Doctor T'Lia Aerys woke to shortness of breath and a nauseating sensation pulsing from every cell in her body. She smelled the blood before feeling its thick warmth oozing across her chest and down her arms. Struggling was getting her nowhere so she decided to look on the one bleeding on her.

A protest quickly on her lips, it died when she noticed the man's head was gone. Yes, completely gone and nowhere to be seen. She didn't dare look for it but instead focused her energy on her bound wrists. "Captain. Commander." Her tone was even, common for her heritage, though inside she could feel her heart pounding hard against her side.

Silence and darkness answered her call until a sudden explosion of light greeted her vision, sending her eyes recoiling shut. She could feel her strength rapidly fading but there was enough to push the body off of her. The cold air made her soaked skin twitch unnervingly. With the weight now off of her, the pain around her wrists slowly yielded to a tingling numbness.

"Doc?"

The voice sounded so far away but Aerys knew better. The complex was not that big to elicit a sound like that. Her mind must have been tampered with more than she or Doctor McCoy had previously speculated.

"Doc, can you hear me?" His tone was rushed, emotional like a human's. "Doc, answer me."

"I am. . .here." A sharp pain choked the words she attempted to push out. She heard footsteps thunder to her position and soon she felt a shadows pass over her. When she opened her eyes, a figure was leaning over her. "Commander Ryder?"

"Doc! What happened?" She could feel the incredible amount of energy he was using to restrain his overtly emotional response. Humans were such emotional creatures.

"I cannot remember." Actually she somewhat could but the memories came in flashes. The last she could remember was Captain Glauch and Kirk forming this illogical plan. After that she could only recall flashes of a bright light, the smell of blood and metal, and the sounds of screaming. Were they really hers?

"Who is he?" Her dark hazel eyes flashed to the body lying next to her.

Ryder did not need to look at the body to know whose body that was. On his way in, he'd seen the disembodied head. "Dear god. . ."

"Addressing a religious figure does not answer my question."

"Listen, Doc. We don't have much time. They'll be back soon and Spock and Captain Glauch are still missing."

She noticed his change in subject but decided to ignore it. "Then we must find them."

"Not so fast. You need medical attention."

"Doctor McCoy can attend to my medical needs later." Aerys felt Ryder tense when she mentioned Doctor McCoy. She sat up and tried to stretch her hands. Ryder followed with a knife and cut the bonds lose. Aerys rubbed her sore wrists before jumping to her feet. Ryder looked surprised. A human would have been tired or at least disoriented. "Are you in need of medical attention or may we proceed?"

She tried to take a step forward but found herself at mercy to a whirlwind of emotions. Her hands instantly reached to her temples where a fire flared wild and out of control. Her fingertips grazed a rough texture. They found the edge and ripped away the patch.

"Doc." Ryder rushed forward but Aerys waved him off.

"I do not require your assistance. We must make haste if Commander Spock and Captain Glauch are to live." As if by her command, she willed the emotions threatening to spill past her calm façade back down to the darkest depths of her mind where they could not be seen. As they passed through the doorway, Aerys threw a look back to the scene of horror. Dried blood of both green and red was splattered all over the room. In the middle of it all was the body. Her attention was caught by a skin deformity on the man's right hand. The scar was made three weeks prior when the Enterprise first found their ship floating through space. The memory seemed far too distant to have only happened three weeks ago. Three weeks filled with revelation, fear, sadness, happiness. . .Aerys sighed. She'd been on a human vessel for far too long.

Now, for the first time in a long time, the wave of emotion became too much. She may be half-Vulcan but the sight forced the heart of her half-human side to rip itself to shreds. A single tear formed in the corner of her eye, but she quickly brushed it aside before Ryder could see it. She knew the identity of this body. Her clenched fists shook with anger at the ones who did this. The moment she remembered who was the moment she would willingly give in to her raging anger.

"Rest peacefully, half-brother" It was all she could think to say.

A hand on her shoulder brought her out of her thoughts. The hand pulled her back so that Ryder stood between her and the turn up ahead. She almost inquired as to the nature of their stop but immediately stopped. She could now hear the pounding of the heavy footsteps. It came from in front of them, behind them and to their sides. They were surrounded.

Ryder's face was a mixture of furry and fear. "I shouldn't be surprised, but that no good witch betrayed us."

For all it was worth, Aerys was pleased that he did not resort to foul language.


*

Author's Note: I want to give a BIG shout out to all my friends at Mines who have volunteered their names for my story!!!!! This idea has intrigued me for a while and I hope to continue it when I'm not working on Hunger or on Revenge: A Dish Best Served Cold.

*

Ok so normally I'd say go read a certain story…but there are too many to list. Basically When Fates Collide and Rescue me are my crack stories at the moment!!!!

*

Now off to finish my physics homework!!!!!! See you guys when I next post!!!!

*

-Trekky18