Chapter 12
You and Spock wake up at about the same time. You feel fresh and renewed. And, dare you say it so soon, happy. Spock looks to be his logical self again, but there's still that look in his eyes that says you two have a bond of understanding. A friendship that can never be broken. Now that your mind is clear of the grief, you still feel the tickle. It feels like a mental link, but not with Spock. Whenever you are around people, your mind links up with theirs in a way that allows you to access any thoughts and feelings relevant to your safety and well being. If you love someone, the link allows for you to know generally what's happening. The link is not Spock's. His feels different. This one is familiar, weak and fading. You feel a pulse, life pulse starting to make itself apparent. You realize that it's starting to fade and that means that whoever is throwing off that pulse is dying. As you make the connection, you also realize that a part of your energy is always in use, even when you are asleep. As if your abilities are using themselves in the direct preservation of a living being. And then it hits you. Hikaru Sulu is still alive! You voice this to Spock quickly right before you take off running to the Bridge.
"Captain Kirk!" You say as you screech to a halt. "Hey kid. What's up?" "I think we need to go back to the area we left Sulu drifting in space. I think he's still alive." You manage to gasp out. "I don't know about that kid." "Listen to the child Captain. He/she has abilities that allow him/her to detect life pulse through mental links with loved ones. As he/she was very attached to Mr. Sulu, it is quite possible that his/her hunch is in fact correct." Spock had quickly followed you out of his quarters after your hurried explanation to support your theory, knowing that it would at first simply be seen as denial of the facts.
"Are you serious Spock? You want us to do a decidedly non Starfleet maneuver and disobey our diplomacy order to pick up a deceased crewmember's frozen corpse? I don't mean to sound insensitive here by the way, but really! We gave him a proper funeral. We gave him burial rights. He's gone."
"Captain, I fail to understand why you aren't taking my opinion seriously." Spock said, under his emotionless mask, anyone who knew him well enough could see he was very confused. "Spock, let's you and I have a talk in the hall." Kirk said. He'd been planning on revealing his knowledge of the half Human's connection with you in a more amusing way at a more opportune time. But this was serious. A First Officer publicly disagreeing with his Captain wasn't something to be taken lightly.
"Spock, off the record, what happened last night between you and the kid? I want you to tell the truth because I already know the answer." Spock blinked and answered without missing a beat. "Absolutely nothing Captain, that you should be aware of. It was a private matter of the child's handled in a safe place. It is not something you should have looked into." "You're dancing around the question Spock. I know it wasn't my place. I admit I was in the wrong and I also admit that I took a photo of you two snuggled up together for my own amusement. But I want you to tell me all the same. What were you doing?" "Helping the child through a difficulty. I am not at liberty to say more on the matter Captain. A Vulcan promised that child that his/her pain was safe to be released without shame or worry. A Human comforted him/her last night. Vulcans do not lie or break their promises, and Humans hold to loyalty and 'pinkie promises' I think they are called." "Fine! But Spock, my point is that you are emotionally attached to this kid. And that, " "Captain," Spock interrupted sounding for just moment like he was hurt that his Captain would believe that he would be swayed by emotion. "I believe that you're suggesting that my emotions are getting in the way of my function aboard ship." "Yes, Mr. Spock that is exactly what I'm suggesting." "It isn't true. I still have control and power over my emotions enough to tame them into their Vulcan nature. Even the facts point to him/her being correct at this point." You hear them argue indistinctly for about five more minutes. Then decision made for better or worse they came back to the Bridge. The Captain ordered a reverse of direction. The Enterprise was going to save Hikaru! About an hour later, you see Hikaru's tiny looking frozen body on the main viewscreen.
"Beam him in Scotty!" "Aye, sir!" Just as he materializes on the transport pad, you realize that your field had saved. A force field, that you do not remember putting there. How could you in the airlessness of space? Your telekinesis depended upon using existing matter in abundant quantities, as in having an atmosphere around you. Then you think hard and realize that when the air was rushing out, and you knew Hikaru would die, your subconscious mind threw the force field out on the remaining air and insulated him from the dangers of space, like ice on top of water in the winter, the over layer of cold (or energy in this case) protecting the warmer layer underneath with the water (Hikaru and his air supply.)from the cold (or danger). Unfortunately, this process required continued air supply to keep the field from falling apart and for Hikaru to breathe. In order for that to happen, your subconscious mind took from your energy to keep recycling and regenerating the air supply. Energy that you were running out of, which explained Hikaru's slow death pulse. You quickly take down the field. The medics quickly get him on a stretcher and take him to Sickbay. Right before you turn to follow, Scotty pipes up from the transporter touchscreen. "I did it! I finally did it! I dinna even think I could but I did! Laddie/lassie! I can send ya to another Universe! Just so ya know though, it may not be the right one. It's here whenever ya are ready to go." He is smiling from ear to ear, thinking that he might have found a lucky way home for you. Trouble was, you thought of this as your home now. You hurry to Sickbay to see how Hikaru is doing.
When you reach Sickbay, he is already awake and smiling at the crew. "Geez man! You know what it did to the kid when we all thought you were dead?" Bones grumped, even though everyone knew he was relieved that Sulu was fine. Hikaru's smile faded abruptly. "Yes. As a matter of fact I do know about that." He said in a short huffy breath. "You do? How?" Bones demanded. "His/her force field saved me, but eventually I started to suffocate. As soon as my body registered that it was dying, my consciousness left it. I was able to see everything. From the funeral, until I was beamed aboard the Enterprise and the field was taken down." "So that's why I saw you when I was about to die." You say stepping into view. Everyone flinches and you realize too late that you weren't supposed to hear this. "Yes. And I knew you were the one keeping my body alive and that eventually you'd realize it. If you lived." "So why did you give me a choice when it was both our lives at stake and not just mine? You needed me alive to save you ,if there was a chance you could be saved, so why did you give me a choice? I might have chosen to die you know." "I know. It was because there was a chance that I was too far gone anyway. If that was the case, and mind you I was fighting death the whole time so I know it's not easy, then I wanted you to choose eternal rest if that's what you felt you wanted. But, when you couldn't choose..." "You threw me back so that I could save you." You finish for him. "Right. But also, you saw what it was doing to this crew. Everyone was worried. Even Bones cried over you. Twice. Once in despair and once in relief." "You just stop talking or I'll give you a sedative right this minute." Bones grumped. Nobody had known he cried a second time. They knew he had a bigger heart than he'd like to let on. But seriously, he was used to losing patients. Didn't like it but was used to it. Nobody would have thought that he'd cry over losing a patient, unless it was Jim of course. They were shocked, but not as much as they were shocked over the fact that you and Hikaru had temporarily existed in two dimensions simultaniously. "Hikaru, did you miss the part where Scotty said that I could go home?" Hikaru looked shocked and pleased, and he felt those things, but he also felt an immense sadness. "Did he? No, I missed that part. Are you leaving then?" "I'm not sure exactly. I want to go home and see my mom and dog and horses. I want to go back to a semi normal life. But I feel that this is home. Like the Enterprise crew is my family. I don't want to leave but I feel like I have to." "Maybe, if we make a shore stop, being with the horses in the river and cave will help you make up your mind." "Maybe."
A/N I won't be updating much for this because my mom is suspending computer time for a few months, so yeah, hope these last three chapters will hold you all until then.:) If anyone who reads this fiction is interested in Ultimate Spiderman on Netflix, I wrote a fanfiction for that to test the waters for the second sequel to this. It's not entirely unrelated to the sequels so if you read it, and you're good at seeing hidden hints, maybe you'll find something in there about the sequels for this. It's Four Hugs, an One that Everyone was There For. It's hurt/comfort and really short and sweet. Hope you all like it!
