"Ready the transporter, one to beam down." The command had barely left his mouth before the Vulcan was off the bridge.
The turbo lift wouldn't move fast enough.
Feet barely touched the floor – pounding in his ears with each foot fall.
As he made it to the transporter room Scotty stepped quickly from behind the controls.
"Sir, the bride for ya!"
Strapping on a phaser, Spock took two long strides to the wall.
"Spock, here."
"Commander I mean C-Captain! Klingon's rapidly approaching, Sir! They're armed!"
Who created Neutral Space?
Spock paused, and then continued to the pad.
"Mr. Scott, you have the con, open hailing frequencies and inform them that we will be leaving shortly. And-"
Uhura's voice again: "They're firing at us!"
Spock froze.
McCoy.
What would Jim do?
Slowly, the Vulcan walked from the transporter. "Beam up the landing party, we are taking the ship out."
Scotty's eyes widened. "But the doctor?! We can't leave him."
A science officer and three bewildered red shirts – scratch that, make that two and a body - were beamed onto the pad.
Then assuming his previous position, Spock looked down again at his befuddled Engineer.
"Take the ship into Federation Space and wait for the Klingons to retreat then return for… me."
The ship rocked and Scotty shook his head.
"Aye, sir. I pray to god ya find him."
Light.
The first impression that he received upon landing on the planet was that of heat. An orange sky glared down at him and the rocks themselves seemed to be radiating warmth.
Although he knew that it was no use, he still raised the tricorder to scan the landscape.
No life forms.
Plenty of plants, but no life with in range.
Spock's immediate reaction was anger. He had been in command for less than 48 hours and he had managed to lose his chief medical officer and also run into Klingons.
His frowned deepened.
He'd always told himself he could be the best captain in Starfleet but had never really believed it… this was just more proof for his record.
Starting up a hill, he tried to look out over the horizon. Not that he expected to find anything – in fact, it was totally illogical to have come down here. But all he knew was that Jim would have never of left without McCoy… and neither could he – he couldn't lose him to.
Of course then, he also knew he couldn't leave the ship in a dangerous position – the ship would most assuredly reach the federation and he could leave someone on the planet to look for the doctor alone… therefore it had to be him.
Climbing on top a rock he strained his eyes to see further.
His footing suddenly dropped from beneath him and he was falling. The ground met his body harshly and he felt himself bounce and hit another rock.
Air.
The Vulcan tried to suck in breaths, but they wouldn't come. When his lungs finally responded he couched blood – shaking violently with each hack.
The light was slowly leaving the shaft he had fallen down and he looked up to see rock converging to cover the opening he had fallen through.
Darkness.
He stood and began feeling around the walls of this shaft, fingers probing every crack and grove for an exit. Finally his hands felt nothing and he stumbled into a passage and then into another solid wall.
He slowed his breathing – closing his eyes and trying to meditate to calm himself. But he could only imagine McCoy falling down the same shaft and being far more injured then himself.
For all he knew, the Doctor could be dying.
No.
His fingers felt a seem in the stone and he pushed against it. Applying extra force as he exerted his Vulcan strength upon sheer rock.
It gave and he went stumbling into light amidst gasps and screams.
He looked up from where he had landed on his knees to see a ring of humanoids backed away from him. Standing slowly, he analyzed them.
Their skin was gray and he glanced down at this tricorder for readings.
They were completely stone.
Spock looked back up quickly at the beings. A woman stepped forward timidly – eyes wide.
"You are from above?"
Spock eyed her incredulously. "I believe so... Is there another from above…here?"
She grinned and nodded enthusiastically.
"We will take you to him!"
Following them down a passage of carved stone, Spock analyses and surveyed.
"Fascinating. These…" his sentence died as he turned to explain to Kirk his theory and then realized his friend wasn't there.
Eyebrows lowering he glowered at the walls.
The procession stopped at a door and the woman opened it slowly.
"He is resting…" She whispered.
The Doctor lay on a stone slab, cuts and bruises on his face and arms. Spock could tell from a distance that his ankle was swollen and his left arm was somewhat worse.
He had taken the fall much worse.
Blue eyes fluttered open and grew large almost instantly.
"Spock!"
The Vulcan raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, Doctor."
McCoy quickly looked away.
"I tried calling the Enterprise after I fell, but, I uh, black out. And… well, you're the last person that I expected to come looking for me…"
Tilting his head to the side, Spock barely suppressed a grin.
"And why is that? Would it not be logical for me to look for my Chief Medical officer?"
The doctor's frown deepened.
"Shut up, Spock! I know!" He glanced over at the wall. "I just thought you wouldn't come after what I said to you…"
"That would also be illogical considering that if I didn't come, I would have therefore proven your point."
Heat rose to McCoy's face.
"So you came down here to prove me wrong!? Well, that's the damn worst thing-"
"Leonard. I came for you because you are my friend."
Blue eyes melted in shame.
"Dammit, you can make me feel guilty."