Title: A Door Once Opened [Part 2] Series: Star Trek TOS
Type: Fanfiction Pairing: Spock/Christine Rating: 12
Summary: After the Platonious mission, Spock finds it necessary to compensate Christine for his actions while he was under duress. A mind-meld while she is suffering must be the easiest solution... but a door once opened can move in either direction...
Comments: Thanks so much for all the kind words and support. Hope you all enjoy the rest of the story!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Star Trek characters or anything from the universe of Star Trek. I am just taking the characters and playing with them a while – promising to restore them whole and unblemished! Thanks to Gene Roddenberry for creating these toys for me to enjoy. Please don't take any of my playing as having any bearing on the actual franchise. Enjoy.
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Spock piloted the shuttle to the planet surface with ease. He estimated that they had approximately seventeen point eight hours until rendezvous with the Enterprise.
"We have landed." He stated for the record. "Mr Scott, would you please accompany Nurse Chapel and myself to the command deck of the outpost."
The chief engineer took a backward glance to the chief medic, giving her a wide grin Spock didn't care too much to dwell on.
"Mr Scott." He ground-out.
"Aye sir?" The engineer affirmed.
"Kindly disembark."
Spock felt the taste of tension in the air as Scotty got to his feet and hurried to the door and Christine turned two, wide, ocean eyes toward him questioning, "Sir?"
"Punctuality is always favoured in these matters, Nurse Chapel."
Something in her eye dulled at the formality of the remark. But she had gathered herself and stood to follow the chief engineer to the door of the shuttle.
They were greeted by several shabby-looking science administrators who ushered them to the main dome.
One worker, a rough-looking middle-aged man named Nathan, rushed them to the main interface where many of the scientists and engineers worked to keep experiments under maximum containment.
"We don't know why the quakes began." Nathan explained, "We hadn't been drilling for months. None of the excavations were in critical stabilization areas… but they began suddenly, wreaking havoc amongst the indigenous wildlife… and our own buildings…" He indicated to the cracks evident in the prefabricated science dome, "They can handle most things. But these quakes are so violent that-"
"How many were injured?" Chapel asked. Now they had stopped, she had managed to tricorder their guide and assess the severity of his apparent bruises and scrapes.
Nathan glanced at Spock, but the First Officer knew better than to stand in front of a medic intent on healing the injured.
"Nine, ma'am."
With a curt nod, Christine checked, "And your medical staff?"
Nathan dipped his head, "Most of them were the medical staff."
Christine didn't hesitate, "Show me."
Spock watched as Nathan, dumbly, led Christine away from the main group and through an adjacent door.
"Mr Spock?" A woman called from the centre of the chaos of scientists and technicians. "Mr Spock!"
"Commander Arran, I presume?" Spock turned, an eyebrow upswept as the chief geologist moved toward them.
She was a short woman, skin tinted slightly purple, with stunning blue eyes. She looked a little too long at Scotty, before saluting Spock.
"Touch telepath." She beamed. "I've heard about the Vulcan taboo."
Impressed, Spock reciprocated, "You are not human."
"No," Arran glanced again at Scot, "though they do fascinate me."
Scotty moved forward, "Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott, at your service, commander."
"I'm sure you're all I need." Arran gave a slight smile before motioning toward the heart of the current crisis. "Our containment reactor is nearing critical... and I hear you are the miracle worker."
Hitching his uniform sleeves to his elbows, Scott affirmed, "Aye, that I am. Let's give the wee lassie a look-see."
Spock watched his second officer stride into the fray.
Arran turned back to Spock. "I think he's just what I need." She stated, recovering herself slightly. "The tremors began a few months ago, infrequent and irregular. We have highly unstable, particulate matter experiments contained in this facility Mr Spock. Starfleet designated this as a mild priority... but with the increasing violence of the tremors and the reduction in the space between them... I'm not sure that's the case."
"Evidently Starfleet Command believe that you have some time yet until a major incident, Commander Arran."
"Evidently, Starfleet Command have stopped reading my reports and believe three officers from the flagship will be enough to avoid complete solar-breakdown." She headed for the nearest workstation, skimming her fingers over the dials and controls. "By the way," she threw at Spock as he joined her, "call me Alexis."
"Is there any assistance I might offer, Alexis?"
She turned to Spock, "Commander Spock. I understand you have one of the finest scientific minds in the sector. But at the moment, there are nine people who need your help in the medical centre. Until I need you to fly as many of us out of here as inhumanly possible... I would ask you to help your medic tend to my wounded."
Spock nodded and made his way to the medical facilities. He found Christine there, in the midst of rushing administrators carrying supplies from one bedside to another. Her hair was pressed back by pins and she stood, frowning over a tricorder.
"May I be of assistance?"
Christine startled, "Mr Spock!" Her eyes darted about the room, "Was there something you needed?"
"I was about to ask you that very question."
Her forehead furrowed, "Aren't you needed in the science facilities?"
"It would seem Commander Arran has all she needs with engineer Scott."
The comment earned a smirk from Christine as she nodded, "I see."
He found he didn't particularly like that response. "Clarify."
Christine's shoulders rolled back, "It's nothing." She shrugged, "Scotty is quite the handsome figure and, from reputation, Arran enjoys meeting striking human males."
Regretting his insistence she explain her comment, Spock moved to her side and changed subject; "Is there any way I can prove useful to you?"
Christine's mouth fell open slightly, her eyes wide.
An unusual fear gripped him as he continued, "As a medic..."
"Right. Of course." She nervously brushed a stray hair behind her ear and ushered him over to the storage locker. "There has been a lot of damage to the medical inventory computer and I need to know what resources..."
Spock followed taking the offered PADD from the chief nurse and nodding, "I shall endeavour to repair this system within the hour."
Christine smiled, "Can't think of anyone else who could."
They shared a moment as she smiled and he relaxed into the gesture.
He heard the rumble before he felt it. "Get down!" Spock ordered, gripping Christine and turning her into his body to shield her from the impacts as the walls crumbled about them.