I own nothing but my OC.
Previously:
"But how can we possibly hope to discern her identity when not even Starfleet's vast computer resources could not ID this woman from the images captured by the security cameras?" Spock questioned. Without a clear shot of her face, there was nothing to run against their facial recognition software.
"The cameras might not have seen her face, but Khan did." Prima pointed out, suddenly lighting up as an idea came to her. She glanced expectantly at the older augment, whose lips curved upwards into a slight, somewhat amused smile.
"I see. Yes, I suppose there is always that method…" He said, instantly understanding where she was going with this. Even if he didn't know her name, there was still a way he could help identify her… Khan couldn't care less about helping Kirk and Spock, in fact, he was reluctant to do Starfleet as a whole any favors, but if there was even the slightest possibility that woman's plans were going to put Prima in danger as well, then he could not allow her to continue.
"What method?" Kirk asked curiously.
"Don't worry. It's a simple but effective trick they used to use in the past." Prima said, grinning. "All I need is a pencil and some paper."
[[Chapter 6: Big Girls Don't Cry]]
Somewhere in Northern India:
The Chrysalis Project, [exact location top-secret]
August of 1982
"I'm really sorry about this, Prima." Her father said solemnly as security swiped his keycard, and granted them permission to proceed further. "I never meant for you to be dragged into this, too…"
"… It's okay, Dad." Prima replied calmly as they stepped into the elevator together and began their long descent to the underground research center. "I don't mind." Jack Dempsey smiled wanly down at the eight-year-old beside him as he held her hand. Though the pain of losing her mother was still heart-breakingly fresh for both of them, Prima was doing her best to stay strong for him and keep a stiff upper lip. She was so brave, just like her mother.
Barely even a day had passed since his daughter finally returned to India, and already Dr. Kaur was trying to sink her claws into the poor girl. Wasn't it enough that Francesca had just passed away? Why was that woman so intent on giving his family a hard time? After Francesca was diagnosed with a severe case of ovarian cancer five years ago, her doctor in India eventually recommended she seek a more advanced form of treatment in America, where they had better care programs and more modern facilities. Unfortunately, even the best medicine could do little for her except to delay the inevitable at her current stage, so naturally, Francesca had wanted to keep their daughter close and spend as much of her remaining time with Prima as possible. Francesca had wanted to be a mother to their daughter for as long as possible with the little time she had left. Of course, Jack had wanted to go with them as well. He had no intention of letting his wife face such a terrible and painful battle on her own, but that damn Dr. Kaur had refused to allow him to leave the project for such an extended period of time. Jack had been extremely tempted to just resign and go to America with his family anyway, but Francesca had somehow managed to persuade him not to. People who tried to quit the project or challenge Kaur tended to either meet with some unfortunate accident not long afterwards or 'disappear' entirely altogether. It was just like that song by the Eagles, Hotel California. You could check out any time you liked, but they never really let you leave. Actually, it was a miracle they had even allowed Francesca to leave India in the first place, for all the good it had done them…
John shook his head. There was nothing he could do to change the past, but the present was a different matter entirely. He may not have been able to save his wife, but from now on he was going to do whatever it took to protect his daughter and keep her safe.
"Prima… Do you remember what I told you about the children you're about to meet? And how you're expected to… behave?" He asked cautiously, discreetly eyeing the security camera that was mounted in the top left corner of the elevator.
"Yes…?" She replied, glancing questioningly up at her father, before following his gaze and spotting the camera. She quickly looked away from it again, keeping her eyes on the elevator doors instead. "I remember, Daddy." She added more firmly. That's right, she had to act 'natural', like a normal little girl her age would. She couldn't afford to make mistakes, like that time she accidentally got caught back in America. The people at Chrysalis wouldn't be so easy to fool, and not nearly so understanding as her grandparents' neighbors had been. One slip-up, and they would immediately know her for what she really was. She squeezed her father's hand a little tighter, careful not to hurt him.
"Good." Jack said, nodding his head in approval. He gave his little girl a small, reassuring smile and squeezed her hand back. "It's going to be all right, Prima. Daddy won't let anyone hurt you. I promise."
—∞—
Underground,
Classroom 4–B
"Alright, gather round, children." The teacher, Mrs. Applebaum, said, clapping her hands to get her class's attention.
Prima felt a little nervous, standing up in front of the class of super children all by herself. At least her father had expressly made Mrs. Applebaum promise not to leave her alone with them, saying he was concerned about her safety. To be honest, Prima was too. There were only ten of them to a class, but she didn't like the way some of the other kids were looking at her, especially the dark-blonde boy sitting in the back left corner.
"We have a very special guest here to visit us today. This is Primavera Dempsey, Dr. Dempsey's daughter." The teacher continued, placing her hands on Prima's shoulders as she introduced her to the other children. "Go on. Say hello, Prima."
"Hello…" Prima greeted the class, smiling shyly, as she gave them all a little wave, hoping they would warm up to her soon. Maybe the other kids were just nervous, too? Her dad had mentioned before that they had never met someone their own age who came from the outside world before. The other children just continued to stare at her, completely silent. It was terribly awkward.
"Yoo-hoo~!" Another, older lady sang playfully as she poked her head into the room and knocked on the door frame.
"Oh, Dr. Preston. How can I help you?" Mrs. Applebaum asked, a little surprised to see the other woman there. It was rare for the child psychologist to come down to the classroom herself.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Applebaum, but there is something I need to discuss with you about the most recent lesson plans you submitted to me." Dr. Preston said. "I'm afraid it can't wait."
"Oh, um…" Mrs. Applebaum said a bit hesitantly, glancing between Prima and her colleague. "Don't worry, Sweetie. I'm sure this will only take a few minutes. Why don't you kids continue the introductions and get to each other while I talk to Dr. Preston? Okay? Okay." She said, smiling reassuringly at the appalled Prima, not even giving the poor girl a chance to object, before the two women left her alone in a proverbial shark tank.
"Hmph! Good riddance." The blonde boy that had been giving her the evil-eye sneered, earning a few snickers from his friends. "Hey, I heard your mother died. Is that true?" He asked Prima, standing up at his desk.
"Yes…?" Prima replied hesitantly, not liking where this was going.
"Do you know why she died?" He asked, as he stalked towards her. "It's because she was weak, like you. There's nothing more pathetic or pointless than the death of a weakling, don't you think?" He asked his classmates, smirking wickedly, as he glanced back at them.
—SMACK!
The sound almost seemed to reverberate throughout the small room. The rest of the children all stared straight ahead at the front of the class, stunned, while the blonde boy's eyes widened in shock when he realized he could feel a stinging sensation burning his right cheek. He turned his head to look back at Prima, bewildered. She had literally slapped that nasty smirk off of his snot-nosed face.
"Don't you dare…!" She said sternly, breathing heavily as she fought to control herself, though she knew it was too little, too late. She had already snapped. Her dad was not going to be happy when he heard about this, but at the moment, Prima didn't really care. It was worth it. "I watched my mom suffer for a long time while she struggled to get better and keep herself together for me and my dad—I won't let you call her weak or say her death was pointless!!" She shouted at him, full of righteous fury. She could feel hot tears forming in her eyes, stinging them. No—she couldn't cry here! Not in front of this jerk!
"You… How dare you!" The boy roared angrily, reaching out to grab her by the neck. Fortunately, Prima managed to dodge in time. His grubby little fingers just barely managed to grab her throat. Instead, they caught something shiny that had slipped out from its hiding place, tucked underneath the collar of her shirt. Her success in escaping his attempt to strangle her only infuriated the little psychopath more. He snarled viciously as he clenched his fist around the item and ripped it away from her.
"No!" Prima cried anxiously, alarmed when she felt the chain of her mother's locket snap and slide off of her neck. "No, please! Give it back!" She began pleading, no, begging earnestly. Anything but that! Seeing his opponent look so defeated seemed to calm her tormentor a little. Instead of taking another wild swing at her, he took a step back, holding the locket just out of Prima's reach, taunting her with it.
"I said give it back!" Prima demanded furiously, glaring fiercely, as she tried desperately to snatch it back, frustrated that she was about to lose yet another piece of her beloved mother. The other augments in the room were so startled by her sudden switch from being a lamb to a lion that they actually froze, at a complete loss as to whether they should run to their leader's aid or run for the hills. "Give it back!!" Prima growled, her voice dangerously low. She wasn't playing anymore. She didn't care who they were. If anything happened to that locket, she was going to kick their teeth in!
"Ha… Haha! W-What? Don't tell me you all are actually scared of this runt!?" Her bully asked incredulously, laughing nervously. What was with this girl? Why did he suddenly feel so uneasy trying to stare her down…? He shook his head. No! He was the superior being here! He wasn't going to let himself be intimidated by this weakling. He couldn't afford to lose here if he was ever going to be great enough to overtake Khan. "If you want it, come and get it! Just try to take it back, I dare you!" He taunted Prima, smirking wickedly, holding her precious locket over his head, far about her reach. Prima clenched her fists and grit her teeth as she lowered her head and bent her knees slightly. The bully's smirk widened, believing her posture to be one of defeat. He realized she was mumbling something. What was it, an apology? A plead for mercy?
"What's that? I can't hear you. Speak up, Runt." He leered, taking a step closer to her.
"I said, 'Fine by me'. Just remember, you asked for it!" Prima said, raising her voice, as she suddenly lunged forward and rammed her head into the boy's gut, knocking him off his feet. Before he or any of the other augments could finish processing the daring stunt she had just pulled, Prima was already snatching the locket back from his hand and taking off in a full sprint. No matter how she felt, she knew it would be verging on suicidal to stay and try to fight all ten of them on her own. Now that she had just embarrassed their leader and made him her mortal enemy, Prima knew that her best chance of survival was to get as far away as possible before they decided to try to exact revenge.
—∞—
"Say, Khan. Do you want to go and get some lunch with me?" Kati, a female augment from his generation, asked as they made their way down the hall.
They had just completed their group project for advanced chemistry in one of the labs reserved for educational purposes. Khan didn't understand the point of making the entire class work together in groups of two or three when they were all more than capable of carrying out such a simple assignment on their own.
"What do you say? It'll be my treat." Kati added, flashing him a charming smile.
"Hold that thought." Khan said, when he noticed a certain curly-haired brunette girl sliding down the railing of the stairs just a few yards away, balancing on one of the brightly-colored plastic lunch trays from the cafeteria like a pro. Khan raised an eyebrow, slightly bemused and pleasantly surprised when he recognized her face from one of the more recently framed photographs Dr. Dempsey kept on his desk. It was a face he hadn't seen in a long time. He had heard the good doctor mention she was coming back, but he never expected to see her down there again, now that she really was old enough to be a possible security risk. Khan was about to ask her why she was running around using a lunch tray in such an orthodox manner, when she slid right off the edge of the railing and went sailing through the air for a good foot or two. The moment her feet touched the floor, Prima Dempsey took off like a bat out of hell, discarding the tray, and shooting straight past the two older augments without the slightest bit of hesitation. Seeing that she was about to reach a dead end, little Prima skidded to a halt in front of the second to last door on the right, yanked it open, and disappeared inside, slamming the door shut behind her.
"… Did that really just happen?" Kati asked, raising an eyebrow of her own, as they stared after the strange child. What was wrong with that girl? She couldn't remember ever having seen that particular troublemaker before, though the child was fairly average-looking for an augment, so there was a small chance she may have simply forgotten…
"What is she doing?" Khan wondered aloud, frowning slightly. While it was nice to see that her motor skills had improved so greatly since their last meeting, he felt strangely disappointed and a bit put out that she had so blatantly ignored his presence after he had taken such good care of her. He didn't have to wonder for long, though, because ten of the younger augments came stampeding down the stairs soon after, hot on her trail.
"Get herrrrrr!" Their blonde leader yelled viciously. The boy was clearly enraged, almost livid. No wonder Prima had been running. What on earth did she do..?
"But which way did she go!?" One of the girls shouted as they all skidded to a halt. She and the other children kept glancing back and forth between the opposite ends of the hallway and the path that continued on before them, circling like confused bloodhounds that had just lost the scent of their prey.
"Split up! She can't have gone far!" Lucian ordered them, scowling at their incompetence. "She's inferior, there's no way she can outsmart us!" He yelled vindictively as he turned to run.
Thmp.
"—!?" Lucian grunted in surprise when he bounced off of something solid and fell backwards onto the floor with a thud. The boy looked up to see that he had just bumped into none other than Khan himself. Khan did not look pleased. In a matter of seconds, the boy's red face turned deathly as all the blood drained from his face and he froze with shock and fear. He heard the other children gasp and whimper in fear as well. They began slowly shuffling back, moving away from the older, more dangerous augments. Khan could be very kind when he felt like it, but if you had the misfortune to anger him or get on his bad side… Several of the children shuddered just thinking about the frightening stories they had heard from some of the previous generations of augments. Khan narrowed his eyes slightly as he fixed the belligerent boy with an icy glare. He found Lucian to be an incessant brat at the best of times, and seeing him incite others to gang up on one girl, whom they all knew to be much weaker than them, did not improve his opinion of the younger augment one bit.
"Get out of my sight." Khan commanded him and the other children coldly. Confused glances were exchanged, as though they couldn't believe what they were hearing. "Now." He snapped sharply.
"!" The children gasped and quickly rushed to scurry away to safety, scattering like a brood of frightened partridges.
"H-Hey!" Lucian yelped, finally rediscovering his voice, as he scrambled to his feet and fled "W-Wait for me, you traitors—!!" He howled at his followers.
"Is it just me, or does every new generation just get more and more annoying?" Kati asked drolly as she watched them go. "And, to make matters worse, they have no spine… What are you doing?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at Khan as he turned on his heel and made his way to the very room they had just seen the little brunette disappear into a moment ago.
"This should only take a moment." He replied calmly as he opened the door and took a step inside. The reference room was silent and, by all appearances, empty. But Khan knew better. "You can come out now." He informed the hiding little girl. "They're all gone now."
"… Really?" Prima asked warily, cautiously poking her head out of her hiding place. "Are you sure?"
Khan deadpanned when he saw where she had chosen to hide in case the other children chased her into the room. He had been expecting her to be in one of the typical hiding places a child around her age might think of, like behind one of the stacks, underneath a desk, in the closet, or even the trash can… but no, not Prima. Prima apparently couldn't be satisfied with such obvious hiding places, because she had evidently scaled one of the bookcases and concealed herself within the tiled ceiling. Khan couldn't help but smile wryly in amusement as he stared up at her. He should have known. Prima always had been a little… different…
"Yes, I'm quite sure." He assured her. "Now, come down from there."
"… I'd like to," Prima said hesitantly, frowning slightly as she furrowed her brow, "… but I think I'm stuck."
"Stuck?" Kati asked as she entered the room, looking slightly bemused at the situation she found waiting for her. It was rare to see Khan with a child, and rarer still to see one's head sticking out of the ceiling. Who was this child?
"Like a kitten in a tree." Khan remarked, sighing. Typical Prima. She had managed to figure out how to get all the way up there on her own, but now she had no idea how to get herself down. "Just come back down the way you came. I'll catch you if you fall."
"Really?" Prima asked dubiously, furrowing her brow slightly. What kind of guarantee did she have this guy wouldn't just drop her? What if he tried to catch her and missed?
"Really." Khan said confidently, holding out his arms.
"Really, really?" She asked again, narrowing her eyes slightly with suspicion. Who was this guy, anyway? She didn't recognize him, but he acted like he knew her…
"Prima…" Khan said warningly, giving her a stern look to let her know she was beginning to test his patience.
"Okay, but if I break my neck… please tell my dad they started it." She said gravely, taking a deep breath, as she carefully turned around and started lowering herself down, one leg at a time.
"Do you know this girl?" Kati half whispered to Khan, surprised. This child certainly had guts, talking to someone like Khan so casually. Very few people, aside from herself, could get away without showing him the proper respect.
"Yes. I have known her since she was an infant." He replied, keeping his eyes locked on Prima, watching like a hawk, as the little girl carefully began to make her way down to them, just in case she happened to stumble. Kati noted that this was probably the first time she had ever seen Khan act so protective.
"Ah!" Prima gasped in alarm, startled when her foot slipped, and she felt herself falling. Fortunately, Khan had her back, and he caught her with ease.
"You see. I told you I would catch you." Khan said, smirking triumphantly at the little girl in his arms. She grown quite a bit since he last held her like this, but Khan was eighteen now and stronger than ever. He could just as easily carry ten Primas if necessary. Prima blinked, a little surprised by the feat. She didn't really recognize him, but something about this situation felt extremely familiar…
"Are you Khan?" She asked curiously, tilting her head slightly, as she looked up at him.
"Yes." Khan replied, smiling wryly. Did that mean she only just now realized who he was? Well, she had been very young when they parted four years ago, so perhaps her forgetfulness could be forgiven.
"I thought so." She said, grinning, as she put her arms around his neck and hugged him. "I feel safe when you hold me."
"Awww~!" Kati cooed, abruptly reminding Khan of her presence. He glanced at her and found she was now staring at the two of them with a mixture of astonishment and adoration. "I feel as though I've just witnessed a miracle… or one of the seven signs of the apocalypse…"
"Kati…" Khan began warningly.
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." She teased, smiling innocently and raising her hand, as if swearing a sacred oath. "Can I hold her?"
"Only if you are very, very careful with her." Khan replied seriously. "Prima is not an augment. She is Dr. Dempsey's biological daughter."
"Oh, is that so? Well, maybe you should hold onto her, then. I wouldn't want to accidentally smother her." Kati replied, gesturing to her ample bosom.
"'She' is right here." Prima deadpanned, pouting slightly at the way they were talking about her as if she couldn't hear them. Why did adults do that, anyway? Didn't they realize how annoying it could get after awhile?
"My apologies." Kati said graciously, raising an eyebrow. Oh, yes, this child definitely had guts to speak to them in such a way. Prima didn't know how lucky she was that she was with Khan, and that Kati found her just cute enough to make up for her smart mouth.
"Come, it is nearly time for lunch. Have you eaten yet?" Khan asked, speaking directly to Prima this time, as he carried her out of the room, followed closely by Kati.
"No, but—Ah!" Prima said, alarmed, when her mother's locket slipped out of her shorts pocket and fell to the floor with a clatter.
"What is this, a necklace?" Kati asked curiously as she bent over and picked it up. It looked like real gold, something a grown woman would wear. But the chain was broken. What was an eight-year-old doing with something like this?
"It's my mom's. Please, give it back to me." Prima said anxiously, holding her hand out.
"Your mother's?" Kati asked, confused by the sudden look of desperation on the previously happy little girl's face. "Why is the chain broken?"
"That boy who was chasing me did it. Now, please…!" Prima beseeched the older girl. Her lower lip trembled slightly as she gazed up at Kati with big, sad puppy dog eyes.
"Yes! All right, all right… Just don't look at me like that!" Kati chided her, feeling strangely guilty, as she returned the keepsake. She was going to have to get Prima to teach her how to make that particular expression. It was quite effective.
"Why would he do such a thing?" Khan asked Prima, watching her clutch the precious memento protectively to her chest rather than risk it falling out of her pocket again.
"… Probably because I slapped him." Prima admitted, avoiding his gaze as she confessed. Khan raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"You started the fight? I thought you said earlier that the other children had started it. That was very foolish of you, Prima. You were outnumbered and completely outmatched by them physically. You could have been seriously injured!" He scolded her. Four years, and this girl still hadn't developed even the slightest hint of self-preservation!
"B—But he said mean things about my mom!" Prima protested defensively. "I don't care who they are, no one talks about my momma that way!" She huffed stubbornly, puffing her little chest out as she stared up defiantly at him. "He deserved what he got!"
"Well, at least there's one child around here who has a spine." Kati commented, smiling with approval. It was kind of a waste this girl wasn't an augment.
"Do not encourage her." Khan said quickly, though secretly, he too was a little proud of Prima for standing up for herself, even if it had been very dangerous and very foolish for her to do so.
"Um, Khan…?" Prima asked somewhat tentatively, glancing up rather demurely at him.
"Yes, Prima?" He asked, glancing down at her.
"Please, don't tell my dad…? I kind of promised him I wouldn't get into trouble…" She said, blushing, as she smiled a bit sheepishly and batted her pretty little eyelashes.
