"I am surprised you use the past tense now," Spock stepped into view and Kirk saw how Parsons was clearly shaken and pale

"No. How? This, he, it," totally consuming disbelief as on Parson's face, "when I left you were, there is no way, absolutely no way, anybody could have known how, the drug should have, only a specialist, you can't be."

Without moving forward Spock held up a disc and Parsons went quiet. "When you left me I was restrained and unable to move, I could feel the drug that was entering my body though my arms slowly starting to take control of my mind, slowly removing the mind rules, about to wipe out my memories, but this was still recording everything. I want you to see this, to know how it happened. "

Only for a moment did the dark eyes meet hazel eyes, "Captain, this might be,"

"I want to see what you are going to show him."

With a nod the Vulcan looked back at Parsons, "This will show one crew member of the Enterprise knowing what to do to stop what your drugs were doing to me."

For a few minutes it just showed Spock laying naked and secured to the metal bed with the tubes and wires entering and leaving his body, the band around his head and the one around his throat. The Vulcan glanced as his Captain and saw the controlled fury in his friend and wondered if it were wise for him to see it yet knowing he had the right. The screen showed Tyler charge through a door, place a cloth over Spock's eyes, put a robe of some sort over the naked Vulcan as he lay strapped out on an examination table. It showed how Tyler methodically removed a band from around Spock's head and another from around his throat, how he clearly knew Vulcan physiology as he injected something right into Spock's heart before removing the intravenous drip and giving the Vulcan four more injections in a rather unusual pattern. Tyler left the area and then the screen went blank.

"He, he, he knew. How? He had it planned. Only a medical specialist or a doctor with McCoy's skills would have known the correct procedure, the correct doses, the correct sites on a vulcanoid. The injections had to be given in series, at the right moment, in the right location otherwise it would have killed the subject." Parsons looked at Kirk in utter confusion, "He could have killed him, Kirk. Who, who was he and what rank? He will surely be dead by now. And there is no way anybody without a comprehensive knowledge of various security systems and how they can inter-relate could have managed to get through my system undetected."

What he had just seen confirmed Kirk's worst fears and he looked at Parsons with more hatred than he had felt in a long time. "As my First Officer told you, he is a crew member of the Enterprise. Who he is, his rank, and his present condition are of no concern to you."

"Don't you understand, Kirk. A mind that could figure out a way to get through my security system, a mind that knew how to stop and reverse the effects of what I was giving the project, a mind like that could be lost unless I help. A human mind capable of all of that is one we cannot afford to lose."

Only a look from Spock halted Kirk's advance on Parsons as the anger built in him, "You talk of a lost mind. Wasn't that what you were taking from my First Officer, his mind?"

"I was only perfecting a way to make Vulcans of more use the humans, a way we could control them and have ready access to their superior intellect and strength yet with them totally under our control. The perfect expendable units to be used by Star Fleet." Parsons looked from Kirk to Spock then back to Kirk, "We would still have had his mind and body to use. I am sure I have not lost too much time with him, it should only take a few hours to have him back as he was and I can continue. He is still my," He took a step forward and reached out to grab Spock.

This time Kirk reacted before Spock could stop him. He charged at Parsons, pinning him to the wall and letting and his anger come out, "You are never, and I mean never, going to touch my First Officer nor any other Vulcan again. For what you did to him I should kill you right here and now but I am a Star Fleet officer and I will turn you over to the authorities."

"You promised."

"If we were to play back our conversations you would find I never promised to let you leave. You mentioned it but I never agreed to it. I promised to let you search the ship and you did that. You are now under arrest, by Star Fleet regulations, for crimes against my First Officer and, doubtless, before him other sentient lifeforms. "

"You must know that I am the only one who can save your other officer." Parsons looked levelly at Kirk, and smiled, "Are you willing to lose another officer, a human officer, for this, this Vulcan? A human officer who will die in excruciating agony unless I help him, Kirk. You must know a human life is worth more. It will take him a long time to die and it will be an agonising death but I can save him in exchange for this Vulcan. You really going to let a human with the mind like that die a pain-filled and slow death for that Vulcan?"

Trying to control his fury Kirk let go of Parsons and glanced at Spock for a moment then looked back at Parsons. "The officer who saved my First Officer knew the risks involved in his actions, actions he instigated on his own. He did not see my First Officer as a Vulcan but as a fellow crew member of this ship and, as a crew member of this ship, was willing to risk his life for him."

Slowly he walked to the intercom, "Security, our guest is ready to be taken to his quarters."

"But that officer, Kirk, will die in agony if he is not already dead."

"I believe you complimented Doctor McCoy's medical skills. He has the officer stable."

"Stable is not the same as saving him."

Kirk nodded to the security guards and they stood beside Parsons, "Take him."

Spock was sleeping when Tyler first opened his eyes but McCoy was beside the bed and saw how he looked anxiously around till he saw Spock asleep, then slowly nodded and closed his eyes, McCoy took a reading with the scanner even though he know it would be no different from what the other readouts showed him. Briefly Tyler opened his eyes again and half-smiled when he looked at Spock again. McCoy saw a momentary fluctuation in the diagnostic registers, he still had a long way to go.

The question that had puzzled him since they realized Tyler had gone for Spock was asked aloud before the doctor realized he was talking, "What made you think Mr Spock was still alive?"