Chapter IX.

"Operation Pushover"

After Heather Scott picked up her equipment, she approached the Recreation Room doors. She set her gear down. "Now, Mr. Starska." she said to herself, loud enough that the passing officers could hear her. She picked up her tricorder and started to scan the door. "Let's see what you're up to, now." She scanned the doors and was able to come up with nothing. She then readjusted the tricorder and tried again. Disgusted, she turned off the instrument. "DAMN!" she yelled. "Where did the shielding come from?" she wondered. She stood there in deep thought. Then moved to the door control, and activated it. Nothing happened. "I knew it couldn't have been that simple." "James, what did you do to these doors?" she asked herself. "If I thought it would work, I would try 'open sesame'."

The doors opened.

Scott stared at the doors. "This is not funny." Scott said as she fought the cough of insanity. "Okay, get a hold of yourself, Heather." she calmed herself. "It is well apparent that James wants you inside there. But why? And do you dare go go in?" she thought for a moment. "Well," she added. "If I'm going to fix whatever he did... I need to go in." she picked up her gear and went in, the doors closed behind her.

Scott could tell with no problem that the room was on. She could hear noise all around. She could not tell what all the sounds were, but she felt that it was not important.

What was important was the fact that she was standing in an alley somewhere on Earth around the late 1900's.

"Miss Scott?" came a voice from down a dark and cold alley.

She turned to see in the darkness a red light. No, eight lights, flashing in sequence back and forth. "Miss Heather Scott?" the voice asked again.

Scott paused before she answered. "Yes... I am Lieutenant Scott. Who are you?" she asked.

The sound of a low rumble of an engine started and the lights came closer.

"I am the Knight Industries Two Thousand. You can call me K.I.T.T." A black 1982 Trans Am came up to Scott and stopped. "I am here to take you to James Starska." the car's door opened.

"Well, I came this far." Scott thought, and got in. "Ah... KITT?"

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

Scott cracked a small laugh. "I don't believe I am doing this." Scott said to herself. "Where is James?" she asked.

"He is on a beach in San Francisco. About 39.7 miles from here."

"KITT." came Starska's voice over KITT's systems.

"Yes, James."

"What is the delay? Do you have Heather yet?" Starska asked.

"Yes, she is right here."

Scott tried to jump into the conversation. "James K. Starska, what is going on here?"

Starska continued with KITT, not paying any attention to Scott. "Well, I don't have all day, pal, get her over here."

"I'm on my way, James."

"Don't take your time, KITT. Super Pursuit Mode all the way."

"Right."

"Super what?" Scott asked, as she heard the engine's turbines start up, and the car's form started to change.

"Hang on, Lieutenant."

"What?" Scott asked with terror.

"You are about to go for the ride of your life." With that, Scott was thrown back into her seat, as KITT accelerated to 300 mph.

And that is exactly what Scott got. After several close calls with other cars, pedestrians, and a couple of turbo-boosts.

Scott was shocked but happy that she made it in one piece. Scott could see in the distance what looked like a Federation officer on the beach, and they were coming up on it fast.

"Miss Scott, I suggest you push the EBS button on your console or we are going to hit Lieutenant Starska." KITT said.

"The what?" Scott asked.

"EBS. Emergency Braking System."

Scott stopped and thought.

"Miss Scott, why are you not stopping us?" KITT asked.

"No." Scott said.

"Lieutenant, we are going to hit James."

"No, we're not. I'm not going to do another thing that I know Jim wants me to." Scott saw the face of Starska turn concerned.

He quickly raised his hand to his face. "KITT!!! Why are you not slowing down?!!" came Starska's voice over the comm.

"Lieutenant Scott refuses to stop me."

"KITT!! EBS NOW!!!"

Both KITT and Scott came to a sudden stop. Scott looked up to see the dust clear. As it did, she could see Starska standing about six inches in front of the car. His eyes slowly opened and he slowly lowered his arms, as the dirt fell from his uniform.

Scott began to laugh at Starska's dirty uniform.

Starska began to breath again. "Secure from SPM, pal." Starska said, as he walked around KITT. KITT returned to his original form. "Open up, buddy." Starska ordered. Then Scott's door opened.

Scott stopped laughing as Starska bent over and dirt fell from the top of his head and on to her lap. Starska could not help but laugh now. As a matter of fact, he started to laugh his face off.

At that point, Scott got up out of the car, and slapped Starska in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"What's the deal?" Starska asked, in shock.

"That's my question, Mister Starska." Scott stated, then asked. "Why in the hell are you making me all the trouble you did, today?"

"Oops." Starska said, under his breath, and started to get up.

"And what is this all about?" Scott asked, waving her hands around.

"How did you know that I created all your wor..." Starska stopped himself as Scott placed her hands on her hips and gave him a cold stare.

"Ah... forget the question." Starska added.

"I'm not going to forget anything, Mister!! I want answers!!" Scott yelled.

Starska knew he'd better get defensive fast. "Now, just calm down." Starska suggested.

"I will not calm down. I want to be hysterical!" Scott stated as she got hysterical. "I can be hysterical if I want to!"

"You must have gotten that from your Vulcan training." Starska said, as he walked behind her and started to rub her shoulders. "Now, just relax... relax... relax... just breathe slowly..." Starska said, in a soft voice as Scott calmed down and started to close her eyes and enjoy the feeling of calm. "Relax... feel better?"

"Yes. Now, can I have my answers?" Scott asked.

"In a moment. Sit down." Starska pointed to the ground near a tree. Scott just stood there. "Please." Starska added.

Scott thought for a moment, and decided that she if she didn't argue, he would explain faster. So she sat down.

"Now?" Scott asked.

"Boy, you're pushy."

"Pushy? You're the one that is making this mess, and treating it like a joke. As a matter of fact, this whole thing has your name on it, James. It is just as childish as that time you chased Dr. McCoy around Sickbay with a hypo full of cordizine." Scott stated.

"Yeah, I almost forgot that. That was FUN." Starska said, with a cocky smile.

"AAAHHHH!" Scott yelled in frustration. "You are impossible!"

"All right, all right. This is not going the way I wanted it to, so before you get to the point where your answer is no..." Starska said, as he sat beside her.

"Answer? You mean to tell me that all this... madness is so you can ask me a question?" Scott asked in shock.

"Well, like I said, it came out not the way I intended."

"Well, knowing your interpretation of such things, it must be big."

"Oh, yes."

"What is it?" Scott asked, laughing. "A proposal of marriage?"

Starska said nothing.

Scott froze.

Starska then looked deep into her eyes and said, "I love you, Heather."

"I... I... I..." was all Scott could say.

"Will you marry me?" Starska asked from deep in his heart.

Scott was starting to feel faint and Starska could see her face turn from red to white, then back to red. But the red glow was everywhere in the room, as the voice of Captain Hilton came from the intercom. "All hands, Red Alert... Red Alert. Man your battle stations. Red Alert."

"COMPUTER!" Starska yelled, as he got up with Scott's hand in his. The room then returned to normal and they ran to the doors. "Go!!" he yelled for Scott to continue. Then he ran back into the room. "The Warp Drive." he said to himself as he disconnected the warp engines from the computer. "Why does this timing seem so familiar?" he said, as he ran out the doors.

As Starska ran out of the turbo-lift, onto the Bridge, he saw all the bridge personnel, except for the captain, in front of the view screen, applauding him.

The Captain was in his chair, and slowly turned to face Starska. He activated the ship's intercom on the arm of his chair. "All hands. This is the Captain." he said, his voice carried throughout the ship. "This has been a drill. Secure from general quarters." he then turned toward the screen. "Duty stations, please."

The officers then returned to their positions. Starska then saw the Rec Room on the screen. "You didn't?" Starska asked the Captain, with complete embarrassment.

"It is my ship, Commander."

"Aye." Starska said, as he walked to the helm. Then he froze. All eyes were on him as he turned to the Captain in shock. "Sir?"

"Well, if you are going to be my Executive Officer, you should have the rank." Hilton said with a smile and started to leave. "You have the con, Commander Starska. Gentlemen." Hilton signalled Davis and Smith to leave with him.

Starska stared at Hilton as he turned in front of the turbo-lift. "Starska," Hilton said. "Take us to the Lexington, please. I do believe we have warp speed capacity now?"

"Yes, sir."

"I don't like the way you do things, Jim. But you do them." Hilton starts to leave.

"Captain Hilton." Starska called out. "Couldn't you have waited until Heather gave her answer?"

"No." Hilton said, as the turbo-lift doors opened.

Hilton was followed into the turbo-lift by Davis, but Smith stopped to say, "Are you kidding, Jim? With the way your life is? You could use the suspense." Smith then left with the others.

As the doors closed, Starska stood there, knowing that all those on the Bridge were eyeing him and trying not to laugh. "Go ahead." Starska said, as they all cracked up. As they were laughing, he sat himself down in the command chair and enjoyed it to the fullest.

As the bridge quieted down, he spoke, "Helmsman."

"Sir?" Ensign Jamie answered.

"Set course for the Lexington rendezvous."

"Plotted, on the board."

"Warp Seven."

"Warp Seven, sir? Jamie asked. "We can be there in one day at Warp Two."

"I know that, Ensign. But, right now, I feel the need..." Starska sat back in the chair with a smile, as the rest of the bridge crew joined in.

"...the need for speed."

"Aye, sir."

The sound of the warp engines filled the Bridge as the United Starship Saratoga goes where no man has gone before.

The End?