Title: A Haunting Error (3/3)
Author: klmeri
Characters: Kirk, Spock, McCoy
Disclaimer: My mind is weird—sort of like ST. But I didn’t come up with it.
Summary: Kirk and Spock are receiving visitations… from McCoy?
Previous Parts: 1 | 2

Part Three

“Aye, I’ve seen my share of ghosties. There was one lad—naught but a bairn, I’m tellin’ ye—died at his post under Klingon attack and now he haunts Engineering. I meself dinnae mind too much—I’d not leave me work even for death! But it makes a mite of trouble for the rest. I cannae keep a man doun there alone!”

“Ghosts are honored in the Russian family. The shade of my grandmother Borshika lived with us for many years after her passing.”

Uhura looks unsettled at these declarations. Sulu nods knowingly. A hodge-podge of people are gathered in the Captain’s quarters. Mr. Scott was the first invitee to the séance because he was the first person that Bones saw—as McCoy went unswervingly to Engineering for a strong drink. Spock informed Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov of their crucial attendance to the night’s proceedings. Leonard also decided that having another female in the room might stack the deck in their favor, so he asked Christine along too. That makes a total of eight persons surrounding a very large circular table, stolen from a rec room.

Spock and Leonard had a great debate about the lighting. Leonard said darkness is conducive to the séance; Spock stated that low-level lighting is superfluous and only serves the function of lending credibility to supernatural events. To which McCoy replied quite loudly, “This was your idea, you damn hobgoblin! You’re the one who thinks this will work!” Spock’s next comment infuriated the doctor so much that Jim had to prevent McCoy from landing a few well-placed blows and being nerve-pinched in return.

The Captain calls for order and the attention of all. They link hands (McCoy grasping Spock’s wrist instead) and the séance begins.

Spock intones, “We wish to communicate with the spirit of Doctor McCoy.”

A few huh‘s and what‘s and “I’m right here, you fool!” echo in the dark.

“Understood, Doctor, but I wish to speak with your impersonator. This is the most apt summons.” Spock starts again. “We wish to communicate with the spirit of Doctor McCoy. Are you among us?”

The table shudders with a knock. Kirk suppresses a yelp when Uhura digs her nails into his palm. “Sorry!” a thick brogue calls out. “My knee’s a wee bit jumpy.”

“Please refrain from excess movement, Mr. Scott.” There’s a soft aye from across the table.

The third time is the charm. As soon as Spock finishes with “Are you among us?” Kirk wants to know who just caressed his leg (he doesn’t mention how high up it was). A chorus of denial goes ’round from all living parties.

“Captain, are ye positive it wasn’t yer imagining?”

“Scotty, I haven’t been making this up for the past month! I recognize that touch. It’s—” Kirk does not complete his sentence. No one who doesn’t already know the answer asks just how intimately the Captain is acquainted with this ghost. Sometimes ignorance is bliss—and a way to avoid nightmares.

Sulu leans in to Chekov on his left and wants to know, “Is Mr. Spock going to channel the—McCoy?” Chekov shrugs, which is barely a ripple in the dark. “Maybe we should ask.”

Then there is no time for questions as Spock falls face forward onto the table with a thunk. It startles everyone so badly that they want the lights on right now, though no one demands such out loud. Leonard, who is acutely aware of what has just happened, releases Spock’s wrist to check his pulse. Kirk demands to know what’s going on.

“He’s not dead, Jim. I think Spock’s in a tra—”

The doctor is cut off by the slow rise of Spock’s head, and when the Vulcan turns glowing eyes on him, McCoy wishes he wasn’t sitting next to Mr. Spock. “Uh, Jim. I think we made contact.”

“What?”

“Spock is possessed, unless his eyes change to blue on a regular basis.”

There are gasps, Oh God‘s, a Really?, and “I order you to let go of my hand, Uhura!” She tells the Captain no, not sweetly either, and to sit back down, he’s disturbing the séance.

Sulu begins the questioning. “Mr. Sp—Spirit, why are you haunting the Captain and the First Officer of the Enterprise?”

McCoy starts to sweat because the Vulcan continues to look at him with his own blue eyes. There is a heavy silence in the room. When the tension and anticipation almost reaches a crescendo, Spock begins to talk.

“McCoooy is here.”

Leonard cannot reply around his too-tight throat. It’s Christine who asks for clarification. “Our McCoy is here. Are you McCoy also?”

Finally the spell breaks as Spock gazes at Christine (next to Leonard). “I am heeerrre.”

Chekov mutters in thick Russian I am confused from somewhere around the table. Leonard has had just about enough—now that he can breathe properly—of this madness.

His words are rough. “You aren’t me, you crazy ghoul!”

“I am McCoy.” It drops the creepy, low voice for something higher and insulted.

“No you aren’t! I am McCoy.” Leonard smacks his free hand on the tabletop. “Me! And you’d better stop fooling around with these people, understand? We want you gone!”

The entity quiets then. So does everyone else until Scotty cannot take the silence anymore. “Are ye all right, Doctor? The haunt hasn’t… taken ye, has it?”

“No, Scotty. I think this spirit is a coward.”

Jim interrupts with “Bones, maybe name-calling isn’t the best idea—”

“Do you, or do you not want it to stop—”

“Fine!” Kirk’s agreement is too sharp and too loud.

McCoy wants to add I’m just trying to help you, Jimmy but he does not. Instead, he is direct. “What is your purpose? Why are you on this ship?”

“I am McCoy, CMO of the Enterprise.”

“Doctor Farrow is CMO.”

“I am McCoy, CMO of the Enterprise.” It says that somewhat merrily, and McCoy is glad that the lights are low because he has a bad feeling that the Vulcan’s face is stretched in a smile—which is more disturbing than the possession itself. “Unless…” It turns and fixes a blue eye on Leonard.

“Unless what?”

“Unless McCoy returns.”

Leonard is speechless. Luckily, Kirk is not. “You want Bones to be CMO of the Enterprise?”

“Yesssss. McCoy must return or—” The threat is left hanging.

Apparently not to Jim. Kirk hisses and snaps, “Stop that! And get out of my First Officer!”

“Ssspppock. Greeeen-bloooded—”

Suddenly Leonard is furious. No one—especially not some wannabe, molesting spook—gets to insult Spock that way! He’s McCoy, and it’s his prerogative. “Enough! If you want me back so damn bad, then you got me! Now leave Spock alone, and get the Hell off this ship!”

This time Leonard manages to catch one of Spock’s shoulders before the Vulcan adds another lump to his forehead. The spirit is gone, and Doctor McCoy has just made a rash promise that he’s not sure he can keep.

Spock takes the news of his possession rather well. He merely says, “I was One with the entity. It will not leave the Enterprise until Doctor McCoy resumes the position of Chief Medical Officer.”

“I want to know why, Spock! Why me?“

“Doctor, I am… uncertain of how to explain the situation. This being is not of our Universe.”

Kirk stops pacing and stands in Mr. Spock’s personal space. “Explain.”

“Captain, what we are experiencing is a unique phenomenon—of Destiny correcting itself. I do not fully understand its existence.”

“Destiny!” Jim scoffs. “That—thing—is Destiny? That’s impossible, Spock!” And why does it fondle me?

“Perhaps not Destiny itself, Jim—a physical manifestation of another universe that has slipped into our own but cannot reconcile the differences.”

“A parallel universe?”

Spock tilts his head with yes. “It is fascinating, Captain. Presently, there is no record of evidence for this theory, yet—”

Leonard, perched on an armrest, interrupts before Spock can get carried away. (He knows this Vulcan too well.) “Hold on there, Spock! You’re saying that, in another universe, I wasn’t booted off the Enterprise?” He huffs out a laugh. “So basically, I screwed up my own future?” Tell me something that I don’t know!

“You are not necessarily correct, Doctor. It is possible that we are living as our universe dictates. However, the being—”

“The Overlap!”

“—believes that Destiny cannot be fulfilled without your presence aboard this ship. It wants its universe to coincidence with ours.”

“Then what does it know that we don’t?” Jim asks.

Something flickers through the Vulcan’s gaze but he does not answer the question directly. “Doctor McCoy will be imperative to the well-being of the Enterprise and her crew.” He echoes Leonard’s earlier words to Jim and Spock: He is important.

It seems that they are all beginning to realize just how important McCoy must be—and that Admiral Howe has destroyed something precious.

McCoy sighs and rubs his cheek with his knuckles. “Well, what are we supposed to tell Starfleet Command? ‘Hi, you have to re-instate me as CMO because some Almighty ghost is gonna terrorize the crew if ya don’t.’ We’ll be locked up in the psych-ward of Starfleet Medical so fast it’ll make your head spin!”

“I have thoughts on this subject.”

McCoy waves his hand. “By all means, Mr. Spock. Please share.“

The Vulcan says instead, “Are you attempting sarcasm?”

Just like that, Leonard is genuinely laughing. “Spock, Spock! It’s just how I am. I do want to know about your plan, though.” He’s smiling now, thinking, Maybe the hobgoblin can be improved after all. Leonard would like the chance to try.

“Admiral Howe had a significant influence on Leonard’s dismissal as CMO.”

“I’ll say! That bastard—”

“Bones!”

“Perhaps we should allow him an opportunity in which to comprehend the ‘error of his ways.'”

Jim is smiling now, too, but not for any reason that McCoy can find, except for the pleasing thought of Howe getting his comeuppance. He looks between the Captain and the First Officer. “Ya’ll are up to something!”

Jim looks smug. “Spock, would you be willing to contact this being again?”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Good.” He brushes a hand over the Vulcan’s shoulder before turning to face McCoy. “Bones, wouldn’t you agree that the good Admiral Howe deserves a… visitation or two?”

A slow, brightening grin spreads over McCoy’s face. He comes to his feet, bounces a little. “Why, Jim, I like the sound of that idea. I most certainly do!” McCoy addresses Spock, who is staring a little too intently at the brilliance in Leonard’s face, and says, “Mr. Spock, I’ll owe you this one.”

Spock’s eyebrow goes up. “Indeed.”

There is an Admiral to convince and, quite auspiciously, a ghost with which to do it.

One week later…

The Enterprise crew is having a day-long celebration, on the orders of Captain Kirk. Kirk celebrates a week of showering to himself, and Mr. Spock is grateful for uninterrupted meditation. Bones, as Doctor McCoy is center of this party, drinks to a distant outpost which he won’t have to grace again.

People are just plain happy to be aboard the Enterprise without apparitions; they have a return to normalcy and little excuse to continue reporting ghostly sights and possession of random crew members. McCoy, after reviewing the log entries in Sickbay, will always wonder how much of the “supernatural” activity on the ship was due to an actual ghost.

“—and he was practically in tears, begging me to take the position back!” There is a round of laughter in the rec room as McCoy gleefully relates his unexpected communication with the great Admiral Howe. “I had to consider the request for a minute or two, of course—”

“Doctor McCoy, surely you didn’t want to stay on that dreadful outpost!” Uhura exclaims. With that horrid nurse.

“Uhura, darlin’, just for show.” McCoy grins. “Just for show!”

“Who would nae jump at the chance to be on this beauty!” Many people drink in agreement to Mr. Scott’s appraisal, including the Scotsman, who’s brought some fine Engineering hooch to the affair.

Kirk clears his throat and raises his glass in a toast. “Bones, we’re very glad to have you back with us. To Doctor McCoy!” More cheering. “And to our Enterprise—may she keep us together for many years to come!”

“Thanks, Jim,” McCoy says as Kirk regains his seat beside the doctor. “Thank you, really. And you too, Spock!”

Spock inclines his head. “Our solution is for the good of the many.”

Leonard smiles and tips with glass in acknowledgement. “And certainly for the good of the few.” He places his empty glass onto a side table. “Now, Captain, I’d hate to be remiss in my duties. You’re overdue for a physical—”

“Ah, Bones—“

All is on track once again.

Somewhere a spritely little obsessed thing called Destiny laughs and congratulates herself on a job well done. One less Universe to worry about; now, moving on down the list…

-Fini

Related Posts:

• A Haunting Error (2/3) – from June 26, 2010
• A Haunting Error (1/3) – from June 25, 2010