A/N - This is my first venture back into writing after a heavy period of writer's block. Hopefully this will be the start of lots more stories not to mention the continuation of a few!

As the description suggests this takes place during the tv series episode 'Space Seed'; prior knowledge of that episode would help as this story assumes you know the backstory and just jumps straight in.

James T. Kirk hurtled along the length of the USS Enterprise at breakneck speed; almost tripping himself up numerous times whilst he traversed the maze of corridors. His destination was the main conference area on level 5: the location of the entire bridge crew and hopefully an unconscious Khan Noonien Singh.

As he neared ever closer to the last known location of the megalomaniac Jim's anxiety grew exponentially, for he highly doubted that the augmented human would have been caught out so easily by knockout gas. Spock had flooded all areas of the ship to finally take the Enterprise back from the crazed hijackers, whilst Jim had raced away to ensure the capture of the madman.

Jim's heart hammered painfully against his ribcage as his body struggled to provide enough oxygen for the maddening sprint. He knew that being stuck in McCoy's depressurising tank and almost being damn near suffocated had taken a toll on his body, but now was not the time to recharge; not with his ship and crew still in danger from the enemy.

As Jim turned the last corridor he spotted a figure in red stumble out of the conference room coughing and spluttering from the effects of the gas. When Jim neared he recognised the figure to be that of Montgomery Scott. The Captain swept trained eyes around the corridor as he neared the felled engineer with hands clenched tightly around his phaser; keen gaze on the lookout for any augmented humans.

"Scotty!" Jim exclaimed as he reached out an arm to steady his Chief Engineer.

"Captain…" The Scotsman started to speak before spluttering into another coughing fit.

"Where's Khan?" Jim asked earnestly, anxious gaze still sweeping the surrounding area for any signs of trouble; the trepidation in his body language was clear for all to see.

"I don't know… he got out just as the gas…" Scotty was continually interrupted by the effects of the gas and suddenly his legs would no longer hold him against the wall; Jim quickly stepped forward to support the elder man's trembling frame.

A whistle interrupted any further question Jim was about to ask. He darted over to the communication panel and slammed the receiver rather forcefully; hands still shaking from the impromptu workout with his already oxygen strained system.

"Kirk here."

"Anaesthesia gas in all sections except engineering. Someone just closed that line." Spock's calm and controlled voice filled the corridor revealing the information Jim so desperately needed: Khan's location.

Jim turned to run but as if Spock knew what he was about to, which in hindsight he probably did this was Spock after all, the Vulcan's urgent voice filled the corridor again.

"Captain wait."

Jim almost ignored his first's command but something in the Commander's voice made him turn back; he could have sworn he had just detected worry.

"Spock I have to get to engineering and stop Khan." Jim was quite breathless as he allowed his annoyance at being held up leak into his tone.

"I agree with the course of action Captain but I would suggest you allow me to accompany you in confronting Khan."

There it was again; Jim was used to this kind of mothering from bones but not from Spock and not as openly as this.

"Spock I can handle Khan, somebody needs to gather the senior crew members and secure this ship!"

The Captain's hands were growing more clammy and sweaty as the precious seconds ticked away; Khan could be doing anything at this moment. He needed to get to engineering.

"Respectfully Captain you cannot defeat Khan; these augmented humans are incredibly strong and I believe Khan is the greatest threat to this ship presently. He could control anything he desired from his current location."

As Spock's logic filtered through the grating Jim found himself sighing; the Vulcan was correct as usual. As well as Jim could fight there really was only so much he could do against brute strength. Khan was the greatest threat on this ship, and in truth Scotty could handle securing the remaining sections.

He leaned his head against the cool metal wall for a beat before replying. "Meet me at engineering, and Spock?"

"Yes Jim." Was the instant reply.

"Why do you always have to be right?"

Jim gave Scotty his orders and dashed away knowing that his XO wouldn't respond to the rhetorical question; he could imagine the Vulcan's face in his mind anyway. He could almost see Spock's eyebrow slant upwards and a slight smile tug at the man's lips; for someone so determined to hide his emotions Spock hardly realised how expressive he could really be.

Just before he reached the engineering deck Jim spotted Spock sprinting towards him; phaser in hand and a grim determination etched across his features.

'Into battle' Kirk mused.

Jim reached the final turning first and swiftly spun to face the entrance to engineering. He could hear Spock's footfalls only seconds behind him, so the Captain bounded into the room without a second thought; an action that would prove to be his downfall.

He heard the doors slam shut behind him but the Captain's thoughts were drawn to another more immediate problem as an arm shot out of know-where, and grasped an iron-tight grip on the arm which held his phaser. Jim looked left to stare into the eyes of his attacker urging his mind not to panic as the strong grip started to crush his arm.

Khan didn't waste any time and grabbed Kirk's phaser with his free arm followed by roughly shoving the Captain against the wall. Jim's brain finally caught up to what had just happened: he had been disarmed by a super human psychopath, and Spock hadn't been as close behind him as he had imagined. Jim risked a glance towards the tightly shut doors and felt his stomach drop as he spotted the control panel had been taken apart. The doors were sealed and they would stay that way until Spock found a way to cut through. Jim wasn't confident in the slightest that he had the time to wait.

Khan's gaze also fell upon the door and he smiled as Spock's muffled banging could be heard; both men could hear the Vulcan shouting his Captain's name. Jim figured Spock knew just as badly as he did the severity of the situation he had unceremoniously landed himself in; the first officer did not raise his voice lightly.

"You cannot defeat Khan…" Spock's previous words echoed in his mind as Khan's predatory smile fell back upon his intended victim.

"It's just you and me Captain."

Jim gulped as he stared into Khan's gaze; eyes ablaze with fury and hatred. The Captain had ruined the madman's plan, and now here he was defenceless as the augmented human held his own phaser tightly; pointing it squarely at his prey's chest. Khan could kill him right here and now with one twitch of a finger.

Khan smirked whilst moving the phaser up before Jim's face gripping it with two hands. Jim was confused for a moment before realising Khan had no intention of using a weapon to make his death swift.

The augmented human gripped both ends of Kirk's weapon before twisting and bending the tool to his wishes; tearing and moulding the phaser until it was rendered entirely useless. Try as he might Kirk could not tear his eyes away from the spectacle; his bad feeling was growing exponentially by the second. The Captain was not stupid this was a show of strength and a bloody strong one at that. Khan had ripped that phaser apart without breaking a sweat; Jim couldn't help but let his thoughts wander to what this animal could do with his body.

Spock's banging had long since ceased and Jim could distinctly smell burning which meant only one thing; his first officer was attempting to breach the sealed doors by burning his way through.

The Captain thought back to all of his sparring sessions with Spock desperately trying to formulate a plan to use against such strength; his first officer was mighty strong himself with that Vulcan physiology. However Jim had never seen Spock display such brute force as Khan just had and his XO always came out on top in their sessions; Jim was lucky to sometimes surprise Spock's logical mind but in the end the superior strength and skill was too much to overcome.

"I just have to delay him until Spock can get in." Jim thought to himself. He would fight for his life and his crew until his last breath. Never had the promise been more literal than this.

Kirk was brought out of his reverie as a clang echoed around the sparse room; the ruined phaser now lay in a crumpled mess at their feet. Jim stared into Khan's eyes as he witnessed the madness magnify and he twitched in anger, but Kirk refused to look away from the danger.

The spell was broken as an insistent beeping emanated from the engineering console around the corner, Kirk recognised the sound and understood it's meaning instantly. It was a warning. What had Khan done?

Khan moved first, promptly calculating the Captain's next move and plotting a course to intercept. Jim moved just a moment too late and inwardly cursed again at the speed at which his opponent could think. Jim stopped short of the console as Khan stood his ground effectively covering the majority of the controls, and keeping himself between Kirk and the buttons. The action confirmed to Jim that this madman had done something to his ship; something that he didn't want to be undone.

Jim glanced at the flashing red beacon causing all the wailing and his heart sank as he realised the gravity of the situation; how on earth did Khan manage to cause such momentous damage?

"I understood your manuals. That's an overload in progress."

Kirk tried to control his erratic breathing pattern as Khan's words washed over him. This maniac had rigged the Enterprise to explode, and if Jim didn't stop him soon then there would be nothing left of any of them.

"Your ship flares up like an exploding sun within minutes." Khan gloated happily

Jim steeled himself for what he was about to do. He knew Khan's reflexes were superior to his own, but the Captain had no other choice if he wanted to save his ship. There was only one way.

He lunged towards the controls with as much speed as he could muster but of course the action was not fast enough. Jim managed to touch one of the buttons in the deactivation sequence before heavy arms took a hold of his whole body and launched him away from the controls.

Jim was spun around during the attack and soon found himself flying through the air uncontrollably; the floor came up to meet him sooner rather than later and he continued to slide towards the other side of the room. The Captain's skid came to an abrupt halt when his back hit the wall with a thud. Jim gritted his teeth against the abuse and quickly pounced back onto his feet quickly recovering his balance and refilling his lungs.

Hundreds of tactics whirled through his mind as he stalked back towards Khan who stood between him and his goal; Jim decided that speed was his best bet. If there was one area Khan was weaker in it was his agility.

Jim hurled himself towards Khan's resolute stance sidestepping as he went and just narrowly ducked under the megalomaniac's swinging fist. Jim's own fist crashed into Khan's midsection as he used his momentum from the run; to the Captain's dismay the heavy blow didn't even cause the superhuman to budge an inch.

Before his brain could notify his body to danger; Khan's fist was suddenly flying towards his face seemingly appearing out of know where. Jim tried to roll with the blow as it connected with his nose, but the unexpected force sent him reeling backwards struggling with his centre of gravity and seeing stars. Even Spock had never hit him that hard during their training; Jim had sorely underestimated his opponent's speed.

The Captain never had a chance to correct his stance into a defensive one as all at once Khan's fists were heading towards his face again. He only just managed to bring up an arm to block the wide hook from Khan; the shock from the blow caused his entire arm to tremor and Jim marvelled that Khan could easily break any of his bones.

Jim had no time to think as blow after blow rained down upon him heading for his face and mid-section; on occasion he just about managed to stop Khan's attacks to reach their mark but mostly Jim was doing a dreadful job at keeping himself defended. Khan pushed the Captain further back into the room with every blow never breaking a sweat, or his stride as he calmly and efficiently kept Jim cornered. The Captain reflected that his opponent looked somewhat bored; this really wasn't even the madman's best.

Jim was sick of the defending position Khan had forced him into it was taking all of his attention to avoid serious damage from the flying fists, but he knew if he wanted any chance to get back to the controls he was going to have to flip the roles. On Khan's next blow Jim didn't even attempt to block it he instead allowed himself to take the hit, so that he could keep his hands free to launch his own attack.

He launched his whole body at his opponent attempting to use his momentum to empower his counter-attack. His fists collided soundly with Khan's jaw, neck and chest in quick succession. Khan staggered back a step but before Jim could capitalise on his new-found advantage he had all of the air stolen from his lungs. Khan's boot struck him squarely in the chest knocking all of his senses and most probably bruising several ribs simultaneously.

For the second time in the brawl Jim found himself lying flat against the back wall; the impact this time sent shooting pain through all of his injuries which doubled the effect of stealing his breath. Jim struggled to simply breath and desperately gasped for precious air; he felt like he'd just been hit by a car or kicked by a horse. He imagined the force of Khan's kick could probably be comparable to either of those two easily.

Still clutching his chest Jim glared up at Khan who hadn't moved; if Kirk thought the inhuman was mad before then he really didn't want to know what Khan was now. The other man's face contorted with rage and that's when Jim spotted the mark he had left on his opponents neck, and heard Khan's breathing grow more laboured. Finally he had broken through the man's defences.

Jim coughed loudly and attempted to rise back into a fighting position; to his dismay it was a lot harder than he had expected. Sadly he could feel all of his pains and the effect they were having on his agility. From the amount of blood sticking to his face Jim concluded his nose was most definitely broken along with probably both of his cheekbones; he imagined he looked an absolute mess. Both his arms felt at the very least sprained and ached badly from blocking all of his enemy's blows, and his chest felt like it had been trampled by a herd of animals. Jim wouldn't be surprised if he had the beginnings of internal bleeding; there wasn't an area of his body that didn't ache miserably.

The Captain managed to steady his footing when he held out a steadying hand to the wall. His eyes glanced to the doorway to engineering briefly and his heart sank as he noticed the progress of the cutting; Spock would still be 5 minutes away.

Khan wiped the blood from his split lip and glanced at it before looking back at his victim; the augmented human almost looked amused and a little surprised.

"You're a competent fighter Captain but you know that you cannot defeat me."

Khan began stepping towards his opponent as Jim decided tactically to feign that he could not stand upright yet without the wall as support; secretly he prepared himself for attack spurred on by the growing insistent warning of the ships imminent destruction.

"You're only human…" Khan almost spat as he dropped his guard seemingly falling straight into Kirk's ruse.

Jim didn't respond verbally he spat his mouth full of blood at his opponent's feet before commencing his planned attack. Kirk lashed out a powerful kick at Khan's shin causing the man to falter and fall forward an inch; this was all Jim needed so he capitalised on his enemy's miscalculation swiftly with a heavy blow to the man's neck. Khan reeled backwards a number of steps eyes bulging, and hand flying to his throat as the man struggled to recover. Jim moved faster than he thought his body capable in his condition and landed blow after blow from every direction; attempting to do as he did with Spock and be as unpredictable as possible.

It wasn't long before Khan was able to defend each and every one of Jim's blows but the pair had travelled back in the direction of the console as Jim gained ground; he realised his best shot was to try and fell his opponent with a move rather similar to the one which Khan employed upon him, so he could shoot round to hopefully deactivate the overload.

Blood racing through his veins and breathing heavily Jim enacted his plan ducking under one of Khan's counter attacks and brought his leg up to connect with his enemy's chest. The kick landed with force but Jim watched in horror as Khan's hands were suddenly around his boot and leg; Khan had caught his roundhouse kick.

Khan allowed himself a triumphant smile and gripped the leg tighter determination flitting across his face; Jim almost lost his balance as the grip strengthened and his brain raced through all the countermoves he could employ. Before he could even think Jim felt a crushing pain race through the trapped limb and all of his breath was stolen away as he was launched upward.

With inhuman strength Khan lifted the Captain up by the leg, rather like a rag doll, and swung him over his own head. He then proceeded to slam Kirk's body down with as much force as he could muster; aided by gravity the Captain smashed into the ground face up with a sickening crunch.

Jim couldn't help it he screamed.

Fire raced up his spine and throughout his entire body and he struggled to catch his breath; his vision became very hazy and black spots danced in front of his eyes as he fought to remain conscious. He couldn't quite comprehend what had just happened to him, one minute he had been on one foot upright with Khan holding his other then in the next second he was upside down with his leg being damn near torn away from his torso.

Jim hadn't felt agony like this in a very long time, he was struggling to remember if ever. The impact had jarred all of his bones and set every nerve aflame, he distinctly remembered hearing several cracks and from the source of his pain he feared that his spine had taken some damage. He didn't know how long he had been screaming or how long it had been since he had hit the floor, but suddenly he realised Khan had released his hold on the Captains leg. The appendage felt numb and Jim was almost certain it was severely damaged; not that his leg was his most pressing concern at present.

Distantly he heard banging and he struggled to locate the source his brain felt so muddled and shaken, and my god why did everything hurt so much? There were no words for this.

"Jim!" Someone's muffled voice yelled along with more insistent banging; it sounded oddly like McCoy but Jim had no idea if he was just imagining his best friend.

After several seconds he regained the ability to breathe and greedily drunk in all the oxygen he could get his hands on. He fought back against the dark haze at the edges of his vision and looked up into the black eyes of Khan standing there looking unfazed and mostly untouched by their fight, which was more honestly a beating now that Jim reflected on it.

Khan's amused face turned to the battering noises pouring through from the sealed doors and Jim could see that the damn things were still going to be shut for at least a few minutes. They probably didn't have a few minutes.

"Get this blasted door open you green-blooded hobgoblin!" The panicked voice reached Jim's ears confirming that Bones was outside the room; he didn't hear an answer from Spock which meant only one thing: he was too worried to answer. In all of his years listening to those two arguing he rarely saw Spock not reply to an insult or barb with one of his own; not unless the Vulcan's mind was elsewhere which for Spock was practically unheard of.

Khan's soft laughter brought Jim's attention back to the current threat; his blood boiled as he glared up at the monster which was very close to murdering all of his crew including his two best friends that were desperately fighting to get through the sealed door. Jim could imagine McCoy's panic and even Spock's growing frustration as the precious seconds ticked by.

"Give up Captain you have lost. Your ship has only moments left."

Kirk glared up at the gloating man as an idea began forming in his addled brain; Khan's greatest weakness was his arrogance. Jim had to try and use that against him in a last ditch attempt to get to the console. He noted that Khan had actually thrown him closer to the console in question and it was tantalisingly near now; only a few strides away. Not only that but his opponent no longer blocked the way between the controls and Jim the thought process was clear; Khan no longer registered the Captain as a threat and was now preparing himself for an onslaught from the main corridor. With the pain Jim felt it was no wonder Khan thought him defeated.

The maniac continued with his victory speech. "We have five times your strength, double your intelligence."

Jim feigned losing consciousness and dared't move a muscle; he wanted his enemy to believe just what he wanted to that he had broken him. It wasn't exactly difficult to play up his injuries as Jim knew them to be serious; his left leg felt oddly numb, his back was still screaming at him and everywhere else tingled with residual pain. He knew even with a burst of adrenaline he would only just be able to clamber his way the last distance to the console before he collapsed; to give himself a fighting chance he planned an attack on the unsuspecting opponent.

"It was fun Captain but this was always how it was going to end; you are inferior after all." Khan stopped pacing and rooted himself at the foot of Jim's body; arrogant smirk etched widely across his features.

Jim didn't dignify the madman with a response he finally let his eyes close and breathing slow to enact his plan; Khan fell for it immediately. No more than a few seconds passed before Kirk heard the enhanced human turn on the spot to face the door, and as far as he was concerned the only threat left to his plans of destruction.

The Captain took a couple of deep breaths whilst steeling himself for the foolishness of what he was about to do; he honestly didn't know if he had the strength within him to carry out his plan but this was the only chance the Enterprise had. His breathing fell inline with the increasing warning sounds emitting just a few feet behind him. Bright hazel eyes snapped open and with every ounce of strength he had left he began.

Kirk was suddenly a blur of motion as his uninjured leg shot out hard; aimed directly at the back of Khan's left knee. A sickening crack reverberated around the sparse room followed by a guttural outcry as Khan's leg buckled underneath him and he was thrust forwards onto hands and knees. Jim rolled away with lightening speed and scrambled towards the engineering console crying out himself as he jolted every broken bone inside his damaged body.

Jim didn't look behind him as he slammed into the console with a grunt; Khan could be right on his heels and this would all be for nothing. The Captain's heartbeat was beating so hard against his chest it felt like it would burst through any second; he drowned out the raging screaming of his enemy and set about deactivating the overload. His fingers were a blur of movement and his eyes darted from the display to the buttons his hands were dancing over, with every passing second he prayed and hoped that the blow he dealt to Khan was enough to buy him the time he needed.

"Yes!" Jim cried happily inside, he slammed the sequence in with the enter key and grinned as the engineering room finally fell silent. The alarm warning of their imminent destruction had stopped.

The smile was wiped instantly from his face as the burst of adrenaline wore off and it was all he could do but grip the console hard enough to stop his legs from giving way. He manoeuvred his flagging body round to face his enemy, the would be ship-destroyer, leaning heavily on the support behind him and coughing heavily as his lungs cried out for oxygen.

For the first time since their battle had commenced the room was eerily silent: no insistent beeping, no banging on the door, nothing bar the rattling in the Captain's chest even registered for either men. Khan had recovered from Kirk's vicious attack and was standing tall just a few metres away, and the augmented human was absolutely livid. Not that Jim expected any different reaction after what he had just done; a human had just felled this megalomaniac's great scheme.

The two men glared into each other's eyes; Jim's held a defiant spark whilst Khan's burned with rage like a storm none like Jim had ever seen.

"Now would be a good time to get through that door Spock." Jim muttered bitterly as he shuffled as far away from the seething beast before him; losing the comfort of the console's support in the process.

Khan's furious gaze flicked over the console's readouts and controls and he came to the devastating conclusion in seconds; there was no way he could destroy the Enterprise before the team outside burst in which would hopefully be any second now.

"Looks like we're not so inferior after all." Jim remarked with one of his trademark grins plastered to his face; the smile didn't last long before pain etched its way back onto his features.

Khan's frenzied features focused back on the Captain's face and he narrowed his gaze; Kirk noticed the other man's fist's clench, and the side the man had been holding crumpled beneath his grip. Jim gulped nervously as he was once again reminded of how strong his opponent truly was, and he had just poked the bear; hard.

Jim backed away from his enemy slowly step by step limping as he went on his damaged leg. The movement caused shooting torment to rack his frame but he daren't stop circling; Khan was matching him step for step and now had his back to the terminal Jim had just deactivated.

Everything seemed to stop for a moment and Jim almost lost his footing as his injured leg finally gave up supporting his body. He swayed on the spot and attempted to hold his ground against the predator across from him knowing that he had very little chance of staying on his feet much longer; when his enemy attacked Kirk calculated there was only one outcome he didn't have the strength to stop the enhanced being any longer. Precious seconds ticked by; Jim felt his resolve weakening as Khan strengthened. The augmented human's temper had been growing in the last few moments and Jim knew that all that pent up energy would be directed straight at him.

Jim almost didn't believe what his eyes were telling him as Khan suddenly launched himself at the broken Captain; he rocketed towards Jim at full tilt arms up ready to grab onto his victim. Jim was reminded briefly of a bull charging. Khan did not slow as he neared the Captain if anything he actually increased his pace; a war-cry accompanied his charge as he slammed straight into Jim's ill-prepared body.

Jim tried to move into a defensive position as soon as he realised that Khan intended to ram him but his body would no longer cooperate, so he was utterly helpless as his enemy hurled into him and he found himself lifted off the floor with ease. White hot pain shot down his back and through his chest as what felt like a train hit him head on; all the air was stolen from his lungs and he heard himself distantly yell out with the impact. They travelled like this for a few moments, Khan picking up speed with the screaming Captain in his clutches; tackling him further and further backwards.

The hurtling tangling of limbs came to an abrupt stop when Jim's back collided with the wall, Khan's momentum carried him forward into his victim's ribcage with a sickening crunch. Jim gasped as his mind struggled to respond or even continue functioning; he found himself utterly breathless and couldn't for the life of him find the strength to supply his lungs with air. As his head collided with the back wall with a sickening thud he instantly found himself falling towards darkness unconsciousness welcoming him back like an old friend.

The last thing he remembered before his sight blackened was Khan's sneering face inches away from his. Before he drifted too far into the abyss he was wrenched swiftly away from darkness as an increasing pressure from his chest brought him back to consciousness.

Jim screamed hoarsely as he felt Khan's fist press deeply against one of his many broken ribs; the sudden reappearance of blinding pain elsewhere from his head had succeeded in dragging him away from passing out. Jim had never known misery like this; every part of him screamed out all he wanted to do was shut his eyes and say goodbye to the misery but Khan had other plans.

"You're not slipping away that easily!" Khan spat into Jim's bloodied face.

The Captain realised that the only reason he wasn't slumped in a pile on the floor was because of his enemy's strong grip keeping him upright; the pressure increased across his collar bone as he felt his legs entirely give way to dangle freely. Khan picked him up easily and readjusted him higher up the wall; the small jolt was like fire. With all the damage the augmented human had inflicted his enemy only need shake Kirk to inflict unending misery.

Jim couldn't help but start to close his eyes against the pain again; his head felt like it was splitting open and evidently did not agree with his continued consciousness.

Khan viciously drove a fist directly into his left shoulder and the room echoed with Jim's haunted cry alongside a sickening crack. Stars exploded all over Jim's vision but yet again Khan's cruel punishment stopped him from simply escaping from the pain; the monster wanted his victim to feel every last second of his vengeance.

"Khan!"

Jim saw his opponents eyes go wide as they both registered the new voice and more precisely who it belonged to. The Captain couldn't help but allow a smile to pull at his lips as he looked over his enemy's shoulder and saw that Spock had finally broken through that bloody door.

A/N - This story should have 3 chapters in all, I'll be posting the next part tomorrow!

Until next time...