First Officer Spock stood for a long time watching the slow rise and fall of the officer's chest and knew it illogical to believe that his watching it had any effect yet knowing he had to be there. Officer Tyler was on that biolab bed and on life support after saving him from what the humans called a living hell and this was all he could do for him. The Vulcan knew that the life support was easing the pain and removing the toxins from his bloodstream.
Spock also knew McCoy had seen him enter but had left him alone as the doctor seemed to understand he needed this time with him. For a human who did not know of too many things Vulcan McCoy seemed to have understood this. This time for recalling unpleasant recent past events and making them the past. This was the time when one confronted not only the unpleasant events but also the person or persons responsible for ending the trials and vexation.
What would Tyler remember of what he had done, what he had seen?
No, he had to start at the start.
He had been pleasantly surprised and honoured that Parsons had asked if he could visit the station at a time the Enterprise was due to do what was a normal inspection of their area. Starfleet had arranged for the Enterprise to be in that region doing a delivery run of technical equipment and Jim had reluctantly agreed that he would allow him leave for the six days it would take the ship to deliver the last lot of materials and return.
He had beamed aboard the ship, contacted James Kirk and let him know he was in his temporary quarters, and Parsons had come to show him around. It was an impressive science station and it was obvious that all there were dedicated scientists. Parsons had a reputation for his studies in maximising the mental capabilities of humans and dealing with the mental problems of all species. The other scientists on the station all had their own laboratories as well as the shared one and there was no mention of what they were individually working on in their own time.
After a thorough tour of the shared areas of the science station Parsons had suggested he contact the Enterprise to assure Jim that all was well.
"We'll be back for you in six days. Think you will have seen enough by then?'
"Yes, Captain. I look forward to seeing you again in six days."
"Have fun and take care."
There had seemed nothing unusual about Parsons inviting him to see his own laboratory, a rare honour as he had not hoped to be allowed into it. He had not noticed the two assistants who followed them till Parsons turned to them and said, "Hold him still, now!" which totally caught him unprepared for the sudden attack and the hypospray. He was aware of his mind calling out for Jim's help before the darkness.
He had woken to find himself naked, secured to a metal bed, tubes and wires going from his body to a range of machines and containers, and with Parsons leaning over him smiling, "I finally got what I needed. I have taken the liberty of securing a band to your neck that immobilizes the vocal cords and this band I am adjusting now will limit your access to those parts of the Vulcan mind that allows you to remove yourself from what is happening. You will have no need for food or water and all your bodily functions are taken care of. Till I know I have total control of you I will maintain the level of medication in the intravenous infusion and you will remain in restraints. You are unique and I needed you to advance my understanding of the human mind in a non-human. There has to be a way we can harness the Vulcan mind and Vulcan stamina and strength without them being able to retreat into those mind rules. A way we can get more use from vulcanoids. Think of the advantages that would give us: no more needlessly risking humans when a vulcanoid could be sent to do the manual work, when a controlled vulcanoid can go into combat for us. Now, just this slight adjustment."
In that split second as the realization of what Parsons was going to do to him he let his mind call out to the one who had always been able to help him, "Jim!".
Obviously the activity of his mind had registered as Parsons had laughed as he clamped the band tighter, "There is no escape. That will block the last sanctuary. Now I must start my testing." He had started to walk away and had come back to look down at him, "Captain Kirk has been advised of your death in an explosion in my laboratory which also killed two of my assistants, the ones who brought you here, and I have arranged for your ashes to be transported to the Enterprise on its return. The urn the ashes are in is sealed but they will be given a sample for their analysis and for them I cut off some of your hair and scrapped some tissue from your thighs and checked the DNA myself before packaging it. I will send Kirk the urn, the sample, and the incident report and security film. That way nobody will disturb my testing as nobody will know you are still here." Parson had smiled as he stroked him, knowing Vulcans did not like physical contact, "Nobody knows how much I have yet to learn from you. You will not remember it after a time. You will only hear me and obey."
Time became distorted as Parsons had used him. There was always lights on, there was always noise, and the temperature only remained constant when Parsons was present and doing tests on him as otherwise the temperature fluctuated greatly from being frigid to excessively hot in a matter of minutes. When Parsons was not there the room would also be filled with various aromas, pleasant and otherwise: there was a cacophony of sound varying in volume, and he would irregularly be showered with icy or very hot water. When Parsons was with him there was constant physical contact as Parsons conducted experiments on his mind and body. Parsons was always alone and enjoyed his work. Without the mind rules, without the ability to retreat into his mind, he had found the sensual experiments intolerable and Parsons knew it. To have a moment's reprieve from the torment he would do as Parsons asked only to find that whatever he did to get the reprieve then became expected of him. Not once did Parsons speak to him as a sentient being, it was always either what he was doing or what his plans were.
"You are doing so excellently. When I show my tape of my work Starfleet is sure to give me my own science station and more subjects. For now I must leave you as I have to make a transmission to the Enterprise. Just so that you know what your former Captain says I have placed a monitor where you can see him and hear what is said. Before that, I thought you should hear the transmission I made five days ago, when you died."
"Enterprise, this is Parsons at Science Station Hector Fifty-One."
"This is Enterprise. Go ahead Science Station Hector Fifty-One." how normal Uhura's voice sounded.
"Is Captain Kirk present?"
"Yes." there was a moment's silence and Spock knew she would be informing Jim that Parsons wanted to speak with him.
"Kirk here. How's my First Officer doing? May I have a word with him when we are finished?" the excitement in that voice cut him as Jim had no idea of the cruel hoax about to take place.
"This is a rather difficult thing to have to tell you like this but less than twenty-four hours after his arrival your First Officer and two of my assistants were killed in an explosion in my laboratory. An investigation as to the cause is still in progress and you will be notified as to the cause. I have an urn of his ashes and kept some outside the sealed urn for your verification that they are his. I know he will be missed."
"There, there," Jim had sounded shattered.
"I am sorry, Captain Kirk, but there is no mistake. When you collect the ashes you will be given the security tapes that prove he is gone. You have lost him. Parsons out."
Without the mind rules Spock could not stop the conflicting human emotions in him, anger and sorrow. His anger at Parsons grew for how he had hurt Jim and sorrow at not being able to comfort him. Now this. Parsons had an unusual way of being cruel. Parsons had smiled as the registers clearly showed some activity that pleased him. "I have the ashes ready to send him. Thee is enough of your DNA in the sample that they will not break the seal of the urn and test. Kirk would not allow that. To them you will be dead."
When he first saw his friend the Vulcan ached to comfort him, to let him know he was still alive. He could not remember ever seeing James Kirk look so tired, so defeated, so old, and so unconsolable. What had he been through these last few days thinking him dead?
"Captain Kirk, I am sure you understand why it was necessary to seal the ashes in the special urn."
"Containment of any gasses and contaminated matter. In your laboratory there would have been substances the explosion would have exposed to the atmosphere.""I am glad you understand. Knowing that you would want confirmation I had a small package of the ashes radiated but his DNA is still detectable."
How still Jim had been for a minute and Spock knew he was holding himself together, "Thank you for that."
"I am sure he will be greatly missed by your and your crew, Captain Kirk. He is most unique. What I have learned from him has proven invaluable and will add greatly to future work. A most interesting study. Now, if you will prepare and beam down what I asked for I will beam up his ashes and those few possessions your officer had in his quarters."
In the background he heard a voice say, "Odd if not strange." but could not place it as a voice he heard often on the bridge.
Parsons had come back and smiled as he adjusted the flow level of the tube leading into his left arm, "While I am gone this will slowly work away on those last stubborn mental rules and barriers you still have and finish destroying those the last treatment weakened. I wanted you to see your former captain as soon you will have no memory of anything but the ones I give you. Once this has taken care of the mind rules it will begin to dissolve your memories of your previous life. Soon I will have control of that Vulcan mind of yours as well as the Vulcan strengths, this will have also eliminated your human emotions, then I will have what Starfleet needs so desperately, intelligent and strong units that are expendable. The monitors indicate you still have strong feelings about your former captain. Emotions are rare on Vulcans so that must be your human side, I will get rid of them and gradually you will forget Kirk and all you knew before and will acknowledge and obey only me."
For some time he had watched the slow and steady drip of the liquid and could feel a numbness in his mind. It would soon be time to yield, he would have no choice, Parsons was taking his mind. He had already taken him from Jim as it was clear Jim believed him to be dead. Parsons had been convincing, he had it all planned, there had been no way for Jim to know the truth, no way for anybody to know he was still alive. That soon he would be alive but have no knowledge of life.