Chapter Ten

"Damn it, where is he?"

Kirk paced around his new mink lined prison in agitation. It had been several hours and there still wasn't any word on McCoy. Shahna stepped up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Kirk stopped his pacing long enough to untangle himself from her. Keeping her wandering hands captive he turned around to face her.

"What are you doing?" Kirk demanded.

"You seem tense, as your caretaker it my job to relax you."

"Do I dare ask what you mean by that?"

"My Provider has given me permission to mate with you if you ask. I am inexperience at..."

"Stop right there." Kirk took a step back. "As beautiful as you are, this really isn't the time or the place for that."

"I do not understand. This is the perfect place, there are soft beds here. As for the time, you do not appear to have anything better to do with your time. Pacing back and forth is not productive."

"Shahna, one of my friends is missing, the other is slowly being driven insane..."

"I have already told you not to worry about the others, they are not going to survive long. You need to think of yourself."

"You don't even understand the concepts of friendship and loyalty, do you?" Kirk snarled.

"I am loyal to my Provider."

"No, you're afraid of your Provider." Kirk corrected. "There's a big difference."

"There is no sense in being loyal to anyone else here, you never know when you'll be asked to fight them."

"I guess you have a point there." Kirk sighed.

Sensing his depression Shahna stepped in closer and nuzzled under his jaw. Kirk took a deep breath of her intoxicating scent and relaxed slightly. Becoming bolder she gently kissed his throat. However when she went to open the robe that he was wearing he had to stop her and step away once again. Kirk dragged his hands through his hair and growled in frustration.

"Do you not find me pleasing?" Shahna asked hurt.

"Trust me, I find you extremely pleasing. Any other time..." Kirk shook his head to stop the thought. "Shahna, if you want to help me relax go and find Dr. McCoy for me, bring him back here if you can."

"Very well." Shahna sighed in disappointment.

"Shahna, I am sorry...you are beautiful."

"I don't know that that means."

Before Kirk could explain Shahna turned and left. The bars slid open for her and she disappeared into the hall. Kirk spent a moment of indecision on if he should follow her in search or McCoy or stay in case Spock woke up. The decision was made for him when he heard Spock moan in pain. Turning towards the sound Kirk stepped into the bedroom that he'd left Spock in.

Laying on his back Spock was struggling to breath. Thrashing in the grip of a nightmare he has his teeth bared as they audibly ground together. Spock had gripped the sheets tightly enough to tear them. Kirk hated to admit it, but he was afraid to get close enough to physically wake his friend.

"Spock." Kirk called softly. "Wake up."

Gasping violently Spock jerked awake. Arching his back he screamed in a terrifying alien voice. Kirk rarely heard Spock hit the discordant notes that only his Vulcan half could produce. Stepping up to the edge of the bed he put his hand on Spock chest and pushed down to get him to lay still.

It took Spock a moment to settle, but he was able to relax under Kirk's hand. He flashed Kirk a pained expression before looking away and closing his eyes. Kirk waited patiently while Spock fought to calm his racing heart. Eventually he was able to take slow deep breaths, but he was still shaking slightly.

"Spock? Are you okay?"

"No." Spock answered honestly.

"I take it that the worst of your pain isn't physical."

"It is not." Spock sighed. "I am in increasing danger of having my emotions taking complete control of me."

"You're stronger than that, Spock."

"I wish that was true."

Kirk wasn't sure what to say next, he wasn't used to his stoic friend looking close to tears. Spock slowly sat up and crossed his legs in a lotus style. With his back ramrod straight he placed his hands on his knees and took a few more deliberate deep breaths. Kirk joined him up on the bed and cross his own legs in more of an indian style. Facing Spock he tried not to do anything that would disturb the Vulcan's meditation.

"Captain, what do you know of Vulcan history?"

"Very little." Kirk admitted. "I know that it was bloody."

"Sadly the destruction of Vulcan is not the first time the Vulcan species has faced extinction. Before the teachings of Surak war, and emotion driven violence was tearing Vulcan apart. We very nearly destroyed ourselves."

"But you've evolved beyond that."

"It remains in our blood. Now that it has been woken in me once again I am finding it increasingly difficult to control. I fear that any slight emotional trigger at this moment in time will lead to another violent loss of control. I realize that last time I was attempting to defend you, next time you may not be so lucky."

"Spock, you're not going to kill me."

"I will come to a point where I will kill anything that moves."

"No, I don't believe that."

"Believe it. I am ashamed to admit this...but I found battling and ultimately killing Kang to be deeply satisfying. The emotion alarms me now that the event is over, but I cannot deny how I felt at the time."

"We don't even know he's dead yet."

"Dr. McCoy will be unable to save him, I struck him through the liver knowing full well that it would be a slow painful slide towards death."

"Spock," Kirk said in horror "that doesn't sound like you."

"It is not me, and yet it was me. It is terrifying to be ruled by emotion."

Spock fell silent and seemed to be concentrating on his meditation once more. Kirk closed his eyes as well and tried to think of a way out of their current situation. The trouble with escape was that he knew there was no where to go. Unless the Enterprise somehow found them there was probably no other way off the planet. Reasoning with the Providers did not seem to be an option.

"Jim...I must ask a favor of you."

"Anything."

"I cannot win against my growing anger towards our merciless captors. I have noticed in the past that you are exceptionally skilled at releasing your anger so that it does not become internally destructive. Your capacity for forgiveness is also remarkable. Despite the fact that Nero murdered your father you were still willing to spare his life even when I was not."

"I never actually thought he'd take me up on that offer."

"But you would have honored your promise if he had."

"Maybe." Kirk shrugged. "I'm not sure I can teach you how to release your anger, Spock. I would suggest punching a wall or something..."

"Physical aggression would only worsen my condition."

"Then how can I help?" Kirk asked.

"Through a mind meld I may be able to transfer some of this new emotionalism to you in hopes that you are better capable of coping with it."

"Alright, let's do it."

"Do you wish to hear the risk before you agree?"

"Not really."

Spock hesitated to reach out and touch Kirk. Giving him a reassuring smile Kirk tried to look more confident about the meld than he was. He had only experienced this one other time with Spock's alternate timeline self. The level of emotion that Spock had been controlling at the time was nearly enough to crush Kirk's heart when he'd shared a part of it.

Eventually Spock made the connection and Kirk gasped violently as he was thrown into Spock's mind. The power of Spock's anger did not surprise him, what took him off guard was how deeply humiliated he had been to have been forced to kneel in the sand while Kang tormented him.

When Spock pulled away he left a part of his rage with Kirk and for a moment it over took his senses. Kirk snapped his eyes open and launched himself at Spock with a cry of unbridled fury. With murderous intent he tried to get his hands around Spock's throat. Spock calmly reached up and captured Kirk's wrists to hold him at bay. Kirk roared incoherently.

Spock did nothing to try and calm Kirk. After a few minutes of battling against Spock's hold on him Kirk began to remember what was happening. Recalling that Spock was a friend and not a foe he relaxed. Spock released him and looked at him expectantly.

"I can see why you're afraid of your rage, Spock." Kirk admitted. "It is a little overwhelming. Do you feel any better?"

"I am in control of myself once again. Thank you."

"Anytime." Kirk forced a smile. "How long do you think it will last?"

"I do not know. The combination of the pain from the collar and the physical exertion of the matches make emotional control more difficult. Perhaps if I was full Vulcan..."

"I have a feeling that if you were fully Vulcan you'd be dead by this point." Kirk interrupted. "The illogic of this place is enough to drive any Vulcan to madness in seconds."

"Very true."

Kirk was a little surprised that Spock was so quick to agree with him. Spock looked weary to the bone so Kirk suggested that he try and get some more sleep. It was alarming how much sleep Spock suddenly needed, but it was understandable. Too tired to protest Spock laid down and with in seconds he was asleep. Kirk hung around for a while to make sure that his friend wasn't simply going to be plagued by nightmares again. However, it seemed that Spock was sleeping peacefully.

Curious to see if the electrical weapons had left any damage Kirk pulled open Spock's robe at the neck. There was a bright green mark on Spock's shoulder from one of the places where Kang had touched him with the cruel weapon. Sighing heavily Kirk got to his feet and went back out into the main living quarters.

Shahna arrived a few minutes later, but she was alone. Kirk rushed over to her for news, but instantly knew that it wasn't good. Shahna just shrugged her shoulders and gave him a look of pity.

"Shahna, where's McCoy?"

"He was unable to save Kang, and lost his Provider a great deal of money."

"Where is he?" Kirk repeated.

"He's being held in the lower levels."

"We have to get him back, we have to bring him up here."

"It is too late for that."

"Too late? Why too late?"

"He has already been marked as 'bait' for the next match with the Vulcan."