Disclaimer: I don't have time for this! ON WITH THE STORY!
Ch. 25:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Calavicci,
I regret to inform you that your son, Albert, was killed in the line of duty today…
Lydia sighed and sat back in her chair on the bridge.
"Lieutenant Uhura, did you let Starfleet know we have Harrison in custody?" she heard Kirk asked.
"Yes, sir." The communications officer replied. "No response yet."
Lydia turned to see Kirk begin to head to the turbolift.
"Spock, Jones, and McCoy with me."
The First Officer and Security Chief quickly fell into step with the Captain, the Chief Medical Officer keeping pace with them barely.
"You don't look good, Jim." McCoy told him. "What's your concern?"
"I want you to run a full physio panel on our prisoner." Kirk ordered.
"Why?" McCoy asked, obviously confused. "Is he sick?"
"I don't know what he is." Kirk replied. "But I do know that he just took out an entire Klingon security team basically single-handedly. I want to know how – and don't tell me it's because he has a good shooting eye. There's something else going on here that's more than passing strange. I need you to help me substitute 'facts' for 'strange'."
"Sounds like we have a superman on board."
Lydia didn't like the look McCoy threw at her when he said that.
"You tell me." Kirk replied, not noticing as he was looking at Spock. "It's evident that unless one of those three patrol craft managed to get off a warning the Klingons continue to remain unaware of our presence. We can't continue to rely on that. I don't want to push our luck any longer than necessary."
"We've already pushed it more than I like." Lydia said. "It's sheer dumb luck we haven't been spotted by the full planetary defenses so far. It is possible that the orbital sensors have detected us, but haven't realized what they've got in the daily crush. If that's the case, sooner would be better in regards to us getting the hell out of dodge."
"Don't worry, Lyds." Kirk told her. "I have no intention of lingering here one nanosecond longer than we have to."
They made their way into the brig Lydia had thrown Harrison's unconscious body into, to find him awake and standing tall and still.
"Excellent posture, well-developed lean musculature, but I see nothing remarkable." McCoy said, moving to the glass to study Harrison.
He held out his hand to Lydia, who handed him a device. He pressed it against the glass and it opened a hole just large enough to allow the prisoner to pass his arm through.
"Put your arm through the hole, please." McCoy requested. "I'm only going to take a small blood sample. Don't worry, it won't hurt."
The prisoner seemed to consider the request for a moment before putting his arm through the hole. McCoy placed an extractor against one of his veins, but nothing happened. McCoy frowned and pressed harder, but still nothing, causing the faintest smirk on Harrison's face.
"Give it here." Lydia said, taking the device from the doctor.
She locked eyes with Harrison before jamming it into his arm. He staggered slightly, his smirk disappearing and reappearing on Lydia, as the vial began to fill.
Without taking his eyes off Lydia, Harrison addressed Kirk.
"Why aren't we moving, Captain? Allow me to guess. An unexpected malfunction?" He finally refocused on Kirk. "Perhaps something to do with the warp core, conveniently stranding your ship on the edge of Klingon space?"
McCoy gaped at him.
"How the hell do you know th-?"
"Bones." Kirk cut him off before the Doctor could finish his thought.
Lydia glared at him and pulled the device away from Harrison's arm and tossed it at McCoy, who caught it sheepishly. Harrison stepped back and Lydia closed up the hole.
"I think you'd find my insights valuable, Captain." He said. "Don't you want to hear what I have to say?"
Kirk ignored him and turned to McCoy.
"We good?" The doctor made a quick check and nodded. "Fine. Let me know what you find. As soon as you've got something."
"Assuming there's anything out of the ordinary to be got." McCoy agreed, but Kirk had already pivoted back towards the door.
"Ignore me, and you will get everyone on this ship killed."
Kirk slowed to a halt and Lydia groaned slightly.
"Give me a minute." He told the others.
Spock began to raise his hand.
"Captain, I would not recommend engaging the prisoner further in…"
"Give us a minute."
Spock hesitated for a moment before turning and leaving with McCoy. Kirk stared at Lydia, who leaned against a nearby console.
"It's cute how you thought that applied to me." She replied, folding her arms.
Kirk took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before turning and striding back towards the cell.
"Let me explain what's happening here, in terms you can't possibly misconstrue." He told Harrison tightly. "You are a criminal. I watched you murder innocent men and women, peope who were doing nothing bu going about their daily jobs. People with families. None of that mattered to you. I was authorized to end you, and the only reason you're still alive is because I am allowing it. If I had chose to do so, I could have pulled your blood, concurrently fatally dosed you, and I'd be signing off on the orders for the disposal of your carcass instead of having this face to face right now. Think about that for a moment. So until I decide what to do with you, I recommend you shut. your. mouth."
Harrison studied Kirk for a moment before responding.
"Oh, Captain, are you going to punch me again? Over and over until your arms weaken and you can't raise them high enough to hit me anymore? Or perhaps you'll get your woman over there to do it. She seems very eager to follow your orders."
Lydia bared her teeth at him and he just smiled.
"Clearly you want to." He continued. "You so desperately want to. So tell me – there is one thing I am very curious about. Why did you 'allow' me to live? Why do you continue to do so?"
"We all make mistakes." Kirk shot back.
"No." Harrison replied, looking away thoughtfully.
"Why did you surrender to me?" Kirk demanded. "You could have killed me. For that matter, you could have let the Klingons kill me and my companions and maintained your refuge on Qo'noS. At least, you could have until Mr. Sulu unleashed the aiting volley of torpedoes."
Harrison smiled briefly, but it was gone a second later.
"I surrendered to you because, despite your attempt to convince me otherwise, you seem to have conscience, Mr. Kirk. If you did not, then it would be impossible for me to convince you of the truth. And it is imperative that I Convince you of the truth."
Kirk glanced at Lydia, who shrugged slightly.
"What 'truth'?" he asked. "What are you babbling about?"
"23174611." Harrison told him. "Coordinates not far, spatially speaking, from Earth. If you want to know why I did what I did, if you can find room in your head and heart for more than just a primitive, animalistic desire for revenge, go and take a look. Such a search would not be out of keeping with your overall mission statement. There would be no repercussions from Starfleet."
"Give me one reason why I should listen to you?"
Harrison leaned forward, his face almost pressing against the barrier.
"I can give you seventy-two. And they're on board your ship, Captain." He leaned back. "They have been all along. I suggest you open one up – and take a look."
Kirk glanced at Lydia and she motioned to the door with her head. He nodded and spun on his heel, heading out and leaving Lydia alone. She made her way over to the Security officer manning the main console, studiously ignoring Harrison following her every move.
"Anything the prisoner says, does, blinks, is to be reported to me immediately." She told the man on duty. "Anything. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am." He replied.
"Good." She said, signing a tablet and handing it back to him.
"What is your name?"
Lydia sighed, but didn't look at the man in the high tech cage.
"I missed it during the fire fight." He continued, ignoring her ignoring him. "There wasn't really time for proper introductions while you were shooting at me. And then knocking me out."
"Commander Jones." Lydia said begrudgingly, still not looking at him.
"And your given name?" he pushed.
She finally turned to glare at him.
"Commander." She replied stubbornly.
"I doubt your parents named you 'Commander'." He told her, raising an eyebrow. "Surely, if they were going to call you by a rank, they would have aspired higher than 'Commander', at least Captain or Admiral."
"My name is Lydia Jones." She told him through gritted teeth.
"Lydia." He repeated, as if feeling how the word sat in his mouth. "Greek, meaning noble one. Fitting, I suppose, but when I first saw you, slaughtering your way through a horde of Klingons to get to me, I assumed I was seeing an ancient goddess come to life. Kali or Sekhmet or someone. A goddess in her fury."
Lydia stared at him.
"You were beautiful." He continued. "I thought your kind had died out long ago."
"And what kind would that be?" Lydia ground out.
"You revel in the fight." He told her. "You live for the high, the rush as death misses you by an inch. It makes you feel alive." He turned pensive. "I loved a woman like you once."
Lydia took a deep breath and stepped closer to the glass separating her from Harrison.
"Let's get a few things straight, you bastard." She told him softly. "First, the idea that you think I am similar to someone you loved disgusts me. Second, do you know what I did two nights ago? I moved the bodies of the dead and dying out of a room that you had just shot to hell. Because of you, a man I cared for and respected is dead and I had to help carry his body. Because of you, my officer is dead. Because of you – "
She broke off, visibly struggling to control herself.
"I don't give a damn if you thought I was beautiful or whatever other bullshit you spin to try to influence me or gain my trust or whatever. I fight not because I 'revel' in it, but because I swore an oath to protect my crew. I swore to protect them from monsters like you. Right now, the only thing that is keeping you breathing still is that your usefulness outweighs the danger you pose, but do not for a moment think that the moment that changes, the moment you put this ship or her crew in danger, my face will be the last thing you ever see, I promise you."
Instead of seeming the slightest bit concerned, Khan smiled.
"I was right." He said. "A warrior goddess of old if I ever saw one. Tell me, does your Captain know what you truly are? Because I believe I do."
"You know nothing of me." She hissed.
Harrison smirked and leaned forward.
"Now I know for sure."
Lydia just glared at him for a moment longer before turning and striding out the door.
"Are you out of your corn-fed mind?"
Lydia walked on to the bridge to find McCoy staring at Kirk incredulously, flanked by Spock, who didn't move to stop McCoy.
"You're not going to listen to this guy?" the doctor was demanding. "He killed Pike, among numerous others. He almost killed you. And now you think it might be a good idea to pop open a torpedo just because he essentially dared you to?"
"We're going to open one of them up?" Lydia interrupted. "I'll go get my tools."
"Sit down." McCoy ordered. "Before you blow us all up."
"I haven't blown anything up in months!" Lydia protested.
"He also saved our lives, Bones." Kirk said, ignoring her. "Mine, Spock's, Uhura's…the pyromaniac over there."
"Hey!" Lydia griped.
"There's no disputing that." He continued over her. "He could have killed me, killed all of us, with ease. Instead, he surrendered. I think it's important to know the reason why."
"That's what he wants you to think, Jim." McCoy told him, not dissuaded in anyway. "Someone like Harrison doesn't do things because they've suddenly experienced a change of heart. There's a reason behind everything they do, and it has nothing to do with a sudden penchant for philanthropy. If he saved your lives, he did so because he saw something in it for him. Something that would help adcance his agenda – whatever that might be."
"The doctor does have a point, Captain." Spock commented softly.
"And if the wonder twins are agreeing, hell must be freezing over." Lydia muttered, making Kirk smirk slightly.
"First, Spock, don't agree with me. It makes me very uncomfortable." McCoy said, first pointing at Spock and then Lydia. "And you, if you're going to be mean…"
She held up her hands in surrender and Kirk turned to face all three of them.
"Look, Scotty quit because of those torpedoes." He said. "He wouldn't stay on board without knowing what was inside them. I've decided that he was right, and not just because Harrison suggested it. We need to know."
"Jim, that man in the brig is a homicidal maniac who wants us to blow ourselves up!" McCoy pushed. "Maybe that's why those 'new' torpedoes are on board. So he could maneuver you into poking through their guts. Maybe if anyone tries to open one, it's set to protect itself by self-destructing. He's hooked you with a challenge, don't you see that?"
"That's too obvious." Lydia interrupted. "Harrison may be a sociopath, but he's not obvious. He wanted to be brought on board, and not just so he could blow us all up. As much as I would like to throw him out an airlock and be done with it, we need to know why."
"Maybe he wants to say all is forgiven so he can enlist." McCoy said sarcastically, obviously beside himself now. "I think he's gotten under your skin – both of you! He could be stalling for some reason. That would explain this challenge of his for us to go to these unvisited coordinates. He could be working with the Klingons!"
"Len, if you don't calm down you're going to have some sort of fit." Lydia told him.
"Fit?!" McCoy sputtered. "Lydia, my god, there's a maniac trying to make us blow up our own ship and you're – "
Kirk raised his hand to forestall the rest of his friend's rant.
"I don't know why he surrendered, but that's not it. We're gonna open one of the torpedoes. That's my decision. The question is, how." He turned to Lydia. "What's the best way? The safest way?"
"I don't know." She replied, obviously frustrated. "Are you aware I have no schematics, no diagrams, no operating files?"
"I'm aware." Kirk said with poorly controlled annoyance.
"Well, then, without Scotty to help me, I'm not sure where to start safely." She told him.
"If I may offer a thought, Captain, Commander." Spock interrupted.
"Always, Mr. Spock." Kirk said, eyeing his science officer.
"It has come to my attention that the admiral's daughter also has an interest in the new torpedoes, and she is a weapons specialist. Perhaps she could be of some use."
"No." Lydia replied instantly. "I don't trust her further than I could throw her! I'm not gonna open up an unknown bomb with her as my back up!"
"Hold up!" Kirk interrupted. "What admiral's daughter?"
"Carol Marcus." Spock replied evenly. "Your new science officer concealed her true identity in order to be assigned to the Enterprise."
Kirk stared at him as Lydia covered her face.
"You both knew this?!" he demanded. "When were you going to tell me that?"
"When it became relevant." Spock replied. "As it just did."
"In my defense, I just wanted to throw her out an airlock too." Lydia added.
Kirk and McCoy just stared at them.
"Are the torpedoes in the weapons bay?"
Carol spoke without looking at Kirk or Lydia as they strode swiftly down the corridor.
"Prepped and loaded for use in the weapons bay." Lydia replied sourly. "Against my better judgment, I might add."
"Yes, we know, Lyds." Kirk sighed. "What are they? What's so special about them other than that they're supposed to be undetectable when in flight?"
"I don't know." She said. "That's why I manipulated a transfer onto your ship – to find out." She stopped suddenly and turned to face them, having the good graces to look embarrassed. "I do apologize for that, and I am sorry. I'm Carol Marcus."
"We're aware." Lydia said sarcastically as Kirk took her outstretched hand.
She shot a glare at the other woman, who promptly returned it, before taking off again. To Lydia's confusion, she headed towards the shuttle bay.
"I don't understand." Kirk pressed. "You're investigating your own father? And how are you English?"
Lydia groaned at his question and he just shrugged.
"He was stationed in London when I was born, but soon afterwards, my parents split up." She told him. "When I was old enough, I joined Starfleet to follow in his footsteps. I'm not particularly proud of using my connections, but it was the only way I could gain access to the diversity of programs he personally oversaw. He never seemed to mind. In fact, I think he encouraged my curiosity. We never kept things from each other. Not that I ever had much to conceal from him. Then – things…changed."
"How so?" Kirk prompted.
"I learned he was working with programs intended to develop new weapons." She told him. "When I started my usual poking around, my security clearance was revoked." She shook her head. "There had never been a hint that I was doing anything wrong ro that I was expressing an interest in something I shouldn't have been inquiring about. One minute I had access to anything and everything to which my father was connected; the next, to nothing. As far as security was concerned, Starfleet cut me off completely. But that wasn't the worst of it."
She broke off.
"What was?" Lydia pushed.
"When I went to confront my father to find out what had happened, he wouldn't even see me." She made a small noise. "We'd been close, very close, my whole life, and suddenly he won't see me. Wouldn't talk via communicator, wouldn't even acknowledge receipt of a simple message. But it didn't stop me from trying to find out what had caused the rift. I suspected it might have something to do with his then-current project."
"And I thought I had the corner of the market on daddy issues." Lydia muttered.
Kirk elbowed her in the side and she stuck out her tongue.
"I had to call in every favor I had ever earned." She continued, ignoring them as they entered the shuttle bay. "There were people, friends, who risked their careers to feed me information. I learned about the research on a new type of torpedo. Then, when I tried to dig a little deeper, what I found was that the very same torpedoes and everything related to their development had disappeared from official records. Hell, they'd disappeared from the unofficial records. Even rumors about them had been expunged from general discussion."
"And then he gave them to me." Kirk said.
Carol stood on the steps of the nearest shuttle and smirked at them.
"You're much cleverer than your reputation suggests, Captain Kirk."
"He would have to be." Lydia muttered.
"I have a reputation?" Kirk asked, glaring at her.
"Yes you do." Carol replied, heading inside the shuttle. "I'm a friend of Christine Chapel."
"Oh." Kirk said, suddenly looking anywhere but Lydia. "Christine. How is she?"
"She transferred to the outer frontier to be a nurse." Carol told her. "She's much happier now."
"Well, that's good." Kirk said, nodding.
"You have no idea who I'm talking about, do you?" Carol asked.
"I do." Lydia said, openly grinning at Kirk's obvious discomfort.
"If you don't mind my asking, what exactly are we doing in here?" Kirk asked, changing the subject.
"Would you please turn around?"
"Why?" he asked, genuinely baffled.
"Just turn around."
He and Lydia complied, very reluctantly in the case of the Security Officer, who was uncomfortable taking her eyes off the other woman.
"You said you wanted to crack one of those torpedoes." She told him. "So we do, after all, have something in common. Since their explosive power is unknown, worst-case scenario is they're planet killers."
"Even best case scenario, I don't want to open one of those things on this ship." Lydia interrupted, glancing behind her and then turning back around quickly. "Not without any idea of what's inside."
Kirk turned to look at her and was confronted with a practically naked Carol Marcus. Lydia sighed and grabbed his arm, forcing him to turn back around.
"What part of 'turn around' do you not understand?" she asked with a sigh. "Jeez."
"Sorry." He muttered.
Lydia sighed again, but reached out to gently touch his hand briefly. As she pulled away, Kirk quickly grabbed his finger with his and squeezed before letting go. Lydia swallowed, but didn't meet his eyes.
Carol watched all this without comment.
"There's an uninhabited desert planetoid in range." She told them. "I can fly there – it lies within shuttle reach – but I cannot disarm a torpedo alone, especially in the absence of any relevant information regarding its insides. In lieu of such schematics, I'll need the assistance of your chief engineer."
Kirk coughed.
"My chief, uh, quit."
She looked at him while she pulled on an exosuit.
"Did he? Why?"
"He ordered him to sign off on delivery of the torpedoes." Lydia told her. "He refused because he is smart and wouldn't sign for something he didn't have any schematics for."
"Well." She replied, smiling thinly. "What a coincidence. Not so clever after all."
"He has his moments." Lydia said, heading towards her. "This isn't one of them. I'm gonna need one of those suits."
"Why?" Carol asked.
"Well, you haven't got an engineer." Lydia said, grabbing a suit. "I'm the next best thing."
She pulled off her tunic, not bothering to tell Kirk to turn around.
"Let's go crack open a bomb."
A/N:
Look at that. Another chapter.
What do you think?
Abbey