Enterprise High

being a high school AU of ST: XI

with many hijinks

and much angst

x

Chapter Nine: By Any Other Name

x

Spock stumbled backwards into the hull of the Enterprise. He heard his attacker move towards him, presumably for another hit, and kicked out, catching the attacker in the knee. There was a crunching sound and Romulan cursing.

"Get away!" he heard a voice shout. "He's mine, Ayel."

Spock turned to see Nero shoving his second-in-command, Ayel, aside. Ayel clutched his knee, limping off to join the other twenty or so Pride Romulans surrounding the Enterprise. The mangled Narada smoked nearby, its primary engine having been knocked out by the thruster explosion on the Enterprise.

Holding his jaw, Spock stared at Nero. He was not about to provoke the unpredictable Romulan into further action.

Nero was wearing a worn black leather flight jacket. His goggles had been pushed high over his unridged forehead. His clothing was grimy from engine grease and smoke, and covered in stained metal studs. By his expression, it looked as if he were trying to turn Spock to stone with only his mind. There was menace and hatred in every fold and crease of his muscular, intense body.

"You nearly ruined our chances of continuing in this competition," hissed Nero, approaching Spock slowly. "That was deliberate sabotage on your part."

"I assure you, it was not," said Spock calmly, removing his headset and carefully pressing the emergency button on its side. "I was forced to execute a maneuver that required the full capacity of my craft. The turn I had to make when your hover swerved towards me caused my thrusters to overload. The fault is not mine, but neither is it yours. You could have no idea of the status of my engines."

"Which makes the advantage yours," Nero growled. His deep black eyes were focused on Spock's face. "You will pay for this." He signaled, three fingers towards Spock. Ayel, trembling on unsteady legs but still sneering, leveled a phaser at Spock, who took an automatic step backwards.

There was a blur and a crash. Kirk, who had run down from the viewing area, had thrown himself at Ayel from just inside the ring of Romulans. Ayel screamed as Kirk landed squarely on his knee, breaking the bone this time. Spock and Nero had started towards the two when a voice yelled, "Stop!"

Three race officials pushed through the gathering crowd in Kirk's wake. One of them pointed a phaser at Kirk, who scrambled off of Ayel, hands in the air. The woman clearly in charge, judging by the racing authority sash around her shoulders, waved her hands, and the crowd backed up. Pike appeared, looking harried, with the rest of the Enterprise Hoverclub close behind him.

"Is there a problem, ma'am?" said Kirk innocently.

"Citizen, what is your name?" asked the woman imperiously.

"James Tiberius Kirk," said Kirk. Spock noted with shock that Kirk actually had a grin on his face.

"State your reason for attacking that boy," the woman said.

"He was pointing a phaser at my friend," said Kirk. "Much like the one now being pointed at me. I am a student, you know. I can't do too much harm."

The guard lowered her phaser, flustered.

"I see no phaser," said the woman sternly, a hand on her hip. She was a slim, proud-looking blonde, dressed in a long black formal robe made of thin net material. The gold film decoration floating on her sleeves and waist did little to hide the large bulge of her stomach: she was very pregnant.

"Excuse me," said Pike. "Are you Dr. Eleen? In charge of the hovercraft program at UCLA?"

"Yes," she snapped, then hesitated, recognition in her eyes. "Christopher? What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you again, Julie." There was something sharp in Pike's voice. "I'm the Enterprise High sponsor. Jim Kirk is one of my students."

"Jim Kirk has attacked another participant. I must take action—"

"Wait a second," said Pike. "He did what? Jim, what did you do?"

"He was pointing a phaser at Spock," said Kirk, pointing to Ayel. "I jumped him."

"I can affirm," said Spock. "That Romulan was indeed holding a phaser. He was directed to use it on me by this man, Mr. Nero."

Nero raised an eyebrow. "Did I really? That's strange, I don't remember giving such an order." He looked around at his Romulan crew members, the only witnesses besides Kirk and Spock. "Do any of you remember seeing Ayel with a phaser?"

They shook their heads.

"Unless you can produce the phaser, I suggest that Mr. Spock and Mr. … Kirk… are lying," said Nero to Dr. Eleen.

Dr. Eleen motioned to her guards, who approached the Romulans. "We have probable cause to search all of you," she warned when the Romulans looked as if they were going to resist.

But no phaser was produced. Ayel must have thrown it to somebody outside of the crowd, who had disappeared with it.

"I'm afraid that Mr. Kirk will have to be placed in our custody for the moment," said Dr. Eleen. "Without proof that his peer was being threatened, he has committed assault."

By this time, an ambulance had arrived for Ayel, who made the most of his leg, groaning and moaning as the EMT's loaded him onto a stretcher. Even Nero looked a little irritated at his show.

"Mr. Nero, where is your sponsor?"

"Dr. Eleen, my club received special permission from our school principal and from the council governing this competition to form without a sponsor. I am in charge."

Dr. Eleen raised an eyebrow. "Most unorthodox. I remember your request and am considering rescinding that permission. Come with me, all of you. Guards, escort Mr. Kirk to the audience chamber."

The two hoverclubs followed Dr. Eleen to race central, the Enterprise High students trying not to look like they found the route familiar. Dr. Eleen showed them into a small auditorium near the cortex. Four distinguished looking professors sat at the front of the room. Dr. Eleen sat in the middle of them, lowering herself carefully into her chair, her hand on her stomach. Pike directed his students to one side of the auditorium, Nero sent his to the other.

Dr. Eleen began without preamble. "We can easily expel Enterprise High from the competition," she said. "You will have to convince the panel that you should be allowed to remain in competition and that your team member is innocent of assault."

"That is a simple task," said Spock, standing to speak. He looked gallant, his flight jacket half open, a helmet tucked under his arm, his face streaked artfully with smoke. "Mr. Nero holds a grudge against Enterprise High, and especially against myself. Today, at the end of the race, I performed a dangerous and exact maneuver that allowed me to advance from below fiftieth to second place. Mr. Nero, in first, attempted to thwart my actions by swerving in front of me. I was forced to turn to avoid a collision, which blew up my engines, which damaged Mr. Nero's craft, which incited his wrath."

"The tape of the race will prove that," added Pike. "We can also provide you with schematics of our hovercraft."

"You'll leave those on file. Let's assume what you said is true," said Dr. Eleen. "Since you're a Vulcan, it is unlikely that you are lying."

"In the interest of full disclosure, Doctor, I am half-Vulcan. My father is Sarek, son of Skon, Vulcan Ambassador to Earth. My mother is Amanda Grayson, a human."

"You're Sarek's son? Very interesting. What are you, then, first in your class?"

Kirk looked like Christmas had come early. Spock's ears twitched as he corrected her.

"I am second in my class, doctor."

"Surprising, I thought you'd be first. I'm sure it's all those extracurriculars you're undoubtedly in. I consider you a trustworthy speaker, Spock. But your friend Mr. Kirk I'm not so sure about."

"Doctor," said Kirk, deciding to take advantage of his history, "I have recently moved to San Francisco from Riverside, Iowa with my mother, Winona Lawrence, the widow of George Kirk. He was my father."

Spock blinked. He hadn't known who Kirk's father was. Fascinating.

"Very interesting," said Dr. Eleen. "And you were on the USS Kelvin, weren't you, Christopher?"

"Yes," said Pike shortly. His voice was cold.

"And you," said Dr. Eleen. "Nero. Your parents were Naeus and Aemilia, were they not?"

Kirk and Pike stiffened, and Spock actually looked surprised. Naeus and Aemilia were the husband and wife pair of Romulans who had led the rebellion against a Federation outpost nearly seventeen years ago. The Kelvin had been destroyed in the insurrection.

"I am their proud child," said Nero quietly, his subdued voice full of passion.

All sorts of things were whipping through Kirk's head. He hadn't known that Naeus and Aemilia had a son, and if he had known, he certainly wouldn't hate the boy. But here that son stood, sounding like he supported his parent's actions. His father had given his life to take theirs.

"So," said Dr. Eleen. "One could say you four have a bit of… history."

Four? thought Kirk. Nero's parents caused my father's death, and Pike was on the Kelvin, who else—

"I was unaware of your parentage," said Spock to Nero. "I am surprised at your actions."

"I owe nothing to your family," snarled Nero.

"I agree," said Spock, his eyes cold. "We would want nothing from you."

The only reason Nero didn't try to kill Spock right there was because of the armed guards. Dr. Eleen, clearly sensing the tension in the room, asked if Nero had anything to contribute. He told his story—the Narada was a victim of the Enterprise's vicious attack and Kirk had assaulted Ayel unprovoked. Dr. Eleen looked skeptical, but—

"Despite my reservations, I am forced to suspend James Kirk from participation in this competition until his actions can be proven to have been provoked," said Dr. Eleen. "The council agrees."

x

Kirk was still spluttering an hour later.

"… tell that stuck up white-haired bitch queen what she can do with her suspension…"

"Will you shut up, Jim?" Bones growled. "I think they can't quite hear you back in San Francisco."

"Yeah, well," Kirk snapped, throwing his shoes into his bag with such force that the bag tumbled off the bed. "Fuck and damn!"

Spock opened his mouth to say something about cursing being illogical, caught Bones's eye, and stayed quiet.

Kirk finally got all of his things into his bag. He turned to Spock, still looking angry.

"What were they talking about earlier? How do you know Nero?"

Spock paused. "The depth of my acquaintance with him was unknown to myself until today," said Spock. "I did not realize that he was the same Romulan my father talked about. You see, when Naeus and Aemilia revolted, my father Sarek was on his way to Delta Vega, near Vulcan. His ship received a call for help from the USS Kelvin, which was being repaired at Calder II, the planet where the insurrection took place. The Kelvin was spaceworthy, but had only impulse power—"

"I know how it went," said Kirk shortly. "I never heard anything about a Vulcan being involved in this, though."

"My father was too late to attempt negotiations," said Spock. "He arrived after the Kelvin had destroyed the Romulan encampment and dig site. He helped search for survivors, and found a baby Romulan in the rubble. He brought him to Romulus and gave him to a foster family." Spock let out a long breath. "That baby was Nero. No human could have found him in the ruins, and only humans were searching before my father arrived. He was under a metric ton of concrete and concertina wire, and his cries were too faint for human ears. He owes my father his life. And he knows it."

"That doesn't seem like something you ignore," said Kirk. "How did he end up on Earth? And why does he hate you so much, if your father saved his life?"

"I do not know," said Spock. "But I hope to find out."

x

Nearly everybody was on edge in the transport. Pike had become snappish after Sulu had asked him how he knew Dr. Eleen. Uhura was angry that she had gotten too drunk to put her Brilliant Plan to Get Into Spock's Pants into action. Scotty was mourning the damage to the Enterprise. Kirk was brooding about the suspension. Spock was pondering Nero.

Sulu, Chekov, and Chapel were in excellent moods. They cooked up a plan to cheer the crew up. It involved Sulu's house, sleeping bags, and large quantities of alcohol. They even invited Pike, knowing he wouldn't think it was at all appropriate, but they felt the effort should be made, and were unsurprised when he declined.

Everybody thought it was a good idea, especially when the alcohol was mentioned (Spock was even mildly interested in that aspect of it). Kirk volunteered to go on a beer run, if that was needed. In so doing, he actually had a short conversation with Sulu, who, after last night, was feeling much nicer towards his rival, even if Chekov did still steal glances at Kirk from under those long eyelashes.

x

Scotty covered the Enterprise tenderly with a sheet. Her blackened hull saddened him. He couldn't believe the thrusters he'd worked so long and hard on were gone.

He put his hands on her hull. Her metal was cool. The studs under his skin burned their crease into his pads of his fingers. He lay across the ship, pressing his forehead to her. The scent of fire was deep. She would always smell like smoke and battle.

x

Chekov's back hurt. He had lain curled up in Sulu's arms all night and awoken happily. But as the day progressed, he found it harder and harder to straighten without flinching.

In his room, he reached around himself, feeling the muscles in his side. He pressed down, his fingers pushing into the fiber, relieving the pain for a moment. But when his fingers lifted, the pain came straight back. The Tylenol he'd taken earlier had not helped.

But it was a small price to pay for the long warmth of encircling arms.

x

Uhura paced. She could feel the attraction in her bones. It was bad already. She lay in bed at night and clutched a pillow, tossing and turning, wishing to God she were not alone in her small room in the middle of the large universe.

She needed him. It was the way her hair stood on end whenever he hovered near her. The pockmark on his jaw. The little spidery veins in his thin eyelids. The mist of his breath. The warmth of his touch.

She knew she should snap out of it, but somehow, she couldn't. She had idealized Spock too much to realize fully how intense her feelings were. She breathed slowly, wondering what his lips felt like, imaging his heat.

x

Spock's father was waiting for him. Sarek stood, greeting his son formally, as he always did. Amanda hovered in the kitchen, waiting for the rolls to finish. Dinner was set out almost entirely, but for the silverware and the last of the food.

Spock was not thinking of much as he opened the drawer. His hands closed around the cold metal, reminding him of the Enterprise, of his fingers on the steering wheel. Loosely he counted out three forks, three spoons, and three knives. Vulcans never touch their food, he thought. We even eat bread with a fork and knife.

Sarek inquired after the race. Spock told his parents all about it, in great detail. Amanda clucked over Kirk, mentioning that she'd thought he seemed impetuous, and that Winona had invited all of them over for dinner. Sarek raised an eyebrow at this but did not object. Spock tried not to think about what dinner at the Kirk residence would be like.

Afterwards, he hid a slice of bread under his sleeve and brought it back to his room wrapped in a napkin. He picked it up, feeling the delicate webbing of the dough compress under his fingers. He wrapped his hands around the bread and took a bite, eyes closed, enjoying the texture on his skin. But he only took one bite. He threw the rest of the bread away, sighing at himself. When he caught sight of a Vulcan dictionary on his shelf he thought of Uhura, suddenly and clearly, and imagined that she wouldn't consider him strange for what he'd done with the bread. The thought made him feel much better.

x

Bones's father was home. David McCoy had replicated a hasty dinner.

"I'm so sorry," he told his son. "Ian'll be home soon, but I've just got to dash up to work. Evidently the backup generator's gone out at the hospital."

"It's okay, father," said Bones, scooping dry mashed potatoes into his mouth. "I'm goin' to a thing tonight anyway, I'll just eat some more there."

"Okay, be healthy," said David, kissing Bones on the forehead. "Tell me how the race went later!"

Bones smiled as David rushed out the door. His disordered father was the head electrical engineer at St. Berry Hospital a few miles away.

When he finished with his meal, he unpacked his bag from last night, threw clothes into the washer, and packed it again. By the time he was ready to leave, his dad was home.

"Hey dad," said Bones, coming down the stairs. "How was work?"

"Terrible," growled Ian Kelley, Bones's other parent. "Where's David?"

"Work. The backup generator failed. And I'm leaving for a get-together."

"Damn you both," said Ian. Bones had gotten his bad temper from his dad. "Well, I guess I'll be fine without the two of you. Hey, how was the race?"

"I'm sure you'll be," said Bones. "It went good enough. We advanced. I'll tell you more later, okay?"

"Okay. Have fun without me."

x

Chapel checked her hair in the mirror. Everybody told her that she looked like she was twenty-five, not seventeen. She suspected her high cheekbones were at fault, or the deep, serious set of her eyes. She didn't like seeming older than she was, considering how much younger she felt.

She had told her mother all about the race as soon as she got home. Chapel was an only child; her mother, Heather, was asexual and had produced Chapel from a sperm donor. The two were very close.

Chapel had always wondered, guiltily, if there was something wrong with her mother, something that kept her from having a sexual relationship with any of her love interests. But Heather simply seemed disinterested. She rarely entered into relationships, and most of them passed quickly. Chapel decided, after a while, that some people were just not cut out for love. Sometimes she felt like she had inherited that tendency.

x

Sulu was alone in his huge house. His parents were gone, as usual, and would be for the remainder of the weekend. He didn't remember why. He kept as little track of their movements as they did of his.

He was in the zen garden at the back of the house, perched on a rock, rolling a joint. The tips of the paper curled, blackening, floating away when he lit it.

This was what he liked. Calm. Control. A situation that was difficult, but one he could handle.

x

"Oh my God," said the Hoverclub in unison.

They were watching Kirk stagger up Sulu's sidewalk, barely able to walk under the weight and heft of the alcohol he was carrying.

"It would be great if somebody could give me a hand," Kirk said, sounding strained.

Everybody tumbled forwards, trying to help all at once. Kirk ended up carrying nothing at all. He sauntered into the house after everybody, whistling.

"This is incredible," said Scotty, staring at the loot spread out on the kitchen table. "How'd you manage, Jim?"

Kirk shrugged modestly. "I've always had a keen interest in drinking."

"Great variety," said Chapel approvingly. "Absolut, Smirnoff, regular old beer, Kaluha, icewine, Romulan ale, and—is this Aldebaran whiskey?"

"It is… it is… green," said Spock, leaning in to stare at the bottle, which was glowing slightly.

"Aye," said Scotty, gazing fondly at the drink. "And it tastes like gold."

"Let's get down to business," said Sulu, picking up the Absolut. "Everybody grab what you like. We're playing Never Have I Ever."

x

The eight of them sat in a circle, their drinks next to them. Almost everybody looked nervous.

"Okay, how this works," said Sulu. "I say, 'never have I ever… uh… broken a bone.' And if you have broken a bone, then you take a drink. That's the whole game."

"This sounds very fun," said Chekov, looking excited. "Can I go first?"

"Go right ahead," said Sulu.

"Wait a moment, please," said Spock. "What exactly is the goal of this game?"

"To win," said Kirk at the same time Uhura said, "To lose." They stared at each other.

"The more drinks you have to take, the more, I guess, experienced you are," said Sulu. "Some people see that as winning. Others see it as losing."

Spock eyed his icewine. "The goal, then, is drunkenness."

"Most goals are," said Kirk philosophically. Spock shot him a dark glance.

Chekov was impatient. "Can we begin?" he said. "I have a good one to start."

"Please," said Bones. "Let's get started."

"Never have I ever been to Los Angeles."

Sure enough, everybody took a drink. Spock hesitated before his, and spluttered a little afterwards. Bones slapped him on the back unhelpfully.

"Good one," said Scotty, "but borin'. We're here to talk about deep, dark secrets. So, never have I ever stolen somethin'."

Kirk, Chapel, and Sulu took drinks.

"A candy bar, when I was eight," said Sulu.

"A hair clip, on accident, last week," said Chapel.

"Five bottles of Cuervo Gold, a toolkit, two and a half yards of leather, a Corvette, a million terabyte card, a miniature schnauzer, a couple hundred apples over the course of my childhood, a box of condoms, an antique book…"

Everybody quickly agreed that Kirk didn't have to list everything.

"Stealing isn't too deep and dark," said Chapel, next in line. "Here's one—never have I ever seen somebody die."

Spock was the only one who drank. Everybody stared at him.

"My father once killed a man," said Spock. Jaws dropped. "I am sorry, I was attempting a joke. My grandfather died of old age."

The circle laughed, relieved and a little uncomfortable.

"Never have I ever gotten a tattoo," said Uhura.

Nobody drank. Spock was next.

"I have never—"

"Never have I ever," corrected Kirk, waving his Aldebaran whiskey at Spock, who frowned, and continued.

"Never have I ever, then, had sexual intercourse."

Uhura would have spit out her drink if she'd had any in her mouth. Once more, everybody was staring at Spock.

"You're a virgin?" said Bones. "I didn't know that was possible in the teenaged male."

"You forget, Leonard, that I am half-Vulcan. Our physiology is different."

"How different?" Uhura couldn't help but ask.

"I should have phrased that better. Our sexual maturity differs, not our anatomy." Only Spock could say those words in such clinical terms.

"I don't understand how you can not have sex," said Kirk. "It's a hell of a lot like breathing."

"Virginity is simply one state of being," said Spock.

"Thank you, Inara," said Kirk, rolling his eyes. "Has everybody taken a drink?" The circle nodded. "Great. So, never have I ever…"

Kirk stopped.

"Can't think of anythin'?" said Bones grumpily.

"There's got to be something," said Kirk, pondering. "Um… no, I've done that… Oh! Never have—damn, there was that one time, with the handcuffs. Let's see… Okay. Never have I ever been off planet."

"Wow, really?" said Chapel. Everybody had taken a drink. "How'd you manage that?"

"Never has my family's income ever topped nine hundred thousand credits a year," said Kirk dryly.

Sulu, whose family made about ten million a year, which was upper middle class, couldn't help but say, "But that's under the poverty line."

"Yep," said Kirk, not looking at anybody.

Bones cleared his throat awkwardly and went next.

"Never have I ever gotten a piercin'."

Uhura, Chapel, and Kirk drank.

"What the hell, Jim?" Bones demanded, peering at Kirk's ears and not seeing any holes.

"It was a dare," said Kirk, trying to hide behind his whiskey.

"What was it?"

"Muhrnr," muttered Kirk.

"Excuse me?"

"My nipples," said Kirk curtly. "And I got them removed pretty soon afterwards, okay?"

Everyone laughed. Kirk scowled, looking for a moment like Bones's twin brother.

"Never have I ever been beaten up," said Sulu.

Kirk, Bones, Chekov, and Spock took drinks. They were all reluctant to talk about who had beaten them up and why.

It was back to Chekov. Kirk was looking quite tipsy. Everybody else had been forced to take at least one drink.

"Never have I ewer been in love," said Chekov.

Bones, Scotty, Sulu, and Uhura drank.

"Jocelyn," said Bones shortly.

"I'd rather not say, t' be honest," said Scotty. Uhura and Sulu nodded vehemently in agreement with Scotty. Disappointment was evident on everybody else's face.

"Never have I ever had sex with a stranger," said Scotty.

"Can I just start drinking water?" Kirk asked, finishing his whiskey.

"Of course not, ah'll get you some more," said Scotty, snatching Kirk's glass and heading for the alcohol.

Chapel and Sulu also drank, blushing. They refused to explain the circumstances.

"Never have I ever sent somebody to the hospital," said Chapel.

Kirk, Spock, and Uhura drank.

"What'd you two do?" demanded Sulu, ignoring Kirk.

Uhura shrugged. "There was a guy who was being annoying. I broke his nose."

"Spock?"

"In my childhood on Vulcan, I was not accepted because of my ancestry. Certain of my peers attempted to take advantage of my supposedly emotional state. I rebuffed them."

"How badly were they hurt?" said Bones.

"Their convalescence was… extended," said Spock shortly.

Uhura's turn. "Never have I ever had sex in a car."

"I hate all of you," said Kirk solemnly, taking a drink. Scotty, grinning widely, also drank.

"Never have I ever cheated on a test," said Spock.

"I'm going to get alcohol poisoning thanks to you," Kirk growled.

"That is my profound wish, James."

"Fine. Never have I ever been second in my class."

Spock gasped indignantly. "Never have I ever been arrested."

"Yeah, well, never ever have I ever nearly lost a hover race."

"The fault was not mine, James. Never have I ever been afflicted with an STI."

"Low blow, Spock," snarled Kirk. They had moved beyond drinking, now. "Never have I ever punched a hole in my wall because I didn't like getting shown up in school."

Spock went silent. "How did you know about that?" he asked quietly.

"Your mom happened to mention it the other day at the supermarket," said Kirk, an ugly look on his face. "I didn't know I had quite so much impact on you, Spock. Good to know I can affect you so easily."

"You have no authority over me," said Spock, trying to pull himself together. "You have no impact on my life."

"I really doubt that, Spock. From what I've seen, I could drive you batshit crazy in under a week."

"Perhaps you already have, James!" cried Spock. "Do you have any idea how painful your presence has been for me?"

"Do you have any idea how little I care?" Kirk replied coldly.

At that point, Uhura's fist hit Kirk's jaw.

x

After being plyed with substantial amounts of alcohol, Kirk, Spock, and Uhura calmed down. Kirk and Spock had identical bruises blossoming on their jaws, now, and were still shooting glares at each other. Spock was distinctly unsteady on his feet despite only drinking a glass and a half of icewine. He was sitting on the other side of the circle from Kirk, now, next to Uhura, who had an arm around his shoulders protectively.

Kirk was starting to warm to Uhura. "You're very strong," he leered across the circle. "I bet you could handle me."

"Not in a million years," said Uhura, her voice like ice. She tossed back a shot of Jack Daniels. "Let's keep playing this game."

"I like you guys," said Scotty, grinning around the circle. "You're excitin'!"

x