"Battle stations!" cried Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise. John Harrison had been more of a threat than the crew had realized as they braced themselves for the incoming barrage of torpedoes from his ship.

At the Science station, First Officer Spock's fingers flew over keys as he attempted to disable as many of the torpedoes in flight as he could before impact. His mind had already calculated that too few would be disabled to prevent severe damage to the ship, but the minute number that could be disabled would be the only possibility of survival for the crew. Twenty torpedoes went offline before Sulu's cry of

"Incoming forty torpedoes, Captain!"

"Fire all photon torpedoes!" barked Captain Kirk as the torpedoes enlarged rapidly on the view screen. Photon torpedoes streaked through space, eliminating all the enemy torpedoes in their path. What Kirk had not anticipated, however, was the second wave of torpedoes fired immediately after the first. Sixty photon torpedoes impacted against the Enterprise's hull.

"Captain, decks four, seven, and nine report major damage and casualties, and weapons are offline. Engineering also reports damage to the warp drive, as well as a possible radiation leak," Lieutenant Uhura informed the bridge from her Communications station. Spock noted the levelness of her tone and her ability to perform admirably under extreme stress. It was that quality which had led to her post on the Enterprise.

"Then we are basically a sitting duck out here! No weapons and no way to escape; Harrison can blow us up right now without any resistance! Damage report on our shields, Mr. Sulu?" Captain Kirk inquired hurriedly.

"Shields holding at thirty percent, Captain, but we are drawing on reserve power. If weapons are not reengaged soon, there will be no Enterprise left to defend what's left of Earth."

The mood of the bridge perceptibly dropped at the mention of the ravaged planet below. John Harrison's revenge had been complete; fires ran rampant, while buildings tumbled down and crushed the evacuating populace world-wide. If the Enterprise could pull herself out of this jam, the likelihood of there being anything of Earth left to save was quite slim; Spock had made his calculations that at the rate of the planet's current decay, the Enterprise would have two hours to foil Harrison's plot before the earth would cave in on itself. One hour had already passed.

"Kirk to Engineering; Scotty, what have you got down there?"

"The warp drive has been completely disabled, Captain; there is no way to fix it without exposure to the radiation down here. And no, before you ask, if I was to divert the reserve power to the drive, there would be nothing left for the weapons and the shields!" Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott's accent thickened as he spoke rapidly into the com.

"Thanks, Scotty; keep me posted, Kirk out." Captain Kirk leaned back in his chair, slowly turning towards Spock. "Mr. Spock, any ideas?"

"Mr. Scott has already negated the proposal I had intended, leaving me with nothing further to add. Unless the weapons are able to activate on the remaining reserve power and the warp drive is ignored until after the conflict, than there is nothing that can be done." Spock stated calmly as he faced the captain.

"Well, at least that's something, Mr. Spock. Lt. Uhura, can Mr. Spock's suggestion be carried out?" He glanced at Uhura in expectation.

"Negative, Captain; Engineering reports that there is not enough reserve power to sustain one photon torpedo at the moment. Only the reengagement of the warp drive could provide enough power; the reserves are struggling to maintain the shields." Uhura replied; worry creeping into the edge of her voice.

"I told Bones all those showers of his would eat up the reserve power!" Kirk grinned halfheartedly, causing several members of the bridge to smile; Chekov even laughed.

Spock raised his eyebrow in puzzlement. "We face certain death, and the captain makes what appears to be a joke, based on the reaction of the crew. Fascinating."

"Kirk to Medical; Bones, apparently your showers have eaten the reserve powers of the ship, and we are left defenseless because of it. How are things going on your end?"

The irritable voice of the doctor blazed through the com like a wood set afire. "DARN IT, JIM, I'M A LITTLE BUSY HERE! HASN'T ANYONE TOLD YOU ABOUT THE CASULTIES YET? MCCOY OUT!" The com went offline abruptly.

"The doctor must be treating a child evacuee from the planet; it is the only logical explanation for why he ceased from cursing at you in a more violent manner," Spock observed.

A small grin broke out on Kirk's face as he replied, "Why Mr. Spock! From your statement, it would sound as if Bones feels the need to curse at me frequently!"

Spock merely raised an eyebrow in response.

As Captain Kirk began to furiously rack the rest of the bridge's collective minds for ideas, his First Officer's was elsewhere occupied. "Reestablishment of the warp drive is imperative. The ship will be destroyed, along with the planet it is protecting." He observed the other members of the bridge. "The planet they call their home…and now mine. If an individual would risk the radiation poisoning to reestablish the warp drive, success may be achieved." At this thought, a calm assurance settled in his conscience. "I must do this."

Unobtrusively, he arose from his chair and entered the lift to depart the bridge. As the door wisped shut and the lift began its downward descent, Spock recalled what he had said to the captain those short days ago when he had faced death in the volcano.

"The good of the many outweigh the good of the few...or the one."

The actions of the First Officer, however, had not gone unnoticed by every member of the bridge. Jim Kirk's eyes followed his friend's retreating form with confusion. "Where's he going? I need him on the bridge; as First Officer, he must resume command if something happens to me. It's not like he can do anything off the bridge." That was when the light bulb went off in his head; to be accurate, exploded in his head. "He's going to go fix the warp drive! Crap, why do I have to have a suicidal, logical Vulcan as my First Officer?" At that moment, his mind quickly brought to the forefront the layout of the Engineering deck. A plan formulated faster than he had ever thought possible before, and he issued a quick order to Engineering before striding off the bridge after his First Officer.

Spock arrived at Engineering to organized chaos. Crewmen were evacuating their posts quickly, which gave him pause for a moment. "Strange, these crewmen should be at their posts to salvage whatever remains of our power. Under whose authority are they leaving?" He did not ponder the question long, and strode into the inner depths of the deck. Chief Engineer Scott met him as he approached.

"Mr. Spock? What are you doing down here? I thought the…" Scott trailed off.

"I am here to reestablish the warp drive and regain the ship's power. I am aware of the radioactivity and am prepared to undergo its poisoning. What did you think, Mr. Scott, and why are the crewmen evacuating?"

"It's too dangerous, Mr. Spock! Me and the lads have to get out of here, and you should as well! That poisoning will kill you! I thought someone would have told you that!" he answered, with a slight look of guilt that Spock could not pinpoint the cause of.

"I am sorry, Mr. Scott, but I am adamant; I will reestablish the warp drive, whatever the cost. Are the controls located in that glass cylinder?" He gestured to the glass cylinder located in the center of the room, clearly marked with a radioactive symbol.

"Aye, that they are. But Mr. Spock, please don't go in there! I'm sure we can come up with some other way!" begged Mr. Scott.

"Live long and prosper, Mr. Scott." Spock approached the glass cylinder slowly until he stood directly in front of it. He paused, took an almost imperceptible breath, and opened the door. He stepped inside and felt the door close behind him. He moved to begin manipulating the controls, but stopped in the closest thing a Vulcan can obtain to shock. The controls were missing.

"I'm sorry, Spock; you couldn't have known that the warp drive controls can be moved to the main Engineering deck."

Spock whirled around, eyes widening, as he saw Captain Kirk standing outside the glass cylinder beside the warp drive controls. Suddenly, everything fell into place. "The evacuated crewman, Mr. Scott's 'I thought the', his guilty look,…the locked air ventilation system." This last point he observed as he glanced at the vents above to find them sealed closed. He opened his mouth to give the logical argument of why he had to be the one to activate the warp drive, when Kirk smiled and said,

"It's too late, Spock. I'm already exposed to the radiation, while you are not. That glass can keep radiation out as well as it can keep it in. Now, before the poison starts to get to me, I better get this warp drive fixed." Kirk bent over the controls, eyebrows knit together in concentration. He placed a few commands into the computer, reattached some wires, and hit the restart switch. The warp drive burst to life, allowing the lights to brighten to full capacity. Kirk grinned for a moment, and then grimaced in pain. He started walking towards the glass cylinder, and then began to stagger before he stood right before it.

Spock began to search for the unlock switch, but was unable to find one. He looked above and below him, but saw nothing that could open the door.

"It's no use, Spock. The switch is out here with me. And don't try to pound away on the glass either; it's thick enough to even break your hands. I checked." This came rather breathily from Kirk as he slightly leaned into the glass.

"Do you purpose that I watch idly while you succumb to the poison then, Captain?" Spock attempted to say this more detachedly than what it actually came out as. If a Vulcan voice could ever claim to have a tremor, it would have been Spock's tone as he asked this question.

"See? Now we're actually getting to know each other," Kirk quipped as he had when they had first fought together against Nero. He sighed as he felt himself getting steadily weaker. "I only wish…"

"Wish what, Jim?" Spock slipped into the first name basis as the inevitable slowly began to dawn in his conscience. This was becoming the last conversation he would have with his best friend.

"That we had had more time to become friends. I mean, we had just gotten to the point where I don't think you secretly hate my guts, and you were starting to remember my name is Jim not Captain! That old version of you…seemed to have had more time with his Jim Kirk."

Spock repressed the wave of emotion welling up inside of him at this statement. He lowered his head for a moment to compose himself, and then looked Jim in the eyes. "Despite our initial differences, do not doubt the truth of my words. I have been, and always shall be, your friend." His voice shook ever so slightly, the control of his emotions slipping from his grasp.

Kirk's eyes widened in recognition of the phrase that Spock Prime had uttered at their meeting. He smiled and said, "Do not grieve, Commander; this is logical, as much as it is strange for me to say it." He began to sink to the ground, leaning against the glass. Spock moved with him. Kirk placed his hand flat on the glass. He tried to spread his fingers apart in the Vulcan salute, but did not quite achieve it. Spock opened his fingers and returned the gesture, placing his hand directly opposite his captain's.

Kirk's voice came out raspy, the poison's effects taking their toll, but it still was vibrant. "As a good friend once told me, 'Live long and prosper'," He smiled one more time at Spock, and then slumped forward by the glass.

Spock knelt behind the glass in what he knew was illogical denial. Illogical, maybe, but it was denial nonetheless. "No," he whispered with more emotion held in that word than he had ever experienced.

An hour later, as their Captain had last ordered, the crew of the Enterprise, after defeating John Harrison's ship, checked the sealed off Engine Room. As requested, it was Doctor McCoy who first entered the chamber. There a heart wrenching sight met his eyes: his best friend Jim lay dead on the floor, leaving behind the Vulcan he had emotionally compromised a second time.

A/N: Hate it? Love it? Yeah, I know, it's a Spock fan girl's cop out to the scene shown in Into Darkness, where their hands are together. But hey, it could happen! Anyway, let me know if I should write more or end it there.