Captain Clone
"What time is this dinner again?" Captain James T. Kirk asked, loosening the collar on his dress uniform, then breathing deeply in relief as it relaxed its hold on his neck.
"1800 hours, Captain." Kirk's Vulcan counterpart reminded him, shooting Jim a harsh glance for disobeying the uniform guidelines. Jim scoffed and unbuttoned his jacket all the way to reveal his black undershirt just to spite Spock. "I do hope that you will be considering keeping your wardrobe up to code."
"Yeah, yeah." Kirk huffed and sat down on the couch of the small house that the native Genons had offered Starfleet for the peace talks. "Don't those regulations ever get in the way?" Kirk flopped down all the way so that he was laying comfortably on the couch. Spock stiffened, thinking back to Khan's attack. Khan. If it wasn't for Spock disregarding all regulations, Jim wouldn't be insufferably disobeying the dress code right now. Spock sighed slightly and Jim grinned. "I thought so."
Jim picked up his PADD that was thrown lazily on the blue-glass coffee table and started scrolling through the pages upon pages of the Prime Directive description. It wasn't long until he grew bored and cast the device aside once again. "Tell me again why we're here." Jim probed Spock, who was now scrolling through his own PADD. Spock simply raised an eyebrow at the young Captain.
"The Genons have finally requested to join the Federation, and Starfleet has sent us to 'seal the deal', to use your Terran slang." Spock explained, clearly uninterested in the conversation.
"Yeah, I knew that. But, I mean, why are we here?" Jim noticed as his first officer stopped scrolling through his PADD, but tried to remain uninterested. "We're the flagship, sure, but why send the Enterprise to negotiate something that's pretty much already said and done?" Spock looked up now, and Kirk smirked with victory in winning his First Officer's attention.
"I am afraid that I do not understand your question, Captain." Spock said plainly, but Kirk could see the wheels in his head turning quickly and the spark of interest in his eyes.
"We're pretty important, right? Like, why send us to a said and done deal? We're always used as some kind of bargaining chip when it comes to negotiation. We show the power of the Federation. Why not use us somewhere that we're actually needed?" Kirk sat up to face his Vulcan friend.
"I am quite sure that Starfleet has a reason for sending this ship in particular to this planet,"
"But don't you want to know why?" Kirk began to talk with his hands – something that he always did when he became passionate. Spock remained silent. He could not admit to his Captain that he too was curious about the nature of this mission. Why had Starfleet sent the Enterprise so far off course, just for a simple diplomatic closing?
"Whatever the reason may be, I recommend that we prepare ourselves for the feast." Spock said after a long silence, pulling Kirk from his thoughts. Spock stood up neatly and extended a hand to Kirk.
"I'll meet you there. I've got to finish my log." Kirk shook his head and Spock nodded in understanding.
"I will see you there at 1800 hours, Captain. No later."
"Yeah, Yeah." Kirk chuckled and picked up his PADD once more. Spock left silently and Kirk cast his PADD away. He wasn't in the mood to do work. He just wanted to return to the Enterprise. Something about this mission just didn't sit right with him. He couldn't quite place what it was yet, though.
"Kirk to Enterprise." Kirk called into his communicator that had been hanging on his belt.
"Enterprise here, Captain." Uhura's voice came over the communicator.
"Let me talk to Scotty." Kirk said and he heard the line click.
"Wha can I do fer ya' Cap'n?" Scotty's familiar voice asked.
"How's the ship?" Kirk asked, slumping back on the couch.
"In tip-top shape, sir. Why do ya' ask?"
"I just have this weird feeling that I can't shake," Kirk replied. "Nothing to worry about, I'm sure."
"Is everything alrigh' down there Cap'n?" The Scotsman asked, obviously shaken by Kirk's statement.
"Yeah, Scotty, everything's just fine. Forget about it." Kirk sighed. "Keep me posted. Kirk out."
"Aye, Cap'n. Scotty out." Kirk laid down his communicator on the table next to his PADD, the unrest growing in his stomach. He glanced at the clock on the wall. 1740 hours. It was probably time for him to start getting ready for the massive celebratory dinner that the Genons had prepared.
As he was about to stand up, the front door of the house swung open violently and Kirk jumped up, heart racing. He reached on his belt to where his phaser was always clipped, but came up empty handed. He cursed to himself as he remembered that there was no phasers allowed at this dinner, so he had been left grudgingly in his bedroom. A large figure appeared in the doorway. Kirk recognized the massive snake-like alien to be a Genon. The scaly green skin on the seven-foot-tall muscular beast was a dead giveaway. This Genon, unlike the others that he had encountered while being greeted, was obviously not friendly in demeanor. The six red eyes blinked unforgiving at the Captain as he stepped inside of the house.
"What's this about?" Kirk tried to keep his composure, but his heart raced and his mind was on high alert.
"It's nothing personal, Captain Kirk." The beast charged at Kirk, sending the two tumbling down on top of the blue-glass table. Kirk felt the glass shattering underneath his body as they crashed to the floor, the heavy Genon crushing his body. He struggled to throw the beast off of him and scrambled to his feet, racing towards his bedroom. He took about two strides forward when the Genon grabbed his leg and yanked it out from under him, making the ground rush up on him once again. He kicked at the strong hand wrapped around his ankle and flopped like a fish, attempting to break free. The Genon suddenly yanked his leg in an unnatural position and Kirk cried out as white-hot pain engulfed his body. He tried to steady his breathing as he cursed wildly at the Genon, flailing his arms, trying to find his communicator. He needed to get help. The Genon picked him up and swung him over his shoulder, Kirk punching the thick scales as hard as he could. He watched helplessly as the beast kicked his already dented communicator against the wall, shattering it into a thousand small pieces. In a last desperate attempt, Kirk threw his entire weight forward, knocking the Genon off balance and sending Kirk himself to the floor once again. He scrambled into a defensive position as the Genon charged at him once again. The beast was on top of him once more and Kirk struggled to push him off as the Genon grabbed his head with both three-fingered hands and slammed it into the floor repeatedly. Kirk struggled to hold onto consciousness as the blows continued, his head pounding and threatening to explode. He watched in seemingly slow motion as the Genon raised his head once more and the world faded to black as his skull cracked against the floor.
Spock glanced up at the clock in the dining hall of the Genons. 1800 hours. Kirk was late. The Vulcan pulled out his communicator and hailed the Captain, ready to cite thousands of regulations against him. The communicator blinked twice and ended the call. Strange. Spock thought. That's not supposed to happen. The Vulcan looked around at the Genons in the elaborate dining hall, all clearly ready to get the celebration underway.
"Spock to Enterprise." Spock called into the communicator, attempting to rule out the possibility of a communicator malfunction on his part.
"Enterprise here, Spock. Is everything okay?" Uhura asked.
"Curious that you would ask that, Lieutenant." Spock quizzically raised an eyebrow. How could the Communications Officer have possibly known that the Captain was missing?
"Captain Kirk called not more than half an hour ago. Asked to talk to Scotty. Plus, you never call. Especially on a straight-forward mission like this one." Uhura answered and Spock remained silent, lost in thought about what the Captain had possibly wanted to talk to Mr. Scott about. "You there, Spock?" Uhura asked and Spock was shaken from his thoughts.
"Yes, Nyota. Please let me speak to Mr. Scott." Spock started heading for the door, unease growing in his stomach. Something was wrong.
"Will do." Uhura responded and Spock heard the quiet click of him being transferred to another line.
"Scotty, here." Scotty said, his voice edged with confusion.
"Mr. Scott, I am inquiring as to what Captain Kirk spoke to you about at 1730 hours." Spock was already out the door and on the street, avoiding questions from the Genon leaders.
"He didnea say much, Mister Spock. Just asked abou' how the ship was." Scotty replied. "He did mention somethin' abou' havin' a weird feelin' abou' somethin'." Scotty continued and Spock shook his head slightly. He knew that something was off. "Is everything alrigh' down there, Spock?"
"Unclear." Spock responded, opening the door to the small house that they had been provided. His heart stopped as he saw the blood-smeared carpet and the blue-glass table lying in shards among the crimson. "We have a situation."
Kirk's head throbbed. This was nothing like the usual hangover that he was accustomed to. This was much worse. It felt like it did after Narda. After Khan's attack. He groggily opened his eyes and was blinded by a bright light. He shut them again quickly and hissed. He had a definite concussion. Bones was going to strangle him. He attempted to open his eyes once more, mentally preparing himself for burning retinas. He looked around in confusion and growing unrest at the medical equipment surrounding him. This was a bad situation. He attempted to move his hands, but soon realized that he was strapped to some sort of bed. The world spun around and his brain finally woke enough to put himself on high alert. He had been kidnapped. He tried to yank his arms free of the bonds to no avail. This was a very bad situation.
"Captain Kirk," A rough voice called and he spun his head around painfully to see a Genon standing above him. His bed swiveled so that he was completely vertical, his head reaching a new level of pulsating pain. He tried to move his legs, but bit his lip as he painfully remembered the broken femur. "Good to see you awake." The Genon smiled, revealing the sharp red teeth in its hideous mouth.
"Whayouwan," Kirk's speech was slurred as he tried to remain as intimidating as possible.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't quite catch that." The Genon chuckled. Kirk spat blood at the Genon's face, but the Genon looked more annoyed than anything else. "That's not very polite, Captain." The Genon wiped the blood off its face and snickered. "I am Halk-Mal, leader of the Genonian resistance." Halk-Mal explained and Kirk rolled his eyes.
"Kinna a lame name if ya ask me." Kirk muttered.
"Like you could talk, Tiberius." Halk-Mal hissed. "Anyway, you're probably wondering why it is that you're here. I'll save you the dramatic monologue." He hit a button on a small remote in his scaly hands and Kirk was suddenly whooshed downwards into the floor. He was immersed in a strange liquid that he felt burning each cell in his body. He cried out in pain, but only swallowed the syrupy substance. He was yanked back out as suddenly as he was forced in, gagging on the awful stuff. Halk-Mal smiled in delight, baring his teeth. Kirk felt the pain subside and he stared at Halk-Mal, still unable to catch his breath.
"I feel like it's better without a warning." Halk-Mal shrugged. And Kirk squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force out the rest of the lingering pain.
"You're sick." Kirk spat and Halk-Mal laughed.
"Probably true, but just you wait and see." Halk-Mal pushed another button on his remote and Kirk picked up his head just enough to see a chamber rising from the floor slowly.
"So much for saving me the theatrics." He mumbled. As the bed rose, Kirk watched in horror as he saw a being inside of the chamber. "What the-" He trailed off as the form stepped out of the chamber, smoke billowing out as he took his first step.
"Captain Kirk, I'm pleased to introduce you to Captain Kirk." Halk-Mal said as Kirk watched in disbelief as a perfect clone of himself stepped out of the chamber.
"Pleased to meet ya," The clone saluted him.
"That's his blood alright," Bones cursed quietly as he stood up from the glass shards on the carpet of the small house. "What the h*ll happened here, Spock?" The doctor asked angrily. He knew that he shouldn't have let Kirk go down on this mission. The simple ones always turn out to be the most complicated.
"It is very likely that the Captain was kidnapped." Spock said, hands folded neatly behind his back, thinly masking his panic.
"I got that," Bones retorted, obviously annoyed. "How do we get him back?"
"The Genons have offered us any aid in attempting to find the Captain. Their aid should prove to be beneficial to our search."
"That's all great and good, but how do we know where to find him if we don't know where to look?" McCoy stood up to face the Vulcan. He could tell that Spock obviously blamed himself for the attack, but he also knew that the hobgoblin would never admit that to him.
"There's a rebellion here on Genosia," A large security Genon stepped forward. "This looks like their work if I've ever seen it." Spock nodded in the Genon's direction and turned back to McCoy.
"It seems as though finding our missing Captain will prove to be easier than we suspected.
"Stop!" Kirk protested as he watched Halk-Mal pull a gleaming silver knife from his medical tray.
"Oh relax, golden boy. He won't even feel it." Halk-Mal plunged the knife into Captain Clone's arm without remorse. Kirk winced as he heard, well, himself scream out in pain. "We can't make it look like you made it out of there unharmed, now can we?" A fire burned deep in Kirk's soul as realization sunk in over the haze.
"You leave my crew alone!" He snapped, pulling painfully against the restraints.
"Don't worry, if they cooperate, no harm will come to them." Halk-Mal said plainly, slashing the clone's chest with the knife, tearing his golden uniform. Spock was going to be mad.
"You don't think they'll notice? Replacing me with a clone? Give them a little credit, Mally." Kirk smirked slightly, realizing that his crew would handle this. They had to. They always did.
"Not if this Jim Kirk acts like you, walks like you, and talks like you. We've perfected this cloning technology, there's no way they'll figure it out." Halk-Mal wiped the blade clean with the white cloth on the medical tray and gently set it back down.
"You aren't afraid he'll talk? If he acts like me, he sure as h*ll will," Kirk watched as his clone sat obediently in the chair as Halk-Mal finished cleaning his supplies.
"Jim here is completely obedient to me. Like I said, we've got this all figured out." Halk-Mal motioned for the clone to stand and he did it without blinking an eye. "You know your story, Captain. Hop to it." The clone nodded and Halk-Mal shooed him away like an animal. "As for you, Captain, I don't think you'll enjoy your stay here as much as you do the Enterprise…"
"Any luck with Beta team?" Sulu asked stirring McCoy from his thoughts. Spock walked into the Meeting Hall of the Genons, now the headquarters of the search party, hands clasped behind his back.
"Unfortunately, not." Spock said plainly and McCoy slouched back down in his chair.
"How can we not find him? That man is always begging for attention!" McCoy said angrily and Sulu took a step back. He didn't want to mess with the Doctor in general, but even more so now that Captain Kirk was in trouble.
"I assure you Doctor McCoy, everyone's best efforts are being put forth in order to bring the Captain back—"
"Best efforts my a**!" McCoy shouted, standing up in rage. "You know how Jim is! We know that he's hurt, and it's only a matter of time until he gets himself even more beat up, or worse! Don't tell me that you're doing your best if he's still not here!" Spock stiffened at the reprimand, but remained outwardly composed. He too was fearful of the Captain's condition.
"No need to be so mean, Bones." McCoy snapped his head towards the door at the sound of a familiar voice. "He really is trying." Kirk stumbled into the meeting hall, clutching his arm tightly, crimson leaking around it and staining the sleeve.
"Jim!" McCoy rushed to his friend's side faster than he thought possible. He grabbed Jim by the shoulders and lead him gently to a chair.
"I'm alright Bones, really." Kirk scoffed as McCoy whipped out his tri-corder.
"Like h*ll you are, Jim! Look at yourself!" He hastily finished his scan. No sign of major injury, just a deep cut in his arm and a slash across his chest.
"Sorry I ruined the uniform, Spock." Jim looked up at Spock, lowering his head like a kicked puppy.
"It's quite alright, Captain. I am pleased to see you." Spock breathed in relief as he saw that McCoy was no longer frantically moving around Jim like he was made of glass. He was going to be okay.
"Likewise," Jim smirked at his First Officer.
"Where have you been, man?" McCoy asked, wrapping a bandage around Jim's arm tenderly.
"The rebellion. They kidnapped me," Jim paused and looked back up at Spock with urgency in his eyes. "They're planning for a full-on attack of the capital."
"How did you escape?" Sulu asked, drawing closer.
"They weren't counting on my boot knife," Jim grinned.
"Why did you not contact us from their base?" Spock asked, a sinking feeling in his stomach that something was still amiss.
"Didn't have time." Jim shrugged, allowing McCoy to finish wrapping his arm. "I had to get the heck out of there, and you probably saw my communicator." Spock nodded in understanding. Something was still off.
"Well, you're here now. I want you in my sickbay for a full-examination." McCoy helped Jim to his feet and led him to the door.
"Aw, c'mon Bones, your tri-corder said that I was fine." Jim moaned as McCoy dragged him out to the beam out point.
"You know I don't trust that thing too much," McCoy grumbled in response.
"Spock, everything okay?" Sulu asked the First Officer, who was still trying to place what was wrong.
"I believe so, Mr. Sulu. I will stay here on the planet's surface and speak to the officials. Please return to the ship and notify me of any news." Spock said and Sulu nodded in reply. Spock was going to figure out just what was going on here.
"Jim, I'm surprised at you." McCoy admitted, running the last scanner over Jim. "You always come back beaten within inches of your life. This? This is nothing for you." McCoy returned the scanner to the shelf and Jim swung his legs over the side of the biobed. "Now, that doesn't mean that I want you up and about just yet either. You've lost quite a bit of blood."
"Not enough to be worried about. I've got more." Jim smirked and McCoy rolled his eyes in response. "I've got to talk to Starfleet Command."
"Don't worry about that, Jim. Spock's probably got the report all finished already. He lives for that kind of thing."
"No, it's more than that. We need reinforcements here." Jim started for the door, pulling a clean uniform over his bandaged chest.
"What in the world are you talking about?" McCoy looked at his friend curiously.
"That rebellion is going to kill everyone and everything on that planet if we don't stop it." Jim slid open the door and vanished into the halls. McCoy stood in medical, trying to wrap his head around the whole situation.
"You know, you're really not the best host." The real James T. Kirk scoffed, still laying uncomfortably on his bed.
"Noted." Halk-Mal pushed the hovering bed into a small cell and pressed a button on his remote, releasing Kirk and dropping him unceremoniously on the floor, sending hot white pain up his body. "Oh, sorry." Halk-Mal smirked and shut the heavy door behind him. Jim moaned as he attempted to pull himself up from the ground. His leg was radiating pain, making his earlier headache seem like child's play. How was he going to get himself out of this mess? He sucked in a deep breath and pushed himself to his feet, nearly toppling over when he put weight on his broken leg. Driven by determination and anger alone, he stumbled forward and banged on the heavy door. Unsurprisingly, it didn't budge. He cursed under his breath as he tried to come up with a way out. To do that, he figured, he would probably have to figure out why he was there in the first place.
Why not just kill me? He wondered, heaving himself onto the now horizontal bed. They have my clone. Why could they possibly still need me? Two reasons. The first one, they use me as a bargaining chip if things go wrong. Not a bad plan. The second, the clones expire. They need me to make more. He figured that the answer was probably the first, which meant that he had to get out of there as soon as possible and warn his crew. If they were planning on things going wrong, they were probably going to.
This left him with only one problem. How to get out? He reached down and felt the knife still snuggled in his boot. That could help him out, granted he could get out of the room first. His options were limited, looking around. The small concrete-type cell had only the door as an opening, the rest was solid rock. A small camera sat up in the corner, just out of reach. Bingo. He thought. We'll see if they really need me alive.
"Sir, we have a problem." A young Genon stuttered, staring at the surveillance feed. Halk-Mal snapped his head in the cadet's direction.
"What do you mean?" He hissed, looking at the surveillance screen. The Captain was laying eerily still on the floor.
"Well, at first I thought he was just sleeping," the Cadet shook with fear. "He was sitting on the bed, and he kind of slumped over and I didn't think anything of it, but then he rolled on the floor and he hasn't moved since. I-I think he might be dead." The Cadet finished and Halk-Mal's rage boiled.
"I need a security team down there immediately." He hissed, squinting all six of his eyes, trying to get a better look at the fallen man before running down the hall with the security team.
By the time Halk-Mal reached the Captain's cell, the first response team had already swung the door wide open. A group of Genons stood around Kirk's pale form lying limply on the ground. Halk-Mal's tongue flicked between his teeth in anger. He had been told that the Captain's injuries were non-threatening. There were no flaws in his plan. How could this be happening? He had been so careful!
As Halk-Mal reached down to take the Captain's pulse, Kirk lunged at his arm with the boot-knife hidden in his sleeve. The room erupted into chaos as Kirk slashed around with his knife and lashed out with his good leg, knocking guards to the ground. In a frenzy of adrenaline, he struggled to his feet and raced out the door and slammed it shut, leaving the chaos behind him.
He limped down the hallway, wishing on his lucky stars that he wouldn't run into any more guards on his way to, well, wherever this hallway led. He smiled in relief as he came upon a control panel at the end of the hall, vacant of Genons. He threw the door closed and locked it, then slumped down into a chair in front of the panel. His fingers flew across the screen, hailing the Enterprise. Through some quick coding skills, he sent a message that he prayed Uhura would intercept, giving the Enterprise his coordinates. He sent out the message and felt the adrenaline wearing off, the darkness of unconsciousness tugging at the corners of his vision. They would find him. They had to.
"Captain Kirk." Nyota Uhura said, a little more excitedly than she would've liked. "It's good to see you back," She nodded at the Captain, who threw a smirk in her direction.
"Good to see you too, Uhura." Jim waltzed over to her station. "I need you to get me in a private conference with Starfleet Command. Tell them it's urgent." He pleaded, sending a shiver down her spine, though she didn't know why. She let her fingers click across the buttons and nodded at the Captain.
"A line is open for you in Conference Room 1."
"Thank you, Lieutenant." Jim walked off the bridge without another word.
Uhura tried to shake off her bad feeling and returned to her work. She was picking up calls from nearby star systems, all sorts of chatter. She loved to listen in on it. As she flicked through the calls, a strange message flashed across her station. She dug deep into the message curiously, only to find that it read off a string of coordinates.
"Chekov?" Uhura swung her chair to face the young navigator. "Can you run some coordinates for me and tell me where they are?"
"Of course!" Chekov beamed at her. She listed off the coordinates and watched at Chekov's hands became a flurry as he put in the coordinates. "It's somevhere on zhe planet Genosia's surface. Vhy do you ask?"
The feeling returned and another shiver ran down Uhura's spine. She swiveled back to her station and rapidly started a channel.
"Spock here," Spock's voice cracked to life over the private line. "What is it, Nyota?"
"I'm not sure yet. I, well, I found a string of coordinates in somewhat of an encrypted message. They're on the planet Genon. Do you think that you can check them out?" She bit her lip, unsure of why she didn't bring this information to Kirk's attention first. She was probably breaking a dozen regulations by doing this - and that wasn't something that Spock took lightly.
"Certainly, Lieutenant. Have you brought this to the Captain's attention?" Spock asked and Nyota held her breath. She was pretty sure that lying to a Vulcan was worse than breaking regulations.
"No." She said quietly.
"For the time being, I think that we should keep it that way." Spock said and Nyota sighed in relief. "Spock out."
Spock walked into the bunker, his unease growing. The security team had stumbled upon the entrance not far from the coordinates from Nyota. On the rooling purple-grass hills of Genosia, large bunker doors in the ground did seem rather suspicious. Spock had thought that it was only logical that this was the location of the rebellion's base, and probably where Kirk had been held captive, though the Captain had yet to submit his full report on what had transpired. Spock found this to be concerning, but not completely out of the ordinary for the Captain.
Two ensigns opened the bunker doors cautiously, the entire team holding their phasers at the ready. They all breathed in relief as the inside was unguarded. The security team descended down the dark stone stairs of the bunker, delving deeper into the lion's den. Spock held his phaser tightly as they rounded each corner, coming closer and closer to the coordinate points they had been given. Right before they could reach them, they came across a large, iron door blocking the path. Spock motioned to the red-shirted ensigns and they all simultaneously phasered the door down, leaving the room clear to enter. Spock's heart was racing as he entered first, a flash of gold catching his eye as they scanned the room. He did a double take and spotted Captain Kirk, slumped in a chair. He raced to the Captain and shook his shoulders gently.
"Captain? Captain, can you hear me?" Spock whispered, letting all of the confusion of the Kirk that they had rescued escape his mind. Kirk slowly came back into consciousness, blinking his brilliantly blue eyes rapidly.
"Wha- Spock! You found me!" Kirk smiled and almost let himself slip back into unconsciousness.
"Captain, please refrain from sleeping. You know what Doctor McCoy would say." Spock tried to appeal to him and Kirk groggily opened his eyes again.
"Crazy old coot," Kirk mumbled. "Spock, I know you're probably confused about what the h*ll is going on, and I promise that I'll explain it later, but right now, we really need to get back to the Enterprise," Kirk struggled and attempted to stand up, and Spock supported him gently.
"Captain, it may be beneficial to preform a Vulcan mind-meld as a means of-"
"No!" Kirk hissed, trying to stand up straighter. "No, I don't think that's such a good idea." He stumbled forward as Spock led him out the door.
"I understand your concerns with the meld, Captain, however, I think that the positives outweigh the negative effects. Not only would the meld allow me to understand the situation, but it would also help me to evaluate the extent of your injuries," Spock persisted.
"That's what I'm worried about." Kirk groaned as the approached the staircase.
"Look out!" The ensign guarding the back called out and blaster fire echoed through the hallway. Spock spun around quickly, dropping the Captain and facing the attackers, phaser at the ready. Kirk struggled to maintain his balance as the firefight broke out in the hall, Spock taking down a few of the scaled beasts. Kirk felt a fiery blast rip into his side and he cried out in pain, crumpling to the ground. He squeezed his eyes tightly, trying to overcome the pain blossoming in his chest, the blaster fire consuming his body. He was only vaguely aware of Spock kneeling down beside him, sheltering him from any more incoming fire. He snapped his eyes open to see a large Genon hit Spock across the head with the butt of his blaster, sending an unconscious Spock down on top of him. Kirk reached out for Spock's hand, searching frantically for his phaser. The Genon smirked and raised his weapon, only to lose the quickdraw to Kirk, who phasered a hole in his chest. The Genon toppled to the floor and Kirk sighed in relief.
All of the fire had ceased around him. He searched the carnage to find two dead ensigns, which he would worry about blaming himself for later, and a whole mess of Genons. He knew that it still wasn't safe. He had to get himself and Spock out of harm's way. He rolled the Vulcan off of him gently and reassessed the situation. He attempted to sit up, but was knocked back down by the searing pain in his side. He knew that he couldn't get far, even if he tried. Find cover in one of these rooms. Stay until Spock comes to. That's the only thing to do. His brain screamed at him. He looked around and found a small door adjacent to the disaster. He could make it. He took a deep breath and ignored the screaming in his body and the groans of protest as he dragged himself to his feet and grabbed Spock by the arm and dragged him slowly towards the small door. What had seemed like only ten feet had turned into a whole football field away. Kirk's head spun like a merry-go-round as he tried to maintain balance and consciousness, willing himself forward. I have to get Spock to safety. He thought over and over, trying to distract himself from the pain.
He finally reached the door and swung it open in celebration to find a small broom closet. He heaved Spock inside a little less gently than he should've and shut the door behind him. The room was submerged in darkness, to Kirk's relief. He flopped down on the floor next to Spock and struggled to hold on to consciousness. Spock was right before. Bones would have a fit if he went to sleep with a concussion. What now? He had to distract himself to stay awake.
Only a few problems left. One, my doppelganger is still running things on my ship. Two, Spock and I are here, and I'm probably going to pass out any minute. There's no telling when he's going to wake up, either. All we can do is wait it out. Kirk thought, when he suddenly remembered the communicator on Spock's belt. He sat up excitedly, forgetting about the blaster wound and nearly passed out from the pain. He slowly got up this time and felt around until he pulled Spock's communicator off his belt. He fumbled with it until it opened and quickly hailed the Enterprise.
"Kirk to Enterprise!" Kirk called desperately.
"Captain? I thought that you were in the conference room..." Nyota answered and Kirk let out a frustrated sigh.
"Yeah, I'm not. Listen, it's a long story, but I'm down here with Spock, he came and found me at those coordinates I sent you-"
"That was you?"
"Yes! That guy on board? He's a clone! And listen, I'm not sure how to prove it, but you have to believe me!"
"Let me talk to Spock." Nyota said and Kirk sucked in a sharp breath.
"Actually... he's kind of unconscious right now, but I promise I'll tell you when he wakes up." Kirk said, knowing that he was losing Nyota's trust.
"Listen," Her voice grew dark. "I don't know who you are, but if you harm Spock, I will personally rip you to pieces."
"Alright, not gonna lie, Nyota, I'm scared. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm the real Kirk!"
"Prove it." She said coldly and Kirk's stomach dropped. How was he going to prove it?
"Bones! McCoy!" He suddenly realized. "Just ask Bones! He always says that I come in way too broken up, but I saw that Kirk! He barely had a scratch! He has to know that something's up!" Kirk celebrated inside a little bit. "And, I think that you know, too. Otherwise, you never would've sent Spock in here in the first place." Nyota was silent on the other line.
"I... I don't know what to do." She replied almost inaudibly.
"Okay, I know it's a lot. But listen, I'll have Spock explain it to you as soon as he comes to, I swear. Right now, just stall the other Kirk so that he can't talk to Command. If he does, we're in a world of trouble. All I'm asking for is a little bit of time. Can you do that for me?" Kirk breathed, waiting for a response.
"Okay." Nyota responded and the line closed and Kirk sighed in relief.
"Nyota, I don't understand." McCoy paced in his office while the open communicator sat on the desk. "Yeah, I did think that it was a little strange that Jim wasn't all mangled up, and yeah I think that something's off, but you know Jim,"
"Please, Leonard. Just twenty minutes." Uhura pleaded and McCoy swore quietly under his breath.
"Alright, fine. But only because I like to drag him into sickbay." McCoy grumbled.
"Thank you!"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." McCoy switched the line over to talk to Jim.
"Yeah, Bones?" Jim sounded slightly annoyed, which only convinced McCoy to want to bring him into sickbay even more.
"I need you down here. It's about your blood work."
"It can wait. I have business with Starfleet Command right now." Jim was even more annoyed now. McCoy cocked his head at the communicator as if Jim could see the sass he was giving him in response.
"No, it can't wait. I'm your CMO, d*mmnit, and your attending physician. If I say to come down, that means come down." McCoy sneered.
"I don't have time for this, Bones." Jim retorted and McCoy could hear him shift to switch off the communicator.
"Wait! What if I told you that it's possible that you have a viral infection that, left untreated, could kill every single person on board this ship?" McCoy stammered and there was silence on the other side.
"I'll be down in a second." Jim said after a long pause.
"Better make that half a second." McCoy said and he heard the line click off after a huff from Jim. He sighed in relief. Nyota had better be right about this.
Spock's head was pulsing in his skull. He opened his eyes slowly to see himself shrouded in darkness. What had happened to him? Had he lost his sight?
"Easy there, Spock." He heard Kirk say and his panic eased slightly. "You got bonked on the head pretty hard." Spock shifted slightly to move towards Jim's voice. "Try not to move too much," Kirk warned. "You'll regret it."
"Captain, what has happened-" Spock asked, but was abruptly interrupted when his hand came into contact with Jim's leg. He was suddenly flooded with bursts of pain flaring throughout his body, threatening to sending him back into the oblivion of unconsciousness. He pulled his hand away, but the pain lingered.
"Ah, I tried to warn you." Kirk let out a frustrated sigh and shifted to try and help Spock.
"Captain, you are in desperate need of medical attention," Spock said, regaining his composure.
"Yeah, well, if you don't talk to Nyota first, there probably won't be a Bones or a sickbay for me to go to." Kirk groaned as he let himself lay back down.
"I do not understand." Spock replied, searching his memories from when he and Kirk had just accidentally melded. He picked through the memories and found everything about the clone. "Oh."
"Yeah, well now you have to explain it to Uhura for me so she can shut down that clone, once and for all." Kirk handed Spock the communicator and Spock fumbled with it until he could pop it open.
"Lieutenant Uhura," Spock hailed the Enterprise.
"Spock! Thank God you're okay!" Nyota exclaimed.
"I would not thank a deity yet, Nyota. The Captain is in desperate need of medical attention." Spock replied.
"What's going on down there?"
"I am afraid that I cannot explain the circumstances to you fully at this time, however I would like to show that the Captain's earlier statement did indeed have verity."
"So, this Kirk really is a clone?"
"Indeed."
"Then what am I supposed to do?"
"I recommend preventing the clone from contacting anyone, especially Starfleet Command."
"I have McCoy distracting him right now. I'll cancel the meeting with him and Command."
"Thank you, Nyota. Please have Mr. Scott locate our signal to beam us up immediately."
"Will do."
"Spock out." Spock closed his communicator. "Captain, if you would be so kind as to show me a way out."
"No problem," Kirk painfully pulled himself to brace against the wall and he pulled the door open a crack, letting light flood in. Spock winced at the hallway lights, but his eyes soon adjusted and his attention went straight to the Captain. Over the years, Spock had seen Kirk beaten up more times than he cared to admit, including the time he was actually dead. However, he admitted to himself, he would never be prepared to see the pain in the Captain's eyes, or seeing his once strong and seemingly invincible figure reduced to relying on a wall to stay upright.
Spock immediately rushed to Jim's side and draped his arm across his should and held him up by the hip, carefully avoiding the wound on his side. The two men stepped over the bodies in the hall, Spock half-dragging the Captain, until they made it up the stairs and into the clearing.
"Nyota, two to beam up." Spock spoke into the communicator and Jim was surrounded by the familiar feeling of his atoms being displaced by the transporter.
"Jim!" McCoy was quick on his feet, catching Jim as he slipped out of Spock's arms and nearly nose-dived into the floor. Jim's head lolled to the side slightly as McCoy held him tightly and a stretcher was brought over. "Do I have to tell you a million times? When you have a head injury, you don't sleep until I tell you to sleep!" McCoy barked and Jim's mouth formed a weak smile.
"Yeah, yeah." He managed weakly as McCoy and Spock lifted him onto a stretcher.
"Spock, I'm going to need you in my sickbay as well." McCoy barely averted his attention to the Vulcan as he rushed Jim towards the sickbay. "Eyes open, Jim." McCoy scolded.
"So bossy," Jim mumbled in response.
"Doctor McCoy, what has become of the Captain's clone?" Spock asked, keeping pace with the doctors and nurses.
"Can't really focus on that right now, Spock." McCoy huffed. "I'll treat you when I'm done with this idiot. Go sit in a biobed and call Nyota or something,"
"Yay, I'm first." Jim mumbled as McCoy whisked him off to the operating room. Spock watched as McCoy took him away, head spinning.
"Maybe you should sit," Nyota placed a hand on Spock's back and led him to a biobed. Spock sat down silently and Uhura followed suit. "They took the clone to the brig. We shouldn't be troubled by him for now." Uhura said softly, rubbing comforting circles on Spock's back.
"But what is to become of him later?" Spock asked and Uhura fell silent.
"I don't know, Spock. That's not exactly our choice to make, either."
"You are correct in the assumption that he is now 'Starfleet Command's problem'." Spock replied dryly. "However, this clone is the perfect embodiment of Captain Kirk, and should he escape, he could wreak untold havoc. However, it is also a possibility that Starfleet with not recognize him to be a human, either. They might simply dispose of him." The thought made both Uhura and Spock sick to their stomachs. Sure, this being wasn't a human, however, to think about something that looks, walks, and talks like James T. Kirk dying a plain and meaningless death- it was almost too much to bear. The two sat together, lost in thought, simply finding comfort in each other's company.
"There is still the manner of the Genons." Spock said after a long silence. "I must question the clone to see what we can uncover about this rebellion." Spock stood up and keeled over slightly, but Uhura was there to support him.
"Is that really such a great idea?" She asked, guiding him back to sit on the bed. "Let's just wait until Kirk gets out of surgery, okay?"
"That does seem logical." Spock agreed.
"I'm not sure that clearing you for duty is your best option," McCoy watched as Spock slowly stood up and regained his typical Vulcan composure. "You do have a concussion, after all."
"Doctor McCoy, whilst your concerns are appreciated, they are unnecessary. I have mediated and am now fully capable of carrying out my duties to an acceptable standard." Spock clasped his hands behind his back, pushing away the throbbing sensation in his head.
"So you agree, you aren't a hundred percent." McCoy added, catching Spock in his trick.
"Regrettably not, Doctor. However, I have expressed my ability to function acceptably." Spock nodded slightly.
"I'm still not sure that I'm okay with this." McCoy crossed his arms over his chest. It was almost as bad dealing with the Vulcan than with Jim when it came to staying in sickbay.
"Unfortunately, I do not believe that it is appropriate to rest while there is still an unresolved issue on Genosia." Spock started for the door, but McCoy stood in his way.
"You're not going back down there, right?" McCoy asked.
"No. I am simply going to question the prisoner and seek out answers. I promise that I will not overexert myself, Doctor." Spock took another step forward. "Please alert me on any changes in the Captain's condition."
McCoy grumbled and stepped out of the way, allowing Spock to pass through into the hallway. He made a quick ascent to the brig as fast as he could walk without seeming too rushed. He wanted to get everything resolved before Captain Kirk awakened. He knew that that Jim wouldn't rest until everything was made right. That was one of his favorite qualities about him - Spock couldn't help but admire the man's drive and determination.
As soon as Spock rounded the corner to the brig, he sensed that something was not right. He peered into the holding cell and found it vacant of the prisoner, but instead filled with the security team, unconscious and broken. Spock was worried that this might happen. The real Jim would've been crafty enough to find a way out of his cell, and they never should've underestimated that his perfect replica would be anything less. Spock swiftly pulled out his phaser and communicator and dialed Uhura.
"Nyota, please place the ship under red alert status." Spock said sternly.
"What happened?" Uhura asked as the red lights on each desk flashed to life.
"Please alert the crew that if they see the Captain, they are to report his whereabouts immediately and to not confront him." Spock was already halfway down the hall, a sickening feeling growing in his stomach.
"The clone escaped?" Nyota sighed heavily.
"Correct."
"Any idea where he went?"
"Unfortunately, I do."
"Wakey, wakey, sunshine." Kirk heard someone call distantly, but he couldn't shake himself back to reality. Where was he? In sickbay? He couldn't remember. He groggily cracked an eye open to see his own face staring back at him. "That's it." He saw his face smiling back at him and a wave of memory washed over him. The clone. His body snapped into high alert, his brain racing despite the throbbing sensation behind his eyes. "Wow, we really are a handsome devil." The clone grabbed his cheeks and held his head off the pillow and smirked.
"Jim, I really hope that you're awake, otherwise these spiking vitals are not good." McCoy thundered into the room, staring down at the numbers on his PADD. "Can't you just make something easy-" He stopped mid-sentence as he looked up and saw the Jim clone holding a loaded phaser pointed at him in one hand and the real Jim's face in the other.
"Bones, get back in your office, please." The clone turned to face McCoy, his eyes cold and unforgiving. The real Kirk stared at him as well, his eyes pleading for him to follow the clone's instructions. "I don't want to hurt you."
"If you think that I'm going to let you hurt him, then you're insane-" McCoy took another step forward in rage, but was cut off abruptly by a phaser blast to the stomach.
"BONES!" The real Jim screamed, jerking himself away from the clone.
"Relax, he's just stunned." The clone adjusted his hold on Jim, grabbing the collar of his medical gown. He spun the phaser in his free hand and slipped it back into his belt. Jim didn't take his eyes off of Bones's crumpled figure on the floor. "I'm only supposed to take you back to Halk-Mal." The clone lifted Jim off the bed and pushed him to the floor. Pain flared through Jim's entire body as he hit the floor with a thud. "We're not done with you yet." The clone gave him a quick kick to the ribs and Jim recoiled in pain, clutching his chest.
"Well, I'm done with you," Jim slowly brought himself up from the floor to face his attacker.
"That sucks." The clone shrugged and swung a fist that collided directly with Jim's nose. Jim felt it crack, the blood flowing freely from it. He winced at the pain, but anger boiled inside him. The pain was replaced with hate. Jim lashed out and tackled his clone, sending them both to the floor. The only advantage I have, Jim thought, is that I know all of his moves. Problem is, he knows all of mine.
"Am I really this annoying?" The clone threw Jim off of him and sat on his chest, pinning him to the floor. He pulled back his arm and Jim shut his eyes tightly, already knowing what was coming. The clone's fist came down on his face once again, the blows coming unceasingly. He couldn't clear his head enough to think his way out. His head was spinning faster than it was when he rode The Hurler back home in Iowa. "I'm sorry, but really, Halk-Mal's plan is kind of genius, when you think about it." The clone spoke, but Jim could barely make out the words he was saying between blows. "Turn the Enterprise into a weapon for Genosia? Bring in more Starfleet ships to build an army? Can't blame a man for being a genius."
Jim's breath was short and shallow. He had to think of something, and fast.
The blows ceased as Jim let his head fall limply, trying to show weakness. He was hoping that the other Jim wouldn't catch on.
"C'mon, I know you can take more than that," The clone chuckled, standing up and resting his foot on top of Jim's chest. He remembered the boot-knife. There was no way that he would leave his quarters without it, so he was willing to bet that the clone would be the same way. In a battle, Kirk wouldn't have even worried about someone stealing the knife from him. He figured that no one would even notice it. He was hoping that his clone would let his guard down long enough to let Kirk reach his feet and slip the knife out. "I'm you, remember? I know what you can handle." The clone snickered and Jim shot his arms up, wrapping them tightly around the clone's ankle. The clone tried to pull his foot away and the boot slipped off, the knife clattering to the floor. Jim snatched it up and rolled to a defensive position. "Alright, I wasn't expecting that. Kudos." The clone pulled the phaser from his belt and trained it on Jim. Jim held up his hands in surrender, still holding onto the knife.
"Alright, you've got me." Jim managed to tighten his lips into a smirk, his vision swimming in red. The clone reached down and snatched the knife from Jim's hand and Jim reached out desperately for the phaser in the clone's hand.
"Good try," The clone laughed as he pulled the phaser out of reach. "Really, I was expecting more from-" Jim cut him off by slamming his broken leg into the clone's shin, knocking him off his feet. Jim wrapped his arm tightly around the fallen clone, squeezing the life from his lungs and ignoring his own pain radiating from every cell in his body. "Knock it off," The clone wheezed, writhing under Jim's arm. The clone stood up slowly, Jim hanging on his back with all of his strength. The clone flung his back into the wall, trying to shake Jim off. Jim readjusted his grip and snatched an anesthetic hypo from the stand by his bed. He dropped his hold from the clone's neck and plunged the hypo into the clone's neck, injecting its contents into his body. The clone stifled a shriek as he fell to the floor.
"Yeah, I hate hypos too." Jim breathed, the adrenaline slowly seeping out of his body. He steadied himself on the biobed before giving his attention back to McCoy, still out cold.
"Jim!" Jim jumped as Spock banged on the door. "Jim, can you hear me?" Spock yelled through the door desperately.
"Yeah," Jim yelled back, feeling the exhaustion set into his body. "Computer, open the door." The computer obeyed and Spock raced inside, immediately rushing to Jim's side and holding his limp body up. "Bones," Jim said softly, refusing to tear his eyes away from his fallen friend. Spock carefully helped Jim onto his bed and knelt down beside McCoy.
"He's alright Jim. Merely stunned." Spock stood up and watched the Captain slowly slip back into unconsciousness.
"Good," Jim breathed and let his eyes close.
"I can't believe you, Jim." Kirk heard McCoy say gruffly. He opened his eyes, only to be blinded once again by the sickbay's lights. "You managed to get hurt in the one place that you're actually supposed to be healed." Jim smiled up at his friend who looked worse for wear. He looked even more ragged than usual, his dark brown hair wildly unkempt and heavy bags forming under his eyes.
"Sorry, Bones." Jim said coarsely and McCoy shook his head with a slight smile.
"Captain, it is good to see you conscious." He turned his head and saw Spock standing over him.
"Be honest Spock, it's a pleasure to see me unconscious, too." Kirk chuckled, shifting in his bed uncomfortably.
"I would disagree, however it did seem pleasurable to see that you had rendered your clone unconscious, so I suppose, to a certain extent, that is true." Spock said matter-of-factly and McCoy rolled his eyes.
"Speaking of Captain Clone, did you get any information out of him?" Kirk attempted to sit up, but McCoy laid a gentle hand on his chest, keeping him down.
"Indeed, Captain. He revealed to us that the head of the Genosian government himself, by the name of Halk-Mal, was responsible for your capture and cloning. He also revealed the entire plot, including how the government had personally requested our presence here and how they planned to use the Enterprise as a weapon against their enemies."
"I'm surprised that you got him to talk," Jim rubbed his head and smiled. "I always thought that I wouldn't break under pressure."
"That is still possibly so, Jim. It seems as though the programming done by Halk-Mal had left some...inconsistencies in his brain, if you can even call it that. With the correct electrical persuasion, he spoke quite freely about the Genon intentions." If Jim didn't know any better, he might have thought that he had sensed a hint of pride in Spock's voice.
"So, I'm guessing that the deal with the Genons is off, then?" Jim asked sarcastically.
"If not, then I will personally fire all that we've got on that d*mned planet." McCoy grumbled.
"All deals are off the table. They are currently ex-communicated and banned from the Federation." Spock eyed the doctor. "No force is necessary."
"Well, I'll try not to beat myself up about it." Jim smirked wildly and McCoy smacked his forehead with his palm. "Speaking of which, what do we do with the clone?"
"I have run extensive tests, and it appears that the clone is naturally deteriorating, so it will no longer be functional in a matter of days. It appears that that was the Genon's plan all along." Spock answered.
"Lucky for us," McCoy scoffed. "I can't imagine having to deal with two Jim Kirks. That's a nightmare that I don't want to relive."
Author's Note
Thanks for reading! This is my first fic, so please have a little patience, as I am still actively developing my style and getting the hang of things in general. Any constructive feedback would be appreciated, but try not to be too harsh please! Also, this is has not been proof read by anyone but myself, so please try not to focus in on any mistakes too much. Thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!
-buckminsterbarnes