Khan's vision blurred as he sat slumped against the cell wall and tried to focus, feeling somewhat defeated.

He physically hurt. This was not something he was used to experiencing. He had taken more than his fair share of punches in his lifetime but he was never unable to retaliate, never unable to defend himself. He had never allowed himself to get this damaged.

He wasn't sure of time anymore; what hour it was, day, how long he had been there. It felt like an eternity yet he was amazed to still be alive. He was convinced that the Admiral should have killed him by now, so what was taking him so long?

People gathered outside his cell. He gazed at them, gradually bringing them into focus. Three security officers were in conversation with Mr Spock, The Admiral and another person who he couldn't make out at first. They were short and standing obscured by Spock, only when they spoke out did Khan's brain spark back into action.

"Maybe I can get him to talk, I got him to trust me easily enough, didn't I?"
Lieutenant Uhura questioned them. She was bold, confident, and from the edge in her voice; plotting something.

"I do not think it is wise, considering your success in outsmarting the criminal, that you face him." Spock commented, his voice normal yet his gaze at her suspicious. "I calculate his attempt at trying to kill you if he sees you again at ninety-eight-percent."

"He wouldn't be able to touch me with guards hovering over him." She added, "If he even so much as lifted a finger I would be out of that room faster than a dreadnoughts warp core."

"That is literally impossible, Lieutenant, but figuratively-"

"Yes, Spock, it was an expression." Uhura snipped at him. "What do you think, sir?"

"I think it is worth a shot, I am sick to death of getting no response from that man." The Admiral told her.

Finally. Khan thought, finally. God only knows how many interrogations he had been through since he cleared Uhura's name, and how many times the Admiral had personally yelled at him to try and acquire information on the war. He didn't think it would take this long for the mans pathetic little brain to work out that maybe Lieutenant Uhura was his most valuable weapon against him.

Before Khan registered what was going on, security guards had entered the cell and were man handling him again. He was lead out and passed Uhura and Spock, who both glared at him; one genuine, one acting.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He heard Spock ask Uhura behind his back as they walked behind him. Spock's voice was different, as it once was when he first met him, when he first heard him in conversation with Uhura who, at the time, was his. The emotion had returned to his words.

"Yes I'm sure." Uhura's tone, however, was perfectly plain and unreadable. Void of any feeling. Businesslike.

xxxx

Uhura sat opposite Khan at the table in the small interrogation room, seeing his face for the first time in two weeks.

She kept her expression distant, her body language nonchalant yet professional as she knew the Admiral and Spock would be watching via cameras from another room.

Guards lined the back wall behind Khan as he sat with his hands still cuffed, in his lap.

He clenched his jaw and stared at her from under his eyebrows, putting on a front.

They both held their characters.

"You seem calm." She said, as if trying to elicit a reaction, "I was told there was a ninety-eight-percent chance of you trying to kill me?" She asked him snidely.

He smirked.

"A little difficult, wouldn't you say?" He lifted his cuffed wrists.

"Not for you." She retorted.

Khan sharply inhaled and squared himself, leaning forward slightly and staring straight into Uhura.

"Why did you betray me? More to the point, how?" He snarled.

"You don't get to ask the questions." She cut him off, audaciously.

Khan grit his teeth.

"I want to know."

"Then figure it out. You're the genius why don't you tell me what I did."

Khan settled back in his chair and she could see him fighting a smile, see admiration behind the fake anger in his eyes.

Uhura watched him as he sat thinking for a moment and he suddenly hummed, as if coming to a conclusion.

"Oh I see..." He rumbled.

"Do you?"

"You were working with the Fleet all along weren't you?" He began his false story, "They tried to capture me once using an old-fashioned man hunt, but when that didn't work, they sent you in; a woman just clever enough to make me believe she was on my side."

"Almost..." She patronised, "But not quite correct..."

Khan's expression twitched and he curled his lip slightly.

"Enlighten me... Where did I go wrong?"

"The Federation knew nothing, they did not order me to do what I did. I acted alone, knowing that it would be to risky to have the Fleets full involvement." Uhura carefully worded her reply, subtly letting Khan know what they Admiral thought she had really done. Khan snorted a laugh.

"Alone? You? So you're saying you single handedly brought me down and turned me in to the Federation?"

"Yes." She told him, "It worked didn't it? Might wanna re-think how smart you think I am."

Khan huffed, smirking at her again and she let silence fall between them before starting her questioning.

"What is your involvement in this war?" She began, "Are you giving the enemy information? Tipping them off? Planting rumours?"

"Now why would I tell you anything?" Khan rumbled.

"Because you're bored." She answered for him, "Bored of being stuck in that cell and asked the same questions over and over and over.."

He raised an eyebrow at her, studying her.

"You don't want to go back to that cell. You would rather they killed you than be cooped up like an animal."

A few beats of silence passed between them.

"I did not start this war, Lieutenant." His voice was low. "The Klingons and the Romulans have been collaborating for some time, plotting between their universes..."

"I am not accusing you of starting the war, Khan." she replied. "It is already a know fact that I was the person who intercepted and translated the Romulans message commencing war whilst aboard your ship. I am asking you to tell me what you know."

Khan thought quickly and carefully before replying.

"I know details and can gain access to places in the the Romulan and Klingon Federations that could turn this war on its head, and bring down both Fleets." He assured her, "But I will not be just giving this information away."

"I can tell you now that we have methods of extracting this information from you. Whether you give it or not is irrelevant."

"Well you can try." Khan smirked, "But even under mind-meld you can't be one-hundred percent sure of the sincerity of the information you extract." He began.

"I have knowledge and supply of many details regarding their planets, and even if you take all of it, it means nothing if you don't know how to use it, to apply it to a situation correctly. You would need someone who does know. You would need me."

Uhura frowned and leaned her elbows on the table in front of her, resting her chin on her knuckles and staring Khan in the eye.

"What do you want..?" She asked, "Under what circumstance will you give us the information that we need?"

"I have one request." He announced, "That my crew and I, if we are to assist Earth with this war, are granted a pardon. That we may be free to live our lives in peace, free from the scrutiny and command of Starfleet and allowed to once again just be citizens of Earth."

He held Uhura's gaze. Everything was working to plan.

"I am not the enemy, Lieutenant, and as much as the world seems to have forgotten; my crewmembers and I are human, Earth is our home just as much as yours."

Before Uhura could ask him anymore questions, the Admiral and Mr Spock entered the room.

The Admiral stood silent for a moment, eyes darting over each person in the room.

"Bring him up to my office in twenty minutes." He barked at the guards before turning to Uhura.

"Lieutenant, you have that time to collect your PADD and any other documentation or thoughts needed for an emergency war meeting. I want all the information you have on this man so he cannot out-wit us."

Uhura glanced to Khan who was being lead out of the room, he smirked at her, but it was not malicious.

"Mr. Spock, contact all council and Admirals for a meeting." The Admiral continued. "I will see you both at 17:00hrs. Don't be late."

Uhura turned on her heel and followed out of the room, desperately hoping their facade questioning was going to be enough to get the Admirals to listen to Khan, to maybe give them a fighting chance of, one day, having a peaceful life together.