'Captain, is everything alright? Dammit, Vulcan, I knew it was a trick. I warned you what would happen.'
The words were faint, echoes of a time not of this world, this universe. And such a universe it was. So alike and yet so different from his own, it was a place he wanted; no needed, to live in and yet he was dead here. Just a memory in another's mind and what a mind. So controlled yet so full of emotions, it was extraordinary.
Pike gasped in shock as the contact between himself and Spock was broken. Blinking away the tears he blindly flung out a hand in McCoy's direction, 'Leonard, no!'
'What?' McCoy looked in shock at his captain, he'd never used McCoy's first name before, hell as far as he knew Pike had never used anyone's first name.
'It's alright,' Pike looked down at Spock's bowed head. 'I'm alright.' Taking a few deep breaths to try and steady the emotions rushing through his system Pike watched as Spock stood up and moved backwards a few steps. 'Your world, your mother,' he tried to find the words to convey what he felt.
Spock just nodded.
'Captain?' McCoy asked, uncertain as to what had just happened.
Pike sighed then looked up at McCoy; he raised an eyebrow at his head of security. 'You do look better in blue, Chief.'
'Did you?' McCoy pointed towards Pike's eyebrow then over to Spock. 'Has he . . . are you possessed?'
Blinking Pike looked over at Spock, who answered. 'When two minds join there are sometimes residual characteristics from each participant that temporarily remain behind, Captain, they will fade in time.'
'So I'm not going to turn into a Vulcan anytime soon?' he half jokingly asked.
'If that was a possibility, it obviously did not work on Captain Kirk.'
'Was that a joke?' McCoy asked, 'did the Vulcan just make a joke?'
'As I said,' Spock explained, 'residual characteristics.'
Pike sighed as he looked around the room; it was a strange sensation to experience. Everything seemed familiar yet different, almost like seeing double. There was a whole universe of memories and feelings in his head that wasn't his own.
'Captain?' McCoy asked concern in his voice.
Pike looked at his security officer. 'It's true, damn me if it's not all true.'
'That's not you talking; he's put thoughts in your head, making you think what he wants you to think.'
Pike sighed, 'Just this once, Chief, can you just let go of your hate and go on trust? Parallel universes have been hypothesised for centuries. What I've just seen,' Pike shook his head, still trying to absorb all he had experienced. 'They just want to go home, hell giving half a chance I'd go with them.'
McCoy looked from Pike to Spock and back again. 'By all rights I should keep you locked up in here in case you're compromised.'
Pike looked thoughtfully at McCoy as he rubbed absently at his injured knee. 'If it would make you feel any better. But, Chief, how long have we known each other?'
McCoy frowned as he thought about the question. 'Going on eight and a half years now, you talked me into joining up.'
Pike nodded. 'Found your sorry drunk ass in a bar,' he looked towards Spock, 'from what I know about this other me seems to be a tendency I have.' He glanced back at McCoy. 'Chief, in all the years we've worked together have I ever led you astray?'
Instead of answering McCoy just holstered his phaser. 'We're all going to get court marshalled for this. What do you want to do now?'
'Now?' Pike stood up and nodded at the two men standing before him. 'We rescue Doctor Marcus from Kirk and compare notes about this anomaly.'
# # # #
Kirk looked over at Spock as the lift rose towards the bridge. 'Gotta admit, I wasn't sure you could convince Pike.'
Spock turned his head to look at his captain. 'And if I had not been successful?'
McCoy spoke up from the other side of Spock, where he was standing. 'Yeah, kid, what then?'
Kirk leaned forward so he could grin at McCoy. 'Oh you know I'd improvise something; take over the ship, win against impossible odds, save the girl.' He shrugged, 'that sort of thing.'
McCoy just frowned back at Kirk. 'You're out of your freaking mind.'
Kirk's grin widened. 'Not the first time you've told me that.'
'Keep a lid on it.' Pike ordered from where he was standing in front of them as the lift slowed and stopped. 'Just stick with the plan.'
'Gonna be goddamn court marshalled.' McCoy muttered as the doors opened.
'Captain on the –' Mister Sulu's voice trailed off as the four men walked onto the bridge of the Enterprise.
'Captain!' An instantly recognisable young woman strode hurriedly towards them, her phaser out and held down low by her left side, as the bridge crew reacted to the arrival of a Vulcan in their midst.
Kirk looked over at Spock, curious to see how the Vulcan would react to seeing this universe's version of his girlfriend.
Pike stopped walking and held out a hand towards his officer. 'At ease, Commander.' He turned and addressed Kirk and Spock. 'Gentlemen, may I introduce my first officer Commander Uhura.'
'Commander,' Spock said, nodding in her direction, giving no indication that he even recognised the young woman. Kirk was impressed there was no way he could have been so calm.
Uhura eyed Spock then turned her attention towards Pike. 'What is the meaning of this?'
'This is need to know, Uhura, he's part of the mission.'
'Sir,' Uhura holstered her weapon as she looked at Spock. 'As your first officer, am I not part of the structure that needs to know?'
Pike sighed. 'This comes straight from the very top, you know how compartmentalised this mission is, Commander, up to this point only McCoy and I had permission to know.'
'Know what, sir?'
'Captain?' One of the bridge crew stood up and addressed Pike. 'Is that an actual Vulcan?'
Now came the hard part, Pike glanced back once at McCoy before stepping forward to address the concerns of his crew. 'This man,' he gestured back at Spock, 'is not a Vulcan but a brave human who has volunteered to be surgically altered for this mission.'
Disbelieving murmurs echoed about the bridge.
'Begging you pardon, Captain,' the standing crew member questioned, 'but why would anyone do that?'
'To help end the war,' Pike replied; he looked about the room at his people. 'I know we've kept you in the dark about this mission. That wasn't my choice; even I have to follow orders.' Some of the crew smiled at the idea that even their Captain had someone who ordered him around. 'But believe me; what we are doing here could help bring this long war to an end. That is why we were chosen, the best of Starfleet,' Pike watched as spines stiffened in pride. 'I can't tell you everything that is going to happen, but I need you all to believe that the future of Starfleet, the future of the human race, depends on our actions in the next few days.'
'But a Vulcan?' Uhura asked.
'Infiltration,' McCoy told the first officer. 'You couldn't just waltz a human into their midst, Commander.'
'I can tell you all this much,' Pike told the crew, 'this is an intelligence gathering mission. We believe the Vulcan's are massing on a planet in a nearby system. Now why they are doing that we don't know, but with the help of this man,' he gestured towards Spock, 'we hope to find out and if possible put a stop to their plans.'
'Okay I get the need to look like a Vulcan,' Sulu spoke up. 'But who's that guy?' He gestured towards Kirk.
'Captain Kirk.' Kirk stepped forward. 'I've been tasked with keeping our friend here safe.'
'To keep the mission as covert as possible it was decided to travel these two on a separate ship until the last moment before transporting them aboard.' Pike said.
'Then why weren't we informed that they were coming?' Uhura asked.
'I took it on myself to use their arrival as a readiness exercise. To test our levels of security,' Pike looked over to McCoy, 'your team did well.'
'Yeah, even if they were a little too enthusiastic,' Kirk grumbled as he gave an exaggerated shrug and grimace.
The crew smiled and chuckled.
'Now,' Pike looked at his bridge crew, 'I think that's enough show and tell for one day,' he glanced over at his first officer. 'Uhura, transfer everything we have on the anomaly and the planet it originates from to my ready room.'
Uhura nodded, 'I'll bring it in personally.'
Pike walked over to Uhura and spoke quietly to the woman. 'I need you out here coordinating with Sulu on our approach to the planet. We didn't come all this way to screw it up in the last few metres.'
Uhura glanced over at Spock and Kirk. 'But, sir,' she protested.
Pike lowered his voice even further. 'I need you here, Nyota, keeping us safe why I play hand holder and diplomat to those two. If anyone else could do it, I'd let them in a heartbeat but orders are orders.'
Uhura reluctantly nodded, she knew how much her captain hated playing the political game. It was one of the reasons why Pike chose to captain a ship as far from Earth and Starfleet as possible. 'Yes, sir, good luck.'
'Just get us there undetected, Commander.' As Pike walked away from Uhura he gestured to the other three men to follow him.
Uhura nodded at the Science Officer. 'Send all information on the anomaly and originating planet to the Captain's room.'
'At once, Commander,' he replied, fingers dancing across his console.
Uhura strode over to Sulu. 'We need to plot an oblique course to that planet, Mister Sulu, no one can detect our approach.'
'One undetectable course coming up, ma'am,' Sulu hesitated for a moment. 'Commander, why would anyone want to look like a Vulcan?'
'We've all made sacrifices for the war, Lieutenant.'
'Still . . .' Sulu looked towards the viewscreen, which was currently showing the deep blackness of space. 'Have you ever actually met a Vulcan, ma'am, face to face?'
Uhura looked down at Sulu to see the lieutenant's attention had turned from the viewscreen to stare back at her. 'No,' she replied, reluctantly.
'I have,' Sulu said. 'I was there when they overrun the Darsus Base.' Sulu's eyes lost their focus as he subconsciously rubbed at a deep scar that ran from his right cheekbone down over his chin. He had been lucky, if he hadn't have moved at that precise second the Vulcan would have sliced his neck open, not his face.
'And?' Uhura asked.
Sulu remember the wild savagery; the rage of the Vulcans that day. Each of them relentless in their attack on the base; never backing down not even in the face of death, like a wild animal finally released from its cage. 'Well he looks the part, but can he act it?'
# # # #
Similar thoughts were running through Pike and Kirk's heads as everyone entered Pike's ready room. It was a small room off to one side of the bridge and was barely large enough to hold all four men.
'So,' Pike spoke as his computer chimed, indicating the requested information had arrived. 'What do you know about this anomaly?'
'It appeared suddenly about six weeks ago,' Kirk began, 'deep in space in a system
Starfleet thought was uninhabited. We were the nearest ship available so was tasked to investigate.'
'Six weeks ago,' Pike nodded, 'sounds about right.'
'We arrived at the planet four days ago, sent a science team down to investigate but they couldn't find anything,' Kirk continued. 'We searched the entire system looking for what might have produced the anomaly and came up with zip.'
'It was most frustrating,' Spock added.
Kirk looked across at his first officer. 'Frustrating, isn't that a bit emotional for you?'
'I was speaking on the crew's behalf.'
Pike sat down at his computer, pulling up the information before indicating for Kirk and Spock to look it over. 'Any of this look familiar to you?'
Spock leaned over Pike's shoulder. 'Yes,' he eventually said, 'it is almost identical to the readings we were given.'
'Almost?' McCoy asked from across the room. While he had accepted these two were somehow from another universe. Or at least had accepted that his captain believed this to be true, he still preferred to keep his distance from Spock.
'Your readings are much stronger than ours.'
'Which would make sense if the readings were coming from this universe and somehow bleeding through to ours,' Kirk added.
'But why?' McCoy asked.
'I do not know.' Spock answered him.
'Why were you sent here, Captain Pike?' Kirk asked. 'You're in the middle of a war and Starfleet decides to send out its best ship for what – curiosity? I'd think you'd have more important things to worry about.'
Pike nodded absently, 'We do.' He looked across at the two young men standing before him. Total strangers yet, because of Spock's mind meld, achingly familiar. 'What I am about to tell you can never leave this room,' Pike ignored McCoy's frustrated sigh as he indicated for the three men to sit.
McCoy folded his arms and leant back against the wall, declining the offer. Kirk sat down, while Spock chose to remain standing at Kirk's right shoulder. Pike noted in amusement that it was almost an identical pose that Uhura and he took whenever they were on the bridge. Captain seated and first officer looming at his side ready to give advice or caution in equal measure.
'Starfleet has noted a decrease in attacks from Vulcan in recent months.' Pike told them.
'Well that's good, right?' Kirk said.
'Not necessarily,' McCoy said, from across the room. 'Could be they're planning something big, amassing the troops for some sort of major attack on Earth or K'ronos.'
'So when Starfleet registered this anomaly in the Kentar System, we had to investigate.' Pike said.
'Why,' Kirk asked, 'it's in the middle of nowhere.'
'In your universe, maybe,' McCoy said. 'Here it's only a few days travel as the Starship flies to a Vulcan staging post. Can anyone say "I don't believe in coincidences"?'
'The staging post was destroyed years ago,' Pike clarified, 'but Starfleet was worried enough to send us out here to investigate.'
'You think the anomaly is a weapon.' Spock said.
'We think the Vulcans are testing something out here.' Pike turned his chair back to stare at the readouts again. 'And we were sent to find out what.'
'And destroy it before it gets used against us.' McCoy added.
'You gotta know if it's a weapon the Vulcans will be guarding it heavily.' Kirk said. 'You're not going to come out of this clean, there will be casualties.'
Pike turned back and smiled wearily at Kirk. 'Son, who said anything about coming back?'
Kirk sat back in his chair as Pike's words registered. 'This is a suicide mission.'
'It was,' Pike looked over at Spock, 'now I'm not so sure.'
'I do not understand.' Spock said.
'The plan,' McCoy said, 'is to get as close as possible and attack whatever installation they have on the planet.'
'And any ships in orbit.' Pike added.
McCoy nodded, 'If we hit the place hard and fast we might do enough damage to set them back for years. And if we're really lucky kill off their lead scientists and bigwigs in the process. Such an action might cripple their war effort giving us a chance to gather ships and hit Vulcan, once and for all.'
Pike was curious to see Spock's reaction to the suggestion of an attack on his home planet, especially after the memories of its destruction that still haunted his own mind. But Spock gave no visible reaction to McCoy's words. Truly he was like no other Vulcan Pike had ever met, before today.
'Still,' Kirk spoke into the silence that followed McCoy's words. 'Doesn't sound too bad – hard, but not exactly suicidal. Hell it sounds like the sort of crazy stunt I'd pull.'
'Then you, too, would surely die, Captain.' Spock said. 'Remember like in our universe Vulcans have been capable of space travel longer than humans. Our ships and weapons are far superior and here Starfleet doesn't have the resources or technology from other races to call upon.'
'He's right,' Pike said, 'What the Chief just told you was our best case scenario. Reality says we'd be lucky to fight our way past the orbiting ships and defensive weapons to even reach the planet below with enough strength left to attack.'
'Then what's your plan?' Kirk wanted to know.
'We packed this ship with enough extra explosives that when we hit the planet, we're going to leave one hell of a dent.' McCoy said, a little proudly.
'You intend to turn the Enterprise itself into a weapon, using it as the means to destroy the installation.' Spock's words might have been addressed to Pike but all his attention was on his own captain.
'It's the only way to make certain of success.' McCoy said.
'Do they know?' Kirk's words were hoarse with anger, images of his own father choosing a similar fate, running through his head. But at least his father had the balls to do it alone.
'Who?' McCoy wanted to know.
'The crew, do they know what you have planned?'
Pike shook his head. 'Only McCoy, Uhura and I have the final orders.'
'Although some of the smarter ones have worked it out,' McCoy said, 'you can tell by the way they act.'
Kirk said, 'You told them they were the best, back on the bridge.'
Pike nodded with no small amount of pride.
'Then why?'
'Because only the best will get us through to finish the mission,' Pike answered him. 'If our sacrifice can bring about the beginning of the end of this dammed war, it will be worth it.'
'Worth it?' Kirk's hands tightened on the arms of the chair he was sitting in. 'You sit there talking about killing your crew and you think it's worth it?'
'I'd die for my people, and my people would die to protect Earth. Don't act like that's a surprise, Kirk.' Memories of the young man sitting before him dying for his own crew flickered through Pike's mind. 'We're not all that different after all.'
Similar thoughts must have been running through Kirk's mind, also, but he didn't relax until Spock reached down and briefly rested a hand on his captain's shoulder. 'You implied that our arrival has changed your plans,' the Vulcan said.
McCoy breathed a silent sigh of relief as the tension between the two captains seemed to subside a little.
'The plan was to always hit the target with everything we had and hope for the best.' Pike said, 'But with you onboard we might be able to achieve our aims and still make it home.'
'Wait, what?' Kirk raised a hand, 'that plan was just a cover to let the crew accept our presence onboard. Nobody ever suggested anyone actually go through with it.'
'What you think we needed your permission first?' McCoy asked, a little crossly.
'What McCoy is trying to say,' Pike said, 'was that we'd already came up with a variation on the theme before you two appeared.'
'Three or four of us were planning on transporting down during the battle strapped with explosives.' McCoy said. 'Aim for the centre of the installation or wherever there was a massive power signature and see what happens.'
'Us?' Kirk said.
'My plan, my mission, if we're lucky enough we destroy them before the Enterprise is hit too badly not to make it home.'
'Bones,' Kirk looked sadly at his best friend.
'What?' McCoy frowned and tried to act indifferent to Kirk's expression. 'Dammit stop looking at me like that. It's not like I got anything to live for.'
'What about Doctor Marcus?' Kirk wanted to know.
McCoy uncrossed then recrossed his arms before snapping, 'What about her?'
Kirk was unsure if Bones was oblivious to any feelings towards the doctor, or just refusing to acknowledge them. But it seemed obvious in just the few hours Kirk had known the two people that something was there between them. Before he had a chance to pursue the topic any further Spock spoke up.
'You suggest I infiltrate any facilities found on the planet and search for information?'
'Infiltrate – destroy,' McCoy shrugged, 'I know which one I prefer.'
'If we could get you down on the planet undetected,' Pike said, 'and give you enough time to reconnoitre the situation, I'm hoping you could disable whatever this anomaly is and we'd all get to go home.' He looked over at Kirk and Spock. 'Well as home as you two will ever get. We could use two officers like you.'
'Now, wait a minute –' Kirk began.
Spock overrode his captain's objections. 'I accept.'
'The hell you do!' Kirk pushed himself out of his chair and turned to address Spock. 'Do you think you can just waltz into some Vulcan facility, ask nicely and just expect them to hand over all their secret technology? In case you hadn't noticed these guys are at war.' He lowered his voice a little. 'They'll see right through you, Spock, from what everyone here says you're too damn nice and quiet to pass as a Vulcan in this universe. They'd kill you on sight, if you're lucky.'
'Would you prefer McCoy's plan of using explosives?' Spock asked.
Kirk shook his head sharply at the thought. 'Of course not, I just want you to think logically about this.'
'I am always logical, Captain.'
Kirk grunted in frustration. 'I know its one of your more annoying traits.'
The corner of Spock's mouth twitched ever so slightly, an action that would have gone unnoticed by anyone not familiar with the Vulcan. 'I am the logical choice and I have proven in the past that I can operate any Vulcan technology no matter how unfamiliar it might be. Captain Pike's plan is sound and is the only option that will enable the Enterprise a chance to return intact with the majority of its crew. Besides, as a child of both Vulcan and Earth I find this war,' Spock searched for the right word, 'disturbing.'
'Fine, but I'm coming with you.' Kirk declared, 'I could be your prisoner.'
McCoy opened his mouth to voice his objections but Pike motioned for him to not speak. The captain knew this had to be settled between these two men without any input from them.
Spock shook his head. 'That would be unwise and potentially jeopardise the mission.'
'Screw the mission; I'm not letting you go down there alone.'
'As your First Officer I should remind you that putting yourself in unnecessary risk is not logical and as your friend I would ask you let me do this for my mother,' Spock hesitated a moment before adding, 'and your father, for both our worlds.'
Kirk searched Spock's face, looking for any sign that he could persuade his friend not to do this. Realising there wasn't he sat back down on the chair. 'Fine,' he muttered as he leant forward, with his forearms on his thighs and stared at the floor between his boots. He looked up suddenly. 'But the first sign of trouble and we're pulling you out of there.'
Everyone in the room knew that was a lie. For the plan to work Spock would need to maintain total communication silence with Enterprise. The first anyone on board would know if the plan succeeded or failed would be when the Vulcans attacked or the facilities on the planet were destroyed.
'Sending others into danger, potentially to their deaths,' Pike said quietly, 'it's one of the heaviest of burdens of the chair, son.'
Kirk looked over and glared at Pike. 'Tell me something I don't know.'
'I'm allergic to pollen,' McCoy declared for no real reason, trying to lighten the mood. 'Can your Bones claim that?'
Kirk blinked at the change of subject and looked questioningly at Spock.
The Vulcan shook his head. 'I am unaware of any such medical condition.'
'Didn't think so,' McCoy replied, a little smugly. 'Now let's get down to brass tacks and finalise this plan. That last thing I want be is hanging around that planet with the Vulcans taking pot shots at us because we couldn't make up our minds what we're doing.'
'Duly noted,' Pike said.
# # # #
Kirk and Pike walked slowly along the corridor towards their destination.
'So,' Kirk began, looking for some subject they both might have in common. 'Mind melds, huh, pretty intense.'
Pike looked sideways at Kirk. He wondered what Vulcan had melded with the young man and whether or not his experience had been as intense as Pike's had been. Images of this own dying not to mention this young man's death and miraculous resurrection were still raw. If his smile was a little sad and forced, Kirk wasn't to know. 'Nothing I couldn't handle.' Pike told him as they walked into the shuttle bay area.
Sitting out in the middle of the bay was a single shuttle pod with its door open, standing outside it was two men, McCoy and an almost unrecognisable Spock. Kirk gave a slow disbelieving whistle as his friend turned to look at them.
Gone was the customary blue uniform, in its place Spock was wearing loose dark grey pants with black knee high boots, a deep red sash-like belt kept closed an off-white tunic that fell mid-thigh. Over the tunic Spock was wearing a sleeveless dark blue coat with a hood that was currently resting down on the Vulcan's shoulders. The hilt of a sword could be seen over Spock's right shoulder and he carried a large bulky sidearm at his hip. A black swirling tattoo was visible starting on the left side of Spock's head just behind his pointed ear; it travelled along his jaw line and down his neck before disappearing beneath the tunic.
'Well,' Kirk was rarely at a loss for words but this was one such time. 'That's –'
'What all fashionable green blooded murderers are wearing this year,' McCoy said for him. 'We had to mix and match it a little to avoid the bloodstains.'
'Where did you get the clothes from?' Kirk asked.
McCoy simply replied, flatly, 'Bloodstains.'
'The colouring of the sash denotes rank.' Pike explained. 'We've gone with the equivalent of a commander. Should allow Spock access to most places without drawing too much attention.'
'And the tattoo?' Kirk asked Spock. 'That's only temporary, right? I'm only thinking of a certain someone back home.'
Spock tilted his head to the right, drawing attention to the spiral down his neck. 'Do you think she would not approve?'
'I have no idea.' Kirk confessed.
'Well that should work.' The voice that came from the shuttle interior might have been familiar but the accent certainly wasn't, it was more working class English than Scottish.
Montgomery Scott appeared in the doorway rubbing his hands on a piece of cloth. 'The shuttle's ready to go, Captain.'
'Scotty!' Kirk exclaimed, delighted to see another familiar face.
The red-headed man frowned down at the young captain. 'That's Mister Scott to you, pal.'
'Right,' Kirk stopped smiling and tried to look serious. 'Sorry.'
Stepping down from the shuttle Scott jumped down the last two steps, throwing the cloth onto the ground. 'I've minimised the shuttle's signature as much as I can. If Sulu's calculations are correct and we can push some of those meteoroids out of the nearby belt and towards the planet we should be able to hide amongst them without being detected.' He scratched at his close cropped beard. 'Assuming, of course, that the damn Vulcans aren't looking for us. The shuttle can take a passive scan but anything else more aggressive . . .' he shrugged.
'Anything more aggressive and they'll already know we're here and the shuttle will be the least of their worries.' Pike reminded the engineer and recently recruited pilot. 'Remember you just have to get close enough to the planet to transport Spock dirt side, after that get back here fast.'
Scott nodded. 'Don't have to tell me twice, Captain.'
'Uhura to Captain Pike.'
Pike nodded to McCoy, before striding over to the nearby wall and activating the communications system. 'Pike here,' the captain said.
'Sir, we've just reached the meteor belt.'
'We're ready to begin using our tractors to manoeuvre some likely candidates into position.' Sulu's voice could be heard in the background.
'How long?' Pike asked.
'About six minutes, Captain.' Sulu answered.
'We'll be ready, Pike out.'
'You know there wasn't any meteor belt in our universe.' Kirk noted.
'How many planets were there in the system?' Pike asked, moving back over to stand with the other men.
'There are six.' Spock answered him.
'Well there's only four here, so that might explain it.'
Kirk wondered what cosmic event had occurred in this universe to cause two planets to collide. Had it been a natural event or was the Vulcan weapon somehow involved?
'Well let's get this show on the road.' McCoy slapped Scott on the back and began walking up the steps of the shuttle.
'You're going too?' Kirk asked, a little perplexed.
McCoy paused on the steps and turned back to address the young man. 'Extra pair of hands never goes astray and besides,' he glanced over at Spock, 'we wouldn't want anyone to suddenly change their mind.'
Spock paused at the foot of the shuttle's steps and looked up at McCoy. 'I have given my word I would undertake this mission.' He paused for effect. 'Vulcans do not lie.'
'Really?' Scott asked as he brushed back Spock and up the steps, 'since when?'
McCoy grunted in agreement and disappeared into the shuttle, quickly followed by Scott. Spock waited at the shuttle steps as Pike and Kirk approached him.
Pike shook his head slightly as he observed Spock standing there hands clasped behind his back, body still and attentive. 'Remember the footage we showed you,' he told the young Vulcan, referring to recordings of captured prisoners of war that Spock had watched as references to how Vulcans acted in this universe. 'Don't be so contained, so under control.'
'You gotta be more human, Spock,' Kirk said, 'Basically you have to act everything you're not.'
'I will endeavour to do so when the time is right.' Spock said.
'And don't talk like that, either. I'm betting Vulcans don't talk like that here.' Kirk looked towards Pike for confirmation. When the older man nodded Kirk looked back at Spock and grinned. 'Hey I know, if you want to seem more human, just act like me!'
Pike coughed loudly to hide his snort of amusement as Spock raised an eyebrow at the thought.
McCoy poked his head out of the doorway. 'Just got word from Uhura, we have to go.' He disappeared back into the shuttle.
Kirk made a fist with his right hand and punched Spock lightly on the chest. 'Good luck.'
Spock stared down at the spot where he had been hit, then looked back at Kirk. 'Vulcans do not require luck.'
'Fine whatever; just . . . come back safe alright. I need someone around here who is still normal.' Kirk gave an apologetic glance at Pike. 'Everyone is not how they're supposed to be and you're all I have left of my crew.'
Spock nodded in understanding as Kirk began to walk back towards the hangar door. Realising that Captain Pike hadn't left also he turned his attention to the older man.
'Remember, these aren't your people, you do whatever you have to do to successfully complete this mission.' Pike told him. He waited until Spock had nodded before continuing. Even though Kirk was no longer in earshot Pike found himself subconsciously lowering his voice. 'Those feelings you felt when Kirk died and you went after Khan,' Pike searched Spock's eyes for recognition of that day. 'Try and use that down there Mister Spock. That rage, that feeling of loss; that is what it means to be Vulcan here. Those feelings will keep you alive.'
'I understand.'
Pike nodded, although he was unsure if the younger man really did understand. As he reached out a hand, Pike realised this was the first and possibly only time he would shake hands with a Vulcan. Nodding Pike turned away and left the hangar with Kirk. The mission and possible future of planet Earth was up to Spock now.
