It took all of Spock's energy to force his eyes open. His breathing, like the rest of the crew's, was slow and labored. He slowly turned his head and saw Uhura curled up beside him, her eyes closed tight and her chest rising and falling shakily, her body shaking with chills. He knew that it wouldn't be long before they were all done for. He took a deep breath and closed his eye gently, wanting the last thing that he saw to be Uhura's beautiful face.
/
"So what?" McCoy asked, gripping the consul until his knuckles turned white. "We're just going to bust in there and shut it off ourselves?!"
"That's sorta the idea, yeah!" Kirk guided the speeding ship towards the small outpost, the glimmering shield still encapsulating it.
"And how the hell are we going to get past that shield?" McCoy yelled, the engines screaming getting louder and louder as the ship picked up speed.
"Remember when I drove the ship into the starbase?" Kirk asked as McCoy shut his eyes tightly, the outpost coming too close for his comfort. "Yeah I was hoping to go three for three today." Kirk chuckled as he slammed the ship into the shield, energy spurting out all around them. The ship seized as the shield's energy pulsed through its systems. Kirk stepped on the brakes and the ship lurched backward as it came crashing into the wall of the outpost. It clattered off the side and skidded to a stop inches away from the edge of the landing platform.
"James Tiberius Kirk." McCoy breathed as he continued to hold onto the consul, losing all feeling in his knuckles. "You're going to be the death of me."
"Whatever, mom." Kirk scoffed as he released himself from the seat and braced himself on the consul, standing up slowly. McCoy sucked in a deep breath and stood up to help Kirk into his maintenance suit once again.
"What's the plan?" McCoy asked as Kirk's finger hovered over the door's release button.
"Set to stun. Give 'em hell." Kirk shrugged as he punched the button, the white door sliding open to reveal a few confused blue beasts that resembled Admiral Glick's true form. They raised their weapons hastily when they saw Kirk take a small step forwards, but they weren't fast enough to beat Kirk's lightening fast reflexes. They all hit the ground hard with the artificial gravity before they could fire a shot at the duo.
"Damn." McCoy whistled and Kirk took a step down the stairs, losing his footing and nearly face-planting on the next stair before McCoy swooped in and caught him. "See, then you turn around and do shit like that." McCoy smiled slightly and sighed.
"Shut up." Kirk bantered playfully, his smile tainted with the pain flaring through his body.
"How many more goons do you think Glick's got here?" McCoy asked as he pushed Kirk forward, struggling to hold up his phaser to face whatever might come next.
"Too many." Kirk grumbled as the doors to the base slid open and more beasts poured out. Kirk quickly took them all down before they had time to process what was happening. Kirk took another step forward and searing pain shot through his torso. He cringed slightly and stumbled forward, nearly knocking both of them off balance.
"Jim? Do you need to sit for a minute?" McCoy asked frantically as he stopped them, starting to lower Kirk onto the ground.
"I don't have a minute, Bones." Kirk said through gritted teeth as he tried to forget the pain. "I'm alright." He managed and took another step forward. McCoy hesitantly continued forward, watching Kirk like a hawk. He had an unsettling feeling in his stomach that his friend was going to drop any minute.
They finally made it off the landing pad and slid open the doors to the base. McCoy readjusted his grip on Kirk as they stepped over stunned bodies, Kirk barely able to lift his feet high enough to clear the unconscious beasts.
"There." Kirk moaned, pointing with his phaser down a long stretch of brightly lit hallway.
"You sure?" McCoy asked, starting to pick up pace as he watched Kirk struggle to keep his eyes open.
"If it's anything like Starfleet's other bases, I'm positive." Kirk grunted as they pushed ahead.
"You know," McCoy huffed, realizing that he needed to do all that he could to keep Kirk awake and on his feet. "I wonder where these crazy bastards are from."
"Probably some outlying system," Kirk responded between labored breaths. "Somewhere too quiet for their liking."
"You think that's why they came all this way just to ruin your day?" McCoy asked, desperately trying to keep the conversation alive.
"I'd bet on it." Kirk sighed in relief as they finally came to the door at the end of the hall. McCoy pushed the button on the side and the doors slid open, revealing a dozen or so unarmed beasts huddled behind computer screens.
"Alright," Kirk sucked in a deep breath before readying his phaser and pointing it at the nearest beast. "You're going to shut off that tractor beam." He said sternly, donning his 'I'm the captain and you have to listen' face.
"Captain Kirk," One of the beasts piped up, stepping out from behind his screen. "The one you know as Admiral Glick warned us that you might come."
"Good, then you know that I'm going to get what I want." Kirk shrugged, feeling a new energy start to run through his veins.
"Quite the contrary, Captain. We've been instructed to keep you from shutting down this operation at all costs-" The beast didn't finish before Kirk fired his phaser, dropping the unconscious body onto the floor. The rest of the beasts looked down at him in terror.
"Yeah, I'm really not in the mood." Kirk shrugged, holding up his phaser to the next nearest scientist.
"Your phaser is set to stun!" One of the scientists yelled gleefully. "He cannot hurt-" The scientist was cut off by another phaser blast from Kirk's phaser, toppling the scientist to the floor.
"Anyone else wanna get their ass stunned?" Kirk asked loudly and the scientists all shook their heads rapidly. "Good. Now turn off that tractor beam."
The scientists all turned back to their screens in a hurry, their elongated fingers flying across the digital buttons. Kirk felt his reserve energy starting to run low again and he slumped farther against McCoy. McCoy pushed him back upright, not daring to say anything.
"If any of you even think about botching this up on purpose, I'll turn this dial right here." Kirk pointed to the switch on his phaser. "That's right. Kill mode." The scientists all returned to their work with furious speed. Kirk kept his eyes fixated on the viewing screen, waiting for the pale green of the beam to disappear.
"Finished." One of the scientists piped up as Kirk watched the green fade from around the ship. He breathed a sigh of relief and let his burning muscles relax slightly.
"Bones, try to hail the Enterprise." Kirk commanded firmly and McCoy fumbled with his belt until his fingers curled around the communicator and he flipped it open.
"McCoy to Enterprise." McCoy barked into the communicator, but was met with only static. Kirk's heart stopped. We're too late. "McCoy to Enterprise." McCoy breathed into the communicator a second time and the entire room held its breath, the scientists still looking down the barrel of Kirk's phaser. The silence on the other side of the line was deafening. Kirk closed his eyes in defeat. We're too late.
"Enterprise, here." Uhura's weak voice crackled through the communicator and McCoy's breath left his body as a smile spread widely across his face. Kirk's heart started up again, his eyes snapping open at the sound of her voice.
"Is everyone alright up there?" McCoy asked frantically, nearly dropping Kirk out of excitement.
"We're okay," Uhura breathed and all of the alarms in McCoy's head went off. She was weak. It had been close.
"Listen, we're down on the outpost just a little ways from you. I need you to beam us up." McCoy said frantically, holding the communicator just out of Kirk's waving hands.
"Us?" Uhura asked, the strength beginning to return to her voice.
"Yeah, two of us! I'll explain later!" He said, closing the communicator.
"Bones!" Kirk cried out. "Why didn't you let me talk to them?!"
"It'll be better for them to see you for themselves." McCoy smiled as he tugged Kirk back into an upright position. "Besides, I would have a helluva time trying to explain this over communicator."
"Right," Kirk breathed. "I forgot I was dead." He smiled as he felt the familiar fuzzy feeling of the transporter scrambling his atoms.
"McCoy!" Scotty's thick accent greeted McCoy as soon as he re-materialized on the Enterprise's transporter pad. The Scotsman was leaning heavily on the consul, his face pale and his breathing heavy. He froze when his eyes met Kirk's. "Captain?" He asked in disbelief, still frozen to the spot.
"It's a long story," Kirk grimaced as he tried to take a step forward. McCoy gingerly lowered him to the ground and sat him up against the wall. Scotty snapped out of his daze and rushed to help McCoy, but Kirk put up a hand to stop him. "Scotty, I need you to transport all living beings from the outpost directly to the brig." He breathed, shutting his eyes tightly as McCoy knelt down beside him, whipping out his tricorder. "And our prototype's on the landing deck. Might want to pick that up too. Then, destroy the base. And get us the hell out of here." McCoy waved the tricorder over Kirk's weak body and frowned at the results.
"Get me a med team up here as fast as you can," McCoy barked and Scotty started pressing buttons on his consul, still trying to process everything that had just happened.
"Leonard!" Uhura called as she burst into the room. McCoy stood up to greet her and she hugged him tightly before noticing Kirk moaning on the floor of the transporter pad. "Is that..." She trailed off, watching Kirk carefully.
"Long story." Kirk managed a small smile, his teeth clenched tightly as more pain waved through his body.
"Oh my God." Uhura breathed as she dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Kirk. Kirk stifled a cry of pain as he patted her on the back in response. "What... what happened?" She asked, releasing him from the hug after realizing that she was hurting him.
"Scotty, how're we coming on that med team?" McCoy asked, his tricorder beeping furiously in his hand.
"They're on the way, doctor." Scotty responded and McCoy cursed under his breath. He reached down and pulled Kirk up by the arm, draping it over his shoulder and slipping his arm around Kirk's waist again. Kirk couldn't muster the strength to even stand anymore, and his legs dangled limply under him as McCoy struggled to pull him forward. Uhura sprung into action and took up Kirk's other side, lifting half the weight off McCoy's shoulder.
"Where's Spock?" Kirk asked gruffly as they pulled him through the doors and into the familiar halls.
"He's up on the bridge," Uhura answered quickly.
"Better not be sitting in my chair." Kirk managed a weak laugh as he closed his eyes.
"Jim?" McCoy asked frantically as he watched Kirk's eyelids droop. "Jim, don't you give up on me!" McCoy pleaded, pulling him down the hallway faster.
"Stopyellin..." Kirk slurred as his head slumped.
"Jim!" McCoy cried out. "JIM!"
/
Spock sat rigidly in the Captain's chair, a few blankets still cuddled around his shaking shoulders as his body struggled to maintain its heat. The rest of the crew seemed to bounce back quickly, each of them returning to their jobs as if nothing had happened. The relief was apparent on Spock's typically stoic face, his lips slightly upturned. It seems as though the Captain of the Enterprise is automatically guaranteed to be forced into death-defying situations.
"Spock!" Uhura rushed out of the elevator doors, panting.
"Yes, Nyota?" Spock stood up to meet her when he noticed the conflicting emotions shining through on her face.
"Spock, it's Jim." Uhura breathed as Spock placed his hands on her arms soothingly. A million thoughts raced through Spock's head as he attempted to process what she had just said. What could it be in regards to? His family? Has she perhaps gone mad with oxygen deprivation and hypothermia? "He's alive." Uhura smiled and Spock's eyes went wide. His jaw fell open, but no words escaped his mouth. He stood there, paralyzed. He couldn't think. He couldn't feel. "He's alive, Spock."
/
Thanks for reading! All of this positive feedback is making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :) And thank you to the guest that pointed out one of my spots of discontinuity. I went back, and I think that I've fixed it now! That's what I get for not having a beta reader I suppose... Anyway, thanks for sticking with me this far, and I hope that you stick around for the rest of the story! I promise I'll update again soon!
-buckminsterbarnes