It can't be. Am I malfunctioning? I have to be. How can he be here? It's not possible. There's something wrong with my visual sensors.
His frantic thoughts were brought to a sudden halt when the man's readings spiked.
"John!" Dorian shouted and jumped off the bed just in time to catch the man from falling to the ground. The others were startled by the doctor's sudden collapse and were calling for a nurse. Dorian ignored them and laid the man in his arms gently to the ground. He ran a quick scan to check his vitals. To his immediate relief, there seemed to be nothing wrong with them, but the man was unconscious.
Dorian let his gaze wander over the man's face. He looked so much like John, but he knew that it wasn't possible. This was the future and John- John had been de- gone for a long time.
Prolonged scrutiny revealed the slight differences between the two men. This man, Bones, had less muscle mass and thus weighted less and he didn't have any scarring. Most notably, he still had two functioning legs. He knew that this wasn't his John, but still, he couldn't let go. Couldn't move his eyes away from him, in fear that any second now he would stop breathing.
He couldn't let go.
~o~
Jim watched in alarm as Bones suddenly collapsed to the ground. Before he could move to catch him the android was there, appearing out of nowhere. He heard him cry out a name that didn't belong to his friend. The same name he had whispered just seconds before like it was a benediction. He didn't have time to worry about it now, and before he knew it, he was calling for a nurse.
Jim's gaze fell on Spock who was kneeling next to Bones and Dorian. The android had Bones' head on his lap. He was frantically running his eyes over him, the side of his head flashing in shades of blue. Spock had a medical tricorder in his hands and was frowning at the results. Two nurses swept past Jim and shooed Spock to the side. Jim went to him.
"What happened?" Spock turned his eyes towards him, the frown still marring his forehead.
"I cannot say, Captain. There seems to be nothing physically wrong with the doctor, apart from his unconscious state." Jim frowned. That was odd, to say the least.
"Any theories on what could have caused it?"
"None as such. But I do find it interesting that it happened right after the android called the doctor 'John'," Spock said. He nodded his head in the direction of Dorian, who still hadn't moved from his place on the floor. The nurses were giving him increasingly exasperated glares. The android didn't seem to notice, having eyes only for the man lying on his lap.
"If I didn't know any better, I would say that he knows him," Jim said, not sure if he was amused, worried or both. He well remembered the incident of Rita IV. One obsessed android had been enough for a lifetime. Spock's lips twitched minutely. Apparently, he remembered that incident too.
"Indeed." Jim smiled at his first officer. All worries of love sick androids were momentarily forgotten, as those deep brown eyes met his own in mutual amusement. He sobered when the two nurses lifted Bones up on the now vacated med bed with the help of Dorian. Jim directed his attention to the crewmembers.
"Is he going to be alright?
"Yes, sir, as far as we can tell." answered one of the nurses, Stevenson, a bi-gender human called 'Steffie' affectionally by his friends.
Jim narrowed his eyes at Dorian. He was still standing close to Bones, his hand almost brushing the doctor's. He would find out what was happening if it killed him.
"Dorian, would you mind coming with us? We need to ask you some questions." The android stared back at him for a second before nodding his head in acquiescence.
~o~
Jim stared at the man in front of him with barely concealed distaste. There was something very uncomfortably sleazy about that made the captain dislike the man he in different circumstances would have found amusing. A glance at the Vulcan sitting beside him showed Jim that his first officer shared his feelings. To anyone else, Spock would have looked like a perfect example of Vulcan calm, but Jim could see the faint downward curl of his lips and slight flaring of his nostrils.
The android was sitting on the other side of the table a few seats away from his former captor. His arms were crossed in front of him, but Jim could not tell if it was from uncertainty, impatience or from any emotion at all. It was slightly disconcerting to see artificial being to seem so... human. He snorted at this particular thought. Jim could just imagine the way Spock would react if he had said this aloud. The minimal raising of the right eyebrow and the dry way he would say 'Indeed, Captain'.
Spock glanced at his captain having heard his barely concealed sound of amusement. He turned his head in Jim's direction and raised his eyebrow. (This achieved the desired effect of his captain's lips curling upward exactly 4 millimetres. Smile #12: amused, fond, but trying to remain professional.) Jim shook his head at him in response to his silent enquiry and tilted his head towards their captive, signalling that Spock should start his inquisition. He took a deep breath and pressed a button on the console in front of him.
"Mister Mudd, you here to be questioned about numerous infractions of the laws of United Federation of Planets. The purpose of this hearing is to collect your statement for future court proceedings. As a senior member Captain James T. Kirk will be witness to this inquisition, and I, Commander Spock of New Vulcan will perform the questioning. This meeting will be recorded and anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. We will monitor your answers and will know if you lie. Perjury will be regarded as a further infraction and will be added to your sentence. You do, of course, have the right to remain silent. Since you have relinquished your rights to legal aid, you will act as your own counsel. Is this understood?"
"Perfectly, perfectly." Mudd waved a hand, seemingly unbothered by the proceedings. He smirked at the Vulcan and his captain. "Now, now gentlemen, I'm just an honest businessman."
A loud beep was heard from the lie detector. Mudd glared at it, while Jim and Spock exchanged exasperated looks. A muffled sound of amusement was heard from the android who until then had been staring at the wall in silent completion.
"An honest businessman who was in possession of a stolen Starfleet vehicle." Mudd sniffed, seemingly affronted.
"See here, the fella I bought it from told me it belonged to his father. How was I supposed to know any different?" Beep. Jim rolled his eyes. The man looked to be determined to make this as difficult as possible for himself.
"I was thinking that perhaps the Starfleet insignias that decorated the hull would have clued you in," the captain said, sarcasm evident in his voice.
"Fine, fine. I stole the damn vehicle, happy now?"
"Very," Spock deadpanned. Jim hid a smile in his hand. If it had been just the two of them, he would have teased his friend for seemingly admitting to feeling emotion. He listened with a half an ear when Spock went through the details of the theft and how he came to be in possession of so many androids. ("They were a gift." Beep. "I found them laying about. It would have been irresponsible to leave 'em just there to rot, poor things." Beep. "I might've borrowed them teeny tiny things." Beep. "Blasted machine!") Finally, after half an hour of beeps and increasingly colourful language from Mudd, his first officer deemed the account properly recorded.
"Perhaps we could now proceed to your intention to sell your cargo to sexual servitude."
"Now, now, there ain't no law against that," Mudd retorted, defiant yet mildly subdued.
"It's true that prostitution is not illegal, but selling someone to it against their will is."
Mudd scoffed, smugly satisfied once again. "But they're androids. They wouldn't have cared."
"We'll see if Starfleet agrees," Jim said with confidence he didn't feel. He had a bad feeling that they would. Androids were still seen as mere tools. No more deserving of rights than the parts they were made of. He rubbed his forehead, he didn't have the energy to deal with this. He motioned for the two security officers standing by the door. Turning his head, he saw Spock staring at him, a small frown marring his perfect brow. He shook his head. Later.
"Take him to the brig." When the two red shirts left the room, he turned towards their unexpected guest. The android was staring at him his electric blue eyes never blinking. Unnerved, Jim offered a hesitant smile. Dorian blinked and looked down as if ashamed of his staring. Who knows, maybe he was. Jim wasn't sure how human the android exactly was. "We would take your witness statement, but you never interacted with Mister Mudd, did you?"
"No, according to you I haven't been operational in a few hundred years. My memory banks seem to support this claim." Jim nodded, having expected the answer. He glanced at Spock again, receiving a supportive nod of the head for his efforts. He took a breath, squared his shoulders and considered the android. He wasn't suspicious, not yet, but thins did seem to go wrong more often than not when they encountered something new. He decided that the best approach would be to be direct.
"John. That's what you called McCoy. Why is that?" Dorian blinked, he had expected the question sooner or later, but perhaps not in such a direct manner. He shifted a little, to him the imaginary pain was still a bit too raw, too close to the surface. He had an illogical urge to press a hand against his chest. There was no reason for it. Thanks to Mister Scott, he was in perfect working condition. An android with a bleeding heart, someone seemed to whisper. He shook his head. Maybe he should run diagnostics on his auditory sensors.
"He looks remarkably like my former partner."
"Partner?" The al- the Vulcan asked.
"I was a police droid. He was my assigned partner." The human and Vulcan exchanged a look he couldn't decipher. Captain Kirk turned to him, curiosity practically pouring from him.
"Do you know what happened to Doctor McCoy?" Commander Spock asked, head tilted to the side in a manner expressing curiosity.
Dorian shook his head. "I performed some medical scans on him, but I'm as baffled as you," he said, hoping that he would be believed. He had no desire to share a cell with the lovely Mister Mudd. The Vulcan nodded seemingly satisfied. The Captain was still looking at him with a mix of suspicion and bafflement.
"So, your partner looked like Bones. In what way exactly?"
"He is almost identical in appearance to the human I knew as John Kennex." Both the Captain and the Vulcan raised their brows in a hilariously similar manner. Dorian wondered if they were married. He had heard that couples that stayed long together started to emulate each others' mannerism. A stab of - something- went through his chest at the thought.
"Could he have been Bones' ancestor?"
"I doubt it. John- John didn't have any children and had no other relations."
"Maybe he had some after you were decommissioned?"
"No," Dorian said, more sharply than he intended. He winced, chagrined at his loss of control. He really should run diagnostics on himself. Something clearly wasn't right. He focused his synopses and tried again.
"No. He died before I was-" He cut off. Dammit.
"I grieve with thee." The Vulcan said. He seemed calm but there was something in his eyes and the way his body was slightly angled towards his captain, that told Dorian that there was something more to his words than just diplomatic courtesy. Some deep pain that made him more sympathetic than he would be otherwise. Dorian nodded. If he could shed tears, he believed his optical sensors would be blurry right now.
Captain Kirk smiled. He seemed more at ease with Dorian than he had been. He returned it. He wasn't sure how it looked like, but he didn't give a damn anymore. He was tired in a way that had nothing to do with his charge levels. Protocols could go fuck themselves.
"Well this has been an eventful day, but I think I'm not speaking only for myself when I say that we should postpone further discussion for tomorrow," Kirk said, raising from his chair. Commander Spock and Dorian rose with him. He motioned for the remaining red-shirted crew member to step beside Dorian. "S'eweq here will show you to your temporary quarters."
"Aye, sir. Room 402, Captain?" Kirk nodded, and he and the Vulcan said their goodbyes. Dorian nodded in gratitude, too eager to be left alone to protest that he had no need for a room of his own. It was not like he needed sleep. "Goodnight, Captain, Commander."
When the door closed behind the android, Jim smiled at his first and shrugged in tired bewilderment. He honestly did not know what to think about all of this. And how to precisely to deal with an android that for all purposes seemed to be suffering from a broken heart.
"Bones must be a distant relative then,"
"Indeed."
~o~
His name is Dorian
Oh great, an android with a bleeding heart.
I love you, John
I love you
John
John
Bones woke up with a start. I took him a moment to realise that he wasn't in his quarters. He blinked, disorientated, and levered himself up with his elbow. He had no idea how he had ended up in this position. The last thing he remembered was a blinding pain in his leg. Had he passed out? At least his leg didn't hurt anymore.
"Oh Doctor, you're awake!" Christine Chapel suddenly burst into the room and was by his bed in quick, efficient strides. She checked the readings on the data panel above McCoy and hummed in satisfaction when they all looked healthy. Bones cleared his throat.
"What happened?"
"You fainted. Quite suddenly too. You startled the captain quite badly, you know," she said admonishingly.
"I'll make sure to give a proper warning next time, then." He rose to a full sitting position. Nurse Chapel glared at him before rolling her eyes, giving up trying to convince him to remain in bed as a lost cause. Doctors always made the worst patients.
"Fine, I'll let you leave, but only," she raised a finger, looking for all the world like a strict school matron from an old Terran film," if you promise that you go and rest in your quarters."
"What happened to my leg?" The change from a strict (and slightly scary if Bones was being honest) matron to a concerned but a professional nurse was instant.
"Why? Did you land on it? Scans didn't show anything abnormal."
"I had some kind of spasm I think." Bones didn't like sounding so uncertain. He was a seasoned doctor, dammit, not a greenie just out of the Academy. "That's what made me pass out. Hurt like hell."
"Let me see. Which leg?"
"The right one."
"You know the procedure, doctor." She rolled up his right uniform pant leg and started pressing her fingertips on his leg with varying amounts of pressure. She glanced up periodically to see if Bones was exhibiting any signs of pain.
"No soreness or pain?"
"None."
"That is curious. I could run a more intensive scan. After-", here she pointedly glared at him, "which you will go and rest in your quarters."
Bones groaned and slumped back against the mattress.
~o~
Bones left the sickbay with a promise to Chapel to contact her or one of the other members of the medical staff if his leg started to hurt again.
In the hallway that led to his quarters stood Dorian. His gait stuttered. The android was leaning against the doorway to the visitor's quarters, his eyes closed and those strangely enchanting blue patterns pulsing against his brown skin. Moments passed, and Bones was unable to move or tear his eyes away from this strange half-man, half-machine in front of him. Suddenly Dorian let out a small sigh, and those blue eyes opened.
Their gazes met.
He did not know how long he stood there, his mind filled with hazy half thought images of faces and places he had never seen and words that he had never uttered. Unconsciously his hand moved on his right thigh like chasing after some old pain. It drew Dorian's eyes away from his, and the spell that had seemingly fallen over them was broken. Bones, now uncomfortable, cleared his throat and passed Dorian. Their shoulders almost brushed when he passed him. Bones walked to his quarters feeling Dorian's eyes boring into his back the whole way.
