Hello lovelies! I'm back and sooner than I expected with another chapter! It's been so great to hear from each and every one of you. I love getting feedback, both negative and positive, and I don't ever want it to stop, as it really helps with the writing process. And now to chapter 25.

Chapter 25 – Extinguished

The last time Khan had set foot on the streets of San Francisco, he'd been running for his life. A failed attempt then, but he'd had no other choice. The destruction his actions had caused was still plainly evident just a few blocks away. Roads into the downtown district were cordoned off, forcing both vehicular and pedestrian traffic to cram The Embarcadero that ran between the bay and the city. The only familiar landmark was the clock tower of the now historic ferry building that rose above him, gradually illuminated by blue and white lights as the sun set. The clock face read 8:30pm. McCoy was supposed to be here by this time.

It had taken Khan two hours to get into the city by high-speed train, and another hour before that to get from the bunker to the nearest station in Sonora on foot. He would have gone days on foot if he'd had to. Whatever it took to get her back.

He pulled his hood down over his face to ensure anonymity as he came to a halt in the crowded plaza, teeming with pedestrians. He bumped shoulders with more than a few of them as he scanned the crowd for the doctor with the perpetually arched eyebrow. Instead, he spied the Vulcan first.

His first instinct was to charge. Rage enveloped his mind and he could only think of his crew, murdered by Spock in an act that deserved the same fate he'd given to Admiral Marcus. Then he remembered Madelyn and her intelligent, lovely face and remembered that she was his priority. He clenched his fists, his nails digging pockmarks into his palms. Behind Spock came Dr. McCoy and Captain Kirk. Revenge would have to be postponed, and energy reserved for more immediate matters.

"If you've come to arrest me, you're making a mistake," he said, eyeing the three men as they surrounded him amidst the crowd. He could have easily taken them out without warning, though he'd learned from before that Spock was a worthy opponent. Khan had no desire to complicate things that were already a mess.

Spock cocked his head slightly. "I don't believe it would be a mistake to arrest you, considering you are a fugitive—"

"We're not here to arrest you, dammit," McCoy interrupted, giving Spock an eyebrow. Khan regarded the Vulcan with faint amusement before staring down McCoy. "You said Madelyn's in danger?" the doctor continued. "What the hell happened? The reason I let you go in the first place was to make sure she was alright. I thought you were goin' to protect her!"

"Bones, what are you talking about?" Kirk looked at McCoy like he'd said something outrageous. "You said you had no idea why Khan would want to contact us. You said he was gone for good."

"Dr. McCoy merely followed my instructions for absolute secrecy," Khan replied, glancing at the young captain with a neutral expression. "I would not have come to you again if I'd had any other choice."

"How do we know you're not screwing with us?" Kirk pressed. "The last time we worked together you beat the shit out of me, murdered a Starfleet Admiral, and crashed a giant fucking spaceship into the middle of this city!"

"You turned on me at the last moment, Kirk. The moment when I needed you most. I had no choice."

"No, you had a choice and you blew it," Kirk grumbled.

"Do you think I would have come all this way to meet you in public if this wasn't important?" Khan made a threatening step towards Kirk as the weight of the man's impatience settled on him. The more time they spent arguing, the less time Madelyn might have.

"Jim, just hear him out."

Khan returned his gaze to McCoy, who seemed to be the only one willing to listen to him. "Madelyn has been kidnapped by Commander Owen Gallagher and I need a warp capable ship to track them down. The longer we linger here, the less my chances of finding her become."

"Didn't he kidnap her before?" said McCoy. "What the hell is going on?"

"When I find them, I'll be able to answer your question," Khan replied.

"Commander Gallagher worked for Admiral Marcus," said Spock. Khan barely retained his frustrated sigh. "How can we believe you are merely after him for kidnapping a woman whose consent to be with you has already been brought into question? Perhaps you wish to kill him to complete your revenge against Marcus—"

Khan felt every muscle in his body tensing at Spock's words. "Commander Gallagher doesn't work for Marcus anymore," he replied, his voice a borderline growl. "He works for another Augment whom Marcus kept alive, a man by the name of Joaquin Weiss who will do anything to see your world returned to its former war-torn state if it allows him to return to power, so I suggest you assist me in finding them before they completely disappear."

"How do you know this?" was Kirk's immediate reaction.

"Dr. Hans Madsen told me," Khan replied, leaving out the part where he interrogated and promptly killed him.

McCoy's upper lip curled in clear recognition of the name, and Kirk crossed his arms. Even Spock didn't say anything. For a moment, the four men stood in silence while the crowd on The Embarcadero milled around them.

"You think Gallagher's taking Madelyn to this Joaquin Weiss guy?" McCoy said after a moment. "Why?"

Khan couldn't help but smile faintly in recognition of his former friend's wiles, however foul they were. "To entrap me, of course."

There was more silence.

"Is there some kind of ongoing feud between the two of you that you're not telling us about?" asked Kirk.

Khan steeled his features. The seconds were ticking by. "I have told you everything you need to know. Will you help me find them or will I be forced to take these matters into my own hands?"

McCoy and kirk both visibly tensed. Spock seemed to be regarding his words thoughtfully.

"It would seem our most logical option has presented itself. We will help you find Ms. McGivers if you allow us to retain full separation from your actions."

A crease formed between Spock's eyebrows as he spoke, a rare show of emotion, Khan realized. Doubt, maybe even guilt. There was something to be said for his honor after all, despite what he had done.

Kirk turned and stared at the Vulcan in shock. "Just a second ago, you wanted to arrest him."

"He has presented his argument thoroughly and has convinced me of his moral obligation. Madelyn's safety does carry precedent if the existence of another Augment with negative intentions depends on it. Furthermore, I am certain she would not have allowed herself to remain with Khan unless she did so willingly, which leads me to conclude that Khan will only find another more violent way to retrieve her if we do not intervene ourselves."

Khan found his anger rising at the sheer thought that Spock would agree with him to that extent. The Vulcan had no right to claim he could prevent him from acting violently should it become necessary. Spock had forced him to act the way he had before, and now he was playing devil's advocate? Khan ground his teeth to avoid saying something he might regret.

"I may have had a chat with him earlier," McCoy muttered under his breath. It was loud enough for Khan to hear. Regardless, he was angry, but Madelyn would be even angrier later if she found out he'd ignored Spock's offer of assistance.

"Well, like Spock said, we've gotta do it in a way that doesn't incriminate us in your actions," said Kirk. "Most of Starfleet doesn't even know you've escaped custody yet."

"I'd prefer to leave it that way," McCoy grumbled, crossing his arms. "What do ya have in mind?"

"We will need to minimize collateral damage in order to prevent Starfleet from intervening in my plan to stop Joaquin," Khan replied. "That is precisely why you will follow my exact instructions."

Kirk shifted nervously, glancing at the other two. "Just as long as you don't kill us all, or hijack my ship."

"No," said Khan. "We'll only make it look like I tried to."

Spock nodded in agreement. "It must be quick, decisive, and leave little injury."

Khan nodded slowly, his own body betraying him. One day he would be rid of the Vulcan and his bloody hands, but not yet.

Within the hour, Khan was onboard the Enterprise, his hands cuffed in front of him. Kirk had informed his crew that they were transferring Khan to a prison colony on the edge of Federation space. Meanwhile, he was in the brig, surrounded by a few confused red shirts, and waiting for his signal.

For once in life, Khan had no intentions of stabbing anyone in the back. He needed a ship and a direction to take it in, and they were willing to give it to him. He could only pray that Madelyn would be able to take care of herself for the time being, something he was unsure was even possible if Owen was as drugged up as she'd described him before. He swore that as soon as he got his hands on that bastard—

"How's it coming on that K'normian vessel, Mr. Chekov?"

Khan inhaled slowly, shifting his wrists within their cuffs as Kirk's voice came on over the ship's intercom. Any moment now.

"I'm almost done, Keptin. Juzt need to make a few more adjustmintz and ve are good to go."

"Great."

Kirk's chosen signal word was strange, seemingly random, and perfectly inconspicuous.

"Oh, how's your grandmother doing? I heard she's back in Moscow at the home. Something about losing her marbles?"

Khan didn't hear Chekov's confused response as he leapt into action. He was careful not to crush their tracheas, but he couldn't deny that sending a few men crumbling to the floor felt… invigorating. As they groaned beneath his feet, he slipped the key from their commander's pocket and quickly undid his cuffs. Then he charged from the brig, following the corridors he was told would take him directly to the hangar deck. He hardly bothered to attack anyone who got in his way, merely shoving them against the wall with one arm to clear his path as he charged ahead.

Kirk's official incident report would detail almost the exact sequence of events Khan was currently creating for them. This would include a series of miscommunications among the newly posted security officers—who were currently groaning on the floor of the brig—and the resulting fallout would be Khan's escape. Khan would attack several other officers and finally make it to the hangar. There he would steal the only craft onboard not equipped with the tracking technology that Starfleet protocol insisted every ship carry. The only difference between this report and reality was that Kirk was giving him the vessel. McCoy would be posted within the hangar, ready to alert Kirk and Spock when Khan was successfully away, and to hold off any curious bystanders.

Four more redshirts appeared around the corner of the white corridor. Khan withstood their phaser blasts enough to take three of them out and send the fourth running scared. He didn't bother to pursue. The hangar entrance was just up ahead. To his surprise, it was mostly empty. He found McCoy waiting at the open door of the K'normian ship, and paused before ducking through it.

"You have my thanks, doctor."

"To be honest, I don't know how to respond to that," McCoy muttered. "Look, I hope you didn't kill anybody back there, but no one'll believe we helped you, and no one'll ever find out, you can count on it. We're not gonna come after you as long as you don't go on another suicide run."

"I believe you're reassuring yourself more than anything," Khan replied. "You will never see me again." That was a lie, but he turned to board the ship before McCoy could catch his smug expression.

"I wanna know that you didn't force her to do anything," the doctor said behind him.

Khan paused in the doorway and turned enough to see McCoy over his shoulder. He was gripping his PADD with white knuckles.

"I gave her a choice. She chose me."

McCoy shifted, nodding a little as though he understood, but the words were stolen from his mouth as a yellow-shirted teenage boy poked his head around the corner of the ship's interior. Khan stood between him and his exit.

"Vat is zis? Vat's going on? Who iz he—"

Khan advanced on him.

"He's just a kid, Khan," McCoy warned as the boy backed away from Khan. "Calm down, Chekov."

Khan caught Chekov's yellow shirt by the neck and pulled him around until he could toss him out the hatch, the boy cursing and muttering in Russian as he stumbled backwards to the hangar floor. Then Khan gave McCoy a knowing glance before shutting the hatch and finally settled into the cockpit.

It was built for three but easily manageable by one. In moments, he had the engines roaring to life and guided it smoothly from the hangar. An equation of coordinates was illuminated in orange on the console in front of him, the location of an unregistered and therefore illegal warp signature. Khan punched them in quickly and his ship melted into the blue haze of warp.

This wasn't the first time Kirk had turned against Khan after promising to work with together with him. But he hoped it would be the last.

The tracker on the K'normian ship would alert Starfleet authorities as soon as it jumped into warp. How long it would take Starfleet to react was anyone's guess, but at least this way Kirk felt reassured that he wasn't letting a mass murdering criminal get away no holds barred. He'd ordered Chekov to place the tracker on the belly of the vessel, so there was no way Khan would find it. He just hoped Khan would find Madelyn before Starfleet found Khan. He'd promised Bones they'd help Khan only because of her. He didn't know if there was something going on Bones didn't want to talk about in front of Khan, or if he just cared about her as a friend, but Kirk was never one to let his friends down if he had to die trying.

He gave Spock a sturdy slap on the back as he crossed the Enterprise's bridge, heading for the elevator. He felt an enormous sense of accomplishment with what they had just done, despite the fact that the Enterprise hadn't even left Earth orbit. Khan was back in their sights, and hopefully he'd lead Starfleet to this other Augment who had apparently been hiding out somewhere for who knew how long.

In a matter of days he was sure it'd be over for good. He was heading back down to San Francisco to pick up Carol, then the two of them were shooting over to London for the weekend. Her father's estate needed to be dealt with, and Kirk wanted to be there to support her, even though he wasn't sure she shared his feelings. In fact, Kirk wasn't sure when anyone ever shared feelings, except for the time he saw the look of absolute rage on Madelyn's face when they all learned who 'John Harrison' really was. He knew hate when he saw it. Love? Not so much.

Friends, however, that was simpler. Bones was his friend. Madelyn was his friend. And he'd be damned if he left her to Khan's whims in the end. In that sense, Starfleet was his friend too. And tracking devices.

When Madelyn tried to move the first time, the pain made her want to pass out. Her sides ached and when she tried to take a deep breath the dullness sharpened and made her hiss. She had to keep her breathing shallow, otherwise it hurt too much.

She'd stayed in the corner for hours, backed against the wall with her knees pulled to her chest, staring at the floor, the wall, and the shuttle hatch sealed shut against the vacuum of space, as though she could will it to open and set her free. Owen was hunched over in the cockpit. He'd fallen asleep for part of the time, but when he woke up he groaned and cursed. She wondered how long it would be before he began to come down from his last dosage of serum. Maybe he was already feeling the effects. She wasn't going to risk finding out.

She eyed him when he came over and knelt down in front of her. He was sweating and his pupils were dilated. She didn't dare move. He took her jaw in his thumb and index finger and turned her face back and forth like he was inspecting her, like she was livestock and he was considering buying her. She ground her teeth together but stopped as it escalated the pain in her face.

She'd wiped the blood from her nose with the back of her hand, feeling how raw her face had become. Based on the faint way Owen grimaced when he looked at her, there were probably mottled blue and purple bruises all over her. He'd put them there.

"Now you know you shouldn't put up a fight if you can't win it, Maddy."

He stood up then. She noticed the way he braced himself against the wall for a moment, like he was lightheaded. He sniffed and wiped the sweat from his face.

"I know you'll heal up quick," he said with a shrug. "Don't make this harder than it has to be."

He returned to the cockpit, mumbling something to himself she couldn't understand, or maybe she couldn't hear him for the crescendoing roar in her ears.

I'll make this as hard as I want, goddammit, she wanted to say. No, she wanted to scream, but she didn't dare. He'd probably shove his boot into her ribcage and break a few more bones, maybe bruise a lung if it wasn't already.

She tried to sit up a little straighter and straighten her legs out, inhaling sharply to withhold her groan. Everything from her face down to her thighs was sore. For all she knew, she would die of internal bleeding before they reached their destination, wherever that was. She dared to ask him.

"Where are we going?"

Her voice sounded so small, and broken. She swallowed again, wincing, remembering when he'd tried to choke the life out of her. Owen turned in his seat, glancing at her over his shoulder before turning back around silently. She hadn't expected a response, but it was worth a try. She wondered if Khan would be able to track them, or if he'd even seen the shuttle before it jumped into warp speed. The chances of them being found were probably non-existent.

No, she was on her own.

Owen might try to rape her again, but at least she'd gotten rid of his drugs. She couldn't know how long it would be until he could get some more, but she needed to act before he did. Her gaze drifted to the compartment where she'd stowed those crates. She could see the top of one peeking out from behind the door that hadn't quite closed all the way. She didn't remember what was inside it. She didn't remember what was inside any of them. Supplies, food, maybe a weapon? She doubted it. She glanced over at Owen. He hadn't moved or made a sound in the last five minutes, only his shoulders rose and fell steadily as though he'd fallen asleep again.

Quietly, she got onto her hands and knees and crawled across the width of the shuttle to the storage compartment's open door. Her head pounded and a hazy memory of Owen slamming her against that floor shot through her mind. She froze, her heart speeding up, her fingers pressing into the floor, instinctively looking for something to hold onto. She shut her eyes and steadied her breathing. He was asleep and if she was quiet enough he wouldn't hear her open up the closest container and look inside for something, anything.

She slipped her hands around the edges of the crate's lid and lifted it up carefully. Most of them had been old and creaky to load, but this one was silent and she exhaled in relief. Inside, packaged MREs were stacked on top of an old plastic first aid kit. She glanced over her shoulder at Owen. He was still asleep. She pushed the MREs to the side and started to pull the whole kit out, but it didn't weigh enough. And plastic might not be strong enough.

She jumped when he coughed and cleared his throat, but another glance over her shoulder revealed he was just shifting. He was starting to snore. She looked back at the first aid kit underneath her hand, and then she opened it. Everything was dated, pills and creams expired a hundred years ago. Her fingers brushed a rolled up elastic bandage. His snoring grew louder and she swallowed.

Suddenly the shuttle dropped out of warp. She snatched up the bandage roll, sliding it inside her jeans and backing up against the compartment door to close it. Owen straightened in his seat and began pushing buttons on the control panel as Jupiter's hulking mass came into view in front of him. Then he spun around in his chair and made straight for her.

She backed up against the wall, noticing how pale he was. His shirt was soaked with sweat and she could smell it as he put his hands to the wall on each side of her head. Her heart was pounding.

"I want you to know that you can make this easy on yourself, or you can make this very, very hard," he said. His voice shook like he was barely holding himself together. "But I will have you, Maddy. You're mine now."

She looked from his bloodshot eyes to his trembling lips, and then over his shoulder at Jupiter and its moons floating in a pitch-black field outside. Io was the closest one. She recognized it by its ugly yellow and white sulfuric fields, dotted with black volcanoes.

She looked back at Owen. "If we're going to do this," she said quietly, "then we're going to do it right."

She swallowed and slid a hand down his chest, gritting her teeth all the while. Before he could kiss her, she ducked under his arm and slid both of her arms around him, until her chest was pressed to his back. Her hands slid up under his shirt tracing the lines of his sweaty abs. God, he smelled awful.

He was breathing hard now. She kept her left hand on his body, trailing it up to his nipple, while her right hand slipped away and pulled the bandage from her pocket.

"Commander Gallagher. This is Cecelia at Io. Come in."

They both glanced at the control panel as the radio static faded.

"Hello Cecelia," Owen replied. The smug tone of his voice made Madelyn sick. She pressed her chest to his back and squeezed at his nipple so his breathing hitched. She had to keep him distracted.

"Commander, you will meet Joaquin, Aidan, and I on hangar deck four. We've been expecting you."

"It's nice to hear your voice, Cecelia," he continued. Madelyn curled her upper lip in disgust. At least he wouldn't see it.

"Do you have the package, Commander?"

Owen sighed. Madelyn's disgust grew as she heard a zipper. "Yes I have the package. We'll be along shortly, after we deal with some things first. Isn't that right, Maddy?"

She barely managed to mumble affirmatively, her fingers tightening around his nipple and the roll of bandages.

"Just be quick about it. You've made him wait long enough already."

"Don't worry about—"

Madelyn pinched his nipple with her fingernails and he yelped, lurching away from her and flailing wildly until he realized what had happened. In those seconds, she managed to extend a length of the bandage and fling it around his neck. She pulled it tight until she could wrap his neck a second time, kneeing him in the gut just to make sure he didn't overpower her. She didn't think he could now.

She wrapped it a third time and slid around behind him for better leverage. He cursed and stumbled backwards, trapping her between him and the wall, his fingers grappling for the material around his neck. It burned her palms as she pulled it tighter. Gurgling noises mixed with desperate gasps for air. His boot crushed hers, but she hardly felt it. He started to struggle, but he was too weak.

She didn't let up. She couldn't. Not after everything he'd done to her. This was her only chance before he was drugged up again and strong enough to overpower her. She pulled tighter. She pulled until he stopped struggling and sagged on top of her, all of his resistance gone. She slid down with him, still clutching the bandage, still pulling, tears leaking down her cheeks. She had to be sure.

The silence lasted years. She caught her breath, ignoring the pain in her side, in her face. Her fingers slid away from the bandage around his neck. He lay motionless on top of her, his blond head in her lap, his blue eyes bloodshot and purple lips wide open in frozen shock. Hot liquid seared her bruised cheeks. She wiped it away and winced. She felt her face contorting as she stared down at him. He'd done this to himself. He'd done this to her.

She put out a shaking hand and carefully shut his eyelids, pulling back quickly after that. She slid her legs out from under him, pushing herself slowly off the floor, taking a shaky breath. She didn't want to try and move him. She didn't want to touch him at all. She glanced over at the control panel. It was on autopilot, and only he knew the code that would turn it off. This lack of foresight made her shut her eyes briefly. She clenched and unclenched her shaking hands, her fingers digging into her palms. Her whole body was shaking. Her heart was thudding in her ribcage as adrenaline coursed around it. Gritting her teeth at herself, at what she'd done, at the knot tightening in her sore stomach, she leaned over the control console, trying to regain control of herself. Outside, Io's encroaching yellow and white sphere sharply contrasted with the blackness of space and the orange and red of Jupiter. It finally dawned on her.

That's where Owen had been taking her. That's where Joaquin must have been. The Io Facility.

There was no way she could turn the shuttle around. The autopilot was fixed and the code to turn it off had passed on with Owen. There was nothing she could do to stop the shuttle short of turning its engines off, but that would leave her trapped inside it and floating aimlessly through space. She had no choice now but to let the shuttle run its course. She watched as the tiny black rectangular station grew larger and closer until it engulfed the shuttle in its dim blue light, and then all she could see out the viewscreen was a vast empty cavern where something large and threatening had once existed.

*takes a breath* alrighty well... hE'S DEAD. FINALLY. Can't wait to hear from you all! xoxo