AN: There is some High Vulcan in this (long) chapter. The theeing and thouing is inspired by T'Pau in TOS.
*Nyota*
After the breakthrough of the ceiling void Nyota noticed that the Lieutenant Commander seemed more relaxed around her. He spoke Vulcan and made what passed as jokes (dry observations was perhaps a more accurate description) for him more often.
She still felt awkward around him at times, especially when they visited the Enterprise and she had to deal with following him around in his tight riding pants all day, but overall she felt she had turned a corner when it came to her attraction for him. Yes he was handsome. And a genius. But he was a Vulcan. Vulcans didn't do relationships and feeling the way humans did and nothing was going to change that. Expecting Spock to develop romantic feelings for her would be like expecting an Orion to be monogamous or Klingon to become a pacifist. An exercise in futility. Besides, he was her instructor. She shouldn't want him to have any sort of feelings beyond the norm for her.
In this way the rest of her second year at the Academy passed quite contently. Her results remained excellent and she was delighted to be half way through her training and able to choose specialisations in her classes. If her end of year break was slightly marred because she missed her taciturn Vulcan Instructor's company, well she ignored it as best she could. Although her father certainly didn't help matters by bringing Spock up and mentioning conversations he'd had with him over subspace. It was humiliating to be jealous of her father, but she was. Apparently they had struck up some sort of oddball 'friendship' over their discussions of obscure military terms in alien languages. She endeavoured not to find this irritating, however to say she was eager to get back to the Academy would have been a gross understatement.
She'd arrived back in San Francisco a few days early as was her usual preference to prepare for her upcoming classes. She didn't speak with the Lieutenant Commander until three days after her return, in her first Advanced Phonology III class, but she saw him on her very first day back. He'd been crossing the grassy courtyard near her dormitory, PADD in hand dressed in a perfectly pressed grey instructor's uniform.
Her breath had suddenly left her lungs with a whoosh and she'd felt her heart skip a beat or ten. Her skin felt like it was a million degrees and trying to tingle itself off her body. Yes, the reaction she had to seeing him after 8 weeks was almost frightening. A part of her, the smart part, that had hoped she'd had 'gotten over' her crush was evidentially sadly mistaken. What she felt when she looked at him made her feel dizzy. Made her want to chase after him and tackle him to the ground, wrap her arms around him and squeeze him as tightly as she could. Never let him go. Spend the rest of her life attached to him like a crazed human barnacle. The sheer strength of her feelings embarrassed her. Mooning. That's what she was doing. She'd heard the word in holos and books before, but she didn't think it was something that happened in real life, and she certainly didn't think she'd be the silly girl doing it.
Even though she felt a bit like a stalker she'd stood stock still and just stared at him for the minute it took for him to cross the courtyard and disappear into the adjacent Physics Block. Her brain had eagerly made up a few excuses for her to stop by his lab in that building, but she'd resolutely dismissed them. Just because she felt like a lovesick schoolgirl didn't mean she was going to behave like one.
When she did see him, properly, the first day back, she'd behaved with perfect propriety. Her routine changed little. Her class schedule was slightly different, but she still assisted the Lieutenant Commander in the same way as during her second year and met him briefly twice a week to discuss her duties.
She had been back at the Academy for five weeks after the end of year break when she noticed him enter the adjacent computer lab half way through her Tuesday Subspace Engineering Systems tutorial. He took up position in front of the bank of computers that Nyota knew ran the simulation bridge in the next room. Although she tried to ignore his presence, she found herself glancing over at him through the windows that divided the two rooms.
He was wearing his perfectly pressed grey instructor's uniform without a hair out of place. Whenever she looked over, whether he was seated at a console or standing before one of the displays, his posture was rigid with his shoulders perfectly squared. Not for the first time she wondered how he managed that day in day out. Surely he got backaches from being so tense all the time? Although maybe the difference in Vulcan physiology prevented such mundane concerns. Or maybe he took hot showers and massaged his shoulders.
She was ruminating on Spock in a shower, the visuals helpfully provided by her memories of seeing him in his swimming costume, when he glanced up and met her gaze. The look he shot her, the slight quirk of one dark eyebrow, wordlessly conveyed that he'd been well aware of her intermittent observation of him over the last twenty minutes. She felt blood rush to her face but managed to keep her expression fairly innocent. She mirrored his expression, feigning dignified confusion, as if she'd just happened to glance in his direction and certainly hadn't been ignoring her tutor to stare blankly at him (and imagine him showering) instead.
She managed to avoid looking towards the lab he occupied for the last half an hour of her class even though she caught his movement out of the corner of her eye and it tugged at her attention like an itch.
He was still next door when her class finished so she decided to stop on her way out and say hello to him. Some of the older students were conducting some sort of exciting experiment in the engineering department and she had intended to check it out before her next class since she was already in the engineering block, but she could spare a few minutes.
Spock was standing before a blinking display referring to a PADD when she let herself into the lab.
'Good morning Lieutenant Commander Spock.'
He didn't look up, instead continued his intense scrutiny of his PADD. 'Greetings Cadet Uhura. I trust your Subspace Engineering tutorial was informative?'
Nyota held back a smile at what passed for small talk with Spock. 'Yes sir. I find Professor Jones to be an extremely proficient instructor.'
Spock nodded absently and started running what appeared to be a diagnostic on the display in front of him. Nyota stepped beside him and regarded the screen with interest. It would have to be very intriguing to hold Spock's attention so completely. Spock ignored her presence and continued running different programs while she studied the display. The sleeve of his jacket brushed slightly against her arm as he reached out and made an adjustment on one of the displays. She'd stood too close. She couldn't move now though, it would seem weird. Valiantly she ignored his close proximity and the hint of aftershave she caught from his direction. And how handsome his hands were as they flew over console. He always had such neatly trimmed fingernails. Oh god what was wrong with her? She was admiring his manicure.
Slowly she blinked and exhaled, visualising her humiliating human hormones leaving her body along with her breath and focused back on the displays in front of her. From what she could tell, and she was no computer sciences major, he was attempting to update the software on the simulators and had run into a memory leak.
'A memory leak?' She turned towards him and gave him a teasing smile. 'Surely the incomparable Mr Spock didn't make an error in his coding?'
Spock's fingers paused for a moment on the console. 'Despite the implication of your tone cadet, I assure you my code is 100% accurate.' He was definitely getting better at detecting sarcasm and humour. Just not any better at responding to it. He pulled up a more detailed view to the screen. 'If you were more familiar with this system you would see that the leak appears to be occurring in the fundamental operational programming of the engineering console.'
Nyota tilted her head. 'That console is connected to the training room in the engineering department isn't it sir?' The Academy had a mock-up of an ambassador-class engineering section for the students to train on.
'Affirmative cadet.'
'Sir, some third years are doing some sort of experiment with the warp core in the engineering department today. Perhaps they've caused the memory leak?' Having something useful to input into the conversation pleased her far more than it should have. God she was pathetic. What did she want, a gold star?
Spock frowned and brought up the linked engineering display. 'The system currently indicates that the training room is inoperative. However, the fluctuations in the memory leak could be caused by an error in the systems governing the tuning of the warp drive.'
As Nyota looked at the display the memory usage spiked massively for a few seconds then reduced to normal levels. 'I'm pretty sure they were running their experiments right now sir. People from my class were going to go and watch.'
Spock turned and addressed the centralised computer console set into the wall near the laboratory door. 'Computer: What is status of training room EN305?'
'Training room EN305 currently offline.'
Nyota looked at Spock in confusion. 'Does that mean it's empty sir?'
Spock frowned. 'No cadet, it means the sensors in that section are inoperable.' He picked up his PADD and started towards the door. 'Computer: is room EN305 occupied?'
'Affirmative as of last sensor readings at 11:17 hours.'
Spock turned and headed out the door.
Nyota jogged a few steps to catch up as he strode along the hallway. He was scrolling through something on his PADD. 'Which instructor was overseeing this experiment cadet? I have no record of the room being booked for a class.'
'I'm not sure. I didn't hear anyone mention a class or professor, just that some fourth years were doing some tests.' Now she thought about it, it seemed a little suspicious. 'They wouldn't play around with an active warp core without supervision surely?'
Spock led her into a turbolift. 'One would hope not. If the memory leak is caused by an error in the tuning of the warp drive in the training room, a highly complex program would be required to make the connected engineering console in the bridge simulator register the drive as inoperative. The creation and deployment of such a program would be in breach of no less than three Starfleet Regulations.'
Nyota tsked. 'A program to hide what they are doing? I can't believe fourth years would be so stupid.'
'Indeed. That would be the apt description for such an action. Many of the safety cut offs and other monitoring systems will be inactive if the console is not receiving readings from the drive.' As they exited the turbolift onto the third floor Spock paused and addressed the computer console again. 'Computer: inform all academy staff of possible unauthorised activation of warp drive in the engineering department without safety protocols.' He remained still for a moment, his head tilted as if he was listening to something.
Nyota strained her ears. She had very good hearing, but detected nothing unusual. Then she noticed the slight vibration of the floor. It was not dissimilar to that felt in a ship at warp speed. She shot a wide-eyed look of concern at Spock. He didn't respond, simply turned and ran towards the training room. Nyota followed, her heart beating wildly with adrenaline. Seeing her dignified Vulcan instructor worried enough to run was more disturbing than any of his ruminations on disabled safety fail safes.
There were a few students in the hallway, loitering near the large double doors which led to the large training room. All were staring in shock at the Vulcan bolting towards them. He was only a few meters from the doors when Nyota heard a high pitched mechanical wail. The steady vibration in the floor suddenly became a shaking like the minor earthquakes they often experienced in San Francisco. Instinctively she froze and pressed herself against the wall. She could hear students screaming over the horrifying crunching and wailing noises that seemed to be coming from the very walls, as if she was inside some huge concrete monster's stomach.
She stared ahead and saw that Spock was doing something to the computer console outside the door to the training room. The evacuation alarm was sounding and the emergency lights came on to flash in warning. There was a crowd of horrified cadets, some injured, flooding from the training room. They buffeted against Spock, but the Vulcan was immobile against the onslaught. Over the din she could hear snatches of the academy computer issuing an evacuation warning. There wasn't anything she could do to help, so she just pressed herself harder against the wall and held her breath.
It could only have been seconds, but it felt like minutes, before Spock glanced up and along the corridor towards her. For once his expression was as plain to her as any human's. It was fearful. It said run. She took a deep breath and stared hopelessly at him trying desperately to communicate with out words. The fire stairs were on the other side of the training room. She'd have to run past, get closer to the screaming warp core before she could get to safety. It seemed too great a risk. She was stuck. Spock took a step towards her and Nyota felt her fear recede a little. Irrational though it was, she honestly believed he would somehow protect her from an exploding warp core.
Then the wailing became a deafening roar and the floor twisted beneath her like a rope bridge. The air around her was suddenly white and blinding. She half fell, half crouched down and pressed herself between the wall and the floor which was now in entirely the wrong position. She sensed things falling towards her, shadows in her peripheral vision, and threw her arms up instinctively. She felt something collide with her head but felt only shock, not pain.
*Spock*
By the time Spock had reached the door of the training room it was already clear to him from the noise the warp core was making that the drive would fail catastrophically within moments. Without the usual safety protocols in place the entire building could be destroyed. The core itself was powerful - from an older Ambassador-class heavy cruiser, and would prove devastating. The noise meant addressing the nearby computer console verbally would be pointless. He manually initiated an evacuation order then tried to simultaneously cut off power to the training room and re-establish the safety perimeter around it. The programs that the students had used to isolate the training room made accessing the safety systems tedious.
It took him 27.5 seconds to re-establish some of the containment fields built into the walls of the training chamber, but he was only able to reactivate 72% of them. Although they would undoubtedly prevent a vast amount of damage to the building and students within, he estimated a 38% chance that the building would still collapse. The wall shifted and the console mounted within it cracked and dimmed.
He turned and looked back down the corridor to where he instinctively knew Cadet Uhura would still be standing. She was pressed against the wall staring at him wide-eyed in panic.
He realised belatedly that the section of wall she was pressed against was part of the section not protected by the re-established containment fields. Frantically his brain sorted through possible ways to prevent her coming to harm, but there were none. She needed to move. They both did. The logical thing to do was to head towards the fire escape stairs. They were protected by their own barrier fields and were the safest place in the building. There was still a crush of students making their way towards them however and Spock would have to force his way through them to ensure his own safety, a distasteful concept.
The noise from the failing warp core reached a crescendo. Nyota was staring at intensely. He could not pull his eyes from her. Although it was illogical, Spock took a step towards her rather than towards the stairs. He saw the relief wash over her face.
The drive failed.
The building shook violently. Spock was disorientated, blinded by vivid white light and deafened by crashes and explosions. 17 seconds later he found himself crouched against a piece of permacrete wall sheeting. He quickly deduced he was unharmed save a superficial abrasion to his left leg above the knee and a cut above his right eyebrow where something had been embedding in his flesh by the blast. He probed it with his fingers. It was not deep.
Directly in front of him one of the reinforced doors from the training room was embedded in the wall. He was glad he had not been standing in front of the console. He would have been embedded in the wall along with the door. Most likely in two pieces. A spray of fire retardant foam sprinkled down over the scene much like frozen precipitation. From the direction of the ruined warp core he felt the scorching heat of the superheated matter and anti-matter containment chambers.
He allowed himself 6 seconds to compose himself and fully regain his bearings and then he made his way in the direction he had last seen Nyota Uhura. The corridor ceiling had collapsed and large sections of the wall lay at angles across it. He was forced to clear several sections of debris to proceed along the corridor. It took 3 minutes and 47 seconds for him to reach the position he estimated as that of the cadet prior to the explosion. If she was alive it was imperative that she be removed from the range not only of the encroaching fire, but of the radiation that Spock knew would be dousing the area.
He could see no trace of her. The wall she had been pressed against had been blown out and lay at a slight angle, braced against the half collapsed wall opposite. Flame retardant foam was spitting down over it.
'Cadet Uhura!'
The evacuation alarm was still sounding. Spock could also hear yells and screams for help from other parts of the building. He could make out no sounds of movement or respiration from his immediate vicinity. He deduced that she was mostly like dead - her fragile human body crushed under several tonnes of permacrete. He pushed the thought aside. There was a gap beneath the collapsed wall. It was conceivable she was beneath it and had not suffered fatal injuries.
He crouched down to peer underneath.
The area underneath was not free from debris. Broken ceiling tiles and light fittings littered the space. Spock could smell human blood. Her blood. He felt his heart give an odd jerk. He began to clear the shattered debris so he had access beneath the collapsed wall but his hands moved automatically. His clear Vulcan logic had already assessed the situation and informed him the chances of Nyota Uhura being alive were less than 2%.
He worked steadily for 7 minutes and 12 seconds, expecting at any moment to find his assistant's corpse. Eventually he was forced to crawl underneath the wall section. He paused only momentarily when he removed a long piece of a wall dressing and Nyota's face was revealed, looking almost peaceful in sleep.
His eyes flicked over the parts of her body that were visible.
She was wedged most fortuitously between the floor and the wall section. Although some lightweight ceiling panels were broken over her, she had not been hit by any of the light fittings, which would have impaled her. Her hands were up near her face, suggesting she had attempted to shield herself.
Spock reached out a hand felt for a pulse at her wrist. The warmth of her skin was a comfort. He sensed the familiar shape of her mind through his fingertips instantly, long before her steady pulse registered. He let out a breath he was unaware he had been holding. The surge of relief and other more confusing emotions be felt at her continued existence threatened to overwhelm him. He carefully pushed them aside.
She was alive, but she could not remain in her current position. Radiation from the drive would be washing over the area and there was the threat of fire and further collapse of the building. Spock spent 8 seconds debating the appropriate course of action. He needed to evacuate the building and take the cadet with him. Therefore he needed to free her from the permacrete that pinned her. Before doing so he needed to establish that moving her would not further damage her.
'Cadet Uhura.' No response. 'Cadet.' He paused. 'Nyota.' Her name felt strange in his mouth. Intoxicating. It was a beautiful name, illogical as it was. Saying it made him feel odd. He said it again as much to form it with his lips as to see if she would hear. 'Nyota.' He squeezed her wrist slightly. He could feel the tempting buzz of her unconscious thoughts. She did not react.
He lay near her, his hand still wrapped about her limp wrist, though the contact was unnecessary, and debated his next move. After a moment he released her and slid closer. He could smell her perfume, vanilla and jasmine, amidst the iron tang of her blood and the acrid smell of ozone in the air. It was good that she had fallen facing his direction. He reached forward again and carefully, reverently, placed his fingers against the psi points along the right side of her face. Her skin was cool like all of her race and chilled his fingers. Her temple was wet with red blood. He was suddenly aware of how alien his assistant was. Cool skin. Red blood. A girl of a race that had evolved light years away from his homeplanet.
A girl from the stars.
Her name meant star.
He remembered looking it up and dismissing it as an impractical sentimental name.
'Nyota Chausiku.' Star born at night. He was only vaguely aware he'd said it out loud.
A beautiful name. As beautiful as she was.
An illogical name.
Suddenly Spock realised he was behaving in an exceedingly irrational and emotional manner. He pushed the useless thoughts away and did not allow them it to distract him further.
'My mind to your mind. My thoughts to your thoughts.' He said the ritual phrase in Vulcan, more to satisfy his own sense of decorum then for her benefit. She was not, after all, conscious to give him permission.
He held back his thoughts with an iron will as he felt their minds meld. It was a curious sensation. He had never melded with an unconscious person, in fact, save his family and T'Pring, he had never melded with anyone. Despite his concern, he found himself comparing Nyota's mind and the only other human's he'd ever felt, his mothers, with great interest. He was tempted to try and communicate with Nyota, but knew since he did not have her permission, he should keep the depth of the meld to a bare minimum.
He ignored the tempting pull of her thoughts and focused on the deeper, fundamental functions of her brain. He quickly assessed the level of damage she had suffered with far more accuracy then she could ever have expressed to him verbally. She had a concussion, a broken ankle and superficial contusions and abrasions. Her back was slightly strained and she had a cracked rib, but her spine was undamaged. Spock was pleased to realise her injuries were non-life threatening. He would be able to move her without any risk of further harm. Satisfied, he pulled back and attempted to rouse her.
She remained unresponsive. Spock came to a decision.
Gingerly, aware that when she felt his presence she would likely be extremely alarmed, he reached forward and prodded at her consciousness with the mental equivalent of the lightest touch from a single fingertip. Her reaction was startling. The quiet background murmur of her thoughts, to which he had been carefully maintaining distance, suddenly came into focus as she reached for him. If his touch was the mental equivalent of a careful tap, hers was like being hit by a hoverbus. Spock was overwhelmed. She bombarded him with her thoughts, her mind washing over him like a wave and dragging him helplessly along with her.
She was in a state similar to a dream. She had been sitting underneath the big cape chestnut in the yard of her family home in Nairobi. The pale pink flowers of the tree blanketed the ground around her. She was wearing her cadet's uniform but was barefoot. Beside her was a stack of PADDs. Spock abruptly found himself standing beside her. He was astounded by the surreal nature of the experience. He was aware that the scene was entirely with the cadet's mind, but it felt quite real. It was pleasantly warm. There was a slight breeze. He looked up at the large tree in admiration. Calodendrum Capense came the identifying thought. It was not his own, he had made no study of native African flora. The warm breeze scattered the fallen flowers around them.
'Fascinating.' He spoke out aloud within the cadet's dream, referring more to the experience than the tree.
She was regarding him evenly with those big human eyes of hers. She spoke in Vulcan. 'Spock? What are you doing in Nairobi? I need to study.'
Spock felt a twinge of amusement that his assistant would be dreaming about studying even whilst lying injured under a pile of permacrete. He also felt a twinge of something else at hearing her calling him by his name rather than rank.
He responded in kind. 'I am not in Nairobi and nor are you Nyota.' In the current situation he allowed himself the privilege of using her given name.
She smiled playfully. 'Clearly we are in Nairobi Spock. I think I recognise my own home.' She waved a hand towards the large residence to her right. Spock had an impression of a large white building with a long columned terrace but it was fuzzy and unclear, as if viewed through a fog.
Spock paused before thinking of a convincing argument. 'Why are you dressed in your uniform Nyota?'
She frowned and glanced down at the red dress in confusion. She had no response.
'We are in the Engineering Block at the Academy. The warp drive failed in the training room. You are unconscious.' He continued.
Her frown deepened and she was silent for a long moment. 'Yes... I remember. The fourth years disabled the safety protocols.' She looked up at him and tilted her head. 'So am I dead? Or I am dreaming of you?'
Spock stepped forward to stand near her feet. 'You are most assuredly alive Nyota. However we must leave, it is not safe where we are.' He reached down to offer her a hand to stand up. The carpet of flowers was soft underfoot with the bite of twigs and earth beneath. A not unpleasant sensation. He looked down in surprise. 'I don't appear to be wearing any shoes.'
Nyota took his hand and he pulled her to her feet. Her hand was warm and tiny in his. He did not wish to release it. 'Why would you want any?' She curled her fingers around his and smiled up at him.
He responded by rote. 'It is illogical to go outdoors without footwear.' She was standing very close to him and her thumb was drawing little circles on the soft skin on the inside of his wrist. Spock felt a strange stirring of something in response to her simple touch. That disturbing feeling which only she awoke within him.
Nyota tilted her head to look up at him. 'You're a figment of my imagination Spock. I think logic and footwear are the least of your concerns.'
'I assure you I am most definitely not a figment of your imagination.' He resisted the urge to return the grip of her hand on his and instead left his hand loose in hers.
She was frowning again. 'But I'm dreaming.' Absently she reached up with her free hand and stroked an index finger along the line of his left eyebrow. Spock froze beneath her touch. Her finger felt very real against his face, like a burning brand. He felt the ghost of her fingertip as if his skin had been fundamentally changed by her caress. She pressed her fingertips to his cheek, four burning points of slight pressure and then slid them into his hair. She was staring at him in rapt attention. 'Your hair is much softer than I thought it would be.'
'Nyota.'
He did not know why he said her name, did not know what he was attempting to communicate. It was both warning and plea. Something both terrible and wonderful - that nameless thing inside him. Despite his own confusion there was some sort of understanding in her eyes.
He was frozen for several heartbeats, acutely aware of Nyota's proximity and the fact that she was touching him; her fingers were in his hair and around his wrist. Belatedly he realised he was staring at her mouth. Her own gaze was similarly fixated. He suddenly knew she was going to kiss him, felt her intent.
He took a step back in alarm. Her hands were pulled from him to hang at her side. He felt himself once more, the strange feelings fading along with the memory of her touch.
'Cadet. I will attempt to bring you back to consciousness.'
She crossed her arms and regarded him sceptically. 'For part of a lucid dream you are far too realistic.'
Spock carefully pulled himself away from her thoughts. The scene faded around him and he was again aware of the hard floor beneath him and the smell of smoke and blood. He deftly manipulated her nervous system in the same way he regulated his own, and felt the change in her mind as she awoke.
He felt her confusion and pain as she returned to her facilities. He was about to sever the connection between them when he felt her hand clutch at his uniform. He heard her attempt to speak, but heard the word only in his mind. /Spock?/ He opened his eyes and was surprised at her proximity. Her face was so close it was uncomfortable to focus on her eyes. He shifted back awkwardly to give her space.
She was regarding him dazedly, her eyes blinking slowly. Her head was throbbing painfully and her ankle and ribs were aching. She shuffled towards him and pressed her forehead against his chest, the pain washing over her in waves. With the meld still active he was able to dull her sensation of it. She sighed in relief and he felt her vague gratitude.
He let he gather herself for 30 seconds then spoke. 'We must leave cadet. I will pull you out from underneath this wall.'
Her head jerked slightly against his chest in a nod.
'I will have to break the meld. The pain of your injuries will return.' He had already drawn back until it was only the barest touch of a mind meld. He anticipated there would be little shock when he severed the connection completely.
He felt her sigh against the cloth of his uniform. Through the meld he could feel how she was enjoying both the warmth of his body heat, much warmer than that of a human and rare privilege of such proximity to him. She also apparently thought he smelt pleasant. Her thoughts were fogged with her concussion. He got a sense of times she had wished to express affection for him with casual human gestures of friendliness but held herself back. She was thinking something along the lines of how this was the closest she'd ever get to hugging a Vulcan. Yes. She was most likely correct in that assessment.
Spock pulled his hand away and felt Nyota stiffen and hiss softly as the pain returned. He gripped her shoulder and carefully pulled. Her slight body shifted towards his easily.
'You are not pinned or caught on anything cadet?'
'No.' Her voice was strained.
Spock worked them backwards until he had Nyota out from under the collapsed wall. The flame retardant foam was still spitting down haphazardly from the dispensers that had withstood the explosion. She was shivering, her arms wrapped around herself and her eyes shut. Spock knelt beside her and helped her into a sitting position. Her eyes opened and shut languidly. He had to steady her lest she fall over. Her body shook with her shivering, her teeth rattling. Spock unfastened and removed his jacket. She needed no incentive to don the garment, pushing her arms through the oversized sleeves awkwardly.
Spock quickly refastened it. 'I am uncertain if the emergency stairs on this level will be accessible.' He helped the cadet to stand leaning against him. 'You will be unable to navigate the debris with your injured ankle. Place your arms around my neck, I will carry you.' He half expected her to stubbornly insist on walking, but wordlessly she complied. Her acquiescence worried him. Spock lifted her with one arm behind her back and another behind her knees. The cut on his thigh stung slightly as he walked, but he was otherwise unimpeded.
Smoke hung in a thick cloud along the ceiling. Spock bent down slightly as he carried Nyota back past the ruined doorway to the training room. In the few minutes since the explosion fire had already spread from the room. Only the foam had kept it from engulfing the hall entirely. As it was Spock was barely able to pick a relatively safe passage through. The corridor beyond had been protected by containment barriers for the most part but Spock still passed the bodies of two deceased students. From the lack of other bodies or survivors he assumed that passage to the fire stairs was clear.
Someone had propped the fire door ajar with a piece of rubble from a collapsed wall. The door was sliding back and forth in an attempt to close with a soft thudding noise. Spock stepped over the block and into the stairway. The stairs were dark with only emergency lighting softly illuminated them. He could hear voices below him. Spock turned down the first flight and found a group of eight students and one administration aide in plain clothes sitting on the landing. They looked up at his approach, peering through the darkness with human eyes less suited to such a light spectrum.
The cadet nearest him gestured at the pile of rubble heaped in front of them. 'The stairs are blocked. They're clearing it from the other side though.' He looked at Nyota and winced. 'Is she alright? They said it'd take at least two hours to clear the way. There're people under the rubble so they have to be careful.'
'She has a broken ankle, a cracked rib and a concussion but is not seriously injured.' Spock bent and carefully positioned Nyota on against the wall beside the boy. She had her eyes squeezed shut in discomfit. 'If we are going to be here for two hours, I must shut the fire door.'
'We thought it better to leave it propped open for any other survivors.' said another cadet.
'These stairwells are protected by containment barriers,' he glanced at the rubble pointedly, 'although some apparently failed, but they should protect us from radiation from the warp core.'
'Oh. Right. Radiation.' The cadet frowned. 'Sorry sir.'
Spock quickly returned to the doorway and removed the block of rubble. The door slid shut and after a second Spock heard the static hiss as the barrier activated in response to the radiation levels. He returned to the landing. He inspected the pile of rubble. He would be able to move enough of the pieces to enable escape, however he could hear voices from the level below. Moving any of the rubble could result in the debris collapsing on the people below.
Satisfied he could do nothing else of use, Spock returned to Nyota and sat down beside her. He could feel her shivering despite his jacket. He moved a little closer until his arm just barely touched her shoulder. 'If you are cold you may lean against me cadet.' He felt too self-conscious to make the statement in standard.
Again, she needed no further encouragement. She shifted, half turning, and pressed her arms and face against him. His arm appeared to be impeding her so he lifted it and wrapped it around her shivering form, mirroring the position of several of the humans on the landing. She appeared to appreciate this gesture and wrapped her arms around his chest and leant her head against him. Spock focused on maintaining a steady beat for his heart. He was glad it was dark. He could feel her jaw twitching as her teeth chattered and the warmth of her breath through the material of his undershirt. He felt exceedingly uncomfortable with her closeness. He tried to block all thoughts of the strange dream like scene of their mind meld from his mind. It was difficult.
The students on the landing talked quietly and nervously amongst themselves. Intermittently someone would call up from the level below and updates on the progress of the rescue team would be given. Spock talked quietly to Nyota in a variety of tongues, aware that she needed to stay conscious due to her head injury. After working through a dozen different obscure languages, he tried to perk her interest by teaching her bits of ancient Vulcan poems in Van-Kal Vuhlkansu which he knew from Cadet U'Aidat she was attempting to learn. His mother was fond of ancient Vulcan poetry and had liked him to recite them to her when he was a child.
'I feel the life is / sorrowful and unbearable / though / I can't flee away / since I am not a bird.'*
She was silent for a few moments before repeating the poem back carefully enunciating each word. Her accent was very thick, but High Vulcan was generally considered unpronounceable for humans so her usual perfection could not be expected. 'I feel the life is sorrowful and unbearable, though I cannot fly away since I am no bird.' He could tell she was getting tired because she was making more and more errors, although she was not nearly as inept at the dialect as Cadet U'Aidat had implied.
'flee away and not a bird. Otherwise thy pronunciation is adequate.'
She did not respond. Although she thoughtfully kept herself from making contact with any of his skin, Spock could sense the contrasting throbs of pain from the back of her skull, her cracked rib and the shattered bone in her ankle. She was exhausted and utterly miserable. He knew that after a mind meld sometimes a remnant of the connection could linger for a time. He had experienced similar effects on previous occasions he had shared thoughts with his parents.
Spock switched to standard Vulcan. 'We have been in the here for 37 minutes and 12 seconds. I anticipate we will not be here much longer than one further standard hour.' He hesitated before adding. 'If you wish, I could numb the pain of your injuries again.'
It was not an offer he was comfortable making, mind melds were not something Vulcan's took lightly, but after the affection for himself he'd felt in her earlier, he had no doubt were their roles reversed she would not hesitate to make the same.
'That would be good thank you Spock. It's been getting worse, I can't think straight.' She responded quietly in standard. He tried not to react to her using just his name. She didn't seem aware of the significance of his offer or his discomfit.
Spock glanced around the landing. No one was paying particular attention to Uhura and himself and judging from the way they were huddled together, none of them found anything odd about her proximity to him. The air coming through the vents along the wall from the scrubbers in the basement was chilled to an unusual degree to combat the heat of the fires in the building. The stairwell was uncomfortably cold. The others on the landing had abandoned propriety and were practically sitting on top of one another. In fact the one of the cadets was in the lap of another. Satisfied he was not being scrutinised, Spock pressed his left hand along the psi points on the side of Nyota's face.
'My mind to your mind. My thoughts to your thoughts.'
He was prepared this time and braced himself for the impact of her mental 'tackle' and was able to keep himself apart from her. Her thoughts, fuzzed with concussion, tugged against him curiously. Gently he batted them away, but he deepened the connection slightly so he could speak within the meld rather than out loud. He did not wish to draw attention to them.
/Calm yourself Nyota. I am aware that the sensation of a mind meld is fascinating, but you must focus on holding yourself apart./
After he felt her pull away, he focused himself and sank down within her nervous system. He dulled her pain receptors in the same manner as he had earlier. He felt her shock and amazement mixed with instant relief at the softening of the pain. Humans had no control over or even understanding of their basic metabolic functions. He felt her curiosity focusing until her thoughts cleared to him.
/That'sincredible Isthathow Vulcan's can regulatetheir heartbeats and bodytemperature?/
/Yes./
Her thoughts were rushed, as if without the need to vocalise her words she wanted to communicate them as quickly as possible. She was silent for a time. Spock could feel her thinking of all the advantages such a skill would offer with a bit of jealousy.
/Canyoumakemewarmer?Increase my bodytemperature?/
/Possibly. I am unsure what would be the safe levels however. I have no wish to cause you further injury./
/Temperatureabove37.6°Celsius isfeverish lessthan thatisfine/
Spock sensed her eagerness for him to attempt to alter her body temperature. He was hesitant however. He had no wish to put her at any additional risk. Dulling a sensation was one thing, but actually changing her metabolic functions was quite another. As he hesitated he caught a strange thought projecting from her. She was letting him feel her desire to burrow her cold fingers underneath his undershirt and press them against his skin for warmth. Evidently she had had been fighting the urge for some time. Apparently the thought was meant as some sort of threat.
He looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. She smirked slightly, aware of his regard, but kept her eyes closed.
/That is perhaps the strangest threat that has even been made against me. However, I am not going to alter your body temperature./
She sighed against his chest.
/You may carry through with your threat if you so desire./
He felt her shock and felt obliged to elaborate his sudden change of opinion with regards to physical contact. /There is no risk of unintentional telepathic communication in this instance and your body temperature is 34.5°./
/Youcouldjust raiseit to36.5°/
Spock did not deign to answer. He managed to restrain the urge to flinch when Nyota pressed her hands against his back after sliding them under his shirt. Her fingers were icy cold and he felt goose bumps raise on his skin instantaneously. He raised his own body temperature by .8°C to compensate. Nyota observed the process from within him with great interest.
57 minutes and 37 seconds had passed since the explosion. The sounds of careful excavation from the flight below them moved in stops and starts, slowing to almost complete halts when they neared a body or trapped survivor. Judging from what the emergency crews were saying there were two more students trapped under the rubble. Spock quickly calculated that they would be freed in 52 minutes and 20 seconds with an additional 8 minutes and 35 seconds for any other students they might be unaware of.
Nyota's amazement echoed through him again. She asked a muffled question more of his t-shirt then himself. 'How many seconds are there in 12.8 standard years?'
The calculation was near instant for Spock. (4672 days / 112100 hours / 6.728 x 106 minutes) He had little control over it. His brain given a simple problem solved it by rote.
'4.037 x 10^8 seconds.' He responded out loud.
'nanoseconds.'
'4.037 x 10^17 nanoseconds'
Her voice was playful. 'You are a walking talking calculator. You think even think in scientific notation.'
She was silent for 4 minutes and 12 seconds. Spock felt her thoughts wandering but made no attempt to observe them.
/Whatwasthatlast poem youtoldme?/
He spoke softly in high Vulcan as he had done earlier. 'I feel the life is / sorrowful and unbearable / though / I can't flee away / since I am not a bird.'
He could feel her analysing the exact manner in which he spoke the dialect, how his tongue and throat formed each syllable and the precise meanings he attached to each word. Her scrutiny and interest was intense. It was plain to Spock that Nyota's skill with languages was born more of a deep fascination with them rather than any especial natural talent. This was more admirable in his estimation.
When she repeated the phrase back she did so almost perfectly. Spock was impressed. /Well done cadet./
He felt her almost child-like pleasure at his compliment.
Spock tried to think of another old Vulcan poem or proverb that would appeal to the Nyota. Instead snatches of terran poetry kept coming to the surface of his mind and jumbling together. (bright star of beauty on whose eyelids sit/proud evening star, in thy glory afar/as winds that blow against a star**) His mother, as a linguist and a teacher, had a great passion for it. At one time she had translated a few of her favourites into Van-Kal Vuhlkansu. That would probably interest Nyota.
'Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art - Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night, and watching, with eternal lids apart, like nature's patient sleepless eremite'
Her reaction was different. Surprise and pleasure. /Keatsin highVulcan?/ She repeated the lines back softly out loud then switched back to speaking within her mind. /Howstrange to hear suchillogicalemotional sentiment translatedsowell into a Vulcandialect./
Spock had always thought it a rather pointless exercise, but he admitted the contrast was interesting. /Not so strange. Van-Kal Vuhlkansu is an ancient language, from before the Time of Awakening. My mother has translated many Terran works of prose into it. Evidently the more archaic the writing style the better it translates. She claims to prefer Shakspeare in High Vulcan over the original English./
'I suppose all the theeing and thou-ing would be well suited.' She commented out loud.
Spock could feel her trying to translate a few lines herself in curiosity. Her brain was still oddly fogged with her concussion however and he felt her frustration at how slowly her thoughts sorted themselves.
He helped her laboriously translate a soliloquy from Macbeth and felt her satisfaction when she was able to quietly recite it in high Vulcan in more or less the same iambic pentameter. Her exhaustion battered against him. He had to periodically distract her to keep her from falling asleep.
By the time the emergency workers cleared a path for them through the rubble she was limp against him, her thoughts reeling like a drunk as she fought off sleep. It wasn't until he climbed to his feet holding onto her that he realised she had entwined one of her hands in his. The fact that he had not realised shocked him more than how pleasant he found it.
* 'I feel the life is
sorrowful and unbearable
though
I can't flee away
since I am not a bird.'
By Yamanoue no Okura from A Dialogue of two Poormen
** Sonnet IV: Bright Star of Beauty - Michael Drayon, Evening Star - Edgar Allan Poe, As Winds that Blow Against a Star - Joyce Kilmer.