Chapter Four: Relief & Returning

Lieutenant Paige's eyes flicked fearfully from his hostage, Mira, then to his Admiral. A defeated look crossed his face, and he lowered his gun. "I'm sorry, Sir."

"Traitor!" The Admiral shouted; a pitiful yelp of pain catching in his throat as Khan squeezed tighter again.

"Silence!" Khan snarled at the Admiral as he turned back to the screen. "Now, Lieutenant, here's what you are going to do."

"No, Lieutenant!" the Admiral shouted in outrage and terror.

"With all due respect, Sir… SHUT UP!" Lieutenant Paige shouted back. He looked at Khan again. "What do I do?"

"You will, firstly, untie your hostage. Second, you will beam both yourself and the young lady to the Bridge, where you will surrender both yourself and your weapons." Khan instructed calmly. "Or I will terminate the Admiral's life, slowly and painfully, is that understood?"

The Lieutenant stiffened, knowing untying her could be his last act. But, the Admiral was at stake. "Very well."

Khan watched as the Lieutenant untied Mira, watched her breathe freely as the gag was removed from her mouth, watched her rub her wrists – reddened by the ropes that had bit into her skin, his eyes followed the Lieutenant as he entered the code to beam them both to the Bridge.

They materialised not far from Khan who smiled impishly. "Very good, Lieutenant." Khan's voice was soft and deadly as his eyes trailed from Lieutenant Paige to his beloved, and nodded. "Mira…"

Mira's eyes hardened and she spun on the spot, round-house kicking the Lieutenant sharply in the ribs. The snap of bone echoed through the Bridge along with the Lieutenant's scream of pain. She took two steps forward, picked up his phaser – set to kill – and shot her ex-captor as Khan increased his hold on the Admiral's head ten-fold

"You…should have let me sleep!" Khan snarled as he crushed the Admiral's skull; his daughter screaming in terror.

He turned, filled with relief, to Mira, who rushed into his arms. "You found me!"

"Did you ever doubt I wouldn't?" Khan smiled, kissing her forehead tenderly. "Mira," he continued. "Our work is not yet done…I need you to head down to the main hanger…we're going to get our people back."

...

Khan watched Mira go, noticing that Kirk was waking. A sadistic smile crossed his face as he hauled the Captain of the Enterprise to his feet and hailed the Enterprise, a phaser – set to kill – held to Kirk's head.

Khan spoke as soon as the Enterprise came on screen. "I'm going to make this very simple for you."

"Captain!" Spock's shock and fear registered on his face. Unusual for a Vulcan, Khan thought momentarily.

Khan continued without pause. "Your crew, for my crew."

"You betrayed us." Spock stated, logically and rationally looking at the unfolding situation.

"Oh you are smart, Mr Spock." Khan sneered at the Commander.

"Spock, don't-" Kirk tried to speak, but Khan slammed his phaser into the back of his head, knocking the Captain unconscious once more.

"Mr Spock," Khan continued as if nothing had changed. "Give me my crew."

Spock gazed back at Khan calmly. "What will you do when you get them?"

"Continue the work we were doing before we were banished." Khan replied, his mind wondering back to Mira who should be at the main hanger by now.

"Which, as I understand it, involves the mass-genocide of any being you find to be less than superior." Spock continued, buying for time.

"Shall I destroy you, Mr Spock?" Khan queried. "Or will you give me what I want?"

Khan watched Spock consider something momentarily. "We have no transporter capabilities."

"Fortunately mine are perfectly functioning. Drop your shields." He ordered.

"If I do so I have no guarantee that you will not destroy the Enterprise." Spock reasoned.

"Well, let's play this out logically then, Mr Spock." Khan's half smirk grew sadistic once more. "Firstly, I will kill your captain to demonstrate my resolve, then, if yours holds I will have no choice but to kill you and your entire crew."

"If you destroy our ship," Spock was merely delaying the inevitable by arguing. "You will also destroy your own people."

"Your crew requires oxygen to survive, mine does not. I will target your life support systems located behind the aft nacelle. And after every single person aboard your ship suffocates I will walk over your cold corpses to recover my people." Khan paused, face now void of all emotion. "Now, shall we begin?"

Spock's expression was resigned as he looked towards Sulu. "Lower shields."

"A wise choice, Mr Spock." Khan felt relief wash over him. "I see all 72 torpedoes are still in their tubes. If they're not mine, Commander, I will know it."

"Vulcans do not lie." Spock conceded. "The torpedoes are yours."

Khan closed his eyes in relief as he saw the torpedos materialise in the main hanger of his ship, Mira wasn't anywhere in sight, but she wouldn't be far away from their extended family. "Thank you, Mr Spock."

"I have fulfilled your terms," Spock countered. "Now, fulfil mine."

"Well Kirk," Khan said softly as the Bridge screen went blank and the Enterprise's Captain began to get up. "It seems apt to return you to your crew. After all, no ship should go down without her captain."

He watched Kirk, Scotty and the Admiral's daughter dematerialise from the Bridge and smiled. He and his people were safe, now all he had to do was rid the universe of the knowledge of their existence.

He switched the system to voice control. "Lock weapons."

"Weapons locked." The computer replied.

Khan looked up at the Enterprise through the Bridge windows, still and serene, preparing to say 'Fire!'. His smiled was soon displaced though, as an explosion ripped through his ship, emanating from the main hanger.

"No…" His people… his wife…his unborn child… Grief filled his eyes, and a cry of anguish ripped itself from his throat. "NOOOO!"

Khan snarled as he set a collision course for his ship. It would crash into a densely populated area of the city below, with hundreds of casualties. He would never forgive them for what they had done…and he would take his revenge on them.