Very subtly Mira floated herself a few centimeters off the floor and went to walk into the room, having no doubt someone was watching the cameras. However Kirk grabbed her arm and held tight, "Mira." The word was firm, almost like it was a warning, but also a question.

"Not here," She said before moving out of his grip and into the cold, dimly lit room. The arguments were all in their original cryo-tubes (there had been discussions about outfitting new ones, which was eventually dismissed), lined neatly in six rows of twelve, with enough room to maneuver a gurney to retrieve subjects. Making her way to the control panel to her left, Mira quickly logged onto the system and combed threw all the log in/out information as well as the processing schedule for the arguments.

"I see nothing strange," She announced, omitting the fact that it seemed to be taking longer and longer to draw blood. The time had stretched from three hour sessions to five hour sessions. "They are on schedule..no new technicians have been assigned in three months. Not a single breach in the security, or unauthorized log ins. Captain what I am looking for?"

"Have you installed a new security program? Or changed protocol?"

"No. Captain I wrote this program myself, there is no way to wake them all. Only two per 24 hours, and they must be back in their pods within the 24 hours, or else another set cannot be opened. All of the pairs have been pre-determined. When their day comes, only those pods can be opened. Captain, I swear to you they are safe. Khan cannot wake them. "

The captain sighed, pensively looking over the data on the screen as his thoughts ran threw his mind. "There are no changes to your program?"

"No. None. I would have to authorize it."

Jim stilled, mind still racing though the information he had seen on the file, Bone's words to him earlier, Mira's unnerving clam.

"Captain?" Mira asked after several moments had passed.

"Lock it down. Not that I don't trust you, but I want a team in here looking at the system. We need to be sure."

"He's in our custody. Captain we do not need to fear him anymore. He's under our control."

"You don't really believe that, do you?" He asked, as if speaking to a child.

"To a point, yes. Look at how far we've gotten with the man. We've had him in custody for eight months. I'd say we've won." IT was almost too easy to lie, which would hopefully tip the Caption off that something was wrong. Assuming Leonard had not already told him.

"Lock down the system, now. I'll have a team here shortly. We have some other things to do."

"Could I get changed into my uniform, perhaps? I feel so odd in plain clothes." Mira said as she locked the system, as requested. " Ronald will not find anything on here." She added, knowing the head cryo-tech would be the one to inspect the system. He was the only one with the passwords.

"We'll see. After all, I can't trust you.""Of course you can." She said, half heartedly as she followed her Captain back to the evaluator. "Where are we off to?"

Her captain was silent, the tightness in his shoulders and almost cold demeanor was putting Mira on edge. "How did you rip your leggings?" he asked, looking down at the slit in her tight.

"Must have caught it on something."

"Both front and back? Same hight? There's blood."

"Fine, he stabbed me," She admitted.

"Where is the wound?" He asked, eyes moving upward, hoping to catch hers. However her eyes were fixed on the elevator door.

"Medical?" She asked as the doors flew open. "Captain what the bloody hell is-" Mira stopped when she saw Leonard, walking swiftly towards them. She darted out of the elevator and into the arms of her lover. "Leonard tell me what is going on, now! The captain-"

"Mira, Mira, shhhh. Were going to fix you. Jim's just on edge, he's worried. I am to."

"You can't fix me." She whispered, "because nothing is wrong." She finished, watching Leonard's face fall.

"Then prove it. Let me examine you." Leonard requested, as he lead her into the third room on the left.

It was a private exam room, white and sterile, outfitted with one table and too much equipment, some of which Mira had never seen.

"No, Leonard, I told you..Khan had my files he,..he brought back so many bad memories. I can't. Not today, please."

"Mira, Leonard will go over you with a fine tooth comb and you will not resist, that is an order." Jim said, closing the door behind him.

Mira suddenly noticed how empty the room was, with only one nurse and no guards. Maybe, just maybe she was safe, even though she did not feel so.

"Yes Captain." She finally said, rolling her shoulders back and trying to relax her body. She was suddenly regretting blurting what she did to Leonard. How would she avoid telling Khan about this later?

"Hunny, there's a robe behind there," Leonard said, motioning to a partition, "Change for me?"

Mira nodded before walking slowly behind the thin white curtains. She changed quickly, shivering from the lack of heat in the room.

"Khan stabbed her, in the thigh," She heard Kirk say to her boyfriend, just before she stepped out from the curtain in the tiny, low cut hospital gown. On tip toe she hopped back to Leonard, claiming his arm and body heat.

"He what? Mira let me see." He said hurriedly, kneeling down to pull up the gown. "There isn't a wound. Are you sure?" He asked Kirk, standing back up.

"There is blood on her leggings, and two slits, paralle to each other, obviously made by a knife."

"Come here, love," Leonard said, turning his lover into him and claiming her lips.

Mira instantly relaxed, her lips following his, body fitting in the curves in his. The embrace lasted long enough for Kirk to feel the need to clear his thaort. The couple took another moment before they pulled away from each other. Leonard picked up his subject bridal style and laid her on the only medical table in the room. Her small hands gripped his lapel as he moved away, her body tensed. "What are you going to do?"

"Nothing that will hurt you. Ok, ok," He said, as her face turned skeptical. "Maybe a poke or two. Nothing else, promise, my love." He said, stroking her cheek and kissing her forehead before checking her thighs once more, also noting some brushing on the outer thigh, before moving away.

"Mira, what else did he do to you?" The captain asked, watching the nurse attach wireless devices onto her skin. She was silent as the beat of her heart began tis found over the monitor, a lot with other numbers and waves, her vitals.

"Mira what did he do to you?" Jim asked again.

"What do you mean?" She asked, her voice steady as her eyes stared up passed the odd device hanging from the ceiling.

"He's comprised you," He stated, watching his Chief as he hands curled into fist.

"He.." Mira's mind was racing, as Khan's orders suddenly echoing in her mind : "You will mention nothing of my plans to anyone, or tell them who is loyal to me. Everything stays between us"

"There was nothing to tell. Captain, I was under great stress..he..he had my files. I was upset."

"Your files?" Kirk asked, brows furrowed.

"Jim, I can fill you in later just trust me, that's bad and impossible. I destroyed all her files, had a friend make her new identity, to keep her safe. Mira, hunny, turn your head and take a deep breath, alright?" He asked as he came back over with a needle.

She did as she was asked, gasping as he inserted the needle into her arm. She found her head falling to the side, looking at the nurse. Could she be Khan's?

Jim, watching her closely noticed where she was looking. "Bones, get the nurse out of here. You can handle Mira on your own, I hope."

"Jim, unless you plan on giving me a hand, she stays."

"Then she goes. I owe her a bit a man handling."

"I'll have to kick your ass again, Captain," Mira interjected.

"Hannah, if you'd give us the room," Leonard asked

"But Doctor," she protested, "you need trained hands to-"

"I'll call you back shortly, I'm sure. Please." Leonard left his lover's side, and saw her out, locking the door as she left.

"Mira, tell me everything. Now. What did Khan do to you?"

"How do you mean?"

"You couldn't tell Leonard what he did. Why not?"

"Because he did nothing," Mira answered early, looking up at her captain. "Try..x-rays." She suggested, hesitantly, unsure if she would be able to. Part of her mind was telling her to shut up, that in doing this she was sealing their fates. But she had to help, right?

"Mira, just tell me."

"He had my file..threaten to expose me, to hurt me. I.." Mira was scrambling for words, even though all she wanted to do was tell him everything. "I have to play his game, or else he'll stop talking."

"Screw his game, I don't care. Tell me what really happened in there. You tried to tell Leonard, but you couldn't. Mira, tell me."

She gasped again as Leonard drew more blood, her body freezing up. "He won, Captain. And you're all bolluxed." She said, her eyes finding Kirks. Khan had forgotten to give her one order : to act normal. To not let anyone on. He should have given her very, very specific orders. Bones kissed Mira's forehead again before heading over to his computer and analyze the blood samples.

The Captain stared hard at his Chief of Security and opening his mouth only to be interrupted.

"What the..Jim, come here."

Kirk held Mira's eyes for a few moments before moving away, looking at the monitor Bones was focused on. His mouth fell open slightly.

"Less I know the better," She said, looking back up at the ceiling and focusing her thoughts on something else, anything else that would come to mind. unfortunately that something was Isabelle, her fallen sister, the warning she should have listened too..

Leonard and Jim were both in shock looking at Mira's blood panel: her red blood cell count was up, she seemed to have a surplus of several vitamins and minerals. It also showed an excess of 'super serum' the drug Leonard had been making out of augmented blood, but this was different, stronger, more pure. Mira had never received any of the serum.

"It can't be, she's never head a dose," He said, reseting the computer to run her sample again.

"Bones.." Jim whispered, "Check her blood against his."

Bones looked at his Captain for a moment in utter shock, his brain slowly catching up to what he was thinking. Leonoard's hands flew over the key's bring up a second panel, with Khan's standard vitals and blood information. The horror that stole their faces as the numbers matched up stayed for several minutes, both processing what they were looking at. "That means-"

"Bones." The word was as firm as Kirk could mange."Run it again, figure out..what you can." Jim walked back to the exam table, looking down "Mira, Khan knows you have powers?"

"Yes."

"Dose he know how powerful you are?"

"He had my medical files from when I was a girl. He knows everything."

"What is he planning?"

"Just what he promised when we took him into custody: to kill us all," Mira half expected her mouth to stop working, but thankfully it did not.

"What did he tell you?"

"That he wants revenge and he'll find a way to get it. Captain, I-i don't.." Mira's words were getting slurred and soft, as the drug Leonard slipped into her IV started effect her.

"Did you.." She was feeling dizzy, everything was becoming blurry. "Leonard, I feel odd." She said, as she closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths. The boys waited a few moments until she opened her eyes.

"Odd how, hunny?" He asked, suddenly at her side.

"Dizzy, sleepy. A bit weak, but it's starting to fade. "

"Lets get you a fresh IV." He said, quickly changing out the bag for one that did not have any drugs, all the while not looking at his Khan's blood in her system, she would process any drug he gave her far too quickly to be effective. Plan A, scrapped. Quietly he went back to the screen, fingers slowly moving over the key board.

"X-rays would be helpful, I think." She said again, hoping they would find the implant. She opened her mouth, hoping to tell them shoulders upward, but she was unable.

"Should we assume he has full control over you?" Kirk asked, clasping his hands behind his back.

Mira remained still, looking up at her captain.

"How many strong is his army? Surely he doesn't plan to take us all down by himself. "

"How should I know? I can barely get the information out of him that Seeker wants."

"Mira, if I get you in there, can you kill him?" Jim asked thought a tight mouth. This was not worth the risk: getting rid of Khan was the only sure fire way to keep them all safe.

"No."

"Not even a slight chance?"

Mira thought for a moment, turning over possibilites in her mind, however.."Not even a minuscule one." Her voice held sorrow and defeat. She saw, at the moment, no end to her predicament. "Captain I.." Mira took a breath to try and steady herself, "I'm scared."

Both men stilled, looking shocked at the words. "Can you tell me anything of what he's done?""He's hurt me. He's trapped me, He-" Mira's mouth wouldn't work as she again tried to tell him what he had done. Her throat was becoming tight, her mouth not even forming the words she wanted. "I can't. I can't, I'm so sorry. He could maybe know that I'm trying to tell you." She paused a moment, " X-rays, captain." She said again words almost venomous, moving her head to tuck a nonexistent stray hair from her face.

Kirks brows knitted together in thought, watching her move. "Bones? X-ray her head."

Mira sighed, able to relax herself just a bit. If they found it, maybe they could take it out. She would be safe.

"Sit up, love." Leonard asked, to which she obliged. He pulled down one of the many arms of the octopus like machine hovering just above them and snapped several pictures of her head and neck, keeping his hand firmly on her shoulder the entire time.

"It wasn't by choice," she said softly, trying to find a way to apologize.

"He forced you..to..?"

"Yes. Oh, maybe" Mira lifted up the gown to see if any of the marks from the injected were still visible. There was some light brushing, but it as enough.

"What the.." Leonard moved around the table to look at the brushing, hands testing the tenderness of the flesh as well as the texture of the muscle underneath. "Multiple strikes here. I thought you ran into something."

Mira's hand moved upward to where Leonard had been drawing blood and circling the spot with a finger as she watched him.

"What but you-" Leonard said, looking up at her. Her annoyed face stopped his words. "That's how.."

"Bones, see anything all these x-rays? It looks like a skull to me." Jim said, the frustration becoming apparent in his voice.

"Hunny, can you tell me how often?"

"When I need to..I do." She said sadly, finding herself unable to meet Leonard's eyes. She found herself thinking, maybe if she had played harder, if she hadn't shown Khan weakness in the limo, surrendered to him that night..maybe she wouldn't be in this mess. "I'm sorry." She told him.

"Hey, none of this is your fault. We should have killed him when we had the chance."

Mira looked up, shocked at the hardness of her lover's tone. Her sweet, gentle Bones, who cried over each lost patent (the handful that didn't make it), was suggesting killing another being.

"Do not think such dark things," She pleaded softly, "it's not like you."

"For him, I'll make an exception." He said, before kissing her forehead and walking over to Jim, speaking as quietly as he could.

"He's using some sort of injector or needle, the bruising suggest she's had several does, maybe more, since she heals quickly now. I couldn't tell you how much, or how often." His voiced turned hard, words empty.

"Can we do a transplant, get it all out of her?"

"No..I don't think I have that much AB- stock, and besides, she wouldn't agree to it. Also, the sudden lose of his blood could cause her body to go into shock. We need to let her process it all out."

"I don't need her permission. I'm her Captain, and I know what's best for her. We, know what's best for her." He quickly corrected himself as Bone's gave the captain a heated look. " I don't get it Bones..how can his blood do this to her?"

"It's meant to repair, improve health and fitness. There has to be something were missing.." He mused looking over the X-rays. "Well..she's running a bit hot. Look here," He instructed pointing along the top of the spinal column and the cerebellum. "Her overall temp is two degrees to high. Her body is fighting something.."

"A virus?"

"No, not with his blood in her," Leonard moved back toward his patient. "Mira? Were going to do full body x-rays, alright?"

"You have what you need." She said, opening her eyes to look at the dark shadow that was her boyfriend. The lights were too bright to make him out.

"Mira your-"

"You have all you need." She said again, snapping a bit. "I've been having neck pain..head pain. Every few hours or so." She said, slowly, unsure when she would find herself tongue tied. "Might just be moon time, though." She added off handedly.

Leonard pressed his lips together, both frustrated and upset. How, when, was the damn argument able to do this? What had he given her? Was there something in her brain? No. No, Kahn didn't have the skills to open her up, put something in and close her up. That required time and equipment he did not have.

"Have you hit your head recently?"

"No. Nothing new. Expect, I did pass out the other night.. .at dinner. "

"With Khan?" Leonard asked, voice a bit surprised

"Yes, when I woke up, I was in his lap."

"Oh yea, you were kissing him." Kirk muttered on accident.

Mira's eyes widened a touch, looking up at Leonard.

"You what?" He asked quietly.

"I thought I was home, I thought it was you, for just a moment. He wouldn't let me go.. I didn't..Leonard?" She asked, as he turned away slowly walking back to Jim.

"When were you going to tell me?" He asked Kirk.

"When we watch the security tapes, tonight. If that tech today was the same was as last night, we'll have to figure how much of what we saw actually happened. Today, Mira never disarmed herself on tape, nor did Khan. And yet she has no knives. You were right, we know one tech, and four guards, that have betrayed us."

"What do we do about them?"

"Scotty's on it. "

"She kissed him." Leonard said again, looking at the monitor.

"You heard her, she thought it was you."

"If the tech edited out the real feed, how can we know what happened?""We'll find a different one to go in and look. Right now..it still just looks like a skull." Jim said, taking their attention back to the X-rays.

"Aches in neck and head.." Leonard told himself, running the pictures through a a few different filters. He tackled layer by layer, looking over just the bone, then just the muscles, then the nerves, then the circulatory. "Hum.."He said, switching back to the view of the nervous system. "This is odd. Look, their's discoloration throughout the brain. What on earth..maybe its just the blood. I don't know. Jim, I don't know. I won't know unless..wait." Bones jaunted back to his love, who seems to have dozed off. Softly he clipped the elastic pony tail fasting and slowly combed thew her hair, looking at her scalp for any signs of an inception. He looked at her neck, behind her ears, everywhere he could think of. Maybe he forced her to ingest something? Maybe his blood was treated with something…no, it would have shown up on the blood panel. What had he done to her, in those long six hours? She looked so very tried, even though she was currently resting.

"If she can't kill Khan, we have to." Leonard told Jim as he walked back to his side. "If he's gone, she's safe."

"We have to assume that anyone we encounter may be his. Every guard on this floor, everyone. With the camera's running stock footage, its my guess they are, he could kill us and no one would know. How do we know that purging his blood is going to fix her? Bones..i want to save her just as much as you do, but last time I made a rash choice, I died."

"I don't know. I don't know." Leonard said, his voice tried and strained. He was fighting back tears. The Doctor was at a total loss. "Go, I need time to think."

"Bones, "

"Go on, Jim. I need to think. Don't let the nurse in. Tell them to do the rounds. " He said, turning his back on Jim and walked back to his lover.

Captain Kirk sighed, looking at Bones. "I'll give you an hour, we need a plan of attack sooner rather then later." He announced before leaving the room, fighting off the vulturous nurse on the other side of the door.

Leonard stared down at his sleeping love, taking in the soft curves of her face, the small rise of her chest as she breathed slow breaths. "Mira.." Bones couldn't keep the tears from falling, unable to fight the waves of sorrow and anger that he was keeping pent up in his chest. He sat down in his high backed rolling chair and took Mira's hand.

She stirred softly, her hand lightly gripping his. He looked down at her, contemplating just what was wrong. He didn't bother to wipe away the tears and traveled down his cheeks.

"Something in your head.." he said, it had to be something. Maybe the discoloration in the nervous system? The heat patterns in the brain itself? But what was causing it? It couldn't just be the blood. There was something in there, and until he know what it was, he couldn't just open her up and poke about. "I don't know what to do..whatever's in you, I..I just don't know."

"I do." Her voice was soft, heavy with sleep.

"Tell me, please, my love." He begged, rolling his chair upward, so their faces were only a few inches apart.

"From long ago..not now." She said, still sleepily.

"Something from when? Section 31?"

"No. Not now."

"From his ship? When they found him in space?"

"Yes. They all have one, maybe. Some of them used it already."

"It? There is a device?"

Mira was silent, her eyes, half open, watching her lover. "Something like it..not electronic. Natural." She said, though the tightness that as starting to from in her thwart. "I can't." She said.

"It's ok. I'll figure it out. I'm Chief medical Engineer. I'm pretty damn smart."

"Oh really?" She teased, smiling as she sat herself a bit. "And here I thought you were some bumbling old man."

"Hey.."

"Make love to me." She said softly, gripping his hand.

Leonard flushed, looking down for a moment before meeting her eyes. "Jim will be back in an hour."

"Then we'll be fast."

"We don't know how to be fast yet.." He counted, blushing more.

"Then take me home. We can take all the time we want.."

"I'm not sure thats a good idea, I need to make sure you're alright."

"I am. But, doctor," she said, siting up and wrapping her legs around him, his hands falling to her thighs, "I seem to be very ho-" Leonard's lips stole the word from her, his soft lips kissing her slowly. After several minutes he pulled away, "Last night was a disaster." He said.

"Well..maybe more foreplay will help." She suggested, "You know I have trouble relaxing.. ." She said sheepishly, mentioning only one of the factors that made last night awkward and unsuccessful.

"Maybe less medical jargon on my part would help too.." He murmured, his lips falling to the hollow of her throat.

"That would be good." She agreed, looking down at him, and realizing she wasn't in the mood, at all. She did want him as close as possible, she needed to be touching him, to know he was safe.

He sighed, his hot breathing making her skin tingle. "I don't think I can.. .not until you're truly alright." Leonard said, looking up at her.

Mira released him, letting her legs dangle off of the table. "I think you're right," She agreed. "I just..I do not want you out of my sight." She admitted, "I want you close. As close as I can have you."

"I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere."

"Leonard..I need something from you." She whispered, looking into his now confused eyes. "I need this, unconditionally, and it will keep you safe."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your loyetalies, my love."

"Loyalties?" He questioned, "They are to you and to Jim, what else-"

"No. Not to The Captain. To me, and..to Khan. "

The shock that spilled over his face was painful to watch, as was the horror that followed. Leonard pushed away and stood, as anger started to take hold.

"I will die before I swear loyalty to him!" the doctor hissed, "how could you even ask me that!?"

"It's the only way he will spare you," Came the blunt and unwelcome answer, as Mira held back tears. "Khan will will order me to kill you, if you do not swear your loyalty to him."

Leonards mouth was slightly agape now, as he watched Mira speak. "He can't order something like that…you would never."

"No, No I wouldn't..but I have to follow every order he utters, to a 't'. I've tried fighting..you've seen it doesn't work. Join us, my love, or else he will have you dead. Please, I can't lose you."

"He won't trust me."

"Pass whatever test he has for you, and he will. You'd have access to his plan, maybe. We could use this, and save you. Please."

"Mira this is ludicrous!"

"This is the only way to survive. Today is about survival Leonard." She said softly, understanding the situation. "I lost to that bastard today, survival is now the name of the game. We survive the next few days, we can beat him. I know you don't trust me, at least trust my love for you, and my hatred for Khan."

Leonard was flabbergasted. He huffed, running his hands though his already messy hair and looking away from his girlfriend, his mind spinning its wheels."This is to much." He said, turning away from her and putting his hands on his hips. "This is all to much." He said again as he made for the door.

"Leonard!" Mira called hopping off the table, but was only able to take half a step before the IV started to pull, as well as several other things attached to her. "Ow!"

Leonard opened the door and stepped out, the nurse darting into the door way. "Make sure she stays put, monitor her temperature and blood make up. Keep her clam and comfortable." He said softly before he disappeared .

"LEONARD!" Mira yelled, suddenly very scared. She knew talking to him about his was going to be tough, but for him to just leave her..

"Please, let's lay you back down. Yelling won't help." Hannah said softly, strong and cold hands laying her back down and swiftly adjusting everything she had pulled out of place. "I've never heard you two fight."

Mira was silent as more tears spilled down her cheeks.

"The doctor didn't tell me what was wrong." She said, moving over to the monitors, her brow furrowing.

"An overdose, the serum Leonard has been making. Were trying out a new strain. I do not feel well." She said, her voice flat.

"A new strain? I haven't heard anything."

"It's a classified project, Hannah."

"I'm the doctor's personal assistant," She argued, feeling rather miffed.

"Take it up with the Admiral, if you're that upset." She snapped. "Dim the lights."

Hannah sighed as she did as she was told, taking the extra rolling chair and sitting in front of the hollow screen. "I'm sorry, Mira."

"We're all on edge. It's fine. Please, no one but the captain and Leonard are to come in."

"Yes ma'am," she said, eyes focused on her vitals.

Mira turned her head away from the girl, taking deep breaths to stop the tears and let herself fall into the darkness of sleep.