The USS Enterprise, NCC-1701 is in orbit of planet Alfa 177. Their
mission: to collect specimens. On the planet, Captain Kirk, Mr. Sulu and several crewmembers are
there to collect samples from the planet's surface. Mr. Sulu soon feels the affects of the
rapidly cooling planet and notes that it must be about zero below seventy degrees right about
now. Kirk reminds Sulu that the temperature on planet Alfa 177 can drop to below one-hundred
twenty degrees. Just then, in the distance, they hear a scream and they run to see what has gone
on. It seems that Geological Technician Fisher has slipped off a cliff, and is covered in yellow
ore. He explains that he must have slipped off the cliff whilst trying to retrieve an ore sample
above. Captain Kirk orders Fisher to beam back to the ship to get his wound checked out by
Doctor McCoy.
In the transporter room, Scotty and Transporter
Techinician Wilson lock onto Fisher's signal and beam him onboard. As Fisher is being beamed
onboard, the transporter's malfunction warning light flashes, indicating trouble within the
transporter's system circuitry. Once Fisher fully materializes, Scotty checks Fisher over with
a special equipment. He asked what happened and Fisher replies that he fell off a cliff. Scotty
indicates that the ore has electromagnetic properties and that Fisher should decontaminate his
clothes. Soon, Captain Kirk contacts Scotty and informs him that he is ready to beam back up.
Scotty and Wilson double check to make sure that the transporter is functioning properly.
Scotty orders Wilson to check the transporter circuitry within the lower decks as he beams Kirk
onboard. When Kirk beams onboard, he feels a little dizzy from the procedure and Scotty is
worried. He suggests to Kirk that he should go to Sickbay and Scotty escorts him to Sickbay,
leaving the transporter room unattended. Kirk orders Scotty not to leave the transporter room
unattended, but Scotty says that he'll be right back. And as soon Scotty and Kirk leave, the
transporter activates, beaming aboard someone else. That someone else happens to be Captain
James T. Kirk as well!
------
In the transporter room, the second Captain Kirk looks around with
awe and surprise. Soon, transporter technician Wilson returns to the room, and asks the captain
if he's feeling all right. But Kirk leaves the room without uttering a word. Meanwhile, Scotty
escorts a distressed Captain Kirk to his quarters and tells him to rest, and suggests that he
should get a once over from Dr. McCoy. Kirk tells Scotty that he'll take it under advisement.
When Kirk enters his quarters, he is greeted by Yeoman Janice Rand, who says that the crew
manifest is in order, as she hands him the information disk. He tells the yeoman that that will
be all, and the yeoman leaves, confused. After the yeoman leaves, Kirk lies down on his bed.
Obviously the transporter malfunction has deeply affected him somehow, as he doesn't even look
at the disks that the yeoman gave.
In Sickbay, Dr. McCoy treats the injured Technician
Fisher. McCoy jokes that Fisher must've fallen to get an early vacation. Just then, the
duplicate Captain Kirk enters Sickbay. Both McCoy and Fisher don't realize that this is their
duplicate captain. After Fisher leaves, informing Kirk that his hands are much better, McCoy
goes to his captain. McCoy asks the captain what he wants, and Kirk angrily demands Saurian
Brandy. When McCoy tries to get an explanation from the captain, he gets an angry reaction.
McCoy has no choice but to give the brandy to the captain, and after he receives it he walks
off. McCoy is visibly annoyed at his captain's reaction and behavior. After the evil Kirk
receives his brandy, he decides to go for a walk within the ship's corridors. He then sees
Yeoman Janice Rand's quarters and then walks into the room, without thinking.
After the incident with the brandy, Spock enters
the captain's quarters to see if the captain's all right. Spock informs the captain that the
doctor suggested he check up on him. The captain laughs Spock's concerns off and says that the
good doctor has Spock fooled again. Spock apologizes for the intrusion and the captain tells
Spock to tell the good doctor that he was properly annoyed...
After Spock sees Kirk, they are called to the
transporter room. Scotty tells the captain that when he and Wilson beamed up the animal from
Alfa 177, a duplicate of the animal, an exact opposite, were beamed aboard just seconds after.
Scotty then suggests that they prevent the landing party from beaming up as he doesn't know
what effect the dupliation process will have on the landing party.
Meanwhile, Yeoman Janice Rand enters her quarters,
unaware that the evil Captain Kirk is awaiting her. While she is tidying up her hair, she
finally sees the captain from the corner of her eyes, drinking the Saurian brandy. Rand is
visibly surprised to see the captain in her quarters, and can tell that he isn't here on
official business. Kirk explains to Rand that he knows that they've been hiding feelings for
each other, deep personal feelings. He explains to Rand that they shouldn't let these feelings
welled up and asks her to let it go. He suddenly lunges at Rand and tries to kiss her. Rand
finally realizes that this isn't the captain that she's come to know. Rand struggles to free
herself from this evil Kirk, but it's no use. It is not until she manages to crawl to the door
and Fisher sees them, that she escapes. But before Fisher can contact Mr. Spock for assistance,
the evil Kirk knocks Fisher to the ground and punches him.
In Captain Kirk's quarters, Mr. Spock tries to get
a clear understanding of the situation. Kirk doesn't understand when Mr. Spock shows him the
clear empty bottle of Saurian brandy found in Yeoman Rand's quarters. Kirk is perplexed and
informs Spock that they will get to the bottom of this. After Kirk and Spock enter the
Turbolift, the evil Kirk's bloodied hands stretch out and soon he goes to his counterparts
quarters, and licks his wounds...
In Sickbay, Kirk questions Yeoman Rand with regards
to his alleged attack on her moments before. Kirk pleads with Rand that it wasn't him, but Rand
keeps insisting. She even reitereates that she scratched his face, but Kirk asks her to look at
him and see if there are any scratches on his face. To Rand's surprise, there isn't. Rand is
sure that she scratched him, but Kirk vehemently denies this. To his surprise, Fisher even
claims that it was him, but McCoy rushes him back to bed. Rand acknowledges that she doesn't
want to get the captain in trouble and with that, Spock excuses the yeoman. Spock can only
offer one logical explanation: he believes that there is an imposter aboard.
------
After discovering that he has a duplicate onboard, Kirk goes to the
transporter room to find out how it was accomplished. In the transporter room, Scotty reports
that just after he beamed aboard, split seconds later his duplicate beamed aboard. Kirk wants to
know how this could have happened, and Scotty explains that when Geological Technician Fisher
beamed aboard, he was covered with yellow ore that had magnetic properties. Whether this could
have had an unwanted affect on the transporter circuits, he doesn't know. Soon, Kirk and Spock
move to the other side of the transporter room to discuss their plans for the intruder. Kirk
says that he plans to capture the intruder, but Spock reminds him that he should not be killed,
as they don't know what effect it will have on killing him, Kirk agrees.
After Kirk and Spock agree on their plans to
capture the duplicate Kirk, Kirk decides to announce their intentions to the rest of the ship.
Before he does, he makes a log entry, stating that something has happened to him, as decisions
are becoming more and more difficult. He forgets what he's going to say, and it is clear that
his command decisions are faltering. Kirk then announces his orders to the rest of the ship.
Kirk announces to his security team to watch out for his duplicate onboard, and that he must be
caught. Kirk also informs his crew that he may be identified by scratches on his face. Spock
reminds Kirk that the weapons must be set for base stun cycle only, as they do not want to kill
him.
Meanwhile, in his quarters, the duplicate Kirk has
heard the ship-wide announcement and becomes angry, claiming that he is Captain Kirk, and
smashes the nearby viewscreen. Soon, he realizes that he still has scratches on his face, and
he takes out a makeup kit and puts some powder on his face to cover his face. He then goes out
into the corridor and Technician Wilson approaches him. He asks the captain if he's feeling
better, but not knowing the duplicate Kirk, Kirk snaps him and then takes his weapon.
On the surface of the planet, Sulu reports to the
captain, explaining that the temperature on the planet has dropped to zero below twenty
degrees. He wonders if they can beam them up before they freeze to death. Spock says that they
couldn't beam down termal blankets, as it'll duplicate on arrival. Mr. Spock soon orders Sulu
to prepare for survival procedures. Mr. Spock soon receives a message from a security guard,
saying that they've found Transporter Technician Wilson outside Captain Kirk's quarters with
his phaser missing. Spock acknowledges, and orders them to continue the search. Soon, Spock and
Kirk try to outsmart their duplicate's move. Spock asks the captain that since the duplicate
has the captain's knowledge of the ship, he asks him where would he go to elude a mass search.
Captain Kirk answers the lower levels of the engineering deck.
After their plans to lure him, Captain Kirk and Mr.
Spock go down to the lower levels of the engineering deck to capture their prey. After Spock
realizes that they are alone, he asks the captain if they should bring reinforcements. Kirk
answers that he doesn't want to see him like this, and that they should try and do this alone.
Spock soon arms his phaser, and when he doesn't realize his captain do the same, he tries to
remind him. Kirk explains that he doesn't want to hurt the duplicate, but nonetheless, Spock
reminds him that he should be armed, as the phaser is only set to base cycle stun. Soon, the two
split up and head in different directions. As soon as they leave, the duplicate Captain Kirk
drops from the ceiling to their previous positions and goes after his counterpart. When Kirk
rounds a corner, his counterpart comes up to him from behind. The duplicate tries to kill Kirk,
but Kirk tries to dissuade his counterpart, by saying that they are part of each other, and that
he needs him. The duplicate counterpart explains to Kirk that he doesn't need him and when he's
about to fire, Mr. Spock comes out of the back and gives him a Vulcan neck-pinch. Before the
counterpart falls unconscious, he manages to fire his phaser, but misses Kirk and hits a vital
component of the engineering deck.
After they capture the duplicate Kirk, they take
him to Sickbay. McCoy warns Kirk that due to the side-effect of the transportation process,
they shouldn't give him a tranquilizer. McCoy soon suggests that they bind him. Kirk agrees,
although he falters at making the decision. Kirk soon asks what is wrong with him. Spock soon
decides to examine the role between good vs evil more logically. Spock explains that due to
Kirk being split into two, he's slowly losing his command abilities, due to the fact that all
the command decisions fell upon the evil counterpart. The good side possesses kindness, love
and compassion, while the evil side contains all of his command abilities. Spock soon
reiterates that if the captain loses his command abilities, he has to relinquish his command.
Soon, Spock reminds the captain that if he's not feeling what the captain's going through, it's
because of his nature. Soon, Kirk gets a call from Sulu, saying that the temperature is now
zero below fifty degrees. Sulu wonders if Kirk is able to drop down a pot of coffee and to beam
them up before the skiing season opens.
After Kirk's contact with Sulu ends, he goes to
McCoy for counsel. He believes that he needs to take his counterpart back, as he is slowly
losing his command abilities. But he doesn't want to, after he saw the evil doings of his
alter-ego. McCoy suggests that if he doesn't take him back in, he'll probably have to
relinquish his command. He then thinks that Spock was right after all. With all their good
side, everyone has their dark side, and all of the captain's command abilities come from the
dark side. Just then, the captain receives a call from Chief Engineer Scotty on the lower
decks. He reports that the transporter problems have gone further. The duplicate Kirk shot one
of the transporter equipment in Engineering, blowing out the abort control circuits altogether.
Furthermore, Scotty reports that they can't repair the equipment in less than a week, certainly
killing the crew below for sure.
------
Later, Captain Kirk makes a log entry quoting that the temperatures
on the surface are dropping faster and that his own indecisiveness is growing. On the planet,
Sulu and his men are using their phasers to heat the rocks from the freezing cold. He then
suggests to one of the crewmen that they check up on roomservice. It seems that their coffee is
taking too long. After opening up the communicator, Sulu informs his captain that the coffee is
taking too long, and wonders what is going on up there. Kirk jokingly informs his helmsman that
he took everyone off for the afternoon. Sulu informs Kirk that they are using their phasers to
heat the rocks to keep warm from the cold. Once they die, they'll have no protection.
Later, after Kirk finishes his transmission with
Sulu, he visits his counterpart in Sickbay. His countepart is obviously in pain, as he screams
in agony. McCoy informs his captain that the duplication process must have somehow affected his
vital systems, and informs him that his counterpart is dying. Kirk soon take hold of his
counterpart's hand and says to him that he can't die. He needs him to survive and tells him
that he's got to hold on for just a bit longer. Soon, his counterparts vital signs return to
normal. McCoy congratulates the captain on his efforts, and says that they could use that
Saurian Brandy now. McCoy comes back with the brandy and gives his captain one. McCoy also
observes that courage comes from the good side. He argues that while his counterpart was
afraid, he wasn't and that's probably where his command abilities come from, not through being
evil, but from courage. Soon, they receive a call from Mr. Spock saying that they may have
found a solution, if they could come down to the transporter room.
In the transporter room, Spock explains to Kirk
that they managed to cross-circuit the lead circuits to compensate for the broken abort
controls and to tie in with the ship's impulse system. Scotty suggests that they send the
animal through first and Kirk agrees. Spock and Scotty try to sedate the ferocious animal,
locked away in the cage. Kirk informs the two not to harm it, and Scott reassures the captain
that this will only sedate the animal. Once the animal is sedated, the two animals are taken to
the transporter pad to begin the transportation process. Once the animals are safely on the
transporter pad, Spock orders Scotty to energize. The animals are beamed to the planet for the
reversal process. After a few minutes, Spock orders Scotty to reverse the beam, just as Dr.
McCoy joins them. When the single animal is beamed back on board, it remains motionless. Both
Spock and McCoy go up to the animal to examine it. Soon, McCoy announces that the animal is
dead, shocking the captain.
------
In Sickbay, McCoy orders a nurse to take the dead animal down to the
morgue for an autopsy. Spock argues that it does not require an autopsy to figure out that the
animal died of shock and terror, as it was thrust back into two. Spock speculates that it won't
happen to the captain if he is brave enough. The captain is having difficulty making up his
mind, as he is struggling to make a worthy decision on his future. McCoy counteracts Spock's
argument saying that suppose it wasn't shock that killed the animal, but the transport process
itself. He urges the captain to make him run an autopsy to determine the correct cause of death.
Spock then further argues that he has another half as well, constantly at war with each, but he
only survives it because logic dictates his actions. Spock also mentions that time is running
out for the men on the surface. Kirk is confused, he informs them to make the decision for him.
When Spock suggests that the captain is relinquishing his command, Kirk refuses, and orders
Spock to get the transporter ready, while Bones continues with the autopsy.
The captain soon goes to his counterpart, lying
restrained on the biobed. As he determines his next move, the captain gets a call from Sulu on
the surface. Sulu's voice is barely audible, as he says that the temperature is now zero minus
seventy-five degrees. The communicator is barely functioning in the freeze as well, and this
may be the last time they are able to communicate. Sulu also mentions that one of his
crewmembers have lost consciousness. Kirk soon goes to his counterpart after he ends his
communication, as his duplicate asks him what he's going to do. Kirk says that they'll have to
go through the transporter process. Kirk begins unrestraining the duplicate, and his duplicate
mentions that he won't fight anymore, as he doesn't have enough strength as it is. After Kirk
finishes unrestraining his duplicate, he trains a phaser on him. His counterpart soon stumbles
into Kirk, making Kirk think that he has lost his entire strength. But this is his opportunity
to knock Kirk to the ground, and also takes his phaser.
The duplicate Kirk soon enters a Turbolift, where
Yeoman Rand walks out and explains that his alter-ego attacked her and hope that no hard
feeling has come between them. He apologizes to her and asks her if its all right if he can
visit her later in her quarters. Rand sees beyond his ruse and accepts solemnly... Soon, the
duplicate Kirk enters the Bridge and orders Farrell to leave orbit. Farrell is about to protest,
but gets a stern reply from the duplicate, saying that there is nothing to be done about Sulu
and his men. Spock tries to get a sense out of his captain, but his captain says that he's made
up his mind regarding the transporter. Soon, McCoy and the real captain walk onto the Bridge,
confusing the Bridge crew. The duplicate Kirk orders his men to arrest the captain, but the crew
is confused. Farrell asks Spock which one, and Spock lets the two captain decide. The captain
walks up to his counterpart to confront him. The counterpart is delirious and aims the phaser at
his counterpart. Kirk explains that he can't kill him as they are part of each other. His
duplicate shouts that he wants to live, and Kirk concedes that they will, through each other.
Kirk manages to disarm his counterpart, and soon the two hug. The duplicate exhausted at the
confrontation.
Later, in the transporter room, the two Kirk's
step onto the transporter pad, ready to be put back as a whole. Before they beam back to the
planet, Kirk informs Spock that if the process doesn't work, he'll know what to do. Spock
acknowledges, and soon goes to the transporter controls to begin work. He beams the two down to
the surface. McCoy is tense as ever, and when Spock doesn't immediately beam them back up, he
impatiently prods Spock to do so. Spock soon reverses the beam and a single Kirk soon beams to
the ship, although he is a little groggy from the experience. When McCoy walks up to the
captain, he takes a step forward and orders Mr. Spock to beam Sulu and his men up, noting his
successful return as a whole... When Sulu and his men are beamed back aboard, they are rushed
to Sickbay. McCoy says that its nothing more than a frostbite, but they'll be alright. McCoy
asks the captain how he's feeling, and the captain notes that his duplicate is back where he
belongs and they should forget about him.
Back on the Bridge, Spock reports to his captain
that all deck reports ready. Kirk thanks Spock for bringing him back and reminds him that they
saw a part of himself that no man should. Spock acknowledges, and soon Kirk takes his seat.
Just then, Rand enters the Bridge to get a PADD signed, and soon Spock speculates that the
captain's counterpart had some interesting qualities. Rand ignores Spock's comments, and soon
Kirk orders his helmsman to leave orbit, as the Enterprise heads out for their next
assignment...
