You Don't Belong Here

Posted on Tue Aug 29th, 2023 @ 11:55am by Fleet Admiral Mike K`Wor Bremer & Captain Paul MacLeod & Commander Jonathan Roebuck IV & Lieutenant Commander Clint Cross & Lieutenant Heath Carter & Commander Robert Stark
Edited on on Fri Sep 1st, 2023 @ 11:18am

863 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Episode 117 - "Returning to the Mirror"
Location: Starbase 400
Timeline: MD2, 0845hrs

ON:

After the Marines arrived in the Engineering Section, and one was looking over Vox, Roebuck returned to Level 1900 to look around where Vox said he'd seen someone who looked like Reakown. The CEO's office was clear, as was the Engineering Briefing Room. Finding nothing, he was about to check one of the other offices when a Marine patrol walked by. Roebuck didn't recognize the Sergeant or Private, but there had been several new Marines arriving lately and he hadn't had time to meet them all. One a Station as big as Starbase 400, there was no way anyone could remember every name and face anyway.

As he passed the Marines, his commbadge beeped. "Commander Roebuck, report to Level 1120, there's a report of an Officer down."

"Acknowledged." Roebuck replied.


A quick turbolift ride later, Roebuck was on Level 1120. Lieutenant Carter was there with a Med Team. Commander Stark was sitting up, leaning against a bulkhead. He had blood on his shoulder from a wound on the back of his head.

"What happened?" Roebuck asked.

"He was he was in the main research lap, securing some files per the Fleet Admiral's orders, when he was hit from behind. He said the person appeared to be Human and looked very much like Commander Cross in Intel." Carter explained.

Roebuck nodded, then knelt down beside Stark. "You okay?"

"The medics say physically, jury's out on mentally." Stark tried to flash a smile but his expression quickly went back to one of obvious pain.

"The guy that hit you, said he looked like Lieutenant Commander Cross?" Roebuck asked.

Stark gave a slight nod, "Yeah. I only got a quick glimpse of his face, but I did see Lieutenant Commander pips and gray trim of the Intel department. Wait, you know that ring he's wearing now, the one his dad sent him last week, some family crest thing. He wasn't wearing that."

"Thank you." Roebuck said.

Roebuck nodded to Carter then pulled his tricorder. He accessed the Station's comm-system and tracked Cross's commbadge to Level 1122. "What's on Level 1122?"

"Ah, a couple of labs. Only projects down there are comm-badge improvements, enviro-suites, portable forcefield generators....wait, Commander Wayne moved everything for the Type 3G phaser rifles down there while the usual rifle labs were undergoing upgrades." Stark replied as he tried to stand, then slumped back down, "Okay, someone please make the room stop spinning."

Roebuck glanced as Carter, "Stay here and inform Bremer."


A few moments later, Roebuck was on Level 1122. He tracked Cross's commbadge to one of the secured labs. He glanced through the window and saw Cross at a terminal. He was downloading data to what looked like an older tricorder. Roebuck took a deep breath, then accessed the panel on the lap's door.

When the door opened, Cross looked up, but saw no one. He eyed the door until it closed, then went back to his work. A few moments later the door opened again. Cross looked up, but again no one was there. Annoyed, he got up to go check the corridor, then lock the door. As he looked out, he was grabbed by Roebuck and slammed against the wall.

"You don't belong here." Roebuck said.

"Damn! I'm trying to lock down the database." Cross replied.

Roebuck looked down at Cross's right hand, there was no ring. "Who are you, really?"

"I'm Clint Cross. You know that."

"Where's the ring your mother gave you?" Roebuck asked.

"My what?" He shook his head, "I guess I left it in my quarters, didn't want to lose mom's ring." Cross replied.

Roebuck relaxed and released Cross. He smiled as he took a step back. Then his facial expression changed from friendly to anger, he drew his phaser and shot Cross in the chest. Cross dropped to the deck with a thud, stunned. "The ring belonged to Cross's dad, not his mom."

Roebuck tapped his commbadge, he quickly thought of someone he could trust. "Roebuck to MacLeod, meet me on Level 1122 at once."

"On my way." Mac replied.

A few minutes later, Mac arrived, "What happened."

"I don't know who he is, but this isn't Clint Cross. He attacked Stark and was trying to access R&D data with this. "He held up what appeared to be an older TR-590 Tricorder, but functions and buttons were slightly different . "Take him to the brig and make sure the security officer is someone you can trust."

"Absolutely." Mac replied. "What about the tricorder?"

"I'm going to show it Bremer" Roebuck replied.

Mac nodded as Roebuck left.

Once the turbolift doors closed, Mac helped Cross to his feet as he regained consciousness.

"Who are you?" Mac asked.

Cross smirked. "There's more of us here than you realize. Your universe has plenty of technology to help the Terrain Empire thrive again."

"Terrain Empire? You're from that mirror universe?" Mac asked.

The two eyed each other for a moment, then Mac fired his phaser and vaporized the mirror universe duplicate of Cross. "There's more of us here than they realize too, and I can't let you get in our way." The Changeling then morphed into liquid form and flowed into the corridor's paneling.


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