Things are heating up….
-XXX-
The fact that I am blindfolded is a little concerning, but I keep telling myself it's a simple security measure. "Just like in the movies…."
Between my agreement with Schwartz and association with McCoy, I am somehow allowed access to Khan Noonien Singh three days before his sentencing. I suspect it was more Leonard than Schwartz that managed to get me in. Somehow he has more of a pull than the lawyer. I choose not to question it.
We start in Schwartz's office, meeting McCoy and two security officers, then ride over together. Before we even leave the office building, the blindfold goes on.
"I really hope I'm not the only one," I grumble as Leonard ties the black fabric behind my skull. His doctor's hands are gentle, and he makes a point to not catch my hair in the knot.
He chuckles. "Sorry, Alya. You're the only civilian."
"What about Mr. Schwartz?"
The lawyer good-humoredly laughs. "Between being Mr. Singh's council and former Starfleet officer I am considered appropriately ranked."
At that I smile. "I suppose I couldn't be in better company, anyways – both a doctor and a lawyer are escorting me, not to mention the security officers."
The drive is suspiciously long. When we've stopped, Leonard helps me out and takes my elbow, guiding me forward. When we pass inside and the doors swish and lock behind us, he carefully turns me and unties the blindfold, folding and tucking the length of fabric into his pocket. He then takes my hand, squeezing. I smile, though I certainly feel nervous.
We walk the length of a long grey hallway before reaching what is clearly a service lift. Stepping inside, I am between the doctor and the lawyer, with the officers standing in front, at the entrance. On the ride down, I take a few deep breaths. This will be the first time in six months that I have seen Khan.
-XXX-
He can tell that she is nervous. When the lift stopped, Leonard put his hand on the small of her back, attempting to reassure. Looking down, he saw that her eyes were the size of dinner plates. Otherwise, she was composed. They exited the lift, stepping into a warehouse-like chamber filled with blocks and blocks of cells. They're much like the ones on the Enterprise, a bit bigger, oblong white bubbles with sleeping, bathing, and living spaces all crammed into one room. Most of them are empty, dark. But one, in the middle, is alight.
Another pair of security officers flank the cell. As they near, Leonard can make out Khan, sitting the metal slab that makes up his bed, head lowered. At the sound of their approach, he shifts, looking up. Though his eyes scan the group, they land pointedly on himself and Alya, narrowing briefly on the arm that is so clearly touching the young woman's spine. Bones almost instinctively pulls closer to Alya. Khan's eyes flash.
"Doctors McCoy and Nejem," he drawls. "Mr. Schwartz. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"You have a visitor, Mr. Singh," Schwartz says. "Dr. Nejem has gone through quite a lot of hoops to see you."
At this, Alya steps away from Leonard, nearing the cell. The augment turns to her, standing. One of the officers moves forward, but Schwartz subtly waves him off. Alya approaches the glass. Khan mimics her, nearing the glass until they are level. At the trial Khan had watched her like a hawk while Dr. Nejem hadn't looked his way once. Now observing the pair, Bones could see a strong connection between the two. An electricity. Khan's head was lowered, pupils wide and entire figure stilled. Alya still appears nervous, though he would guess her tightened fists are a result of excitement.
"It has been a great while, Dr. Nejem."
She chokes on a laugh. "Indeed. Months, Mr. Singh. I was surprised when you returned Earthside so quickly. Two days surely wasn't enough for Starfleet to forget about you."
For the first time, he sees something like a smile quirk the Augment's lips. "No, I should think not." He sobers quickly. "Why are you here, Alya?"
Her response is so soft Bones barely catches it. "I needed to see you…before…."
Something in the Augment softens. "You should not have come," he replies, though not harshly.
"I thought you had died."
"I am as good as dead."
She visibly shivers. But, surprisingly, she does not contradict him. "I've been to the trial."
"I have seen you," he counters. "Every day. You give me comfort."
"Well, I've nearly been the only one on your side."
"I know."
Her hand rises to the barrier. Khan's hovers level with hers, fingers spread to mirror hers. The tenderness Bones is witnessing has him quite taken aback. Looking around at the others, he can see that they are equally surprised, embarrassed, even, to be witness to such a tender display. If the barrier had not been in place, they might have been holding one another. He'd had no idea that this was their relationship – something much closer than he and the young anthropologist have. There is a possessiveness in the Augment's gaze that does not lend to any doubt – the anthropologist is his. They did not need to fear for Alya's life in the least; if anything, she was likely one of the few people he would be reasonable with.
Now they were murmuring quietly, too quietly for him to hear. Bones turns to the lawyer.
"Why did she say she wanted to come here?"
"Research," Schwartz replies, barely glancing up from the pair.
"Does that look like research to you?"
"I don't know," the lawyer says. "What is the collection of data supposed to look like?"
"Not like that," the doctor mutters dryly.
Here and there he could catch a word - - but not enough to give him a clear picture of what they were discussing. He heard Alya say something like "I just don't want you to be alone," and the Augment's soft reply of "Please do not do this…."McCoy suddenly feels the embarrassment of the others. The moment feels very private, and he's virtually staring the two down.
Ten minutes pass in an awkward quiet before Alya pulls away from the cell, indicating that she is done. Schwartz steps up to go over a few details of the sentencing in three days with Khan, then the group makes to go. Before they're out of sight Alya has looked back. Bones follows her gaze to see that Khan still stood near the barrier, watching them leave. The cold blue eyes that fall on him leave the doctor feeling…warned. It is not a particularly good feeling.
On the ride back over to Schwartz's office, Alya's hands curl in her lap, twisting fervently with want of distracting. She stares out the window impassively, clearly very lost in her thoughts.
"I'll see you at the sentencing on Thursday?" he asks just before the reach the office.
"What?" she responds distractedly. "Oh, no. No, I shan't be going."
"Really?" He thought she'd surely go on that day of all days.
"No," she answers faintly, turning back to the window. "I won't."
-XXX-
Leonard kindly offers to escort me home, but I politely turn him down, citing messiness. Truthfully, I just want some time on my own to think.
He'd asked that I not come to the sentencing.
"But why?" I had asked, utterly confused.
"I don't want you there. Allow me that – not seeing your face when it's announced I shall be placed inside my coffin again."
"Khan, I don't want you to feel alone." My fingers clenched against the glass-like barrier between us. "I've been here every step of the way, don't keep me back now.
"Please do not do this…."
The very use of the p-word was enough to send me reeling. Astonished, I gazed up at him. "Okay," I finally promised softly. "I won't go."
He sighed. "This will the final time we shall see one another," he informs me. "I wish to thank you, Alya. You have proven yourself a good friend to me. I believe I can have some faith that not all in this world is wasted with someone such as yourself in it."
"I'll miss you." On the brink of tears, I simply blinked up at him. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "For all of it."
"Do not apologize for the folly of lesser peoples, Alya Nejem."
"Someone ought to."
"Not you," he countered
Somehow I smiled at his resilience. Despite everything, he was trying to cheer me at least a little. "Goodness knows you never would."
Only a few more words passed between us before I left. Schwartz sarcastically asked if I had gotten all of the data I required. I did not bother with a
response.
-XXX-
There is a time in his schedule where only one guard stands over his watch. At noon, during lunch, officer Dudley Wright is on duty. He is the only guard the Khan interacts with, as he delivers his food. And, Khan quickly finds, Dudley is not exactly Starfleet's most loyal of recruits.
He first attempts to bargain Khan into not informing his superiors that he spent his shifts occasionally watching sporting events on his tablet or less savory things. Khan agreed in exchange for an extra twenty minutes of exercise a week – he was allowed supervised walks, and they moved up from there.
Dudley was not particularly bright or useful, but he was reliable. He thoughtlessly fed the augment updates on all matters Starfleet – even, perhaps, things he ought not be passing on. He was also friendly, a definite favorite of the other guards. Khan soon realized that the dull security office could be of even more use in the long run, provided they reach an understanding.
It is shortly after the lawyer, doctor, and Alya depart that he brings up the idea of independence to Dudley.
"Working all your life..." he whispers to the officer. "Is that what you what you're looking forward to? Staying with Starfleet your whole life, guarding lowlifes?"
The guard frowns. "No…."
"Then perhaps it is time you consider retirement," Khan suggests. "I can help you."
Dudley's eyes were alight. "Tell me."
-XXX-
The third day came, and the verdict was just as we'd predicted. Instead of sitting in the stands, I sat on my couch, rod-ram straight, hands clasped tightly. Somehow, the media had been allowed access to the verdict and sentencing. Cameras aimed at the twelve, Khan, and the present crew of the Enterprise, the commentators enthusiastically speculated on the outcome of the day. I did my very best to tune it out.
A lot of time was spent focusing on Mr. Singh. Stone-cold as ever, he ignored all of buzz about him.
The verdict (guilty) and sentence (return to a cryogenic state) surprised no one, but nevertheless led to a full evening of intense discussion which went long into the night and next morning, including various experts, witnesses, and everything but the kitchen sink. I fall asleep before my screen, stretched out uncomfortably on the couch, huddling beneath a thin throw blanket.
I awake, groggy, later that I would have liked. Despite the heaviness of my heart, I go about the day as usual – which meant work out in my apartment gym, then a trip out to the Bay's boardwalk for a visit with seals, the post (rarely used nowadays, but my expected packages of extremely old books were too delicate to be trusted with transporters) and the open-air markets. I buy myself some fresh, brilliantly red tomatoes, tasty romaine, peaches, hand-made pasta, and, as bit of a pick-me-up to myself, some brilliant purple tulips, imported all the way from the Netherlands. I was determined to make myself a beautiful lunch. Last week Silas sent me a jar of his delicious peanut pesto – to be perfectly paired, he said in his note, with some handmade pasta.
And that way my plan. Until, that is, I got a little sidetracked.
-XXX-
A little foreshadowing, oooooooh.
I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to drop in a review. I would greatly appreciate it.