Author's Note: I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the delay in posts, I'm studying for a certification test for my job and it has taken up ALL of my free time since September. I'm taking it in January though and hopefully I'll be back full swing into writing (if I pass) cause I miss it! This chapter was almost done when I posted the first so I finished it, proof read it, left a cliffhanger again (…sorry!), and here it is. I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. – M Rae

Trex shifted his gaze over to the captain's face and nodded his head once to address Jim. "Captain Kirk." He finished with a grin and the screen went black.

The screen went black and Jim harshly let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He instantly pitched forward in his chair and slumped limply into his best friend's awaiting hands, the pain finally lessening to a deep ache through his head. Thank God…

Leonard grunted as Kirk's limp body slammed into his chest. "Damn it, Jim." The doctor struggled to keep him upright, but a lifeless Jim was hard to support; the man weighed a ton. "Alright kid, just relax, it's okay, you with me? How's that giant head of yours doing?" The doctor pressed in concern, jostling him slightly as he worked to push his friend back into his chair and get a look at his face.

Kirk panted for a number of seconds while his chin rested on his comrade's shoulder. After a few breathless moments, he reached his hand up and gripped McCoy's blues, hefting himself up some, trying to regain some control. He lazily wiped at his face smearing the blood that was no longer dripping from his nose.

In the background, the command crew was in a frenzy trying to reboot their systems and reverse the enemy's override to regain their tactical and defensive controls.

"The control panel is in a system lock out, the firewalls were recoded and the layering is incredibly complex." An Ensign stated as she worked furiously at her station.

"Did ju try to open a subroute around ze enemy firevall for a reboot?" Chekov inquired, working on the same issue.

"It's a general system error and the layering is ten times more complex than the original's, it's also asking for clearance codes I don't have."

Pavel cursed in Russian and shook his head in defeat. "Ay, I see… iz the complex layering of ze codes… only ze keptin knows." Chekov realized in dismay as he swiveled in his chair to assess the status of their barely conscious captain.

And as it was, the Enterprise's fate was once again placed in Captain James T. Kirk's hands, which were covered in his own blood at the moment.

"Talk to me, kid." McCoy finally pulled Kirk away from him enough to peer at his face. The pair were clutched tightly to each other, Jim gripping his CMOs blues to keep himself vertical, McCoy trying to keep his captain from face planting onto the floor. His friend was blinking lazily and appeared to be blank of all thought. He also looked like he was in complete misery and was going to pass out in a matter of seconds. The CMO turned towards Spock in haste. "Spock, will you get your Vulcan ass over here and help me, Uhura..."

The duo hustled closer instantly. "How is he? Is he okay?" Uhura pressed anxiously as she kneeled down and gripped Kirk's shoulders to help McCoy better support their heavy captain.

Spock moved in beside Jim and gripped his bicep and shoulder firmly, helping his two colleagues haul Kirk fully back into his chair.

"Just give him a second." Leonard tried to calm the frantic command crew as he lifted his friend's hanging head up with one of his bloodied, gloved hands. He peered worriedly into Jim's face. "Damn brain's too big for yer own good, huh?" McCoy addressed Jim while lightly tapping him on the cheek to rouse him from his stupor. "I thought yer eyeballs were gonna pop out of your skull… good thing for your mental shields… I'm gonna kill that betazoid bastard…"

Kirk sniffled and swiped at his nose at that, finally feeling like he collected himself enough to act on what he was feeling and hearing. And with the mental nudge from McCoy's words, Kirk stilled suddenly and shot his blue eyes open as all his memory rushed back in a fury.

"Jim…" McCoy warned, instantly sensing the sudden change in Kirk's body language. "I need you to stay put, everything's okay, just take it eas–"

But before he could finish, Jim abruptly let out a frustrated shout of rage that startled the entire crew.

He gripped McCoy's arm in the same moment and shot to a standing position which caused the doctor, Spock, and Uhura to crowd in towards their captain as he listed violently to the side, headed straight for the floor. "Captain!"

"Christ Jim, slowdown will you… you need to lie down!" Leonard ordered but Jim was having none of it. His face was cringed in pain but his stark blue eyes had determination and anger within them.

'Only the captain knows.' Jim recalled Chekov's statement and instantly knew he had a job to do. Kirk weakly pushed through Spock and Uhura who continued to support their captain as he stumbled towards the helm.

One thing was abundantly clear to the whole command crew right now though, Jim Kirk was back with them, and he was furious.

This intruder had subjected a Starfleet captain to blinding pain and had flooded his mind with the deeply buried memories of his cursed past. Trex had also forced him to watch images of his bridge exploding in the near future. The screams of his frightened friends were ear shattering for minutes within his mind before they abated. He was unable to guide his team and assure them everything was going to be alright because of this natural telepath, and that was simply unacceptable for Kirk.

"You attack my crew…" Jim sneered aloud to himself.

He faltered under his numb legs as he began walking and was caught roughly by McCoy's strong hands who caught Kirk's elbow and hip with a grunt. "Just wait a damn minute!" The doctor grumbled, hoisting Jim up with the help of Spock.

Jim didn't seem to notice and continued his forward march to the tactical post.

"My officers…"

Jim reached for Chekov's chair and supported himself against the back, leaving a red stained handprint on the fabric.

"Captain, you should seet down sir, your head..." Chekov bustled as he shifted himself over to allow Kirk full access to his panel, despite his recommendation.

"You threaten my command…" Kirk continued to himself, beyond infuriated and completely engrossed in the task at hand.

One of Jim's knees gave out and Chekov lunged to catch his captain's arm as McCoy took the brunt of his friend's weight again. "Jim, you can't even stand, you need to sit down!"

"Captain, I suggest you listen to the doctor's medical advice. A telepathic attack can be very damaging to the nervous system, especially for humans." Spock advised logically, still gripping his friend's bicep in support.

Kirk shook his head to clear his vision and slowly felt the numbness fade from his legs as he took back most of his weight. He slammed his hand down on the console, completely disregarding his worried friends.

"On my ship…" He continued. McCoy huffed in frustration. Relentless, self-sacrificing, stubborn...

Kirk began overriding the controls then, tapping away expertly as if his brain had not been mere moments away from splitting into pieces. He worked quickly, inputting codes he only knew and tearing down firewalls with lightning speed in a way only Jim Kirk knew how. His crew knew he was a genius, but it was times like these that they got to see, first hand, just how remarkably talented and resilient Jim was.

"Shields are still down. They have a lock on us, but they aren't firing." Sulu voiced to the bridge, ferociously working at his station still trying to reboot their defense systems.

"He said we had ten minutes." Uhura supplied, moving back towards her station hesitantly to resume her duties once she saw the support Kirk was getting from his first officer, CMO, and young Ensign.

Kirk continued recoding the system when he suddenly hissed and snapped his eyes shut as an unexpectant shot of pain pierced his mind.

"Jim?" McCoy questioned in worry, tightening his grip around Kirk's back and shoulder. Chekov watched on wearily, knowing the captain was the only one with the skill set, the speed, and the memorized security codes to get their defenses and weapons back online in time. If he couldn't do it, they were pretty much screwed, and the entire command crew knew it.

Luckily, after only a few seconds, the pain subsided back to a roaring ache once Kirk regained his control again. A new drip of blood splattered onto the glass screen below his nose, however, and he sniffled as he continued his override.

"I'm okay, Bones." Jim finally addressed his friend, realizing how much stress he had probably put him through, and continued to as he worked.

Leonard gaped. "You're joking right. Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Jim rapidly blinked his eyes as he refocused on the screen's coding lines. It was pretty obvious that he was literally the opposite of okay, maybe a little honesty would help ease his friend's anger. "Okay, I have a headache."

McCoy scoffed. "You have a headache…" Leonard repeated the ridiculous statement aloud before he switched involuntarily to his paternal tactics. "You shouldn't be doing this kid, you should be sedated somewhere deep in my medbay right now." The doctor retorted dryly glancing at Jim's pale and bloodied face. His friend was the epitome of not okay.

It bothered Leonard to no end that Jim had to hack into their systems to save their asses rather than succumb to a high dose sedative that McCoy had at the ready which would relieve him of his consciousness like he desperately, medically needed.

Kirk tapped at another control and then turned his head to Sulu, ignoring his CMO's protests. "Check shields." He panted, his eyes dangerously heavy, his brow furrowed in pain still.

Sulu looked down. "Shields operational! Nice work, sir, activating now-"

"Do not activate Lieutenant wait for my command." Kirk interjected in one breath. Sulu shot a glance over to his captain and withdrew his hand immediately.

"Aye aye sir… But what about the hostile ship?" He questioned, fearing for their crew's vulnerability in the present moment.

"Captain, if we have defensive capabilities, it is against protocol not to initiate said controls to protect the ship and its crew members." Spock chimed in as Jim continued to work.

"I know, but if we activate, he will know, I just… everybody wait. That's an order." Kirk forced out closing his eyes for a moment, unable to organize his thoughts into words.

His consciousness was too busy keeping up his mental shields from Trex's continuous attempts to intrude his mind while simultaneously hacking into his beloved ship as he worked through intricate firewalls and coding sequences. The pain from the previous psychological assault was still very much there and was wearing on Jim's form as well, evident by his doctor's need to continue supporting his body as he operated. He didn't have time to explain his rationale on top of everything, his crew was just going to have to trust him.

"Sir, they are hacking into our transporter controls now." Sulu reported next with some confusion.

Kirk went to address his helmsmen when his elbow suddenly gave out and he fell gracelessly into Chekov's display. He let out an undignified 'oof' before McCoy could pull him back up. His cheek hit the display and his blood smeared across the glass.

"Keptin!" Chekov shouted, horrified, as he helped McCoy lift Jim back up to a semi standing position.

Kirk gripped at his CMO's forearm and used him as a crutch to move towards Sulu's station next.

"Jim, just hold on a minute now, you need to stop–" McCoy voiced again with desperation now, holding his friend back.

Kirk spun to face his doctor. "Bones, please, I'm the only one that can do this… just… help me finish it, I'm runnin' on fumes here..." Kirk pleaded somehow looking more exhausted than he did one minute ago.

Leonard looked back at his friend who had finally stopped his crusade to look McCoy in the eye. The doctor saw those blue, imploring orbs staring directly into his own for the first time since entering the bridge and he huffed in defeat. "Damn it, fine. But you're headed straight to medical as soon as this is over, you hear me?"

Kirk nodded wordlessly as his hip bumped into McCoy's when his knee buckled again. Super job trying to convince your CMO that you're fine. Jim reeled at his stumble.

"What else do you need to do?" He groused, ready to assist his captain in whatever way he had to to save their ship so he could finally do his own job and save their captain… in medical… ten minutes ago.

"I need to go that way." Jim pointed towards Sulu lethargically, and McCoy rolled his eyes at Kirk's lack of information provided. "Very specific." He mumbled but complied with his friend's request and helped manhandle him over towards the helm.

The duo and a hovering Spock made their way over to Sulu who stepped aside, as Chekov had, to allow their captain full access to his station. Kirk folded forward in exhaustion but his descent was slowed by both Sulu and McCoy's expecting hands. He instantly began navigating around firewalls, inputting his captain's override coding here, then there, and hacked back into the enemy ship's weaponry as Chekov had previously tried since he was already in their mainframe.

Kirk was panting in fatigue and pain now. His hands were shaking and his bloodied finger tips smeared across the glass as he worked, but he didn't falter once, and after another few moments, the firewalls eventually dropped.

"Weapons back online." He announced tiredly, and with that, the tactical crew members on the bridge got to work, immediately preparing phasers and contacting engineering to direct all power to shields and torpedoes.

"Do not activate yet until transport…" Kirk began to reiterate his previous order before his legs finally gave out entirely and he collapsed forward.

"Jim! You heavy son of a bitch." McCoy grunted in surprise as he thrust his elbows under Jim's armpits, peeling him off Sulu's display.

"Christ, okay, you got him? Just, easy, help me lay him down here." McCoy ordered to Sulu who was already supporting their rapidly fading captain before the collapse.

McCoy guided Kirk's shoulders and head down to the deck while Sulu guided his middle to help lay him down on his back. Jim mumbled again and tried to sit up instantly before he was even down. "Transport next–"

"NO. That is it! You are lying right here Jim Kirk and you will not move! Do you understand me? Do you want to drool for the rest of your life after you've suffered from irreversible brain damage!?" Leonard finally boomed startling the entire bridge crew into silence… except for Kirk.

Jim's face scrunched up in distaste while his eyes remained half closed in exhaustion. "Ew Bones." He whined and McCoy locked onto his friend's face, completely dumbfounded.

Even though the doctor scared the daylights out of everyone else on the ship, the Enterprise crew knew Jim Kirk had his CMO wrapped around his finger.

After the pair locked eyes and held each other's gaze for a few moments, they simultaneously began grinning.

"I'm not drooling on anyone except for you, Bones, now help me up." Kirk demanded after shutting his eyes briefly. He stretched out his arm waiting for assistance, but McCoy made no move to help him. Jim huffed in impatience and swiftly reached for Sulu's arm instead as he heaved himself to sitting with a grunt.

"Freakin… mother hen… overprotective… son of a –" Sulu helped support Jim as his captain sat, mumbling curses directed towards his very unhelpful best friend who was crouched beside him glaring at him in disapproval.

"Don't scowl at me." Jim puffed out, dismissing McCoy's glare. "If someone else knew the captain's codes and possessed genius-level coding knowledge, I would happily allow them to save all our asses, but as it is…" Jim shifted his weight forward and then pulled himself to standing once again with another grunt, the majority of the action achieved by Sulu's aiding hands.

"They do not." He finished. "So transporter controls, now." Kirk directed.

Leonard knew Jim was the only one who could do this but god damnit it was always Jim, his friend was always in the middle of every conflict and bad situation that arose and it just wasn't fair.

"You will be the death of me Jim Kirk, mark my words." McCoy resumed his hold underneath Jim's armpit, tossed his friend's arm around his own shoulders, and heaved him over towards Uhura so Sulu could return to his station.

"Kirk, sit before you fall down." Uhura directed pulling Jim into her seat as he dropped heavily into her chair, McCoy helping to slow his fall.

"Bridge to Engineering." Jim called in a raspy voice.

"Ay, Scott heah."

"Scotty, has power been diverted to defense and tactical?" Kirk asked breathlessly, getting straight to business.

"Ay laddie, weapons 'r loaded 'n ready sah, shields at full capacity."

"Bring up the transporter manifests."

"Uh… yes captain. But sah, why might you be thinkin' about transport at a time like this? Aren't we about to be blown to wee bits?"

Jim had a unique bond with his crew like no other Starfleet captain did. There was a sense of trust and comfort that allowed his crew members to speak their minds instead of blindly following orders and abiding by rank status when they had a genuine question or concern. God only knew how much Jim embodied this philosophy and he was more than open for his crew to share their thoughts like he always did. His crew trusted him whole heartedly and respected him for letting their opinions be of value. But right now, all Jim wanted to do was get rid of this blinding headache and sleep for about a week. He didn't have time to explain his rationale, nor the energy.

"I care because Trex cares, now manifests, and the defense system codes." A second later, the transporter's log and codes popped onto the screen which caused Kirk to blink rapidly at the sight of the influx of data in front of him. Just one more thing, then you can pass out.

He cleared his vision and then set to work bypassing Trex's system invasion and erasing it from the main frame first. He then planned to finish disabling Trex's engines and shields before giving the order to fire at will to ensure the safety of his crew. He had finished inputting his captain's codes and bypassing the firewall when a sudden piercing pain penetrated his mind that he could not block out this time.

Jim gripped for his head and spun away from the monitor at once, crying out in anger and agony again. Leonard rounded to Jim's front and held his friend up by his wrists to keep him from folding in half. "Jim!"

"Nooo, can't let him see… gah!" Kirk cringed when another sharp spear sliced through his brain. "Chekov… finish it!" He blurted as he curled in on himself again, the pain increasing through his head at an immeasurable rate. He had to block Trex out, had to protect his crew, it was his sole duty as a captain.

"Aye keptin, I can do zat!" Chekov sputtered and moved over to Uhura's station to take over the hack now that the captain's codes were inputted. He worked quickly, glancing down to see Kirk losing his strength as he watched blood resume dripping from his nose and onto the floor again. The young ensign could tell his captain didn't have much time left.

"Almost, von meenute… aaand… hostile ship's shields and veapons disengaged, sir!"

Spock seamlessly picked up where his captain had left off. "Engage hostile ship, shields up!"

"Yes, sir! Targeting enemy ship… photon torpedoes out!" A tactical crewmember belted back instantly.

"Shields back up." Chekov confirmed as he raced back to his station, batting at the control to raise shields.

Trex's voice boomed through the Enterprise bridge suddenly.

"Kiiiirk! No!" The Betazoid raged which caused Jim to withdraw and promptly scream in pain as his mind was commandeered entirely. The crew winced in sympathy but watched as the torpedoes locked on and made contact with the Betazoid's ship followed by an explosion several kilometers away and the transmission cutting out sharply.

"Target destroyed." Sulu confirmed and everyone breathed a sigh of relief as their eyes shifted over to Jim seated at Uhura's station. It's over.

But when their eyes landed on their captain, he was still curled in on himself, still moaning in pain, and he was still being mentally attacked.

TBC