Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. (Under any circumstances) own Star Trek...though it is a dream.
McCoy sat up in a jolt looking around the cavern, "Ivory," he stopped short as images of hours ago filled his head, "No." He got to his feet grabbing his coat; he pulled it on jumping over Sikari and Chekov, stepping on the smoldering fire and maneuvering around Kirk and Scotty. He followed the twisted passage until he was standing in the blowing wind he looked in every direction and shouted, but his voice didn't carry far in the dark night. He cursed and ran back inside, he stopped next to Scotty and dropped down shaking the man's shoulders, "Wake up, damn it."
Scotty stirred awake and blinked at McCoy, "What do you want?"
"Scotty," McCoy stared at him his eyes deepening in pain; "It's Ivory, she's gone."
Scotty's eyes widened, but then filled with anger he jumped at McCoy pinning him as he straddled his hips and held his wrists firm against the ground, "What the hell did you do?"
Scotty's roar of anger woke the others, but it took a moment for them to register what was going on.
"I didn't do anything!" McCoy snapped, but his anger numbed as Scotty pulled a phaser from his holster pointing it at McCoy.
"Start talking Doctor," Scotty growled.
"We were talking around the corner and she started to cry," he paused inhaling deeply realizing that was a bad spot to pause at, "wait! She started crying and told me it was her fault this was happening!"
"Scotty, put the phaser down," Kirk reached out towards Scotty, but the man didn't move.
"Where the hell is my sister, McCoy!" Scotty didn't move the weapon as he waited for him to continue.
"I don't know! I tried to tell her it wasn't her fault and that she did nothing wrong, but she told me she did! I said that there wasn't a thing she did that could've caused any of this and she said by boarding the Enterprise she did! She then proceeded to tell me that she wouldn't let any of us die for something she did! She pulled a phaser from her coat and said that she never lied to me and to remember that when we went looking for her life. After that I didn't have time to respond she shot me with a stun shot knocking me unconscious."
Scotty turned the phaser hitting it against McCoy's jaw before jumping up and bolting from the cave.
"Scotty!" Kirk shouted after him, but it was no use, "Sulu get him back in here."
"Yes, Captain," Sulu left the area chasing after the engineer.
McCoy rolled onto his shoulder and carefully pushed himself off the ground, "I'm getting too fucking old for this shit."
"Bones," he looked over at Kirk, "how long do you think you've been out?"
"Well the phaser was on a low stun, so I'd say about two hours or so," McCoy got to his feet and rubbed at his jaw, "I'm going to go look for her."
"I won't allow it," Kirk stood as well.
"You bet your ass you will," Scotty stopped at the mouth of the cavern and glared at Kirk, "There's no way in hell she can survive in this weather alone."
"It's suicide to go out at night!" Kirk shouted.
"I don't care!" Scotty reached down grabbing his coat slipping it on, "I won't let her go back to that man!"
"Wait," Kirk put a hand out, "what do you know about them?"
Scotty finished pulling his coat over his shoulders and stared at Kirk, "I know that Reich is a sadistic bastard that brainwashed her."
"What?" Kirk stared at him.
"I made Ivory sit down and tell me what happened," Scotty pulled gloves out of his pockets, "She told me that after the explosion Starfleet personnel showed up taking any survivors that could walk. They were brought to a different shuttle that took them to the Karzer; aboard the ship Reich killed them all except for her…he was interested in her. He had her placed in a self-induced coma that lasted for almost two months; I assume in that time span she had Sikari. When she woke up Reich told her that he could help her and no one else could. He placed her into private classes and pulled strings till she was a Commander, he kept her locked up tight so that nobody knew she was alive. After a year she noticed that Reich had taken an interest in her that she could not return. He wouldn't have that. A few months later he tried to move in on her and she said she was engaged to be married, but Reich told her that her fiancé didn't want her and if she loved him she'd stay on the ship and do as he said or the man she was in love with would die," Scotty looked over at Spock, the Vulcan leaned against the wall and covered his mouth. Scotty continued, "Jim…Reich did things to her that she can never forget and he made her do things she can never take back. The reason she got aboard the Enterprise was because she escaped when they had docked for repairs. She made up some ridiculous story that practically got her kicked off the ship by Starfleet. No one knew about it until now. Ivory has been damaged beyond repair and I have a feeling he still has a leash on her, that he caught up to her before she boarded the shuttle to the Enterprise and threatened her with something real worthy to her. Someone had to have helped her though."
"The Changeling," Kirk trailed off.
"It worked for Reich," Chekov piped in jumping to his feet, "Reich made it tell Mr. Scott not to check the core!"
"Then that can only mean one thing," Sulu looked at Scotty, "Ivory's the reason behind the ship's problems."
Scotty looked down, "I know…actually I've known for some time now…I just couldn't tell anyone."
Kirk shook his head, "It's okay Scotty…I wouldn't have either."
"She's been leading us on this whole time," Uhura said getting their attention, "She didn't care about us…"
"That's not true," Spock looked at them, "Right before we left the ship I-I performed a mind meld on her."
"You knew too," Kirk's features began to darken.
"Yes, but I was unaware that she had planned on leaving us, from what I gathered…she cared greatly about all of us," Spock's eyes drifted towards McCoy, "Especially you, Doctor."
"That doesn't change the fact she lied to us!" Uhura snapped.
"She lied yes," Spock admitted, "But only when she saw necessary. She only lied about not knowing who had damaged the core everything else was true."
"She left to protect us, Jim;" McCoy said suddenly, "By leaving us there is no way Reich can track us…she left so that none of us would die, so that no more people would die. Jim, she believes that every person who was killed on the Enterprise is because of her…by going back to Reich—"
"She'll be questioned on finding us," Spock intercepted, "and die either way."
Kirk looked away from his crew, but his eyes lingered over to Sikari. The small Vulcan had picked up a leather glove that was lying on the ground, she placed it against her cheek and small tears started to pour from her large eyes.
"What are we going to do, Keptin?" Chekov asked.
"I don't know," Kirk answered.
"Well I know what I'm not doing," McCoy looked straight at Kirk and till the blue eyes met his, "I'm not going to stand around here and wait for the cold to take me. I'm getting off this rock and y'all are coming with."
Kirk stared at him, "Than what, Bones? What do we do then?"
"I'm going to find her," McCoy watched Kirk's eyes twitch with uneasiness, but McCoy shook his head, "I'm going to find her, Jim, because I'm done running away. I'm done turning my back on everything and waiting for life to pass me by…I'm taking your advice Jim, doing what I think I should do and that's find her."
Kirk closed his eyes trying to find something to say.
"You picked a swell time to start thinking before you speak," McCoy grumbled.
Kirk opened his eyes and looked at his friend stepping towards him, "You listen to me, Bones, and you listen well. I meant every damn word I said back there even if I said I didn't because I know for a fact you meant every word you said. But I won't let you go off on your own!"
"Damn it Jim I'm going," McCoy objected.
"I won't let you go off alone when you have us," Kirk looked at everyone, "we're a family. Isn't that what you all said yesterday? Families stick together no matter what happens and Ivory has become a part of that. We'll get her back, as a whole. At least I know I will."
McCoy stared at Kirk then turned to watch everyone else.
"You know I'm in," Scotty pulled on his hat and crossed his arms.
"Me too," Chekov picked up Sikari swallowing a lump in his throat.
"Me three," Sulu stepped up next to Scotty and the group of eyes turned on Spock and Uhura.
"I don't plan on being the only girl ever again," Uhura smiled softly.
Kirk nodded at her then looked at Spock, "Spock…we can't do this without you."
Spock put his hands behind his back, "I was calculating the odds of this working."
Kirk sighed, "Enough with the odds Spock, what do you believe in?"
"I believe that there's a good chance we will all die, but if we die as a family fighting to save each other than it's all worth it," Spock stated.
"How poetic," McCoy rolled his eyes.
"Okay everyone, first things first," Kirk clapped his hands together, "we need to get off this asteroid."
)()()()()(
Ivory gingerly began to push herself off the wall, but her arms were grabbed and twisted around her back pushing her harder against the wall. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth and she whimpered in pain, but a hand balled her hair into its fist and yanked back craning her neck as far as it could go. She screamed out, but the pain didn't melt.
"You think you can just run away from me!" Reich spat the words harshly at her and spun her around tossing her into a small table of drinking glasses, spilling them to the floor with her following after.
"But I still did as you asked!" Ivory tried, but Reich grabbed her by her hair again pulling her back up to her feet.
"Yes, after I threatened to kill your brother and force your parents to watch before killing them too," he shoved her again this time slamming into a chair. The top pressing into her stomach making her cough, "I knew you'd come running back to me once you figured out what was best for you."
Ivory looked at him gripping the chair, "I came back so you'd leave my friends alone."
"Friends, don't make me laugh," He scowled and started towards her, "Once they start putting the pieces together they'll figure out you were the one behind sabotaging the ship and trying to put everything on hold. Soon they'll even figure out the truth behind Calder II, but perhaps not…you were very clever with that weren't you?"
Ivory stepped back against the wall watching Reich come closer.
"How you told the Romulans of their coordinates, at what time, and the tactical advantage they'd have because you had told Monty to beam them down into a valley. Very, very clever my dear, but did you not think I wouldn't find out about how once you learned their frequencies died you contacted the Romulans and ordered a release of the captives if they were alive?"
Ivory's eyes widen, "I-I-I promised you the Enterprise not the crew!"
"Oh, but in order to get the ship I needed the Captain dead you stupid girl!" His hand backlashed across her face turning it sharply, "You had a change of heart! What was it? Was it your never dying love for that Vulcan? Or was it the dreamy good looks of the Federation's favorite Captain? Or perhaps the charm of the ship's Doctor?"
Ivory's eyes darted at him in a glare.
"Oh," Reich began to chuckle darkly, "What's the saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away? But I guess you forgot that rule didn't you?"
Ivory stared at him.
"I knew there was a reason behind you disobeying my orders," Reich ran his fingers down her cheek, "but I for surely thought it was for Kirk…it had never crossed my mind that you'd chance your brother's life for a mere doctor."
"Leonard is more of a man than you could ever imagine being," Ivory snapped.
Reich balled the hand on her cheek and swung it into her throwing her to the ground, "I suggest you keep that pretty little mouth of yours quiet while I talk or we won't be hearing from it again for a long time."
Ivory gasped from the pain and reached to touch the swelling skin, but Reich rolled her onto her back pinning her between his legs, "It's been a long time, Ivory since we've had any time together. So why don't you be a good little girl and," he pulled a knife from his belt, "scream for daddy." He slashed the knife across her stomach breaking skin Ivory let out a scream, but Reich covered her mouth with his hand, "Now, now, Ivory we don't want to waste your energy all at once do we. Because I plan on making you scream for many reason before the night is through."
Ivory's eyes dropped tears as she tried to plead through his hand, but he only grinned at her tracing the knife slowly up her stomach and stopping between her beasts pressing against the gold fabric.
"Oh, Ivory, I do hope that good doctor of ours kept your body nice and pretty or I'll have to have a few words with him," Reich watched Ivory squirm under him at the mention of the doctor, "If you don't want me to touch your precious Doctor than I suggest you start listening and do as I say, understood?"
Ivory nodded, but her tears didn't stop.
"Good, now why don't you remind me why your body is so enticing," he gave a dark grin and she closed her eyes praying that Leonard and the others were safe.
A/N: What a bastard. Review please!