"Archer to Enterprise, beam McCoy and Marcus back, emergency protocol Echo 6-2."
The orders were followed immediately and neither doctor had time to argue as they disappeared in a beam of golden light. She knew the emergency protocol would be followed without question as it was drilled into every member of Starfleet from day one of the academy. She needed them safe and out of the way so she could focus on the next galaxy sized can of worms they just opened.
"Kirk to Archer, what the hell are you doing?"
Charlie moved around the torpedo scanning both the explosive device and the cryo tube hidden within, she was going to damn sure neither of them posed a threat before she would allow it back on the Enterprise.
"I apologize Captain, but this just turned into a classified matter and I need to make sure neither device will malfunction and pose a threat to the ship or the crew."
She hoped Kirk would understand that when she meant classified it meant Section 31 and the rest of the crew was not authorized to know.
"You have 5 minutes Commander and owe me one hell of an explanation."
"Confirmed, Archer out."
The torpedo seemed to be disarmed for the time being but she wouldn't put it past Khan to have a failsafe if the main control panel was compromised. She removed two more panels before she finally found what she was looking for. The second 'brain' for lack of a better word that was significantly less sophisticated than its counterpart but made the device no less devastating and if her calculations were correct, as they always were, just one of the torpedoes could level ten city blocks or make a very large hole in a space ship.
"Clever bastard." She mumbled under her breath as it took her two of her remaining four minutes to disarm the second 'brain', finally rendering the device inert.
Once she was sure there was no more chance of exploding surprises she focused on the cryo tube. First scanning to make sure it was still fully operational, which it was, and she thanked whatever gods that were listening. Meaning the man currently playing a very convincing role of a human popsicle was not in any way in danger of dying aka bringing the unimaginable wrath of Khan down upon them and/or waking up aka killing everyone in sight, busting Khan out of the brig, commandeering the ship, waking the rest of their crew, and conquering the known universe.
She cursed herself for not seeing it sooner, both Khan and Admiral Marcus had an unnatural fascination with torpedoes. Marcus for their potential destructive power and Khan for his obviously brilliant but twisted plan of smuggling his people to safety. And here she thought her day couldn't get any worst, because basically the Enterprise and her crew was fucked either way.
"Enterprise to Archer."
She took a deep breath and re-centered her racing thoughts before she answered, "Archer here, we are in the clear Captain. Suggest you remove all unnecessary personnel and beam the device directly to sickbay."
"Understood, standby for transport."
Charlie watched as the device disappeared and moved to pack up the two crates that remained.
"Enterprise to Archer, transport complete. Return to the ship and report directly to sickbay, Enterprise out."
Charlie moved quickly loading the crates and taking off in record time. She wouldn't put it past Carol or any of the Enterprise crew to start to tinker with something that they shouldn't. Sometimes she cursed the deep seeded curiosity that all Starfleet personnel seemed to possess, it would get a far too many of them killed one day.
She made her way to sickbay passing the two armed guards at its entrance, Kirk and Spock stood observing as Carol removed the tail end of the torpedo so McCoy could get to the cryo tube to run scans.
"… clever actually… this fuel container's been removed from the torpedo and retrofitted to hide this cryo tube."
Kirk and Spock moved to get a better look.
"Is he alive?" Kirk asked.
"He's alive… but if we try to revive him without the proper sequencing… could kill him. This technology is beyond me."
"How advanced Doctor?"
"Not advanced Commander, ancient. And under no circumstances are you or anyone on the Enterprise to revive and/ or open said ancient cryo tube." Charlie informed the four officers as she made her presence known. It was very clearly a command and one she expected to be followed.
"Commander."
The one word from the Captain and the others knew not to interfere, Commander Archer owed them an explanation.
"Captain, upon taking this mission, Admiral Marcus revealed to you and Commander Spock that there is a black ops division of Starfleet that runs in conjunction with the rest of the fleet. Most of Starfleet, hell most of the Federation doesn't not know we exist or that we shape the very present and future while they live their lives and explore to their hearts content. And if it weren't for Marcus' arrogance and war-mongering you and the Enterprise would never have known of our existence either, and that would have been a blessing. Captain, you and your crew are right in the middle of what will most likely shape the Federation and the Alpha quadrant for foreseeable future. This man and the rest of those like him pose a greater threat than even Nero ever could, and I need your word as a Starfleet officer and a citizen of the Federation that neither you nor any of your crew will not open, revive, or tamper with this and any of the cryo tubes."
She felt the weight of Kirk's stare as he seemed to study her trying to discern the truth and if she was leading him astray but she wouldn't and couldn't back down. This was a cross roads and his decision would shape the outcome of who lived and died.
"Forgive me, Commander, but how can a 300 year old frozen man pose that much of a threat to basically the known universe and we are just hearing about it now?"
"Because Doctor McCoy, until Marcus got greedy we had the situation contained."
No one spoke for a moment and Charlie half expected Kirk to order her arrest and she would spend the rest of the mission becoming acquainted with the inside of a cell.
"Harrison." With that one name she could tell Kirk was beginning to understand what he had actually volunteered his ship and crew for. He didn't even wait for her confirmation before he turned to confront the man holding all of the answers, however twisted they maybe.
"Kirk," she called making him pause, though he didn't turn to face her, "How closely did you look into his file? You have a right to answers, and I would give them to you if I could, but my directives stand. Just be careful and know there is three sides to every story."
She followed Kirk and Spock toward the brig, knowing that she had just compromised any and all trust the commanding officers had for her and if the look she received from Carol was any indication she was no longer trusted by the only person on the ship she considered a friend.
She watched from the doorway as Khan calmly watched Kirk and Spock rush over to him. His eyes found hers and she watched him tilt his head ever so slightly as if analyzing her reaction to what he knew she had discovered in the torpedoes. She stood tall with her chin up, showing no emotion or any indication of how the discovery had affected her or her relationship with the Enterprise crew. She reflected back and she have realized he knew his little challenge to open the torpedo would compromise her and the trust the Enterprise crew had for her, forcing her to reveal classified information and cause distrust and doubt to grow.
"Why is there a man in that torpedo?"
His focus shifted to Kirk when the Captain demanded answers and again he seemed to study Kirk.
"There are men and women in all those torpedoes, Captain. I put them there."
Spock and Kirk shared a look.
"Who the hell are you?"
Khan looked at her again, following her movements as she moved to stand in front of the glass, between Spock and Kirk. She wished she could rewrite history and never have these three men meet but they had contained the monster sitting in front of them and now she needed him to spill all his dark and dirty secrets to convince the one Captain with any chance of accomplishing the goal to risk his ship and crew to bring down the hidden monster pulling their strings and using them to start a war that would devastate the quadrant.
"A remnant of a time long passed, genetically engineered to be superior as so to lead others to peace in a world at war. But we were condemned as criminals, forced into exile, for centuries we slept… hoping when we awoke things would be different," he paused and turned to face Spock. "But as a result of the destruction of Vulcan, your Starfleet began to aggressively search distant quadrants of space… my ship was found adrift…. I alone was revived."
"I looked up John Harrison…until a year ago he didn't exist…"
She watched as just the mention of his false name caused Khan to grow angry.
"John Harrison was a fiction created the moment I was awoken by your Admiral Marcus to help him advance his cause. A smoke screen to conceal my true identity….my name is Khan."
Khan and Kirk just stared at each other sizing each other up.
"Why would a Starfleet admiral ask a 300 year old frozen man for help?"
"Because I am better."
"At what."
Khan turned to look Charlie directly in the eyes as he answered, "Everything."
"Alexander Marcus needed to respond to an uncivilized threat in a civilized time. For that he needed a warrior's mind…. My mind. To design weapons and war ships."
Charlie watched as Khan's words truly began to sink in and both Kirk and Spock beginning to realize the significance of what he was revealing to them and what it would be for everyone.
"You are suggesting the Admiral violated every regulation he vowed to uphold, simply because he wanted to exploit your intellect." Spock questioned.
"He wanted to exploit my savagery…intellect alone is useless in a fight, Mr. Spock. You… you can't even break a rule … how could you be expected to break bone. Marcus used me to design… to help him realize his vision of a militarized Starfleet. He sent you to use those weapons… to fire my torpedoes on an unsuspecting planet…. And then he purposely crippled your ship in enemy space … leading to one inevitable outcome. The Klingons would come searching for whom so ever was responsible and you would have no chance of escape. Marcus would finally have the war he talked about…. The war he always wanted."
Charlie didn't need to look as Kirk to see him struggling to accept what Khan was telling him. She didn't envy his position or the doubt and turmoil his entire foundation was just thrown into.
"No… no… I watched you open fire in a room full of unarmed Starfleet officers…. You killed them in cold blood…"
"Marcus took my crew from me…" Khan revealed as he turned his back on them.
"You are a murderer!"
"…he used my friends to control me….I tried to smuggle them to safety by concealing them in the very weapons I had designed…but I was discovered. I had no choice but to escape alone and when I did … I had every reason to believe to suspect that Marcus had killed every single one of the people I hold most dear. So I responded in kind."
When Khan turned to face them, Charlie was surprised to see the raw emotion on his face.
"My crew is my family, Kirk. Is there anything you would not do for your family?"
They stood in silence, Kirk and Spock taking in what had just been revealed to them and Khan and Charlie allowing the weight of the truth that they had carried so long to be lessened slightly. They were interrupted by a Sulu announcing a proximity alert.
"Klingons?"
"At warp? No, Kirk we both know who it is."
"I don't think so …. Its not coming at us from Qo'nos (Kronos)." Sulu informed them.
Kirk didn't pause and Spock followed as they ran toward the bridge, Kirk calling out orders to have Khan moved to sickbay and guards posted as he ran.
"Eighty percent as of 6 weeks ago."
Khan told her was he was led out of the brig under heavy guard.
Charlie wasted no time in making her way toward the bridge, Khan having confirmed her worst fears of what was about to bare down upon the Enterprise.
HELLO?! anyone out there... Hi again everyone... its been a while ... been a bit busy but never fear I eventually make it back to my stories... I have a confession to make I had been stuck on how to move forward with this but after re-reading and reviewing my outline for this story I am hoping we will not have any more long delays. (don't make me swear to it though... life has a tendency to come up and turn my life around 180 faster than I can adapt sometimes. )
For those of you who have stuck with me... huge huge thank you... for those who are new... welcome and please let me know what you think about my little adventure.
Star Trek and its worlds belong to there owners... I make no money from this and only own Charlie.