Star Trek is property of its respective owners. I own only Mallory.

21

"Alright, good news and bad news," Mal announced, going over the scanning logs. She and Pavel had their heads together over his station. He was doing some bit of computer wizardry that Mal could not begin to process, and she had just finished deciphering the chemical readings and biological findings from her scanner that might have had him spinning. Pavel might be a computer genius and a physicist extraordinaire, but she was a biochemist and a doctor, thank you very much, and if there was one thing she knew, it was life forms.

"Start with the bad news," Leo muttered. He was feeling useless on the bridge, and it was putting him in a cranky funk. "Get it out of the way."

Mal snorted and shot him a look. "Buck up, cowboy, or I'll send you to your room." He smirked back at her and Mal got the tingles all the way down to her toes. She looked away, a blush rolling up her cheeks.

Thankfully no one but Leo noticed. "Give us the good news." Jim was draped over the captain's chair, his head lolled back, bored. "I think we could all use it."

"Vell, ze good news is Captain Pike vas alif vhen Nero vent into varp. Bio-scanners show one Terran aboard ze Narada." Pavel gestured to Mal, giving her the credit for figuring that out.

There were hopeful murmurs around the bridge and Sulu nodded grimly. Captain Pike was a tough, stubborn man. If anyone could survive Nero, it was him. And from the look of determination on Mal's face, if anyone was going to track Pike down, it was his daughter.

"Bad news is the douche is in warp… eleventy billion or something ridiculous, heading straight for Earth." Mal pointed to a line of mathematical gibberish lit up on Pavel's screen. Nero's ship was booking it out of there. "I guess if we rearranged some personnel…got some of the engineers to take a whack at our warp core, we might be able to catch up, but—"

Spock interrupted. "Have you confirmed that Nero is heading for Earth?" She had in fact not confirmed it, but where the hell else was Nero going to go?

"His trajectory suggests no other destination, Captain." There was a hint of defeat in Uhura's voice, and Mal knew what she was thinking. Nero was going after Earth next. Their homes, their families… Mal's stomach twisted painfully and she saw Uhura's lip tremble.

Whatever Leo had dosed her with in the sickbay had saved Mal's life, but it had also left her mind tapped out. She could barely feel her own emotions, let alone anyone else's and she certainly couldn't project, but Mal could still comfort Uhura the good old fashioned way. She moved from behind Pavel to Uhura's side, squeezing her friend's hand. "We've got this, Ny," Mal whispered. Uhura looked up at her and smiled faintly.

Jim was looking thoughtful. "Earth may be his next stop but we have to assume that every Federation planet's a target."

Spock glanced at Jim and the corner of his mouth turned down a fraction. "Out of the chair," he said evenly. Jim vacated the captain's chair with a roll of his eyes.

"Can't take him anywhere, can we?" Leo asked as Mal went to stand by him. She smirked and shook her head. Leo was listening closely to the banter and he draped his arm around Mal's waist, pulling her into his side. "How the hell did they do that, by the way?" Leo demanded of something Spock had said. "Where did the Romulans get that kind of weaponry?"

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

There was a moment of silence on the bridge while everyone absorbed his words.

Leo was the first to call bullshit. "Dammit, man, I'm a doctor! Not a physicist! Are you actually suggesting they're from the future?"

"Believe me when I say there are stranger things in this universe than time traveling sociopaths," Mal interjected before she thought better of it. "Comparatively, an angry, future Romulan is a piece of cake."

"Comparatiwly?" Pavel asked, confused. "Compared to vhat?"

Mal opted to just stare at her boots.

It didn't even faze Jim. "Ok, so what would an angry, future Romulan want with Captain Pike?"

Sulu frowned. "As captain he does know details of Starfleet's defenses."

With an indomitable glint in his eyes, Jim nodded. "What we need to do is catch up to that ship, disable it, take it over, and get Pike back."

Finally, Mal thought to herself. Someone's making sense…and I can't believe it's Jim.

Spock stopped abruptly to stare at Jim.

This was the first time in their short acquaintanceship that Mal wasn't cringing in Spock's presence. He was certainly more tolerable when they weren't playing emotional dodge ball, but she didn't need to be an empath to see the disdain in the Vulcan's eyes, and the ever so slight curl of his lip. "We are technologically out matched in everyway. A rescue attempt would be illogical."

She took it back. Spock wasn't tolerable at all. He was un-fucking-bearable.

Leo felt Mal stiffen up next to him. If it wasn't for his arm around her, he was fairly certain that Mal would have lunged at Spock and shaken him by his pointy ears. "Are you suggesting that we leave my father behind?"

"Nero's ship vould have to drop out of varp for us to overtake it." Pavel started, and Sulu quickly quieted his fellow helmsman with a quick shake of his head. Everyone else on the bridge seemed to sitting as still as possible, Uhura included. She knew in an angry moment, it was best not to draw Mal's attention.

"We can catch up to them, we just have to think," Mal growled. "We have the best and brightest minds on this ship, there's no reason why we shouldn't—"

"I apologize for requesting you to the bridge, Doctor. I should have realized that you were emotionally compromised—"

Mal stormed forward. "We're all emotionally compromised you green-blooded computer! We just watched our classmates blow up and a planet implode. The only one pretending that it doesn't matter is you!"

Spock stared down at the furious, shaking woman that was jabbing her finger into his chest. It wasn't painful so much as it was irksome and the tears streaming down her cheeks were making him rather uncomfortable. "Your loss is regrettable—"

"My loss?" Mal was toe to toe with Spock as she shouted in his face, tears rolling down her cheeks. She was rather tired of crying, but it had been one of those days, and her kind were an emotional breed as it was. "You foul, loathsome…he isn't lost yet! What is it, misery loves company? You think we should all lose a parent today? I'm not going to let you leave him. I'm not going to fail him just because you failed her!" The implication in her words was glaring and she succeeded in getting a reaction. Spock grabbed her wrist to keep her from poking at him and they both fliched when the contact opened up a telepathic link between them.

You have no right.

One life or many. It is logical to save the ship, not your father.

Mal was drowing in the guilt and the anguish Spock was feeling as it tunneled straight into her through their contact and she realized how badly she had just hurt him. Good. You have no heart, she told him angrily. There is nothing human about you.

"I will have you removed from the bridge," Spock's jaw was clenched.

Jim pulled Mal away from Spock and the moment their contact ended, so did their link. Jim held onto his friend protectively. "What about assigning engineering crews to try and boost our warp output?" he asked, not about to be distracted from the topic at hand. Mal was sobbing into his shoulder, angry tears soaking into his shirt.

"Remaining power and crew are being used to repair radiation leaks on the lower decks." Spock appeared completely unperturbed by Mal's sniffles and Jim's protests. "We must gather with the rest of Starfleet to balance the terms of the next engagement." Spock's tone left no room for argument.

Jim and Mal made room.

"There won't be a next engagement!" Mal snapped dragging her hands down her cheeks in frustration.

Jim immediately agreed. "By the time we've gathered it'll be too late. You say he's from the future and he knows what's going to happen? Then the logical thing is to be unpredictable."

Spock clasped his hands behind his back. "You are assuming that Nero knows how events are predicted to unfold. On 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 can not be anticipated by either party."

"An alternate reality."

Mal stared at Uhura when she said it. The entire bridge did. Some with fear, some with disbelief. Only Mal looked nervous, and it didn't go unnoticed. The small crease that seemed to be reserved for moments he spent with the troublesome doctor reappeared between Spock's brows as he studied Mal's sudden fascination with her boots.

"Precisely." Spock said haughtily. "Whatever our lives might have been, if the time continuum was disrupted, our destinies have changed."

"And you think it's the captain's destiny to be abandoned and killed?" Mal asked acidly.

Spock ignored her completely as he sat in the captain's chair. "Mr. Sulu, plot a course for the Laurentian System. Warp factor three."

Mal was in disbelief. "Spock, please…don't do that."

Jim could feel Mal falling apart. She was clutching his shirt like it was the only thing in the world keeping her upright. Her blue eyes were rimmed with red and moisture clung to her eyelashes. He hated when pretty girls cried. Seriously. He hated it. Gently he nudged Mal back toward Leo and she practically fell into his arms. For a minute Leo looked slightly panicked, but he settled on just murmuring to her quietly and holding her.

"Running back to the rest of the fleet for a…a confab is a massive waste of time!" Jim snapped.

"Those were the orders issued by Captain Pike when he left the ship—"

"He also ordered us to go back and get him!" Jim was rapidly loosing patience with the whole conversation. Mentally, he was sizing Spock up, trying to decide if he could kick his ass or not. "Spock, you are captain, now, you have to—"

Spock glanced at Jim as though he were a gnat, an annoyance hardly worth his attention. "I am aware of my responsibilities, Mr. Kirk."

"Make them stop," Mal whimpered against Leo's shoulder. "Just make them stop. I can't…I can't listen to this."

Leo closed his eyes against the pain in her voice. "Come on, Jim, he's the captain…"

But Spock had had enough. "Security, escort him out."

Mal practically growled as two red shirts came forward to lead Jim off the bridge. They both cast her nervous looks and for good reason.

One of them had no eyebrows.

When Mal made no attempt to intercede, they grabbed Jim roughly by the elbows and walked him away from the indifferent Vulcan. They didn't get far when Jim decided he didn't want to be handled. He smashed his elbow into the face of one security guard and head butted the other.

"Enough, Jim!"

"Jim, quit!"

Leo and Mal both darted toward their friend, though they had different intent. Leo was going to drag Jim out of the fight, Mal was going to jump into the middle of it to help, but they moved too slow for Spock. The Vulcan beat them to it and caught hold of Jim's neck via nerve pinch. Jim slumped to the floor unconscious.

"Get him off of this ship."

Jim was dragged out and Mal turned on Spock again. Leo caught her arm and pulled her back. "Don't even," he warned. "It's bad enough Jim just got knocked on his ass, I'm not about to let you try and take on a goddamn Vulcan."

Mal snorted her eyes on Spock. "Your mother…she was human?"

Spock froze. "Doctor Pike, this is a completely irrelevant and inappropriate topic—"

"It's really just a yes or no answer there, bro. Fuck it. I know she was. And I can tell you right now, based on pure, instinctual, base human emotion…If she were here she'd be ashamed of you."

Mal stormed off the bridge.

Leo turned to follow her but Spock stopped him. "You will remain on the bridge Doctor, unless you feel that those in medical are unable to perform their duties without you."

Leo glared but took a seat at Mal's station.

Mal would cool off.

And then he would go find her.

Lieutenants Ballard* and Eomer* were being far from gentle with the unconscious Cadet Kirk. That is, until they heard an angry hiss behind them. Both men turned to see Mal coming down the corridor and they promptly stopped dragging Jim's head on the ground.

"Seriously, what is the matter with you two?" Mal snapped as they settled Jim into an escape pod. "You think you're being funny, but just wait until he wakes up and decides he doesn't feel like laughing. Then he'll be using you to mop the floor." She quickly dug into her medical satchel and pulled out a dermal regenerator, passing it over Jim's scraped forehead. In a moment he was perfectly fine, albeit, still unconscious. "I've got it from here, thank you."

Ballard crossed his arms. "We both know you ain't going to send him off this ship and then its us with our asses in a sling, not you. We'll wait right here 'til your done."

Mal straightened up. "I believe I outrank you, Harry Ballard. I can make it an order if you like. Get. The fuck. Away."

"Is there a problem here?"

The three of them all turned to see a red shirted commander walking briskly down the hall. Mal's eyes darkened considerably as she recognized him and she took a step back.

"Commander Price," she muttered bleakly.

"Parker..." He sneered. "Aw, did your stupid ass boyfriend get himself hurt again?" Price asked, looking Jim over.

Mal's held her head up arrogantly. "First of all…sir, that stupid ass has tested higher in all of his exams than you ever did, so insult him at your own risk." Mal turned back to Jim only be jerked back, a hand fisted in the hair at the nape of her neck.

"Was that a threat, Cadet?" he hissed into her ear.

Mal shrieked furiously at the indignity of being grabbed. She tried to pull away, but Price just tightened his grip, shaking her like terrier shakes a rat. "What the hell are you doing, Price? Get off me!"

"Commander Price," Ballard was looking up and down the corridor nervously. "You can't. You know who her father is."

Price gave Mal another shake for good measure, his other hand going over her mouth to stifle her angry sounds. "But Pike is dead, isn't he? Her immunity is gone. Her protection is gone."

The cruel smile that played on his lips had both Ballard and Eomer backing off slowly. They weren't bad men, just stupid and angry. It was the smart and angry people that were the dangerous ones.

Adam Price… he was smart.

"Maybe you should just let her go, sir. She seems plenty scared." Eomer suggested.

"Maybe you should shut up," Price retorted. He was looking over the escape pod, his eyes glinting meanly. "What were you doing with him?"

Eomer shifted uncomfortably. "Acting captain Spock ordered him off the ship. Only place to send him is a miserable block of ice just there," he jerked his thumb west. "Scary place, that is, but there's an outpost there. Kirk'll be frozen solid, but he'll be fine."

"Hm." Price looked over the cramped shuttle. With one hand he reached into the circuitry and yanked out a handful of hissing, spitting wires. Mal made a furious screeching sound behind his hand. She wasn't computer literate, but she was fairly certain you weren't supposed to do that to highly sophisticated electronics. "Don't worry, pretty," Price hissed in her ear. "He'll be fine. He'll have you to take care of him."

Price shoved Mal into the shuttle while Ballard and Eomer exchanged nervous looks.

"It's less than you deserve, you murderer," Price snarled in her face while Mal struggled to free herself, "but it will have to do." He closed the pod door and sealed the airlock.

"Shit, I hate these things!" Mal very nearly had a panic attack. The escape pods were hardly big enough for one let alone two. Her fingers scrambled over the harness that had Jim strapped down safely, struggling for purchase. Too late. The pod was ejected from the ship and Mal was thrown into the door.

Always the head, she thought bitterly as stars exploded in her vision. Mal slid down the door with a weak whimper, a bloody smear left on the door. She slumped at the feet of her unconscious friend, and the pair of them hurtled down into a world of ice.

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