Jim Kirk sits on his friend Hikaru Sulu's couch, his leg bouncing up and down in anticipation and uneasiness. His eyes flicker to the clock on the wall; it's a little past two-thirty at night. He's been sitting here in this apartment for nearly an hour now and each minute has seemed to drag on longer than the last.
His friend is in the kitchen making tea, something that he always does when he knows people are on edge.
"Are you sure he's going to be alright?" Kirk asks as he turns around and leans against the back end of the couch. Sulu doesn't look up and continues to pour steaming tea into small ceramic cups.
"I already told you: I called the receptionist. She said she saw him walking up the stairs to his place at nine-thirty and he hadn't left by the time she clocked out at one. I'm sure he's asleep by now. Today wasn't exactly his most conventional birthday".
Kirk bites the inside of his cheek, taking note that that last sentence was directed entirely at him.
"I know. But you saw him Sulu, he was a mess. I'm just worried about him is all".
"Doesn't seem like it to me," Sulu mumbles as he stirs his tea just a little too forcefully. Kirk furrows his brow.
"And why would you think that?" He asks defensively.
Hikaru looks up at him. "Oh I don't know, Kirk," he begins, his voice laced with venom, "Jeopardizing a year-long project and then waltzing right up to a person who more or less mourned you for endless months without the slightest hint that you might still be alive doesn't exactly bring the word "worried" to mind. Reckless and stupid is more like it".
Kirk exhales heavily "Jeez, tell me how you really feel".
Sulu slams his cup down on the counter. "This isn't a joke Jim!" He sighs angrily and shakes his head in disbelief. "What you did was not only careless, but selfish. You wanted to go undercover and I backed you up. You gave me your reasons and I respected that. I understood. But what I don't understand is how you came to the conclusion to that showing up out of nowhere would somehow fix whatever godforsaken problem you've gotten yourself into now".
Kirk's eyes light up in anger at the accusations being thrown into his face. "You think I wanted this to happen?! You think that after all I've done I would be that unprepared, just show up at your door asking for your help? I knew the risks, Hikaru. I knew what coming back would do, but I had no choice".
"No," Sulu spits, "you did have a choice. And you made the wrong one".
"Do you even know why I came back?" Kirk yells.
"I don't need to know why!" Sulu matches his volume. "You came back and now it's a whole new mess we're in. What happens when everyone else finds out, hm? That you're still alive? That they didn't actually bury your body? That they didn't watch you bleed out on the floor without even getting the chance to say goodbye? What more do you want from them Kirk? You don't think they've been through enough? Sacrificed enough? Well guess what: all those weeks you were gone, I had to pick up the pieces. You left them broken. Hurt. Hell, I'm amazed any of them even recovered after something like that. You being here is the last thing they need".
"I'm the thing they need most!" Kirk finally screams, his body now rigidly standing up, his fists clenched at his sides. "They're all in danger and I'm the only one who can do anything about it! Those men? They've got a plan. They think I'm still alive! They're calling bullshit on our story. And who do you think are the first people they're going after when it means getting to me?"
Sulu falls silent, his face growing rather pallid.
Kirk nods his head. "That's right. This is some serious shit, Hikaru, and I wouldn't have come back unless I absolutely needed to. Everything I've worked for this past year is for nothing now. And you can go ahead and look at me like I'm the biggest dick on earth right now, but you and I both know that the only reason I even left in the first place was to protect them. Every decision I've made since that day has been for them."
Kirk finishes nearly out of breath from all his yelling. Sulu's gaze is now trained on the floor, his lips pursed tightly together. There's a moment of tension as neither man speaks.
"Does Spock know you're back?" Sulu asks quietly. Jim shakes his head in response.
"I haven't contacted him in over a month. You're the first person I came to as soon as I got out".
"Of course I am," Sulu mumbles. He scrubs a tired hand over his face. "Well shit," he mutters, completely at a blank on what to do now. He looks to Kirk once more. "And you're sure they're after us?"
Jim nods firmly. "I wouldn't have come back if I wasn't absolutely positive".
Sulu sighs in acknowledgement. "Okay," he simply says.
"Okay?"
"Okay I'll help you," the younger man replies. "I've never doubted your judgment before and if you say that there's some serious shit about to go down, then I've got your back".
Kirk gives a small smile. "Thank you, Sulu," he pauses a moment, trying to think of the exact words to say, "for everything".
Hikaru nods back to him, accepting the older man's thinly veiled apology. He waits a few seconds before asking his next question.
"So how long until they find everyone?"
Kirk shakes his head. "There's no telling when they'll come, but I think I definitely have a good day's head start on them. They were just starting to scout out possible locations when I made a break for it."
Hikaru taps his fingers against the countertops anxiously. "So what's our next move then? Call the others here to make sure no one gets into any trouble?"
Kirk sighs, ready to face the impending event of revealing himself to his other friends. He keeps telling himself it's all for the best; it's the only thing that's gotten him this far. "I don't think we have any other choice. We'll have power in numbers should any of them find us, and it'll be easier to keep everyone safe if they're all together".
"I agree," Sulu replies. "Better call them before it gets any later. If we're lucky, they might still be hanging around McCoy's. I told them Chekov wasn't really feeling up to a party but to not let that ruin the fun. Hopefully they listened".
Kirk reaches for the phone on the table but Sulu quickly stops him. "Ah, better let me take care of the calling. It's probably better they don't find out you're still alive over the phone".
Kirk slowly pulls back his hand in realization, nodding at his friend's observation.
Sulu picks up the phone and begins to dial the number, praying the others are sober enough to answer the phone. He's seconds away from hitting the call button when the silence of the apartment is sliced apart by the screeching sound of sirens piercing the night. Sulu runs to the window in just enough time to see three police cars racing down the street and into the darkness.
"Well what the hell was that ab-"
Kirk is cut off as Sulu's cell phone begins ringing from inside his pocket. Fumbling, the younger man manages to retrieve it.
"It's Pavel," Sulu mutters in slight confusion. He puts the cell phone to his ear and answers.
"Hello?"
No response.
"Pavel, you there?"
Then there's a sound that chills Sulu's blood as it emanates over the phone. It's Chekov yelling in pain and the sound of something, or someone, being dragged.
"Chekov?" Sulu yells frantically into the phone. Kirk is standing now, fully aware that something is very, very wrong.
Sulu listens in horror to what sounds like Chekov's phone hitting the floor followed immediately by silence. He stands there a moment, shocked and unsure of what to do.
"Pavel?" He calls. There's no answer. The line has gone completely dead. Sulu pulls the phone away from his ear and stares in disbelief.
"What?" Kirk asks, his eyes darting from the phone to the despondent man holding it. "What happened?"
Sulu looks to his friend in slight shock. "We need to get to Chekov's. Now."
Without another word, Kirk and Sulu are out the door and in the car, Sulu pressing the gas pedal to the floor as they rocket down the street towards Chekov's apartment.
When they get there, it's nearly impossible to get through the crowd that's gathered around the housing complex. People of all ages in various night clothes have flooded the street to get a glimpse of what had caused so much commotion in the late hours of the night.
Kirk pulls his hood up to make recognizing him harder, and both he and Sulu push through to the front of the crowd where a line of police barricades have been set up in order to keep pedestrians out. To the side, a few individuals are talking to offices, most likely giving details as to what they heard.
They easily cross over the barriers but are stopped by a middle-aged cop just before they reach the shattered remains of the front doors.
"Sorry folks, this is as far as you can go," he relays almost manually.
"Sir, I'm Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu and this is…Ensign… Roberts," Sulu lies.
"Ensign?" He hears Kirk whisper in offended disbelief. Sulu elbows him in the ribs and effectively shuts him up.
"We're with Starfleet, sent here to investigate. We believe this has to do with one of our own".
The aging officer apparently accepts the lie, because he nods gruffly and moves off to the side in order to keep other people back.
Sulu and Kirk are upon the grisly scene within seconds of crossing the threshold into the building. Shattered glass litters the floor and there's a trail of blood leading from about halfway down the stairs to the middle of the lobby where giant, sickly drops of red have stained the white tile.
They both exchange painful glances as they realize there's only one explanation for all of this.
And in that moment of realization, they both acknowledge how much is at stake and that now they're going to need all the help they can get in bringing home their little brother.
Hikaru wastes no time pulling out his phone and once again dialing McCoy's number.
"Hello?" A groggy voice answers.
Hikaru doesn't hesitate. "Get everyone to my place now. We have a serious problem. I'll explain when you get there." He glances at the blood-stained floor once more. "And hurry".
