One Last Hope

By Paradox761

Summary: When a demonic plot in the past changes the future, there's only one Federation timeship that remains unaffected. Alone against an army of starship-sized demons, the ship uses its time machine to retrieve a hero from the past to save the future. The galaxy's one last hope, is Xander Harris. But first, he's going to need some…upgrades.

(2/?)

Xander sat in a chair in Dr. Grot's office, still trying to wrap his head around the current situation. They offered him refreshment. They said their replicators could produce virtually anything. He asked for a can of Mountain Dew and was surprised when they gave him one. It had probably been a year since he had one, and it tasted amazing. He sat and listened and tried to understand as Dr. Grot explained the various improvements that they could make to his body. It all sounded like a crazy science fiction movie and he had to keep reminding himself that it was all real.

"Any questions?" Grot asked.

"Can we go over it all again?" Xander asked. "Just…one more time."

Grot smiled patiently. The green-skinned doctor had an affable bedside manner. "Sure," he said. The display screen on the wall behind him changed to show an outline of a human body. It then zoomed in on the head and showed an image of an artificial eye in the eye socket. "First, we have a standard eye replacement. This is a military grade device, equipped with six different vision modes, giving you the ability to see not only in normal light, but night vision, infrared, as well as other dimensional spectrums that will give you the ability to detect other types of energy or radiation. The implant will connect directly to your optic nerve and you'll be able to control all of its functions by thought."

The screen then panned down to the model's hands. "On the inside of your wrists we're going to implant miniature replicators. Their size will limit the complexity and the size of what you will be able to replicate, but we can preprogram them with a variety of weapons, projectile weapons from your time period as well as more advanced energy weapons, and melee weapons of any kind. In fact, because weapons like knives and swords have no moving parts, you should be able to create one simply from your imagination or from a picture."

The screen zoomed out again to the full body image. "We're also going to apply a treatment that we normally use for muscle atrophy, we're going to inject you with billions of nanoscopic machines called nanites, they're going to tear and rebuild your muscle tissue, making you dramatically stronger. The nanites will also be injected into your brain where they will increase the speed of your neurons, increasing your reflexes and motor functions."

"We also have some specialized equipment that we can provide you with," Walker said. "Body armor lighter and stronger than anything you've ever seen, sensor devices that we can tie the visual display into your optical implant, and a gravity belt."

"Gravity belt, what does that do?" Xander asked.

"It creates a personal gravity field around your body that you can change. You can turn gravity off and float, or you can reorient gravity for your own body and walk on walls."

"It all just sounds…impossible," Xander said.

"It's all very possible, I assure you. These are all common procedures, you have nothing to worry about," Grot said.

"Okay, when do we start?"

"As soon as possible," Walker. "The power reserves on the Chronos are running low, we don't have much more time. We have to do this now."

Xander nodded. "Then let's do it."

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Two weeks later

Xander found himself standing outside of an abandoned warehouse, somewhere near the docks. Why was it always an abandoned warehouse? Why didn't evil ever setup shop in a nice condo somewhere? He dismissed that thought as he scanned the building, the readings displayed to him directly through is optical implant. Three floors, unfriendlies on each. The first floor he detected movement, but no body heat. Vampires. On the second floor he detected 'extra-dimensional energy signatures', also known as magic, as well as some larger humanoid shapes. Demons, possible other magic users. The third floor, where he knew is goal to be, he detected human lifesigns as well as a lot of weapons. That meant that lethal force was only a last resort. It also meant that they were ready for him. But Xander didn't care. He was ready too.

He held out his left hand and with just a though, the replicator implanted on the inside of his wrist there started to create a pistol, large caliber with a silencer. A gun couldn't kill a vampire, but a shot with a big enough round to the legs or arms could certainly disable one, giving him time to finish it off. The replicator finished the weapon and dropped it in his hand. He lifted it to inspect it. It was perfect as always. With his right hand he created a sword, double edged, three feet or so in length, with a wide handguard and a sharpened piece of wood on the end of the pommel.

He made his way toward the warehouse, staying to the shadows. He began to circle the building closely, looking for a quiet way in. There was no sense in alerting them to his presence before it was necessary. He found an open window and quietly climbed inside. He found himself in an empty office. There were no lights on inside, so he activated the night vision mode on his new eye, allowing him to see perfectly. He slowly entered the hallway, his weapons ready. Around the corner up ahead appeared a vampire, also carrying a gun. When he saw Xander he was surprised and he froze for a moment. Xander fire two shots, striking both of the vampire's knees, causing him to go down. On the way he fired his own weapon, the sound of the shot echoing loudly in the enclosed space. The bullet struck Xander's arm, but the special material of the coat he was wearing absorbed the impact and deflected the bullet with Xander feeling hardly any of the impact. A moment later he leapt across the space between them, swinging his sword and took the vampire's head off, reducing him to ash.

But it was too late, the others had heard the shot. They were running toward him now, he could hear them. Touching the control on his belt, he changed the orientation of gravity for himself and scurried up the wall, then he changed it again so that he was standing on the ceiling. A moment later, three more vampires rushed into the room with weapons drawn. Two with guns, the third carried a wicked looking double headed axe. They walked around, inspecting the area, looking for the intruder. Xander picked his spot, he waited until they were all facing different directions and he dropped down right in between them. A few slices with his sword and two were gone, when he turned with his sword to the third it struck the axe with a loud clang. The bloodsucker's face was inches from his own, its fangs dripping with saliva. Xander pushed with his own sword but he found that they were evenly matched. He struck out with his leg, kicking the vampire in the kneecap, causing it to buckle. Xander had him off balance now and he knocked him to the ground, but when he tried for the killing blow the vampire still blocked him with the axe. He stepped back and brought his pistol up, firing at the vampires face and upper chest. He then reached out and kicked at the vampire's hand, sending the axe flying. Not wasting another moment, he dropped down and brought the hilt of the sword with the wooden tipped pommel down to the creature's chest, piercing its dead heart. The bloodsucker disappeared into ash, sending Xander the rest of the way to the floor. Wasting no time, he climbed to his feet and made his way to the stairs, and the second floor.

The first thing he saw when he got to the second floor was the magic that he had detected from outside, it was coming from one of the rooms at the end of the hall. He knew that there were demons here too, larger than the vampires he had just killed, and probably a good deal stronger too. Dropping his sword and gun, he replicated two new weapons. A phaser, and a double headed axe of the same design that the vampire had downstairs. Making his way down the hall toward the source of the magic, he could hear chanting. And then he heard growling, and then they were on top of him. He couldn't see much from the floor, just snarling muzzles with sharp teeth, breathing fetid breath into his face. He swung the axe, burying it in the back of the head of one of the creatures. He then maneuvered his legs under the other where he planted his feet on its chest and pushed with all of his strength, sending the thing flying off of him. He scrambled to his feet, taking a half second to get his bearings, he brought up his phaser and fired. It struck the demon in the chest but seemed to do little more than irritate it. It was only on heavy stun he recalled, which was the default setting that all energy weapons his replicators produced would be on when they first materialized. He quickly thumbed the setting to maximum and fired again. It struck the creature in the midsection and Xander could see the beam burning its way through its flesh, but the creature was still approaching, slowed and in pain but still gaining ground. Thinking fast, Xander aimed the phaser at the floor below the creature. The wood disintegrated in an instant and the creature fell through to the floor below. Xander quickly retrieved the axe from the other demon's head, then standing over the hole he tossed it down, where it turned end over end before its blade struck the demon in the forehead and it stopped moving. Two more down, one more on this floor. Xander quickly circumvented the hole and headed toward the back room again, changing the setting on his phaser back to heavy stun as he moved. When he threw open the door he found an old woman sitting on the floor, in front of a pentagram and the ingredients of a summoning spell. She raised a bony fist and spoke an incantation and a fireball shot out toward Xander. Xander spun, letting the fireball strike his back where it bounced off harmlessly thanks to his coat, then as he turned completely around again he leveled his phaser and fired before the woman could do anything else. She collapsed, unconscious but alive. Xander made his way to the third floor.

The threat here was human, and numerous. They more than likely were armored similar to himself, and they were certainly armed. His element of surprise gone, he needed to act fast before they could contain him. If he could distract them somehow, make them think that he was one place when he was somewhere else, he could get the element of surprise back again. He replicated a handful of stun grenades, then programmed them to go off in increments of ten seconds, starting in two minutes. He set the grenades on the third floor landing of the stairs, then rushed back down to the second floor and the other side of the warehouse. He replicated a phaser rifle, and waited until he heard the first stun grenade go off. When it did, he could hear their footsteps running toward the other side of the building. Using the gravity belt he changed his orientation again, set the rifle to maximum, and blew a hole in the ceiling and dropped through to the third floor. On the third floor ceiling now, he set the rifle back to heavy stun, and waited. After a few moments, they started coming in and he opened fire. He stunned four of them before they even realized where he was. He then managed to hit another two as he made his way down the wall and then back to normal gravity again, where the last defender in the room started to attack him hand to hand. Xander dodged the first punch and grabbed the other man's arm, twisting it up behind his head, he then delivered a fierce kidney punch, which dropped the other man in pain. Xander then grabbed him by his collar and belt and bodily threw him along the floor until he fell through the hole that he had entered through, back to the second floor. Making his way out of the room, Xander still had to find what he was looking for or this would all be for nothing. He activated his infrared vision, looking for body heat. He found two more men in one of the adjacent rooms, looking like they were standing guard. That had to be it. He replicated two police style nightsticks and headed for the room. Standing against the wall in the hallway, he kicked the door in but stayed in the hall. Two phaser beams lashed out from the room into the hall, giving away his opponents positions. Xander rolled into the room under the phaser beams and came up right between the two men, reaching out with his nightsticls and striking them both in the midsection. They doubled over, dropping their phasers. Xander stood and brought the nightsticks down on the backs of their heads, knocking them out. Behind where they were standing, he saw his goal. It was a simple black podium, and on top of it there was a big red button. He walked over and slammed his hand down on the button.

The room around him shimmered and faded away, leaving behind a black room with a yellow grid on the walls and floor. A computerized voice spoke from above. "Simulation complete." Around him, his last group of opponents were rising to their feet, rubbing their sore limbs and generally not looking very happy. Xander looked up to the observation window that was now visible and he could see Captain Jenga and Commander Walker looking on. They were talking, and though he couldn't hear them he could tell from Walker's body language that they weren't in agreement.

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"I don't understand, Blue," Xander said. "Why go through all this trouble to pull me out of time, give me a new eye and all these weapons, train me, if they don't want to send me back to fix this?!" His frustration was clear.

The two of them were sitting in Walker's quarters. Ever since the surgery, Walker had been overseeing Xander's training and the two had become friends. Xander learned that Walker wasn't just part demon, he was mostly demon, and that his family took their heritage very seriously. Being in touch with the time stream as they were, it was their tradition when a child reached the age of thirteen, the elders would perform a ceremony that let them look into that child's future. The child would then either be steered toward their destiny, or if what the future held for them was bad, they would try to prevent it. This was also when the child was given their adult name. Walker had been taught from that age that he was meant to do something important, and that he had to 'venture out past the sky' in order to do it. He was given the name Blue Walker, and when he was of age, he enrolled in Starfleet Academy. They both now believed that this was what the elders saw.

"Captain Jenga just isn't sure if you're ready yet," Walker said.

"Bullshit. I'm not going to get any more ready than this and we both know that. What is this really about?"

Walker sighed. "Captain Jenga didn't know anything about my…heritage, until this all happened. At the time, he was just glad that we were all still alive, and he was grateful that I was able to protect the ship. But these last few months…there are people on this ship who don't trust me. The word 'demon' still has a stigma attached to it, even if none of them even believed demons were real until two months ago. The Captain was willing to give me the benefit of the doubt when I told him that you could save us, but there are others that don't believe that this plan will work, and they have the Captain's ear too."

"Roth," Xander said.

"He wants the Captain to send him and a team of his men back, he thinks they would have a better shot at stopping this than you would."

Xander shook his head. "They wouldn't even know where to start, they don't know anything about magic and they don't know anything about the 21st Century. Roth couldn't even get me without getting shot, what the hell is he going to do against some dark mage, or demon or whatever the hell is behind this?"

"I believe that you can do this Xander, it's making them believe it. I know your history, your past and your future. But to them you're an unknown. And all of the logical arguments in the world can't force them to trust the unknown when the fate of the galaxy is at stake. They have to take a leap of faith, and I don't think that they're willing to do that."

"What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, they trust you, don't they? You're the first officer on this ship, you saved all their lives. Why don't you come with me? Hell, with that staff of yours, we'd have a better chance of tracking down whatever magic caused this change to the timeline."

"I'm not cleared to timeshift to Earth past First Contact, I don't look human enough," Walker said.

"That's crazy, you're people probably lived on Earth long before humans ever did. There are plenty of non-human looking demons that exist in the 21st Century. Besides, so what! Extenuating circumstances, I'm sure they can make an exception since the fate of the galaxy is at stake and all."

"I don't know, Xander. I don't know if I can do it, I haven't been a part of a field operation in a long time, and I've never used magic in a combat situation before. This isn't the kind of operation that Starfleet trains you for."

"Which is exactly why we have to convince Jenga to send us instead of Roth and his team. Blue, you risked a lot to come back and get me, and you did it because you believed in me. Well I believe in you too. I believe that you and I are the only hope for stopping this, and we don't have much time left. We have to make them believe it too."

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Two days later, Xander and Walker were standing in the portal room, ready to disembark. They were dressed to blend in with the time period. Xander wore a long black coat which contained the ultralight body armor that would protect him from any small arms fire. Walker wore a cloak with a hood that he could put up to cover his face if he needed to. Xander had been right, the suggestion to send Walker along with him had gone a long way to help Jenga feel more comfortable with the decision. They still had to do a lot of convincing, but ultimately the fact that Xander and Walker were the only two people on the ship that knew anything about magic was persuasive enough to convince the Captain that they were the only ones that could save the galaxy from whatever this threat was.

Captain Jenga was in the portal room with them to see them off, along with Lieutenant Roth who was standing in the corner with a sour look on his face.

"Bridge to Portal Room, we're in position, Captain," a voice said over the comm.

"Understood," Jenga said. "Stand by." Jenga reached out and shook Walker's hand, then he shook Xander's. "Gentlemen, I know I don't have to tell you what's at stake here. Godspeed."

"Thank you, Sir," Walker said.

"I'm trusting you to bring my first officer back in one piece, Mr. Harris," Jenga said to Xander.

"We're going to kick ass and take names, Captain. I can promise you that," Xander said.

"Activate the portal," Jenga commanded.

A swirl of blue-green energy lit up the room as the portal opened. Xander and Walker stepped up onto the platform. They shared a look and a nod, and then they stepped through.

A moment later the technician behind the console spoke. "I'm reading that they've exited the portal at the other terminus."

"Shut it down," Jenga said.

The portal disappeared and then a moment later, the lights in the portal room went out. After a few seconds, emergency lights came on, casting the room in an eerie blue glow. Roth walked to the console and punched up the ship's status.

"Power reserves are depleted," he said. "We're on emergency batteries only. Life support, short range sensors and minimal engine control, that's all."

"How long until…" Jenga asked, letting the question trail off.

"A week, maybe. If a cosmozoan doesn't find us first. The good news is that we're putting off such little energy, even if one did find us we probably wouldn't be of any interest to it. I hope you made the right decision, Captain," Roth said.

Jenga bit his tongue. He wanted to dress the lieutenant down for his insubordination, but at the moment, he couldn't fault him. The fate of not only the ship, not only the Earth, not only the Federation, but the entire galaxy, past, present and future all hung on this decision. "I hope so, too."

TBC…