Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters, only my OC - Rachel Reed.
A/N: I've gotten a few pm requests about what the background story is for Khan and Rachel Reed (from Broken Remnants). This is their background story that is set before Star Trek Into Darkness. This story is a companion piece set between The Ripple Effect and Broken Remnants.
Thank you everyone that is reading/favorite/following this story - especially to Just a Crazy-Man, Silver-ShadowSpark, and Lady Krystalyn for the reviews!
A Shot in the Dark - Perhaps instead of shaking his hand, she should have shot herself . . . it would have been so much easier than everything that followed.
Chapter 2 - What's it like to live in a fish bowl with a genetically enhanced man with no sense of personal space or privacy?
A Shot in the Dark
Chapter 2
By the time Commander Reed had come by to fetch him for dinner at 1800, Khan had already read over the current weapons under construction and had familiarized himself on what made these weapons work. He'd already started to catch up on the history of Earth in the 200 years he'd slept. He glanced up and saw her waiting at the door for him. He put the PADD he was reading on the coffee table, then stood up. She'd already chastised him at lunch for trying to bring his PADD to continue to read as he ate.
They made their way to the cafeteria, selected their meals and headed back to the booth that they had eaten their other two meals at.
"I will need pads of paper and pencils." Khan stated after he took a sip of water.
"Anything else?" she questioned.
"Not at the moment." he continued to eat.
That was the extent of their dinner conversation.
Rachel went to her quarters after Khan went back to his to continue reading.
She quickly sent out a message to the Administrative Quartermaster for a wide variety of notepads and pencils to be delivered.
Rachel changed into her black running shorts and tank. She sat down on the chair as she pulled on her socks and running shoes and frowned. Her quarters were as white as a hospital room, and the grey furniture didn't help her mood any. She was seriously starting to think they did the color scheme just to make her depressed. She'd requested a few items be picked up from her apartment, but they'd yet to arrive. Marcus was probably going to make her squirm for a few weeks, just to put her in her place in the whole scheme of things, before he granted any of her requests. She headed to the gym and got on the furthest treadmill. She quickly called up a flat terrain program, then put in her ear buds and started the music. She began with a brisk walk for a few minutes, then she started to run.
Khan was bored. He'd already read over the information he thought relevant in all the files he had access to. He had a few weapons in mind to start designing, but he needed to draw them out first. He walked across the hall and had Commander Reed's door open. He stepped in and looked around, taking note of the layout and the lack of personal items. He went to the bedroom and opened the closet, expecting to find a wide assortment of clothes and shoes. She had a couple of each variation of her uniforms and coordinating shoes, and only five other outfits, though he realized she could mix them. He closed the door and went back into the living room and picked up one of the PADDs on her coffee table and turned it on. It was open to his personal Starfleet file. Evidently, Admiral Marcus had come up with some information - mostly trainings and postings at various places in Starfleet, in order to curtail any questions about why he'd shown up here and started designing weapons. Khan quickly read over 'John Harrison's' file, then turned it off and put the PADD back down. He picked up another one and found a bunch of other officers' files. He wondered where she was, then he remembered she said she ran in the evenings. He went back to his room and changed, then headed to the gym.
He stepped into the gym and watched as she ran on the treadmill. She had good form and her breathing was steady. She was evidently focused on her running, because she hadn't taken note of him coming in. Khan walked over to the other treadmill and quickly figured out how to work the machine, then started to run.
Rachel slowed her pace to a walk to cool down. That's when she heard the other machine going. She looked over and noted that Khan was running at a fast pace and not even breaking a sweat. It had always amazed her that he never seemed to exert himself, like he was always holding himself back from showing just how strong he really was. She got off the treadmill as it stopped. She picked up her towel and drank a few sips of water as she rolled her shoulders.
"Do you only run?" Khan questioned as he continued his pace.
Rachel walked closer to him, "Yes - why?"
"You should really do a full circuit workout. You carry a lot of stress in your back - it would help alleviate it." Khan stated.
Rachel frowned, "I wouldn't know what to do on these machines." She shook her head and headed for the door.
"I could train you." he said simply.
Rachel stopped walking and turned to look at him, "Why?"
"It will give me something else to do."
Rachel frowned. She didn't want to be to be an item he could check off on his to-do list each day, but on the other hand she might be able to converse more freely with him while he was training her. She nodded, "Okay."
Khan slowed the machine to a stop, then got off. He looked at her carefully, then walked over to her. "Take off your shirt."
"What?" she looked at him, confused.
"I need to see where your training needs to focus on." Khan pointed out.
Rachel pulled her shirt off and dropped the sweat-dampened shirt on the floor, glad that her sports bra covered her up a bit more than some of her other bras. He walked around her slowly and she found it a little unnerving at just how intensely he was sizing her up. She nearly jumped when he touched her bare stomach.
Khan smirked at her reaction. "Your stomach muscles need attention, they are weak and not supporting your back muscles." He lazily ran his hand around to her lower back muscles and placed both of his hands on her. "Your lower back needs strengthening as well, in fact - your hips are slightly out of alignment." He ran his hands slowly up her back and felt along her spine to her deltoids. "Your posture is good, but it could be better. Working out your upper back will help." He ran his hands down her arms, "Defined, but not as strong as they could be." He dropped his hands and walked back in front of her.
Rachel stood still. She'd been unnerved with his hands running over her - but she was sure it was just his ways of testing her. "Anything else?" she questioned sarcastically.
Khan shrugged as he looked over her lower body again. "You legs and calves are fine, though we'll get them stronger." He looked back at her face. "Lay down."
Rachel raised an eyebrow.
"I'll re-align your hips." Khan stated. She didn't move. "If you don't allow me to re-align them, your walking will be impaired tomorrow." he pointed out.
Rachel sighed heavily as she rolled her eyes, then laid down on the floor.
He kneeled beside her as he manipulated her hips by pressing each leg across her body. He straddled her legs and noticed that her whole body quickly tensed. He placed each of his hands on her hips. "Breath in, then out slowly." As she breathed out, he pressed on her hips and a resounding pop could be heard throughout the room. He watched as relief washed over her face and her body relaxed.
"Thank you." she said softly as she watched him still straddling her.
Khan nodded and stood up, then offered her a hand. He easily helped her stand up. "You should be able to sleep better tonight."
Rachel retrieved her shirt, deciding not to put the sweaty thing back on.
"0600 we will begin your training." Khan directed her.
"Okay." she said and left as fast as she could. She got to her quarters and leaned back against the door as she quickly checked her rapid pulse. Her body felt on fire where Khan had run his hands over her - and damn the man for straddling her. She quickly got her clean clothes and headed to the shower.
She propped her arms against the shower wall as she let the hot water roll down her back. She took slow, steady breaths as she tried to calm her body's reaction to him. How in the hell was she going to get through this assignment? Marcus had made it very clear that her familiarity to Khan on the Jupiter station had jeopardized everything. And Marcus wasn't going to tolerate that kind of insubordination anymore - he'd already threatened to inform the Medical Review Board of her inappropriate relationship with a patient, if she messed up again. She frowned as she turned off the water and wrapped a towel around herself and dried off. She put her sleep shorts and shirt on and kept the towel wrapped around her hair as she headed to her living room to review a few more personnel files before she went to bed.
She stopped when she saw Khan sitting on one of her chairs - clean and refreshed after his own shower. "What are you doing in here?" She headed to her coffee machine and set a cup in it, then pressed the button.
"I came to see what you are doing." he watched her quick movements.
She glanced over her shoulder at him, "Do you always just walk in other people's quarters?"
"Your door was unlocked." he stated simply.
"Should I make it a habit to lock it from now on?" she focused on putting cream and sugar substitute in her cup and stirring it.
"Not like it would stop me if I really wanted in here." he shrugged and watched for her reaction. He raised an eyebrow when she only sighed softly.
"Would you like some decaffeinated tea?" she offered.
"That would be fine." Khan nodded. Her body had definitely reacted to him in the gym. He knew the power his own body had over women. But, she was trying very hard to control her reactions. She was an interesting woman, a good distraction from the other work he had to do here. What exactly would it take for her to finally give in? He smiled softly as she handed him the cup of tea.
She sat down on her couch and folded her legs under her as she sipped her coffee. "Do you require further reading material?" she asked.
"Yes."
Rachel held out her hand for his PADD. She got the distinct impression he wasn't just talking about books. She put in her code and pulled up the library database of literature, then handed it back to him. "That should keep you busy. There are over two thousand classics I just gave you access to."
He sipped his tea as he scrolled through the database on the PADD. "Do you have any suggestions?"
"Start with Melville - Moby Dick." she said as she turned on her PADD and began reading over a few more files.
"Why?"
She glanced at him and smiled, "You'll see." She went back to reading her PADD as he clicked on the database and found the book and started to read. She tried to focus on her work as he showed no signs of leaving. She sipped her coffee as she continued to read. She surreptitiously watched as he quickly read. At points, he would stop and seem amused at something he'd read then take a sip of tea and go back to reading.
She glanced at her watch and sighed softly. It was 2200 and she needed to go to sleep if she was going to get up at 0600 and train - on a Saturday to boot. She stood up, and picked up both of their cups and rinsed them out at the small sink. She turned around and found him just a few feet from her. "Good night, Commander."
"Good night." he gave her a quick nod, then left.
Rachel swallowed hard when the door shut, she'd had a brief thought that he might actually try to stay. She toweled out her hair and ran a brush through it. She set the temperature down in the room and turned off the light. She liked it cold when she slept, then she'd bundle up in the covers. She pulled the covers up to her chin and rolled over and quickly fell asleep.
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Rachel frowned as she slowly started to wake up. Why did the bed feel warm by her outstretched hand? She opened her eyes slightly and found Khan in her bed, leaning casually against her headboard and reading his PADD. At least he had the decency to stay on top of the covers. "Why are you in my bed?" she questioned him. She was tempted to push him off, but he would probably enjoy it too much, or be pissed off.
"I came in here to wait for you to wake up. What time were you planning on getting up?" he asked as he continued to read.
"0545 - which it's not yet." she pointed out.
Khan lowered the PADD and looked at her, "You are only allotting fifteen minutes to get ready to be in the gym?"
"It only takes a few minutes to put on my clothes and walk down the corridor."
"Then what else do you need to do?" he inquired.
Rachel rolled on to her back and ran her hand through her hair, "Oh, I'm pretty sure I'll have to go to the bathroom, then I'll get my first cup of coffee." she smiled.
"No." Khan shook his head. "No coffee before your training in the morning - just water."
"I always have coffee when I get up." she narrowed her eyes.
"Your muscles need water, not caffeine."
"Fine." she gritted her teeth and rolled over to her other side and closed her eyes. She tried to go back to sleep for a few more minutes, then gave up. She threw the covers off and sat up, "I'll be ready in a few minutes." she snapped as she headed to the bathroom.
"It's the caffeine that's making you cranky." Khan stated as he lifted his PADD and went back to reading.
When she came out of the bathroom, he wasn't on her bed - in fact he'd made her side of the bed. She sighed and shook her head. She grabbed her clothes and laid them out on the bed. She quickly took off her night clothes and put on another set of workout clothes. She turned and found him standing at the door. "Are you serious? Can you not give me a little privacy?" she questioned.
Khan walked over to her, "There is no privacy in these rooms." he said softly and glanced at the smoke detector and emergency alarm on her wall. He had found the video bugs in his rooms last night. He took a quick look in her bathroom, "That room looks okay."
Rachel's mouth dropped open. Her rooms were being monitored too! Her anger simmered as she snatched her running shoes from the closet and put them on. She went past him into the other room and looked for the device and quickly found two on the walls.
Khan went to her mini fridge and handed her a bottle of water. He could see the anger in her eyes - she hadn't known that she was being monitored so closely. Again, he wondered what she'd done to earn her way down here.
She finished the water quickly and chunked the empty bottle in the recycling bin and headed out the door without waiting for him.
Khan watched as she went in the gym and immediately looked for the visual monitors.
"What's first?" she questioned quickly.
"First, you'll do some controlled breathing to lower your blood pressure."
Rachel took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She should have known that Marcus would have her monitored. She took another breath in and let it out.
Khan then took her around to each of the machines and demonstrated how to use them, then he had her do fifteen repetitions. He continued this process until she'd made her way around all of the machines. He indicated the reclined bench and showed her how to wrap her legs at the edge of the bench, then he demonstrated the inverted sit up.
"Why can't I do regular sit ups?" she questioned, her hands on her hips.
"You will do them, as well. This works out different muscles, which you need to strengthen." he reminded her as he got off the bench and waved for her to get on.
She found it awkward to keep her legs locked around the bench to keep herself from sliding back down. She could feel the blood rushing to her head.
"Now, pull yourself up using your stomach muscles." he instructed.
Rachel closed her eyes and frowned, her muscles were already tired from all of the other exercises she'd done.
He touched her stomach, "Focus on using these muscles."
She found that by him touching her stomach, her mind could focus on controlling the muscle. She managed to do three sit ups, then shook her head. "That's it for now." Her body ached and she'd be damned if she was going to walk hunched over for the rest of the day. She stood up slowly and clenched her teeth as she straightened up.
Khan stood behind her and ran his hands up her back, then pressed on her vertebra and she felt a quick relief of pressure. "Your body will get use to the conditioning. Where else is the pressure?" he questioned her.
"In the center of my back."
He found the spot and pressed again. He saw her body relax.
Rachel turned around slowly, her body felt relieved, not worn out. "How do you know where to press?"
"It is important to know how to relieve pain in your body. I studied the techniques a long time ago." he picked up a towel and handed it to her.
She watched him for a few moments. Why was he being so . . . kind? Why was he helping her improve herself? He hadn't done that last time - though last time he was very focused on the construction of the ship and hadn't even known she ran every night.
They headed back to their quarters and went their separate ways.
Rachel retrieved her all black uniform and clean underwear and headed for the shower. She wondered why Khan had pointed out to her the video devices - was it just to inform her that he knew, that he couldn't be fooled? She got out of the shower and quickly got dressed.
When she came out of the bathroom, Khan was sitting on the edge of her bed.
He looked up and nodded, "You have already changed your habits, which you should unless you don't mind giving a show for whoever is watching."
She ignored his comment, "I'm feeling much better, thank you for asking." She retrieved her socks and boots from the closet. She sat down on the bed beside him and put them on. She looked over at him for a moment.
Khan watched as she put her boots on. She looked like she was going to ask him something, then she sighed. He stood up, "Breakfast?"
She nodded and they went to eat.
Khan watched as the workers came in and ate. He noticed who sat with who, who avoided who, and who surreptitiously watched who. He counted no less than five men look over Commander Reed appreciatively. "You have quite a few admirers."
Rachel looked up as she swallowed, "What are you talking about?"
His eyes indicated a few of the men that kept glancing at her.
She rolled her eyes and went back to eating her fruit.
Khan watched her unusual reaction. He'd always found women pleased that men found them attractive. "Do you not like men?"
Rachel frowned. She really needed to go over etiquette rules with him. "Yes, I like men. But regardless of that fact, any one I could be interested in will be deemed off limits."
"You are not allowed?" he raised an eyebrow.
She shrugged, "Not while I'm here." She took a long sip of her coffee and relished the caffeine as it worked its way through her body.
"Why?"
She really didn't want to discuss Marcus' rules for her. She shook her head, "It doesn't matter."
Khan knew that she was as much a prisoner as he was. He just didn't understand why - at least not yet. "What would happen if you decided to have sex with one of them?"
Rachel stood up and left. She put her tray of dishes in the bin and headed back to the stairs. She stopped. Where was she going - back to her quarters where he could just corner her? To the office? The gym? She glanced at the stairwell that headed up and went in. She walked up the three flights and opened the door. She stopped as three guards looked up from their monitors, and two more looked at her as they had people come through the metal detectors in order to get to the stairs.
The Officer in Charge came over to her and smiled softly, "Can I help you, Commander Reed?"
"Where am I allowed to go?" she asked him quietly as she crossed her arms over her chest.
He looked over his PADD and read over her file. He glanced at her again, then kept reading. "You are allowed on the lower two levels of the building. You are allowed access to other offices upstairs, but it must be authorized by Commander Cartwright or Admiral Marcus. You'll need to go back downstairs, Ma'am." He led her gently by the elbow back to the stairwell and opened the door for her.
She nodded and headed back down the stairs. She walked down slowly and contemplated the rotten lot in life she'd been gifted by Admiral Marcus for the foreseeable future.
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TBC.
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