During the Archons
A little bit of stuff and writing from Return of the Archons, Bones/Spock/Kirk friendship stuff, more in depth about McCoy, some unseen scenes. More a little later, a few chapters. R&R plz!
"Costume Dept., late eighteenth century attire and black robe, dimensions first officer Spock, Captain Kirk, Doctor McCoy," The captain said the name of other officers beaming down and soon enough, a pretty yeoman came into the transporter room. "Thank you, yeoman rand." Kirk smiled thankfully and took the clothing. "Gentlemen?"
They came back about ten minutes later with the new outfits on. Spock looked rather like a twentieth century nun with a strange gown and Jim couldn't help but laugh at his other officers, suppressing the giggle at Spock's dressing. "Shuddup Jim."
"Sorry, you're suit is just kind of…unfitting." He snickered. The CMO wore a black ribbon loosely tied around his neck like a bow and a vest that was a light grey.
"Yours is almost identical to mine." The doctor snorted. "You look ridiculous."
"May I concur both of you look ludicrous for modern day." Spock said. Bones and Kirk looked over at Spock, incredulous. 'I think we've been insulted' was the proper phrase that came to mind, but instead the two simply started cracking up.
"Too bad you don't have a sense of humor, you hobgoblin." Bones bent over, holding his stomach because it really only hurt when he laughed. He was trying to hold back from giving the Vulcan a full out noogie.
"Alright, gentlemen," he nodded to the officers and they climbed on the transporter pad. He was still smiling from ear to ear. "Okay Scotty, beam us down."
From the very start of being down on this creepy planet, Bones McCoy had a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. His good mood from previously being on the enterprise had flown south in the galaxy, in other words, not here. The people all smiled eerily and it just wasn't natural. "Jim, something's wrong here."
"I can tell Bones." Kirk replied quietly as some people wearing the same grin and held their hand to their chest and pulled it away, going 'Health to the body!' the landing party responded in the same way, pulling on fake smiles and mirroring the actions.
"Really wrong…did you see Sulu?"
"Yes, I did Doctor, but might I remind you we're under Starfleet orders to find out what happened to the archons?" Jim shot back.
"Whatever. This place still gives me the willies."
They continued to walk, but shortly after this conversation, a man came up to them and asked if they were here for festival. Festival?
The man offered them a place to stay at his wife's father's home, Old Reger's house. Kirk noted the clock, after the man told him it was almost the red hour, it was five minutes to six. Conveniently, this planet told time exactly the same as earth!
The conversation continues for a little while and a woman named Tula points to where her father's house is. All the sudden, everything in the streets stops. A silence that seems to go on and on…and then they all started screaming. All the people just started going crazy!
"God what is this?" Bones yelled, dodging a lamp thrown directly a his head.
"I do not know, doctor." Spock replied, stepping over a large, tipped over dresser.
"Let's get out of here!" Kirk shouted, running around a large burning chair. All the crew men followed him until they came to a house that the weird guy had said was old Reger's. They burst through the doors, panting. Three men turned around, one with grey hair, one with a mean complexion and one with nice black hair who would turn out to really be the only one with personality.
"Sorry, not a great idea of a hello…" Jim said sheepishly.
"Why are you not at festival?" asked the man with a mean complexion.
"Um," Kirk thought on his feet. "We need shelter."
"Are you from the valley?"
"Yes."
"Strange ways have you in the valleys." The man with grey hair noted.
"Are you Reger?" a redshirt asked.
"Yes." The one with nice hair answered.
"You'd better do something, you're daughter's out there!"
"It is festival. It is the will of Landru." Spock raised an eyebrow in a not very noticeable manner.
"You are too young to be excused during festival!" Yelled the guy with the mean complexion.
"But they are guests."
"Have they no lawgivers in the valley?"
"We…heard you might have rooms for us to stay in…" Jim desperately tried to be a welcome house guest. It didn't seem to be working that well.
"You see Haico? They come for a place to stay." He nodded towards the enterprise crewmen. "Come."
"The red hour has already struck!" Okay, six o'clock isn't the green hour. Noted. "The lawgivers should know of this!"
"Do they not already see?"
"You mock Landru! Do you not say he is everywhere?"
"Of course he is, Haico, but we must be friendly to these strangers." Reger put calmly.
"Landru shall know of this!" Haico yelled. "They are not part of the body!"
'So what are we then, the removed appendix?' Bones thought as Reger showed them to their rooms. They entered a room with two bunk beds like the ones at McCoy's old camp and a cot.
"Reger, I'd like to know a little more about Landru…" Kirk asked, trying to not be in a dictation way.
Reger's eyes went big and shushed them. "Landru? You are strange…do you not have landru in the vally…are you-?"
"We need to know more about Landru!" he pressed. Reger shivered a little and swiftly exited.
"Great, smooth move, Jim." McCoy blurted. "Not only did we scare him, now he thinks we're crazy."
Kirk stepped over to the window and stared outside. People laughing and screaming and crying with things burning and broken all over the streets.
"This is so strange…" he commented under his breath.
"Captain, I do believe there are a lot of topics to cover." Spock said to Jim.
"But not now, Spock. First, bed."
XXX
Jim sat by the window, having not slept at all last night. Worries for his crewmembers running back and forth in his head. What if something happens to the redshirts? What is something happens to the ship? Oh god what if something happens to Spock or Bones? These ideas tormented him all through the night.
The duty of a starship captain wasn't to keep his ship safe, it was to keep his crew safe and through these two years, soon to be three of his life they had been his best friends, and their lives all weighed on him. He put his head in his hands. Bones and Spock…
He stared at the clock outside his window off in the distance. More insanity and screaming, dampened by the sheet of glass he stared through. The clock It ticked to Six AM.
All the people stopped as Kirk stared at each one in wonderment and they all began moving as if nothing had happened!
"Wake up!" Kirk yelled, feeling groggy. Spock lay awake on his top bunk, staring at the ceiling, thinking. He went over to Bones's bunk and shook him a little.
"It's too early, mom…" he moaned softly. A really loud scream rings through the room. He blinked a few times, jumps up cleared his throat and flushed a little at what he had said.
"I'm your captain, not your mom Bones." Kirk nudged the CMO, making him blush more. They all put on overcoats and McCoy took his medical gear and quickly make for the door to see where the cry came from.
They go outside the door to find Reger holding the woman from previous, Tula, and trying to console her. "It's okay…" he cooed, trying to soothe her.
Her face was stained with tears. "Here," McCoy said, taking out a hypo. "I'll give her a shot. It'll calm her down." He took the woman and pressed the needle into her arm and a satisfying hiss came from the hypospray.
"You didn't even try to save her!" A redshirt yelled, Kirk put his hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him back.
"It is landru's will." He looked sadly at the ground.
"What about Landru, Reger?" Jim pushed a little more.
"So you did not attend Festival last night!" Haicom yelled, coming out from a doorway. "The lawgivers must know of this!"
"Haicom, please…" Reger begged, but he was out the door. McCoy stared after him, and Spock turned his attention to the Captain, anticipating some brilliant scheme.
Reger hushed his tone. "Are you…archons?" the man's eyes widened.
Just then, the familiar footsteps of Haicom come bursting through, and the third man gasps. Two other 'people' dressed in large brown robes and holding tubes step inside.
"They mocked the will of landru!"
"Haicom it was a jest!"
"Stand forth, Tamar." One said in a mechanical voice. It sounded like a computer. Tamar shook and shut his eyes tightly as he took a stride forward. Great billows of white smoke burst forth from the staff, shiny things that looked like confetti swirled the air around it and Tamar collapsed on the ground.
Reger's eyes lit up with terror and ran to touch his friend who had just been killed.
"Landru is gentle. Come and you will be absorbed." Said the other lawgiver sounding just as mechanical as the other.
Kirk paused. "No."
The lawgivers paused and nothing happened. Spock raised an eyebrow. A minute passed as the crewmembers exchanged glances.
"Captain, it seems as they are in adamant to objection!" Spock surmised.
"It seems like you're right, Spock. The complete cluelessness to protest, it seems as if everyone here is completely obedient!" Jim exclaimed.
After a good long time period, "Follow us to the absorption chambers." Responded one of them. About time.
"No, we told you we're not going." Jim said, shooing them off.
"Come or die." McCoy and Spock raised both eyebrows and looked at Jim. Good going captain.
"I guess they learn quickly…" Kirk responded sheepishly and was about to put his hands up when he knocked the stick out of the law giver's hand.
"You cannot…" It trailed off, unsure of what to say.
"Quickly! Come! I know a place we can be safe!" Reger yelled, motioning them to come on.
They ran and were almost cornered by people pursuing them, summoned by Landru and even saw a hypnotized crewmember but had to leave him…that killed Kirk…it was his fault…he wanted to stay.
"Jim…" Bones put his hand on his shoulder and looked down at him, so crushed with the loss of this man.
"I know, Bones…" he said quietly. "But we're not leaving him."
"Landru will find us through him when he wakes!" Reger protests.
"He's coming." Kirk squatted down to pick up the body and was readily assisted by crewmembers.
Finally, they got to a hide out. Some beds and a table. They gathered around it and got some answers out of Reger. They were about to finally find out where landru was so they could stop this insanity when a high pitched noise pounded against their eardrums.
It sounded like a cat, mixed with a sound grenade, 16 drums and all this other crap combined being shoved into your ears. McCoy shut his eyes tightly, trying to block it out by covering his ears but he couldn't stand. He peeked out and Jim was on the table shivering and Spock had completely passed out from the noise because of his 'super-sonic' hearing.
"Aah!" he yelled, desperately trying to evade the noise and he felt his own legs buckling and he quivered and soon he was on the ground and everything was dark.
BONES STORY:
McCoy could barely open his eyes. God, what a headache…then he saw where he was…but where was that? Where were they? He was sitting on a ledge in a stone, cave-like room. All his friends were scattered around the room. He got up and quickly ran over to Jim and took a pulse.
His heart was beating, but slowly…this godforsaken planet. He shook his friend a little. He wouldn't wake up. "Jim…c'mon Jim…" This planet was getting weirder by the minute and he didn't like it one bit. He needed a friend…someone to take the weight off his shoulders.
Kirk was in a slumped over, half lying on the bench half leaning against the side position that Bones figured couldn't be healthy, so he took him by the arms and propped him up in a more proper position.
He shook him some more to no avail. Then he had an idea, a hypo! McCoy turned his head around and scanned for his medical gear which was no where to be found. Great.
The captain moaned a little, eyes glowing, Bones turned around hoping to see Kirk wake up. Instead he sat there with a pained expression on his face.
It was the face of a starship captain's worries. Fear danced across his lost face. Fear for all his friends, companions and crew members. Fear that he might lose them, lose the ship, lose a friend. And Jim was a guy like no other captain. If just one crew member got hurt on a simple landing party that had been his orders, he felt it like it wasn't one person who got a broken leg, more like it was a hundred people who had died on his order. When someone he knew was in pain, he was almost empathic.
When Jim wasn't feeling well the doctor would always cure him, whether it be broken bones, internal bleeding or a virus, McCoy would always be there with his golden sarcasm, undeniable snarkiness, and his own brand of humor. And soon enough, Kirk would be good as new with a certain CMO to thank for that. And maybe a couple shots of whisky. Okay, more than a couple.
When McCoy wasn't feeling well, often he wouldn't take care of himself. He could never admit he had even a cold and give himself an hour off, and Kirk would be sure he got the rest and the time he needed to recover. Always looking after him, as much as he might protest.
But something else they both shared was the fact that they both knew loss and loneliness more than anyone else. Consistently, Jim would be forced to send men to their deaths for the good of Starfleet. Missions honorable, but not honorable enough to die for. And Bones would always have so many people die. Men and women, 'he's dead Jim' and 'she's dead Jim'. So many people that would end up in sickbay and probably never check out, they both shared that burden of the lives of the crewmembers.
And loneliness from the silence after someone dies or after you know someone will.
McCoy felt an ache in his heart that he couldn't help him right now, and he would be alone.
He was supposed to be a doctor…what good was a doctor if he couldn't heal someone?
He stood in the faint breathing of the people around him on the strange planet and his attention turned to a certain pointy eared Vulcan. Spock was collapsed on his side, ribs on the bench, sprawled over. Bones ran over to his aid, to see if maybe he could wake Spock up.
"Spock?" Leonard asked quietly. He wanted to shake him, or touch him…but that seemed wrong. Out of all the times he and Spock got in quarrels it never got physical. Ever. Even now when he was comatose it still appeared incorrect. "Spock! Get up you pointy eared hobgoblin." He said, as much as he wanted it to come out as a taunt, his voice seemed to wither and shrink by the time he was done and he sounded scared and frightened like a child.
"Spock…Spock! Get up!" Now he wasn't trying to wake him up. He was begging. Pleading. For him to get up…he needed a conversation about this whole situation, even if it would be a logic filled one. Someone who would have it all under control if those creepy lawgivers came in, someone who would help him.
He was just a doctor. No self defense training, no attacks, he was rid of all his hypos and even a hand phaser. He couldn't protect the others, or himself for that matter. "Get up!" now he was just yelling at dead air that would greet his ears with silence. He groaned. It was no use.
Bones knelt by the man with the slightly green tinted skin and just listened to him breathe. A slow, steady, firm breathing. Reassuring just to hear. Sometimes Spock could be a pain, but even during their squabbles they both knew it was how they expressed their friendship, even if it resulted in something being flung across the room and shattering and calm retorts that ended in more screaming.
At the beginning in Starfleet, McCoy had thought Spock would be some snotty Vulcan, like a rich kid who brags about all their crap. But instead, from the first day, it was like he was just kind of quiet. Smart and quiet. Bones hadn't known that Spock was actually half human until a little later in the voyage.
When Jim had brought Spock into sickbay for the first time, obviously already acquainted with him and probably some how friends because that was Kirk, super friendly and social even to Vulcans. That day the first words that came out of the doctor's mouth were, 'what'd you drag in this time, Jim?'
And Spock was sure to correct him, "I believe you mean whom did you drag in this time, Jim." He raised an eyebrow as if to say, take that.
It might not have been a nice greeting, but it definitely stated their relationship from day one. Now Bones looked back at his friend, unconscious and shivered, sitting down by his side.
A knock on the door shattered his train of thought.
In through the doorway burst two lawgivers, holding those creepy staffs. "Come." Said one of the robed men and pointed to McCoy.
"No." he replied, trying to mimic the captain's previous cool tone and hoping this action would have the same results as before, stalling it.
"Come and be absorbed." It pointed the staff at the doctor. There would be no saying no.
But it wasn't that he had to go, -which did scare him severely-, the worst part was that he was the only conscious one in the room and he couldn't protect his friends. He couldn't stop them from hurting his companions, he couldn't even stand up for them.
"Peace and harmony await you in the body." Assured a lawgiver. McCoy summoned up a loogie and threw it in it's general direction, the spit landing on the robe. The lawgiver didn't react, and Bones guessed they didn't really do that on this planet.
They approached him with the staff, and then pointed it at Spock. A cold chill ran down Bones's spine. "No!" he yelled. "Take me, just…" he didn't finish his sentence. Just don't hurt them…
The staff once again was at his face and he could see down the hollow barrel of it.
He got up and looked down at his feet with the lawgivers at his sides, leading him to a futuristic room. It had some chamber for someone to stand it with remote controls and buttons like you might find in the ship's engine room. Then there was a place with two square-ish objects and slots in them that were obviously for wrists.
Sweat beaded his forehead as he obediently stepped into it. How could he be doing this? What was he, a sheep to be herded? No, he was a Starfleet doctor, dammit!
He was about to give them a piece of his mind and maybe knock one of them out, because hell, he might be a doctor, but he was a Georgian nonetheless! Tussling with his brother gave him darn good reasons to kick one of their Landru loving butts, when the wrist slots clamped down on his bare hands. He examined it and instinctively an eyebrow went up.
McCoy struggled but it was no use. Those things had seen worse…he needed to get back…god he needed to get back!
His muscles burned with the effort, but it didn't effect the unforgiving white metal these shackles were made of. Then all of the sudden all of the pain gave way and…he was outside of himself.
Bones could see his own face, but feel his own mind.
Suddenly, all his worries and troubles started coming towards him, detached from his body. He felt them slowly disintegrating...and oh god…the pain…heartache…heartbreak…sadness…drunkenness…anger…horror….
All of these things shrinking…but you might imagine this would feel good, it felt exactly the opposite. Some of these things are things you would gladly let go of. Send them away. But these are the things that make you who you are. Heartache for someone to love, Heartbreak from previous love to learn from, Sadness for all the lives lost all in the line of duty, Drunkenness for useless attempts to forget these things that he could not stop, Anger at all the terrible things that seem to happen and Horror at each and every turn for the worst.
It was as if visually you could see stones and rocks of them, just collapsing to dust and you could feel the aura, the negative energy that scared you. Something you hated, despised with all your might but yet could never let go of.
McCoy reached for them but it was just dust. Then, as soon as he was about to make contact, all the dust was packed in to a glass bottle creating a beautiful yet horrific artwork with pain and suffering of the human heart. The colors of each of these qualities varied.
A blue like the color of tears held back through years of practice. Red like rage and anger at people and events. Green like vines that would entrap fury and hold on to it. And Black like the vibe of death, constantly knocking on the door of sickbay.
It was beautiful, all the colors, but even being around it made him queasy and nauseous. So terrible. It gravitated towards him and landed in his hands. And wanted to make him wretch, because it's very being was just so foul…
Still seeing his own body, being outside of it, holding this fantastic sculpture that made him dizzy. Disgusted with himself. He wanted to thrust it at the floor and walk away. He wanted to smash it in to a billion pieces and leave all his troubles behind, finally be rid of them.
But he couldn't.
It was so appalling, but so stunning. A stunning that was attached to him. Always would be and he understood that this was what made him McCoy. But he was growing faint. So faint. However he would hold on to this bottle in his arms.
Suddenly, he couldn't see himself. He saw through eyes. They were his own eyes, but at the same time he felt like a stranger in his body. Like it was a hollow shell. He had absolutely no control over it as he felt his mouth smile in a mindless manner and the chains on his wrists were released as he walked past the door and let out, "Joy to you, friends." At the lawgivers. People – no things he would rather crawl away and die than greet.
His chest was a prison. He couldn't run himself. It was an alien force in his mind. Something that all these other people seemed to embrace, that disgusted him. Something that they seemed to call the will of Landru.
XXX
Kirk paced around the room, wondering where McCoy and those other redshirts were, his fears of them being brainwashed were alive and well. His body shook just slightly. Spock noticed this.
"Captain?" he asked quietly.
"I…I'm fine Spock." The captain replied. He still shook, but less obviously.
"Jim." Spock said adamantly. This was the tone he used to show that he was there. That he would let nothing happen. That Spock too shared the situation, the dread and concern. That they were both in it together.
Kirk stopped shaking and looked up at his first officer who was staring sturdily into his eyes. Eyebrows half knitted but mostly pulled together firmly. Jim almost wanted to hug him, embrace him…what he needed now was some form of physical contact – if only that wasn't so strange. His first officer would clearly object to this and probably raise an eyebrow if not two of them, and maybe even shy away from him the whole rest of this five year mission, and that was the last thing he wanted.
But where was Bones? Normally the feeling would chew at him if one crewman was missing, now it ate him in chunks that one of his two best friends in the galaxy was missing and he hadn't raised a finger to it.
He was helpless. Absolutely powerless to the situation at hand. And he could have stopped it. He could have beamed back up to the ship, even if it was against Starfleet orders. But he didn't. It was a sacrifice for his job, duty and vessel.
Then the door opened with two lawgivers. And the absent landing party members. Including the doctor. Kirk's eyes lit up before they were shut off and thrown into a pitch black when he realized his friend wore a creepy smile across his face.
"Bones?" it was worth a try.
"Peace and prosperity my friends." McCoy smiled broadly. But inside the doctor was a screaming, cursing man who could not stop his actions. As he said these words, he felt his grip on the art of horrors slipping, his hands getting sweaty and he pulled it closer, wanting to throw up as he did.
"Bones!" Kirk pleaded. "Snap out of it…snap out of it!" The doctor sat down and Jim followed him like a puppy. He held onto his neck and patted his cheek. "Bones, Bones!" he yelled like he was trying to get the attention of a child with ADHD.
Inside, McCoy was yelling, 'I'm here Jim, I'm here! What in the devil's name is this!'
Just then the Lawgivers stood and said, "Come and be absorbed." Now it was Spock and Jim's turn. Bones just sat there was a joyful grin that kind of made Kirk want to cry.