USS Enterprise, Main Briefing Room
Saavik listened as Kirk went on, "They're all back on the bridge. I agree about sending—"
It didn't matter what he said next because Setik suddenly screamed.
It slammed through her mind and pushed her back in her seat. She crashed a mask down over her face to let out nothing that hearing her son's cry did to her. She experienced his horror and then fear in less than a second later. He never stopped shouting until it suddenly ceased. She didn't know which was worse.
Her bond to him dampened with his silence. Not like when he was unconscious; then the bond still thrived between them. This felt like someone jammed down shutters on a lamp.
But he was alive. She still felt that, and now that she thought, she recognized the shout was a warning. Setik had used the emotions as an alarm to his family.
The twins!
She risked looking at Spock. His own face froze at the scream and he found her eyes on the viewscreen.
Kamila Patrik must have seen something in her captain's expression or Spock's. Maybe she simply sensed that giving Saavik a distraction was a good idea. She shot to her feet, clutching at her temples, and bared her teeth in anguish, continuing the smokescreen that she could be Spock's wife and the children's mother. Frances Stewart followed her and T'allendil's expression filled with a Vulcan's shock at a child taken.
People — McCoy, Kirk, Dardar— shouted what was going on, what had happened?!
Except for Sarek. Saavik watched him still at the sight of his own son's silent pain. He knew; he couldn't hear Setik like he would in the future or at least not as strongly, but he knew something had happened to his grandchildren.
I should be there. My mistake cost my son—!
That did Setik no good. Act now, think now.
Where are the twins?
She wanted to demand it out loud, but time still shackled her. She would not know about Setik if she wasn't his mother.
Spock pressed his hands flat on the table. His voice roughened. "My son has cried out to warn his family he was taken by this man… again."
Now she could act! She hit the control for the bridge. "Red alert!" It didn't matter much for the Contact with Rhinar and her family on the Enterprise, but it meant something.
Imre jumped back immediately. "What happened?"
Saavik forced steadiness. "Setik has been taken by Taushan Rhinar." She overrode his questions, told him to stay on the line, and checked with Bimojigar on Nachson, only to hear he hadn't replied to her hail. "Hail him again."
Meanwhile, Kirk grew red with anger and McCoy paled. He made a strangled noise in his chest. "Do you know - is the boy alive?" he asked.
"Currently," the Vulcan bit out.
Saavik quickly asked, "Where are his sisters?"
Kirk hurriedly questioned, "Do you know if he got the girls? They were together in the rec room."
Sarek carefully folded his hands. "With my wife. However, she has made no sign she has been attacked."
Saavik got on her feet. "I am beaming over." At last. "Patrik, T'allendil, all of you, return to the ship immediately."
Patrik sounded desperate. "Captain! If the women could stay…? You understand that it's personal-"
The commitment to the masquerade was commendable which she had to equally play. "I do understand." We all know I do. "However, accomplishing the repairs returns us to our time and this will never have happened. Hold on to that. I swear to you, I will return Setik to his family."
Stewart jumped up. "I'm staying. Captain, please. Whether I'm his mother or not, I want to be around to check on Setik's health once we get him back. You understand, Len?"
He said of course. Saavik caught Kirk's attention at the same time. "I will transport directly to the bridge."
"We'll meet you there. I'm ordering red alert and we'll check on the rec room."
She risked another look at her husband, keeping the mask of stone over her features. Because:
Adun, our son.
And the girls. Were the girls safe? The bond to them still radiated.
She kept the channel open to the Enterprise and overheard someone in the rec room report no one knew where Amanda and the twins were now.
"No," Amanda said as they got off the turbolift on Deck 2, "I don't think we should go to Sickbay yet. Let your brother have his talk with Dr. McCoy and your father. We'll call them in a little bit if we haven't heard from them and I'll let them know you want to talk to your mother before it's time for bed."
T'Kel walked on the other side of Amanda from her twin. "It means plenty of time to talk to Mother since bedtime can be postponed."
The cabin door whisked open and Amanda bent down to tease her. "I told you, bedtime is a certainty and it is illogical to argue against a certainty."
She waved T'Pren in ahead of her and held out a hand for T'Kel to walk in with her. But the older girl didn't move for a second as she thought over this certainty thing.
She finally started in. "Grandmother-"
Tenu't screamed!
T'Pren froze at hearing it so Amanda got caught behind her, barely in the door. T'Kel froze too and she didn't know what to do. She wanted her father and mother, and she wanted her grandfather. They would make it better; they would get Tenu't back.
She heard Amanda ask T'Pren what was wrong; yes, Grandmother was here! She—
Someone came down the corridor; no, he suddenly was just there. It was him.
Him.
T'Kel saw he had his arm in the door so it wouldn't close. He was going to take her, He'd take T'Pren, and He would hurt Grandmother.
Two years ago, someone had attacked the family and a rage had welled up in T'Kel so that she grabbed the man's arm and sunk her teeth savagely into his skin. She had shaken in the aftermath, her mother and father curling themselves around her and easing it away. But she had tasted the blood for days.
This was different. Now she felt – desperation; she got hold of it. She could not let Him hurt T'Pren and Grandmother. She threw herself at him as she ordered the door to lock. She remembered Command Imre saying something about knees being a good target, especially when someone was short. She put her head down and rammed His knees and he fell.
The door locked behind her grandmother and twin. With her on the other side. With Him.
She ran.
She was fast, she knew that; she got it from her mother. But he was an adult and she was small. She had to get somewhere safe, quickly. But where was that? Her mother was on the Contact, and she didn't know where her father and grandfather were. Mr. Nachson? Where could he be that He stole Setik from him?
She heard His running steps; he was on his feet and catching up.
T'Pren suddenly yelled into the family's bond like Setik had. T'Kel did the same. Father and Mother would know the man hadn't stopped with her big brother. Stay in the room! she kept telling her twin.
She could feel Him close again. She had to do something! But she didn't know nerve pinches like her brother did. She abruptly threw herself back and rolled into a ball. He couldn't stop in time and fell over her, striking his head against a wall with an audible thud.
T'Kel shot to her feet and took off again.
Where was safe? Anyone would probably help, but she saw no one. Father and Grandfather were somewhere else. Mother on her ship. Grandmother back in the cabin where T'Kel would have to go past The Man to reach her. The corridor was empty.
We're here, lass, and here are the two most important places on a starship. Engineering first and –
The bridge! Her Sa-mekh-rá was there, even if he didn't know that's who he was.
He ran again, but he limped – only a little and blood ran into his eye - except He still came after her. She pushed herself in speed until she almost couldn't get her feet to keep up with her brain screaming, Run! Run! Run!
What would she do if a lift car wasn't there? But one was. She shouted as she ran inside, "Emergency! Lock the doors!"
They slammed tight as she saw Him barely miss them. She heard his muffled yell, "Computer, override! Lieut—"
She never wasted time listening to him, but instantly got out what Saavik had taught her to say if a crisis happened. Do these words work here? Her little hands fisted. "Help! I am a civilian in danger! Confirm override with the bridge!"
The turbolift rushed her away as she leaped into the air to grab a handle. She didn't know for sure, but she thought she had to hold one. Grandmother had when she rode with them in an Enterprise lift.
T'Kel's feet swung above the floor. Her strength from being Vulcan and her drum lessons let her hold on with one hand and twist the handle with the other. She pictured the map Scotty had shown her step by step and the route the lift needed to take.
The doors snapped open and she ran out. Her gaze landed right on Sulu who stared at her like everyone else and she hurled herself at him.
"T'Kel."
She ground to a halt. Mr. Spock came from his station, but he looked …different. Not his uniform or physical appearance, just something in the way he looked at her. "What has happened? You informed the computer you were in danger."
You will not care. "The same man kidnapped Setik again."
"Red alert!" he snapped. The bridge went from its soothing, ambient noise to the klaxon broadcasting in a harsh, angry bellow. Spock dropped down in front of her and held her shoulders. "Where is your sister?"
T'Kel blinked. He looked like… Father. "With Grandmother in her cabin. The man tried to take us too."
"Security team to Ambassador Sarek's cabin," he ordered. "Lieutenant Uhura, inform the captain. He most likely will know from my older self."
"Confirmed, sir. Captain Kirk reports they are on their way."
"T'Kel." His voice gentled so that he sounded more like Father too. It made things better. "For the moment, you are to remain here. You are safe. I am going to your sister."
A sudden voice called out, "Why have I returned here? Get me to the Enterprise!"
T'Kel spun to the viewscreen. Mother! She heard but didn't pay attention to Imre saying, "Their shields are up. We barely got you back, ma'am."
"Enterprise," Saavik ordered before she even turned to her own screen, "lower your shields."
Her mother saw her.
T'Kel wanted to do something, but she didn't know what was allowed. Was it okay to at least say, Captain? Or would people think she wouldn't talk to the Contact's commander?
Mr. Spock had gone to the captain's chair when Saavik mentioned the shields. "We did not raise them, Captain. Standby."
He looked over his shoulder at the girl. "You said T'Pren is with your grandmother, secure in the cabin?"
She nodded and edged towards Sulu. He was still her Sa-mekh-rá, someday.
"Uhura, contact Amanda. Confirm they are safe and their Security team has arrived."
"Yes, sir."
"T'Kel."
Her mother said that. She looked back at the viewscreen and Saavik spoke in Vulcan. "I am coming. This will not prevent me."
Spock's head came up on that before he dismissed it as obvious. "Yes, of course, you know the captain. You have stated so as your father works with her."
T'Kel understood on some level that he thought Saavik was a source of strength for her because they knew her as a captain. She was, after all, commander of Vulcan's forces.
So T'Kel was free to look back at her mother and say, "Hurry."
"I am."
Uhura told Spock, "Security reports Lady Amanda and T'Pren are safe in the cabin."
"Lieutenant Uhura," Saavik requested, but her eyes stayed on her daughter. That made things better too, T'Kel thought. "Inform them to remain in the cabin until further notice."
Sulu held his arm out for the girl to come closer. "No one is going to get you here. I promise. Pavel and I can show you the helm and navigation while you wait for your sister."
She took a step towards him and the always interesting astrogator. But no one had said yet, so she asked, "When will you find my brother? You should check all the crates like this morning. Where is Mr. Nachson?"
She heard the lift open. Somebody grabbed her around the waist before she could turn.