I own nothing but my OC.

Previously:

"This way!" Prima instructed him, pulling him up a flight of steps built into the side of one of the deeper hued houses. Up and up they climbed, until they reached the top and stepped onto the roof. "Happy birthday, Khan~!" She sang cheerfully, giving him a cheerful smile that was even more brilliant than the sun itself, as she finally released his hand and spread her arms wide across the vast and infinite blue sky that he now had a perfect, uninterrupted view of.

Khan was in awe. Standing there, staring up at the real thing, Khan found himself speechless, and possibly even humbled to stand beneath something so beautiful and endless. And, yet, despite having made him feel so small in comparison, there was something about that eternal, unending blue that lifted his spirit, that set him free. No photograph could ever compare, could ever even begin to do justice to what he was seeing and feeling while standing there on that rooftop.

"So, did I do good?" Prima asked hopefully. Khan smiled softly at her as he took her hand in his, pulling her into a strong, warn, and gentle embrace.

"Yes. You did well. You did very well, Prima." He told her, careful to keep his voice even and steady, despite how emotionally overwhelmed he was suddenly feeling. "Thank you."

[[Chapter 10: Paint it Black]]

Stardate: 2259.76
The brig of the USS Excalibur

Prima's brow was furrowed heavily with concern as she watched the good doctor examine poor cyborg Athena while Khan kept her restrained for him. It wasn't difficult, seeing as he was already significantly stronger than her to begin with, even before the harness on her back had been damaged, leaving her movements severely limited. The really tricky part had been removing her from the cell without letting the other two cyborgs get the jump on him. They had Marla help with that. Well, actually they kind of forced her into helping them. Khan had Prima hold a phaser to Marla's back, where the cyborgs couldn't see or recognize it as a weapon, and then they had the lieutenant command the other cyborgs to stand clear while Khan removed Athena. Then they made Marla switch places with Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. So, everybody was right where they should be. Now they just had to wait while McCoy and Khan finished analyzing Athena and the guard who was unfortunate enough to get 'converted'. As much as it pained Prima to admit it, she knew the chances of being able to save her friend were very miniscule, but maybe it wasn't too late for the guard, since he hadn't been brain dead for a for a century or two, or given any freaky implants.

"I can't believe he actually let us out…" Kirk remarked quietly as he and Spock watched from the sidelines. Kirk didn't know whether he should feel relieved or freaked out by Khan's sudden change for the better. He almost seemed… normal… when he was with Prima. It was too weird. How could she get a man as dangerous as Khan to listen to her like that? Why was he so protective of her? Like Lieutenant McGivers pointed out, didn't she betray Khan in the past? It just didn't make any sense…

"Indeed, Captain. It appears Miss Dempsey's presence has a very curious effect on Khan." Spock stated calmly, recalling how easily the dangerous man had agreed to surrender to them after a few words from Prima.

"If she's supposed to have betrayed him, then why do the two of them still seem to get along so well?" Kirk wondered aloud.

"Um, you know I can hear pretty much every word you guys are saying, right?" Prima spoke up, glancing over her shoulder at them.

"You can?" Kirk asked, impressed, but slightly chagrined they'd been caught.

"Yep." Prima said, nodding her head. "Superhuman hearing, remember? If you want to know something, you can just ask. Granted, I might not answer you, depending on how personal it is, but I'd much prefer it if you'd just ask me instead of speculating and jumping to conclusions, deal?"

"Okay. Then, I'll get straight to the point. What exactly is your relationship with Khan, and what was that about a virus earlier?"

Prima glanced at Khan. What were they? Even she wasn't entirely sure. They were something more than friends, that much was obvious, but what? She was pretty sure Khan still saw her as a cute but sometimes annoying little sister, due to their age difference, but she… well, her feelings for him weren't so easily defined.

"… I guess you could say we're kind of like a small gang." Prima said after a moment of silence. "Like, we're not related by blood, but we're still 'family' in a way. We fight sometimes, but we also protect each other. It's a simple, deep bond, but at the same time, it's kind of hard to explain…" She added, smiling softly, as she glanced at Khan again.

"Yeah… I think I understand, a little." Kirk said, smiling slightly at her. She loved him. Plain and simple. Though Kirk couldn't understand what the attraction to that kitten killer was, he felt he could understand her feelings towards Khan as 'family'. "So, this virus the lieutenant mentioned… Is that what you were trying to tell me and Bones about earlier, before we were interrupted by Captain Harris?" He asked, referring to Marla, whose cell had been muted so they wouldn't have to listen to her rant about what a bastard Khan was or how Prima was a traitorous bitch.

"Yes, actually, that is precisely what I was trying to tell you about." Prima said, her smile faltering a little. "I said I wasn't proud of what I did, and now you know why. Are either of you familiar with the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918?"

"I recall reading something on the subject while I was studying Earth history. Most influenza outbreaks disproportionately kill juvenile, elderly, or weakened patients who have already been weakened by some other cause. In contrast, the 1918 pandemic killed predominantly previously healthy young adults." Spock stated calmly. "It was later determined, by studying samples of the virus taken from the bodies of frozen victims, that the virus killed its victims via a cytokine storm."

"Right." Prima said, nodding in approval. "A cytokine storm, also known as cytokine cascade or hyper-cytokinemia, is a potentially fatal immune reaction consisting of a positive feedback loop between cytokines and immune cells, with highly elevated levels of various cytokines." She explained for Kirk's benefit upon see the slightly confused look on his face. "The strong immune reactions of young adults ravaged the body, whereas the weaker immune systems of children and middle-aged adults resulted in fewer deaths among those groups. I designed and engineered a new version of the virus to be used specifically against all of us genetically enhanced humans with heightened immune systems. The stronger your immune system, the stronger your body's reaction to the virus would be, and the more fatal."

"I see. So, you took one of the augments' greatest strengths and turned it into their Achilles' heel?" Kirk said, rather impressed.

"But the virus could still have an adverse effect on the regular human population, would it not?" Spock pointed out. "If memory serves, the original Spanish Flu infected 500 millionpeople across the world, including remote Pacific islands and the Arctic, and killed 50 to 100 million of them—3 to 5 percent of the world's population at the time—making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in human history."

"Yes, you are absolutely correct, Mr. Spock." Prima replied grimly. "That's why I was very careful to make sure they had a working vaccine to distribute to the regular human population before I let anyone know about the new virus, just in case, but playing God is a dangerous business. A lot can go wrong. I'm sure there were some people who never got the vaccine in time, especially in the more impoverished parts of the world. There was a small chance the virus might possibly mutate on its own… Whatever deaths might have resulted from the use of that virus—intentional or otherwise—Their blood is on my hands. I'm the one who created it. I didn't pull the trigger, but I loaded the gun." She explained regretfully.

"Wait, if you didn't pull the trigger, then who did?" Kirk asked, casting a suspicious glance at Khan.

"Probably the government." Prima stated. "They're the ones I sold it to."

"You sold the virus?" Spock asked, feeling somewhat disappointed in her. He had begun to trust Prima and thought she was above something of that nature.

"It was more of a trade, really. I used the virus to barter with the government for the prototype of a long-distance space travel sleeper ship and the assurance that Khan and his crew would be allowed to leave Earth safe and unharmed before the virus was unleashed. I gave them the vaccine first so they could start inoculating the general population, as a sign of good faith." She explained. "You see, I never intended to use the virus on Khan and the others, but I needed something to ensure his and everyone else's cooperation. My father and Khan had a falling out over their political ideals, which put them on opposite sides of the war. I knew it was only a matter of time before the people began turning against Khan, and even if the augments are superior to average humans individually, they still had us grossly outnumbered. Eventually, after a number of great casualties, Khan and the others would have been overwhelmed and lost. I couldn't stand the though of two of the most important people in my life fighting to the death like that, so I made a decision, one of the hardest ones I've ever had to make. I decided I would protect both of them, even if meant I had to get my hands dirty, and even if it meant making Khan hate me. He can be so proud and stubborn. I knew He wouldn't listen to me if I asked him to turn tail and run, that he wouldn't want to believe the augments could ever lose, so I had to become the bad guy and use the virus to blackmail him into leaving with the others before it was too late. I had hoped giving the normal humans an Achilles' heel to use against the augment despots in other parts of the world would hasten the end of the war, for my father's sake if nothing else."

"If you had a vaccine and thought Khan would hate you, then why were you on his ship?" Kirk asked curiously. Why not just use the vaccine herself and stay on Earth with her father? While the idea that Prima had created a biological weapon just to help Khan was disconcerting to say the least, the fact that she seemed genuinely remorseful for what she had done, accepted responsibility for it, that she had at least tried to ensure it would be used for good, and that as many innocent people as possible would be saved were all points in her favor in his eyes. She hadn't wanted to kill anyone. She hadn't enjoyed it. She was just trying to protect the people she cared about.

"About that… I'm still a little bit confused about that part myself." She admitted, smiling self-deprecatingly. "I had originally planned to stay behind and take my chances with the virus. I was going to make myself 'patient zero' and spread it that way. I didn't think it would be fair for me to be the only augment who would survive, and I wasn't so naïve as to think the other humans wouldn't eventually turn on me and start to view me as a possible threat once all the other augments were gone. I didn't think there would be any real peace on Earth until every genetically enhanced human, living incarnations of all the controversies that had started the Eugenics Wars, were completely wiped out. I didn't think they would stop until that goal had been achieved, so I wanted to at least have the option of ending my life on my own terms. In my experience, you either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

That's what had happened to Khan. The people had welcomed him with open arms at first. In a time of political instability and war, they had wanted a strong leader who could actually deliver on his promise of peace. He was the best of tyrants. Unlike the augments who seized power in other parts of the world, Khan only fought when provoked, and his empire experienced a period of peace and nonviolence within it that set it apart from all of the others. But there was no freedom. In his quest to create a place where he, the other augments, and normal humans could live together without turmoil and strife, he had created a gilded cage. And a cage, no matter how pleasant, was still a cage. And therein lied the problem. Humans, as a race, hated being caged. They always rebelled against it sooner or later. The human spirit was indomitable.

"But Khan had other plans." Prima continued explaining to Kirk. "I'm not sure why, but he listed my presence on the ship as one of his conditions for leaving quietly. At the time, I thought it was because he was mad at me, and he was just saving my punishment for later. I'm surprised he forgave me so easily. That man can really hold a grudge." She admitted, glancing at Khan out the corner of her eye. Perhaps being awake for a whole year had given him enough time to think about it and cool off…

"I'm sorry." Dr. McCoy said, grabbing everyone's attention. "But there's nothing I can do for your friend." Informed Prima regretfully, glancing up at her. Unfortunately, Prima's friends were too far gone to be saved, and even if they could, there wouldn't be much left to save anyway. According to the portable medical scanner McCoy always carried around with him, the three cyborgs were vegetables. Without the cybernetic implants to control them, they would be classic coma patients. The fact that they could talk and walk at all was a testimony to Dr. Dahl's genius as a scientist and engineer, even if she was madder than a March hare.

"Damn. I was afraid of that." Prima said morosely, biting her lip.

Khan clenched his jaw and his sharp eyes blazed with frustration and fury, but his anger was not directed at McCoy. He had observed the doctor closely while he was working, and knew he really had done everything he could to determine what could be done for Athena. Neither he nor Prima wanted to accept it, but part of them had already known there was nothing they could do for Athena and the others. It was maddening, being unable to do anything to save people who were so important to them.

"Did she suffer… Is she in any pain, Doctor?" Prima asked tentatively, dreading the answer.

"I don't know. It's difficult to tell with her body's central nervous system being controlled and regulated by those implants and the nano-machines inside her blood. I'd imagine that can't be a very pleasant sensation, having so much inert material floating around in the body." McCoy replied frankly, frowning. "But I don't believe she's capable of being aware of what's happening to her in her current state. The lights are on, but nobody's home."

"That is one small mercy…" Khan stated grimly. "If we can't save her, then we should at least put her out of her misery."

"Now, hold on a minute—" Kirk began, not liking where this was going.

"Athena and the rest of my people are proud." Khan stated pointedly, cutting the captain off before he could launch into some sanctimonious and self-righteous speech. Of course Khan didn't want to kill the others—they were his family—but, sadly, in this case it had to be done. It was for their own good. "They would rather die than be left to suffer such indignities."

A heavy silence fell over the room as Khan's words sunk in. They knew he was right. They could all relate to the nightmare of having to make such a difficult choice. And, while it felt wrong to kill someone who was a victim themselves, they also recognized that none of them would want to have to endure that kind of torturous existence either…

"… I'll do it." Prima spoke up bravely, steeling her nerves. Athena was her friend. The least she could do was to put her to rest.

"Prima…" Khan began, concerned, but Prima shook her head.

"I don't want my least memory of Athena to be watching you snap her neck, for whatever reason." Prima said sadly, closing her eyes as she fought back the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She didn't want that image in her mind, even if she knew he was doing it for Athena's own good. It would haunt her. "Captain, Mr. Spock… I would deeply appreciate it if you could help me move from my wheelchair to the floor. It's awkward and hard to move with this splint on my leg."

"Yeah, of course." Kirk replied somberly as he and Spock moved into position, acting as her human crutches until she was lowered safely to the floor, beside Athena's head.

"I'm sorry, Athena…" Prima apologized to her dear friend, placing her hands gently on both sides of her head. A lone tear escaped, falling down Prima's cheek, landing on Athena's forehead. "Goodbye."

CRRAAACK!

The sharp, disturbing sound of metal and bone breaking echoed throughout the brig as Prima suddenly tightened her grip and snapped Athena's neck, harness and all, in one, swift and fluid motion. With the brain disconnected from the spinal cord and unable to send commands to the rest of the body, it was a mere matter of seconds before Athena's body breathed its last breath and finally stilled completely, for the last time. Prima couldn't help herself. The damn broke and hot, angry tears of frustration and grief began streaming down her face as she stared down into Athena's cold, dead eyes. Although Khan was reluctant to show any behavior that could be construed as weakness on his part in front his old enemies, he could not refrain from wrapping an arm around Prima's trembling shoulders and pulling her close in an attempt to comfort her. Even though tears were falling from her eyes, and her petite, slender body was shaking, he knew Prima was doing her best to contain her grief and anger over the loss of a beloved friend. His grip on her shouldered tightened. This was unforgivable...!!

"Well, Mr. Kirk. Since I am now officially invested in hunting down and defeating Dr. Dahl…" Khan said evenly, his jaw tensing from the effort of maintaining a calm façade despite his rage. "… It would seem that we, once again, find ourselves sharing a common enemy. Now, you can either work with me, or you can stay the hell out of my way. Which is it going to be?" He asked pointedly, glancing up at the young captain. His deep, resonant voice had a dangerous edge to it, and there was a dark, predatory gleam in his eye. By butchering Khan's crew, Sylvia Dahl had opened Pandora's box and unleashed a real monster.

And he was coming for her.