Still appearing as their fathers, Alfie and Jorgeh entered another timeframe and looked down at their tricorders. The coast was clear for now as their camouflage changed and showed them wearing the Starfleet uniform that was specifically made for the late twenty-three-nineties. 

“Looks like we’re in twenty-three-ninety-seven.” Jorgeh mentioned before looking up at Alfie. He had just begun to get used to seeing his friend appearing like his father: the impressive and famous James Preston McCallister. His father was this imposing figure who had risen through the Starfleet ranks and had developed a legendary status that placed on par with other famous Starfleet captains like Archer, Pike, Picard and Janeway. That all said, seeing Alfie looking like his father was a strange sensation. Unlike his father, Alfie had more of a bounce in the way he walked and over the years the two had known one another, Alfie had developed a set scowling expression that he reverted to when he was concentrating. The same one now existed and looked unnatural of the holographic appearance that was over Alfie. “So has travelling back into your past brought back any memories?” He asked his friend. 

Glancing up from his tricorder, Alfie turned to his friend and nodded his head. “A few.” He admitted. “It’s weird but just walking down these corridors, they feel smaller even though they’re not.”

Before Jorgeh could comment back, the computer interrupted him. “Warning ship-wide computer malfunction. Holographic controls are offline. Safety protocols are offline. Emergency back-up systems are unable to activate.”

Jorgeh turned to Alfie who had a worried expression across his face. “Alf, what’s happening?”

However he did not have a chance to respond to the ship-wide holographic systems’ announcement and before they could react the projectors had somehow overrode their camouflage systems, forcing them to deactivate. Then everywhere around them became a monochromatic environment. It wasn’t what either of them were expecting, until it finally hit Alfie what was happening. 

“Ah jeez.” He complained and swiftly turned to Jorgeh. “Jorgeh, we need to adjust our phasers to be able to disrupt holographic matrices.”

“Why?” Jorgeh checked while taking his sidearm off from his waist and began making the modifications.

“Because in about ten seconds or so, we are going to be overwhelmed by the arrival of some evil henchmen in some rather questionable outfits.” Alfie explained as he adjusted his own weapon. “We should also get ourselves out of these uniforms. While the holographic systems in this area are wreaking havoc with our holo-camouflage emitters then anyone we do encounter will question why we’re not wearing the uniforms of this era.”

Looking around, Jorgeh noticed a door ahead of them that said it was crew quarters. Pointing for them to go there, they moved towards it and used their tricorders to override the locks. Thankfully their tricorders contained the security clearance codes needed for any time from the Odyssey’s past to help them by-pass any security lockouts. Accepting the override, the computer opened the door and both men entered the quarters. They were empty guest quarters. The simple arrangement of a bed in one area and a small living area was in front of them. Heading over to the replicator, Alfie used the tricorder again to bring the system online and then ordered for uniforms to be created for them both. Deciding to keep their ranks less suspicious, he opted to make them both lieutenants and both in the science division. 

“Why science?” Jorgeh questioned as they started to get changed. 

Pulling his jacket off, Alfie shrugged his shoulders. “If anyone asks, we work in the ship’s library.”

Jorgeh sighed at his friend’s logic and shook his head. “A librarian? Really?”

Once they were in their new uniforms, they wrapped their old uniforms into the backpacks they had with them and then moved out. Holding their phasers close to them, they checked for the coast to be clear before leaving the guest quarters. 

“So can you explain to me more about these evil henchmen we may encounter?” Jorgeh asked, his phaser was held high as he led them down the corridor while Alfie had his tricorder out in one hand and his weapon in the other.

“Do you remember us telling you and Jorgeh one of the things we did with your dad before joining us was to visit the holodeck and play a certain holoprogram?” Alfie questioned as he looked up to check his surroundings before they approached their first panel. 

Taking point close to the panel, Jorgeh looked around again to make sure they had no company before answering his friend. “Yeah, wasn’t it something called The Chronicles of Major Atom?” 

“The Adventures of Captain Proton.” Alfie corrected him as he took the panel off and was confronted by a whole group of bio-neural gel-packs. Straight away he started on the modifications, first by taking out a few isolinear chips before he started to prepare the packs for their injection of the serum. “Your dad,” He said referring to Tobias, “would take us there after school when we were kids and we would play endless chapters.”

“Yeah, if I recall he played the lead part while you and your brothers were his trusted sidekicks.” Jorgeh stated as he recalled other bits he had been told. 

“The Triplets of Justice.” Alfie reminded him as he pulled out a hypospray and loaded it with the concoction needed for the packs. “So there was this one time we were playing it while the ship was docked at Starbase Ten. Anyway to cut a long story short, while the Odyssey was receiving an upgrade to its computer networks, including its holographic systems, something went wrong. A power overload, I think, which caused the systems to somehow merge our program to every projector on the ship. The Odyssey became one huge holodeck.”

“I bet your dad loved you for that.” Jorgeh sarcastically said, still on guard for anyone approaching them.

“The engineers who installed the upgrades received the biggest earlashing from him.” Alfie shared. “Anyway, the only way for us to turn the program off was to complete the chapter we were on.”

“Let me guess, everyone had to dress up?” Jorgeh asked.

Tilting his head from one side to the other, Alfie corrected Jorgeh’s prediction. “Somewhat. There were certain roles that needed to be filled as we were in a new chapter called: The Rise of Lord Blackheart.” Alfie said as he finished working on the last pack. “Basically Doctor Chaotica, who is Captain Proton’s arch-nemesis, loses all of his henchmen to the latest scurv of the universe, Lord Blackheart. He basically has a mind-controlling device that turns anyone into following his orders and becoming his puppet to control.”

“Is he a member of the Tal Shiar or Obsidian Order?” Jorgeh questioned as Alfie fixed the panel back into place. 

Looking confused at that question, Alfie shook his head as he stood up. “No, the Romulan or Cardassian secret police aren’t part of this. Captain Proton was set in an era on Earth when no-one knew what an alien looked like. Hence why the holographic projectors have turned everything into black and white. It was set in a time period where entertainment was broadcast on screens in black and white to people’s homes.”

“Your ancestors had a weird sense of entertainment.” Jorgeh said as he suggested with a gesture with his head for them to move on.

“Half of my ancestors, remember I am part human and part El-Aurian.” Alfie reminded his friend. “Anyway, we’re getting off track. What I was about to say was…” He then paused as he saw something ahead of him. 

Jorgeh stopped in his tracks as he saw what Alfie saw. “Tell me that’s not someone from the crew?”

Alfie just shook his head. 

Before them elevating was a woman wearing a long black tightly fitted dress with numerous jewels attached to it. If it had been for the monochromatic environment they would have seen that each one was a shade of red. She had an interesting head piece in her hair. Almost looking like a crown, it had three points on it with another jewel at the bottom of each one of them. Her long wavy but bushy hair reached her shoulders. 

“Oh no,” Alfie said as his childhood memory from this moment came forward. “Lady Enigma!”

Unable to take his friend seriously, Jorgeh just looked at Alfie with an expression of almost disgust that Alfie McCallsiter-Reyas, the current first officer of the USS Odyssey appeared scared by a holographic character. “Really, Alf? A flying woman frightens you?”

“With the safety protocols offline, Lady Enigma can use her telekinesis and magic powers to control anyone. She is Lord Blackheart’s wife and is where his power of the mind control devices comes from.” Alfie explained, he sounded so serious and worried. 

Still not being able to believe what he was hearing, Jorgeh raised his phaser at the woman when she started to speak. 

“I see the Proton Brigade has materialised. You will succumb to my powerful and fiendish ways and end up as slaves in my husband’s army. You will help him rule the cosmos!” Lady Enigma said before chuckling somewhat. 

“Not so fast my lady,” shouted a young voice from behind her. “Your wicked and devilish ways will end today!”

Before she could do anything, beams of rings were fired against her and she fell to the ground with the rings all surrounding her. She was trapped in them and tied up by what looked like electrical handcuffs too. Smoke filled the area after she had been caught. 

“The Triplets of Justice have served you!” Another young voice spoke.

Once the smoke faded away, both Alfie and Jorgeh were confronted by the appearance of two people that Alfie was not expecting to see. His two brothers.

Wearing grey leather jackets, goggles and white trousers and knee length boots were Theo and Henri, however not the adult version of them that Alfie now knew. Instead his brothers appeared as young teenagers. 

“Oh jeez.” Jorgeh muttered before he stifled a chuckle at seeing a young Henri and Theo standing there holding their ray guns in their hands and looking proud of themselves for taking down this woman. 

Walking past her and through the last of the smoke, both Henri and Theo approached Alfie and Jorgeh. Both boys had confused appearances across their faces. 

“We don’t recognise either of you two.” Henri said straight away. 

“Are you a part of our dad’s crew?” Theo asked as he stared at Jorgeh. 

“You can say that.” Jorgeh replied as he stared back at a young Theo. 

Henri examined Alfie quite a bit as he squinted his eyes. “You look a lot like our father.”

“Really?” Alfie said, trying to avoid revealing too much for his younger brothers. “Anyway, thank you for saving us back there.”

Henri looked harder at Alfie while replying at the same time. “You’re welcome. We got separated from our brother and our godfather. Have you seen them?”

Alfie and Jorgeh shook their heads. 

“That’s annoying.” Theo said as he lowered his ray gun. 

Henri had kept his focus on Alfie and before Alfie could work out what his younger looking brother was doing, Henri spoke up. “Alfie?” He quizzed.

Knowing that Henri had access to his El-Aurian gifts just a bit sooner than he or Theo, Alfie knew that Henri was able to make himself aware of things around him, including people he had a close connection with. Knowing he couldn’t lie, Alfie just nodded. “It’s me, Henri.”

Surprised to hear that, Henri examined Alfie further just as Theo turned his attention as well. 

“This doesn’t make sense?” Theo said. “Alfie isn’t a fully grown man!”

“It’s a long story.” Jorgeh interjected with. “We’re in the middle of trying to help fix the ship.”

“We could use your help.” Alfie said quickly. 

“We could?” Jorgeh checked, surprised to hear that remark from his friend. “How?”

Looking at his comrade, Alfie explained that keeping Henri and Theo close by they could defend them from any other holographic character they encounter while they make the changes. 

Reluctantly, Jorgeh agreed and they set off on their work. Modifying a number of systems, they eventually entered the holodeck on deck eighteen and they found themselves in the rocketship that belonged to Captain Proton. Alfie and Jorgeh had avoided answering any questions about the future with Theo and Henri, instead they spoke about other things and mainly what had happened so far in the plot with this chapter of Captain Proton. 

Opening one of the access boxes that showed the holographic controls and another panel with gel packs, Jorgeh and Alfie got to work when the rocket ship started to rock heavily. 

Henri shot up from where he was sitting on the small steps that took them to the raised level that had the rocket’s imagizer and went over to periscope to see what was happening outside. “It looks like Lord Blackheart’s army of Robozombies is trying to gain access to the rocket ship!”

Alfie looked up when he heard this. “Ah that’s not good.”

Injecting the final gel-pack, Jorgeh looked up at him. “Robozombies? Do I want to ask what they are?” He raised a hand. “No, let me guess, they’re like the Borg but with a lot more attitude?”

 “Sort of.” Alfie answered back. 

Theo turned to Jorgeh and described in more detail about the incoming enemy. “They like to kill people and then they will upgrade you with their cyber gear. Lord Blackheart created them as another way of taking over the cozmos. Ray guns don’t always work against them.”

Rolling his eyes, Jorgeh couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Do they have a weak spot?”

“Yes.” Henri answered as he ran to another part of the ship and started to pull out a long hose before he added one more word to his response. “Water!”

“Yes! We can fry their systems but we won’t have enough water to defeat them all here.” Theo stated. 

Alfie could see that Jorgeh wasn’t amused, but as he looked at the younger versions of his brothers, he knew he couldn’t leave them. “Henri, Theo, come over here.” He instructed. 

Both of them did as they were told and before they could say anything he injected them with the serum. “What I’m about to say and do, you must promise me you don’t say anything until dad speaks to you about this in about three years. Do you understand me?”

The boys just nodded before Alfie told them to go collect their things. 

Jorgeh in disbelief looked at his friend. “Alf, what the hell was that? We can’t be babysitting your brothers from the past?”

“We won’t.” Alfie answered as he closed the panel up. “But I won’t leave them here while the safety protocols are offline and a horde of Borg-wannabes are about to kill them. They can come with us into the next timeframe, hide somewhere safe and before we activate the chroniton field to re-sync the ship we get them to return and hide in those guest quarters we used earlier.”

“You’ve got to be kidding, Alf?” Jorgeh questioned again.

“I’m not and that’s an order.” Alfie replied in a more stern reaction. 

“Fine.” Jorgeh replied.

Leaving Proton’s rocket, the four of them slipped away without of any of the Robozombies seeing them and they exited the holodeck. 

Stepping through the next timeframe the effect of the holographic projectors faded away as their normal colouring appeared and the holographic camouflages came back online. Finding another spare, empty room with a working replicator, Alfie set his brothers up and gave them his combadge to use to stay in touch. He knew his father would kill him for giving them the serum but he wasn’t prepared to leave them behind.