DTI:OHIO

Posted on Mon Feb 4th, 2019 @ 7:00pm by Commander Rita Paris & Captain Enalia Telvan & Lieutenant Commander Sonak & Petty Officer 2nd Class Ila Dedjoy & Alden Engstrom XIII

Mission: Earthly Visitation
Location: Earth, Nowheresville, Ohio
Timeline: 2396

As the Department of Temporal Investigations shuttle finally came in for a landing in the middle of the open field, a small metal hut extended from the ground and a turbolift door opened so the pilot tried to align the exit of the shuttle with the door of the turbolift. As the agents and Rita exited the shuttle, they headed into the turbolift and everything sealed itself back up as if it was never there.

Inside the turbolift was Captain Telvan, an Intel PaDD in hand. Handing the PaDD to Rita, she grinned wryly. "Welcome to the DTI Ohio installation." That was when the initial levels gave way to the actual underground city and the clear sides clearly showed a much larger complex of blue and silver stretching out for miles under the Ohio landscape. "They tell me this is where they monitor the timeline. Other than that and the equipment we'll be using, most of the equipment here is supposedly chronometrically locked data storage. The entirely of Federation knowledge is stored here."

"Hi, good morning to you too, Captain... seriously what the heck? The entirety of Federation knowledge?" Paris paused to take in the view. "Wow- we know a lot. But how did it end up in Ohio? For that matter, how have I ended up in Ohio twice in one week?" Paris ended with a mutter.

Enalia couldn't help but chuckle. "Seriously... I should build a castle here or something. Maybe a nice summer home with a... What do people in Ohio even do? Run away and join Starfleet? I mean so many famous captains were from here..."

"Thanks for coming, Captain. I don't really know what's going on, but these guys seem pretty concerned, so I guess it has something to do with me and transporters or how I got here or something. Honestly I'm not sure, but... good to see a friendly face, ma'am." While most wouldn't catch on to the seemingly casual tone, Enalia Telven had gotten to know Rita Paris over the past few months, and she could tell the young woman was trying to remain calm, but what she'd been told was amping up her anxiety considerably. Having her captain greet her at the door was helping though- she could hear it in the transporter-phobic officer's voice.

Wrapping one arm around the time-tossed tourist, Enalia grinned that piratical grin of hers. "Hey, I'd never let you face something like this alone. Whatever happens, we're in this together. As for what they detected... ehhh, they've got a quantum scanner bigger than our ship. I'm sure between our people and theirs, we'll get all this sorted out in time for dinner. Don't you worry."

As the turbolift descended the rest of the way down, they entered the research area which was quite a bit less flashy but so much more interesting to look at with odd shaped tech hanging this way and that. Displays and monitors were plentiful as were bright lights and conduit cables. There they were met by Yeoman Dedjoy and Alden Engstrom, along with several labcoat wearing scientists.

Dedjoy piped up first, looking up from a pair of PaDDs. "Captain, these readings... If we had scanners like this, we could have easily solved the Commander's transport allergy ages ago.z" The doll-like eyes shifted for epic sideye to regard the labcoat brigade. "I'm just not sure I trust these people with their track record. The last time they tried draining off this much trans-chrono-dimensional displaced energy they vaporized a small inhabited moon and tore a hole in subspace."

"And that's what you two are here for," the spotted Captain replied, squeezing Rita's shoulder tighter as she guided her out of the turbolift into the large brightly colored lab. "To make sure everyone walks away form this in one piece and very much alive."

"I'm not, I'm not really encouraged by all of this talk of vaporization and making sure everyone walks away alive," Paris said under her breath, but loud enough for the captain to hear. "What, what's so bad about a lot of trans-chrono dimensional displaced energy? Is the displacement bad or the trans-chrono part? Does this have something to do with me not being a native, because I'm pretty sure I was considered naturalized by Starfleet." Paris asked with a hint of anxiety creeping into her tone. The more she heard, the less transporter accident-prone anachronism liked the sound of it.

Right now, the nervous navigator very much wanted a certain somber steely-eyed scientist to explain to her what was going on, and reassure her that it was going to be all right. "Is, ah is Mister Sonak here?

"Here," came the deep soft voice from behind a computer console.

Straightening up, the Vulcan chief science officer of the Hera stepped around it to meet his wife, who was also his superior officer.

"I just finished inputting into this computer the data we collected during our last experiment in the Hera's transporter room, as well as what was recorded during our shared last beam back aboard. My own biometrics were recorded alongside yours during the same transport disturbance event, as well as the compensating effect given by the portable transporter device I activated to ensure our safe return. This will give us a perfect baseline comparison; everything needed to finally understand the phenomena afflicting you."

The relief on the face of the fairly frantic first officer was evident, and beneath the captain’s hand, she could feel the tension drain from muscles that had been tense as corded steel a moment ago. Rita Paris was a brave woman who had faced danger and death many times, but transporters were her bane. Since her first transporter accident, she had been nervous around them and had found ways to avoid them whenever possible. An emergency beam-out from the science colony at Aijon Prime had ended with her having moved not only through space, but time and dimension as well. Every since, her relationship with transporters had been worse than ever before, with transporter beams actually reaching out to try to envelop her and beam her… elsewhere.

Just where that might be, Rita very much did not wish to find out.

Thus as during her tour of Starfleet Command she had been detected by the Division of Temporal Investigations, who were apparently in something of a panic over what was going on with her quantum field. Which was all Greek to Rita- just because she regularly shared minds with one of the most brilliant men in existence didn’t make her a quantum physicist, so much of what was being said went over her head. But low odds of survival were something that she did understand, deep concern to get her away from Starfleet Command she understood, and now that Sonak was here, she knew there was at least one scientist in the room who had her best interests at heart, deeply understood her case and would not let anything bad happen to her.

The fact that the captain had come personally was both anxiety enhancing and relieving. Rita was glad to have her commanding officer present- again, Enalia might not understand all of the science, but she had Rita’s best interests forefront in her mind, and she would watch Sonak’s back. But the fact that she felt motivated to come in person was also worrisome to Paris, because that indicated the severity of the situation.

“So, um, what are we doing with Rita’s quantum field today?” Paris asked with a feigned cheer designed to cover her anxiety that failed just as soundly as one would expect. “I heard something about a Midas Array and good odds of somebody not dying, and a lot of trans-chrono dimensional displaced energy?” She might not understand what it all meant, but Rita could parrot with the best of them.

One of the female scientists stepped up. With her hair tied back, glasses low on her nose, and a lab coat on, you would have thought she'd be one of those mousey assistant types, but no. "I'm Professor Langstrom, the director of quantum entanglement research here and I'll be..." Eyeing the outsiders for a moment, she thought better of her original choice of words. "Coordinating our efforts. Mister Sonak and Miss Dedjoy have brought a lot of new data to the table that we have not considered before and we're keen on exploring the ramifications of what this data means further, but first we have to consider your safety and that of spacetime within around a light year or two of you. If you continue absorbing transported quantum energy like you have, we fear that it's going to tear a hole in the fabric of what we know as reality, connecting your old dimension to ours in ways that we can't predict. With this new data and your crewmates' help, along with your consent..."

Dedjoy smiled reassuringly. "One piece of information they didn't have before was where all that energy was being stored. Guess which AI and genius figured that one out while you were on your way here."

The Professor rolled her eyes. "Yes, you have tools we don't have and we have tools you don't have. That's why we're collaborating. It's the Federation way. Woohoo."

Agent Engstrom sighed heavily. "Please don't mind her... She's not a... People... Person..."

“Hi, Rita Paris,” the subject in question who wasn’t all that keen on territoriality being a part of the proceedings raised her hand like a schoolgirl while the other hand rested against the desk she was standing next to, in a white-knuckled grip.

“Walking talking menace to spacetime here, who isn’t going to give you a whit of consent if she doesn’t understand what’s going on, so feel free to wag your PhD’s around to see whose is the most prestigious all you like. But I’d like to have an actual clear answer of what’s going on and what the urgency is and what you propose to do about it. Yeah yeah, threat to spacetime, might unzip reality, I caught that part. If someone could speak in a few more specifics that would be swell. Otherwise I can go on my merry way, avoid transporters for the rest of my life and not have to deal with this intellectual pissing contest.”

While that wasn’t her intention, people noodling about with her as a lab rat didn’t set well with the ancient astronaut, and while she was reassured by Sonak’s presence, listening to the comedy act was putting her even more on edge than when she started. In short, she was already frightened, all of this bickering was just scaring her more, and Rita Paris responded to fear with action. Right now, she would be perfectly content to go back to the Hera and let the Science department and Dedjoy work out the answers. Her grip on the desk next to her was so strong, that her arm was shaking slightly, an outward sign of her inner pressure as she worked to keep her voice calm and level.

Enalia decided to step in, speaking softly and tossing a glare at all those upsetting her first officer. "Basically, from what I understand of it, there's something in your old galaxy trying to pull you back with every transport near you and it's sucking energy in with it and even if you avoid transporters entirely, that energy will still build because of transports on the other side. Ila and Lucky were able to pinpoint and isolate it as some sort of inter-dimensional rift tying you to the warp core of the Exeter. Sonak has a plan that won't put you at risk."

"As for the DTI... They have the tools and have graciously offered to assist in our efforts. When this works you'll no longer have anything to fear from transporters other than your normal phobia, which... I'll be honest, I'd have a phobia of them too after even a tenth of what you've been through. Does all that make sense?"

“Yes… yes, I guess that makes sense. Thank you, Captain… thanks,” Paris’ tone was grateful, and her grip eased enough to just go back to white knuckled, and she nodded her assent. None of that sounded good, and if she had to hazard a guess it would be the warp core of the Constitution to which she was attuned before the Hera’s, but why quibble over quantum details. No... the rest of the core sample.Sonak had a plan, and that was something she would trust in any reality, regardless of whomever else was involved. “The rest of the core sample made it to the Exeter, then migrated to the warp core and it's got some of my molecules and I have some of it's and it's pulling me through spacetime. I'll be damned."

Closing her eyes and shaking her head, Rita Paris considered the sublime insanity of her life. Then she opened her eyes and looked around, feigning confidence that she did not feel. "Okay, so, ah, how do we get this party started, then…?

All the while, Sonak remained silent and stoic, until his wife's question left the room in complete silence. He sent her a reassuring glance and concentrated as he spoke.

"I have not yet discussed my plan with the Department. I expect that the officials here will be in all probability feel... what is the word... ah yes, dismayed... to say the least, by my proposal."

He then turned to face the DTI scientist.

"I have also come to the conclusion that this effect affecting Commander Paris is due to our native universe trying to... bring her back; something much akin to what could be labelled for a better term as a... quantum gravitational field. In a gross, simplistic way, it would be our entire native universe pulling at her the way gravity acts on a planet with any object or being; pulling it towards it center."

His tone became deadpan as he spoke.

"Your office has long ago determined that Commander Paris and I come from an alternate quantum reality accidentally created by a rip through the quantum foam, an effect caused by the late Ambassador's Spock ill-advised attempt to create an artificial black hole through subspace using red matter. In other words, she and I come from a universe that should have never existed."

His steely grey eyes went to those of everyone in the room before settling into those of the woman he loved, though he had no emotions.

"The logical solution is obvious; correct the anomaly and restore reality."

"Undo that universe, is that what you're saying?" asked the girl in the old gold uniform. "The Hobus supernova may or may not have destroyed Romulus here- details are shaky on that front. But Spock and Nero traveling in time and dimension... created our universe, as a splinter timeline by virtue of both of them being shunted through a rip in spacetime, a literal tear in reali- oh, that quantum foam you mentioned, yeah." Caught up as she was in following the explanation Paris realized everyone seemed to be watching if not following along, so she proceeded.

"So that created an entire reality right there? Our reality didn't exist until that moment? Is that the theory?" Paris frowned with mock suspiciously. "Okay, okay, assuming that you're correct, because generally speaking that's a safe assumption, then you want to undo that universe somehow, paradoxically wipe it out? No, that would wipe us out too and cause changes to the timeline. So..." the plucky extradimensional explorer shrugged broadly. "I've no idea from there."

It was clear that this was how they worked- he set forth the principles and she articulated until she had processed it and caught up, stimulating the discussion as she did so.

"Indeed it is a now well established theory in temporal mechanics," her husband confirmed. "Temporal mechanics have been demonstrated as thus; if the timeline is altered, it destroys everything beyond that point and replaces it all with it's alternative... unless said alteration is corrected to restore the timeline to it's original state. However, that is not what happened with the Narada incident. Instead of a new timeline, a new reality bubble was created, one artificially created by the tampering with subspace of Ambassador Spock and the subsequent alterations caused by Nero in this mirror creation; one that Spock could and should have corrected... but did not. For some unknown reason, he allowed this tangent pseudo-reality to exist... and now, it is threatening your material existence... possibly more than just one individual life."

Again he looked at the DTI scientist.

"This is why the temporal Prime Directive has been made for; beyond the fate of one Starfleet officer, it is our duty to correct an aberration that could have dire consequences for this universe, if not reality itself."

"That's where we come in," Professor Langstrom grinned like she had a surprise up her sleeve. "I won't go into the details, but we have the tech to not only collapse that splinter timeline the way that your esteemed colleague intends, but to integrate you both fully into this one. There is a side effect that you both might gain the memories of your former counterparts of this timeline after the Kelvin-Narada encounter, and if you do, please let me know. It would be fascinating research data and we would provide any counseling that you would require. In fact the..." Realizing her rambling on would likely just upset Rita, the Professor pulled out a small clipboard and an old school clicky pen and nervously scribbled something on it as she walked over towards one of the desks. "Sorry, over four hundred years old and I still can't keep myself from rambling when I'm excited..."

"Okay, again, not a confidence builder there and I'd really rather not have anyone else's memories in my head," Paris muttered before speaking up and seeing if she understood what was going on here. "Because the Narada incident happened like a month after I was born, because it's Jim Kirk's birthday. So that would mean a lifetime of memories. Brrr!" The idea gave Rita the willies. Through all of her bizarre adventures she had always been... her.. Except for that time she was possessed, that time she fell sway to the will of Landru, the time she had been hypnotized by a vampire, the time...

"So does this mean that any extradimensional traveler has this sort of problem, a buildup of energies over time of their home timeline attempting to 'reclaim' them? Or is it just me, because transporters think I'm delicious?"

The Professor looked up from her readings. "You're only the second record we have of this buildup happening. Other extradimensional travelers normally don't stay long enough, but those that have, have shown no signs, including Mister Sonak. As for the memory issue I mentioned, remember how the Vulcans worked with humans back during the NX program so humans could build faster warp engines? The twenty ninth century Federation is working with us in a similar manner on this tech and though we're making progress... We're fairly confident you won't gain any extra memories. Even they don't think it'll happen with our current tech. You would have to be a multidimensional being in the first place and last I checked they were just myth and legend."

Enalia and Dedjoy both looked around at the other USS Hera crew not wanting to mention that they currently had one aboard the USS Hera in VIP quarters.

"I don't believe so, Professor. I'm just plain old human with a little help from a Vulcan, and though I come from another reality- wait, what's a multidimensional being?" Paris detoured her own answer with another question.

Sonak answered her.

"An entity either existing on several quantum planes of existence at once, like the Traveller encountered by the USS Enterprise D, or one able to shift from one quantum universe to another, like the being called Lazarus met by the USS Enterprise under Captain Kirk. You however are not like any of those; rather, you are caught between quantum forces susceptible to shift you from one reality to another, like what happened to Lieutenant Commander Worf during his time of service under Captain Picard. Like him, your original spacetime frame pulls at your being; but since this realm is in fact the result of an aberration, so becomes your own existential reality. Hence why this must be corrected."

"Exactly so. It is also theorized by some here that the Earth had contact with similar beings a few thousand years ago in western and northern Europe but I prefer to think it's all just mythology." Finishing her readings, the Professor unclipped the top sheet of paper and handed it off to Sonak. "Put a time-locked human like me in there... Who knows... I might cease to exist. Either way, we used this same tech to... Correct the timeline so that the Hobus supernova didn't destroy the Romulus system so we know it's reliable at least."

Nodding along with 'we corrected the timeline so Romulus still exists' which was news to Rita and who were these guys again? "Hello, hi, another question from the dumb girl in the room, but... what about all the people over there, in that other universe. I mean, you can call them all aberrations, but... so are we. Here, in this universe, we both died from transporter accidents. Why do we get a chance to live, and not those billions of people? Just because we were lucky enough to get out?"

"It is but a matter of perspective," Sonak pointed out. "Yes, we both have been 'lucky' enough to... get out of it, as you so colloquially put it. But all these other lives, they were in fact ... caught in it; living lives they should not have lived... or being deprived of it when they should have lived, like those billions of Vulcans killed by the Narada."

He took a moment to let that sink in before continuing.

"There is also the possibility that both our lives in this universe were adversely affected by the existence of this tangent reality; that our deaths in this timeline were not in fact supposed to have happened, but in fact did because of the backlash of the entire multiverse trying to rebalance things once this alternate bubble of reality was artificially produced.

The master of logic frowned a bit as he thought further.

"But speculation is pointless. This is exactly why the Prime Directive exists; no living being can and should decide the fate of another, let alone entire civilizations, time or planes of existence. That you and I found circumstances to... cheat death, as goes the popular expression, is part of both our existence now; but that should not justify us to allow an illusion of our own making threaten your life, countless other lives and possibly reality itself."

Sonak now looked straight into the eyes of his wife.

"Come what may, it is our moral and professional duty to correct it. That it should finally free you of quantum entanglements and restore reality are the most positive outcome. That we, you and I, may be erased from existence is the most negative. But even in this eventuality, reality is restored and we would have done what is right. Short or long our lives may be, there is no better way to live. There is no alternative."

Professor Langstrom scribbled something else on her clipboard as she spoke. "On top of that, the N to C wave ratio in your old reality is unsustainable and is collapsing in on itself in our time period, as near as I can tell. Your time period is calling to you but there is no future time frame for you to match up with." Looking up from her old fashioned clipboard, she waved her pen in the air trying to relate that to something easy to understand. "Ahhh... The differences are unsustainable. People here don't exist there and people there don't exist here. And the Klingons there are now bald for some reason... Thanks for that image go to Miss Dedjoy."

“Anyway, since the timelines love balancing themselves out, in another few thousand years, if it can't, it'll collapse on its own..." the professor began. "But by then our issues will have progressed too far and we need to solve them sooner."

Looking at her data, Sonak's eyebrow went up.

"Professor Langstrom; if you follow your equations to their full conclusion, the logical conclusion is that there is a definitive possibility that this collapsing of our fabricated parallel universe could start a chain reaction and also collapse this universe... up to every universe across the entire quantum foam."

His grey eyes met each and every one of theirs.

"If this is correct... then indeed, there is no alternative. We must restore spacetime... and put an end to this tangent 'Kelvin' universe."