Stardate 1581.2

La’an’s security officer log documents the unpleasant duties she must undertake such as resolving interpersonal conflicts between crew members and delivering noise complaints.

Pelia’s belongings are searched as she has packratted many items over her hundreds of years of existence. She discloses to La’an that she has a bunker in Vermont that is her backup in case the Federation’s non-monetary system falls apart.

On her own time, she spars with M’Benga. He advises she talk out her issues rather than use them for training. She’s resistant.

As she’s walking down a corridor, a portal appears and a wounded man stumbles out, dressed in 21st Century clothes.

He tells her there’s been an attack in the past she must prevent. He hands her a handheld device and dies after telling her to get to the bridge. A wave sweeps through the corridor and he disappears.

She goes to the bridge where James T. Kirk is sitting in the captain’s chair wearing a non-Starfleet insignia, and no one recognizes her.

When a hail comes in from a Vulcan ship, Kirk identifies himself as captain of the United Earth Fleet ship, Enterprise. The captain of the Vulcan ship is Spock.

Spock requests aid in the Vulcan war with the Romulan Star Empire. Kirk states they cannot help as they have their own problems with Romulus.

Spock states without Earth’s assistance, their fleet and homeworld will be destroyed. Kirk is regretful but cuts the communication at that.

La’an requests to speak with Kirk in private and explains her situation. He believes she’s lost her mind.

She theorizes that the man she encountered came from the attack in the past that created this alternate timeline. She doesn’t believe her timeline exists anymore and never will unless she goes back and stops the attack.

Kirk is uncertain if he can believe her. She tells him the man told her to get to the bridge so she thinks he’s supposed to help her. He tries to take the device off her and in the struggle, the device is activated and zaps them into 21st Century Toronto, Canada.

Realizing they have no equipment, they begin looking around for clues and resources. As they enter a busy part of the downtown core, a large screen over the Toronto Eaton Centre sign runs the headline, “Budget Overruns on Lake Ontario Bridge.” Kirk identifies it as New York City. La’an corrects him. He reveals he’s never been to Earth at all. He was born in space because Earth in his time was a battleground and then an occupied territory. He comments on how cold it is. La’an advises they find warmer clothes before nightfall.

They find a store where Kirk has trouble with a revolving door. They initially pick the same outfit. Kirk changes his. When they realize they don’t have the money to pay for the clothes, La’an sneaks a security tagged item into another shoppers bags and they sneak out while the alarm is still triggered.

Realizing they’ll need money, Kirk finds a cash chess set-up and wins them enough money to buy food. He buys hotdogs but La’an doesn’t want it until they’ve figured out how to fix the future.

Kirk stops to admire the sunset, stating Earth in his time has clouds of ash that won’t clear for a thousand years. He advises La’an not to skip good hotdogs. She takes hers and agrees to eat and then get down to work.

In their hotel room, La’an can’t sleep and walks out of the bedroom and sees Kirk sleeping on the couch. She decides not to wake him and goes back to bed. He’s not asleep and looks up when she leaves. In the morning, La’an decides they should each write down what they remember of 21st Century history so they can compare notes.

Kirk realizes if they fix La’an’s timeline, his disappears and he’s not willing to do that. She argues her timeline is better.

He isn’t convinced until she points out that she works with his brother, Sam, who isn’t even alive in his timeline.

Suddenly, the Lake Ontario bridge blows up outside their window. La’an realizes what “get to the bridge” means now.

They join the crowd gathered at the site of the explosion. La’an sees something on the debris being removed and asks a photographer to look at her digital photos. She recognizes the marks on the debris as photonic charring, technology that shouldn’t exist yet.

They follow the vehicle removing the debris in a commandeered red sports car that Kirk figures out how to drive. Eventually.

While discussing names, La’an realizes Kirk doesn’t recognize her surname. She’s a little stunned.

Their pursuit of the black van catches the attention of law enforcement. They’re boxed in and about to be arrested when the photographer they had talked to appears and scares off the police with the threat of a political scandal on the Internet.

The photographer introduces herself as Sara. She’s a conspiracy theorist and was also following the van. She believes aliens bombed the bridge to cause humans to fight each other again.

Her conspiracy extends to an international cabal of governments that cover up the alien attacks in order to acquire the advanced technology.

She tells them about all the things the conspiracy is hiding, including a cold fusion reactor that powers all their operations.

While eating at a local diner, La’an questions whether they can trust Sara’s judgment. When Sara returns, she shows them photos she’s collected. Kirk recognizes a shuttle craft in one of the images.

They part ways with Sara. Kirk lets La’an know the shuttle in the picture is Romulan. Seeing it reminds Kirk of some history from his timeline where the Romulans destroy the experimental cold fusion reactor in a first strike, wiping out Toronto. La’an knows that doesn’t happen in her timeline so that must be the attack they are there to stop.

Realizing a tricorder would help them find the cold fusion facility, La’an remembers what Pelia said about having a bunker in Vermont. They take four buses and bribe a border guard to get to her only to discover she has yet to discover a love for engineering.

After appealing to her interest in preserving the future of humanity, Pelia provides them with an old diver’s watch that has hands that will glow when exposed to tritium, a byproduct of cold fusion.

While walking around Toronto waiting for the watch to indicate they’re near the cold fusion facility, La’an proposes Kirk come back to her timeline with her. She shares that she has a hard time with people usually but doesn’t feel that way when she’s with him.

They kiss. Kirk notices the watch is glowing. They enter a nearby building and see someone entering by using a palm scanner. La’an realizes the facility is called the Noonien-Singh Institute for Cultural Advancement. She tries her hand on the scanner and it opens the door for them.

Suddenly, Sara is standing behind them holding a gun. Turns out she’s a Romulan from the future, part of a mission team that aims to slow human progress.

Kirk tries to scare Sara into standing down but she calls his bluff and shoots him. He didn’t bluff though and the building’s alarm goes off. He dies in La’an’s arms.

La’an tries to attack Sara but Sara grabs her instead and pushes her into the facility.

Instead of blowing up the reactor, Sara decides to head for the genetics lab instead. She marches La’an to a door marked “Khan” and demands she open it.

Sara says the mission computer simulation told them killing Khan will prevent the Federation from ever forming. She’s been waiting thirty years to get her shot at him.

La’an reveals her real name. Sara reminds her she has a device that protects her from changes in the timeline. Helping Sara kill Khan will free La’an of the Noonien Singh stigma forever.

La’an pretends to consider it but turns on Sara. They fight and La’an gains Sara’s gun and shoots her dead.

With her last effort, Sara activates a device behind her ear that disintegrates her remains.

La’an enters the room and meets Khan who is only a child. She reassures him that he has nothing to fear from her and that he is right where he needs to be. Her time travel device has turned green. As she leaves the room, she presses the button and returns to her Enterprise.

Returning to her quarters after reassuring herself the crew is once again headed by Pike and Una, La’an finds a stranger sitting there.

She introduces herself as Agent Ymalay from the Department of Temporal Investigations. They are a Federation division from the future. She thanks La’an for completing the mission and swears her to secrecy.

She takes back the device and leaves. La’an realizes she’s still wearing the diver’s watch, takes it off and leaves it on the couch. She picks up her PADD and opens a channel to Lt. James T. Kirk. She makes up a reason for contacting him and he provides the information she asks for. He offers to spill all the dirt on Sam if she buys him a drink the next time they’re on Starbase together.

When the transmission ends, La’an has a heartfelt cry. The final shot focuses on the watch in the foreground and then fades to black.