May be good, may be not. I don't know anymore.

Two weeks had passed, and life on the Enterprise continued in a fragile balance of normalcy. The tension was rising, and so was Pike's outward hostility. It was only a matter of time before the crew found out about the report. Every day, more and more people were figuring it out. Rumors were already flying. The security guards looked at him with suspicion and on more than one occasion, he heard about Serik and Sovik being stopped from entering areas of the ship. The human guards Serik had procured were tolerable, but they were no Vulcan. They could not anticipate his needs or perform to his expectations. Often he switched them out with Kirk when he could.

Kirk didn't complain about the increased workload. His normal eight hour work day had gradually increased to fifteen. It wasn't all duty. Whenever he was in the labs or in his room alone, he allowed Kirk to work on his lessons, even occasionally engaging him in conversation as he worked calculation in his head. When Spock had informed Kirk that he was simultaneously doing his work and teaching him, Kirk looked at him in awe then annoyed, asking if it required so little brainpower he could do both at once.

To Spock's surprise and secret satisfaction, Kirk was learning at an accelerated rate. Within two weeks, he was already at middle school reading level, choosing increasingly difficult books every day to read, extracting them from his personal library. Lately, Spock was teacher him proper standard, something Kirk hated with a passion as he insisted on speaking colloquially, but he learned and wrote his first book report by the end of his second week. At the rate of progression, Spock figured, Kirk would be at college reading level at the end of the month and know proper grammar and syntax by the second.

After lessons, occasionally they would play chess. Kirk's progress at learning the game quickly and efficiently wasn't a surprise. Kirk had already proved to have a tactician's mind, and his play style had developed the same way his plans did. It was fast and chaotic.

Spock entered his quarters after a long shift, intending to meditate, when he saw Kirk browsing his bookshelf. Just like the very first time, Kirk pulled a book off the shelf, handling it with tender care, and then pulled down another.

"You have already finished the last set you borrowed?"

Kirk gave him a sheepish grin. "Couldn't put them down."

"At your current rate, you will finish my collection in less than a month." Spock walked further into the room and started to set up the chess board. "Chess?"

Kirk nodded, pulling up a chair to the small table. "I want black this time."

Spock nodded as he put the last piece into place. "As you wish."

The game started in silence with just the soft clicks of moving pieces as the only sound. As usual, Spock half paid attention to the game and worked out scientific formulas on his latest experiment with the other half.

"You look tired."

Spock looked up from the game at the human in front of him. There were dark bags forming under his eyes, his hair awry and his skin slightly pale. "So do you." It then occurred to Spock he had made Kirk work on his day off last week.

Kirk just gave a halfhearted shrug, rubbing the sleep from his face. "I've been through worse."

"You may have tomorrow off to recuperate." Spock moved his knight.

Kirk leaned back in his seat, studying the board. "Won't do either of us any good. Chris will just try to harass me, and those new guards would stab you in the back if they could afford it."

"The situation will not change in the upcoming days. You should rest while you have the opportunity."

They played a little more, falling back into silence.

"Every living thing is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness, and dies by chance."

"Jean Paul Satre," Spock raised an eyebrow, surprised at the sudden quote.

"I read a little last night. It's hard to understand, but the quote stuck with me." Jim moved his queen to take Spock's knight. "It fits well, doesn't it? We don't choose to be born, we live because we are too afraid to die and yet no matter what, without ever knowing when, we still die."

"I believe that is what we call life."

"You know, sometimes I wonder what would have happened if Edith Keeler didn't interfere with America's entry into the war. Maybe the empire wouldn't even exist." Jim laughed bitterly. "I guess it doesn't matter. No point in wondering in what might have been."

"You are correct. However, I too occasionally wonder what may have happened if events had played out differently." Spock took Jim's queen and put him in check. "It is an illogical waste of time to wonder past speculation, and regretting what could not come to pass."

"True. And the weak must die in order for others to live. The amount of corpses that may accumulate at your feet are the trophies that prove you have survived, that you will continue to do so." A dark shadow passed over Kirk's features.

"Perhaps."

Kirk moved his pawn, taking his king out of check and checkmating Spock simultaneously. Spock's eyes widened slightly in surprise and an almost a suave smile replaced the darkness. "Guess next time you can pay more attention to the game than your experiments when you play."

Spock was still studying the board, wondering exactly how Kirk had managed to pull one over him. "Indeed."

Kirk stood, stretching and cracking his neck. "Thanks for the game. I should get going."

"Good night Mr. Kirk."

The human waved as he left and Spock studied the board one last time. No rhyme or reason in Kirk's playing style, but when the opportunity came for Spock to take the queen without hazard to her and put his opponent in check, he took it, leaving Spock's king open to a lowly pawn. "A dangerous genius indeed."

"I see you and the hobgoblin are getting along," McCoy said through a mouthful of sandwich. "Lessons going that well?"

Jim tried to steal a fry from his friend's plate but was rewarded with a hard slap to his hand for his trouble. Wincing, he retracted the appendage. "I think it's more that the both of us are too tired to be hostile. He works 20 hours a day, and I'm going 15. Two hours towards the end of our shift goes to lessons, then another hour afterwards for chess." He sighed and looked at the salad in front of him. "He doesn't do anything but work. I don't even think he sleeps."

"Which just validates my robot theory if you ask me." McCoy took pity on him and gave Jim a few fries and a small pudding. "And just between you and me, I don't think he's ever even gotten laid. You never see anyone in his quarters. No one but you anyway."

"That would explain the huge stick up his ass. Shame too, he's got a nice ass." Jim laughed at the green hue McCoy's face had taken.

"Don't give me such disturbing images. I'm gonna need brain bleach to get that out of my head."

"Don't worry, Bones. I'm straight. I'm just comfortable with myself enough to acknowledge if I guy is hot."

The doctor scoffed. "Nothing about that green blooded bastard is attractive."

"I don't know Bones. The super strength can be really kinky if you're into S&M."

"That it! I'm leaving!" The doctor stood up with his tray, leaving in a hurry with Jim's laughter filling the nearly empty mess.

Rushing to finish his lunch, Jim scarfed down the rest of his food then put his tray away. He was slightly late arriving back to the bridge, but he didn't think Spock would mind too much giving the long shift he would undoubtedly work later that night. As he stepped out of the turbolift, two security guards were hauling an unconscious Sovik past him onto the lift. Jim didn't hide his surprise and quickly looked to Spock to find out what happened while he was away. It was then he noticed how heavy the atmosphere was with Pike and Spock staring each other down. Pike had his arms crossed, looking smug while Spock had his arms behind his back and his face carefully neutral. "Do you have anything to say Spock?"

"No Captain."

Pike seemed pleased by the answer. "Should I order full duration, Captain?" Sulu asked.

"No, Mr. Sulu. The booth is too good for a Romulan traitor." The captain turned his back to Spock, circling the bridge in thought. "How about a hunt? Our new security officers haven't had the opportunity to practice since the academy, and we are next to a class M planet. A Vulcan should offer a good challenge."

Spock stood not saying a word and looking straight ahead.

"I'll take your silence as an agreement then. Unless there is something you want to say?"

"No, Captain."

Pike looked positively gleeful at Spock's response. "You really are nothing more than a pushover, Commander. I can see why your own people were so eager to get rid of you. That title of yours is nothing more than a courtesy." He approached Spock until he was barely inches away. "You're nothing more than an empire lapdog willing to suck cock just to maintain his own position."

"Can't the same be said for you, Chris?"

Pike took a step back from Spock and turned slowly to Jim. "Not as good as your−"

"Really? You're going there again? Can't you come up with something more original?" Jim rolled his eyes

He stood his ground as Pike came towards him. "You really have a death wish don't you?" he growled.

"Take one step closer, and I'll tell everyone what happened on stardate 2239.91."

Pike stopped. "You're bluffing, and you have no proof."

Jim gave him a doubtful look. "On stardate 2239.90, Lieutenant Commander Christopher Pike, arrive at Space dock orbiting−"

"Enough," he growled. "Get out of my sight."

Jim looked at Spock, waiting for him to say something, anything. "You are confined to quarters until further notice, Mr. Kirk," Spock didn't even glance at him, still looking at the empty space in front of him.

Jim scowled. "Whatever, I was going to skip work anyway." Somehow it felt like he left in defeat even though he managed to get Pike to shut up. He wanted to rebel and disobey, but first went to the brig to see if he could meet Sovik himself and find out what exactly happened in the short time he was at lunch. Predictably, security was tight, and Serik was already there trying to get by. Whatever control Serik usually had on the ship was being undermined. Kirk watched the guards threaten Serik with a court martial and time in the agony booth. Serik was forced to back down. He just couldn't understand why they weren't fighting back. They were letting everyone walk all over them.

After Serik departed, presumably back to his duties, Kirk went back to his room. There was no way they were going to let him through if Serik couldn't even suceed. The only thing he could do was wait to see if Spock would inform him. He wasn't holding his breath for that either.

As he sat waiting, the more annoyed he felt. He had wasted a good threat against Pike that surely wouldn't take the captain long to figure a way around. Speaking of which, he'd have to watch out for assassination attempts from Pike from now on. Pike no doubt thought he would never reveal that information as just the thought of that day made Jim want to throw up. He still wanted to, but he managed to feign indifference and make the threat, making it clear he wouldn't stay silent if he pushed.

And even after wasting the threat, Spock still stood there like a damn punching bag. Why had he even said anything at all?

He tried to keep his mind off it by writing his next book report, fussing over the grammar for a good two hours before he grew bored with that. He was feeling cooped up in the small room, and his anger kept growing with nothing else to dwell on. As it neared dinner and still no news about his release from his room, he couldn't take it anymore. He left on his own, seeking out the source of his frustration.

For once, Spock was actually in his room after shift, further proving in Kirk's mind that Spock was running. How could someone so weak claim to be his owner?

The two human guards nodded at him and let him through, apparently not having received information that he had been confined to quarters. When Jim entered, it was hot. Sweltering even. He had forgotten how hot the room normally was since Spock had lowered the temperature for his visits. It was enough to make him begin sweating the moment he stepped foot into the room. Spock was out of uniform, dressed in black robes Jim had never seen. Jim still couldn't read him, and it bothered him. He had almost always been able to get a hint of what he was feeling, but now there was nothing.

"I believe I confined you to quarters Mr. Kirk," Spock said.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

Spock raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"You heard Pike didn't you. He's going to send Sovik on a hunt tomorrow."

"I am well aware of Pike's intentions. Sovik foolishly let his emotions control him and spoke when he shouldn't. The mistake is his own, and he must deal with the consequences."

"Consequences?" he said with disbelief. "You know, you're full of bullshit. These past two weeks you've put up with a lot of shit, and you haven't fought back once."

"What I do is none of your concern?" Spock said coldly.

Kirk took a step closer. "You really don't feel anything do you? Sovik will be chased. They will injure him and, once captured, humiliated. If he's lucky. If not, they will rape him and upload the video. Then if someone feels ambitious, they might get past Pike, or maybe Pike will turn a blind eye to it, and sell him on the black market, and I hear Vulcans have a great price. Sovik might even go for a higher bid being one of a kind and all."

"Step away from me," Spock could barely keep his voice restrained, but anger was flashing across his eyes.

"It must not even compute what it means to care about something." Kirk was close enough that they were nearly breathing the same air. "You're nothing but the empire's dog. You can never love anything, and you don't deserve it."

Spock grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the wall, making Jim hit his head and hiss in pain. "Do not speak of what you do not know!" He snapped, nothing but rage in his eyes.

"Don't get mad at me just because you can't handle the truth," Jim wheezed. He struck the crook of Spock's elbow, weakening his arm, but Spock was faster, pinning Jim's arms above his head.

"You will submit, human! Do not test me," he growled.

Kirk tried to get out of his grip, attempting to knee Spock in the crotch, forcing Spock to use his body to pin him completely. Kirk was breathing hard from his struggling combined with the heat. His skin was damp, and he wouldn't stop fighting beneath him. This close he could see how much Kirk had changed since being in his care. His skin was a healthy color, his body up to the appropriate healthy weight for his size, and his muscles were more defined and lean than before. "You are an irritating human."

"And you're an asshole. Let me go, you mother fuck−"annoyed by Kirk's talking, Spock smashed his lips against Kirk's, effectively silencing him.

Kirk's eyes widened in surprise, and he stopped struggling. In a daze, he opened his mouth to say something, and Spock slipped his tongue into his mouth. Everything about the human was intoxicating, the heat that radiated underneath him, his woodsy scent, the taste of his mouth. That was until Jim bit down on his tongue, catching his lip in the process.

Spock pulled away, blood trailing down his chin. Kirk smirked, licking the blood off his lips. Spock watched the pink tongue run over his lips. "I thought you said you would never find a human appealing."

"You speak far too much." He forced another kiss on the human. This time the human kissed back, it was all he could do with his body completely restricted. Spock used his free hand to tilt Jim's head back to give himself more access to his mouth, and Jim allowed it for a few seconds before he head butted Spock. A low growl escaped the Vulcan, and he roughly turned Jim around and locking an arm behind his back. Jim's free arm elbowed Spock just above the Vulcan's heart. The wind left Spock's lungs, but he managed to grab Jim's hand and trap it against the wall with his own on top.

Spock's lips grazed the back of Jim's neck, his tongue licking a stray drop of sweat tasting the saltiness of his skin. The human shuddered deliciously underneath his body and a shaky breath escaped him.

Jim's forehead rested against the wall. He was using every ounce of will in his body not to surrender to the pleasure. He turned his head to try to get Spock to meet his eyes. Spock eventually obliged before capturing his lips again in an aggressive kiss, fighting for dominance. Kirk bit him multiple times until Spock's lips was a swollen mess, but it didn't deter the Vulcan from using his free hand to slip under Kirk's uniform. The leather clad hand trailed over his skin, slowly up from the navel to the left nipple.

The next time Jim bit him, Spock twisted the small nub between his fingers, making Jim's back arch and moaned in a mixture of pleasure and pain. "Fuck," it came out breathily.

Spock let Jim go, and the human rounded on him, striking Spock's face with his fist. Spock caught the second punch while Jim tried to kick out Spock's knee. The Vulcan stumbled back against the desk, knocking the PADDs onto the floor and dragging the human down on top of him, their lips connecting once again. The kiss was deep and messy, saliva trailing down their chins. Jim's hand buried in Spock's locks, pulling hard and yanking Spock's head back sharply. Spock responded by gripping Jim's wrist to the point it left a bruise, forcing Jim to let go. Jim tried to pull away, but doing so only caused their semi hard erections to brush against each other.

The action snapped Spock out of it, and he shoved Jim off his lap and onto the floor. Kirk hissed as he hit the back of his head against a chair on the same spot as his previous injury. When Jim looked backed up at Spock, the Vulcan seemed stunned, unsure of what to make of what just happened. Jim licked the blood off his lips and smirked when he caught Spock's eyes watching the movement. "Feeling better?"

The Vulcan took a deep breath, closing his eyes in an attempt to regain his senses. "Get out."

Jim huffed, but stood up anyway. "Don't know why you're pissed," he muttered. "I was the one assaulted."

Spock wouldn't look at Jim. He waited for him to leave his quarters, each second feeling like an eternity even though he knew realistically it was not possible. Even as the door closed, he could only wonder in stunned silence about what the hell he just did.

The next day, Jim received news that he had the day off. He would laugh if the situation wasn't so pathetic. He was the one who should have been angry. He was the one who was suddenly attacked by a horny Vulcan, and yet Spock was the one running away. He was also frustrated. Both sexually and emotionally. He had no idea what made him react to Spock like that. The only conclusion he could come up with was that he was in a desperate need to get laid. After a heady dream of that moment over and over again during the night, he had to assume that was the case. He could have gone through life without knowing what it felt like to have someone so strong pin him down and handle his body so easily . He liked women dammit.

So that's how he found himself wandering the halls the next morning, searching for a potential partner. Ideally, it would have been easier to find one at the starbase since no one would have known who he was. Finding a woman on the ship was much harder. Especially with everyone avoiding him. He supposed being a slave and being Spock's bodyguard was working heavily against him. He saw a few women who caught his eye, a young blond nurse by the name of Chapel, the long haired, dark skin beauty he had met in the gym, a weapon's specialist named Marcus, and a yeoman named Rand. Two of them were already out. One was aiming for Spock who he rather not think about and the other was plain bat shit crazy. That and McCoy would be pissed if he slept with one of his nurses, and the doctor could be downright scary when he wanted to be.

He passed one of the rec rooms, hearing the excited chatter of the security officers. Bets were going around about how long it would take to hunt Sovik. The common bet was between 9 to 12 hours. The hunt would start three hours before sundown. Sovik would get a half hour head start. Jim hovered long enough to get an idea of who would be joining the hunt and what other bets were going. There was a bet on how many Sovik would take out before his death. While the average bet was five, Jim was thinking about double the amount. If it was Serik, he would have even said close to twenty. Sovik may be strong and fairly smart, but he had nothing on his brother in hand to hand combat. It may have been a different story if he had access to weapons. Jim could appreciate Sovik's skill with a phaser pistol or rifle. Even his handiwork with a sword was impressive. But the chances of Sovik managing to get hold of a decent weapon early on would be doubtful. Sovik would die just as Jim described the night before.

"Here to place a bet?" A man, probably in his mid-thirties, spoke from behind him. He had curly brown hair and an average physique. Nothing really stood out when you looked at him, but Jim recognized him none the less.

"Not really, just seeing what the odds are." He leaned against the wall, watching the others grow more and more rowdy. "So what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be guarding Chris?"

The man frowned. "The captain is entertaining company."

Jim chuckled. "Chris never changes. Can't keep his dick in his pants. Must be hard working for that type of guy."

"You wouldn't believe it. Probably not as hard as you though."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Inconvenient now, but still and improvement. What do you get working for that douchebag?"

Farrell looked around, ensuring no one was listening to their conversation. "Between you and me, I hate working for him. He doesn't pay well, and I swear he intentionally pisses of everyone who hates him. I honestly wouldn't be able to tell you why I don't take a better offer."

"Like rank." The way Jim said it made Farrell pause, the sudden seriousness throwing him for a loop.

"Yeah," he said uncertainly. "But he's the captain, so he's the safest bet to secure your position, so I put up with it."

"Well, Mr. Farrell, I'll let you know if a better job opens up for you."

The man laughed. "Sure, if you can find one, I'm up for it."

A woman entered, drawing Kirk's attention. She had smooth pale skin and dark hair that stopped at her shoulders. Her uniform showed off her abs nice nicely and the way she held herself was full of confidence and attitude.

Farrell caught his staring and shook his head. "Forget about it. She's the captain's woman. She'd never sleep with you unless she thinks she'll get something out of it."

"Well, never know unless you try," with that he went to go try his luck.

It took a lot of work, but Spock managed to get permission from Pike to see Sovik. He was however unable to allow Serik the same opportunity. The younger twin held his disappointment well before saying it was better that way. Serik was wrung out with worry and anger, but he said not a word and kept working as if he wasn't bothered. Spock felt guilty that he could not give him a chance to do what he himself had to do in his place.

The guards parted and let him into the brig where Sovik sat on the small bench in meditation. "Leave us," Spock ordered. The guards did not move. Spock felt frustration at having his orders ignored until Sovik called out to him. "Commander, you did not have to come."

"As your nu'ri trensu and your superior, it is my duty."

Sovik opened his eyes, looking ahead of him. "I apologize. My temper has inconvenienced you yet again."

"You were merely protecting me as you have always done for 25 years. It was just unfortunate that it was against the captain."

Sovik looked at him, his eyes calmer than Spock had seen for the longest time. "And what is to be my fate?"

"A hunt. The captain seems quite set on humiliating you as he cannot get to me in the same manner without raising the attention of New Vulcan."

Sovik nodded. "Then you are here for my katra."

Spock nodded. "Yes. Serik would have been the more logical choice…."

"It is preferable. I recall my brother telling me on 649 occasions that my lack of control would be the cause of my demise over my lifetime. Now I may avoid him giving me the speech one last time."

Spock's lips twitched. He opened the hole in the force field with a device and put his hand through it. Sovik obediently brought his face to Spock's hand, allowing him to place his fingers on his psi points. Silently, Spock retrieved Sovik's katra. He felt the warm essence of Sovik's katra enter his mind, felt his sadness, his happiness, and his regret.

When he pulled his hand away, Sovik smiled at him. "You have grown much nu'ri trensu. Your father would have been very proud of what you have become. My only regrets is that I cannot stay with you and that I was unable to teach you proper control. I am not proficient in the Vulcan way. I fear that I left too much of that responsibility to Serik."

"You and Serik are my sa-mekh," Spock whispered. "You have taught me much more important things over my lifetime and have performed admirably."

Relief washed over Sovik's face. "I am most honored for you to regard me with so much praise. Then I should say, live long and prosper, Spock."

Spock couldn't reply, he merely bowed his head, afraid that he would not be able to maintain his indifference if he were to speak. Sovik seemed to understand which made it all the more difficult to leave. Spock walked swiftly out of the brig, intending to pass Sovik's katra to Serik. He should be able to do something. Why did he not have power to do something? He clenched his fists. Because he could not give up his position. He needed this position, and no matter how valuable Sovik was, he could not give it up for one Vulcan. Even understanding that, he could not help but recall Kirk's words the previous night. Did it make him a coward to turn the other cheek? Did it make him weak? After this, he was starting to consider it.

The observation deck was a great place to read. Rarely, did anyone interrupt him. Occasionally, lovers would come for a quick fuck, but once spotting him, would leave. The large window showing the rushing stars almost made him feel free. Reading at his leisure, an allowance to use at his own will, never worrying about food and housing, it was almost a dream. These were things he never thought he could actually obtain. Jim closed the book in his lap to stare at the rushing stars. Space really suited him. It was cold and merciless, yet breath takenly beautiful.

"So this is where you were."

Jim glanced over at the intruder, throwing him a glare. "You know, I came here because I wanted to be alone."

"No such thing as being alone on this ship," Sulu stopped a meter away, taking in the view as well. "I came to ask if you thought over my proposal."

"Not at all," he answered without hesitation.

A frown tugged at the corner of his lips, but tried to keep a pleasant smile. "I don't really get why not. Given what's happening with your master, I'd think now would be a perfect time to consider partnering up."

Kirk closed his book. "If you weren't such a conniving bastard, I might actually consider it, but since you are, I think I'm better off on my own."

Sulu smile took a feral turn. "You really think Pike won't come for you? He obviously hates your guts. So does 99% of everyone on this ship. It's only a matter of time before someone comes to get rid of you."

"Do you think I care?" Kirk's own voice turned deadly. "You think I'm afraid of anyone on this ship? I've been in hell, I've faced down people a lot sneakier and stronger than you dumbshits." He gracefully stood up from his seat, moving towards Sulu like a predator. "If you want to threaten me, make sure you can actually kill me. Otherwise, you'll find yourself at the end of your own threat."

Sulu sized him up. "Maybe I went about this the wrong way," he said slowly. "If threats and asking nicely doesn't work, then maybe I should go for something that interests you. Information on your brother perhaps?"

It was just a hint, but Sulu caught the interest in Jim's eyes. "The bastard is probably dead."

"The maybe something more informative? You're mother's death records perhaps?"

Jim's eyes narrowed. "How would you have something like that?"

"I'm the Security Chief now. I have access to a lot of things."

Jim smiled bitterly. "A position Chris gave you. Which makes me wonder what you had to do to get it at your age and why you're turning on the person who gave it to you."

"Maybe he screwed me over."

"Or maybe you're ambitious and impatient. If I remember correctly, you're third in command now. If Chris and Spock dies, you become the new captain," Jim challenged.

"Not captain. I'm not an idiot. The captaincy is dangerous. You live longer as the second officer, and you almost have just as much power. That is enough for now."

"Sounds like something Spock would say," he leaned back, clicking his tongue as he thought. "This isn't a partnership," he finally said. "You're going to use me, so I'm going to use you. I'll do things my own way, but I'm not following orders. Got it?"

Sulu gave a partial shrug. "It's better than nothing." He extended his hand.

"Also, I'm not getting into your schemes against Spock."

With a polite business smile Jim didn't trust, Sulu said readily, "Even if it's you not interfering, I'll still take it."

"Fine." Jim still didn't shake his hand. He knew Sulu would turn on him in a heartbeat. He was a slave, so Sulu wouldn't hesitate to kill him when he was done using him, but Sulu would learn that he wasn't so easy to use.

Taking the turbolift, he went to deck five and down the hall. There was no doubt there was a group of security guards watching the hunt on screen in one of the small rec rooms. Normally the room was used for poker, but since there was a rare execution event, they had the screen on to watch. As he suspected, Farrell was still there. There was still an hour before the guard's schedule shift. Subtly, he gained the man's attention. Farrell looked between him and the screen and slowly extracted himself from the tight group, sucking in his stomach to squeeze past people. "What's going on?" he asked. Assuming Jim was there on Spock's orders.

"I think I know someone who can help you with your problem."

Jim checked the stats on the hunt. It was in hour five now, and Sovik managed to kill five guards and gain a phaser as a weapon. The phasers held little juice for that specific reason. Sovik wouldn't be able to use it for long, and given the rather low temperature on the planet, Sovik would more likely use the phaser to for heat just to keep himself alive. It was a losing battle really. Either the officers hunt him down and kill him or after the 24 hour mark, the Enterprise will lock phasers and aim at his position killing him with a wide beam so he can't escape. Of course there was always a chance of survival as long as he put up a fight, but chances were slim.

He entered deck five and walked to the captain's quarters, nodding at Farrell who stepped aside. Jim thanked him. Not surprisingly, Chris had a woman on his lap, making out with her on his desk. The scene was a bit too similar for comfort so he knocked off what looked like a priceless, fragile antique off the shelf, letting it shatter upon impact. The woman, who Jim had found out earlier was named Marlena, jumped, covering her breasts with her hands, while Pike sent him a dark glare for interrupting.

"How'd you get in here," he demanded, already grabbing for his phaser.

"Chill out Chris, I just wanted to talk to you." He lifted his arms and turned around in a circle. "They even checked me for weapons before I came in."

"Marlena, why don't you come back in ten minutes while I deal with this child?" Pike didn't take his eyes off him, and Jim didn't take his eyes off him either. Marlena huffed, grabbing her shirt as she left, going into the attached bathroom. "So what do you want?"

"What do I want?" he asked, walking around the room, touching all the different trinkets. "Well, that's a good question. I want a lot from you Chris, but it's not like you'll oblige."

"Then why are you here?"

"To warn you." Jim stopped by the edge of the desk. "Sulu is planning to kill you. He's quite ambitious."

"The fucking traitor," Pike was grinding his teeth. "Should have known he was looking to move up." He looked at Kirk with skepticism. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I want a favor."

"This should be good," Pike leaned back.

"Find a way to get the nanos Spock had injected into me out."

Pike seemed to think it over considering the value of what Jim had given him for the request he was asking. "I'll consider it. But no guarantees," he finally said. He turned just slightly to reach for his communicator, his hand coming off the phaser for a fraction of a second to reach.

Jim made his move. He lurched forward with a sharp triangular Starfleet medal in his hand he had grabbed off the shelf, jamming it into Pike's chest. Pike pushed him off, but the damage was done. The medal was protruding out of the center of his chest. Jim threw the phaser out of Pike's reach when he tried to grab for it. Pike tried to intercept it, but ended up falling forward and off the desk, wheezing for air. "You really are an idiot Pike." Jim said with condescension lacing his tone. "You actually believed I would ever ask you for anything?" He reached down and pulled the knife off Pike's belt. The elder man was too weak to stop him, using all his strength to try to sit up.

Kirk kicked him onto his back. "Sorry, did I puncture your lung?" He asked, when all Pike could do was wheeze. "I didn't mean to do anything quite so fatal. At least not right away." He squatted next to him. "I didn't want to let you die so easily. Not after what you did to her," Jim sneered. He pressed the knife to Pike's throat and slowly dragged it across, cutting into his jugular and spraying blood everywhere. "But we all can't have what we want now can we?" He made sure to cut deep enough until the spinal cord was clearly visible.

"Mr. Farrell," he called loudly, watching last of Pike's life slip away. "You can get Mr. Spock now." He waited until Pike was dead before standing up. It was around that time that Marlena came out of the fresher due to the noise. She let out a small scream at the sight of him but made no attempts to run due to him being too close to the door and still armed.

A few minutes later, Spock came rushing through the door, two guards and Farrell behind him. Spock stopped at the entrance shocked at the sight of Jim. The human just turned to him, face perfectly black and his eyes dead but clear. His entire front was splattered with blood with no attempts to wipe it off his face. The look was the perfect image of a killer, not phased at all by what he did. It became even eerier when the blond cracked a smile at them. "That took you two minutes longer than I thought it would," he commented casually.

Spock eyes drifted to the body. Spock didn't even have to check to see if Pike was dead. It was fairly obvious. "Put down your weapon, Mr. Kirk."

Jim dropped the bloodied knife, raising his hands and still as relaxed as ever. "What's wrong Captain Spock? Isn't assassination common on starships?"

"It is; however, they are rarely so brutal. Mr. Farrell, restrain Mr. Kirk."

"Yes sir," Farrell went to handcuff Kirk, and Kirk just laughed.

"Should you really be wasting your time with me Spock?" he asked, but held out his hands to allow Farrell to cuff him. "You're captain now, and it's only hour five." Jim watched as realization dawned on Spock. "If you hurry, you might just make it. After all, there should be nothing holding you back right?"

Farrell escorted Jim passed Spock, gaining several gasps from crewmembers once he entered the hallway. Spock took in the permanent shock and horror etched on the captain's still face. Spock had speculated it was only a matter of time before someone tried to assassinate Pike, and Spock felt no anger or sympathy for him, but his death would cause him trouble. "Clean this mess up," he ordered one of the other guards before turning to leave. He had a hunt to watch over after all.

Sa-mehk- Father

Sorry for a sucky make out scene.

Review minions. Pretty please.