Kirk's eyes started to open to see a stoic face staring down at his direction cocking up a brow, pointy ears, well trimmed hair cut, and he seemed to be having his arms behind his back. One, why was Spock towering over him? Two, why is he on a bio bed? That he knew because of the obvious beeps coming from the machines. Three, what happened in the time that he was out. There was something off about the room. Almost as though someone was missing.
It was strange to feel that way.
"Spock," Kirk said. "What happened to the ship?"
"It was destroyed,Jim." Spock said.
Kirk sighed.
"Great," Kirk said. "My first ship," He rubbed his forehead. "And I have already got it destroyed."
Spock looked down.
"Captain, there's. . . something of a great matter you should know." Spock said.
"Yeah, go ahead." Kirk said.
"Doctor McCoy died saving your life," Spock said, coldly. "I saw a pod eject out of the bridge section. Thanks to M'Benga's shuttle craft mostly consisting of. . ."
Kirk's world went slow and he couldn't hear the rest of the words coming from Spock. Spock's lips were moving but the voice coming from the Vulcan's mouth was simply not registering. He remembered how Bones brought him aboard the Enterprise against orders by using a vaccine that Kirk was allergic to. Bones was simply the father he never had, being there for him, and being the one who balanced him and Spock out. Spock made Kirk think about his actions. Bones simply put reality into Jim's face and dragged his ass out of there while Spock often would be the one on the defensive. Sometimes even helped Jim when necessary. Bones was usually there to attend for Jim's wound and when he wasn't there, Bones would make up for it by scolding Jim for being reckless afterwards and giving a list of reasons he could have died if he hadn't been beamed on time to the Enterprise nor if it wasn't for Spock's interference.
Kirk remembered how Bones first came into his life.
Kirk recalled sitting down to see a drunken man holding a flask of some kind mumbling about how his life has been turned upside down and how his ex-wife took everything away from him including his little girl. Kirk could recall clear as day the disheveled appearance about the man who might have been older than him by a couple years. Bones worked his ass off studying for classes, taking Kirk out of some pretty nasty fights regarding some girls who had boyfriends (and often times girlfriends engaged to them), aiding Kirk when he had a allergic reaction, and withstood his arrogant mistakes.
"All I got left are my bones."
No!
No.
Jim covered his mouth with a cracky almost-to-the-point-of-a-sob and tears came strolling down his cheek, "Oh my god!"
"Jim?" Spock asked
Jim looked up toward Spock lowering his hand.
"How long." Jim said, wiping his tears off.
"Three days, three hours, and thirty-two minutes." Spock replied.
"And you've been by my side that entire time?" Jim asked.
"Two days, one hour and two minutes." Spock said.
Now it was Jim's turn to raise an eyebrow.
"Don't you have anything better to do, like . . ." Jim stopped himself. "Staring over me? That is kind of creepy."
"I had, but then we had a fall out," Spock said. "You are on Earth and your legs are. . . how do I put this without hurting your feelings?"
"Just spill it, that's an order, Spock." Jim said.
"You cannot walk." Spock said.
Jim cleared his throat, trembling, feeling scared and just unsure.
"I am paralyzed from the waist down." Jim said, letting it sink in.
"Affirmative." Spock replied.
No chances of walking. No Bones, in fact nothing would ever be the same. If Bones were here, he would have elaborated on being 'paralyzed' "And the chances of you walking is higher than this hobglobin ever showing emotions. There are ways for you to walk again. Paralysis is a field that is almost in the way of being eliminated in the medical field." Kirk wouldn't have been surprised if Bones had indeed said that.
"They are intending to reassign everyone else to different ships," Spock said. "And I have been re-assigned to the USS Yorktown."
Kirk looked up toward Spock, with tearful eyes.
"Did you grieve for Bones?" Kirk asked, in a low voice.
"After I discovered his death, I had my period of mourning, and then I moved on." Spock said.
"You are the luckiest man in the world, Spock," Kirk said. "And what about me? Did they say anything about that?"
"I do not want to be the messenger of bad news, again, in literal sense." Spock said.
"Long as you are in the same room as I," Kirk said. "You are still my commander and you are still obligated to give me hell."
Spock raised an eyebrow.
Spock felt a strong desire to kiss the young man, but no, that was very inappropriate.
"Whenever has it ever come to that?" Spock said, lowering his eyebrow. "The one who gave you 'hell' so to speak was yourself."
"This bickering," Kirk said. "You are the one who gives me the cold and hard truth. You are . . . well. . . Tell me what is up for me."
"You are going to be in rehab, logically, and you won't be back in space likely ever captaining a ship." Spock reported.
Kirk's blue eyes met Spock.
"And you are to captain a ship?" Kirk asked.
"Ninety-nine point nine percent plausible." Spock said.
"I hope you got the best crew and the best doctor." Kirk said, with a short lived smile.
He had served with Spock for a few years in space doing what he did best: exploring, flirting, being creative with the prime directive, nearly getting his life ended, getting captured and then uncaptured, and beaming back to the ship all in that order. It was strange to see they wouldn't share what Spock Prime had insisted and displayed. For Spock Prime, they spent years and years of working together to the point they were like the best picture of Best Friends Forever as old guys who got mistaken for a couple more than not. They, as in the Enterprise Crew, had been in their second deep space exploration, Spock nearly died due to the unfortunate loss of his mate and Nyota was the only woman around who was in a relationship. She was at first reluctant about it until she learned the exact details of how the rest the few days might be for her. Safe to say Nyota came out glowing after Spock's 'biological illness' had ended.
"It will never be the same." Spock said.
"Spock, I know as well as you do, nothing will be the same," Kirk said. "You are just afraid of being a captain."
"I am not afraid of being a captain." Spock said.
"Then why did you not go and captain that other ship Star Fleet had for you after Nero's defeat?" Kirk asked.
"I once was told that your secondbest destiny was on the bridge, and so was mine. By your side." Spock said.
Kirk had a look of confusion.
"Who told you that?" Kirk asked.
"You did." Spock said.
"No, I didn't." Kirk said.
"Yes, you did." Spock said.
"I don't remember telling you that," Kirk said. "I would remember if I told you that."
The much younger Vulcan sighed, his shoulders lowering.
"The Ambassador had a pendent which was a holo-emitter, it was an older you. Admiral you was quite fond of my older self." Spock said.
Kirk sighed.
"I hope he is up there with his Jim." Kirk said.
"There is a one hundred percent chance that he is," Spock said. "And our timelines have diverged so greatly. . . That we may not share the same fates our older selves had." The Vulcan sighed. "I have guilt of my own, Jim. . . If I instead had forced Doctor McCoy into shuttle and instead done the rescue, however illogical it was, and spared him the death. I could have gone back for you instead of letting McCoy doing that."
"Spock, don't talk that way," Kirk said. "There was no way you could have known he would have died. For all you were concerned, Bones would have gotten into the pod with me."
"If he had, the pod would have gone further down in space at a rate of speed that a shuttle craft could not lock on and slow down the speed," Spock said. "There would have been zero chance of survival because of the pod disintegrating through the planets atmosphere due to the added two hundred forty pounds inside. Doctor McCoy made a great sacrifice by saving you."
"It was his Kobyashi Maru." Kirk said, in a low voice.
Kirk closed his eyes, recounting how Bones said "Five years in space? God help me." shortly after they engaged into their first five year mission in 2260. How often he patched up Kirk,Spock (when he could),and the crew. He would never forget his friend's efforts to save lives. He abided by the Hippocratic oath to save lives not end them. Nine, no, ten years in space keeping everyone together. Bones had gone up and beyond, now he head done at the cost of his life. To save Kirk's life. His roommate, his buddy, and his . . . his. . . right hand man. Dead. Because of space.
It was currently 2269.
"An unavoidable death," Spock said. "He was a great doctor."
Kirk looked up toward Spock with his eyes opened.
"Spock," Kirk said. "Why are you here?"
"As you said, long as I am standing in this room you are my captain and I am your commander," Spock said. "As the doctor once put it, 'old habits die hard'."
"Out of habit, or concern for me?" Kirk asked.
"Concern," Spock said. "You are a associate of mine. One I value dearly."
Kirk's eyes drifted to the window.
Perhaps . . ,Kirk thought, It might not be bad to be a paralyzed man. That won't stop me from going out there.
Kirk looked over toward Spock.
"You broke up with Uhura, didn't you?" Kirk said.
"My personal life matters are none of your concern." Spock said.
"As a friend, you can tell me." Kirk said.
"Nyota claimed my mind was else-where, and so, she terminated the relationship." Spock said.
"Spock, how has everyone else been handling the grief?" Kirk asked.
"We have only retrieved his lower torso, DNA testing has confirmed it was Doctor McCoy," Spock said. "They are . . . handling it in their own ways."
Chekov laid down the attire on the bed complete with the hanger.
The dark suit, white shirt, black tie, white socks, and the matching dark shoes he would wear for Leonard's funeral. The doctor practically was there to point out that they should get together before they lost their magic or drove the whole crew mad with their contagious flirting. To be quite frank, Leonard once said, "You do know how annoying this is seeing two people fall in love and play cat and mouse with each other. It is irritating." Then added by shaking his fist. "Tell Sulu you like him before you get tired of this game!" while Chekov was recovering from a mission.
Five years ago, they admitted and shortly got married by the captain.
Chekov found himself tearing up.
"I miss him, too." Sulu said, putting one hand on the shoulder of Chekov.
Chekov turned around and cried into Sulu's shirt making it get wet.
"I can't believe he's gone." Chekov said, in between the tears.
Sulu closed his eyes, wrapping his arms along Chekov's backside.
"I still find it hard to believe . . . we are not serving on the Enterprise, with him," Sulu said. "He was instrumental in our relationship."
"Hikaru. . ." Chekov said, raising his head up with red at the corner of his eyes. "If we ever adopt a baby. . . may we rename him Leonard?"
Sulu smiled.
"That is a fitting name," Sulu said. "If we get assigned to the same starship."
Chekov smiled.
"Oh, I have a feeling we will." Chekov said.
The funeral was today.
Chapel was accustomed to walking into the med bay with CMO Leonard McCoy at his desk reading a couple patient padds, but never was she accustomed to walking into her own room, getting dressed in dark attire, bringing a hat that had a dark viel, and simply put getting a rose for his coffin. Three days. Just three days her world would change. She would be assigned to the USS Champion along with Geoffrey M'Benga. It felt surreal not to be aboard the Enterprise. It was almost as though she had walked into wonderland or a strange twisted world of the one she had adapted to.
She never expected the Klingons to attack the Enterprise.
Then again no one had.
Chapel never expected the man she trusted to die saving the captain.
"Nurse!" One word and she would get what he needed, that's what happens when you serve with Leonard McCoy for nine years.
Chapel went to the door wearing her mourning out-fit fighting back tears. No. She has good make up on. She isn't going to get her face messed up for the fifth time in the row. She turned away then went out of the room where the door opened automatically. She could still remember opening the pod to see the unconscious captain and a sigh of collective relief overtake the patients who had minimal non-life threatening injuries. But the captain? His injuries seemed as though they needed medical attention, soon as possible. If Chapel knew which Klingon was responsible for this then she would gladly join a hunting party as a nurse to track them down and be aboard the ship that avenged the death of their beloved doctor.
No.
McCoy would say, "Don't think that way, Nurse Chapel, vengeance is never a good route. Never ends well."
Chapel walked down the hall purse in hand then went into a elevator along with few other people.
"Lobby." Chapel said.
Chapel was at the front.
Then the elevator doors closed.
"Get the patients to the escape shuttles, M'Benga!" McCoy ordered.
"What about you, Doctor?" M'Benga asked.
McCoy turned in the direction of M'Benga, halfway toward the door.
"Some one has to check if the captain isn't getting in over his head." McCoy said.
McCoy turned away then went out the doors as the ship trembled and M'Benga resumed making his urgent way to the medical escape pods with his patients and nurses by shouting, "You heard the doctor!"
M'Benga was in a transport vehicle, being the passenger, being driven by former Yeoman Janice Rand.
"How's the past three days been?" Rand asked.
"Terrible," M'Benga said. "My world has turned upside down." He briefly closed his eyes. "He was the best doctor I served."
True he had cried in private and driving with this grief? That was a understatement. M'Benga had asked Rand if she could drive him over since she was heading to the funeral too. It was very convenient for the man. The crew aboard the Enterprise felt like family for M'Benga. For so long he had served under the Enterprise, aided in the awakening of Spock after being stuck in his healing trances for so long, was there to attend Captain Kirk when McCoy wasn't there, gave the Vulcan bad news about him entering Pon Farr, just to name a few.
"Nothing will ever the same without Doctor McCoy," M'Benga said. "He knew exactly how to handle Mr Spock and Mr Kirk."
Rand nodded.
"Yes," Rand said. "He did. Did he ever bring the charisma up between the captain and the commander?"
"Not ever," M'Benga said. "Not that I am aware. . . Maybe he had at one point and they totally ignored it,won't be surprised by that."
"Somehow I wouldn't be surprised it went over their head." Rand agreed.
M'Benga watched the streets, people, and domestic pets on leashes be passed by the moving vehicle. Geoffrey M'Benga valued Doctor McCoy as a friend. His best friend. M'Benga was a synthesized android, complete with a 'soul' of his own so to speak, and his real name was Dorian. He and John called each other by their real names in private. Since Dorian was an android he was able to construct a new life for the two once their previous ones had burned out. The UAC had since been disbanded and everything was classified, thank god for Star Fleet for declaring it a 'threat' and 'dangerous' to be looked into. They used to have each other for the past two centuries. Now . . .
No more John Grimm.
No more John Kennex by his side.
No more John Grimm being worried that someone might get his blood and restart the whole fiasco.
No more being there for John when the immortal needed someone to talk to about concerns that someone would find the exact chromosome that made him become immortal. No more reminiscing about the past with a person who was familiar to a time frame he had lived in. John would have wanted him to continue living and make the best out of life. But never hack unless he is in private or use the wifi using his programming as that would make the side of his head glow. He also could produce tears.
What happens in the past stays in the past.
Dorian knew that one day he will stop operating. Then he will meet up with John, more human then he was, instead of being almost human. It was John's idea to create a identity for Dorian under the name Geoffrey M'Benga and actually enrolled him into a Vulcan Ward for a couple years while he was in the academy. Dorian picked up a couple things there about Vulcans: they were mysterious, they did lie, they were clear cut honest when they were, their fingers were sensitive, and they had to be hit to be waken up from their healing trances. They were a unique race to Dorian. They were more human than he was.
"You two have the bond of lovers." The priest said, staring at Spock and Kirk.
"Illogical, we do not." Spock was quick to reply.
Kirk frowned.
"Uh, er, we are not lovers." Came Kirk's reply.
"Shut up, Jim, Spock,you are lovers!" Bones turned in the direction of the priest. "I understand that if two people in your culture or that if two off-worlders are recognized as lovers, they may be able to leave this planet. Am I correct?"
"Yes." The priest said.
"But we do not have the marriage bond and therefore, we are not lovers." Spock sad.
"Damn it, Spock, do you want us to die?" Bones asked.
"I rather die than be recognized into a union that is not true." Spock said.
Kirk shook his hands.
"Okay, okay, we have the bond." Kirk said.
Spock grew alarmed.
"But captain, we are not engaged in the sacred marriage bond." Spock said.
Kirk glared over toward his first officer.
"Yes, we are," Kirk said. "Bones, how are you going to get off?"
"I rather treat myself as a wedding present. They do that for this civilization to give 'older men' from off-worlds. They are a species that we have yet to discover about their antenna's and their tails. I have heard they are very . . . Oh, that's just plain dirty talking about it," A guard came. "Get ready for your wedding ceremony!"
"WEDDING?" Came Kirk.
"I did not sign up for this." Spock acknowledged.
"BONES, HOW COME YOU NEVER MENTIONED THIS BEFORE!" Kirk shouted.
"Didn't think it would be necessary." Bones was guided out of the room.
Kirk looked over toward Spock in horror.
"Oh god." Kirk said.
. . . Later, after return to the Enterprise . . .
. . . Private medical room. . .
"Captain, I believe I know why they mistook us for lovers." Spock said.
"Well, what is it?" Kirk asked.
"We have a psychic bond. One that is very rare for a Vulcan to form with a human being. We are not married unlike how they treat it. When I had come to your aid when you had been injured without being informed of it, they naturally came to the assumption that we were lovers due to our quarreling and Bones coming last, why, that was unfortunate. If he had been there first then it would have been you two having the bickering and we would have gotten to the Enterprise sooner."
"You can feel my pain?" Kirk asked.
"Negative," Spock said. "I can sense and feel when you are danger. I can also sense our psychic bond where-ever you are or in whoever you are."
Kirk paused, contemplating about what Spock had just informed him.
Bones walked into the private room holding a padd with the blue and white paint still on his face as it would take a couple days to wash off.
"Have you two come to the admission that you love each other?" Bones asked.
"We do not love each other, Doctor McCoy," Spock replied. "It is a mutual relationship we have."
"Just a golden friendship." Kirk added.
"Eh, I don't know about the whole part about Spock's outburst with some of the guards inquiring your injury." Bones said.
Kirk looked over toward Spock.
"Is that true?" Kirk asked.
"Negative." Spock said.
Kirk smiled looking back toward Bones.
"See? We are just best friends," Kirk said. "I am sure that's what Ambassador Selek defined his previous friendship with a human."
"Spock's cousin awfully looks like him." Bones said.
"The family resemblance is strong." Spock said.
Bones shook his head.
"One of these days you two are going to admit over my dead body." Bones said.
"Improbable as we are friends not lovers." Spock said.
Kirk was the first to do his eulogy on Bones.
It was short and to the point.
M'Benga was next.
"I have known this man for a long time," M'Benga said. "He was the best . . . partner I ever had. The best doctor to work alongside." He chose his words ever so carefully regarding their friendship and how they knew each other. "For so long, Leonard was there for me and I was there for him when no one else was. He taught me things I had not known. I also may have given him points."
"I was never a child but I do know that would definitely scare one with what you did!"
. . .
"I am allergic to cats."
"No, it seems the cat was allergic to you."
. . .
"Your partner opened the door and fell out of the car to his death."
"Right."
. . .
"Thank you for saving my life."
"No problem."
. .
"I have always wanted to be a police officer."
. .
John looked up toward Dorian with a bleeding nose.
"I used your GPS tracker."
. . .
"Olive oil."
"What?"
"It helps with your incomplete calibration and makes it stop."
. . .
"Did you forget the olive oil?"
. . .
"I didn't know you were good with kids."
"I told you I was."
"And in turn, he changed my life for the better," M'Benga said. "I could have spent a life time serving under him and not even known it."
"How long has it been?"
"One hundred years, Dorian."
"Time flies."
"You have a internal clock."
"I turned it off long ago."
Kirk was fighting back tears.
Nyota and Scotty were holding hands, squeezing them tightly, where Nyota was keeping her tears back and Scotty couldn't. The man finished his speech up then sat down. Next was Chapel. Her speech was otherwise the same but different and still made tears just like the others. Nyota went up next, she talked about how McCoy would give her advice and helped her regain her memories when the advanced probe had erased them along with the help of Chapel.
Spock went up next.
"Doctor McCoy has saved all of our lives more than humans can keep count," Spock was fighting back the urge to be precise. But it won out at the end. "Which was ten thousand three hundred ninety-two times. Each time we came into med bay we were treated to his hospitality and we would tell him our stories." Kirk dapped at his eyes using a handkerchief. "He was at times our personal bartender, our priest, our friend, and counselor. Now I find myself in a position where he cannot aid us but what he can aid us is in the lessons we have learned from him and to carry them on to those we come across." The Vulcan had a pause. "And three days after his death . . . I still cannot believe he is gone. I expect him to come in, asking, 'What is going on?'. I expect to wake up to find this is all a dream. But it is not. He is gone. We are here. And he is not."
Spock returned to his seat restraining his emotions from taking over.
Tears were in Kirk's eye as he looked over toward his emotionless former first officer.
And next up was Janice Rand.
"In the time I knew Doctor McCoy . . . He made me learn so much in so little time, about everyone, about how time is so short and our lives are so . . . small but we have to make the best of it. I find myself missing him. Like Spock said, I expect him to come in unfazed and alive, unhurt, and healthy. Alive. But now he is free of his vessel and he will look health and young as he had been. But . . . We can come to the resolution that he is up there somewhere happy and looking down upon us. Doctor McCoy had the eyes of an ancient man. One time I asked, 'Are you tired?' and he would reply, 'No, I am not done yet.' It was his way of saying 'Not even close'. There was one time, that I heard, he had contracted xenopolycythemia and the end, he lived thanks to the efforts of Mr Kirk and Mr Spock, along with Nurse Chapel. We were lucky to have him stuck around long as he had. The universe will be darker, but dark as it had been before, for we lost a light."
Sulu and Chekov were holding hands.
Janice sat back down into her chair.
Then Sulu went next.
"Doctor McCoy was a great friend of mine, and he . . . he . . .He saw through us. How we often lied regarding what relationship Chekov and I had. He once told me 'It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that you and Chekov are in love, Sulu.' when I asked how he knew," Sulu said, then he sighed. "I am fortunate to have served alongside him. Often times on missions . . ." He cleared his throat, gripping the side of the wooden item. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Chekov and McCoy,but mostly Chekov. I could have died on that ship getting my plants but Chekov convinced me to leave the plants behind and save myself. I was assured that the doctor made it out. But . . . I would find out he never made it. He was a great friend who will be greatly missed."
They all missed him, as did Scotty and Uhura.
Living forever was a pain in the pass, that John knew. He watched people he care about die before his eyes. His sister died at a fine rich old age two centuries ago. His amputated leg had healed itself and his prosthetic leg leg was thrown into a recycling bin in the 21st century after the life of John Kennex was over. Dorian was all that John had left. Then two hundred years later they met Jim, Spock, Scotty, Uhura, and they blended into the society created by the past.
One moment John was in the bridge watching the ejecting pod fall out of his line of sight and next he was thrust into a bright white light. He closed his eyes expecting for the worse, to feel the pain the universe had in store for him before he died, to die before the eyes of everyone watching the Enterprise and then John find out he was still alive on a totally new planet who had to get a new identity, only this time none of the two happened. He experienced nothing. He could hear what sounded like wind pounding against the wall.
John opened his eyes and found himself inside a helicopter a dark gray helicopter with a inside shined on by the golden bulb. Exactly the same one that lead the RRTS to the Ark. At first he believed what he experienced earlier was a dream and so was his curse of being immortal. Well, that lasted for only about five minutes. The closed off helicopter shook from side to side. John looked down, and that's when he noticed something off his attire.
"What the hell?" John said, noticing he is in blue scrubs rather than his RRTS attire which was normally a dark shirt with a vest and straps, black pants, and assault rifle. "Is this some kind of joke?"
The helicopter came to a thud.
Which indicated it had landed.
John came to the door then slid open.
There were a array of lights pointing in the shape of an arrow with a dark scenery and a metal square ground with a line set in the middle. John did not feel cold. He could see the city of Star Fleet right ahead. John jumped off the helicopter where his shoes made the dirt unsettle. John walked toward the middle light in the center of the arrow. He looked back over to the helicopter expecting it to close the door on its own. Which was kind of odd. It had all the paranormal aspect to it. The two parts of the platform came up backing off to reveal a large elevator like part. John felt a chill travel down his neck.
Last time he was here, he lost all his friends.
This was a creepy after-life.
What would the after-life be like for the former crew of the Enterprise?
Probably all of which different.
For Spock, it will likely be Vulcan with his mother. For Kirk, it would likely be the USS Kelvin where he would meet his father and likely be with him. Uhura? That part he did not know. For Scotty? It would be serving the Enterprise. For Sulu and Chekov, serving the Enterprise. Those two loved their first ship. For Nurse Chapel? Meeting her beloved who had died long ago on a planet of ice. Dorian, if he ever died, likely the Enterprise. The android loved the ship. He was quite fascinated by it. John knew that it was as close as Dorian could get to home. Somewhere he belonged.
He would miss them all in his afterlife.
Against his better judgement,John walked in the elevator.
If he had a heart, it would be beating against his chest running forty miles per hour and he would be sweating. He would be afraid on why he was coming back all these years! YEARS AND YEARS! Years he spent on the run burning identity after another, such as John Kennex. He and Sam created that identity shortly after his return to the surface. They faked his death. They made John Kennex in the ashes. Back then androids were slowly being introduced to the society of humans in the law enforcement. It wasn't much of a story when you asked John.
The doors closed.
John looked up toward the sky to see . . . Kirk in a wheelchair, crying, Spock emotionless, and Uhura fighting back tears giving her eulogy. Why was Kirk bound to the chair? His injuries were not that threatening, but then again he didn't have his medical tricorder on him coming to the aid of his captain. His captain . . . speaking of which . . . didn't seem as though he was in good shape to be a captain. Uhura sat down and was comforted by Scotty. Now, that was unexpected. Since when did Uhura and Scotty get together? Not in a million years did John believe this would happen.
"Jim." John found himself muttering.
Kirk looked up taking his hands off his face appearing to be shocked and stunned.
Did Kirk just hear him?
"It wasn't your fault, kid." John said.
A little more of an elaboration on Kirk insisting staying on the bridge: Kirk had insisted he stay and attempt to make the Klingons stop, also to send a message to star fleet regarding the sudden attack personally, and when he was about to leave, the ceiling had given out. Uhura was injured and so was Kirk, but Uhura's injuries were not as severe as Kirk's.
"Bones." Kirk said.
John only had reassurence and hope that Spock would keep the kid in line.
"What is it, Jim?" Came Spock's monotone voice.
"I just heard Bones." Kirk said.
"McCoy is dead." Spock said.
"I know but. . . I just. . . I can't. . ." Kirk said, then he had a sigh. He couldn't explain how he heard a dead man. "He just told me it wasn't my fault."
John looked down from the ceiling with a small smile.
Message delivered.
"Do you blame yourself?" Spock said.
"I do." Kirk said.
"Do not. The guilt should be on the Klingons." Came Spock's reply.
Then it came to a stop.
The doors opened.
John had a feeling that the next time he came out of the building, there wouldn't be another communication between the land of the living and the land of the dead.
"Goodbye, Spock," John said. "Take care of the infant."
Only Spock had heard John's comment this time.
"Affirmative." Spock said, to no in particular.
John walked out of the out of the elevator.
How would he take care of a human who otherwise is not interested him and he himself is not interested in the human in that kind of light? Perhaps he meant, "Keep an eye out for him." The Vulcan stared at the human who turned his head away. Spock came to the resolution that he would continue what the doctor did only on a level as a concerned friend and associate of Kirk's. The infant was a code name for Kirk between Spock and Doctor McCoy.
No one ever knew, except M'Benga, McCoy's dark secret.
John walked down the hallway until he came to the lobby.
"Reaper!" Came a all too familiar voice. "About time you came!"
It was Duke. Perfectly preserved as a whole and the man he was prior to being dragged down to his death by the infected. The dark man, roughly about Reaper's height, cladly in his RRTS uniform complete with his hat, assault rifle at the back, boots, pants,and jacket to name a few things. It was a familiar sight for John. A familiar sight that he often missed. He had worked with this man on a mission, the last mission prior, with Jumper. The red head. What happened next was rather quick but not argumentative. Duke grabbed John into a warm hug.
"Duke!" John said,returning the hug.
The two stopped their hug with Duke's hands around John's shoulders.
"We have you been for the past two centuries?" Duke asked.
"Around." John replied.
Duke took his hands off John's shoulders.
"Seesh, sometimes I wish you hadn't been injected," Duke said. "I saw it happen. You have been walking around with guilt for the past two centuries. Forgive yourself, man."
"I have." John said.
Duke raised an eyebrow.
"I want to hear it from you." Duke said.
"I forgive myself." John said.
And then John felt the weight on his shoulders fall off. He felt light. John didn't feel so grounded as he had been before. But what he did feel was still a anchor keeping him down. John saw a smile on Duke's face. John then looked down to see his uniform had changed. John was in the dark RRTS uniform rather than the medical uniform he had come in. Except John lacked a gun but a medical tricorder in one hand. John raised an eyebrow up at Duke who only shrugged. The smile on Duke's face had all but faded.
"What's the mission?" John asked.
"Sarge hasn't told us." Duke said.
John covered his mouth in shock.
So he did die.
All these years, John had believed that Duke survived the grenade but not the Ark. All this time he had been dead. Dead. Dead like a door nail.
"Sarge was a huge fucking monster when he got in and it was," Duke shuddered. "Horrifying to say the least." John was only able to ask, as he lowered his hand to his side, "What happened?". "Kid approached him and said he had forgiven him. Sarge was a fucking mutant. He didn't even look the same except for the tattoo on his back reading 'Sarge' that was clearly a dead sign it was him. Turned out, Sarge didn't forgive himself for killing all those people not just the kid. Those survivors left centuries ago to the surface. Don't know what happened to them afterwards." John flicked off a tear. "Soon as he forgave himself, he was our Sarge again. He was human again,Reaper!"
"And Portman?" John asked.
"He needed our forgiveness. Still the same Portman after that." Duke said.
"That's good to hear." John said.
"We have been waiting for you," Duke added. "Come on, they are at the Ark."
Why did John have a medical Tricorder instead of a assault rifle?
Confusing, really.
So John followed Duke down the familiar halls, where there were some people, who hadn't left the facility engaged in a discussion. Duke stopped in his tracks seeing that John was heading over to Carmack. Carmack looked over hearing the heavy sound of bootsteps headed his direction. John delivered a blow to the face at Carmack making the man with gray hair collapse to the ground. The much older man looked up toward Reaper and his eyes widened in realization. It was easy to tell that he had lived for centuries. Those eyes. Those distinctive eyes.
"That is for Olduvia." John said.
"Come on, Reaper." Duke said.
"It wasn't meant to be this way." Carmack said.
John glared at the dead man and followed after Duke turning his head away. Carmack looked human very human, so he needed none of John's forgiveness. The doors to the Ark opened, and in they went. The rounded entrance was glowing white to both sides. The floor boards were glowing a gentle hue of blue. There was a man behind the controls in what was apparently some kind of wheelchair. Shouldn't he have legs since he is dead and all?, John thought. Perhaps those who died tragically have the appearance of what they appeared prior to the event. It was Pinky who looked up from the controls with a smile. John was the one who had killed Pinky as a infected using a chainsaw.
"Nice to see you, again,Reaper!" Pinky said. "Thanks for killing what monster was using my body."
"Where is everyone?" John asked.
"They should be here." Duke said.
"Should be coming back any minute now from a mission on Dallas left two hours ago." Pinky said, leaning back into his wheelchair with arms behind his neck. John raised an eyebrow. "What? We caught a transmission from the federation to the USS Champion." Pinky took both hands from behind his neck. John lowered his eyebrow. "Ghosts can meddle in the land of the living, Reaper. Need something to do."
"And why are you stuck here?" John asked.
"Because I chose to," Pinky said. "I got all those people killed. It's my pennance."
"His penance has been going on for two centuries," Duke said. "He's been sending us from planet to planet."
"That makes sense." John said.
John could sense his sister was nearby.
"John." Came a familiar voice.
John turned in the direction of the voice to see a woman. A woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was in a white attire,her once familiar aging wrinkles were gone, and she didn't have on her wedding ring from a marriage she had been in. "Sam." John and Samantha joined into a hug that was long over due. Samantha cried into his shoulder as his hands were on her back. They missed each other, dearly. Twins have a certain bond, they can feel the presence of their twin long after death. For a long time, John could feel her presence around him. Dorian once reported seeing Samantha shortly after her death putting one hand on John's shoulder when he needed the most. She was there when he needed her the most in his grief. He had sensed her presence.
"You look so young," John said, as they broke their hug. "And you, again."
Samantha smiled.
"At least you are the one who went through life eternally as a attractive twenty-six year old." Samantha said, as John took his hands off her back then put them to his side.
"I had the appearance of a twenty-eight year old man when I died." John said.
Samantha folded her arms.
"Still, you never aged." Samantha said.
John shook his head with a sigh.
"How long have you been here?"
"A while."
"Sam."
"An hour, dad wanted to give you his regard in your career. He couldn't stay long as . . ." She looked over to the center of the room then back toward John. "They are still there. They couldn't leave. They couldn't stay here for ten minutes. They are studying Lucy's civilization, still."
"Anything new?"
"They unearthed houses, earth houses, John."
John's jaw fell slack.
"You mean to say . . ."
"Yes. I do."
"What else did they find?"
"Swing sets, former bases,schools with skeletons in the basement all huddled into one corner and they were protecting themselves in death. Many of the doors were destroyed."
"Maybe they never had doors."
"What kind of doors are you talking about?"
"Automatic doors coming from the top and slide down. I have seen a couple of them on my time serving as Chief Medical Officer aboard the Enterprise."
"The Enterprise."
"Yes, a starship."
"I thought you wouldn't go back there."
"Earth . . . was a little too crowded. Bad memories."
"John . . . Mars still has a lot of unearthing to go."
"You are going back there, aren't you?"
"It's home."
John sighed.
"I know I can't stop you, but . . if you ever come across Federation officers and they are trying to get those bones. Give them a haunting. One they would never forget."
"You want me to scare them off."
"Yes."
"Goodbye, John. I will do that."
Pinky looked up from the console.
"She is ready!" Pinky said.
"Goodbye, Sam."
Samantha went over to the glob floating in mid-air then shared one last look toward her brother then she touched it and she was gone encased by the water then the water went inside the orb. Humanity had actually originated from the planet Mars in some retrospects but perhaps in many. How long did it take for them to construct this machine, test it out, and be sure that it was safe? It was Noah's arch in some aspects.
"They are coming." Pinky said.
A figure came out first, lacking little to no hair, and it looked like he had a good sun tan except . . . that's not the point. The man straightened himself out making a comment, "Those people know one hell of a way to make a conflict." Then the man walked away from the center and then his eyes widened. Behind him came Mac, landed safely on the floor, with his two boots then walked to the side.
The first man to arrive was Sarge.
"Why are you in blue scrubs?" Sarge asked. "I get it that you are a field medic, but, come on, blue makes you appear so depressing."
"Sarge," Mac said. "He is in a RRTS uniform."
"No, he isn't," Sarge said. "And what is that in your hand?"
"I am a doctor, not a soldier!" John recalled what he once said to Spock when they went to a planet that had the Nazi's.
"It is a medical tricorder," John said, holding the tricorder in mid-air. "A scanner that checks the external and internal physiology of the body for any signs of impairments," He gave an example by scanning himself with it. "Injuries, or anything out of the ordinary." He lowered the tricorder down displaying the 'unknown electronical power' in the center to Sarge. He lowered the tricorder to his side. "I am a medic, remember?"
"Of course I do." Sarge said, with a frown.
"Well, I became a doctor." John said.
"What kind of doctor?" Sarge asked.
"The kind of doctor who has been saving others." John said.
A smile grew on Sarge's face, one that John had missed, as it had occurred to Sarge why John is here. Those sweet calming smiles from Sarge. Sarge seemed to be delighted of himself and of the situation. Portman, Goat, The Kid, and Destroyer came out in that particular order except Portman landed straight on his face almost as though he had been pushed instead of going on his free will. Goat looked over to see that John was back. He was pleased, needless to say.
"And you finally died," Sarge said. "Saving the live of others."
"Of one person," John said. "I couldn't save you."
"Go figure, he hasn't forgiven himself for killing you." Duke said.
"God sacrificed himself to save us all," Goat said. "We are free of sin."
If Spock were here, he would argue "Due to the records of killing others your hands are otherwise still covered in the blood of others and there for that is a sin. Also due to your suicide that may as well be defined as being worthy of being taken to hell, however,since you did it out of sacrifice your actions have given you a leeway into the great beyond." if Bones had explained to him what had happened at Olduvia.
"You haven't forgiven yourself for my death?" Sarge asked.
"Yes,sir." Reaper said.
"We all went mad there, Reaper," Portman said. "Being stuck with zombies? Uck! Can drive a sane man insane!"
"At least I kept my game face." The Kid said.
"I forgive you," Sarge said. "Now you must forgive yourself."
I forgive myself, John thought.
Sarge smiled.
The anchor-like feeling dropped and he felt so, so, so free.
"Now that's my Reaper!" Sarge said.
John hadn't noticed the medical tricorder had vanished and strapped around his back was a assault rifle when he pulled the commanding officer into a kiss. It was the kind that was 'you've been gone for way too long' kiss. Duke grinned, looking over to Destroyer. Destroyer groaned, looking up toward the ceiling. The Kid was unfazed about this as Mac handed Portman a couple rounded appealing balls that had a unique shade to them. Mac was reluctant to hand them to the shorter American.
"I was right!" Duke said. "Sarge is your boyfriend!"
Sarge broke the kiss.
"Don't push your buttons, Duke." Sarge said, with a immediate glare.
"What's the mission, Sarge?" John asked.
"There is a squrmish going on in Star Fleet, Augments. Seveny-four of them are being smuggled over the Mexico border by some Klingons posing as humans," Sarge said. "We are to return them to the ship they were found and send them straight back to hell where they all belong. By the way,as it turns out, our artillery can work on the living and kill them, Reaper."
"Seventy-four?" John said. "Are you talking about Khan and his super men group who went missing after he was captured and overthrown?"
"Yes." Sarge said.
"By the way!" Pinky said, rolling around holding a bag. "You need these." He held a baggage that held communicators. "These are the new communication devices I found on the USS Enterprise. They'll never get destroyed." John raised an eyebrow. "What remained of the starship crash landed on a planet they were on yesterday. I only managed to reprogram them into our frequency. Otherwise, they are ghost communicatiors."
"Any dead?" John asked.
"Thirty-two," The Kid said. "Sickening," He took the first communicator. "There wasn't any part of the bridge left."
John took a communicator out.
"At least this won't break unlike our comms so easily," Portman said. "Have to keep taking ghost comms because of that."
"No more." Pinky said.
Mac, The Kid, Destroyer, Goat, Sarge, and Portman each took their own small communicators.
"How do you use these things?" Destroyer asked.
"Easy, say your last name requesting for someones last name."
"Like Mahonin to Grimm?" Sarge asked, suggestively.
"Uh huh." John said.
"My last name is difficult to pronounce." Mac said.
Pinky beamed.
"I did a little fiddling for your communicator," Pinky said, as though he knew specifically the one Mac had picked and knew he would pick it. "Yours is specifically labeled Mac. From your earlier commentations on the comms I took the liberty to redesign them, even yours, Reaper," John looked down to see the image of the grim reaper on the lid. "You naturally picked them due to their symbols that reflected to you."
"All right, move out," Sarge said. "Pinky, we'll be back. ETA: six hours, at least."
"Maybe three hours." John said.
The group went in the direction of the open doorway putting their communicators away into their pockets.
"At least you have legs!" Pinky said.
"Your fault you haven't forgiven yourself!" Duke shouted back, at the front of the group.
Pinky folded his arms leaning back.
"Forgiving myself," Pinky said, with a grunt. "As if."
"So who are going to get there, Sarge?" John asked.
"We have pilots," Sarge said. "Terry and Blanchshed. They take us everywhere."
"So that is who piloted us?" John asked.
"No. . . yes," Sarge said. "They feel like they owe us. Each and every one of us, don't know how they knew about what happened back there. . ." Sarge looked over to his dear friend and lover. "Did you tell what happened?"
"Negative." John said.
"Then how did they find out?" Sarge asked.
"They died," Goat said. "And they realized you weren't aging. What happened back there changed you forever."
"Nothing will be the same . . ." John once told Samantha.
"When has sameness stuck around for the two of us?" Samantha asked.
"Sixteen years." John said.
Samantha smiled.
"Go big or go home." Samantha said.
"That does make sense. . . " Sarge said. "But really, what did you say?"
"We fought for our lives, lost the data, and eliminated the threat within two planets," John said. "I left in the basics. Just what everyone needed to know."
The group returned to the same elevator with John in the center. It has taken him so many years, so many lives, and so much hardship to get where he is at right now. He didn't look up at the ceiling but his hands found themselves intertwining with Sarge's larger hand. Their ammo can replenty themselves. They can always get newer ghost guns to keep up with the age but assault rifles? They will never get out of style for the Rapid Response Tactile Squad. The doors closed on John as he had a smile on his face.
And John realized: He was home again.
The End.