Claustrophobia

Chapter Two

After that initial conversation with Pike, Spock had entered his apartment and he keyed in the name of the cadet he was supposed to monitor,

'Nyota Chandra Uhura'

Immediately her personal had record flashed on the screen with her photo in the upper right hand corner. With his unfailing memory he had been able to discern that the cadet he had observed earlier on the Academy grounds was indeed the one that he had been recruited to mentor and 'protect'. Right away he had determined that she probably would have unwanted male attention and his intervention could discourage such Terran males' pursuits. On second thought, he had to adjust his thinking and determined that other species would also find her appearance pleasing. He would have to monitor all males who would act in an undesirable way toward this cadet.

He had reviewed her academic record and was indeed impressed. She was gifted and would no doubt excel in all her classes. She was young, but from his initial observation, she had appeared to be able to mesh well with cadets above her age level. Perhaps her singularity, as reveled by her family profile, as the sole female outside of her mother who was a member of a truly expansive family might have a bearing on her ability to act in a more adult way than prescribed by her age. He was certain that with continued association with her he would eventually be able to test his theory.

With her image and record stored in his Vulcan memory, he had closed all information regarding Cadet Uhura, turned off the unit and prepared for his evening meditation. Once refreshed by this activity, he went into the kitchen area to prepare Last Meal. He had bent down to observe what was in his refrigeration unit and realized it was indeed a paltry offering. His examination of the pantry closet met with the same lack of contents. Going to the com unit he had ordered a medium size vegetarian pizza from the shop right across from the West Gate.

Since in his estimation, hot food, served cold was thoroughly unacceptable, he immediately headed toward the source of his evening fare. While at the pizza shop he purchased a large bottle of Kassa juice. It was still light as he made his way back to his rooms with the box balanced on his right hand and the juice in his reusable shopping bag.

As Spock walked toward his apartment, he noticed a slight figure seated on a bench with several books also sharing her space. As he approached she looked up startled and when recognition dawned on her she displayed a most appealing smile.

"Lieutenant Spock, it is a pleasure to see you again."

From her statement Spock realized that the brief eye contact on the grounds must have caused her to do the same research he had pursued.

"I came outside to read in the late afternoon light and I believe I lost all tract of time. Unfortunately, this happens quite often when I am reading something that peaks my interest."

He nodded in agreement and then moving into his protective mode said,

"May I suggest that in future you do not traverse these grounds alone, especially so, when they are deserted as they appear to be at this time of day. Although there has not been a reported criminal incident at this Academy in one year, three months, four days, thirteen hours and nineteen minutes, one should not as Terrans' say, 'tempt fate'."

As a second thought he had inquired,

"Did your reading prevent you from securing your evening meal?"

She had bowed her head and whispered,

"I forgot."

Recognizing that from tine to time he has experienced the same lapse, he continued,

"So that you do not experience an extended time of fasting perhaps you would not mind sharing my vegetarian pizza with me."

She had answered, "I do not wish to intrude,

"Cadet Uhura, if my invitation was not sincere, I would welcomed your declining my invitation, but since that is not the case, you are more than welcome to share this meal with me."

Again, there was her smile.

He had led her to the mess hall and was grateful that the food had remained hot. They had both used the hand sanitizer beam and then secured utensils and plates and sat at a table. At this time there were very few people in the mess. Spock opened the box and nodded towards his 'guest'

"Please select your portion."

Surprisingly, she had used a fork and knife to lift a slice from the box and then to consume the meal. Spock knew that ordinarily Terrans ate that meal with their hands. Perhaps, in her household the members practiced meal consumption in The Vulcan Way. He understood that her father had retired from Star Fleet. No doubt he had visited Vulcan during his years in active service and there embraced some of the Vulcan ideals. That would supply the answer to how she had consumed her meal...and spoke his native tongue.

Once they had finished the proffered meal, Spock had deposited the refuse and then inquired,

"Cadet, what is your next stop?

"Sir, I will be returning to my dormitory and my room."

"I will accompany you to insure your safe arrival."

"That is very much appreciated, but I do not wish you to postpone whatever activities you had planned for yourself."

"Cadet, it is not a little matter for me to be assured of your safety."

"Thank you, Sir."

Spock nodded and walked beside her to the dormitory. At the steps she had responded,

"Thank you, Sir. Have a pleasant evening."

With those words Nyota had departed from his presence and he felt as if his immediate area suddenly compressed upon itself. Uncharacteristically he drew in a breath and turned sharply and proceeded towards his apartment. His mind was calculating any difference in air temperature, humidity, wind direction, or air pressure that would account for his body's reaction to the cadet's departure and he found none. This served to make him check his own body functions, one by one and was still unable to account for the variance from what was normal for him. This had been puzzling for him. He determined he would require additional meditation this evening, possibly this activity would end up taking up the greater part of his night.