The Nature of Evil
Lieutenant Pike knew it would be a mission he'd never forget. He didn't expect to find the son of a legend, James T. Kirk, sick and abused in the rubble. Tarsus IV. No slash.
By Emiliana Keladry
Author's note: This will be slight AU, though it will hopefully end in canon. I alluded to writing this story in my other fic, "Little Mishaps" and I'm willing to give it a try! It will be a very dark story, but will focus on the friendship between Pike and Jim as he saves Jim's life. This is a shorter chapter to see if anyone is interested. Please, let me know if you are interested. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek and I make no money from this.
Chapter One
Lieutenant Christopher Pike rubbed his forehead as the headache increased. They were still three hours away from their destination. Tarsus IV. The USS Constellation was to be the second to reach the colony and witness the aftermath of Kodos' executions. Most of the survivors had been transported from the surface. Captain O'Mara was to deal with the few remaining from the government while Pike dealt with the search for the remaining survivors since he was second in command. Chris continued to read the information from the first ship, wincing as he read about the gruesome details.
The three hours passed too quickly. Captain O'Mara, an older man with greying hair, stepped out of his office and straightened his uniform. Pike stood and moved to stand next to him.
"Did the admiral have any more information for us, Captain?" Pike asked as the captain took his seat.
"Yes. Scans have indicated there's a small group of survivors hiding in the mountains, but they have been unable to get close." The captain rubbed his chin. "Children. It's a group of kids. Whenever the rescue team gets close, they are fired upon and the kids hide from them. We've been ordered to get the kids to trust us, but our first priority is the governor's home. It has to be searched for any hidden information on Kodos."
Lieutenant Pike shifted as the helmsman addressed them.
"Captain, we are nearing the planet. Would you me to put it on the view screen?"
The captain sighed. "Let's see it."
An image of the planet appeared upon the screen. The helmsman tightened the focus on the colony, showing the tops of the buildings. A few smoldered, having been burnt to the ground and destroyed during the attack when Starfleet arrived. Captain O'Mara stood and moved to stand next to the helmsman. He pointed to a location and magnified it. Three ropes hung from a wooden structure. Dark stains were around the loops as they blew in the breeze. It was ancient and barbaric. Pike doubted they killed many colonists in that way. Most had been shot after Kodos' declaration. The view tightened on another object. A single pole stood in the middle of the courtyard. There was a sign hanging from the top, but they couldn't read it. Remnants of rope were left behind. Someone had been tied there for everyone to see.
"It's his house," O'Mara murmured, looking away from the screen. "Governor Kodos put a gallows in front of his home and kept a victim there." His face paled. "This will be a mission we'll never forget. Put us in orbit, Ensign. Lieutenant Pike, your team lands in one hour. It's our duty to help the survivors. Let's do this."
Chris let out the breath he'd been holding as his team materialized in the courtyard outside of the former governor's home. A cold wind blew, chilling him as he listened. Other than the wind, there were no sounds of life. He glanced behind him to a small park where two chain swings rustled and moved back and forth.
Pike pulled the zipper of his coat up a little. "Let's head inside," he ordered.
The three others moved closer to the large building. The lieutenant tried not to look at the gallows, but his eyes were drawn to it. The dark stains had to be from blood. The bastard probably didn't measure the rope right and had to slit the throats of his victims to silence them. Pike shivered. As they walked closer to the doors, Chris finally got a good look at the sign hanging on the pole.
"Conscience doth make cowards of us all." The words felt bitter on his tongue.
"It's from Hamlet, a Shakespeare play," Ensign Taro said. "Why is it on the sign?"
Pike shrugged. "I don't think we want to know."
They continued forward. The door creaked loudly as they stepped into the mansion. Broken glass crunched beneath their boots. A few yellow flowers were scattered among the glass, alien in both form and location. Something with beauty didn't deserve to be where someone so vile had lived. Pike's foot came down with a crack. He glanced down at the glass beneath his foot. It was part of a picture frame. Two young men stared up at him from the photo, sitting outside of the building and smiling. He wondered if either of them was still alive.
"Our orders are to search his office first and then the rest of the building. Taro and Miller, you're with me. Banner and Hotch, you search the east wing first."
"Yes sir." The two responded.
"Keep in contact with your comms. I don't want any surprises." The lieutenant nodded to both men, dismissing them.
Chris guided the remaining two down the hallway, recalling the location of the governor's office from the report. He let the two from security sweep the room first before he followed them inside. Unlike the front entrance, Kodos' office was still semi neat. Another vase of the yellow flowers sat upon the desk, but the water was gone and the flowers were dried. Loose papers blew around the room. There was a large crack in the window behind his desk, letting the howling wind inside.
"To sit here and decide to kill four thousand people, I can't imagine it." Pike gripped the back of the desk chair, barely controlling the urge to throw it.
"All of those innocent people." Miller stepped toward a painting of a mountain range in the corner. He kicked the edge of the fringed rug with his foot. "How many were kids?"
"Too many."
Chris picked up the coffee cup on the desk. His brow wrinkled as he saw a picture beneath the cup. The edges were partially worn, but it was a young boy. He couldn't have been older than twelve. Blue eyes stared up at him. There was something familiar about him. The boy was sitting on one of the swings he'd seen in the park, but he wasn't smiling. His eyes were focused elsewhere. Pike doubted the boy even knew the picture had been taken. He placed it back on the desk.
"I don't wanna linger here any longer than we have to. Let's get to work."
Footsteps. They were directly above him. There was no point in screaming. They couldn't hear him, and their scanners couldn't detect him or he'd already be free of this hell. James T. Kirk coughed into the cloth gagging him. His lungs burned from the effort as he fought to breathe in again. The fit passed slowly. He rolled onto his back. His hands were tied behind him and pressed into his back. The narrow rope was too tight and he had to move his fingers every so often to regain feeling. It went from his elbows to his hands, twisting around and keeping him from manipulating the material to get free again. Something in his shoulders had torn when Kodos' goon tied him up. Jim rolled back to his side to relieve a bit of the pain.
The boy tried to focus on the trap door outside of his cell, but his vision blurred. His body ached. Jim couldn't remember the last time Kodos had come to see him or anyone else for that matter. A pain went through his empty stomach, causing him to curl up, but the movement jarred his shoulders and a muffled cry of pain escaped his gag.
Hot tears rolled down his cheeks and mingled with the sweat. There was little heat in the room, but he knew a fever was ravaging his body. Jim hoped his kids were okay. As long as he obeyed, Kodos said he'd leave them alone. The words, even if they were a lie, were the only thing that kept him going.
The footsteps continued above him as Jim's stomach rolled and the pounding in his head increased. He knew he was going to lose consciousness soon. His body shook as coughs burst from his chest. Jim laid his cheek against the cold floor and closed his eyes. He didn't have much time left.