The hours passed slowly for the 3 trapped men. They were alone in the dungeon with no one to talk to but themselves. The guards were silent and no noise could be heard from the ends of the tunnel. An eerie stillness filled the air, pressing in on itself to create a seemingly impenetrable wall of silence. They all had too many thoughts in their brains to sleep, so Kirk, Spock, and McCoy simply laid there quietly on the hard, stone floor.

After their mind meld, Kirk and Spock remained separate, keeping a few feet between them as they sat against the dungeon wall. They didn't feel the need to show McCoy any more than they already had, and Spock needed time to recover.

Finally—after what seemed like ages—the cell door suddenly rattled. The 3 men looked up in surprise. There, out of nowhere, the mysterious Asmodeus himself had appeared. The door swung open and he slid gracefully inside. He was followed by several of his shadowy guards. Like before, they seemed to appear out of thin air—and all were armed.

"Greetings, Captain Kirk. I'm glad you've had a chance to rejuvenate. This unforgiving rock doesn't offer much in terms of comfort, but unfortunately, it was the best we could do. I am sure you understand the benefits of a 'change in scenery,' as you would call it. Now is the moment we have been waiting for; my people and I are ready to depart." Despite having a face entirely covered in shadow, it was surprisingly easy to discern the calculating, satisfied grin stretched across Asmodeus' features.

Kirk, Spock, and McCoy looked up at the tall figure looming over them. Somehow, even though the inside of their cell was fairly well-lit, Asmodeus managed to keep almost his entire body hidden in darkness. Already filled with contempt for this creature, Kirk wasted no time getting straight to business.

"Go to the devil," he said, keeping his tone neutral.

"Why, Captain, haven't you enjoyed your stay here? I've done my best to make you feel... appreciated." The iciness of his voice seemed to chill the air, and it took all of his willpower to resist the urge to shiver.

"Oh, I'm sure you're just itching to find a way to escape, to warn your precious ship and crew. Well, Captain, since I've already been your gracious host this evening, I think it's only fair that you return the favor." Asmodeus once again detached his arm from his body, holding a communicator out to Kirk for the second time. "Your communications device," he announced.

Hesitantly, Kirk reached out his own hand and took the communicator. He was suspicious, of course, but he had already seen what this creature had done to Spock. He wasn't too keen to discover what would happen if he tested its patience any further.

"Now, signal your ship and tell them to beam me aboard as her new captain," he continued.

"Don't plan any tricks, Kirk." Asmodeus' voice hardened. "Any sign of treachery and I promise you will regret it."

Kirk looked up at Asmodeus with a determined set to his face. "I'll beam you aboard the Enterprise. Once there, no tricks," Kirk promised in a calm, steady tone.

"Jim, you can't hand over the Enterprise," McCoy protested.

"Order everybody in this area to be transported up. All weapons on him," Asmodeus demanded coolly.

Kirk stood silently for a long moment. Finally, he flipped open the communicator. "Enterprise, come in Enterprise, this is the Captain."

"Scott here, sir," Scotty's voice replied. "Are you all right, sir? We lost you for a while there."

"Yes, yes, we're fine," he answered in a conversational tone. "Mr. Scott, we have guests. Adjust transporter to wide field. Beam up everyone in the target area," Kirk ordered. As he lowered the communicator to his side, he managed to subtly press one of the buttons on the device's front panel. This would cause a warning light to flash up on the Captain's chair–where Scotty was presumably receiving his message.

"Understood, Captain," the engineer replied.

Kirk looked meaningfully at Spock, then McCoy. Finally, he raised the communicator back up to his mouth. "Energize."

In a flash of light, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy suddenly found themselves standing in the transporter room. However, it was only the three of them on the pad.

"Full security, on the double," Kirk called to Scotty at the transporter controls. The three of them quickly moved to the other side of the room, Scotty pushing various buttons and switches.

"What happened?" McCoy asked, slightly confused.

"The landing party is intact, Doctor," Spock replied.

"All others suspended in transit. Who are the guests, by the way?" Scotty asked cheerfully.

"Some kind of shadow-creatures," Kirk replied shortly.

"Well, they're right in here." Scotty smiled, tapping the console in front of him.

Suddenly, the transporter room doors slid open to admit several armed security officers into the room. They positioned themselves around the now-empty transporter pad and nodded at the Captain. He nodded back, then turned to Scotty.

"Bring them in," Kirk announced.

The yellow glow of the transporter once again filled the room. After it passed, six dark, shadowy creatures were now standing before them.

"Drop your weapons!" one of the security officers shouted. Put your hands above your—"

Suddenly, Asmodeus realized what had happened and bared a set of razor-sharp teeth. "Liar!" he snarled with a sinister hiss.

"I said no tricks after we reach the ship," Kirk told him firmly. "You are now a prisoner of the United Federation of Planets against which you may or may not have committed an act of war."

Asmodeus yelled something in an alien language and charged the security officers, his men right behind him.

The shadowy creatures fought viciously and seemed to be very resistant to phasers. They sent several security officers flying into the walls in an unearthly display of power and strength. They carried themselves from side to side impossibly fast, effectively avoiding almost all phaser fire. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy joined in to help subdue the creatures.

After several minutes of effort, the security officers' numbers finally began to overwhelm the shadow creatures. Soon, the only one left standing was Asmodeus.

"This is not over yet, Kirk," the shadowy creature announced, his calm demeanor revealing the inherent threat in his statement. "I will have my revenge."

Suddenly, Kirk felt extremely dizzy. He stumbled for a moment and grabbed on to the transporter console. Then, as quickly as the sensation had appeared, it was gone. Kirk looked up just in time to see the expression of grim triumph on Asmodeus' face as all six of the creatures disappeared in a wisp of smoke. The ensuing silence lasted only a second.

"Jim, are you alright?" McCoy asked urgently, having noticed Kirk's stumble. The Doctor grabbed his arm. "Can you walk?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine, Bones. Just make sure Spock is alright," he answered wearily.

McCoy nodded and turned to the Vulcan.

He was leaning against the wall slightly, as if he had just lost his balance. His right hand was

on his temple and he was blinking rapidly.

"Spock!" McCoy exclaimed, rushing to his side. "Spock, are you alright?"

"I am fine, Doctor. I merely experienced a brief moment of confusion," he responded.

"We need to get him to sickbay," McCoy told the security officers. One of them stepped forward to help McCoy as he pulled Spock's arm around his shoulder.

"Doctor, I can assure you I'm quite capable of making it to sickbay on my own," Spock protested.

"Nonsense," McCoy replied, guiding Spock toward the door. "Let's go, you green-blooded hobgoblin."

"Oh, and Jim," McCoy added, pausing for a second.

Kirk looked up at the sound of the Doctor's voice.

"Don't forget to report directly to sickbay for a complete medical examination," he ordered in a stern tone.

Kirk sighed inwardly, then chuckled to himself as he watched Spock and McCoy exit the transporter room. Finally, he turned to where Scotty was standing behind one of the consoles.

"Thank you, Mr. Scott, for being well-prepared to receive us," he said with a knowing smile. "I'm glad the Condition Green code was understood."

"Just following orders, sir," Scotty grinned back.

Kirk nodded once more, then left the transporter room himself. He knew how worked up McCoy could get if he refused to submit to his examinations. Kirk had long ago decided that hell hath no fury like an old country doctor scorned. Although, he had to admit—he was a little worried about that dizziness spell and how Spock also seemed to have been affected. Maybe he should drop by sickbay, just in case. So, Kirk decided to forgo their usual routine and just get it over with. Besides, it also meant he could check up on Spock, he thought with a little smile.

Decision made, the Captain started down the corridor at a brisk pace, hoping things would finally get back to normal around here.