Star Trek: First Contact
Disclaimer: It's been six chapters and I am still waiting for the delivery of my very own Kirk & Spock. (:C)
Summary: Uhura gets her own point of view across. The plot is FINALLY taking shape but K/S takes precedence as usual.
A/N: REVIEWERS YOU GUYS ARE MADE OF WIN! And all the alerts had kept me going too.
THANKS VERY MUCH EVRYONE!
Chapter Six:
Spock felt something akin to joy rose from within him at the sudden realisation.
'Nyota, I believe that I have a clue on their possible location!'
There was a hint of excitement in the Vulcan's tone that Uhura had never heard before. Being a Chief of Communications means that she had been blessed with an uncanny ability to read and detect various kinds of communications available to all known Humanoid species. Such ability she realised had come in mighty handy in dealing with professional and personal situations alike.
Right at this moment, she was able to sense absolute eagerness in the Vulcan's tone which other people (again with the exception of the Captain and Doctor McCoy, if Uhura had known it) normally would have missed.
In the past, she might have encountered the terrible feeling of intense jealousy at this knowledge. Uhura was glad that she had grown to be a better person than that. After all, somehow the intense emotions Spock is currently projecting (definitely very un-Vulcan like she thought) came as no surprise especially not to her.
Secretly, she long had held a suspicion that the Captain and Spock might be harbouring secret unnameable feelings towards each other (she of course knows exactly what these feelings are). It was more than once that she had caught the Captain stealing glances at the First Officer.
When she had caught him doing so for the first time, it was on the bridge and both her Commanding Officers had just barely managed to escape with their lives after an altercation with a particularly trigger happy Klingon group on a planet called Organia. Uhura had heard the report on what had gone down on the planet's surface and again she marvelled at how effective a team Kirk and Spock was.
Obviously, she had only learned about the official report to Starfleet and would have no clue on what had really happened to the two but somehow she suspected it had brought them closer. Both officers had been incredibly tight-lipped on the details (so unlike Jim-she thought) and even Doctor McCoy was unsuccessful in wheedling anything from either of them.
After that event was when Uhura began noticing the Captain's supposedly subtle glances toward the Vulcan. It happened everywhere and at anytime and she would have taken pity on the Captain's behalf because it seemed that Spock on the other hand did not reciprocate whatever it is Kirk was feeling for him.
But she was wrong and when that realisation hit her-it had hit her hard like a tonne of bricks. She had been around Spock for long enough (after all, she has mad observational skill) to know that not only was the Vulcan aware of the Captain's affection for him, the Vulcan was actually enjoying it (God, how un-Vulcan like)!
Or so she suspected. She was aware of the fact that she was the only person who can speak honestly to Spock but even she was not sure on how to ask the Vulcan about this. He would clam up faster that a cornered cockle for one thing and personally she knew that it was not her place to do so.
Sometimes she believed that Dr. McCoy have noticed these clues too. For all the grumbling he does on the ship, Uhura knows that the Doctor was a sharp man. But she had never asked him and if he had notices anything at all, the Doctor preferred to keep it to himself.
It doesn't matter anyway. In Uhura's opinion she only wishes happiness for Spock and yes, even the Captain too-whatever it may bring them.
At the moment though, there are more pertinent matters at hand:
Spock was making a move back to the turbolift where they had came from, apparently intent to launch a rescue mission and forgetting conveniently about his trip to Sickbay.
Uhura had to roll her eyes at his illogically opportunistic nature for escaping Sickbay.
'Aren't you supposed to get yourself checked into Sickbay first, Spock?' she chided.
He had the grace to look somewhat embarrassed.
She found herself smiling fondly at him.
Yes, even if all they had is friendship, it would be more than enough for her.
They made it to Sickbay and standing in for Dr. McCoy was Dr. M'Benga. The Doctor is a 'specialist' somewhat regarding Vulcan physiology. With him stood a blond-haired Nurse named Christine Chapel. Uhura noticed the Nurse's eyes lit up at the sight of Spock. As Dr. M'Benga continued with his examinations on Spock, the Nurse's eyes were upon him at all times.
Uhura knows that look well. She had experienced it herself.
'Oh boy,' she thought.
Here we go again.
McCoy stared at the unconscious body slumped in his arms with apprehension.
Kirk had been acting strangely ever since they had beamed down onto the planet a few hours ago. It was not very noticeable in the beginning and initially McCoy had deduced that the changed in behaviour was related to the extended exposure to the high temperature.
The more the Doctor thought about it, he realised that such cause would be almost unlikely for Kirk who was not only used to such an exposure but had even survived worse missions than this.
So what had brought upon him this collapse?
And what the hell happened to Sulu?
The Doctor gently eased the Captain onto the dusty ground and began to dig into his pouch for his scanner. His hand found the essential tool immediately and he was glad.
For a moment the Doctor was concerned that the scanner had gone the same way as his phaser. He had lost the latter during the escape from the giant worm. He looked into the handsome face of his friend pinched as if in pain even unconscious.
McCoy trained the scanner upon him and felt a rising dread within him.
The scanner reading is clearly showing that Kirk is slowly losing his mind and with it his internal functions.
And he is also running a temperature.
For reasons that are inexplicable.
The young man was simply dying.
'No Jim,' he whispered unwilling to believe it.
For the first time in his life, McCoy felt total helplessness came crashing down upon him. Even his disastrous divorced from his ex-wife hadn't made him feel this useless. If they don't get to the Enterprise soon, all will be lost.
'I am a Doctor damnit!' he told himself.
Kirk is still alive. McCoy forced himself to hang on to that fact. He knows Kirk well, perhaps the only person to ever be the closest to the Captain.
He will not let Kirk down.
He rummaged through his pouch again and brought out a hypospray.
A small sad smile tug at the Doctor's lips.
Kirk just hated hyposprays. Ironically perhaps at the moment; it is the only thing that can preserve his life.
He injected the content into the Captain's bloodstream. The substance inside is vital in keeping the brain function should such emergency occur. Bones prayed that it would be enough.
Apparently someone up there had been listening.
Immediately after, Kirk began to stir. McCoy was beside him instantly cradling his head as support.
'Jim,' he called. 'Can you hear me?'
'Spock,' Kirk whispered faintly.
'Spock, where are you?'
'Don't go!'
'NO!'
'SPOCK!'
Kirk suddenly was thrashing wildly in McCoy's hold.
Sulu mercifully chose that exact moment to appear and the helmsman was taken a back to witness the sight that welcomed him. He had been scouting the area to locate a place safe enough for them to make as a temporary refuge. It was a fortunate thing that he found that the caverns are dry and curiously comfortable and seemingly safe enough.
The only thing that he sensed as he was looking around is that there seemed to be an active wind activities going in and out of the cave from various directions.
'Funny,' he thought. 'I don't see any openings for wind to pass through.
But, he found neither animals nor signs of life anywhere.
He had taken extra precautions before he entered however because Sulu is a fast learner and he never takes anything at first glance. It is a philosophy that had saved him from many difficult and painful endings.
After he felt satisfied that he had found the most suitable place, he tracked back towards the exit to the place where he had left the Captain and Doctor. Sulu has of yet still unable to recalled his memory regarding the landing and the search and is feeling extremely concern at the signs of distress that the Captain is displaying.
Suddenly he felt a feathery soft brush of wind across his face.
A flicker of thought came to his mind that was too fleeting for him to grasp.
As he tried vainly to capture the elusive thoughts his ears caught a cry from the nearby entrance.
Sulu rushed out immediately to be greeted by the sight of Dr. McCoy struggling to calm an obviously distressed Captain Kirk.
'Sulu, thank goodness,' McCoy began. 'Help me to restrain him while I find for a tranquiliser.'
The Helmsman proceeded to land a helping hand and McCoy reached for the appropriate cartridge of hypospray. A moment later, Kirk had fallen back into unconsciousness. McCoy and Sulu a collective sigh of relief.
Together, they supported their Captain into the cavern. McCoy settled Kirk on the floor. He made sure that the young man is in a comfortable position and promptly reassessed his current condition.
Thankfully his earlier administration of the hypospray was doing its intended duty. Kirk's life-readings are stable for the moment. McCoy hoped that somehow help can be contrived as he looked around the cave carefully. It is a strange cave like one McCoy had never seen.
It was clean and barren unlike the usually craggy fissures of caves. There was no stalagtite or stalagmite here and no although there are evidence of underground streams which had carved the ways around the red sandstone seemingly a long time ago.
A wind suddenly howls from unseen fissures in the stone.
Suddenly, for once at least, since he had beamed down onto this planet, the Doctor felt safe. He could not explain it but his heart felt lighter in here away from the accursed sun and death he found outside.
Beside him however Sulu was pacing around the area apparently ill at ease.
A behaviour so unlike Sulu that McCoy had looked up from where he was currently crouched beside Kirk to observe the helmsman curiously.
The young helmsman was fidgeting nervously whilst his eyes seemed to roam around the whole cavern as if seeing something that McCoy cannot see.
The wind howls louder.
Sulu grew tense as if he was about to spring and bolt from the place. McCoy suddenly remembered that Johnson had behaved in exactly the same way before the attack of the worm took place.
McCoy's calmness immediately subsided. He wondered what is going on around here that could cause all of this madness.
'Sulu,' he called.
Sulu turned a haunted gaze toward him. The Doctor was instantly reminded of the same look he had seen on Kirk before he collapsed.
'Oh no Sulu. Not you too,' he cried and rushed to the Asian man.
'Sulu, what is it?' he asked carefully not wanting to startled the young man.
'The Captain. He is in danger as we all are. We cannot stay here,' Sulu suddenly answered as if in a trance.
'What do you mean? How do you know?' McCoy asked urgently.
'They told me,' Sulu had answered in an odd serene way.
McCoy's blood pressure shot up again.
'Who told you all these?'
Sulu pointed to the direction of the cavern's great hall.
'They did,' he said.
Kirk walked alone in his fevered mind.
Alone.
It seemed to him sometimes that it is all he was destined to be.
He remembered everything here. Every single thing that had caused him pain and heartbreak are all displayed here like a hologram.
Or a nightmare.
He saw again the disdain in his Mother's eyes whenever she looked at him.
The people who laughed and bullied him at school and tormented him
Of a childhood he wished for every single day of his life but will never get.
He remembered Sam leaving him to seek for a better life.
There were girls, women he thought had loved and left.
Of lonely tears he shed at night when no one else is around.
He is alone.
Had always been and perhaps forever will be.
He felt himself giving up then, when he saw Johnson's death; the fear in the young man's eyes as realisation of a life cut short.
Kirk felt that he could've prevented it, felt that he should do many things he couldn't do and he wallowed in his self-pity and anger and darkness.
And then they had come.
They whispered to him comfort. Kirk felt warmth and safety and acceptance and even perhaps, a touch of understanding.
He was comforted but for the warning they had given him.
'You will die soon if you do not find ways to escape here,' they warned.
He had begged them to let him stay. Only they understood him; only they cared for him.
But they would not let him.
'Seek for your bond-mate. He can save you,' they whispered.
Kirk was confused then. He has none. But they insisted.
'He is there up in the sky in your silver vessel,' they said
'I do not understand,' Kirk returned, confused.
'The man called Spock, your bond-mate. We have sense it from within your mind-and we have touched his,' they continued.
'We need to communicate with him but he is too far from our reach. We want to understand and he could provide it for he is as we are,'
'Call for him. This you must do for your survival and the survival of your men here and aboard the Silver vessel,' they insisted again.
Kirk had no idea of what they are talking about. He and Spock are far from being bond-mates, whatever that meant. They are not even friends. Kirk trusted them however inexplicable that may be and he must do this if for nothing else than to ensure the survival of Bones, Sulu and the Enterprise.
So he did. He focused hard to call for Spock; hoping against hope that the Vulcan can hear him.
'Spock!' he called with all his might.
He tried sending all his thoughts and emotions along.
'Spock. Answer me!'
'Spock please-I need you!'
He repeated the call again and again but there was no answer.
Wherever Spock was he is not responding or simply Kirk was not a telepath.
Or, the Enterprise is indeed no longer there.
He nearly despaired at that thought when suddenly, faintly but very recognisable Kirk heard an answering call:
'Captain. I am here,'
It was Spock.
There was no doubt of it in Kirk's heart.
Beyond all hope, Spock had answered. Kirk felt joy sprang and intensified in his chest.
'Spock,' he called back. 'I need you,' he said and he felt no shame for saying so.
He felt Spock sent him reassurance through the link and Kirk felt safe and secure in his existence.
'Captain. I am here. Stay with me,' Spock had said when suddenly without warning the link began to weaken.
He felt Spock sending soothing encouragement but it was too late…
'SPOCK!'
And the link was terminated.
He was alone again.
Kirk heard them whispering amongst themselves then and it was not good news.
To be continued…
Well, well, well, what have we here? Have I confused you yet?
The explanation is mighty simple actually.
Any takers? (;D)