A/N: Spock is gonna make an appearance (finally)! Yay!

...

The moment Jim entered into Starfleet Academy, he had to remember that he was from the future, so the data he had studied on the academy had been from the future, therefore meaning he was looking at its past and shouldn't have been surprised to see its downgraded appearance. However, he couldn't help but miss the fully automated mechanics of the Narada when he noticed that Starfleet was still in the hybrid stages of development. Doors needed key access codes instead of instantly scanning the person for their data; the strange things everyone was carrying around were this time period's dataPADDs and quite larger than he remembered his to be; access terminals required fingerprint log-ins instead of voice-over command; and what was worse, not a single replicator knew a single damn Romulan dish! What was this? The Stone Age?

But downgraded technologies aside, what really surprised Jim was the amount of Humans attending the academy—in particular, the amount of females. Here and there were peppered alien species, but over all, the school was prominently Human but equal in their male to female ratio. It's not like Jim was counting or anything, it was just for the sake of study that he knew in his 200 peer class that there were ninety-two females. And the females didn't seem to mind his lingering count either with their fluttering eyelashes and flirty smiles.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why the females were so damn interested in Jim, McCoy thought to himself as he watched Jim wink and wave to passing female cadets. In six months he'd quickly realized what kind of person Jim was, even more so since the blonde idiot had begged for them to be roommates because he didn't know anyone else (and Starfleet wouldn't let him room with a girl). McCoy had reluctantly accepted, since he too didn't really know anybody, but the very essence of Jim Kirk was getting to him. The kid was cute, sort of, and appeared to have good intentions in everything he was doing, but there was no denying the fact that Jim could be an egotistical son of a bitch behind his charming smile.

At first, when the stories of Jim's past flit around the academy, it was cute to see Kirk blush and modestly tell everyone he was no hero and could never amount to his father's worth—but then, as the rubber-neckers and rumour enthusiasts began to corner Jim for more information (particularly the female cadets) with vigor, Jim's attitude changed from modest to a little cocky. McCoy often ignored it and simply rolled his eyes when another woman would come to their dorm asking to speak with Jim about it, and turned the other cheek when it was obvious his roommate had managed to bed more women in six months than McCoy had in entire life, but it was getting old. He'd grown fond of Jim, and this new promiscuous way of life needed to end now before it had a chance to tarnish Kirk's career.

They were walking to their next classes. Jim was waving to more passing girls when the doctor grasped Jim tightly around his upper arm and forced him behind a staircase, plastering his back to the wall.

Jim was caught off-guard by the motion, but when McCoy held him briskly to the surface with such Human might, Jim found he had to blink away the strange arousal it stirred inside him.

"Jim!" McCoy began, "Must you wave, wink, and undress every woman you see with your eyes?" Jim smiled and patted his shoulder, now knowing what caused the powerful behaviour.

"Aw, Bones. No need to get jealous." McCoy grumbled at him, releasing his body but staying in close whisper range.

"I told you to stop calling me that, and no, I'm not jealous. But if you keep this up, you're going to end up flirting with the wrong person and getting yourself in trouble. Starfleet grades you on performance and potential, not how many notches are in your bedpost!" Jim paused briefly to consider what the hell 'notches in a bedpost' had to do with anything, then he remembered it was a terran phrase for a person who had sex with a lot of people. How funny since Jim hadn't been having sex at all, but since his roommate only saw him go into his room with the girls, he could see where Bones would get that idea. He decided to correct his assumption.

"I'll have you know that I have no 'notches' in my bedpost. Thank you very much." Bones eyed him with a look that called bullshit. "Seriously." Jim tried again. "The girls and I have just been talking." Jim shrugged and gave a smug smile. "I'm considered a 'romantic' by them. Women are not creatures to be handled with the severity of uncontrolled lust, my friend, but the gentleness of a strong man who will protect them and grace them with the utmost quality of love."

Bones stared at him with scrutiny. "So the girls leave naked because…?" Jim smothered a hard laugh. Of course McCoy wouldn't understand the touch sensitive qualities of Romulan romance.

"It's something I learned while being a slave." Jim lied smoothly. "Instead of sex, especially if you're not ready, the consenting partner removes their clothes and allows you to touch them in intricate, ancient patterns. The touching is supposed to soothe and relax the mind and body. It's more like a massage than anything." Jim had seen this on a secret data bank back on the Narada when he was ten years old. Ayel had caught him and explained to him that what he had found was Romulan pornography and that this intricate touch massage was something one did when they didn't want to have sex but still wanted to stimulate their partner.

Then came the talk of the Nei'rrhs and the fire spiders: sex. As a child, Jim had his little mind blown by the complete adult ritual and was saddened that he couldn't explore it more, but Ayel had told him in time he'd find a suitable mate and when they were ready, Jim and his partner could share in the sacred embrace. This was why Jim wasn't having sex with all the females he came home with; he was saving it for someone special. The touch ritual was enough to stave off his Humanly curiosity and lust until then.

"Well, whatever it is, you'd better stop it. All it's going to take is to flirt with the wrong girl and bam! Jim Kirk is sitting nicely in Medical after a round with said girl's ex-boyfriend." Jim offered a laugh.

"Man, Bones, you worry too much."

"Jim, I'm serious. And stop calling me 'bones'!" The blonde cadet ignored him and brushed his shoulder, heading off for his classes.

"Look, if it will make you feel any better, I've managed to find another hobby that will keep me away from the women." The young doctor began following after him. It was getting late, and they needed to get to class lest they wished to get chewed out again by Pike.

"Yeah? And what's that?"

"You'll see." Jim teased.

Bones rolled his eyes. "This isn't going to be another one of your 'projects', is it? I'm still recuperating from your last one." Bones cringed at the memory of the exploding replicator; Jim laughed. Hard.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault that thing didn't know what real food was."

"It did know real food." McCoy countered. "I have no idea what they hell dishes you were trying to make, but a burger and coffee sounded wonderful until you broke the damn thing! Now all that comes out is this grey mush shit and the occasional explosion."

"I'll fix it again." Jim promised, a turn coming up where they would have to go their separate ways. Bones pointed a hard finger at the young blonde.

"No. You stay the hell away from it, you tinkering nazi. I want southern grilled chicken for dinner tonight and I'll have a professional handle it, thank you." Kirk grimaced and gave a look of disgust.

"Okay, fine. You enjoy your fecal-encrusted bird breast." They parted at the corner as if on cue, going in opposite directions. "See you, Bones!" He called to him with a small wave. The doctor gave a distant grumble. Why did Jim enjoy annoying him so much? And why did McCoy enjoy it?

"Stop calling me that!" Tiny chuckles faded off in Jim's direction as both went to their classrooms.

…

Six months. Jim had attended Starfleet Academy for six months and heard nothing on the whereabouts of a certain Vulcan. He heard the typical rumours and knew the guy was mainly in the science department, but as for schedules and specific information, he turned up short. Asking about the Vulcan only got him suspicious looks and Jim knew he couldn't chance the Federation finding out about his plan, so Jim decided to occupy his time by studying the academy itself. This was what was distracting him from his bouts with the females, though he was certain to make time for them on his lunch break.

Since he was from the future and had been living on a future mining ship since his birth, it was easy to figure out how the academy operated. From their systems, to data banks, to the specific engineering that went into each door latch, Jim decided to study it all for his benefit. It wasn't that it was necessary, but Jim had learned well from his father that if he was to take down an enemy, it was best to start by learning all you could about them. Jim's knowledge was restricted by what technical and informational data was on the Narada, but now inside Starfleet Academy, he could use his futuristic awesomeness to hack his way into the systems and learn much more. And granted, with his abilities, it was going to be easy to do, but where was the fun in that?

Sure, Jim could have simply hacked the system and maybe found all the direct information about Spock he could, but there was still the chance of getting caught since he'd be breaching many security passes. The last thing he needed was another interrogation team trying to really figure out where he was from. So Jim decided since it was still early and he had plenty of time to catch the Vulcan and kill him off, he'd have some fun. And what better way to have fun locating a person than pulling the fire alarm?

Of course, it wasn't that easy, as the alarm systems had scanners and print guards which would tell who pulled it should it prove to be a false alarm. Jim, with his technical advancement on these fuckers by at least a hundred years, discovered the perfect way to make it go off without ever getting caught. It was as simple as hacking into the main data system (fire alarm security wasn't as tightly guarded as personnel security), finding the correct launch code, and setting a specific time for it to initiate. All of which he had done two weeks previous on a campus library terminal with the help of only one cup of tea. Now all he had to do was wait and let the Vulcan come to him.

Jim smiled to himself, barely listening to his instructor ramble on about the safety procedures of hand-to-hand combat. He was by the window, so the Human looked out to the soft green grass, white pathways, and beautiful earth scenery. How beautiful it was going to look when everyone crowded outside and trampled it with fear of a fire. Speaking of which, it was almost time, if the chronometre above the instructor was accurate. Leaning back, Jim waited, and waited, counting down the seconds in his mind playfully.

The clock struck the appropriately coordinated time. Jim smiled, waiting. Waiting. How odd. Shouldn't it have gone off by now? Jim turned his dataPADD to the time. The chronometre was accurate. Why hadn't it gone off yet?

Jim ignored his instructor, flipping through the preprogrammed data he had on his dataPADD. Everything looked accurate, and the time was not changed nor delayed. What had happened? He closed the application and forced himself to smile and to continue to listen to his instructor. He wouldn't be able to form a theory to its malfunction until after his classes, something Jim didn't want to wait for to end. But, he had already aroused suspicion with some of the admiralty with his playful take on his slave story, and since his history was nearly non-existent, there were times when he was being heavily watched by the superiors. He had to wait and figure out the problem discreetly.

Jim looked up at the chronometre and sighed.

That was many hours away, and should the malfunction alert the security, he may find himself under arrest before the day was over.

…

Jim had just left his last classroom and was discreetly heading for the library when McCoy came up behind him. Jim instinctively jumped when the doctor grasped his arm, but relaxed when the familiar scowl took the shape of someone he knew.

"Damn, Bones. I almost kicked your ass!" Bones ignored him and his use of the playful nickname, instead tugging Jim along in the opposite direction of the library.

"Cut the shit, kid, we gotta talk."

"Uh," Jim began, looking back the distancing library. "Actually, I have some work I need to research for. Can this wait?"

"No." Bones refused to stop and tugged a reluctant Jim all the way back to their hiding spot behind the stairs. Once again, Jim found his back meeting the unforgiving wall.

"Alright. Spill." The blonde cadet appeared confused, then his stance took on one that may have looked predatory.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't, Jim. I'm going to assume you haven't heard the rumour from the communications department yet?" Jim stared at him quizzically, not really knowing how to respond. McCoy decided to help him remember. "Nyota told me at lunch that one of her instructors found a virus in the academy computer main frame. It was apparent that the virus was supposed to set off the fire alarm. She mentioned that it was quickly dealt with, but they're currently in search for the hacker that placed the virus in the first place." Jim noticeably gulped. Bones peered into him. "You wouldn't know anything about this, would you?" Shit. So he'd been caught after all. It looked like he'd underestimated the knowledge of this universe after all. Still, he wouldn't admit it. Even to Bones who was becoming a friend.

"I'm deeply offended that you'd assume I'd have something to do with it." The doctor stared daggers into him, folding his arms and huffing.

"This coming from the guy who reprograms the replicators daily, tinkers with dataPADDs to make them do shit they ain't supposed to do, sabotaged last months hover-carrier display, and frequently fucks with the instructors by making their door sensors open and close at random intervals to scare the shit out of them. And you want me to believe it wasn't you who put a goddamn virus on a fire alarm shift?" Bones had him there. He did enjoy tinkering with mechanics and causing mayhem. And McCoy was often the one friend who stayed after the party to help clean up. He was only looking out for his well-being, Jim mused, and since he'd been caught doing something that could get him kicked out of the academy, he could understand the strange Human's reactions. Jim smiled, it was a strange feeling to know this man he'd met only six months ago cared for him so deeply.

"Look," Bones began again, not waiting any longer for Jim to confirm or deny the virus. "all I want to know is why you keep flirting with admiralty? You do understand that if you get caught, you're outta here, right? Son of a hero or not, they'll kick your ass right out and you'll have nothing again! Pike's an asshole, but he's put a lot at stake for you. Are you really going to waste that?" Jim rolled his eyes, not in defiance, but just so he could look in a different direction.

"Jim." His friend called to him softly. "I understand you were in a slave trading ring, and I know that you must have wanted to rebel against your captors, but you're not apart of that anymore." He pulled Jim's eyes to look at him. "You're here, on earth, with your own kind and people who actually care about you. Don't rebel against us. We're not trying to hurt you like the Orions were." Jim replied with a smile, loving his friend's stupidity for reasoning, but damn wouldn't it have been a good one if it had been true.

"You think I'm rebelling because of my past?"

"You're gonna tell me you're not?"

Jim shrugged sluggishly. In a sense, McCoy was right, he was sort of rebelling, because he could have taken the easy way and already gotten what he wanted, and there wasn't any real reason to draw it out elaborately. Sure, it was fun to fuck with these aliens and their technological disadvantages, but Jim knew in his heart that if his father were here, he'd beat him senseless for elongating his endeavours. Perhaps it was a form of rebellion. Jim went with that, deciding to use it to his benefit to get his new friend off his back.

He looked away, trying his best to look caught and ashamed. "Maybe you're right." Jim said in a sigh. "I was a fuck-up on that ship, might as well be a fuck-up on my long-lost home planet too." That had the desired effect, Bones releasing him gently and looking a tad guilty.

"Now, wait just a second, Jim. I didn't mean it like that."

"No, no," Jim argued, "you're right. Maybe I am rebelling because it's so hard to find people to trust and trust me in return." Lies. All of it. Jim knew he should never be trusted, but this Federation Human knew nothing of that. His doctor friend took more of the bait.

"It's not that." Bones began. "I mean, I trust you and all, but… Damnit! I don't have the slightest idea why I worry so much over you! I guess…" Jim perked up at that.

"You guess…?" Jim urged, letting the Human dig himself deeper.

Bones twirled away and folded in his arms. "I guess I just don't want you to end up like me—or where I was going. You have a lot of potential, and it'd be a damn cryin' shame to see you on the other side of prison bars just because no one understands your situation." Jim smiled. Though none of it was true, the fact that this Human obviously cared for him brought a tendril of happiness into his heart. Jim knew he couldn't smother it for long, but decided he needed to end this now and get to the library before the admiralty found his fingerprints. To hopefully end this on a good note, Jim stepped forward and placed his hands gently on McCoy's shoulders, squeezing him like he had done so many times before to show he was there, then awkwardly hugging him from behind. Bones sagged into it.

"It means a lot to me, Bones." Jim whispered.

"Yeah, well, me too." His friend grumbled.

"But," Jim said with new spirit, turning the doctor around in his grasp, "listen: I promise to keep myself out of trouble if you promise to trust me. You do trust me, don't you?" Bones rolled his eyes. "Come on, Bones! You trust me, right?"

His friend rolled his eyes again and gave another puff of air. "Yes, yes, I trust you." That was the poor Human doctor's mistake.

"Good. Then I have some naughty-naughty to clean up and I'll meet you back at the dorm, sound good?" Jim began off again in the direction of the library. Bones caught up with him.

"Jim," they stopped in the hall, the people moving about being less now that most were where they needed to be at this hour. "Do you need any help?" Jim smiled again. This Human, though a simple pawn in his own plan, never ceased to brighten his heart. It was going to be such a shame when Jim knew he'd have to betray him.

"Nah. It's just some simple coding. Thanks, though." And with that, they parted ways, both men smiling at one another with a smile that Jim didn't know he'd meant. This feeling in his stomach… was it the beginnings of respect and love?—or indigestion from having to eat native food? Jim didn't know and didn't bother to think any more on it. His top priority was to find out what this instructor had done to his plans and to make sure his trail was completely clean. The last thing he needed was to prove McCoy's fears right by ending up behind Starfleet Academy prison bars.

…

The library terminal was completely clean. There was no trace evidence he'd even used the terminal or had placed any data into it. Jim knew he was free and wouldn't be caught. But then, curiosity ate at him. His plan had been nearly flawless and the knowledge he used was far advanced than what these past-assholes could figure out. So that left one question: how had he been apprehended?

Staying in the library alone would have roused suspicion, so instead of accessing the terminal directly, Jim bid the librarian goodnight and walked himself down the halls to a study room. He entered it quickly and was thankful no one else was in the room at that moment. All around him sat empty chairs perfectly positioned like military fashion people would set them. Neatly, orderly. It was funny to him to think what he was about to do wasn't quite as orderly as these chairs.

Jim locked the room, initiating the 'in study' light above the door. After being at the academy for six months, Jim knew that it wouldn't be strange to see cadets studying late into the night, in fact, he knew he was lucky to be in a silenced room since he knew the other rooms would be taken by at least two studying peers. This way, Jim was hiding in plain sight and could do his work peacefully without interruption or suspicion.

Using a scattering code, Jim turned on his dataPADD and began his work, infiltrating the library terminals by proxy and viewing his previous viral work. The data streamed across his line of vision, filling his senses with accomplishment, but also envy. It would have taken a very intelligent person to intersect his simplistic virus and Jim deeply wished to know who had done it. As more data filled the screen, the intricate pathways this mysterious person had taken to dislodge his plan came into full view. Yes, this was a very intelligent person indeed—or maybe Jim wasn't play hard enough.

Looking over the remainder of the data, Jim nodded in agreement with himself. Yes, he needed to pump up the volume because his virus had been stopped by mere child's play. A simple variable in the code that was replaced with an infinite loop. This meant instead of signaling the fire alarm, the person responsible had diverted his code to the automatic door beside the main fire system. Jim laughed. That meant somewhere in the academy a door was opening and closing of its own accord. He was sure someone had stopped it by now, but the very idea!

The cadet sat back in his chair, shaking his head in disbelief to have been stopped so easily. Deducing his facts, the only way this person could have caught him in time was if he had forgotten to silence a certain alarm within the data main frame. He would correct this in the future and for his next bout to fuck with the academy, he'd be sure not to make the same mistake again. With steady fingers, Jim began again, recoding his virus to initiate again for the following week. Only temporary did the notion that he was supposed to be looking for a certain Vulcan leave his thoughts.

…

Captain Pike looked over the shoulder of a rigid form with a particular black cap of hair and distinctly pointed ears. Pike was smiling, the instructor in front of him was not. Both stared down at the private access terminal as the virus data flooded the fields.

"Whoever did it knows their shit." Pike said.

The other raised a brow and then let it settle. "Indeed, Captain. The individual responsible is quite versed in technological academics. Never before has someone accessed the academy main frame without setting off all the security alarms."

Pike gave a knowing grin, like he'd done it several times for the man he was with. "Do I hear a slight bit of irritation in your voice, Mr. Spock?" The instructor swiveled in his chair to look up at the standing man. His face was neutral, stoic, definitely not amused.

"Irritation?" He asked. "Oh, yes," he said like he just remembered something, "one of your Human emotions that expresses annoyance, anger, or impatience. No, Captain, I am not familiar with this emotion." As if on cue, Mr. Spock's terminal began a low beeping alarm sound. The young Vulcan turned back to his data and looked it over promptly. Captain Pike had apparently done the same.

"Looks like our mysterious hacker is at it again." Pike nearly laughed. Spock ignored him, studying the data as it was fed to him to discover exactly what this stranger was trying to do. The Vulcan's fingers fell briskly over the terminal keys as he tried to stop the data, but nothing proved to be in his favour.

Spock sat back in his seat, internally dumbfounded by the persistence of this hacker to get to the fire alarm codes. It didn't make sense. For what purpose did this being wish to access and sound the fire alarm? "Are you sure you don't know what irritation is?" Pike teased, not brothering to hide his amusement at his friend's neutral annoyance. The Vulcan didn't look at him, but offered what to others may have looked like a sigh.

"This person's motives escape me. I cannot fathom a logical reason why they would use such astounding knowledge to try and sound the academy fire alarm. Surely, a person with these capabilities would utilize their talent for more legal means." Pike slapped his hand on Mr. Spock's chair back and rocked him a bit. He was sure not to touch the Vulcan, however.

"Then we know our culprit is Human."

"Pardon, Captain?" Spock asked, hoping to get an explanation.

"Illogical or lack thereof motives, insistence, technical skill being used illegally? Sounds like the old Human ego at work. I suspect this person just wants to see if they can do it."

Spock didn't scowl, but his features stiffened while he studied the incoming data. "Then I shall endeavour to prove that they can not."

Pike laughed, making Spock look up temporarily from the screen. "I'm jealous, Mr. Spock. All the problems and computational dilemmas I've given you—hell, even the Kobayashi Maru programming assignment from Starfleet themselves—and the only thing that makes your eyes shine with passion is an intelligent hacker."

"My eyes do not contain the assorted reflective material behind my retinas to allow a shining appearance."

Pike peered at him amusingly. "It's another illogical Human expression."

"I understand." Spock told him off-handedly, and Pike had to admit to himself that he was a bit jealous that this mysterious hacker captivated the Vulcan's attention. Not to mean that Pike didn't appreciate Spock's dedication to his work, but the Captain had known the Vulcan for four years now and hadn't seem him this excited since entering the academy against his daddy's wishes.

The Captain supposed this hacker had picked a great time since it had seemed for a year now that Spock had been getting bored. Though he was unsure why someone would want to pull the fire alarm in the most convoluted way possible, he was grateful for the variety this would now give the paper-pushers of the academy and the sense of vulnerability the problems would make them perceive. If there was one thing this old academy needed, it was some action, and an egotistical hacker might just do the trick.

He stared back at the Vulcan sitting so perfectly at his terminal and let himself out. He had no reason to worry. Spock would handle whatever the situation was and deal the proper punishment. Pike only hoped that this would remain an isolated problem within admiralty and not spread to the cadets. Though it would be good for the soft-bellied admirals, interferences like these would probably reduce morale among the newly recruited. He made a mental note to discuss this with Barnett should the hacker problem persist.

Spock worked over the terminal quickly trying to counteract the hacker. He hadn't even noticed Captain Pike was gone until he looked up temporarily to judge his reactions and noticed he was alone in the dark office. It was logical that Pike had somewhere else to be and didn't stick around during this episode. Pike was obviously content with his abilities as a graduated student to handle the problem accordingly.

The speeds at which the soon-to-be virus rushed across his screen was phenomenal. The person was clearly still using the codes he had used before and was simply re-entering them while filling in the gaps he had made before—all gaps that Spock had caught previously.

He remembered earlier that day, while in private study with the exceptional linguist Cadet Uhura over a more dynamic version of Vulcan speech, his terminal began a barrage of noises to signal a security breach and the end of his session with the striking cadet. Mr. Spock certainly did not play favourites, but he saw no harm in allowing Cadet Uhura to observe while he intercepted the virus, rendering it safe. It had actually been Cadet Uhura's idea to divert the signal to the automatic doors instead of the fire alarm since the decoding would have taken longer than it would have taken for the alarm to sound. Once successfully diverted, he could take it apart and dislodge its foreign seeds. Very logical on both of their accounts.

But this time, it appeared the hacker had anticipated he would try to divert the code again and placed a lock on the variables. Mr. Spock tried to get around them, but found his efforts dwindling as time progressed. In a last attempt to at least stall the stranger, Spock initiated a data mainframe freeze that would last sixty seconds. This would give him a small window of time to try and locate where the signal was coming from without the interference of the coding.

Spock punched the keys. The data frozen instantly.

Using his computer skills, Spock immediately took up his personal dataPADD and unbeknownst to him, in quite the same way, used it was a proxy much like his hacker to try and locate the accused. He was ten seconds in when a small window prompted over his dataPADD.

:Are you trying to locate me?

The Vulcan stared at the typed text so quizzically written in the small prompt window. Spock decided it was logical to answer back since this could help him locate this person faster with a dominant connection.

:State your personal identification. Spock replied.

:You are trying to locate me! The text hesitated very Human like. :Well, I hate to break this to you, but you are not going to find me with how much scrambling I've used. So this person was using a scrambling code… Spock decided to use his data to locate any and all source of interference. His dataPADD froze.

:I don't think so. The prompt window shown. :Do you really think I'd be stupid enough to allow my scrambling code to be traceable? Spock saw he could type back, the only function this hacker allowed him at the moment.

:The window for error is always large when dealing with hacking individuals. I am looking for any mistakes you may make.

:Like giving my personal identification? In that moment, the mainframe started back up again, but the data flow into his terminal was still frozen. Apparently, the hacker had stopped.

:State your business for your actions. Spock typed quickly.

:State your business for 'your' actions. The stranger replied.

:My actions are solely to stop you from further completing your intended virus.

:Well, I've got to admit, you've stopped me. I didn't think I'd be having a conversation with a computer tonight. Spock paused and studied that sentence.

:I am not a computer.

:Yeah, and I'm not a hacker.

:State your personal identification. There was another pause.

:You just don't give up, do you?

:The same could be said for you. Spock's dataPADD unfroze for a brief moment, and with Spock's Vulcan reflexes under the assumed misstep of this fiend, Spock sent out a quick counter track virus that would make the connection between their devices light up in the mainframe. However, his device froze again and the virus was sent straight back to him.

:That was a close one. The hacker typed. :lol, you almost got me!

:This is not a game.

:You're just upset because you're not the one making the rules. Spock didn't know what to reply to that. He hesitated and waited for any other openings. :But, listen, as much as I'd love to hang around here all night and swap electrical currents, I've got shit to do. But, don't worry! Here's a nice parting gift for your databanks! After that sentence, a strange code was typed and his terminal screen and dataPADD screen began to fill with various letters, symbols and punctuations. His dataPADD was the first to go.

The small touch screen lit up brightly, displayed a green outlined circle with two eyes and a smiling mouth with what looked to be a tongue sticking out, then the screen sputtered, made whining noises and turned completely off. Spock stared at it with slight…dare he say it? Irritation.

Looking over, his terminal still looked to have time before the same virus could affect it. Thinking quickly, Spock flew to the controls and began feeding the data out via different connections to the secondary terminal in the office. By doing this, he would divert the virus and save the system from further abuse. He keyed in the proper codes, froze the system a few times, then finally counteracted the virus, bringing his terminal back to its original prompt.

A small window opened on the bottom of the screen. :Wow! You must be a person since the hesitation and speed of diversion was so fast! I'm impressed!

:State your personal identification. Spock typed back.

:And now I don't believe that any more. Seriously, you need to work on your people skills.

Far across the academy, far from the position Spock was located, in a study room locked privately, Jim sat at the centre table with a large grin on his face. It was hard not to laugh, but this was seriously entertaining. Though he had anticipated he'd be caught again, being caught by a real person was something he hadn't expected. Since it was growing late, he figured the computers would have handled him if not at all. And the speed and knowledge this person used to counteract him! Whoever this person was, he was truly a match for Jim's tastes.

And he liked that.

:If you will not state your personal identification, then you must have a pseudonym for your person? The stranger asked through the window. :This is a common trait among Human troublemakers, as I have studied.

Jim read that sentence again and was now certain he really was talking with a person and not a computer. Computers asked questions, but typically didn't ask for anything like a pseudonym or were as persistent to discover viral data. When he had began, he hadn't gone in thinking he'd be uncovered quite like this, so he hadn't thought to give himself a fake name to go by. It wasn't like he was going to be leaving any marks around—but now that he thought about it…

If Jim stirred up enough behaviour for the science committee, he may be able to locate the enemy Vulcan within them because they'd be snooping around for the perpetrator. Ultimately, the Vulcan would come to him whether it be by the silliness of the fire alarm or the programming that led to its sounding. Jim saw it as a win-win situation and a great time killer as long as he played his game right.

Right now, even while he thought about it, the computers could be signaling that bastard Vulcan, bringing him closer to Jim's trap.

Jim eyes bounced around for some time trying to think of what to tell whoever or whatever it is. When he had stalled long enough, he pulled for the first name he saw which happened to be on the header of a random data entry in the coding.

:Kobayashi Alternative. Jim typed to the person. :But you can just call me Kobayashi.

…

A/N – I'm sorry for the late update, but I got sidetracked for a while and hit a huge writer's block. I know where I want to go with this, but getting there is kinda difficult sometimes. XD I hope you look forward to more! How do you think Spock and Jim will handle this whole hacking business? Do you think they'll meet again? And Bones, do you think he'll be surprised or not when he finds out about Jim's new favourite hobby? Will he even find out? 8D