The Wrong Sam (part 5)

Posted on Mon Nov 7th, 2011 @ 2:04pm by Commodore Samantha York & Colonel Damon Raine
Edited on on Tue Nov 8th, 2011 @ 7:15am

1,080 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: The Race for the Lost Treasure
Location: Starbase Typhon

ON

[OLD]

Walking to the table, Bassett quickly and efficiently placed his briefcase on it, and snapped it open. Retrieving a tricorder from the its innards amongst other devices placed in snug recesses, he proceeded to scan both Yorks.

[NEW]

The two Sams looked at each other, then at the men. Commander Sam was the one to speak. "So, does this have anything to do with the recent activities of the Republic?"

"No. That is a separate incident. You've both been in the same timeline for over a year and a half. The fact that your lives went in different directions is why you're both still here." He looked at his companion. "You weren't supposed to find out."

'The decision was made at the highest level,' declared Laysbury with a finality. 'It was deemed highly unlikely that either the Orion or the Republic would ever meet, and patrols and assignments have been ensured in that way over the past eighteen months.' He grimaced, 'it was unforeseen that the Republic would appear here six months after disappearing in the Ivel Sector. Nothing could be done to prevent this chance meeting.'

Bassett finished for him, 'however we were ready for such an eventuality.'

"Ready how?" Sam asked suspiciously. "And what's going to happen now that we have met?"

The two men looked at each other for a long moment. Then Bassett continued. "Nothing happens. We have a conversation and then we walk out of here as if nothing ever happened. Understood?" He waited for the four to nod their consent. "Good."

He walked to where he could look at all four of them. "On Stardate 66454.4 the USS Orion was destroyed by pirates as it tried to leave orbit. All hands were lost."

"The Orion survived," Captain Samsaid,looking at Damon. "WE survived."

"Yes. YOU survived. But you are not from the Orion. Or, not from THIS Orion. The Orion in this reality was destroyed. Your Orion was attacked but survived. The combined force of the two weapons caused a temporal rift -- or so we assume. Your ship passed through the rift and continued on to Starbase Typhon. Starfleet Intelligence investigated the planet. It was abandoned -- except for the remains of a Galaxy-class starship. The USS Orion. Fortunately, it was damaged too severely to be looted. We confirmed that all hands died. Your Orion was practically identical. The two realities are almost identical, which is fortunate. The only is one Samantha York. In this reality, she stayed aboard the Republic. In yours, she transferred to the Orion."

He paused to see how they were reacting so far. "So, Temporal Investigations felt it best to simply let things stand. You replaced the destroyed Orion and we've done what we can to keep you apart."

"So..." Damon started. "We don't belong here...In your reality?"

"That's the problem. According to everything we've uncovered, you DO. You're supposed to be here." He shrugged. "If we'd caught the problem before you muddied this timeline by going to Typhon and then to the planets nearby, we would have sent you back. But after we looked into your future and our past, we realized that you're supposed to be here. So we chose to keep you apart and pretend nothing happened. The less you know, the better."

"We were always meant to cross that rift and be here..." Damon was starting to catch on. "So there being two Samantha's was also supposed to happen?"

''Supposed' implies a universal will,' said Bassett mildly, adjusting his spectacles. 'So ... on those terms, no. However it did happen, it has been decided that it shall continue to happen, and you may carry on with your lives as much before.'

Captain Sam looked from Damon to Sam, then to Bassett. "Just like that? We go on with our lives as if nothing happened?"

Laysbury nodded. "Exactly. You've permanently altered this reality and become a part of it. It, in turn, has adapted to your co-existence." He gave the four of them a stern look. "And forget we ever met."

Bennett arched an eyebrow at the comment. He could not be sure, but he felt that the older agent was having a little fun at their expense. 'Of course, Agent, of course.' He squeezed his Sam's hand a little harder for a moment. 'So ... now we're all introduced, would you like to stay for some tea?'

Laysbury and Bennett looked at each other for a moment before shaking their heads. "No. We don't socialize with our assignments."

Without another word, the two men walked out of the room.

It was a lot of information for Damon to digest all at once. First, there were two Samantha Yorks; Second, neither she nor he belonged in this reality and third; since the Orion was destroyed in this reality they would all be expected to just take their places and keep quiet about it.

"What now?" Damon simply asked. He had many more questions than he felt would have adequate answers.

Bennett shrugged. This was as hard for him to digest as for the others apparently. It made him think of choices and roads taken in life that might not have led him here to this moment. Or to his Sam for that matter. 'Carry on, I suppose.'

Sam lay her head on Damon's shoulder. "As Curzon said. We go on as before," she said, shaking her head. "If I understand what he said, we aren't from here, but we belong here. I guess the universe decided to make things right and bring us here?"

Commander Sam held tightly to Curzon's hand. This was all really strange. In the space of only a few weeks she'd had two temporal encounters. Or, rather, one encounter and one revelation. It wasn't as hard to accept as it might have been as she'd just come through her own temporal anomaly. And she had Curzon. And her parents. And this was her native timeline. She felt bad for the other Sam, but at the same time she was glad it wasn't her. "Well, since we are here, maybe we should take this opportunity to get to know each other?"

Captain Sam nodded. "Agreed."

OFF

Captain Curzon Bennett
Commanding Officer
Unassigned

Agent Laysbury [NPC]
Senior Field Agent
Temporal Investigations [Portrayed by York & Bennett]

Agent Bassett [NPC]
Field Agent
Temporal Investigations [Portrayed by York & Bennett]

 

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