Khan looked through the new information Aria had downloaded from the linking system before she had cut off ties. The information ranged from archive footage, audio bites, to scans of paperwork. He was waiting for Aria to come up for air from the weapons bay, but he knew to her it was a playground one she wouldn't leave for another ten hours. He tilted his head coming across a strange file name.

"White room…" he read and he tilted his head seeing it was attached to the file on him.

It can't be that white room… Would they really take footage?

"Bring footage to screen…" he said.

"Bringing archive footage white room to screen." The ship said back.

"Hello?" His jaw clenched hearing Arias voice coming from a pure black image. The lights flickered and his eyes narrowed seeing Aria strapped to a metal table in the pure ivory room. He watched as a tall lean young man walked in with white blonde hair down to his shoulders.

"Sleeping beauty awakes…" The man said.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"I'll be asking the questions Miss Adne…" the man looked her over with a near trivial expression. "You look so normal…" he muttered.

"I am normal…" Aria said softly.

"Please don't talk out of turn Miss Adne." He said with a fierce look. She slowly looked to him. "Now let me explain to you what's happening." He said as two bots wheeled in a cart with a black box on it. "My name is none of your concern, and your name is no longer Aria Adne, it's prisoner 5469." Her jaw clenched. "I'm going to ask you questions and you are going to answer them." He opened the box and Khan sat up seeing a range of weapons sitting inside.

"If you don't answer me or you say something I don't like this will happen." He took out a hammer and Aria screamed as he slammed it down onto her fingers. Khans eyes narrowed in on the man as his hands clutched onto the arms of his chair. "Shh Shh Shh… You'll heal… Maybe not as quickly as normally thanks to the blood we're continuing to take…"

"You mother fucker." He slammed the hammer back down on her hand and her jaw clenched as she made a pained noise, but refused to outright scream.

"I told you not to talk out of turn… Now…" He looked her over as he waved the silver hammer in front of her face. "Where is Khan?"

"I don't know."

"I believe you…" he said as he tilted his head before slamming the hammer down on her mangled fingers once more.

"I thought you said you believed me!" She yelled.

"Oh I did, but I also told you I'd hurt you if I didn't like your answer, and I didn't like that answer…" He said as he walked around the table. "Oh and once more." He slammed the hammer down onto her ankle and she screamed as she felt it shatter. "Don't talk out of turn!" He yelled over the sounds of her pain before smiling softly. "What is Khans plans?" Her jaw clenched. "What are Khans plans?" She continued to stay silent and He slammed the hammer across her toes. Her eyes shut tightly as her head threw back in obvious pain. "Not talking will not spare you from punishment!"

"I'm not telling you a fucking thing." She said through gritted teeth. He rushed around the side and placed the hammer against her cheek as she shook.

"She should have told them…" He said softly as he watched in horror.

"We shall see." He pulled back the hammer and slammed it into the side of her face as her head threw back in a silent scream. "We shall see…"

"Stop archive footage." He said averting his eyes no longer being able to watch. "Computer do facial search on the man in archive footage."

"Commencing search…" his jaw clenched as he took the archive footage down. "Commencing search… Commencing sear found… Man in Archive footage Captain Gabriel Till of the USS Memorial. Recently demounted from his position as Admiral… Reason unknown."

"I bet I know the reason." He said with a smile knowing that having Aria escape probably got the man in a lot of trouble with his superiors. He didn't know how to bring up what he had found out to Aria. He knew she was trying to deal with things on her own. Still he couldn't hide it from her. He slowly got up and headed out of the bridge to the turbo lift. It only took seconds for him to get down to the weapons bay. He walked out into the open and looked all around to see no Aria in sight. He heard a clinking and walked to follow the noise. He passed by row after row of weapons before stopping to see Aria standing at a table taking apart a hand cannon ray. She lifted up the plasma device as she walked over to a light and looked it over.

"Found you…" She said with a smirk.

"Found you." She smiled as she turned and looked to Khan. After seeing what he had seen he wasn't sure how she was still able to smile.

"Hey." She greeted.

"What are you doing?"

"I was testing out the hand helds and found that the aiming was off on this hand cannon ray… But no worries I've found the problem…" she said walking back over to the table. "What are you doing down here?"

"I came to see you it's been ten hours and it's getting late." He said

"Has it already been that long?" she asked and he nodded. "Well time flies when you're taking apart large long range weapons." He watched as she quickly put together the weapon again and turned simulating a fire. She smiled as she nodded before putting the huge weapons up on its hanger. "All fixed." She grabbed a rag and wiped her hands off as she turned to look at him. "What's wrong?" she asked after a moment.

"I was…" he set his hand on the table as he stared down at it. "I was looking through some of the new information you downloaded from the linking system." He looked to her.

"Yeah did you find anything useful?" she asked.

"I found a file on me."

"Makes sense." She said with a smile unsure of what he was getting at.

"With that file was some archive footage labelled… White room." Her jaw clenched.

"My white room?" she asked and he nodded. "Khan…" she walked to him slowly. "You didn't watch it did you?" he looked at her for a long moment. "God damn it." She threw the rag on the table. "Why would you watch it!?"

"I wanted to make sure it was you."

"How much of it did you watch?"

"A couple minutes…"

"You couldn't tell it was me after a couple minutes?" she asked.

"You're angry."

"Yes I'm angry I didn't want you to see that…" she said.

"I saw the aftermath why would it be so different for me to see what happened during?"

"Because… I…" Her jaw clenched. "Never mind." She turned and walked away.

"Ariadne." He said following her.

"Just leave me alone."

"No." he took her hand and reeled her around. "Why does it matter if I saw it?"

"Because… It's private." She said her jaw clenching. "Because… I screamed in pain, and begged for my life, and I never wanted you to know it. I wanted you to think I had been brave through the whole thing." He cupped her cheek and she slowly raised her eyes to his.

"You were brave. I saw that. I also saw how you never gave up anything you knew about despite the agony you were in… Despite the pain you gave up nothing and that is brave Aria… I'm sorry I watched it, it was private and I shouldn't have but I wanted to know who did this to you."

"You found out?" she asked and he nodded.

"His name is Gabriel Till… He captains a ship called the USS Memorial…"

"No… No I know that look."

"I want to go after him."

"No." she said.

"Aria, he needs to pay-."

"And he will after we get our race up and going again there are more important things."

"Why do you keep saying that?" he asked.

"Khan absolutely not. It doesn't matter, it's not that big a deal."

"Don't tell me it's not that big a deal." He said. "Now that I've seen and I know what he did to you I can't let it lie!"

"Well you're going to have to I don't need you to seek my vengeance!"

"Clearly I do because you won't seek it for yourself." Her jaw clenched and she turned before storming off. "Well done Khan…" he muttered to himself.

-o-

Arias jaw clenched as she sat at the desk in her quarters. It had been a few hours since her fight with Khan and she was still angry, though why she wasn't sure. She knew she was upset that he had watched the footage, but for some reason that wasn't what was making her really angry. It was his final comment.

"Clearly I do because you won't seek it for yourself…"

It had risen within her a deep realization. The reason why she wouldn't go after the man who had tortured her was because in all honesty she was scared of him. She couldn't tell Khan that. She couldn't tell the strong new world leading man that she was scared of some normal human being. Still every time she thought of the man in the white room her heart would pound, panic would rise, and a shiver would fly up her spine. She was terrified of him. Terrified that if she ever came in contact with him she would go right back to the white room. Still she wanted nothing more than to strap the man down to a table and do everything to him that he did to her.

Aria took a breath as she felt Khans presence. He wasn't in her room. No, she could feel him standing at the door that separated their living quarters. He was contemplating walking in. She knew in that moment she wanted him to. She wasn't that angry with him after all. The air locked door opened with a hiss and she sat up feeling him slowly walking into her room.

"I am sorry." She was surprised he had said it.

"Its fine I'm angry with myself not you." He tilted his head before walking up behind her. He looked over the panel of her desk to see the face of the man who had tortured her. "I've found out everything about him… I know where he was born… What his father did for a living… his grades throughout school… Even where his ship is right now… I know all this and I find it useless because you're right I can't seem to bring myself to seek vengeance against him… I can't and I don't know why because he… Broke my bones… pulled my teeth… Stuck needles deep under my nails… Put poison into my veins that made me feel like I was on fire… He also lit me on fire…" Khans jaw clenched. "He did all this to me and I can't… I can't bring myself to kill him because I'm… Terrified of him." Khan knelt at her side.

"Then let me do this for you." He said setting a hand over hers.

"I should do it myself…"

"You will…" he said looking her over. "Let me capture him bring him here where you can end it."

"No."

"Ariadne…"

"I want to do it myself." She said looking to him. "I have to do it myself… I have to face the fear…" he cupped her cheek. "I just need a few days to prepare."

"I'm coming with."

"No-."

"It's not a request…" She slowly nodded. "Good… Just one other thing."

"You want a go at him."

"Yes."

"Just don't kill him I want that pleasure." He nodded as his thumb brushed over her cheek. "I'm sorry I stormed off."

"I'm sorry I watched the footage, I should have asked you first."

"I would have said no and then we would have never found out who did this to me… So thank you for watching it." He slowly nodded as he let his eyes roam over her.

"You look tired."

"Just what every woman likes to hear." She said with a smile.

"What would you like to hear?" he asked and she smiled slyly as she looked off her hands going to his shoulders.

"Come to bed with me…" He moved forward and kissed her deeply while lifting her up into his arms.

"Come to bed with me…" he said already carrying her to his living quarters as he kissed her passionately.

"Wait." She said pulling back slightly.

"What is it?" She jumped out of his arms and ran from his room onto the bridge. "What's going on?" he asked following her.

"I put up an alarm." She said and he could now hear the beeping. "To tell us if the other life forms had realized our location and had come to check us out, they've come…" She said looking it over. She pulled up the scan. "Khan there are way more than before… We have an insurgence…" Her jaw clenched. "Klingons…" Khan looked over the scans.

"Do you have a battle plan?"

"You take an advance shuttle from the shuttle bay…" She said as she cloaked the ship from sight and they ran to the turbo lift. "I don't want to risk hull damage to the Dreadnaught if I can help it."

"Agreed." They got to the shuttle bay and Khan ran out. When he didn't feel Aria fallowing him he turned and grabbed onto the turbo lift door.

"Khan what are you doing?"

"What are you doing?" She smiled.

"I'm a battle expert I'm going to battle." She said with a smile.

"No-."

"Khan they're coming from the ground and in the air, now I've seen you in shuttle combat and you are unmatched not to me of course but you come close." She said with a wicked look. "Hand to hand is my thing and you know it."

"It's more dangerous."

"I'll be fine. Now let go of the door." His jaw clenched as he stared at her. Aria smiled softly before moving forward and kissing him deeply. "I'll see you afterwards." She made his hand let go and before he could reach for the door it closed on him.

"Damn it…" he said before running to one of the shuttles.

As Aria ran through the weapons bay she grabbed any weapon in sight. She strapped throwing ectro knives to her thighs before hitting a code on an air lock. It opened and she smiled seeing a group of Klingons staring confused down at their scanners obviously unable to see the ship because of the cloaking device.

"Yeah… It's here." They turned to her and she shot them all down with a plasma ray before jumping out of the air lock and closing it up.

"Aria check in." she heard Khans voice.

"Aria checking in you up in the air yet?"

"I am." She looked up and watched as he shot down a Klingon war bird before racing forward towards another.

Khan looked down into the trees trying to spot Aria while he simultaneously fought the war birds. But he could not see her through the thick branches or vast leaves. He could hear her battling though over the com. She had rushed breaths and every now and then she'd yell and he'd hear a scream of pain from one of the Klingons. He shot down three war birds and quickly did a scan to see if there were any left.

"Aria location." He said hearing her in the thick of it. "Aria-."

"I'm a bit… Busy!"

"Computer scan for crew member using Com link."

"Scanning… Scanning… Found…" He followed the internal gps to her location and landed the shuttle. He stared as a Klingon slammed into the window of the shuttle bloody and dead. He quickly ran out the back of the shuttle and came around before freezing. Laying out in the open were over fifty dead Klingons. He looked up to see Aria in hand to hand with three of the surviving race.

She slammed a knife into one of their necks before getting down to her knees and slamming her fists across its legs shattering them. A Klingon raised an ax and tried to bring it down on her. She rolled out of the way before flipping onto her feet and grabbed a hold of the ax before kicking the Klingon a good thirty feet back. She twirled the ax every which way before slamming it down on the Klingons foot and with one hand snapping it's neck clear around. Before the last of the Klingons could rush at her she threw the ax which slammed into its head killing it instantly. She took a deep breath as she stared down at the bodies before slowly turning and looking to him.

"Told you I'd be okay." He smiled before a plasma ray came out of nowhere and shot her down.

"No!" He yelled seeing a group of Klingons come out of nowhere.

"That was rude…" Aria said as Khan helped her to her feet.

"You're bleeding." He said seeing her side.

"I'm also healing…" she said with a smile as she pulled out knife out of knife from her thigh and threw them at the Klingons rushing at him. "Now come on… Let's battle!" She said running forward. Khan smiled as he joined her. It had been a long time since he had, had a good hand to hand battle and gotten to relish in it.

He and Aria backed themselves up against another. If one failed to see a hit coming the other stopped it. Aria was extraordinary in hand to hand. Hardly ever getting hit or injured. It was the first time he had seen her unmerciful to anyone and it was in this battle that he saw just how ruthless and powerful she could be. He guessed that if Kirk had gone ahead and ordered the death of him on Kronos there was a big possibility she would have killed him with her bare hands.

Aria laughed as she cut off the head of a Klingon. She hadn't had this much fun doing battle in years. The way she moved with Khan was like they were meant to fight with one another. She found the way he moved exhilarating. Normally when she went into battle she was all alone. Forced to fend for herself. Though she didn't mind that, now that she was fighting right alongside Khan she found the appeal of having a partner in battle. Someone which she could thoroughly rely. She sliced the throat of a Klingon open with a smile and turned to see Khan in battle with two others. She sensed something coming at her left and turned to see a massive Klingon rushing at Khan with a plasma ray.

"No I don't think so…" She rushed forward and punched the plasma ray out of the Klingons hands before leaping into the air to reach his head which she back fisted so hard his jaw went slack. Khan cut down his last Klingon and smiled before hearing a pained noise. He turned to see a massive Klingon slamming Aria down into the ground where he stabbed her in the side.

"No!" Khan rushed forward and tackled him off Aria before lifting him onto his feet and slamming his fist into the Klingons face over and over again before grabbing a hold of his head and pressing it until it popped open. "Aria." He turned to look to her to see she was standing up quickly. She pulled the knife from her side before throwing it passed his head. He turned quickly and watched as the knife slammed into a Klingons head dropping it to the ground. Aria ran while clutching onto her side to the shuttle Khan following. "Are you alright?" seeing blood seeping through her hand.

"Fine…" She said as she scanned the planet. She smiled when she saw they were the only intelligent life.

"We're good we fought them off…" She said sitting down.

"I'm getting you to medical bay." Khan said as he flew the shuttle away from the battle ground.

"I'm fine." She said as they flew back into the shuttle bay of the Dreadnaught Resurrection. Khan quickly lifted her into his arms and she couldn't help but laugh. "Khan I'm okay."

"You're still bleeding."

"I'll be fine." She said as they rushed onto a turbo lift. "This isn't the first time I've been stabbed you know, I've even been impaled remember that?" She asked and his jaw clenched. "You know thinking now I get stabbed a lot…" She muttered to herself. He rushed out into the medical bay and put her on a table before wheeling over some instruments. "Khan-." He ripped open her shirt and stared down at her side which was covered in crimson blood. "Khan I'm okay…" he wiped the blood away and looked for a wound but stopped when he saw only a small cut surrounded by a bruise. "See…" His thumb brushed over it. "I'm fine…"

"Do me a small favor?" he asked slowly looking up at her.

"Don't get stabbed?" She asked.

"Don't get stabbed anymore."

"I make no promises." She said as his hands rested on her waist his thumbs massaging against her hips in small soothing circles. They locked eyes for a long moment and Khan quickly stood as his mouth crashed against hers. Aria sighed into his mouth as she ripped his shirt off and threw the shredded fabric aside. As Khan pulled her jeans and panties off he kissed down her body.

Arias eyes drifted close as she felt him lap at her most intimate spots. His mouth crashed into hers and she moaned as she felt him slam into her. Her arms and legs wrapped around him as he stood moving into her over and over again as he slammed her back against a wall. Aria smiled as she felt the connection build between them once more.

The feeling of them linked may have been overwhelming, but it didn't make it any less erotic. She had always wondered why she never felt satisfied after battle but frustrated. Now she knew why. It was because she craved something more. Khan groaned as he felt her slip away, her mind was going somewhere else. He bit her neck and she gasped her mind instantly coming back to him and he smiled as he buried himself further into her.

-o-

"Captain we're being hailed." Sulu said.

"Up on screen." Kirk said.

"Bringing to screen Captain." Kirk tilted his head as an image of a young man with piercing grey eyes and white blonde hair in a crew cut style.

"This is Captain James T. Kirk of the Dreadnaught Enterprise, how can I help you?" He asked.

"This is Gabriel Till of the USS Memorial."

"USS Memorial, the ship made to remember those left in the bombings in London."

"The very same."

"What can I do for you Captain Till?"

"I've gotten word from Admiral King that I am to come aboard your ship leaving mine in command of my first officer Jamous Cannes… I'm sending transfer orders now for you to view."

"Transfer order received." Uhura said and Kirk looked them over.

"You have intimate details about my former battle expert…" Kirk said seeing why he was to come aboard. "How?"

"I was the one who questioned her." Kirks jaw clenched. "Now don't give me that look I was given no choice… Just like you were given no choice to hunt her and Khan down."

"Are you already on your way?"

"I will be I didn't just want to show up."

"We'll stay put and await you, how long will you be?"

"I'm on the completely other side so ten hours."

"We'll see you then. Kirk out." The feed went dead and he stared forward.

"Scotty won't like this…" McCoy said.

"I don't like it either…"

-o-

Khan breathed heavily as he laid his head on Arias chest. Her arms were draped around him, her fingers tangled in his black hair. Aria looked around the room and stopped seeing one of the Medibots staring. She tilted her head before laughing and looked up at the ceiling.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing…" she said with an amused look. He moved up her body and kissed her deeply. Aria looked around and smiled to herself.

"I ripped your clothes off." She said and he looked around at the scraps.

"I ripped your shirt off… I think we're even…"

"Oh I didn't rip your pants…" she said reaching over and taking them. "No those are mine…" He smiled. "Let me go get you some clothes."

"No need there are uniforms in here…" he said getting up and walking to a closet. Aria smiled as she pulled on her skinny jeans and stood up as she pulled her structured laced bra on. "Here…" He tossed her a black uniform shirt which she caught. As she did she took a shaky breath as she was taken back some where hidden deep within her mind. Khan turned and watched as Aria bent over her hand gripping onto a counter.

"Aria…" He walked over to her as she took a shaking breath. "Ariadne..." He cupped her face in his hands.

"Here…" Aria took a deep breath as she looked around a crisp medical room. She was in a state of confusion. One she didn't understand. It was like she was floating, aware, but not. She looked to see McCoy catching a medical shirt in hand.

"Bones…" she said softly and he turned to look at her.

"She's waking up we need to sedate her further…"

"Bones… Please what's…" her voice trailed off as she felt a cloud overcome her. She turned her head and stared at a strange sight. A man was laying on the bed next to her hooked up to tons of machines.

"If she can fight the sedation what about her augment friend?"

"Khan?" She asked herself but shook her head realizing it wasn't him lying on the bed. "Another?"

"We may have to kill this one…" Someone said.

"No… No please don't… Don't hurt him…" Aria said trying to reach for the other augment.

"How would we go about killing him?" McCoy asked.

"No please don't!"

"Get her under!" Spock yelled moving before her.

Aria took a deep shaking breath as her hands clutched onto Khan.

"Aria what is it?" He asked seeing her eyes wide.

"There's another augment…" She said softly. "I… I saw him…"

"What?" he asked confused.

"When I was at the hospital being forced to give up my blood for Kirk there was another Augment in the room with me. Khan…" Her eyes grew wide and he could see panic and guilt written over her expression. "They were talking about killing him if they couldn't keep him under this coma… I couldn't help him I tried but I could-."

"Shh…" he brought her into his arms as he looked around. "You're sure you saw someone?"

"Yes, I don't know why it took me so long to remember…"

"Because you were under so many drugs and near depleted of your blood…"

"I remember now… In the white room… I think Gabriel Till talked about him… I think… It's still hazy…"

"Come on." He took her hand and they quickly walked to the turbo lift. "With the information you downloaded there was tons of archive footage of you in the hospital if there was a man we should be able to see him." They rode all the way up to the bridge before walking out into the open. Khan walked over to a panel and brought up the archive footage.

"There he is…" Aria said with a soft expression seeing man hooked up to tons of machines beside her bed which she was strapped down to.

"That's Galen…" He said.

"Galen?" She asked.

"My chief of medical personal."

"He's a doctor?" she asked walking to his side. "Khan if he's still being kept we could use his help with the-."

"Embryos yes…"

"Why did they wake him up to just keep him in coma?" She asked.

"They didn't. Remember how the busted open one of the torpedoes to see what was inside?"

"Yes."

"Well they used the criotube from that disarmed torpedo to save Kirk, to freeze him so he would not decompose." He said. "I thought they had just killed whoever was inside it seems someone decided otherwise." They fast forwarded through the footage and Khan stopped it seeing Aria being wheeled out of the room by Gabriel Till. "That's when they took you… But they didn't take Galen." He fast forwarded days and weeks ahead until it came up to the point they had cut off the linking system. "He's still in that hospital…"

"We have to save him." Aria said looking to Khan. "We beam in we beam out."

"You get the medical bay ready-."

"No." she said before he could run off. "I'm going into get him, you have to get the medical bay ready."

"Aria-."

"Khan I know nothing about medicine except when it comes to Battle wounds. I do know how to fulfill rescue missions though this wouldn't even be the hardest I've done…"

"I don't like you going back there alone."

"Nor do I but you have to let me do this so when we get back we can hook him up to whatever we need to, to keep him healthy. You know I'm right…" His jaw clenched, he hated that she was right. "Khan let me do this."

"The first sign of trouble, you have me beam you out."

"I promise you get the medical bay ready I'll get weapons and meet you on the teleport room." She said before running off. As Khan headed to the medical bay his mind went to many centuries before.

"How are they?" Khan asked looking around the criotubes.

"Safe as they can be sir…" Galen said looking around the last 72 people left in their race. "I can't believe there's only this many left…"

"Nor can I…" Khan said his jaw clenching. "I can't believe we're running like cowards."

"We would fight if there was more of us… And someday there will be… When we get to where we're going we're going to re build just like your plan." Galen said. "Now come on let's get you into a tube before you look anymore old." Khan smiled as he walked over to one.

"Yours is set?"

"Aye Captain." Galen said. "All I have to do is step inside."

"When we wake it will be too a new world…"

"Aye sir… See you then."

"See you then Galen…"

"Sir?"

"Yes Galen?"

"It's been an honor sir." Khan smiled.

"The honor has been mine."

That was the last thing he remembered before he was awoken by Admiral Marcus. Galen had been his confidant in many ways. His closest friend. The only person he trusted with not only his healthy but his inner most thoughts. That was until he had found Aria. Still, he was glad it had been Galen who had been the one found inside the torpedo opened and the one saved from the explosions. Still he didn't know what he was going to say to his old friend. How he was going to explain everything that had happened. How he was going to tell him that he had failed their race.

-o-

After getting the medical bay in order he headed down the turbo lift to the teleport room. He stopped seeing Aria walking onto a pad. She had thigh holsters with phasers strapped to her thighs. A plasma ray across her back and elector knives on her hips. She was ready for anything, and he knew the precaution was needed.

"If he wakes up right when I unhook him is there anything I should say to him?" She asked. "Something to know that you sent him?"

"That'll do."

"That'll do?" she asked and he nodded. "Okay…" She took a breath and looked herself over.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes… Energize." Khan looked at her for a long moment before punching in the code. The second she energized away from him he knew he regretted agreeing her to go. Not because he didn't thinks he could do it. But because he hated her being alone.

-o-

An: Okay wow fast pace chapter I know a lot went on but hey my pacing rolls like that sometimes you know? I admit it. I see it. Still I hope it was enjoyable the next chapter should be up in the next few days! Love you guys! Oh and to answer the question of a PM I received yes Khan and Aria will be… *clears throat*… Connecting… A lot. So yes this will be one of those fanfics with a lot of steamy scenes. But its Khan, I mean do we really mind?