"Good morning, Mr. Spock."

"And to you as well, Captain," Spock replied.

Kirk smiled from his chair on the bridge, gazing fondly at his first officer. Spock continued to his station and sat down, beginning a new day aboard the Enterprise. After their brief period of relaxation, the mission was almost completed. Altair VI was now only a few hours away.

"Estimated time to our destination, Mr. Chekov?" Kirk asked.

"3 hours and 27 minutes, sir," Chekov replied.

"Good," Kirk announced, satisfied. "Lt. Uhura, please notify—"

"Captain, we're off course!" Chekov interrupted suddenly.

"Well, get back on course," Kirk stated, wondering what the problem was.

"That's just it, sir," Chekov explained with a frown. "The ship's taken a new heading all by itself."

"Sulu, can you locate the malfunction? Kirk asked.

Sulu pressed some buttons on his console, then replied, "No sir, the ship is unresponsive."

"Explanation, Spock?" Kirk said, turning in his chair to face him.

"Elusive, Captain, I am investigating," Spock informed him.

"I can't understand it. I simply have no control," Sulu announced in disbelief, continuing his button-pressing.

Kirk frowned, concerned. "Kirk to engineering," he said, pressing one of the buttons on his chair.

"Scott here," came the reply.

"Scotty, we're off course," Kirk declared. "Check out maneuvering controls."

"Aye, sir. Hold," Scotty responded, flipping switches on one of the engineering consoles.

"Captain? No malfunction indicated," Scotty announced after a moment.

"Switch to auxiliary," Kirk decided.

"Aye, Sir," Scotty replied, pressing several more buttons and frowning at the controls in front of him.

"Stand by for check," Kirk responded, turning toward the view screen.

The bridge was silent for several seconds as they waited for the problem to be corrected. However, their direction did not change, and they continued to move away from their destination.

"Scotty, we're still off course," Kirk declared.

"I'll be right up," Scotty replied.

"Speed, Mr. Chekov," Kirk said.

"We're moving at warp 8, sir."

"Lt. Uhura, put the ship on red alert," Kirk ordered. The alarm signal began immediately, red lights flashing on the walls. Kirk pressed a button on his chair.

"All hands, this is the Captain," he announced over the intercom. "The ship is on red alert. Repeat, the ship is on red alert. There has been an unidentified malfunction in the ship's directional control. Repeat, the ship is off course and out of our control."

Having finished delivering his message, Kirk leaned back in his chair again.

"Captain, do you think this could have something to do with the other malfunctions we've been having?" Sulu asked after a moment.

Kirk frowned. The frequency of the other incidents had decreased so much, the crew had begun to think the problem had solved itself. Obviously, that was not the case.

"It seems likely, Mr. Sulu," Kirk agreed.

"Now, where the devil is Scotty?" he added, looking around.

Kirk narrowed his eyes. He had an odd feeling that something was very, very, wrong, but he couldn't quite figure out why.

"Spock, I'll be in engineering," he decided suddenly, rising to his feet. "You have the conn."

Then, before Spock even had a chance to move, Kirk strode into the turbolift and was gone.

A few moments later, Kirk arrived in engineering. Expecting to see Scotty and the other engineers usually at work during this time, he was startled to find it completely empty.

"Scotty?" he called, glancing around at the unoccupied consoles.

"Scotty!" Kirk repeated, walking around in disbelief. What the hell was going on here??

"He can't hear you," a voice suddenly announced.

A chill crept down Kirk's spine. He knew that sound. That sinister, evil voice could belong to only one creature.

"Asmodeus," Kirk growled, his eyes darting around in an attempt to discover where he was hiding.

"Quite correct, Captain," Asmodeus replied.

"What have you done to my ship?" Kirk demanded, turning in a circle. He was still unable to figure out where Asmodeus was hiding.

"Patience, Captain," the creature admonished.

"There will be time enough for that later. Now you are going to discover what happens to those who refuse me." At the last sentence, a note of menace crept into his voice, like a blade sliding out from its sheath.

"Refuse you?" Kirk asked, trying to buy himself some time.

"Yes, Captain. You should have surrendered when you had the chance," Asmodeus sneered.

"Under my command, your crew would have been treated fairly, with the utmost respect."

Kirk raised an eyebrow, the only indication that he had heard Asmodeus at all. Kirk had no doubt whatsoever that his crew would have suffered extensively had Asmodeus gotten his way.

"I know that you do not believe me," the creature continued. "But it is no matter. Soon, your ship will be destroyed, and your entire crew will be dead." The creature's voice oozed with malice. He laughed then—a deep, menacing sound, filled with a demonic confidence.

Kirk narrowed his eyes, moving farther into the room. This creature was going to have to work a lot harder if he wanted to scare him. All Kirk had to do was find where he was hiding and prevent him from carrying out his plan.

Back on the bridge, the rest of the crew was still trying to determine what went wrong.

"Reroute maneuvering controls through the secondary circuits, Mr. Sulu," Spock was saying.

Suddenly, the turbolift doors slid open to allow Scotty onto the bridge. He moved over to his station and sat down, quickly pressing several buttons on the console.

"I'll have a report for you in just a minute, Mr. Spock," Scotty informed him. "There must be a malfunction in the auxiliary controls."

"Mr. Scott," Spock began, a slightly puzzled expression on his face. "Did you not see the Captain on your way to the bridge?"

"No, Mr. Spock, I cannae say I did," Scotty replied.

"He was on his way to engineering only a few moments ago," the Vulcan explained. "Curious that he would—" Spock stopped.

He had felt something just then, through his telepathic bond with Kirk. It was a very strange feeling; it gave him a sense of urgency and anticipation, coiling into a tangled knot of dread in his stomach. Spock instantly knew what it meant. The Captain was in grave danger.

"Mr. Scott, please take the conn," Spock said, already standing up.

"Aye, sir, but where—" Scotty began, but that was all Spock heard before the turbolift doors closed behind him.

When Spock finally arrived in engineering, he, too, was surprised to find it empty.

"Captain?" he called into the silence. "Jim!" he tried again, moving forward into the room. But the only thing Spock heard was his own breathing; even the engines seemed to have quieted down.

Suddenly, there was movement behind one of the engineering consoles. Before Spock even had a chance to open his mouth, Kirk appeared before him. Except it wasn't just Kirk. Asmodeus was right behind, a powerful arm locked around the Captain's neck. The creature's face—like always—was hidden in shadow.

"Security," Kirk managed to force out, before Asmodeus tightened his grip even further, almost completely cutting off his airway.

Spock took a step forward in alarm, ready to spring to the Captain's aid. At that moment, however, Kirk struck Asmodeus in the chest with an elbow, wrenching himself free as the arm loosened around his neck.

Spock stopped, torn between calling for help and assisting the Captain. Since Kirk seemed to have escaped harm for the moment, the logical thing to do was notify security as soon as possible.

Spock stepped over to the intercom on the wall.

"Security to engineering," he said quickly, then turned to assist the Captain.

He saw that Asmodeus now had a knife—a long, curved dagger which looked more like a claw than a blade. Kirk was struggling against him, using his bare hands to deflect the blows.

Spock immediately joined the fray, striking Asmodeus on the right shoulder. The creature growled and turned, slamming his foot into Spock's side with unnatural speed. Spock quickly recovered, realizing that Asmodeus must be many times faster and stronger than any humanoid creature they had encountered before.

Kirk and Spock began to advance. Together, they attacked Asmodeus, looking for any sign of weakness.

They fought in this way for several minutes, but neither side seemed to be gaining the upper hand. Asmodeus was physically superior, but Kirk and Spock had each other to rely on, making it difficult to harm them.

As Asmodeus jabbed forward with his dagger, Kirk caught his arm and—with a burst of strength—managed to throw the creature over his shoulder. Asmodeus landed behind them, but before Kirk and Spock could take advantage of the situation, the creature was already back on his feet.

They turned to meet him, but before they had moved more than an inch, Asmodeus suddenly clapped his hands.

The lights instantly dimmed to nothing, and a cold presence seemed to fill the room. Dark tendrils of ghostly smoke sprung from the floor, weaving through the half-light and surrounding Kirk and Spock in their depths. Time seemed to slow—their thoughts became sluggish. Spock tried to call out, but his mouth would not move. He couldn't seem to focus on anything, and his vision was fading rapidly. He experienced a sensation of falling and then—just as suddenly as it began—the disorientation was gone.

Spock opened his eyes, but immediately shut them again as a bright light stabbed into his pupils. When he finally raised his eyelids, he found himself sitting on the floor in engineering.

Spock blinked, adjusting to his surroundings. He turned his head and saw the Captain a little ways away—also on the floor and just beginning to stir. Spock tried to get up, but his arms would not move. After several more seconds, he realized that his hands were being held together behind him, fastened to something he couldn't see.

"Ah, you're awake."

Spock's eyes snapped up to find Asmodeus standing before him. To his right, Kirk was now also awake, glaring at the dark figure above.

"Struggling is useless, Mr. Spock," Asmodeus spoke again. "There is nothing you can do to stop me." He gave them both a satisfied smirk, etched across his face in wicked triumph.

"I demand that you release us and my ship immediately," Kirk declared, refusing to be discouraged.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible, Captain," Asmodeus continued. "You see, I have brought you here to witness the destruction of the Enterprise," he said grinning evilly. "But before we get to all of that, I will have the satisfaction of watching you die, James T. Kirk."

A thrill of fear shot through Spock. Asmodeus was obviously capable of carrying out his threat, and Spock was helpless to stop him. Suddenly, Kirk turned and locked eyes with Spock. He could clearly read the message there: You have to save the ship.

Kirk turned back toward Asmodeus, a calm determination on his face. Spock surreptitiously began twisting his wrists, attempting to free himself from his bonds.

"You have courage, Captain," Asmodeus observed. "Unfortunately, it will do you no good. You will die, and soon, your entire crew will follow. Farewell, James T. Kirk," the creature finished, his face filled with a savage delight.

Asmodeus then began drawing his arm back in preparation to throw his dagger. Spock redoubled his efforts to escape, and—at the last second—finally managed to wrench his hands free. Then, using every ounce of strength available to him, Spock flung himself in front of Kirk in a desperate attempt to save the Captain's life. Kirk's eyes opened wide—he meant to shout, but the sound got lodged in his throat.

Spock landed heavily on the ground in front of him, face turned up toward the ceiling. And there—gleaming harshly in the dim light—was Asmodeus' dagger, buried hilt-deep in the middle of Spock's chest.