Maria, you've gotta see her
Go insane and out of your mind

Maria - Blondie

'June - Bones, what the hell are you doing here?' Jim holds his emotions on his sleeve. It's taken me a while to realise that, with how good he is at acting Captain, but the moment he sees Leonard his face falls into a look of utter bafflement. I don't know why he is so surprised, really. All Leonard was doing was walking me to the Headquarters. It wasn't as if Jim had caught the Doctor and I wrapped up in bed like we had been this morning.

'He's walking me,' I quip, feeling far more rested and calm than I had done yesterday. 'Is that alright, Captain?'

Jim glowers at me, before looking at Leonard for a long moment. The Doctor shuffles next to me, his back straight and his form stiff, before he sighs sharply and snaps at Jim, 'What, Jim?'

He looks from Leonard, to me, and then back again. 'Nothing'. A pause, and Jim, dressed in a whole new uniform that was dark and grey and far more formal, shakes his head and wipes the curious expression from his face. I let out an internal sigh. Whilst Leonard was going to have to inform Jim of our...sleeping arrangements soon, I would rather it not happen now. 'C'mon. They're waiting'.

Jim leads the way, and Leonard waves me through the same double doors I had walked through with Mister Spock and Jim the day before. I give him a once over, whilst Jim's back is turned, to which he cocks a brow. I shrug. 'Uniform suits you,' I mutter, grinning wickedly when he glares, his cheeks dusting red, and follow Jim quickly into the building.

It was true. The pressed, dark uniform that looked like Jim's (minus a few details, most likely linking to rank) looked good on the Doctor.

I avoid running into a group of busy looking Starfleet Officers, and catch up to Jim's quickly striding form. Leonard does the same, grumbling something under his breath. 'Where's Mister Spock today?' I inquire, tugging at my dark shirt. I was getting very sick of wearing these fucking clothes. The moment I got back to my room, I was insisting Leonard show me how to work the Clothes Replicator in my Quarters to produce something with some colour.

Jim spares me one glace. 'He was asked to make an appearance at the Academy. Some lecture about relativity-'

'I'm sure Pointy will bore the poor souls to death-'

'Where is the Academy?' I inquire, following Jim into the lift. I needed this conversation; this way to distract myself. I was about to be plonked in a room full of Admirals who wanted nothing me than to question me to their hearts content. 'I'd like to see it-'

'Why?'

I glare at Jim. 'Because'.

He cocks a brow slowly. 'Y'know, I'd quite like to hear you call me Captain, Miss Adams-'

'Keep me out of your damn fantasies, Jim,' I grumble, darting forward out of the lift when the doors slide open. Leonard lets out a dry bark of laughter, to which Jim orders him to shut up. I can't talk about that right now. I have no idea what I'm going to do...but the Academy...Starfleet- That would be a mighty adventure, huh? I shake these thoughts from my head, before taking in a deep gulp of air.

'It's this way,' Jim says, indicating toward the left, around the spiral staircase leading to the next level. He uses his hand-print, same as yesterday, to gain access to a whole new corridor where large, double doors and gaping windows are spread around this new part of the building. 'We're gonna be outside the door. Seems like the Admirals wanna talk to you by yourself-'

I shrug, trying to look as if this doesn't bother me at all. 'Okay'.

We stop suddenly outside a door, and Leonard speaks next, cutting off Jim. 'They're gonna want you to be as truthful as you can, sweetheart'. I look up at him; the stiffness of his shoulders and the way he stands further away from me and closer to Jim. I nod, suddenly overwhelmed with nerves that nearly knock me over. 'They ain't there to punish you for anythin' - they're just gonna want you to tell them everythin' you can about...about it all-'

'Len,' I ease the words out, beseeching his gaze and nodding. 'I've got this'. I catch Jim looking at us both, before I give a deep intake of breath and nod. 'Well, then'. I nod yet again, turn stiffly, and wrap my knuckles against the large door, my stomach practically doing somersaults inside of me. 'You don't have to wait-' I begin to mutter, as a voice from inside orders for me to come in.

'Adams,' Jim replies. 'Shut up'.

'Agreed,' grumbles Leonard.

I nod. 'Right'.

And, with that, I push open the door (a door, an actual working door that doesn't slide into nothing in front of me) and walk into the room, my head held high and my palms sweating and my heart thumping-

The door clicks shut behind me, and I see all five of them. They're sitting on a desk, sleek and black and in the middle of the room, with all of their hands folded in front of them. Two women and three men. All over the age of forty. I walk forward, hardly hearing their greetings as I make my way toward the one chair placed six feet in front of their desk. To the right of the room, there are three large window where I can see the rest of the building. To the left, a blank and dark wall with another door.

The room held no personality, other than the windows.

This was most definitely an interrogation room.

'Hello,' I greet, trying so very hard to keep my voice level. I recognise Admiral Akachi, sitting on the furthest part of the desk. He sits next to one of them women, of whom tilts her head and smiles at me. I swallow, sit in the seat, and fold my hands into my lap. 'I'm June Adams'. They know that, idiot. God, they can probably see how hard my hands are shaking. No, but this is good. An obvious emotional reaction and no sign of by abilities. You can control it. You can do this. 'Thanks for, er, seeing me'.

One of the women, the one sitting in the middle of table, tilts her dark haired head and smiles, and the wrinkles around her mouth crinkle. When she speaks, I hear that she has an Irish accent. 'The gratitude is all ours, Miss Adams. We at Starfleet understand the...terrible predicament you have found yourself in, due to the negligence of a specific group within our organisation. Thank you for being so understanding and...' She tilts her head, clasps her hands, and manages a smile. I decide in that moment that she is the person I need to implore to the most. 'Well, for what you did on Clion 2BA. You saved many people that day'.

There is a murmur of agreement. I manage a spasm of a smile.

'First and foremost,' Akachi says, sharp dark eyes on me. 'We can tell you that we have a time for the trial of Edgar Bates. Tomorrow at 0900 hours, in this building, we will interview both yourself and other members of the U.S.S Enterprise of whom are familiar with various happenings since your rescue. I find it very unlikely that the trial will last more than a day'.

I nod, fingers still gripped so tightly with one another that my knuckles were turning white.

The woman speaks again, and I assume that she must be the one leading this...whatever this is. 'Miss Adams, using information that we have gained from the Captain's report, as well as those from First Officer Spock and the CMO of the U.S.S Enterprise, we here at Starfleet Headquarters have gained a fair understanding of what has transpired. Bates has been...particularly forthcoming in his research and creation of, what it has been coined, the Portal'.

Again, I nod. 'He likes to brag,' I bite out, gaze flicking to the floor. Here I was, with some of the smartest minds in the freaking universe, and I couldn't even manage to say something even remotely intelligent. I swallow. 'I'm guessing Starfleet sent some kind of team to the bunker on Clion 2BA?'

A pause, and then a nod. A few of the Admirals shift. Still, it is the woman who speaks. She didn't even give me her name. 'That is correct, Miss Adams. The bodies of the Doctors on Bates team were found, as well as...As well as personal belongings that, upon inspection, appear to belong to you'. Upon catching my jolted look, she manages another soft smile. 'They have been delivered successfully, after inspection, and I apologise it has taken so long for you to have them back in your possession. There is no telling what Bates may have done to them, but we found nothing. I have ensured that they are delivered to your Quarters by the end of the day-'

'Thank you'. The words come out in a rush. Belongings. My bag. My phone. My only possessions in this fucking world - the only proof I had that my life before here even existed. 'Really - thank you'.

She smiles. 'You're welcome'. A pause, in which she glances left and right to her colleagues. 'Miss Adams, now comes the time that we must ask you about your...abilities. Captain Kirk has given us as much insight as he can, and Admiral Akachi has informed the board that you have admitted to practising these abilities. I implore you now to speak freely and truthfully, as to aid us in gaining as much understanding as we can on the matter. We will ask you questions, and you will answer them. Is this sufficient?'

My nails bite into my palm, and I feel a sharp sting as skin breaks. 'Yes,' I say. My voice cracks, and I breathe in, and try again, 'Yes'.

The nameless woman stares at me, before nodding with a smile. 'Thank you. Now, is there anyway that you can explain how you gained these abilities, Miss Adams?'

I shake my head, expecting this question. 'No,' I admit, and a few of the Admirals shift. Sorry, guys. 'And if you're asking me that question, I assume that Edgar Bates can't even give you the answer. He...he tried to explain it to me, when L - Doctor McCoy and I were held prisoner in the bunker. He told me that other things had come through the Portal, I'm guessing from my universe. He only realised it could do something to people when a...when the boy came through. He called him One'.

One of the men nod, and the others shift and glance at each other at the statement. He's told them that, then. 'Yes. He has spoken frequently of One in his reports since arriving yesterday-'

I cringe. 'Isn't there another name you can give him - some kind of code name or something, like Jon Doe?' The man in question looks mildly affronted, and I plough on, my nervous mouth ahead of my brain. 'When Bates spoke to me, he would use a...He would say that when I went through that Portal, little things latched onto me. Like diamonds. I think it was his way of describing what he did to me, without telling me he had no bloody clue'.

The woman leans forward, brow furrowed. 'Doctor McCoy's many Reports on your various visits to his Sick-Bay described no physical abnormalities. There is nothing different with your genetic code, your blood-' I feel, for a moment, oddly betrayed. Sometimes I forgot that Leonard was my Doctor before he was my friend. I shrug.

One of the men speaks, his face far less kind than the woman's. He cuts across her, his eyes boring into me. I wasn't sure what he was, but there was something not entirely Human about him. A slight blueness to his skin and a thickness to his hair and a colour to his eyes...I would have to look it up later. 'Miss Adams,' he says, voice hard and unfriendly. 'I would rather get to the point of your abilities. You can harm others, yes?'

I falter, but I try and hold his gaze. 'Yes,' I reply, pushing my hair from my face and tightening my fingers.

He doesn't pause before speaking again. 'You have the ability to kill others, yes?'

Foot in mouth disease hits with a vengeance, then. 'I think you know the answer to that one, Admiral,' I reply briskly. 'Doctor McCoy was with me when the incident occurred, and I know full well his Report told of what happened. My actions were to protect him, and not for...There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about those men. I...At the time, I knew little of my abilities. Bates goaded me into doing something-'

He waves a hand, rude and without care. The woman glances to him, and I note that the other woman begins tapping at the PADD in front of her. 'I understand that, Miss Adams. I am not attempting to say anything different than what you did was self-defence. What I mean to say is, we have never encountered someone with your apt to telekinetic abilities. If you pose a danger to society-'

There it is. I nod, gaze steely and forehead beginning to perspire. Fuck you, Admiral. 'With all due respect, Admiral, I would not have these abilities were it not for those under Starfleet's employment. As I explained to Admiral Akachi yesterday, I am learning to control these abilities. Think of them like a muscle, if you will, one that I am training to obey my brain. I understand your concern, but-'

'Is it not true that, on occasion, you have accidentally used these abilities due to emotional distress?' My mouth snaps shut, and the Admiral watches me with a close gaze. Fuck. My mouth goes dry, because they would only know that from Reports. Reports that would have come from Jim or Len. At the end of the day, I suppose, it was their job to do so. It didn't stop the feeling of utter sadness that swells within me, though. 'Is it not true that you dropped the U.S.S Enterprise out of warp because of your own emotions-'

'Yes'.

The Admiral leans back. 'My questions are finished, Admiral Lee'. He speaks to the woman, who watches me with a tight mouth and clasped hands. She nods, before taking in a deep breath.

'Miss Adams,' Lee says, calmer than her friend. 'We only mean to convey that...we have to be careful, considering how...how powerful you appear to be. First Officer Spock spoke of the mind-meld he shared with you, and the power he saw within your mind. You must understand, you closed a Portal that was on the brink of destroying a planet. I have, firsthand, seen Edgar Bates research for this Portal. I can only imagine the raw power it would have taken to do such a thing-'

I stand, now, not enjoying just sitting in front of them like a child being scolded. 'You've made your point,' I snap, surprised at even myself. 'I have the potential to be dangerous. Doesn't everyone? I will continue to learn, and I am under not pretence that Starfleet will not be watching me for the rest of my bloody life here. Is that what this is about - to warn me of that?' Lee does not reply, but instead watches me with a compliant expression. My life is never going to be the same. 'I understand that. I only want Edgar Bates to get what he deserved for what he did to me and that little boy, and then I will build my own life - my own life. I will not be told what I can and cannot do because of my abilities-'

'Miss Adams, I beg you to calm yourself-' They're worried. Everyone is fucking worried, aren't they? I snap my mouth shut, cross my arms, and let Lee speak. 'You understand, yes. Starfleet will have to watch you, but we will help you. It is because of negligence from the superiors of Edgar Bates that this was allowed to happen to you. You will have people aiding you in understanding your new life, but we...we must be cautious of what you can do-'

'I understand,' I snap. I wasn't even sure why I was so angry. Admiral Lee was being fair, but it was the way the man who had spoken to me looked at me like I was dangerous. 'And I...appreciate your willingness to help me,' I grit out. Angry or not, my parents didn't raise an ungrateful brat.

Lee nods.

'I do, though, want to know just how much freedom I am allowed,' I begin, still standing. 'I am not sure how long the Enterprise crew will be stationed on Earth, and I cannot learn without being free to go beyond the building I am staying in. I am on a planet, in a time, that is completely unfamiliar to me. The trial should start and finish tomorrow, and then after than my new life will begin. Am I free to leave my...as long as I am accompanied by a member of the crew?'

She smiles, a friendly smile that tells me she appreciates my cooperation. The others sigh and mutter to each other, and I watch closely, worried. Oh God, I thought such a request would be met with affirmation. 'Computer,' she says, fingers sliding easily to interlock as she leans back in her chair. 'Please tell Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy to come in'.

...What.

I continue to stand, back turned, as the door clicks open and footsteps echo around the room. The Admirals smile and greet Jim and Leonard by standing and nodding briefly, before sitting back down onto their seats. The men stop either side of me, towering above me in a way that makes me feel even smaller than I already do.

'Admirals,' both men say at the same time.

'Captain Kirk,' greets Lee. 'Doctor McCoy. Captain Kirk, I trust you remember the conversation we had yesterday, and what I implored you and Mister Spock to think on?' I frown, looking up to Jim, who stares ahead, and then to Leonard. Both held the straight back and stiff shoulders of people in front of their superiors. 'I understand that your First Officer could not join us today'.

'No, ma'am,' agrees Jim. 'And...yes. I have'.

'Shall we put it to a vote?'

Have you ever felt like the one left of of some universal fucking joke?

Leonard sighs deeply next to me, and the others, including Jim, murmur in agreement. 'Miss Adams,' I jolt to look at her, my expression most likely conveying how fucking confused I was. What the hell is happening? What vote? 'A time period of seven days was discussed yesterday; a time period in which you would be assessed for your physiological well-being, your abilities tested in careful, calm environments, and in which you would not be permitted to leave the Shore Leave building you currently inhabit, for the safety of both yourself and the citizens of San Francisco. Of course, such things as tomorrows trial will permit you to leave'.

I'm pretty sure it feels like this.

My heart fucking drops. I gape, incredulous and on the brink of hysterically laughing. 'What?' God, was I that desperate to see San Fran? No. Was it the fucking principle of it; the fact that they were locking me away for seven fucking days like a rabid dog, to truly see with their own eyes if I was dangerous or not? Yes. Imagine the uproar if you got scared and shattered a fucking window on the street, or flipped a car. I don't care. I don't fucking care. I am a human being-

'To those who believe the previous statement to be true, say aye'.

Lee does not.

Everyone else does.

Everyone including Jim, quiet and calm.

Including Leonard, gruff and short.

Admiral Lee gifts me with a sorry smile. 'I apologise, Miss Adams. I do implore you to understand that after these seven days, you will be free to do as you please. That is, if nothing alerts us. I can guarantee that it will not - Captain Kirk here has assured me you are not danger. This is a mere precaution for yourself, primarily. We cannot truly know who Bates told of your existence'.

I want to disappear into the fucking floor. I want all of these Admirals to stop looking at me. I want to be home, with my mother, and away from these people who saw only danger and not June.

I smile, my chest so tight I'm sure I am about to breathe fucking fire. 'Well,' I bite out, pleasant and stoic. 'Captain Kirk surely has an odd way of conveying this opinion. Thank you for your time, Admirals. I'll be going back to my cell, now. I assure you, it is much nicer than the one Edgar Bates gave me'. I only see her blink, and the others mutter in offence, before I turn heavily on my heel and march for the door, feeling like a fucking idiot.

'June-'

I curl away from the voice, stalking through the door with my shoulders hunched and my eyes watering. I was embarrassed; utterly mortified that I was not to be trusted. I was not to be alone. I was not to leave the confines of the Shore Leave building. I was a prisoner - a bad thing to be kept away from the safety of the world. We cannot truly know who Bates told of your existence. I believed that, of course. I was just too fucking angry to think fairly right now.

I was exactly what Bates wanted me to be. A danger to the world.

I continue to move quickly, swallowing the swelling in my throat and surging toward the lift, entirely ignoring the offended glances of the Admirals and higher-ups that I weave quickly past, and hear Jim muttering apologies to those he himself pushes past. I had hoped I would reach the lift and shut the doors before the two men could slip past the doors.

That does not happen. They join me in the quiet of the lift, the harsh lighting only probably highlighting the angry red of my cheeks and the watering of my eyes. I avoid their gazes like a petulant child; annoyed.

Jim crowds my space, dipping his head to find my gaze as I plant myself in the furthest corner of the lift, my eyes downcast and my jaw tight. Leonard, I see, stands just behind him, his arms crossed over his chest. I want them gone. I want them to be far, far away and I don't want to be out in the open anymore - I don't want to be here.

And I don't just mean Starfleet Headquarters.

Jim's arm twitches, as if he is going to reach for me, but decided against it. 'June, I'm sorry. We have to consider all of the possibilities. I know you have everything under control, but-'

'Please shut up, Jim,' I whisper, not trusting myself to not shout if I raise my voice any higher. Of course I understood why they wanted to keep me inside for a few days, but that didn't mean it didn't fucking hurt to know that I was, in some peoples eyes, considered dangerous. In their eyes - my friends. Then again, I was not so dim as to not know that I was. But I was working on it! I was training it like a muscle in my body. Even now, it was kept at bay, when I felt my utter worst. 'Just shut. Up'.

Leonard reaches out to slam his fingers against a button next to Jim, and the quiet whizzing of the lift stops suddenly. I look up, baffled and red-cheeked, and glare at the grouchy looking man. He sighs deeply and swears under his breath as he rights himself. He agreed with them. He thinks you should be kept inside, too. I want to cry. I want to scream.

He cocks a wild brow at me. 'If it keeps the Admirals happy, then it's best to just damn do it. I know you're gonna to show 'em, you're gonna to show all of us, but right now it's just easier to-'

'Is it?' I seethe, my fists clenching at my sides and my glare finding Jim's cerulean gaze. 'It's easier to keep me locked away in case I hurt someone? This is exactly what I knew would happen! They're only seeing what Bates made-'

BORN. I WAS BORN AND NOT MADE.

Jim pulls a face. 'You're not seeing the bigger picture, June! And don't, not for a second, think that don't have your back, June Adams. You think I could have reported to my higher-ups that my CMO and the guest, who we damn rescued, on my ship were in a ridiculously inappropriate relationship? Hell yes'. He stares at me, blue gaze harsher than I had seen it before, though not nasty, and raises his thick brows. I try not to gape, and Leonard shifts behind his Captain and clears his throat. 'Don't look at me like that. Bones told me you two have been canoodling, but I'm not an idiot. I'm not gonna ruin his or your reputations like that. You are my friend and I am trying to help you - can you - can you honestly say that you have it under control-?'

I look away from him, unclench my fists, breathe, and then blink.

With a mere attempt of my thoughts shifting toward the button Leonard had just pressed, the lift starts moving and my head whooshes and I think, God, I've missed using it. I feel it stretch inside of me, like a misused violin, and the doors whoosh open a few seconds later. We stand there for a moment and I wipe the blood away from my nose, before looking up at Jim. 'Yes,' I reply, quiet and angry, before pointing sharply forward. 'Go on, then. I need a chaperone to take me to my Quarters, don't I?'

They don't move.

'Fucking-' I mutter, and shove past them and into the lobby of the building, stalking forward and trying my hardest not to allow myself to cry. But, of course, I just always have to get the last word, don't I? I whirl around, and the two of them stumble to a stop behind me. 'I am just hurt,' I snap, raising a finger at the two of them. 'That you would not talk to me about this first. You allowed those people, who I have no idea, to tell me what I can and cannot do with my own mind'.

Jim's mouth tightens. 'Oh, don't say you're hurt. That's worse than being angry!'

'Well, I am. And you, Doctor-'

I cut myself off, squinting at the form so suddenly standing a few feet behind Jim. Others walked around her and throw her glances; the woman dressed in ragged, plain clothes with dirt etched onto the hem of her white, Medical looking trousers and her left cheekbone bruised yellow and brown. Jim stares at me, and Leonard takes a step forward as if he is worried I am having a stroke, or something. The woman stares at me, standing near one of the doors to the exit of the building, her brown hair a mess about her face, and smiles a smile I only remember from my memories.

Oh, fucking hell.

'Um. Maria Atwood is standing over there,' I inform the men, before blinking a few dozen times, rubbing my forehead, and then promptly passing out with a dull thud to my knees and an echo of my name on Leonard's tongue.

So. I always had this planned, and whilst is is annoying, I am trying to convey that Starfleet is somewhat in the right. They're not saying they're going to lock June up forever, they just need to understand her more so they can learn how to help her understand her own mind, y'know? Jim and Bones have seen enough powerful people do bad things, and they don't want a repeat. June knows she's half right and so are they, but she's human and she's going to get pissed. That's why I love her.

Thank you so much for the reviews, you guys are great! I hope you enjoyed the twists and turns of this chapter.