A Star Trek Fiction
"Captain Kirk, he's as human as the rest of us, he just receives more crap and punishment then the majority of us. He's daring and defiant but his true loyalty and all of his motives lie in his ship, the USS Enterprise."
Confused
Chapter 9: 'Demons' Imagine Dragons
He's been through worse. He keeps telling himself that. But the more he tells himself the more he doubts it. He's never experienced this much pain, despair, loneliness. He longs to be with Spock, with McCoy…Bones.
He wants Bones desperately. He doesn't care if they're supposed to be mad at each other. He wants Bones here, beside him, reassuring him, caring for him. Bones is his lifeline, his only hope. He doesn't care how gay that sounds. He knows deep down without Bones he wouldn't be alive today, he would have never made it this far…he has come so far.
He's stepped onto thriving planets, jumped to new solar systems, leapt over huge galaxies, and has traveled through space and time, yet he cannot even mend a friendship. He can talk all about his job, his ship, his home, his sex life, but the simple subject of his best friend can make him squirm awkwardly.
The only problem is that he doesn't know how to fix what he has wronged. To undo the past events, to change time, to change history, which is especially hard to do with your hands cuffed behind your back and a bag over your head. Yeah, that can make it quite difficult.
What makes it even worse is that the bag smells. At the very least the Klingons could've washed it before they stuffed it over his head and called it good. He will be very appreciative if they can just throw it through the wash real quick.
But no, that's not gonna happen anytime soon. He's stuck here, sitting in a metal chair with a gun pointed to his head. He knows that the gun is there because he can feel it on his head, the barrel digging into the side of his skull. It's an uncomfortable feeling, but one he has gotten used to over the past couple of years.
Not his first kidnapping, especially aboard his own ship. No shame.
He shifts slightly, easing the aching pain in his ribs. He can only hope that Bones and Spock come to the rescue. He doesn't know how much time has passed, or if Bones and Spock were successful in releasing the crew.
Hopes aren't enough. He needs reassurance, he needs to know.
He's fidgeting terribly when someone grips his throat and the bag is removed from his head. Squinting, he looks up staring into the dark soulless eyes of a Klingon.
"Good morning." He chirps, giving a boyish grin to confiscate for his brutal looks.
The Klingon leans closer; he can feel the hot breath panting against his face, "Captain Kirk. What an honor. I am General Toq and I am the new leader of this vessel." General Toq introduces, giving a slight mocking bow. The sneer on the Klingon's face didn't help much either.
"Nice to meet you. Now if you please, can you explain to me why the hell you're on my ship?" He snaps, the last bit coming out as a croak as the fingers closed in around his throat.
"I will be asking the questions human." Toq replies, lifting him out of his chair and into the air.
His feet dangle and he thrashes in the grip. He's suffocating and all he can do is stare hopelessly into the eyes of his captor. He feels pathetic.
"You're quite a stubborn race. It's a mystery how you have survived for so long." The General monologues, pressing him up against the wall and slowly easing him down so he can stand on his tiptoes.
Toq examines him, glancing at him thoroughly before completely releasing him. He hits the ground with a thud and looks up with glazy eyes, wheezing for breath.
Despite his situation, he can only make it worse, "You filthy Klingon-bastard. Get off my ship before I f-" He starts to rant, but the kick to the ribs makes him stop.
He keels over onto his side, blood filling his mouth. He glances up, red dripping from his lips. With a glare he spits onto Toq's shoes, a glob of blood landing squarely onto the Klingon's right boot.
Disgusted, Toq kicks him in the face, causing him to fall backwards and crush his hands underneath him.
He groans, fighting to stay conscious, but he's failing.
"Keep him awake, and prep him. I need him alive." Toq's voice states, slowly fading away with the other noises.
Slowly he's lifted up and carried away into another room. He's still fighting to remain conscious when he's placed onto a medical table and a familiar face enters the room.
The blue figure is being shoved into the room with him, shouting out all sorts of cuss words and complaints. The person is stumbling with the pushes, but stops resisting when the eyes fall upon him.
"Damn it Jim!" A voice snaps, despite the harshness, he feels oddly peaceful already.
He feels a comforting presence over him; soft soothing hands are over him. He relaxes and his breathing calms.
"That's a good boy Jim." The person continues, the sounds of a tricorder over him.
Groggily he opens his blue eyes meeting two brown eyes staring back. He's knows those eyes…it's Bones. He knew it.
"…Bones…?" He moans, slightly confused at the sight of his friend.
"Glad you're keeping the nickname Jimmy." The Doctor replies without hesitation, giving him a smile.
Bones doesn't break eye contact. The Doctor keeps staring. He can feel the Doctor's eyes gazing into his soul, they're penetrating his barrier. Bones' expression is unreadable, like the good Doctor is up to something that he isn't gonna like.
"Bones." He states plainly, the Doctor just gives a scowl.
"Hush up, I only got ten minutes to treat you." Bones responds, quickly dabbing up the new cuts and placing regenerators over his wounds.
"What happened out there?" He questions, wincing as Bones cleans out a cut on his lip.
"I can't talk about it." Bones grumbles, taking a glance at the two Klingon guards.
"What about the crew?" He asks, his gaze is pleading.
"They're fine for now…" Bones replies slowly.
"Spock?" He says, his eyes bright for hope. Bones just shrugs.
"Haven't seen the green-blooded hobgoblin since the explosion." Bones admits, he smirks.
Finally some good news.
"Now hush up." Bones snaps.
The minutes passed quickly as Bones stabbed more hypos into him. The Doctor had him sit up and started to re-tape his ribs. The whole time he gave complaints, but Bones only hushed him.
When the time was up, Bones left without argument and without saying goodbye.
What is going on?
Toq enters the room, a stern look upon the Klingon's face. He stiffens, sitting upright.
"What's going on around here? Bring Bones back in here." He demands, getting to his feet, he can already feel the drugs taking affect.
"Calm down Captain, do not worry about your Doctor, he's in good hands for now. But for you, well, that's out of the question." Toq says, a devilish grin forming on his rotten lips.
"What do you want from me? Obviously you do need something or you would have killed me and my crew by now." He snaps, his bare chest heaving for oxygen.
General Toq glares down at him, yellow eyes focusing, "Very observant of you Kirk. You're right, I do need you and your crew." Toq smirks, giving him a pat.
"What for?" He asks suspiciously, flinching from the Klingon's touch.
"Now why would I tell you that? Do you think I am stupid?" Toq inquires, eyes narrowing sharply.
"It's usually how it goes. The bad guys usually tell the good guys their plans." He replies sarcastically, giving a shrug and the Klingon offers a chuckle that crushes his soul.
"Captain Kirk, I will tell you what to do. And you will do it without question, or I will kill your crew. Do not try me." Toq laughs threateningly, grabbing a tuft of blond hair and yanking his head closer.
"If you do anything to jeopardize my mission, I will not hesitate to kill every single person of your crew, right before your eyes. Got it Kirk?" The General grins, hissing into his ear.
He cringes, his knees shaking, "Got it." He grumbles, avoiding eye contact.
"Good, I'll be back later. I'll let you rest before your big day." Toq announces and strolls casually out the door with a swagger that he just despises.
With a huff he seats himself back onto the medical table and lies down and lies still for several long moments. There's no point and trying to fight the Klingon guards, he would just more than likely jeopardize whatever Spock is trying to accomplish at this moment. Then again, he can't just lie here, helplessly, it's against his nature.
He takes a glance over at the two Klingons. He can take them on right? Can't be that hard. Just two, very, very large Klingons, with biceps bigger than his head and guns that can blow a hole through his stomach. That's all. Yup, that's all.
He calms himself, he has to think about this strategically if he wants to be successful. Both guards have their backs to the door and are facing him. Their hands are firmly grasped onto their guns which are holstered for the moment. The Klingons' are following his every move, watching his chest heave up and down, so the slightest attempt of grabbing a weapon is not an option. He needs to improvise.
He gives an exaggerated yawn, stretching his limbs and arching his back. The Klingons shuffle their feet and continue to glare at him. He rolls over so his back is facing the Klingons. With his teeth, he pinches the inside of his bottom lip. Mentally he counts down to from three to zero, and at zero he bites all the way down, causing blood to well up in his mouth. He resists the urge to spit it out and he turns over, laying flat on his back.
He then gives a convincing cough, blood spluttering from his lips. Purposely he quickens his breathing, hyperventilating. Bones would disapprove. He continues the hoarse cough, blood still leaking from his lips.
The Klingons are unsure now, giving each other awkward glances. He starts to mumble and squirm on the examination table. The two Klingon guards start to discuss what they should do next quietly.
He's gotten himself so worked up, he's not even sure if he can calm himself down. He waits for one of the Klingon's to bend over him to make his move. With practiced swiftness, he elbows the Klingon's face. The Klingon yelps in pain and he grabs the holstered weapon. He kicks the Klingon down and shoots the other Klingon before it can make a move.
Triumphantly he sets his feet down, giving the recovering Klingon a gun butt to the head and wipes the blood leaking from his lips.
With both guards down he makes his way out, peering cautiously out the door. When he's double checked both ways, he leaves the room and turns right. He has to get back to sickbay; maybe the Vulcan will be somewhere nearby.
Heart pounding steadily in his ears, he stealthily creeps around the bends, keeping the gun up at eye level, he's too paranoid to do any less. He keeps checking behind himself, half expecting a Klingon patrol to appear. Guilt is punching into his mind. His crew, his ship, his friends, he's let them down. All of them he has failed.
Grinding his teeth, he lets a wheeze go as he passes through another empty hallway. His gut twists, he's walking into a trap. If Toq has foreseen any type of escape, the Klingon would have guessed that he would head this way. He stops in his tracks, his mind shifting through the past events.
Spock, Spock has been from the start the only being that has been able to avoid capture, and Toq wants him to go straight to the Vulcan so he would reveal Spock's location. His escape has been far too easy. Or, he's being paranoid and he legitimately escaped and now he's just questioning himself. Which can be a possibility.
Now he's stuck between two decisions, go to sickbay to search for Spock, or do something stupid that he's probably going to regret later…
Let's do something stupid.
With a devilish grin, he decides to go to the Auxiliary Room, he knows the system will be more than likely locked down, but hell, it's worth a try. Taking the longest most complicated route, to avoid capture, he makes it within view of the Auxiliary Room.
He sucks in a breath, calming his rattled nerves. If he can get into that room, he can figure out everything, where they are, how many enemies are on board, how many survivors are left. Everything.
A smirk forms on his lips as he gets closer and closer to his destination. The buzzing of communicators can be heard. The language is in distinct Klingon and the guard replies calmly, but slightly more tense then before.
He lets a breathe whistle through his nostrils as he takes a step closer, keeping the weapon steady. He readies the gun, leveling it at the Klingon's head before pulling the trigger. The Klingon hits the ground with a satisfied thud and he only smiles as he continues to push forward.
He rounds the corner and checks for more guards, but it appears that there's only one. Quickly he drags the Klingon into the room to keep the body out of sight and shuts the door behind himself. Releasing a sigh he takes a quick glance about. The controls are all intact; none of them seemed to be damaged despite the ship's crash.
He glides over to the console and activates the system. But unfortunately the system is on lockdown and he needs two high ranking officers to enter in their codes to unlock the system for any sort of operation. His heart drains; he will need Scotty, Bones, Sulu, or Spock to help him reactivate it. But none of those people are with him, obviously.
Grinding his teeth, his brain begins to wrack. Bones, Bones is probably nearby. All he has to do is break Bones out and they can reactivate the system. With the system reactivated he can send out a distress beacon and hopefully Starfleet can send backup…
His heart stops. The meeting. The haul ass back to the nearest Starbase shit. How come Starfleet hasn't come after him? Maybe they have and they can't find them. Either way, the beacon will help; it'll reveal their location and Starfleet will be able to send reinforcements.
He grins, it's the best plan he's had in the past couple of days. Maybe that concussion is finally wearing off.
Delighted with his plans, he turns around to face his next task. But a large shadow falls over him and his spirits drop so low that even Satan would have to dig to reach it. He's quickly disarmed of his weapon and is forced to look up with the grab of his blond hair.
"Captain Kirk," Toq greets, teeth grinning wide, "There you are, we were beginning to worry that we wouldn't find you." The General exclaims, giving his back a good pat.
"I was starting to worry too." He replies sarcastically, crinkling his nose at the Klingon's stench.
"I'm sure you were. I was afraid you were going to be late for your big day. But since I've found you, it's time to fulfill a promise I made to you earlier. I told you to not try me." General Toq sneers devilishly.
Fear reeks over him; he's never been this wound up, so much stress and anxiety. The promise. His crew. He failed them, he has failed them.
Toq points a gun at him and tosses him forward. He stumbles out the doorway and walks slowly in defeat with the gun nuzzled between his shoulder blades. The Klingon General leads him up to the Bridge and sticks him in the Captain's chair. He only sulks, his shoulders sagging and bags forming underneath his eyes.
"Jim!" Bones shouts his name from across the room.
The good Doctor is being held back by two guards, both keeping a sturdy stance against Bones' attempts to reach him. He only looks over at Bones, his expression saddened. Bones will understand soon enough.
"Now, we've got several hours of fun before we must move on with our mission. So with this splendid time, we're going to unleash the Captain's punishment. A punishment that only would be given if he tried to jeopardize my mission." Toq announces over the Enterprise's speaker, speaking clearly so everyone can understand every single word.
"Now Kirk, who shall we start with first?" Toq asks, glancing over at him.
He glares up at the Klingon, usually that stare can make enemies tremble in their boots, but not Toq. The General snorts in disgust and orders his men to bring up some of the crew. He can only sit there anxiously, waiting for the right moment to attack.
"Restrain the Captain, I can tell when he's up to no good." Toq orders his men.
The Klingon guards nod their heads and do as their General demands. They tie his wrists down and pin him down to chain his body to the chair. Through the ordeal he struggles, but he knows deep down its pointless, he's fighting battle that he's already lost. He lost it a long time ago.
Ten crew members enter the Bridge, Uhura, Chekov, Scotty, Nurse Chapel, Sulu, and ensigns: Bronson, Wacker, Newman, Laura, and Johnson. All of them seemed genuinely happy to see him, but when they saw his expression their faces turned stern.
"Let us proceed…" Toq drags, examining each crewman, deciding which to kill first.
His heart pounds, his worst fears coming true. He's lost control of the Bridge. He's lost control of his crew. He's lost control of the Enterprise. He's lost control of the upcoming events, there's nothing he can do. He can only sit there, restrained, helpless, pathetic.
Bones keeps looking over at him, the look of regret, sympathy, even sorrow filling the Doctor's gaze. Bones knows deep down if this scene does play out, he'll never be the same, he will never be James Tiberius Kirk ever again.
"How about this one?" Toq asks, but it really isn't a question.
The Klingon shoves the crewman out of line; the man's heart is pounding, almost bursting. He can see the fear in the crewman's eyes, it makes his heart sink.
"What's your name?" Toq demands, towering over the man.
"Ensign Newman." Newman stutters slightly, not meeting Toq's gaze.
Newman meets his eyes; he can see everything that the man is going through. It haunts him.
"Ahh Newman, how long have you been aboard the Enterprise?" Toq questions, quickly glancing over at the other crewmen to make sure their being properly restrained.
"Five months sir." Newman replies, holding a firm stance.
"Have a family Newman?" Toq asks, giving him an evil grin.
Newman's face drops, "Yeah, I got a wife and sweet little girl." The Ensign says slowly, clearly in deep distress.
He fidgets, he can't handle this and Bones knows it.
"Toq you bastard leave my crew alone! It's me you want damn it!" He snaps, thrashing in his restraints.
Toq glances over at him, "I warned you Captain, I told you not to mess with me, you failed to heed my command." The Klingon explains calmly and turns back to Newman.
"How old is your little girl Ensign?" Toq sneers, grabbing Newman by his shirt and hoisting him into the air.
"Sir?" Newman says panicky, glancing over at him.
He has nothing; he can't do anything for Newman. Toq has all the power.
"Answer the question Ensign, your Captain has no power here." Toq growls, tightening his grip around the man's throat.
"Leave him alone! Toq put him down! Take me instead…" His voice cracks, he's been defeated, utterly destroyed.
Toq grins wildly, "I haven't even killed one of them and you've already broken…this is going to be a long day for you Captain." Toq announces and with one fluid movement snaps Newman's neck and drops the lifeless body to the ground.
He only watches as the life seeps from Newman's eyes, the bright light fading into emptiness.
"You bastard…you bloody Klingon bastard…" He growls, his chest heaving in rage.
How he longs to murder Toq, to parade his severed head on a stick. His fingers curl into fists and his skin tears against the restraints.
"Calm yourself Captain, we're not even half way through." Toq states gleefully, searching for the next victim.
"Dear god man! Stop this at once! If you're going to kill us then kill us damn it! But please, don't do this to him." Bones pleads, Toq only chuckles.
"Seeing him destroyed destroys you doesn't it?" Toq laughs, leaning closer to the Doctor.
"It does. He may be a real pain in my ass but he's the closest thing to a friend I got." Bones replies, giving him a little glance before meeting Toq's deathly glare.
"Then you'll suffer as well." Toq retorts and resumes to the decision making.
"Toq! Just kill me, please, just kill me and leave the rest of my crew alone…those were my actions out there and mine alone." He pleads and Toq chuckles.
"Keptin you can't be serious!" Chekov exclaims and Nurse Chapel gasps.
"Chekov's right Captain!" Scotty agrees, somewhat loudly.
Sulu just nods, gazing over at him.
"You should have thought of the consequences before you acted Captain. You have doomed them all." Toq replies harshly.
"You're next!" Toq sneers, throwing the next Ensign onto the floor.
"Get up!" The General snaps, and the Ensign gathers her feet.
"Name." Toq demands as the woman straightens out the red uniform.
"Ensign Laura sir." The Ensign replies, glaring directly into the Klingon's eyes.
"Laura, Miss Laura," Toq says, giving a mocking bow, "How long have you known Kirk?" Toq asks, giving him a glance.
"Uhh, several years I believe, we went to the academy at the same time." Laura replies calmly.
He only shudders; he can't believe what's happening before his eyes. Newman's death, it's his fault, and now, Ensign Laura is about to meet hers.
"Miss… Laura, did you trust Captain Kirk with your life?" Toq questions and Bones can see what the Klingon's doing.
Toq's tearing him apart, mentally.
"Yes, of course, I think I say this for all the men and women aboard this ship that we trust him with our lives." Laura says firmly, holding her ground.
"What about Newman, do you think he thought the same thing as I literally snapped the life out of him?" Toq inquires, leaning over her.
"I do sir." The Ensign responds, still too stubborn to give in.
"Well how about now?" Toq growls, squeezing her throat, "See you're Captain is powerless, there's nothing he can do here. He has failed you all." The Klingon sneers and proceeds to throw her against the wall.
The sound her head makes when it hits the floor is disheartening. Silence falls over the Bridge for a few brief moments.
"Please, stop this. General listen to me!" Bones snaps and Toq stalks over to him, "Kirk can't handle this much, please, just give him a break. Fifteen minutes, please it's all I ask, sir." Bones whispers, seeing the blank stare that he's giving while sitting in the Captain's chair.
"Now why would I do that Doctor?" Toq hisses, snatching Bones' shirt tightly.
"You still need him right?" Bones inquires and Toq nods his head, "Then please, let me speak with him, or mentally he'll shut done and he'll be as useless as a furless Tribble." Bones explains desperately.
Toq glares over at him then back to Bones. The Klingon's yellow eyes narrow in suspicion, but sees no harm.
"Alright, you have ten minutes. Guards take Captain Kirk and his Doctor back to medical room," Toq orders then turns to face a couple of more guards, "And you, take things dead bodies and dump them with the others." The Klingon continues.
But the voices are fading slightly as he simply focuses on floor. His blank stare frightens Bones, but the Doctor is determined to make everything better.
"C'mon Kirk, let's get you out of here." Bones whispers softly to him, untying his wrists and waiting for the Klingons to unchain the rest.
The other crewmen only watch in despair as Bones hefts him up onto his feet and half carries, half walks him off the Bridge. The Klingon guards lead them away back to the same medical room, which was just a holding cell with a table put in it with some basic supplies.
Bones leads him inside slowly and seats him on the prisoner bench.
"Please, can you leave us?" Bones asks, looking over at the two guards, "C'mon, seriously, where are we gonna go? Okay, thank you, thank you." Bones says as the two guards shrug and walk out the door, shutting it behind themselves.
Bones gives a sigh, a long, stressful sigh. But hell, at least the Doctor's still breathing.
"Jim, Jim look at me kid." Bones says, grabbing his face and turning it so they can look each other in the eyes.
His blue eyes are full of pain, sorrow, regrets, demons. His demons killed those Ensigns, not Toq. It's all his fault. His jaw trembles and he tries to hide the unmanly tears.
"Hey, hey kid it's alright." Bones soothes, sitting beside him.
"They're dead because of me Bones…they're dead…" His voice cracks and so does his heart.
"Jim, there was nothing you could have done about it. If it's anyone's fault, it's all of ours, not just yours." Bones reassures him.
He sniffles, letting some tears slide by. He knows Bones it trying to reconcile him, but it's not working. It'll probably never work.
"Jim, you're gonna have to let go of this. Or none of us is gonna make it out alive, you understand me?" Bones says, leaning down to look at his face.
He doesn't meet Bones' gaze, he can't.
"Do you understand damn it?" Bones snaps, grabbing his shoulders and jostling him.
He peers up at Bones, tears steadily flowing from his crystal blue eyes. They look so innocent, so young, so lively. How can anyone hurt this boy?
He nods his head and Bones smiles.
"That's a good boy Jimmy. It's alright now, it's gonna be alright Kirk." Bones comforts him, seeing the sobs break through.
He shies away from Bones' touch, but the Doctor pulls him into a hug.
Within the Doctor's embrace, he can feel his fears subside, his aches, his pains, his demons, they seem to disappear with Bones holding him. He gives in, his muscles releasing the built up tension and stress. If he was going to get past his demons, he's going to need Bones with him. Without Bones, he would be lost forever. He needs Bones to show him the way through, and he knows the good Doctor will always be there.
Author's Note: Okay so sorry for taking a decade on this latest chapter! Oops…I got out of school on the 27th then I went to California to visit my hometown then I came back the 1st and I rushed through the chapter a little bit to get things rolling. Lol sorry. Thanks for sticking with me, yall have been amazing and very patient with me! I'd like to thank yall who have favorited, followed, or reviewed this story, yall are breaking all my records! This chapter's a bit crazy and I probs should've gone into more depth of the emotions, but hopefully this satisfies yall needs for now. So thanks for putting up with me and my tardiness and stick around for the rest. Plus I've already got the next story going, it hasn't been posted yet but I'll let yall know once I get it up and running. So thanks yall for being the best, I couldn't ask for anything more. Yall are amazing. Live Long and Prosper. Tribbles are Trouble. Oh is Toq lame or cool? Or mediocre? Idek…
