A/N: Welcome to the galaxy brain that is Decoherence! I'm going to lay it out for you. This is Volume 1 of 36 (and counting). I'm not kidding. This is the first book in a story that will span sixteen billion years of science fiction and fantasy. I have 70% of this first volume written, to be posted twice a week as I finish writing this and the second volume (spoiler alert: TNG). The next few after that are all written and ready to go, because writer-brain likes to start in the middle of things. Not all of the volumes will be the same size, but this one has clocked in at over 70k.

Hope you enjoy!

"Ma, I need new jeans. And all my long-sleeves are too short."

"Again?"

"And you have to sign off on if I can watch the health video next week in class, you know, the puberty one or whatever. Oh, and we're on rations for chocolate, um, because I ate the rest of the Almond Joys, so... we need to go to the store."

Her mother sighed. "And you waited until bedtime to tell me this, why?"

Elle smiled innocently. "I forgot until I wanted some more chocolate again, and we don't have any. Also that signature is due tomorrow, even though I really don't want to watch some lame video about like, having to shave your legs, so maybe don't reply to my teacher's email?" She bounced on her toes impatiently. "Oh, and Old Navy's having a sale, sooooooo, can we go tomorrow, too?"

Her mother sighed again and checked her email. "Okay, yes, fine. You're going to watch the video, though. It's important stuff you need to know."

"Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaa," Elle whined, hanging off her mother's waist and giving her best puppy eyes.

Her mother kissed Elle's forehead. "And we'll go shopping tomorrow for jeans and chocolate and whatever else we need, sound good?"

"Sounds good."

"Good. Now go to bed." Her mother pointed toward the bathroom. "Go, brush your teeth. I don't want you up till midnight again, then you won't make it to your class on time."

"Ma, I'm homeschooled, that's the whole point, remember? Teenagers are night owls? That class lecture is totally gonna be recorded, and I can watch it later when I wake up."

"You're barely a teenager, and I don't want you playing video games all night."

Elle sighed. "Fine. G'night, mom."

"Good night. Love you."

"You, too." Elle went upstairs, brushed her teeth, and went to bed (read as: watched redstone tutorials for an hour and fell asleep).

She woke up in a storage room filled with containers. She blinked, yawned, and closed her eyes to get rid of the dream. When she opened her eyes again, she had to pee. She was still in the storage room.

"Hello?" she called, creeping forward cautiously. "Have I been kidnapped? Is there a bathroom?"

A man in baggy orange work coveralls came from around the corner. When he saw her, his jaw dropped. "You're not supposed to be in here," he said. "Where's your guardian?"

"What?" she asked.

"Which entourage did you come with?" he pressed.

Elle rubbed at her head, feeling strange. "Where am I?" she asked, scowling as a headache lanced at her temples.

"Cargo bay 2. Are you lost?"

"Uh, yeah. Where's the nearest bathroom? I have to go."

The man sighed. "All right. Come on." He led her to a bathroom. It was a high tech contraption, but it did the job, and when Elle came back out, he said, "Tell me your delegation so I can comm them, kiddo."

"Delegation?" she echoed. Weird dream. She shook her head hastily. "Never mind. I'll go back, I just, needed the restroom...elevator's that way, right?" She hustled around the corner and hopped in the elevator as soon as the automatic doors opened. There were no buttons.

"Please state your destination," a computerized voice announced, and one of the little handles flashed.

Elle flinched and looked upwards. "Uh..."

"Please state your destination."

"Take me to your leader," Elle said, smirking.

"Deck not recognized. Please state your destination."

"The bridge," Elle stated. Might as well see this weird illusion through.

"Voiceprint does not match bridge authorization," the computer said. "Highest deck is deck three."

"Fine. Take me there." She grabbed the handle as the elevator jolted slightly.

The elevator began to move upwards, and dumped her out onto Deck Three. She wandered down the hall, and found a door labelled 'Observation Deck.' When she approached it, it slid open. "Cool."

She entered and thirty-odd people turned to stare at her. She stared back in shock.

"Who are you?" an extremely familiar person asked, coming up to her and giving her an odd look. Captain Kirk. Captain James Tiberius Kirk, not an actor, was frowning at her.

"Uh, I think I'm lost." She glanced around him, and felt her eyes widen. She recognized those species. Vulcans, Tellarites, Andorians. They were all wearing formal clothes, and that was definitely Spock and Doctor McCoy converging on their captain's position. Elle swallowed hard and took a step back. "I'm definitely lost. Where, what kind of, no, where is this?"

Kirk's gaze turned to concern. "Let's take this elsewhere," he said smoothly, and placed a hand on her shoulder to turn her back towards the doors. His two command officers fell into step around her.

"Who's this?" McCoy asked, his tone gruff but his voice kind.

"My name's Eleanor Wilcott," she told them, her heart hammering with nerves.

"How did you get onboard the Enterprise, Miss Wilcott?" Kirk asked calmly.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I fell asleep in my house, at my desk, and I woke up in this warehouse place with boxes, the guy in the uniform said it was cargo bay 2 or something. I thought I was dreaming, I'm still dreaming, because you can't actually be real." She poked at his shoulder. "So, this is a weird dream, and I'm going to wake up, and go to school tomorrow." She nodded firmly.

"Where's home, kiddo?" McCoy asked, frowning.

"Milton, Oregon."

"Earth?" Spock asked.

"Well duh."

He raised an eyebrow. "What year is it, young one?"

"2018."

Her answer made all three men's eyes go wide.

"Well what year do you think it is?" Elle asked them, pouting.

They shared a glance.

She smirked at them. "You can't answer that because I don't even know the year in this series, so you-"

"2267, the 17th of November," Kirk said.

Elle gaped. What. "...nuh-uh." She pinched herself fiercely on the arm. "Ow ow ow." She rubbed at it, and stared at them in shock when nothing happened. She pinched herself again.

"Hey!" McCoy said, grabbing her hand and tugging it away.

She stared at the red marks on her arm. "That always works," she whispered, her gut twisting uneasily, "why didn't it work?"

Kirk gave her a sympathetic smile. "Listen, Miss Wilcott. I know it may seem strange, but this is not a dream. You're on the starship Enterprise. My name is-"

"Captain James T. Kirk," she finished. "Commander Spock. Doctor Leonard H. McCoy. This is Journey to Babel."

Now it was their turn to gape at her, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How do you know that?" Kirk asked.

"It's on the TV show," she replied numbly, her head starting to pound. "This is season two."

"TV show?"

"You're a TV show," she told them, rubbing at her forehead.

"We are not."

"Yes you are." Elle winced as her headache increased, and she felt the world around her go sideways. The last thing she saw was two hands reaching for her.