They were greeted by complete silence as they stepped onto the bridge, only the humming of the ship's systems was to be heard and all eyes were glued to the doctor. Leonard raised an eyebrow, looking around and chasing every single glance with a scowl on his face. He didn't like to be stared at. Weren't there more important things to do on this ship than to stare at a new crewmember? He had to admit though, it was an impressive sight: the huge view screen looked like a giant window directly into space, a thousand stars blinking in the darkness. Stars. Something they hadn't seen in years down on earth; it was easy to forget what was there when you couldn't see it. Sometimes he had joked that the whole universe had left them alone, had left the miserable little planet that had been destroyed by its own inhabitants. But of course that was stupid, he knew enough about the solar system to even know what stars should be there, even though he had never really known a lot of those constellations.
"Captain on the bridge!" A young, bald-headed woman announced as Jim stepped further into the room, walking over to the slightly higher seat in the middle, obviously the Captain's chair. Of course the man was supposed to be a leader - he knew how to push people to do their very best, knew how to motivate them without sounding too harsh. Hell, he had even kept Leonard from killing himself more than twice now. And he cared about the women and men under his command; the doctor was sure of it.
"This is Doctor McCoy, our new CMO everybody. Don't call him any stupid names or he'll probably kill you." Jim grinned, leaning back in his chair as he pointed to one of his crewmembers after the other, introducing them to their new doctor. "This is Sulu, our pilot." The Japanese man at the helm nodded, offering Leonard a smile that the older man didn't return. "Uhura, our linguistics officer and Darwin, our navigator." The two women nodded, both more fixated on their work than on staring. "And Spock, First Officer and head of the Science department." So this was the green blooded bastard Jim had been telling him so much about. Leonard eyed the man for a moment, slightly irritated by the pointy ears and the indifferent expression, but not all mutations were changing things for the better obviously. It was a strange atmosphere, like they all belonged to a big family, and he was the intruder. But everyone tried to be nice to him.
"Captain, Doctor. I am not pleased to have to tell you this but I was unable to locate the compass." Leonard's eyes widened. "What do you mean, unable? You said he's not dead! And the kid has a goddamn name, stop calling him a 'compass' like he's a thing you can use!" The Science officer only raised an eyebrow, almost matching his own in his elegance but he didn't show any other reaction the outburst. "I am certain he is not dead, doctor. They must have changed something about his mark. I can no longer see him."
Leonard felt his heart sink but he didn't let resignation take over. As long as Pasha was alive, there was still hope and he would make sure not to fail him again. His gaze focused on the man they called Captain, who had not yet said anything to the bad news. But Jim only nodded, obviously trying to think of something, before he turned to face the rest of the bridge crew. "We're going down there. Sulu, Spock, I want you there with me. Uhura you're in command. Scotty..." He leant down over the armrest of his chair to press a button that obviously belonged to the ship's intercom. "I want you to make sure the ship is ready to get us out of here, when we're getting back. I plan on bringing your coordinates and formulas."
It was impressive how everybody hurried to follow the Captain's orders without even saying a single word other than 'Aye, sir.' It almost seemed as if they had trained like this for years, as if they were professionals, real military personnel and not just a wild mixture of survivors. Sulu was the first one to join in the lift and Leonard could see how another officer took over his seat, before the doors closed and they were catapulted to another deck. "We need weapons." Bones had noticed that no one on board actually carried a weapon with him, there were no guns, or knives, probably because it would only cause an air of distrust but when they were actually going back onto the planet, they would need them. Jim only grinned, gesturing him to step out of the lift and then leading him through the first door they passed. "Take whatever you like."
The walls were adorned with weapons, rifles, guns, grenades - enough to equip a whole battalion of soldiers and not just a small landing-party like this, but something was weird. The doctor picked one of the rifles, surprised by how light it was and turned around to face the others who were busy equipping themselves. "Where's the ammunition?" Somehow he had the feeling he was asking a really stupid question, as Jim stepped over and placed one of the smaller guns in his hand. "Shoot. At the floor of course, everything else would be plain stupid." The doctor frowned, but followed the suggestion, aiming his weapon at the floor a few feet away. There was no recoil, not even much of a sound, and definitely no bullet. "Laser?" Leonard stepped forward, eying the small hole the shot had burned into the floor. "It's a phaser, Bones. Those people had lots of technology none of us ever heard of. It's like those things were sent back from the future."
Maybe he should just stop asking, or wondering, because this was obviously the new reality he was supposed to live in. He kept the phaser, strapping it to his waist. Then he took the rifle again and two of the grenades. At least the knives are still made of steel. He thought, as he slipped one into his boot. They looked like a group of elite soldiers; the uniforms were too colourful for the military, but who needed camouflage when you had weapons like this? Now that he thought of it, he was pretty sure to actually understand the colour system a bit, at least what blue and yellow meant. Yellow was obviously for command, pilot and navigation, so everyone who was specialised to fly this ship or order people around. He was wearing a blue shirt, just like Spock, so it had to be the colour for science and medical officers. What he didn't know yet was the meaning of red but he would surely find that out as well. Now was not the time for ask, now was the time to get Pasha back.
He didn't even flinch as they stepped into the shuttle bay and saw what he had to fly with. Leonard wouldn't back down just yet; he hadn't even eaten in a while, so there was nothing he could possibly throw up in this thing. Still, he placed a hand on Sulu's shoulder, a hint of fear visible in his dark eyes. "I'd be thankful if you tried to fly... as tame as possible." The pilot nodded, giving him a thumbs up and a 'Yes sir' before climbing into the shuttle, followed by Spock and Jim and finally the doctor. Another thing he would have to get used to - being called sir -, as if he was some sort of authority. "I hate you for this, Jim. You have no idea how much I hate you..." But they both knew he didn't mean it. Bones tried to ignore the way Spock's and Jim's fingers found their way to each other through the ride. It wasn't even a really intimate gesture, at least not for him; holding hands was something soldiers did, something family, not only reserved for lovers. But between the two it seemed to be like a symbol of a deeper understanding, a connection nobody else could really get a grasp on. It made Leonard's heart ache for the presence of his own lover, wanting to hold the kid's hand like this, when they were up to adventures and exploring space. He was sure, Pavel would like it, of course, he was a genius after all. The kid would probably know everything about the ship within a few days, knowing how to operate every control, every system.
His knuckles were shining white under the skin, as he gripped the armrests hard enough to feel pain and pressed his eyes shut. If they died in here, everything would've been futile. It was the one opponent he couldn't fight with weapons, if they just fell out of the sky like a rock and crashed into the ground, there was no way to bring them back to life again...
But they survived the flight and Bones mumbled a quiet prayer, as he stepped out of the shuttle. He didn't believe in a god anymore, nobody did in these times, but he had never before been so happy to have solid ground under his feet as he was right now. Adjusting the rifle on his back, he waited until Jim had told Sulu to wait by the shuttle, ready to flee at every moment, should anything go wrong. The Captain then handed Len a new communicator, with the order to immediately alert Sulu should they get separated for whatever reason.
The doctor winced, as he recognised the small town immediately, his steps leading towards the house where they had hidden away. Memories flashed through his mind, distracting him for a second. The kid's body underneath him: gorgeous, naked, writhing and covered in sweat. The kid's ragged breathing in his ears, his delicious moans and whimpers sending pleasant shivers down the doctor's spine. The howling of the wolves and how they had gotten closer and closer with every day, circling them. Hungry eyes glowing in the dark, as they waited for their chance to feed.
Jim had been right, there were dead bodies everywhere and only two of them had been killed by his shotgun back then, the others showed injuries that looked a lot more like burns, resembling the way these newer weapons worked. So obviously someone else had been here and had taken the Russian genius away. But why?
He didn't get to answer the question as a hand suddenly gripped his arm, holding him in place. Looking up, he saw what the other two had spotted, a silent curse falling from his lips. Two gigantic bears. They had obviously smelled the blood and had left the forest to get their share of the feast. One of them was busy tearing out a wolf's liver, distracted from everything else. But the other was slowly lifting his head: tiny, dark eyes searching for the origin of the new scent in the air. It took him only a minute to spot the three humans.
Leonard had only ever met a bear once, years back while they had been camping. Don't move. That's what they had said back then, but he doubted that 'Don't move' would get them very far in this situation. "Fuck." Jim and Spock had simultaneously reached for their phasers, slowly and carefully, but now the bear was roaring, his heavy paws hitting the ground. And honestly, the doctor had never believed such a huge animal to be able to move like this - fast, almost elegant even with its enormous mass. The other two shot, Jim hitting the beast's arm, Spock right into the chest, but the beast only stumbled and then leapt at them. And if there was one thing that was more dangerous than a mutated bear, it was a mutated, hurt, and angry bear.
"Run!" Jim yelled, gesturing towards the house and pulling one of his grenades out. And Leonard ran, ran as fast as his legs and lungs let him, practically throwing himself through the door and reaching out a hand to pull the others in. His side hurt where he had hit the floor hard, but right now it was more important to survive. The blonde was the last one to reach the house, dropping his grenade right in front of the door, before he slipped in and they shut the door. "We need to hold it shut and cover our heads!" He was still yelling, the adrenaline rushing through his body, heart pounding in his head. Only seconds later the grenade exploded, ripping the door off its hinges and throwing them all back to the ground. Splinters of wood and stone were flying all around them, and the doctor felt a few drops of blood hit his face. "Jim!"
"I'm okay, Bones. A few scratches, that's all."
They had been lucky. Bruises and cuts were all they had gotten from the action, but it had been a pretty close shave and the doctor was sure next time they wouldn't survive that easily. Groaning, he got up from the floor, only throwing a quick look at what had once been the door. The grenade had done its job, tearing the two bears apart, and the hardened doctor felt a wave of brackishness rush through him at the sight. "Let's go upstairs where..." but Jim didn't get to finish his sentence, instead he pulled out his beeping communicator, flipping it open with one hand. "What?"
"Sir! You have to get back to the ship immediately! The Enterprise is being attacked!"
"Sit down."
Pavel immediately obeyed, sinking into his seat and turned to face the other man who was still hovering over him, but not really looking at him. It surprised and unsettled the Russian how soft Khan's voice was, dark, threatening but still soft, and not as harsh as usual.
"You have disappointed me, Chekov. First you leave a bug in our system and then you run away. Can you imagine that it took my other scientists two years to find out what is behind the ever changing coordinates?"
The teen wanted to talk back, wanted to accuse this man of lying to him, of making him believe he was doing the right thing, of promising him freedom but never giving it to him. But he knew it was futile, he knew the only way to stay alive right now was to do whatever Khan told him and to use his knowledge as an advantage. He was still the only one who knew how to find this planet they had been talking about, the only one who could operate this ship on his own, without needing any kind of support from anyone else. But at the same time he couldn't threaten this man. Khan had his methods to get what he wanted from people and there was no way he'd let him escape a second time, not after wasting two years in space, chasing after coordinates that were randomly generated by the lovely bug Pavel had left in the system before escaping.
"You will not do this again."
The Russian shook his head. He didn't have anywhere else to go. Back on earth there was nothing left for him, the freedom he had dreamt of had been nothing more than pain and loneliness. He had no reasons to upset Khan again, no reason to disobey the orders he was given. "I vill set up ze coordinates, ser. Ve can leewe in a few hours," he mumbled, about to turn around to his console again as the hand on his shoulder stopped him: a long, slender finger stroking over his cheek and resting under his chin, forcing him to look up into these merciless eyes.
"I have another order for you, Chekov." For a moment he didn't say anything else, didn't move his fingers away and Pavel felt the urge to slap those hands away. He didn't want anyone to touch him, not if the man's touches weren't as gentle and warm as the ones that still lingered in his memories. But he didn't move until Khan finally backed off, stepping towards his screen and ordering the computer with a few words to open a certain file.
"I have to tell you a bit about your new... friend, down there." The teen knew the smile on the other's lips wasn't a good sign, it never was. The last time Khan had smiled, he had ordered him to launch the missile, throwing the world into a war that would turn it into a wasteland, killing billions of humans. But he only nodded, waiting for him to continue. There was no way his heart was supposed to ache like that. Leonard had left him for dead, and had practically invited the wolves to come and eat him alive.
"Has he told you about his friends?" A set of faces appeared on the screen. One of them was a man with blonde hair and blue eyes and determination visible in his features. The next one was older, had greyish hair but his face showed the same expression. The last one was a man with dark hair and dark eyes, his ears weirdly pointy. "Christopher Pike, James Tiberius Kirk,and Spock. You have heard the names before, haven't you?" Pavel nodded. Of course he had. Leonard had told him about them, about their wish to leave the planet, about their ship, and about the organisation they had founded. Another face joined the three on the screen, and the Russian felt a sharp pain in his chest as he stared at Leonard's familiar features. He looked younger on the photo, not as much lines on his face and his eyes not as clouded with darkness. It was definitely a photograph that had been taken before the apocalypse had happened.
"How much has he told you? Has he told you that they were constantly searching for you for the past year? Has he told you that they know what you are and what you have done? Has he told you that they plan to use you and your knowledge and then kill you? In order to have their revenge?"
Pavel's eyes widened, brows furrowed, as he shook his head hastily, no longer caring if he would be punished if he objected. "No! Zis is not true. Zey vould not kill me, Lyonya vould not..."
"You have told him everything, haven't you? You confirmed that you are exactly what they have been looking for and he left. But where did he go?"
The Russian was suddenly feeling sick, his hands trembling and his face pale. He had heard Leonard talking to Jim over the communicator, right before he had told him everything, right? What if the man's surprise and shock had only been an act? Of course he left to go back to the others; he had only ever talked about Jim, his best friend, and his friends, and what they would do when they left the planet. How much they craved it. Len had told him that he wanted revenge. Revenge for his wife and daughter, and for all the other horrible things that had happened thanks to the Great War. He saw Khan's smile widen just a little bit, as he nodded and then turn around to the screen.
"They have a ship. They will attack us; they will kill everyone on this ship to get you. They will use you to get to the new world and then they will kill you, because you are no longer needed." He paused a moment, obviously waiting for the words to sink in, but Pavel had already understood. Once again he felt cold, felt the emptiness inside him widen even further. Was that the reason why Leonard had taken care of him, why he had slept with him, kissed him, held him? Because he wanted Pavel to trust him long enough so they could get the information they needed? Was it the only reason he told him all the sweet things he did? The teen didn't want to believe it, he didn't want to know about all this, he wanted to keep his illusions, wanted to lie to himself, but his analytic mind wasn't letting him. It was like a puzzle in his head that solved itself, putting piece for piece together and creating an image that tore apart his heart.
Leonard hadn't been there by chance in this small town where Pavel had been attacked by the wolves. He had been talking to Jim, had probably been directed there, because they knew the Russian was there. He had taken care of him because they couldn't risk losing the knowledge only Pavel possessed. He had slept with him because Pavel asked for it, and to gain his trust. And he had succeeded; he had succeeded in stealing his heart. But he had obviously still not been sure if Pavel really was what they were looking for but he had been dumb enough to give him every single piece of information he needed to be sure. And then he had informed the others, to tell them everything about him...
The Russian knew he should be angry, he had every reason to hate this man for what he had done but he couldn't. All he felt was disappointment and emptiness; he didn't care anymore. He looked up again and nodded in understanding, waiting for Khan to state his orders.
"Their ship is only a few minutes away. You will destroy it before they can attack us. You will make sure they can no longer threaten you and everyone else on this ship. If you do this, I promise, I will grant you everything you wish for, once we reach the new world. You will have the freedom you wished for."
And thus he left, left him on the bridge and in command, because he knew Pavel would say yes. The teen stared for a little longer, stared at the features of this one man he had ever loved, the first one to treat him differently but with the same intention. He was just another man who wanted to use him. The teen felt his own lips curl into a cold smile, tears once again blurring his vision, but he blinked them away. Freedom. He didn't know if Khan was lying again. It was possible, but the man had known how much he still wished to be free and independent. And he wanted it even more now that he had gotten a taste of it. Knowing that love was only an illusion, he would do anything to get back the only thing that was able to give him a feeling of happiness. He had killed for his freedom once, he would do it again. Nobody was there to forgive his sins anyway. He would go to hell, but he could at least try and live a bit before he was sent back into the cold. "Aktiwate ze veapon systems I vant her reedy to fight in two meenutes."
His own fingers were flying over his controls, reawakening the systems he had blocked almost two years ago. The USS Vengeance hummed underneath him as if she was welcoming her master. "They're hailing us, sir!" One of the other crewmen announced but Pavel shook his head. "Do not answer et. Aktiwate ze shields and block all communications. Zen skan zeir ship for ewery veekness you can find." His voice wasn't trembling anymore, his hands weren't shaking. "And I vant ze ship on ze screen!" He closed his eyes for a little moment and when he opened them again, the pictures were gone from the screen. Instead there was once again earth and space, and the other ship. Of course he knew the ship, he had seen the blue prints of every single ship that was built worldwide; he had worked on them as a kid, playing around with the different engines. Together with the world's best physicists they had found a way to not only break the sonic barrier, but also the speed of light within seconds, creating an artificial warp bubble around the ship, contracting space in front of the ship and expanding it behind the ship.
"Weapon systems are activated, shields are up and at 100 percent. Fire at your command."
