Disclaimer: Same as Chapter 1
The Awakening
Chapter 4
Kirk lay upon his bunk in the semidarkness unable to sleep. Torn between his duty to Star Fleet and his loyalty to a missing friend, he had gone to sickbay in search of some encouragement and instead he had gotten a dose of reality. He had just received a communication from Admiral Komack. The content of Komack's message was clear, continue on without his first officer or risk losing his command.
McCoy reached for his bottle of brandy, handed Kirk a glass and took a large gulp of his own. The Captain put his glass to his lips but couldn't bring himself to drink it.
"What would you do," Kirk asked sullen. "Were you in my place, Bones?"
"Don't ask me that, Jim," McCoy said sternly. "Because no matter how I answer it won't make no difference to you. Spock will still be out there, somewhere."
"Do you think he's dead," Kirk asked seriously.
McCoy studied the tops of his boots for a moment before squaring his shoulders and looking his friend directly in the eye.
"Yes, Jim," McCoy replied softly. "I do."
Kirk put his glass untouched upon McCoy's desk. Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he turned back to his friend. "Well I don't," Kirk said angrily. "I'm not going to give up, until I find out the truth."
McCoy had another drink and waited for Kirk to calm down. "Look, Jim," he said softly. "If Spock were alive, don't you think for one minute, that he would find a way to let us know."
Kirk sighed and threw an arm across his open eyes; the reading lamp in the outer office was still lit. He had just finished a private conversation with Spock's parents which had been no less pleasant. His father, Ambassador Sarek had been polite enough, but Kirk could tell the strain of not knowing Spock's whereabouts was none the less stressful, even for an unemotional Vulcan.
When he asked how Amanda was holding up, Spock's father replied, "my wife is human, captain. She is worried about our son."
'What would Spock do?' Kirk thought. 'He wouldn't go off without me, how could I abandon him?'
Kirk was aware that Star Fleet didn't want to touch this with a proverbial ten foot pole. It wasn't everyday that people disappeared during first contact missions. It had been known to happen; Kirk knew that much and anyone undertaking a first contact mission was aware of the risks involved. But all that didn't matter to him, all that mattered was Spock was missing and no matter what, he had to find out what happened.
-
The heavy wooden door was pulled shut with a loud clang, from the other side Spock heard a lock being placed upon it. He turned around to survey his surroundings which were no more encouraging, a windowless room with a few sparse pieces of furniture.
The Council of leaders from the city of Desai had stormed the shuttle and brought him here in the middle of the night. From what little he had heard, they did not want the general public to know he existed. He did not resist them taking him away, for even though their weapons were of a primitive nature, he was quiet sure that they would be no less deadly. The comm. unit on the shuttle didn't work, he was not able to let the Enterprise know what happened or where he was. He sat down on the cot that was to be his bed.
What would happen to him now?
