Well, I saw Star Trek: Into Darkness on Monday and I had no idea the story was going to pick me up and demand I write my own twist of it. So here it is, another Khan/OC story but with what I hope is something less obvious compared with some of the other stories I've seen on here. Let me know what you think and I apologise for any atrocious remarks which don't correctly coincide with Abrams Star Trek universe.
Old Foes Reunited.
Captain Jim Kirk stared at the prisoner slouched against the wall of one of the USS Enterprise's security cells, the occupant of which had been taken into custody after something close to an intergalactic event had taken place on the planet Gorgoron. The mounting hysteria on said planet had resulted in its trading capital grinding to a halt over what he now understood to have been the result of a well thought-out (not to mention completely ridiculous) prank. There had been no sign of the bombs which had promised to bring down five well-populated buildings of economic importance in the planet's capital as stated in a threatening note to the mayor. Pretty quickly, a female had been identified as the prime suspect and when accused of spreading such antagonizing fear on purpose, the woman in front of him had automatically confessed. This alone made the Captain suspicious but as dictated by Starfleet code, he had placed the woman under arrest and had her taken aboard the Enterprise. The name she'd given had been Svetlanka Kranst (apparently the "k" in her first name was silent as she'd sworn profusely at his crew member who'd pronounced it with the "k" as he'd taken note of her personal details) and her species was human. Jim's eyes glanced at the slumped prisoner and he felt a knot of anxiety twist in his stomach as he took in her appearance.
Human.
Yes she had two eyes, one nose, one set of lips, a pair of ears, two arms, two legs, two feet and a torso in the correct place. Two hands with five digits caressed the end of her arms and her breasts were definitely ample enough to place her in the female category…
She's a prisoner Jim.
These thoughts were forgotten when the captain's eyes returned to her face which was the source of his unease. A wild mane of brown hair fell over her shoulders and chased down the length of her spine, a few stray locks framing the visage where two vibrant green eyes nestled, eyes which seemed to have seen more than her twenty-eight year old physique might suggest. Her features were more angular than even the most proud supermodel; high cheekbones pressed firmly against her pale skin, a proud nose fell straight between her eyes and paused before a set of deeply coloured lips. A sharp jawline which would put even lieutenant Uhura to shame finished off the striking face.
He had no evidence to prove she wasn't human as she hadn't demonstrated anything of an abnormal nature, yet Jim had experienced too many compromising situations to ignore when his gut was telling him something was amiss. The captain internally rolled his eyes when he thought of what Spock might say in relation to his concerns; the contractions of stomach muscle was hardly evidence to argue the case for Svetlanka Kranst's eviction from the human race. However, Ms Kranst didn't have the same cold; metallic glare of the only person Kirk had ever met who looked like a human but whose humanity was dominated by a savagery beyond his understanding. The intelligent and deadly face of Khan flickered in his mind's eye and he reluctantly withdrew his analysis of Ms Kranst not belonging to the human race, her eyes held a warmth which had been lacking in the superhuman he'd met only two years previously. Expelling a long sigh, he straightened his shoulders and nodded to Svetlanka, turned abruptly and left the cell lobby before hurrying to check on his other prisoners.
Svetlanka watched the figure of Captain Kirk retreat from her cell and as soon as he'd left the long, straight room, she set to work. She unceremoniously plunged a hand into her bra and after a few tweaks, withdrew the wire supporting the left cup, wire which had been tipped with diamonds and if applied in the correct fashion with the right amount of force, would cut through almost any compound she was faced with in her cell. Her green, mossy eyes intensified as she crouched beside the clear cell door and began working on the concealed hinge of her prison, a hinge which very few people knew the existence of. Svetlanka had made it her personal mission in life to find out useful information which would help liberate her from situations with knowledge which couldn't be found in history books. Her very plan for after this door swung silently open without triggering any alarm was based solely on information she'd procured from interesting corners of the galaxy. It's what set her apart from other competitors in her field and made her quite simply: the best.
Svetlanka smirked as she recalled the Captain's perplexed expression as he'd observed her through the glass. He had no idea who she was, what her unusual skill set consisted of and most importantly – her true reason for boarding the Enterprise in the first place. He knew something was wrong but by the time he arrived at the correct answer, it would be too late to stop her. Svetlanka's attention was drawn to the task at hand when with a delicious click the hinge gave way beneath the diamond tipped wire and the glass door retreated, liberating Svetlanka with what appeared to be disgusting ease. She delicately hopped out of her prison cell and casually made her way down the corridor, knocking out a female guard enroute with a swift blow to the head. After switching her prison uniform with that of the knocked out woman, she jammed the guard's hat onto her head, pinning her long mane of hair beneath the tight confines of the hat. She lifted the guard's security pass, swiped it against the elevator and quickly pressed one of the basement levels where what she desired resided. The lift doors opened, revealing a corridor thronged with various crew members carrying out their duties, too absorbed in their activities to notice an extra face joining the crowd. Svetlanka knew that it was here where what she sought (or more correctly her client sought) lay hidden. If she was to give some credit to Captain Kirk, she might think him quite clever to hide the Pulmonary Vector in such plain sight as apparently; it would not attract suspicion and would be harder to steal as a result. Svetlanka however was a person who was rarely impressed and had seen this trick employed before: it would not fool her.
The corridor gave way to a room the size of two large cathedrals where an impressive array of weapons stood to attention in rows upon rows of cubicles, waiting with eerie patience to be fired upon some enemy of the Enterprise. Svetlanka ignored her desire to walk faster and if anything, slowed her walk to a casual saunter; she had no need to attract any attention from the surrounding crew when she was so close to her goal. Her wide green eyes flicked to the faces of all those passing her by, but there wasn't a hint of recognition – all members of Captain Kirk's crew appeared to be of the opinion that she was still downstairs in that poor excuse of a prison cell. She mounted a set of stairs, politely excusing herself when someone bumped into her on the stairs. 'No worries wee lassie!' came a cheerful reply before the owner of the voice continued roaring instructions down his flip phone, urging someone he called "Keenser" to do his job and stop climbing walls.
It took only another thirty seconds before Svetlanka's eyes finally rested on her true goal. As she approached the glass of what appeared to be housing an ordinary fire-extinguisher, she reflected for a moment on the delicate series of events which had taken place in order for her to find herself here. Sending the note to the mayor, provoking all of that hysteria, attracting the attention of the USS Enterprise just as it was passing Gorgoron not to mention the arduous research she'd conducted of this troublesome ship… Yes it had demanded careful planning to allow Svetlanka to gaze with an almost twisted smile at the fire extinguisher and after taking a moment to appreciate her journey, she set to work in liberating the vessel which contained the Pulmonary Vector. The alarms would go off this time and that unfortunately was an inconvenience which she would have to suffer through. Alarms irked Svetlanka, especially those which made that horrible, wailing noise sounding like a battalion of hounds chasing after whoever had dared to take something which some snooty board official had deemed "too dangerous" to be observed and used by the public. It didn't take long before her nimble fingers had prised the glass open, using a technique which she'd learnt from a seemingly primitive planet which happened to have a knack for opening panels on a face of rock, revealing secret cubby holes. Svetlanka stared at the open door for a moment before reaching in and plucking the fire extinguisher from its sturdy plastic holder.
BEEP
BEEP
BEEEEEEEEEEP
BEEP
BEEP
BEEEEEEEEEEP
And so it begins. Svetlanka thought as she concealed the fire extinguisher beneath her baggy uniform and proceeded to follow the crew members who were reporting to their assembly points in the incident of a fire. As she joined the crowd and began hurrying along the passage with feigned panic, she found herself in an elevator, rising to the top floor of the ship. She had to remind herself on several instances not to smile, she was in the middle of the chase and if she enjoyed herself too much, she might risk the threat of being caught.
She tried not to scoff aloud at the unlikely thought.
It wouldn't be long until the unconscious guard and her empty prison cell would be brought to the Captain's attention but with the evacuation of the crew into fire-proof segments of the ship taking up most of his attention, it would at least buy her a little bit of time. She exited out of the elevator and hurried to where she knew the captain's lounge would be and paused outside of the spacious room to eavesdrop.
'Spock, there's no fire is there?'
'No Captain, it appears the alarm was triggered by the special system you had installed on that particular fire extinguisher which is carrying our most dangerous cargo.' Silence greeted Spock's words as the Captain processed what this meant.
'So someone on-board my ship has on their person the Pulmonary Vector… is that what you're trying to tell me Spock?'
'It's the only logical conclusion to draw from the evidence provided. What are your orders Captain?'
'Find it Spock. Do whatever you have to.'
'Captain, where are you going?'
'To the prison cells, I know exactly who did this.'
'Shall I come with you –'
'No Spock, I need you to find the Pulmonary Vector, do you understand?'
'…Yes Captain.'
'I'll be back soon, buzz me if you find it.' Svetlanka straightened and marched towards the elevator once more, knowing that the Captain would use his own private elevator to access the prison cells and that she would have to hurry if she wanted to keep up with him. The Pulmonary Vector was completely useless without its key, a key she'd seen dangling from the neck of the Enterprise's Captain when he'd observed her earlier. This was her only opportunity to get it; he was isolated from his crew, an ideal moment to pounce. The elevator was empty as the door slid open. She hit one of the lower floors, scanning her security pass once more to gain access to the cell block of the spaceship. The lift plummeted and soon the doors opened, revealing the cell lobby. Svetlanka managed to conceal herself behind a pillar just as the Captain's elevator opened and Jim Kirk entered the cell block. Instead of marching towards the corridor where Svetlanka's cell now lay desolate, he grimaced, straightened his shoulders, scanned his card and entered a small chamber beyond. Frowning at this behaviour, Svetlanka quietly slipped through the doors before they closed as instinct told her the guard card she possessed wouldn't have the clearance necessary to open this door. Captain Kirk spun around, his eyes widening as he saw through Svetlanka's hasty disguise.
'It was you?' He asked incredulously. 'B-But… how did you get out?' He managed to splutter.
'Well Captain, I must say, it is adorable that you think you caught me of your own accord. I needed access to your ship in order to procure the Pulmonary Vector for a prodigious client of mine and weren't you a darling to invite me on-board?' She asked, her indulgent smile revealing deep dimples on each cheek. 'I am curious though, who else do you have on-board who might be up to causing such mischief?' Svetlanka asked, removing her hat and allowing her brown hair to tumble wildly around her shoulders.
'Perhaps the Captain's suspicions were provoked by my presence.' Rumbled a voice behind Svetlanka. She resisted the urge to spin around quickly to identify the third person in the room, choosing to slowly turn instead. All saliva drained from her mouth as her eyes connected with a steely gaze whose irises reminded her of dragon scales, the intense hatred from the stare was not diluted in the slightest by the thick wall of glass which separated them. 'Then again Svetlanka, as a member of the house of Kranst, you always were savagely jealous whenever a superhuman received more respect when compared with your pitiable race.' The man hissed. Svetlanka felt an uncontrollable loathing rise like a snake in her stomach and she knew her eyes had flashed an angry red upon recognising the detestable creature residing in the top class security cell. The Captain was completely forgotten about as Svetlanka spat the name which had been a source of great anger and pain throughout the majority of her existence:
'Khan.'
If you liked it, I would be well chuffed if you let me know!