Chapter Text
La’an materialized in the transporter station, and the moment she saw Maya she rushed over. At the same time Maya picked herself up off the floor and moved to close the distance between the two of them. La’an embraced the younger woman, a gesture of triumph more than affection, which took Maya by surprise. Her own arms were limp by her sides, and her shoulders stiff. La’an let go and eased back, but she still kept her hands on Maya's shoulders. “I was afraid of what might have happened to you.”
Maya looked down. “Well, I’ve lived through worse.”
“No matter. It’s over, Maya. It’s finally over. Sulu, Ortegas, Uhura, and M’Benga have been arrested, at least three of the augments have been killed, and I saw no sign of the others.”
Sirit had been ignoring their overt emotional display as he worked at his console. “That is because I sent them to New Zealand, at Maya’s suggestion.”
“I finally had a good idea,” Maya added with a smug smile. She wiggled away from La’an’s grip on her shoulders and stepped back to just beside Sirit so she could peek over and watch him work.
“Spock has sent me the information needed to modify the transporter to allow for inter-universe travel. The modifications should be completed soon.” Still, he did not look up as he spoke.
“It’s almost over,” Maya said with a sigh, mostly to herself.
“For you, perhaps,” Sirit continued. “This is unlikely to be last attempt on Spock’s life.” He fell silent as he finished his work and finally he looked up to speak to La’an. “It is done.”
“Sirit, thank you. You played an essential role in all this. I hope you get the recognition and credit you deserve.” La’an and Maya stepped in the transporter pads.
“I was acting in accordance with logic. Live long and prosper.” Sirit gave them a Vulcan salute before his attention went back to the console. “Energizing.”
The interior of the transporter station faded away, but La’an and Maya did not materialize in their own universe. Instead, they once again stood in the empty white room and found themselves face to face with both Qs.
“Well done!” The male Q held his arms open and spoke brightly. “You saved the day, though only time will tell if your actions were really in the Terran’s best interests.”
“Then send us back home,” La’an growled through clenched teeth.
“Soon enough.” This time the female Q spoke, “We’re having trouble determining who won our little bet. You certainly tried to survive your time in the Terran Empire with as little bloodshed as possible, which is commendable, but…”
“…But it seems they had their influence on you. Both of you played by the rules of their twisted little game: murder, lies, manipulation…”
“And what about rape and mutilation?” Maya snapped. La’an and both Qs paused to stare at her. No one seemed to be expecting such an outburst “Because I gathered such things are a regular part of Terran life, but we never stooped that low.” Her eyes opened up as if she had a sudden realization, and she stepped closer to the male Q. “No one wins your games, except for you. You set out to prove that we are just as wicked as the Terrans, but that hardly seems to matter when the Q are far worse!”
“Oh?” Q showed no sign of anger. Instead he chuckled and let a cat-like smile creep onto his face, “A bold accusation! And what is the basis for it, Maya Noonien-Singh, heir to Earth’s worst tyrant?”
“To start, the suffering we endured, all for the sake of your bet.” La’an answered, crossing her arms.
“I see why you might blame us, but we have only observed, not interfered.” The female Q answered. “Any action taken by the Terrans was done by their own volition.”
“Bullshit!” Maya shouted. Her breathing was shallow and rapid, and her hands clenched into fists. “You let it happen! You could have stopped it!”
La’an rushed to her side and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders before she gave both Qs a sharp look. “I doubt this discussion is going to reach a satisfying conclusion. Perhaps we can simply agree that everyone, including life forms such as yourselves, is nothing more than a vessel that can be filled with good or ill.”
“A simple understanding from a simple life form, but I tire of this game.” Without another word Q snapped his fingers. The white room was gone, and Maya and La’an once again stood in the transporter room. La’an quickly hid her right arm behind her back in the hopes that it would conceal her missing hand.
The technician breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Maya and La’an materialize. “I am so sorry…there was an issue with the signal. Everything is fine, but I’m going to take this system offline for a full diagnostic. You can follow me to another transporter room, I’ll get you to the theatre in time.”
Maya looked around in wide eyed panic. “No…no I can’t…I’m sorry, I’m…unwell.” Without looking back, Maya dashed away and ran into the night.
“Maya!” La’an called as she chased after her. When Maya stopped she doubled over and struggled to catch her breath.
“I’m sorry,” she answered through labored breaths, “I need to go home, I can’t stomach the idea of sitting through Titus Andronicus when we’ve just lived through it,”
“It’s that bad?”
Maya forced a smile. “Fourteen deaths, three amputations, one rape, and one act of cannibalism.” Maya continued with a theatrical affectation. “I have done a thousand dreadful things. As willingly as one would kill a fly; And nothing grieves me heartily indeed but that I cannot do ten thousand more.”
“That does sound very Terran. I want to put all this behind us. Come, let’s go home.”
Six months had passed since their time in the other universe, and with so much anguish that had to be kept secret the journey to healing and moving on was a challenging one. La’an was able to get a prosthetic for the hand she lost and was grateful that the doctor respected her privacy enough to not press the issue of how it happened, aside from relevant information about the mechanism of injury. The replacement was highly realistic in appearance, function, and sensation, but something about it still felt foreign.
Maya’s wounds were invisible, and with no one to share her burden even more difficult to heal. She skipped back to the same state she was in when they first met at the rehabilitation center: withdrawn, quiet, plagued by fatigue and dizzy spells. Initially, La’an had suggested that Maya speak to Doctor McCoy, as he had been to the other universe himself, but Maya couldn’t stand the idea of convincing him to come out of retirement again and move from Atlanta just to listen to her problems. There was only so far that La’an could press the issue.
Even living in the same home, they had few moments where they crossed paths. Early one morning La’an sat at the table reviewing the day’s lesson plans. Even at such an early hour, La’an’s appearance was still neat and tidy.
In sharp contrast was Maya, stumbling out of her room with her hair uncombed (and probably neglected for several days) and her eyelids heavy.
La’an looked up from her work. “I suppose congratulations are in order.”
Maya raised a perplexed eyebrow as she sank into a chair. “What for?”
“You should really keep up with communications from your case worker. You’ve been granted the freedom to go anywhere on Earth. No chaperone, no tracking, no questions asked so long as you stay on the planet.”
Maya tilted her head back to look at the ceiling. “Forgive my lack of enthusiasm, but I find it hard to be excited when I can’t think of where to go or what to do.”
“When I have the time, we can plan something special, but for today…go on a walk, get coffee, go to the waterfront and watch the sea lions. If you’re really at a loss, you have enough time to get ready and go to work with me.”
Maya kept staring at the ceiling. “I’d rather go back to Ceti Alpha V than go to Starfleet Academy.”
“Surely you can’t mean that.”
Maya sat up straight again. “Can you really not imagine why I’m repulsed by the idea of being reminded of everything I can never have?”
La’an bit her lip and began to tidy up her workspace. “Forgot I mentioned it, but I do think if you advocate for yourself you might find more opportunities open to you.” She stood up, pushed in her chairs and began to gather her belongings. “But for now I think you should focus on seeing more of the world. I don’t want to come home and find out that you haven’t gone anywhere.”
Maya forced a smile. “Any recommendations for lunch?”
La’an smirked. “No. I think you’ll learn more from going out and discovering something on your own.”
Maya’s smile reached her eyes. “If I get hopelessly lost I’m blaming you.”