Chapter Twenty

There was a time when she would have jumped at the opportunity to explore a new world and see what said world had to offer. The possibilities of this world were endless. Aliens existed and even lived among humans, and vise versa. It was almost poetic, seeing how much times had changed in the futuristic world. Yet, the more Emily thought about it, the more she realized how unprepared she was for this moment. The stress of what was happening had begun eating away at her. The guilt and exhaustion overwhelmed her as she stared absentmindedly at the wall for what felt like hours.

Jim and Sulu were sitting on either side of her on a bench outside the medical bay. Almost all of the biobeds had been taken over by either injured crew members, or Vulcan elders that Spock was able to rescue before Planet Vulcan was destroyed. She tried ignoring the pain of her injuries while observing the mad rush of nurses and doctors trying to maintain their stations in medbay. Everyone kept themselves busy to distract themselves from the reality of what had happened.

The solemn atmosphere hadn't helped matters. Emily had seen more than a few Vulcans go into shock from the loss of their people. She could only imagine the grief they were going through at that moment. At one point in her life, she would have refused to believe they had any emotions at all. But seeing them now only served to prove how naive she was. Her fists clenched as she blinked a few times. When the rush of adrenaline from nearly falling to her death wore off, she realized just how damn lucky she, Jim and Sulu had been.

"Are you okay?" Jim's voice shook her out of her thoughts.

Emily blinked and looked at him as he pressed his shoulder against her for what little comfort he could provide. Though he wasn't aware of the turmoil in her mind, she was grateful for his support.

"I don't think I'll be okay for a while," she admitted guiltily. Jim suddenly took hold of her hand and squeezed it gently. She let out a heavy sigh as she finally locked eyes with him. "Why did Nero attack an entire planet and kill all of those innocent people?"

"Something tells me that Nero wasn't in his right mind to begin with," Jim remarked dryly.

Sulu had been quiet most of the time, though Emily hadn't missed the fact that he was watching the pair curiously out of the corner of his eye. He was ready to say something when Nurse Chapel arrived with a tricorder in one hand, and a data PADD in the other.

"There's a shortage of biobeds in the medical bay," the nurse explained with a heavy sigh of her own. She looked as exhausted as everyone else felt. "I wish there was more we could do."

None of us were prepared for what happened, Emily thought bitterly.

It wasn't until spotting a familiar figure emerge from medbay that she sucked in a breath of surprise.

Leonard McCoy looked utterly exhausted when he approached them. It looked as if he'd been running from one station to the next trying to make sure everyone received what treatment they had to offer. Then she recalled hearing from one of the Security Officers that Doctor Puri had been killed on Deck Six. A lump formed in the back of her throat when she realized that Leonard had been promoted to the Chief Medical Officer position, and his exhaustion suddenly made sense.

"You two are gonna be the death of me," he muttered after finally reaching them.

Emily refused to make eye contact when she felt his gaze searching hers. She knew he would have a few choice words for her decisions to go after Jim and Sulu. She would have made the same choice a dozen times if it meant saving them.

"Bones, I really don't see why I have to have medical treatment," Jim complained as he held his hands up to prove a point. He actually didn't look as if he'd sustained too many injuries. Emily rose an eyebrow when she noticed that he only sustained a few bruises here and there, along with a cut above his higher lip. "I could be doing something useful on the bridge instead of wasting time and resources here."

Idiot, Emily nearly rolled her eyes. Everyone had to receive a full medical assessment if they were involved with the attack. She had a feeling a psychiatric evaluation would be needed once everything was said and done as well.

"Nurse Chapel, you mind looking after him while we talk?"

Everyone looked at Leonard in disbelief as his gaze swept from Jim to the nurse who had finished treating Sulu's injuries. Emily's jaw clenched as she caught Jim trying to argue with letting someone else look over his injuries. He normally refused treatment from anyone other than Leonard, mostly because of his lack of trust towards doctors. She'd seen how horrible Jim's immune system was from experience, so she didn't entirely blame him for being so reluctant.

"Yes, sir," Nurse Chapel replied with a nod once she recovered from her initial surprise.

Once she started scanning Jim's vitals with the tricorder, Leonard pulled Emily into a nearby hallway. She struggled to maintain her composure when she realized that she was in for an earful. Leonard didn't normally compromise his work unless he had a severely good reason for it.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he finally demanded.

It took everything Emily had not to roll her eyes and cross her arms defiantly in response. She knew the only reason he was so pissed was because she had taken a huge risk. And because he cared. Whether Leonard was willing to admit it or not, he cared too much to lose her.

"I was thinking that I couldn't let those bastards get away with what they did," she retorted. Her heart wrenched with pity as she thought of all the lives that were taken because of Nero's attack. Families had been killed because of that attack. "They didn't deserve to die… there should have been something we could have done to prevent it."

Her words finally caught in her throat as tears threatened to overwhelm her. She hated crying in public, especially during a crisis like this. Leonard's face finally softened when he realized that this was about more than just losing an entire planet. He let out a heavy sigh and pulled her into a tight embrace, and she couldn't stop herself from burying her face into his chest.

"You're right." Emily swallowed hard when she felt him kiss the top of her head tenderly. The weight of exhaustion and grief had been overwhelming for everyone. "They sure as hell didn't deserve to die the way they did, but don't go beatin' yourself up for somethin' you have no control over."

"I should have seen this coming, though," she argued. She felt Leonard stiffen as she brought up the one thing she dreaded explaining to the rest of the crew. "Maybe if I'd listened to Julia when she talked about all of this…"

"Dammit Emily, you're not blamin' yourself for this crap!" She flinched when he finally snapped at her. Leonard let out another sigh of frustration, and he gently lifted her chin so that they made eye contact. "I know it isn't easy being taken from another world, then to have to go through all of this. But I know for a fact that you're stronger than this."

For once, Emily wasn't sure what to say when she realized what he was implying. At one point after waking up in this world, she would have gladly blamed every Romulan for what Nero did. But she knew now that he alone was responsible for what had happened. And while she hadn't paid attention to Julia's constant rants about this world, she also knew that he was right. She'd been through worse, and it was time she finally got her act together.

"Thank you," she whispered truthfully.

Leonard simply nodded and finally captured her lips with his. Emily allowed herself a few precious seconds with him, relishing the warmth and comfort he provided. She was beginning to realize that she couldn't have gone through this alone. He and Jim had always been there for her while they were at the Academy, and she wouldn't have wanted either of them any differently.

"You really are gonna be the death of me," he groaned when they reluctantly pulled apart.

"I sure hope not," she shook her head in amusement. "The Fleet would be losing themselves one hell of a doctor."

He only laughed bitterly at the irony of her statement. Even so, hearing those encouraging words was enough for him to offer a small smile, a rare gift for anyone. He was about to say something else when a tiny cough interrupted their moment.

"Well, I was gonna go and see whether or not you still needed some help, but it's obvious you've got that handled." Jim's smirk of amusement never wavered as Leonard scowled in annoyance. "Are you sure you don't need a room, or is the hall enough privacy?"

"Ass," Leonard scoffed under his breath while Emily just rolled her eyes.

"We're needed on the bridge," Jim suddenly added in a more serious tone.

…

A few minutes had gone by when everyone gathered on the bridge. Jim was sitting on the Captain's chair arguing with the others about what to do with their next course of action. Emily found herself standing beside Leonard while listening to the arguments. She doubted Spock would just allow Nero to get away with destroying an entire planet. She just hoped that he was in a listening mood as he arrived moments later with Uhura trailing behind him.

"Have you confirmed that Nero is headed for Earth?" the Vulcan asked once he entered the bridge.

"Their trajectory shows no other destination, Captain," Uhura replied.

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

Emily found it odd that Spock had promoted Uhura just like that. Captain Pike had referred to her as a Cadet before this whole mess. But, even before that, she'd heard Spock refer to Uhura as a Lieutenant. It was obvious they were in some kind of relationship; otherwise Spock would not be showing favoritism. Which she found all-the-more ironic as she thought of the rules and regulations regarding relationships between Superior Officers and Cadets. It was one of the many reasons she and Leonard had kept their relationship under wraps for so long.

They'd already looked into the rules regarding their relationship multiple times. Now that Leonard was the Chief Medical Officer, she had a feeling they would have to keep their relationship strictly professional. She just wished there was a way around said rules – it would make everyone's lives who wanted to start a family on a Starship that much easier.

"We can't be sure that Nero won't attack other planets in the Federation, on the way, though," Jim argued.

"He's already destroyed Planet Vulcan," Emily added with a nod of agreement, "Who's to say he won't do the same to other planets associated with the Federation?"

"Out of the chair." Emily nearly rolled her eyes when Spock moved towards the chair that Jim felt inclined to sit in. "Even if your theory were true, we have no definitive proof that Nero would go after other planets."

You're just saying no because Jim was the first to suggest it, Emily pointed out silently.

Not for the first time, she found herself disliking Spock purely for the fact that he tried to find whatever fault he could in both Jim and herself since this mission started. She knew he didn't trust either of them, and the feelings were mutual. If he found out where she was from and that she had been lying this whole time, he wouldn't hesitate to alert the rest of the Fleet.

"Vell, the Federation in general is a target, vhy didn't they destroy us?" Chekov asked.

"Why would they?" Sulu asked with a shake of his head, "Why waste the weapons? You know… we obviously weren't a threat."

"Nero left us alive because he wanted Spock to see something," Emily pointed out after recalling what the madman said on the video screen. "I'm willing to bet the only reason he's asked for Pike is because he has information on the Federation, and because he's connected to you."

Spock looked at her thoughtfully when he realized what she was implying. Nero struck hard at the people that Spock cared about. She had no doubt that he was out for more than just vengeance. And that left her figuring that Nero wouldn't just stop at Planet Vulcan. Any planet that stood for the Federation – the very foundation that Spock stood for – was a target in Nero's eyes.

"Perhaps you are correct in that theory," he finally conceded. "He wanted me to see something. The destruction of my home Planet."

"How the hell did he do that, by the way?" Leonard asked, "Where did the Romulans get that kind of weaponry?"

Valid question. Emily frowned when she thought of what the people of her world would have done with such technology. Tensions between countries had always been high. With technology and weaponry like that, there was no telling what sort of chaos would have followed. She tried pushing the uneasy thoughts aside. Thinking of her old world only reminded her of how out of place she truly was in this world.

"The engineering comprehension necessary to artificially create a black hole may suggest an answer. Such technology could be manipulated to create a tunnel through space-time," Spock explained.

"Dammit man, I'm a doctor, not a physicist. Are you suggesting they're from the future?"

Emily flinched when she felt his gaze boring through her. He must have been thinking of how she ended up in this world in the first place. Yet, the more Emily thought about it, the more she understood that she truly was from another world. Where she was from, this had been nothing more than a movie. It didn't explain how aliens from the future were capable of taking her from another world and dropping her off on this world.

"If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

"No shit, Sherlock," Emily muttered under her breath.

One nudge from Leonard was all it took for her to clamp her mouth shut when Spock looked in their direction. As acting Captain, she had no doubt he would use that title to his advantage if it was needed. Seeing the look on his face told her that he wasn't above reprimanding her if she continued speaking out against him.

"Then, what would an angry, future Romulan want with Captain Pike?" Jim asked.

Yet another good question, Emily thought as her brows furrowed together. Experience taught her that Nero wouldn't have randomly targeted Captain Pike unless there was a reason behind it. He could have chosen countless other Captains like the one from the USS Kelvin. Something about the Enterprise and the Kelvin had drawn Nero's attention; the only difference was that Nero had left the Enterprise crew alive. For now.

"As Captain, he does know details of Starfleet's defenses," Sulu reminded him.

"No, it's not that," Emily said thoughtfully, thinking of how Nero had wanted Spock to see the destruction of his home planet. "He wanted First Officer Spock to see the destruction of his home planet, and most likely any ties he has with the Federation."

Spock nodded reluctantly at that. It actually did make sense. He'd seen the young Cadet many times before at the Academy, and had questioned her credentials more than once. Seeing her tense under his piercing stare, and shift closer to the doctor only confirmed something was off about her.

"What we need to do," Jim began after shooting Spock a warning glare, "is catch up with that ship, disable it, take it over, and get Pike back."

"We are technologically outmatched in every way," Spock reminded him, "A rescue attempt would be illogical."

"It may be illogical, but it is the right thing to do."

Emily narrowed her eyes defiantly when Spock looked at her once again. Not only did it feel wrong to leave Captain Pike behind, it was the wrong thing to do. Going back for him meant risking everything, but the risks were worth it in the end.

"Nero's ship vould have to drop out of varp for us to overtake him," Chekov pointed out.

"Then what about assigning engineering crews to try and boost our warp yield?" Jim asked.

"Remaining power and crew are being used to repair radiation leaks on lower decks," Spock reminded him once again.

"There has to be some way," Emily muttered with a shake of her head.

But it was painfully obvious that whatever argument she came up with, Spock would find some logical argument to counter with. Her fists clenched at the thought of leaving him behind in the mess that Nero created. All she could think about was the fact that Pike had done everything to give her a second chance at the Academy. Without his persistence, she would have been wandering around this world in a lost haze.

He would want us to come back if we had the chance, she thought angrily. Now that they made whatever rescue efforts they could on Planet Vulcan, the least they could do was go back and rescue him like Jim had suggested.

Of course, Spock was too stubborn to see beyond that reasoning. He'd follow the rules without question. That was what Emily had learned about him over the last few hours. She found him more irritating than Jim the first day they had met.

"We must gather with the rest of Starfleet, to balance the terms of our next engagement," Spock retorted.

"There won't be a next engagement!" Jim snapped, "By the time we've gathered it'll be too late. You say he's from the future and knows what's gonna happen, then the logical thing is to be unpredictable."

"You're assuming that Nero knows how events are predicted to unfold? The contrary, Nero's very presence has altered the flow of history, beginning with the attack on the USS Kelvin, culminating in the events of today, thereby creating an entire new chain of incidents that cannot be anticipated by either party."

Emily frowned when she realized what Spock was implying. Her mind spun with a dozen questions as she recalled what the Professor in her original college class had been talking about. Alternate realities had always been just a suggestion in her world. Memories of being kidnapped and taken from her world came rushing back. Those aliens had been from an alternate timeline as well. It suddenly left her wondering if there was somehow a connection.

"An alternate reality?" she questioned, her voice barely a whisper.

"Precisely," he nodded, "Whatever our lives might have been, if the time continuum was disrupted… our destinies have changed. Mr. Sulu, plot a course for the Laurentian system, warp factor 3."

"Spock, don't do that," Jim stepped forward and faced him, "Running back to the rest of the fleet for a-a con flab is a massive waste of time!"

"Orders issued by Captain Pike when he left—"

"Are void now that he's gone," Emily cut him off, suddenly furious that he once again acting like a walking rule-book.

Once again, there was just something about Spock that ticked her off, especially with the way he was handling the situation. Any sane person would know that going after Captain Pike was the right thing to do, but of course, they weren't willing to voice their thoughts like Kirk, or herself.

"He also ordered us to go back and get him!" Jim nodded in agreement, "Spock, you're Captain now. You have to be—"

"I am also aware of my responsibilities Mr.—"

"Every second we waste, Nero's getting closer to his target."

Which is exactly why we should go after him, Emily realized as she understood where Jim was getting at. Nero wouldn't hesitate to attack Earth, just as he had Vulcan, and that would only end in disaster.

"That is correct and why I'm instructing you to accept the fact that I alone am in command—" Emily only rolled her eyes at that. Someone was full of themselves.

"I will not allow us to go backwards…"

"Jim!" Leonard shouted.

Emily found herself flinching, knowing that this would lead to a full-blown fight soon if something wasn't done. It was like watching a horrible game of debate, and neither were willing to back down from their topic. Both Jim and Spock were stubborn as hell, and she could see that clearly on their faces. Either believed they were right, and truthfully, she sided with Jim.

"… instead of hunting Nero down!"

"Security," Spock looked to the side, "Escort him out."

Bad idea, Emily thought, glancing at Jim as she noticed how tense he was. He was perfectly capable of throwing in a good punch or two, and willing to fight off the security officers as they approached him. The moment they had tried grabbing him was when Leonard rushed for a sedative.

"Jim, don't!" But, Spock had beaten him to it with what looked like some kind of nerve pinch, sending Jim to the ground.

"Get him off this ship!"