"One love,
One blood,
One life,
You've got to do what you should.
One life with each other,
Sister,
Brothers,
One life but we're not the same.
We get to carry each other,
Carry each other."
Johnny Cash
"Look, Hikaru! No hands!"
Margot was hanging from the tree branch with her knees, swiftly swinging back and forth.
"Be careful!" he replied, looking down at her, from his own branch.
They were 9 years old both, and it was summer vacation. They were playing in the park nearby his house, and climbing a tree was Margot's favourite. She was a natural born climber, resembling a young squirrel with her just a bit too big front teeth, her red curls, and the slender and strong body. And like one, she could spend the whole day on a tree.
Sulu watched as she gripped the branch with her fingers, and pulled herself up to sit on it.
"I don't want you to get hurt."
"I won't fall." she grinned. "I never do, unlike you."
"Stop bragging." he stated, and threw an acorn at her. She dodged, and laughed, standing up on her feet and walking towards him on her branch. She was super agile, and nimbly she jumped from a branch to the next one.
And just then, there was a loud crack.
The branch she had landed on, snapped, and she lost her foothold.
For a second or so, he thought she'd be able to regain her balance - but she didn't. A flash of fear in her eyes, her face went pale.
"Ah!" she breathed, and fell, fast through the canopy.
"Margot!" he screamed. "Margot!" but there was no answer. Hastily he began to climb down, shouting her name as he did.
He jumped down from the lowest branch, and was by her side before anyone else. She lay on her back, unconscious, and a stream of fresh, bright red blood trickled from her nose. Her arm was under her, bent on an unnatural angle, and her oversized T-shirt was stained with blood.
Sulu grabbed her shoulders, and shook her.
"Wake up!" he shouted, without even realizing there were tears running on his cheeks. But she didn't wake up, and suddenly an agonizing fear took his breath away. He couldn't breath, he couldn't even say her name again, and in horror he froze on his place.
Was she… dead?
For what would he do, if she died?
How could he live on, without her?
But, she didn't die, not that day. They took her to the hospital where she woke up with a concussion, a broken arm and a dislocated shoulder. The good thing that followed, was that Margot moved in at Sulu's home for two months, for his mother could care for her better than her dad. The bad thing that followed, were the nightmares.
Every night for a long time, he dreamt about that day.
How she fell, her face pale, her fingers reaching for him, her eyes widened with fear. And never did he manage to catch her. Not once.
It all came back to Sulu now.
He was on his knees, pressing his forehead on the see through aluminium, banging it with his fist, so hard that it hurt, and his knuckles went white.
The look in Margot's eyes, was just as it had been the day she fell from the tree. Her eyes were filled with fear, and tears. She was leaning on the door, already exhausted and drowsy, as the air was thinning in the airlock.
2 minutes, the time she had been stuck in there.
28 seconds: the time it had taken Sulu to get here, from the moment Scotty had reported the situation.
30 seconds: the time remaining, according to Scotty, until the outer door of the chamber opened, and she'd be ejected to space.
There was no way in Hell, he'd accept it.
"No!" he shouted, his voice hoarse and thick. "No! Do something! Open this fucking door, Scotty! Help me break it down!"
And with all his force, he banged his fist against the aluminium, but it did nothing more than caused him pain.
Margot looked up to him, and with effort shook her head slowly. She tried to smile at him, failing miserably, but Sulu understood what she meant.
She had given up already.
But he hadn't. By God, he'd never do that!
"Jim, tell me you have a plan!" he groaned, and turned to look at his friend and captain. "Or Scotty? Give me something, here! We can't just sit, and do nothing as she dies!"
Kirk was pressing his temples with his fingers, and looked suffering.
Scotty, who was desperately pulling leads from the control panel looked at Sulu: "I'm trying here, ay! It's not like I can beam her out of there with my willpower."
"Can't they still get a locking on her?" Sulu heard Skylar's voice asking. "Jim, can you check?"
"Kirk to Checov." Kirk said to his link. "What's the status?"
"I am in the transporter room," said Chekov's voice with a thick accent. "but I still can't lock onto Lieutenant de la Faye. She'd have to be outside of that chamber, I'm afraid."
"Yeah, well that might soon be the case." Kirk's voice was dark. "Just keep on trying, Chekov!"
"Ay, Sir." Chekov replied.
"You might have to do it manually, like the time you catched me and Sulu when we were on a free fall. Be prepared."
"I'll do my best, Sir."
Sulu pressed his hand on the door, and Margot lifted her own, their palms against each other, their fingers almost touching.
"I love you." he breathed, looking deep into her forest green eyes.
It was all that mattered, all that there was to say.
"I love you too." Sulu read the words from her lips.
She raised her other hand to a traditional Vulcan greeting, and tried to smile.
"Live long and prosper." Skylar whispered, her voice failing her.
And the doors opened.
The remaining air from the airlock was sucked into the void of space, taking everything with it. Margot's small body flew in it, like a leaf in the wind, her hands outstreched, she hit the doorframe, and her form went spinning into the darkness.
