Yay!! A lot more Bones and Spock in this chapter!! I've kind of neglected them :( Oh well, hope you all like it!!
Leonard McCoy was irritated. No, scratch that; he was angry. No, scratch that as well; he was downright pissed off. He grumbled irritably to himself as his fingers danced across the keyboard, hitting the keys unnecessarily hard in a series of loud 'clacks' and 'ticks'. He kept replaying Jim's resignation over and over in his head and he simply couldn't push away the heavy weight that had settled in the pit of his stomach. Something was wrong, very wrong, and he couldn't decide whether he was angry at Jim for not telling him or angry at himself for not doing more to stop him. Either way, it frustrated and worried him and he was not someone who liked to be worried. Somehow it seemed he'd done nothing but worry for the past six months, ever since his impulsive best friend had started taking the idea of being a member of Starfleet seriously. Jim definitely had the makings of a great captain but his brash, reckless behavior would be his downfall if he wasn't careful. McCoy sighed and pulled out another file, updating the information in the computer system.
He'd managed to replace just about all of the files that had been lost when the ship was attacked by Nero but procrastination was one of his greatest weaknesses and he'd blown off the remainder of the files and programs for other things. But now it seemed to be the only thing he wanted to do; whatever would keep his mind off the nagging anxiety that gnawed at his gut. McCoy glanced at his watch, sighing when he realized he got off in about two hours. He wanted nothing more than to get back down to the Academy, find Jim, and throttle him. Sometimes a good throttling was in order and he didn't think he could be the patient, understanding best friend he should be right now. Jim definitely had some explaining to do, even if he had to tie him down and drug it out of him (and he had the drugs necessary to do that).
A tiny chime from the computer brought him back down to reality and he looked at the screen, noticing the small envelope shaped icon at the corner. Frowning, he clicked on it and opened a message from Pike.
The message was simple: 'Please come to my office immediately upon your arrival back at the Academy. Urgent meeting.' There was no signature, no reasons given, nothing. The letter said all it needed to in just two short sentences.
Hm, guess he talked to Jim McCoy thought bitterly, closing the message without a second glance. He looked back at his watch absently; only five minutes had passed. McCoy sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying desperately to ward off the headache that was rapidly approaching. Good God he needed a drink…
OOOOO
Spock frowned as he stared at the Bridge before him, taking in the stunned silence of the crew as they tried to process the rapid departure of their captain earlier that day. It seemed like the entire atmosphere of the ship had deflated around them. It seemed strange that one person could have such an affect on so many but apparently that's what had occurred with the Captain's resignation.
The entire situation bothered Spock, maybe more than he would like to admit. Granted, he and Jim hadn't exactly started out on the best terms but over the past few weeks they had developed a bit of an understanding of one another. It wasn't friendship yet, not even close, but the makings were there and it was beginning to come more naturally to the two of them. They still butted heads on a pretty regular basis, arguing about petty things that shouldn't really matter in the long run, but the overt animosity was gone. Spock frowned again, standing for the third time in under an hour and pacing in front of the Captain's chair. He needed to think and the consistency of the work on the Bridge normally would have been enough but right now it was distracting. "Mr. Sulu, you're in charge." He said, stepping out of the room and heading down a side hall.
"Yes sir." Sulu answered hollowly, keeping his eyes on his own station. Beside him, Chekov nodded just enough to be noticed before returning to whatever he had been working on.
Uhura watched Spock leave from her station and stood up a few seconds after he disappeared, following along behind him. There were a few members of the crew who knew about their relationship but that didn't mean she wanted to broadcast it all over the ship. So she followed discreetly, walking slowly and deliberately like she wasn't intending to follow anyone.
She rounded a corner, nearly running into the older man's back as she did. Spock had stopped to speak with one of the members from the engine room, asking him how the repairs were coming. The conversation was short and once the man had turned and walked back to his station, Spock turned to face her.
"Nyota." He said quietly, his eyes softening the way they only did when she was around.
Without a second though, Uhura wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. She didn't say anything for several seconds, there was nothing to say. Strong arms wrapped around her back, holding her close and the embrace lasted for nearly a minute before either of them let go. Finally, Uhura pulled away and looked up at him, her dark eyes questioning him. "What are we going to do?" She asked quietly, glancing down the hallways for anyone who may be approaching.
Spock shook his head slowly and looked back toward the Bridge. "I…don't know." He said finally, shaking his head once more. He hated not knowing, it bothered him greatly. But part of him did know what the answer for the Captain's resignation was and that only served to frustrate him more.
Uhura nodded her understanding and was silent for a few seconds. True, she didn't like Jim all that much, he had a tendency to run her the wrong way just b breathing. But she did know something was wrong with him and for some reason it worried her. For the past three years Jim Kirk had been nothing but and arrogant, cocky jerk who usually acted like he was God's gift to women. Gaila had fallen for it and so had countless other female cadets over the years. However, there was none of that usual spark of personality earlier today when he resigned. He looked restless, upset, and worst of all, defeated. There was something horribly wrong with the way he spoke and the very real pain in his eyes as he left. Uhura didn't like it at all.
"Admiral Pike sent me a message earlier." Spock said after a second, looking back at her as he spoke. "I'm going to meet with him once we return to the Academy. Perhaps he can provide some insight as to how we should proceed."
Uhura nodded slowly, squeezing his arm softly. "It will be okay." She didn't know who she was trying to convince, him or herself.
OOOOO
The remainder of the day passed by without a problem and soon the crew was on their way back to the Academy. McCoy felt like he couldn't get off the ship fast enough. He squeezed and threaded his way through the exiting crew members, slipping through the doors and turning into a hallway that would take him to the main building. He had been walking for a good five minutes before he ever realized he was being followed. "Spock?" He said, slightly surprised to see the Vulcan was heading in the same direction he was.
"Dr. McCoy." The first officer replied coolly, nodding slightly in his direction. "May I inquire as to where you are going?"
"Pike sent me a message earlier. He said to come to his office for an urgent meeting."
Spock nodded slowly and came into stride with the CMO. "I received the same message. I believe it pertains to our Captain's decision earlier in the day."
"Yeah, you're telling me." McCoy growled under his breath, stopping in front of Pike's door and knocking carefully. The door slid open silently and both men stepped inside, standing in front of the admiral's desk respectfully.
"Thank you both for coming." Pike said, nodding for them both to sit down. He looked tired, worn and strained, the usual smile lines near his eyes were gone. Once both men were sitting, Pike leaned forward, clasping his hands together lightly. "I believe you both know why you're here?"
McCoy nodded and spoke up first. "Jim talked to you, didn't he?"
Pike nodded. "He did."
"Did he resign?"
There was a hesitation and both men felt the heaviness growing with each passing second. "He tried to," Pike began, pulling out a form from his desk drawer. "But I put him on academic suspension instead.
McCoy sighed heavily and Spock couldn't help but feel relieved by the decision. It seemed strange but he wanted Jim to come back as the Captain and the fact that he hadn't resigned completely was a welcome thought.
"What I want to know is why he decided to resign in the first place." Pike said, looking between the two of them carefully. "McCoy, you know Jim as well as I do so you know this is not something he would normally do. Can you think of any reason he may have for wanting to resign? Any trouble with his mother or anything back home?"
McCoy frowned and shook his head. "No, nothing that I can think of. I know Jim hasn't talked to his mom in a while but I haven't heard anything that would imply something was wrong…"
Spock cleared his throat softly, immediately getting the attention of the other two men. "If I may, I believe I may know the reason…"
"What is it?" Both Pike and McCoy asked at once, looking at him expectantly.
"Yesterday when we were returning from the Review Board, Jim happened to run into a man who claimed to be his stepfather. The reunion seemed to trouble him but he would not elaborate a reason. I have a feeling this may be part of his decision to quit; something to do with this man."
There was a brief silence before either of the other two men spoke. "And you didn't think to mention this earlier?!" McCoy demanded, looking at him incredulously.
"Pardon my hesitation, doctor." Spock replied coolly. "I was unaware that this information was so crucial to the situation at hand."
"Crucial?!" McCoy's eyes widened and he looked about ready to punch something. "You noticed something was off immediately after meeting this guy and you didn't think it was crucial?!"
"Enough you two." Pike said, cutting them off instantly. He sighed and looked back at Spock. "Did Jim tell you the man's name?"
"Yes, he said his name was Frank."
"Hm." Pike ruffled around through a folder sitting on his desk and stopped when he got to the file he wanted. "When Jim applied for Starfleet he mentioned his mother had gotten re-married but he never said anything more than that. I managed to get a hold of a few of his medical records and found something rather disturbing." He pulled another file from the folder and passed it to McCoy.
The doctor looked over the record carefully, his eyes widening in shock. "Good God…a skull fracture…multiple broken ribs…a lacerated liver?! When the hell did all of this happen?!"
Pike shook his head slowly. "When Jim was about fifteen he and his mother were admitted to the hospital after Jim's stepfather attacked them. He was arrested but the name on this file isn't the same as the one you gave me. According to this the man's name was Richard Morrows." He passed another paper across the table, this time to Spock. "Is this the man you saw?"
Spock examined the photograph carefully. The man in the picture looked more clean-shaven, better dressed and well-groomed but it was definitely him. "Yes."
Pike nodded. "I figured as much. I contacted the prison system to let them know they had a missing prisoner but the said everyone was there and accounted for. Its impossible to know ever prisoner by their appearance so it was hard to convince them they were missing anyone; after all if they have their prison ID band they're technically still in the system."
"But we saw him yesterday afternoon." Spock protested, looking back at the picture to reassure himself.
"I understand." Pike said, shuffling the papers back into the folder and looking between the two of them. "Somehow, 'Frank' managed to slip through the system and came here in search of Jim. I'm afraid your young Captain is in very real danger."
"We need to find him." Spock said, pushing back the guilt welling in his chest. He knew something was wrong immediately after meeting this man and he hadn't said anything. Now Jim was in danger and this man was loose on Academy grounds.
Pike nodded again and pressed a button, the monitor behind him flickering to life. "I've already alerted Campus Police and they're keeping an eye out for him and for 'Frank'. No one seems to have seen either of them. I have a surveillance link tracking Jim but it only works here on campus…" He pulled up the last footage he'd gotten of Jim. "This was taken from the Communications Room around 4 o'clock this afternoon."
The screen showed Jim working at a computer station, busily typing away and scribbling a few notes on a pad of paper next to him. There was a diagram on the paper along with several sketches and drawing of something they couldn't make out. Jim had stayed in the room for about two hours, working non-stop on the same computer and printing out page after page of information. Finally, at 6:18, he stood slowly, the movement obviously causing him a tremendous amount of pain, and limped him way to a back door where no one would see him. However, just before he passed through the door, the camera managed to catch a side view of his face and the full extent of the bruising could be seen.
"Jesus…" McCoy whispered, his eyes widening as he looked at the frozen image. Jim obviously had a black eye along with a split lip that was bruised and swollen. His hair was disheveled and he looked like he had gone one-on-one with a professional boxer or a tank. "Jim…"
Pike shook his head sadly. "Unfortunately that was the last anyone has seen of him. I can track his movements through the camera feed and by where he uses his ID card but if he's stopped using it or left Academy grounds…" He faded off, not happy with the only answer that he could give them.
Spock and McCoy stared at the picture of their broken Captain, dread filling them. Frank was here, he had more than likely done all of that, and now Jim was nowhere to be found. Today was just getting better and better.
Okay, so Jim is off doing whatever-the-hell and no one can find him O.o Suck...He'll reappear in the next chapter though!! Hope this wasn't confusing or anything!!
