McCoy took a bottle of bourbon out then poured the contents into two glasses. There was a third but it was a glass of green milk that was highly nutritious. It was silent except for the sounds of liquid falling into the glass. Hours had waned past since the Vulcan's arrival. They were drinking in the garage sector of the underground building while the survivors were resting on the warm, energized biobeds. McCoy's hands were a little unsteady, trembling, then he leaned back. McCoy put the lid back onto the bottle where he placed it to the side. Sybok saw pain in the doctor's eyes. He also noticed that the pain was uncomfortable for the doctor. Mallard was silent for once in the evening. Making sure the children went into a improvised sonic shower. On the table laid a large sack with trinkets.

"I did not expect you to be here, Doctor McCoy," Sybok said.

McCoy glared back at the Vulcan.

"Who did ya think would do this?" McCoy asked.

"Relief workers," Sybok said.

"Relief workers wouldn't risk their lives for this," Mallard said.

"And it is tricky to get here," McCoy said.

"Not at all," Sybok said.

"You came with a cloaked starship," Mallard said.

"It was a stolen craft," Sybok said.

"Which makes ya lucky," McCoy said.

"How has someone like you adapted to a place with Romulans?" Sybok said.

"You don't," Mallard said as McCoy took a sip. "You become them."

"Are you meaning to tell me. . ." Sybok was appalled. "Did you. . . "

Sybok's eyes started to widened.

"He would not let me," Mallard said, glaring over toward the drinking doctor. "I wanted to help."

McCoy glared over toward the young man while lowering his glass.

"Kid, you are a hybrid," McCoy said. "And you shouldn't lose your antennas over this mission," He gestured toward the man. "and changing the color of your skin would have been a waste of our resources. Our colorizer cannot work on turning your hair black."

"Sometimes I hate that," Mallard grumbled.

"You are just worried that they will find out I am not who I really am," McCoy said.

"Someone should be," Mallard said.

"They won't," McCoy said.

"You genetically altered yourself," Sybok finally said.

"A wise Vulcan once said, 'The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few'," McCoy said. "or the one."

"Are you going to revert yourself back to a human?" Sybok inquired.

"I have found resources to undo what the doc did to himself," Mallard gestured over toward McCoy. "however, it won't be easy. It will be painful as hell."

"Black market," Sybok said.

The two men nodded.

"Just imagine how painful it would be for a Andorian," McCoy said.

"Excruciating," Sybok said. "I am familiar to it."

"I would have been able to stand it," Mallard said.

"No, you would have not," McCoy said. He took another sip from the bourbon.

"My brother would be displeased of your choice," Sybok said.

"Honestly?" McCoy said. "I am not comin' back whole. Spock is the reason why I am here."

"You are the bait," Sybok said.

"Yep," McCoy said.

"That is quite logical of you," Sybok said. "Relying on your friendship with him. . ."

McCoy and Mallard shared a knowing glance.

"He doesn't know?" Sybok asked.

"Oh," McCoy said. "he will."

McCoy slid out a collection of small rounded objects in the shape of pokeballs onto the table.

"When the doc is on the verge of dying there will be a signal sent out and the rest will fall together," Mallard said. "and everyone is happy." The young man took a sip from his glass.

"Getting them off the planet is easier said than done for us," McCoy said. "and helpin' them get back on their feet. . ." He looked toward the Vulcan. "ya will take care of them by smugglin' them out in these."

"It will take more than a day to help each and every one of them," Sybok said.

"This is why you need to have a apprentice under your wing to help continue your style of healing pain," Mallard said.

"I do not need people to misuse this gift," Sybok said.

"Abusin' it in what way?" McCoy asked.

"Brainwashing," Sybok said.

McCoy sighed.

"Look, Mr Sybok," McCoy said. "everything has its disadvantages."

"Even medicine," Mallard said. "in the beginning, if you used it too much, your body became dependent on it." McCoy took another sip. "It was intoxicating, a lot like a toxic relationship between two people, except it harmed the body."

McCoy nodded.

"My point exactly," McCoy said.

Sybok nodded his head in understanding.

"You are confidant that it won't be misused?" Sybok asked.

"There is reasons why we have rules for everything," Mallard said, with a hand wave.

"So make ya self some rules and follow them," McCoy said.

"It is what we did," Mallard said.

Sybok took a sip of his glass.

"How did you find this place?" Sybok said.

"Diggin' up information regardin' this colony," McCoy said.

"Turning it on required using our ship and using it to put it back together," Mallard said. "we did it under the cover of night. Don't underestimate humans when we are determined to get something done."

"We did cheat," McCoy said.

"We used the transporter for the larger parts," Mallard admitted.

"This table is the phaser canon upside down just without the firin' section," McCoy said.

Sybok looked under the table to see that it looked like a table except the supporting beam was the handle to the phaser canon.

"Impressive," Sybok said, leaning back up.

"Thank you," The two men said.

"The biobeds were another story," McCoy said. "while I was making myself known to the community, Mallard had to connect the biobeds in a hurry," Mallard nodded. "and turn them on. And fix them, too."

"Wasn't easy," Mallard said.

"He burned his hands," McCoy said. "And he broke the dermal regenerator in a hurry to fix himself."

"He had to fix it," Mallard said.

"I am not a engineer but he is lucky that I studied the design plans for every tool we brought," McCoy grumbled. "we would have been royally screwed up if those balls were broken. I can't fix them."

"But they can be saved because they would be living energy," Mallard said.

"But getting them out in one piece after fixing a broken ball," McCoy said. "no one has ever done that."

"You are a pioneering physician in space," Mallard said.

"You can do anything," Sybok agreed.

"My hands are not steady as they were," McCoy said, holding his free hand out. It was trembling. "What if I hit the wrong wire?" He reached his hand back. "What if I put it together wrong? What if I made a mistake?" McCoy had his head turned toward the young man with a growing stubble on his face. "What if I didn't do it right?"

"Then we better not break them," Mallard said.

Sybok cleared his throat.

"So," Sybok said. "what have you been eating lately?"

"Potato soup," McCoy said. "the kind that can easily be replicated."

"Delicious," Mallard nodded.

"And it does hit the right spot," McCoy added.

"Potato soup?" Sybok asked. Sybok frowned then took out a large collection of cans from the bag. "That does not sound healthy," He turned the cans in the direction of the young men and then a phaser out. "How about green beans, tomatoes, and corn."

"Did you add that to the list?" McCoy looked over toward Mallard.

"Not really," Mallard said. "I put cotton candy, mushrooms, tomato slices, strawberries, pepper, lettuce . . ."

McCoy turned his head in the direction of the Vulcan.

"I believe we have the silverware for that," McCoy said, as a wide smile appeared on his face.