The lights. This place has it's own power source." It was Virdon, immediately heading to the back of the room. Burke moved to the small control room. Galen simply stood, transfixed, his mouth hanging open. Burke sat down at one of the consoles and began typing at the keyboard. Data moved into the room and watched over his shoulder as the astronaut attempted to access the computer system. "The terminal wasn't on when we came in, but it fired right up when I hit the power switch. All we have to figure out now is how to log on." Data watched, fascinated as Burke worked with the ancient console. He had only seen a unit of this type in a museum. Burke, however, manipulated the terminal as though he was born for it. "You seem very adept with this equipment, Major." The dark haired astronaut smiled at that. "I majored in computer science in college, and played with my own personal computer at home. The software on this system is pretty standard. We used this stuff at NASA and at most major military data processing installations. Each user usually has to have his or her own account and password. But there are ways to get in, if you know about the quirks in the software. Of course, this stuff is light years behind what you folks have to play with." Virdon stepped into the room. "Get anything, Pete?" As if on cue, the monitor suddenly displayed a menu with several selections. "Bingo." Most of the options on the menu meant nothing, even to the astronauts. Virdon pointed at the next-to-last selection. "That has to be it." The option was labeled 'ENCYCLOBASE'. Burke keyed the option. At once, tape and disk drives in the larger room came to life. Printers began spewing forth pages and pages of data. They all went to the printers and began inspecting the output. "It's just dumping everything stored in the banks. They wanted somebody to find that menu." Information regarding every conceivable topic, from scientific principles to sports statistics, was being printed. Diagrams and blueprints for a myriad of machines were generated. The sum of human knowledge, at least, until the downfall of humans on this planet, had been reduced to cold, impersonal data. Virdon had collected an armload of the printouts and had begun analyzing it. "There's enough information here to build an entire civilization." Data had been using his tricorder to scan the information directly from the tape and disk banks. He had contacted the Enterprise and established a link to the ship's main computer via the tranceiver assembly in his tricorder. The information he was scanning was being loaded directly into the Enterprise main computer memory core. "Lieutenant Worf, I suggest that you take the others and scout the remainder of this complex. This upload process will take several hours to complete." The Klingon nodded and gestured for Virdon, Burke and Galen to follow him, and Data was left alone with the ancient computers. * * * * * It was almost dusk when the wagon approached a large wooden bridge that traversed a wide river. Riker could see the outlines of buildings on the other side. In sharp contrast to the large, towering buildings of the ruined city they had come from, with their glass and steel and plastics, these buildings were low profiled. The tallest of them rose only two stories from the ground. They were rounded, with few angles evident anywhere, and appeared to have been made from stone, or baked mud. Dim light could be seen emanating from some of the windows, which were nothing more than roughly formed holes in the walls. The driver pulled the wagon to the front of one of the buildings. Unlike the other structures that were grouped together, this one sat isolated. Crude wooden bars covered the windows. A guard stood vigil outside the heavy wooden door. "This must be the local jail." Riker whispered, for the benefit of Geordi. "I think we're in trouble." The driver waved to the guard at the door to accompany him as he moved to the rear of the carriage. While one guard trained his rifle on the two prisoners, the other unlocked the door and swung it open, unholstering his pistol in the process. "Get out." the ape ordered. Riker helped Geordi to step down from the cage. The gorilla seemed to understand the engineer's predicament, because he did not interfere with this, or when the blind man was helped into the building. The two officers were led down a long, dimly lit corridor. Riker could see that the only illumination was provided by what appeared to be crude oil lamps. They passed wooden doors with small windows cut into them. Must be the cells, thought Riker. He could not tell if any of the rooms were occupied. Finally, they came to the last door in the corridor. It was almost identical to the ones that they had passed. The guard produced a ring of keys and inserted one into the door lock. With a grunt, the ape pulled the heavy door open, and the second soldier indicated the room beyond to Riker with his rifle. Riker did has he was told, leading Geordi by the arm into the cell. The door was slammed shut after them, and they could hear the key turn in the lock. "Where are we?" asked Geordi. "A jail cell, I guess. Pretty dark in here." There was no artificial light. The only source of illumination was the little moonlight that filtered through the tiny window set high on the wall. Some sort of hay covered the floor. A small pot sat in one corner. Riker turned to survey the back portion of the cell, the darkest area of the room. To his surprise, a figure sat reclining against the wall! It was impossible to distinguish features, but the other occupant of the cell was human. "Hello." said the first officer tentatively. The figure stood and began to approach him. Riker could make out what appeared to be a Starfleet uniform. Then, his eyes widened in utter shock. "Well hello to you! Welcome home, Billy-boy!" replied Q. * * * * * Data's tricorder emitted a chirping tone, signifying the completion of the information transfer from the ancient computer complex to the Enterprise memory banks. He closed the unit and returned it to his burlap sack. He had begun to peruse the stacks of printed output when Worf, Galen and the two astronauts returned from their survey of the surrounding area. "There is nothing else of consequence in the tunnels within the three hundred meter circle that we patrolled. We also found no evidence of a proper entrance to this room. They sealed the chamber behind these walls intentionally." "No doubt to avoid a chance entry by undesirable elements." Data commented. "The data transfer is complete. I suggest that we return to the Enterprise and begin analyzing the information." Worf stepped up. "Sir, now that we have obtained the information stored here, should we not begin to formulate a plan to rescue Commander Riker and Lieutenant Commander LaForge?" "We will have to consult the captain on that, Lieutenant. He was very specific in his wishes to treat that matter with caution." Virdon, Burke and Galen had been talking amongst themselves during the exchange between Worf and Data. Virdon then stepped forward to address the two Starfleet officers. "Commander Data, it might be possible for Pete, Galen and I to check out their condition. If I'm right, your friends will be taken to Central City, where Urko has his headquarters. We have friends there that can hide us. Besides, we look more like the local humans than either of you." The android considered this for a moment. Then, he reached into the folds of his clothing to produce his comm badge. "Data to Enterprise." "Picard here. Go ahead, Commander." "Sir, Colonel Virdon has volunteered to attempt to ascertain the condition of Commander Riker and Commander LaForge. He believes that he has a better chance of doing so than any of our people." There was a pause. "Very well. Colonel Virdon, where do you believe that our people have been taken?" The astronaut stepped closer to the communicator. "Captain Picard, if Urko follows his normal pattern, your officers will be taken to his headquarters in Central City. That's a large ape village about a two day walk south from here." "Ensign Ro has located the city and the transporter room has the coordinates. We can beam you undetected to a secluded area, and you can walk from there." Virdon smiled. "Thanks, Captain. We'll do what we can." "Your assistance is appreciated, Colonel. Take Commander Data's communicator, so that we can stay in touch with you. We will transport when you're ready. Picard, out." Data handed the comm badge to Virdon, who gathered his companions. Galen was beside himself with excitement. "They're going to move us again?" "You got it, pal." Burke smiled. "You know, I could get used to this. Sure beats walking everywhere." Virdon touched the face of the communicator. "Enterprise, we're ready." A new voice replied. "Stand by, initiating transport now." Then, the two astronauts and their ape companion were engulfed by the transporter effect. At the same time, Data and Worf were also retrieved and returned to the ship. * * * * * "What the hell are you doing here?" Riker was asking Q. "Now it all makes sense. You've been playing games again, haven't you?" Q looked at Riker with a look of mild astonishment. "Why, Commander Riker, I have done no such thing. I can explain everything, I assure you." Geordi had maneuvered himself to stand next to Riker, having followed the commander's voice. "We should've figured on something like this." Q was walking around the cell, waving his arms as he spoke. "I was bored, so I decided to go back into your history and watch some of your so-called 'accomplishments.' You really can be an arrogant people sometimes, did you know that? Launching yourselves into space in little tin cans and calling yourself 'pioneers.' Stomping out into a galaxy that didn't invite with your preconceived notions about how superior you were compared to other cultures, other worlds." Riker rolled his eyes and exhaled audibly. "We've been over this before, Q. We know how much you think of us humans." "Oh, but my dear Commander Riker, we haven't been over it in quite this manner. I decided to see how the mighty human race would react if they weren't the king of their little hill anymore." Making a sweeping gesture with his arms, he began to chuckle, "I must say, you've outdone yourselves this time." Riker stepped forward, until his face was only inches from Q's. "You are responsible for all this?" Q shrugged, stepping back slightly. "I can't take all the credit. I merely went back into your history and rearranged a few minor events. Then, I simply sat back and watched. I had no idea that humans and apes would eventually clash, and even I was surprised when the humans went 'belly-up' in the ensuing conflict. I watched as the years went by, and the situation became even more and more desolate for you, then I decided that I wanted to see my old friends deal with this situation in your own unique way. So, I just plucked you from your normal position in the time stream and brought you forward to this time. I thought it was a wonderful idea, myself." He looked downward slightly. Riker interpreted that gesture as meaning that there was more to the story. "But?" he prompted. The old Enterprise nemesis began to pace the cell. "The continuum didn't entirely approve of my little 'experiment'. They were quite upset at the idea of me altering the course of history on your little planet." Q paused for a second, thinking, then continued, "You know, they can be quite dull sometimes. Your captain would make an outstanding member of the continuum, since they're all just like him." Riker knew that there had to be more to this. "Alright, assuming I believe you, if the Q continuum didn't like what you did, then why are we still here? Why isn't everything back to normal?" Q actually appeared nervous at this point. "Well, you see, um, that is...." Realization dawned on the first officer's face. "They decided to punish you by sticking you down here with us, didn't they? They want you to have to ask us for help to get out. That's it, isn't it?" The familiar indignant expression returned to Q's face. "How dare you even think that I would ask you for help. Once was humiliating enough for me, thank you very much. They didn't exactly enlighten me as to why they did it, other than that they were upset." Will stepped closer to the entity. "Are we to assume now that because the continuum is upset with you, and that you're here, stuck in this cell, that they have taken your powers again?" Q rolled his eyes. "Very good, Commander. That only took ten minutes for you to deduce. A new record for you, if I'm not mistaken. I was wonderi.....umph!" Riker's knuckles stung where they had made contact with Q's jaw. Q sank to the floor of the cell like a bag of rocks. Still shaking his hand to ease the momentary stab of pain, Will grinned like a hyena. "That's something I've wanted to do since we first met." Q staggered to his feet, rubbing the area of his jaw that was already beginning to swell. "You will pay for your impudence, human. I will not be a helpless mortal forever, and when I do regain my powers, I will even the score." The first officer shrugged. "I'll take my chances. Until then, sit down and shut up, unless you have a plan for getting out of here." * * * * * Virdon, Burke and Galen materialized in a small clearing. The forest stretched in all directions. After standing in place for a few moments to make sure that they were alone in the woods, Virdon pulled the communicator pin from his belt and activated it. "Enterprise, this is Virdon. We've touched down ok." Picard's voice echoed from the badge, "Very good, Colonel. According to the transporter room, you are approximately two miles north of the city. Good luck." "Thanks, Captain." The astronaut returned the communicator to his belt, making sure that it was secure. Then, he turned to the others. "Two miles, he said. That's about an hour and a half, if we take our time and don't run into any patrols." Burke shook his head. "I'd bet that Urko has stepped up patrols, especially near the city. He doesn't know about this little 'beaming' trick these folks have. He'll be thinking that if anyone is going to try to get those guys out of the city, they'll be on foot." Virdon nodded. "We'll just have to take it slow and see what happens. Let's go." With Alan in the lead and Burke bringing up the rear, the three fugitives began a slow march out of the clearing, disappearing into the dark of the forest. * * * * * The lone guard paced the length of the corridor, in an effort to stay awake. It had been nearly thirty-six hours since he had last slept. With the word that the fugitives had been sighted in one of the forbidden cities, and the subsequent capture of the three new arrivals, with their strange clothing, Urko had roused all available guards in an effort to foil any rescue attempt that might be made. He had ordered more soldiers to patrol the city and the surrounding areas. He had also ordered road blocks to be set up, searching all vehicles that attempted to enter or leave the city. With all of the excitement, it was very unlikely that he would sleep for at least the next several hours. There was not even a fellow soldier posted inside the headquarters at this late hour to help pass the time. The guard was reduced to endless pacing of the hallways in an attempt to stay alert. As he turned the corner leading to the cells placed furthest back in the building, the gorilla stopped, listening. Sounds of struggle were coming from the last cell, the one containing the as-tro-nauts. The soldier trotted the remaining distance to the door and peered through the tiny window. He was just in time to see the face of the bearded human thrust against the door with a heavy thud. A pained expression crossed his face, to be followed by a look of pure rage. The soldier watched as the human turned and launched himself across the cell, attacking the other human with the strange red and black clothing. "Stop fighting, humans!" The guard pounded on the door in an effort to add weight to his words. The two humans continued their fight, paying no heed to the ape. The guard briefly considered poking the barrel of his rifle into the tiny cell and firing a warning shot. However, he deemed that act to dangerous. General Urko had left explicit instructions from Doctor Zaius that the prisoners were not to be harmed. The chance of one of them being hit by a stray round was very high in the confined area of the cell. That left no alternative. Reaching across his body with his left hand, the soldier unhooked his keyring and quickly found the key corresponding to the cell door. Inserting the key, he turned it and yanked open the door. Then, brandishing his short club in his left hand and his rifle in his right, he quickly stepped through the door. If the two dueling humans had noticed his entrance, they made no indication of it. They continued to wrestle with one another and throw each other across the cell. The guard raised his arm to strike the closest human to him, the one with the beard. "Now, Geordi!" Crouched down low near the door of the cell, LaForge waited, brandishing the steel pot in his two shaking hands. Trying to gauge his position from the guard on hearing alone, the engineer stepped up and swung with all his might. Had he been able to see, the blow might have been a killing one. As it was, Geordi was able to connect a glancing hit with the side of the ape's skull. It was enough, however to cause the soldier to reel with the impact, dropping his weapons and falling to his knees. Riker didn't wait. He immediately struck out with a booted foot, finishing the gorilla's journey to unconsciousness. After checking to make sure of the guard's condition, only then did he examine his own shoulder. The wound had begun to bleed again, albeit slightly. The first officer stripped the guard of his pistol belt and rifle bandoleer, then picked up the fallen rifle. A quick examination of the crude weapons revealed that they loaded easily. Slinging the rifle over his uninjured shoulder, he then touched LaForge on the arm with the bandoleer. "Here, Geordi, sling this over your shoulder. It's extra ammo for the rifle." Q was watching as all this transpired. "What are you planning now, my dear Commander?" Riker glared at the entity-turned-nonentity, "We're getting the hell out of here, somehow. We'll hijack a wagon or something. Even if we have to walk out of here on foot, we're leaving. I need your help, Q, to get Geordi out of here. It's no secret that I don't like you, but right now, I need you." Q exhaled sharply. "Well, since I am without my powers, my best hope for leaving these dreadful accomodations is by accompanying you. Lead on, Mister Riker." Riker sighed audibly as he took a cursory look down the hallway. There was no sign of any other guards. Instructing Q to lead LaForge, he unholstered the pistol and proceeded out of the cell, stopping long enough to lock the door, thereby leaving the unconscious guard trapped. Taking their time, it took nearly two minutes to navigate the hallway back to the front of the headquarters. It appeared deserted. "Urko must have every available guard out watching for rescue parties. It's too bad that none of our equipment is here." "I'll bet my money on Zaius having it." replied Geordi, "I just hope that he treats it better than my VISOR." "My guess is that he'll have any roads into the city blocked. Our best bet is to just head for the forest. "It's dark, so that'll help cover us." After a few minutes of searching, they found another door in the rear of the building that led outside. Making sure that the candles in the hallway were extinguished, Riker opened the door slightly. A few moments of observation showed no activity outside. Trying to watch all directions at once, the first officer led his motley party from the building and across a small clearing, where the trio then disappeared into the forest. * * * * * "Halt!" The shot rang out, echoing through the night air. Virdon, Burke and Galen immediately dove headlong into the underbrush, scurrying away from the voice. Ape eyes were more sensitve than human, so the darkness only provided partial concealment. Scrambling through the forest in search of a hiding place, the three fugitives ran with all possible speed. Galen could only barely keep up as Virdon led the group through twists and turns in the dense foliage. Suddenly he stopped. Burke's eyes were wide in the dim moonlight that filtered through the trees. "What?" Virdon stooped low and stared into the darkness. "Come on!" He trotted through a particularly thick grouping of bushes and disappeared. Burke and Galen were close behind. Alan had managed to find a depression that was concealed by the brush. The low area would make the best possible hiding place, given the lack of time. They spread out flat in the bottom of the ditch and waited, trying to bring their ragged breathing under control. It was only minutes later that they heard the slow, methodical steps of the gorilla. The ape was still several dozen meters away, moving erratically, but definitely heading in their direction. Burke cupped his hand to Virdon's ear, whispering, "Call the ship and let's get out of here." As slow as he could, Alan began to maneuver to retrieve the communicator from his belt pouch, but immediately thought better of it. Any noise made at this distance from the sentry would be audible to the gorilla's acute hearing. "He's getting closer." The fugitives held their collective breath as the soldier stepped into view, barely twenty meters away. They watched as he made a slow visual circuit of the area. His rifle was out, and they knew that his finger was on the trigger. ------------ Chapter Five ------------ :: Captain's Log: Supplemental. It has been nearly two hours :: :: since we last heard from Colonel Virdon and his companions. :: :: I am not worried at the moment, as they are no doubt quite :: :: efficient at eluding the ape patrols. But I am becoming :: :: increasingly worried at our inability to locate Commander :: :: Riker or Commander LaForge. :: :: Meanwhile, Lieutenant Commander Data has informed me that :: :: he has discovered some startling new facts during his study :: :: of the information gleaned from the data banks stored under :: :: the old sports complex. :: Data stood by the viewscreen at the far end of the conference lounge's curved table. Picard sat at his customary position at the opposite end of the table. Also in attendance: Counselor Troi, Doctor Crusher, and Lieutenant Worf. The empty chairs normally occupied by Riker and LaForge made their absence felt even more keenly. Picard nodded to his second officer. "Please begin your briefing, Mister Data." The second officer touched the keypad located next to the viewscreen, which promptly displayed a graphic map of what everyone recognized as North America. Overlaying the map was a complex gridwork, outlined in red. "This grid depicts an extensive underground tunnel system, linking every major city and military installation on the continent." The captain leaned forward in his chair. "Is this a blueprint of some sort? I am not familiar with this tunnel network." "That is understandable, sir. This system does not, or never did exist on Earth. It is another example of the differences between the planet below that may be Earth, and the 'actual' Earth that we are familiar with. "This system does exist on this planet. We were able to penetrate far enough with the ship's sensors to verify this. However, they are heavily shielded, and we will be unable to transport directly into one of the tunnels without extensive modifications to the transporter systems. I therefore recommend that we transport down to one of the entrances and enter the complex from the surface." "What do you hope to find?" "Perhaps the tunnels will help us find a civilization that has more advanced technology than what we have encountered so far." Picard pursed his lips slightly. With the apes now aware of the existence of more humans with advanced intelligence, namely, members of the Enterprise crew, away team missions were becoming increasingly dangerous. But, there appeared to be no other way to investigate this latest discovery. "Very well, proceed, Mister Data. However, I want a minimal away team." The android nodded and with a glance to Worf, exited the conference lounge with the Klingon on his heels. Beverly spoke for the first time during the meeting. "Data said that Will had been wounded with one of their projectile weapons. He's probably lost a lot of blood. We've got to find him, Jean Luc." "We will have to put our faith in Commander LaForge to help see Commander Riker through this until we can locate them, Doctor." I hope that's soon, he amended silently. * * * * * Riker, LaForge and Q had been traversing the forest in the darkness for several hours, pausing periodically to hide from the numerous gorilla patrols that seemed to be everywhere. They stumbled from the thick underbrush to emerge into a small clearing just as the first rays of sunlight began to filter through the trees. Suddenly, Riker stopped. "I think I need to sit down." He fairly collapsed to the ground. LaForge followed the sound of his ragged breathing until he could kneel next to his companion. "Commander, are you alright?" Riker inspected his crudely bandaged wound. There was no fresh bleeding, but he was certain that he had probably already lost more blood than was safe. That, plus the exertion of fleeing through the forest had deteriorated his condition to the point that he felt utterly exhausted. He tried to hide the concern in his voice as he replied. "I'm okay, Geordi. I must be out of shape. Remind me to visit the gym more often when we get back." The engineer wasn't fooled. Reaching out tentatively, he placed the back of his hand on Riker's forehead. "You're running a fever, sir, and it's not just this walking. I think we should rest here for a little while." Will wasn't in the mood to argue. Q, meanwhile, was standing and wiping perspiration from his face. He viewed his damp hand with an expression of complete disgust. "I don't see how you humans can stand your bodies, the way they continuously leak fluids from every pore and orifice. It's positively revolting." Trying to change the subject, Riker sat up slightly. "Wonder where we are." "Don't ask me, you're driving." replied Geordi with a slight smile. Will scanned the forest. "I don't know which direction we were moving in when we broke out of jail, and I know that we took a lot of twists and turns through the woods. But, according to the sun, we're moving northwest, now. I think we should try to make it back to San Francisco. Maybe we can find some way to contact the ship there." He shrugged, forgetting that Geordi couldn't see it. Q rolled his eyes. "That would be suicide, Riker. Those ruins must be crawling with those filthy apes. It would be like walking in front of a firing squad." "Beats hiding out here in the bushes." Geordi said. "I say we go for it, after you get some rest, Commander." Riker nodded agreement. "So noted, Doctor LaForge." He shifted his weight in an effort to find a more comfortable position. "It's going to be a long walk to the city, even assuming we're going in the right direction. We'll need to find some water, somehow." Q had suddenly put his hand to his stomach. "My stomach just made that strange sound again. Does that mean I'm hungry?" Geordi smiled at bit. "Probably. I know I could use something. We haven't eaten since before we beamed down." Riker nodded. "Alright, then. Q, if you would, please scout around and see if you can come up with something to eat? There must be some kind of berries or something growing out here." Q exhaled. "Very well, human. But don't believe that this is a new habit of mine, assisting helpless mortals. I have a reputation to guard, after all." * * * * * They watched as the gorilla completed a visual survey of the area, then stepped off at a steady march back the way he had come. They waited for an additional few minutes in silence until they could be reasonably sure that the soldier was out of earshot. Burke let his breath out with a whoosh. "That was closer than we've been in awhile. Too close, for me, in case you're wondering." Virdon shifted his weight off of his right hip, which had begun to go numb from laying still in the same position for that extended period. "Tell me about it. I could hear him breathing, he was so close." The astronauts and their chimpanzee companion quietly emerged from their hiding place. They were alone, at least, as far as they could tell. Alan reached into his belt pouch and removed the crude compass that he had fashioned a few months before and examined it briefly. Pointing off into the forest, he said, "Alright, we're going that way." He set off at any easy pace through the trees. Darkness was beginning to be replaced with the morning sun as it peeked through the forest canopy. Alan figured that they were thirty minutes walking distance from Central City. It would be fortunate, though improbable, if they avoided further patrols from here on in. * * * * * "Escaped?" Urko stalked the interior of the police headquarters, furious. He had returned to find his building deserted, save for the lone, incompetent guard that was unconscious in the cell last occupied by the human fugitives. Unconscious until a boot to the guard's back had returned him to full wakefulness. "Fool! How could you be duped by a human? Which one was it? The blind one? The wounded one? A blind human and his injured companion managed to escape and incapacitate you in the process?" The hapless guard could do nothing but stand, silent, as his superior vented his frustration. If he were lucky, he would only lose one or two of his stripes. If he were lucky. The general finally began to calm down. Turning to his lieutenant, he barked orders. "Kurson, take a detail and head back to the old city. They might be trying to regroup there. I want that machine we found destroyed. If you find the humans, kill them on sight." Kurson nodded. "Yes, Urko. But what about Doctor Zaius?" "I will take care of Zaius. You just go, now." * * * * * "This way." Data pointed with his free hand toward a low-rising hill about thirty yards from where they had materialized. In his right hand, his ever-present tricorder. He and Worf set off toward what the instrument identified as an entrance to the vast network of tunnels the ancient computer logs had mentioned. Once there, nothing resembling an entry of any kind presented itself. Data scanned the area, both with his eyes and his tricorder. "The entrance must be concealed. It will take a moment to pinpoint it." After a few seconds, he pointed at an outcropping of rock. "The tricorder indicates that it is behind that rock formation. It may have been deliberately covered up." Worf growled low in his throat as he retrieved his phaser from his burlap rucksack and adjusted the power setting. Taking careful aim at the hillside, he fired. The weapon emitted it's familiar burst of energy and immediately began to disintegrate the boulder. A few seconds later, a hole large enough for them both to walk through, side by side, was visible. As the two officers approached, Data could see that jagged rock met a finished surface a few feet into the hillside. Indeed, this had been a fashioned entrance at one time, intentionally covered up by persons and for reasons unknown. The path into the hillside disappeared into the darkness beyond. Worf reached into his rucksack and withdrew a personal flashlight. Taking the point, he aimed his light down the tunnel. The path immediately began to slope downward into the bowels of the hill. Walking was not difficult, as the path was wide and free of obstructions. There was no ornamentation of any kind on any of the walls, floor or ceiling. After several minutes of walking in silence, Data called out to Worf, "Lieutenant, stop, please." Worf did as he was asked, turning back to face the android. Data looked down the passageway for an additional moment before continuing. "The illumination in this tunnel is increasing." Worf turned his flashlight off. It was just noticeable, but it was there. Switching the unit back on, they continued on down the tunnel, navigating the twists and turns. Experimenting, Data pulled his communicator from the small pouch at his belt and keyed it. "Data to Enterprise." The response was immediate. "Picard here. Go ahead, Commander." The captain's voice was broken up slightly by background static, but still audible. "I was merely testing our communications capabilities, Captain. Lieutenant Worf and I are proceeding down a tunnel, and we are approaching an area that appears to have it's own source of illumination." "Very good. Leave this channel open. We are experiencing some minor breakup in your transmission, but you are still quite readable. I want continuous reports on what you find, Commander." "Understood, sir." Data left the communication link active, pinning the badge to his burlap shirt. It was bright enough in the tunnel at this point that Worf's flashlight was no longer necessary. Finally, after a few more turns in the passageway, the tunnel opened into a huge, brightly lit chamber. Lighting panels, similar to the ones found in the underground computer complex, lit up the room. However, unlike the computer room, everything in this chamber was covered in centuries' worth of dust and grime. It did nothing to stifle Data's curiosity, though. "Captain, we have reached what appears to be a termination point for the transcontinental tunnel system. There are tracks for an advanced locomotive system covering large portions of the floor, and disappearing into numerous tunnels, each heading in a different direction. There are two transports in the room, one appears to be placed to head in an easterly direction, the other to the south." Data consulted his tricorder briefly. "If I am perceiving the layout of this room correctly, the probable destination of the southbound vehicle could have been Los Angeles, whereas the eastbound vehicle could go as far as New York City. These destinations are,