Counselor's Log, stardate 4307.1. At last, we are approaching Starbase Six for a long overdue shore leave. I've been recommending it for two weeks now, but better late.
Spock watched the scans come back all normal as the Captain finished her log.
"The crew has performed excellently," she said, "but is exhausted. And I, too, am looking forward to a nice period of rest on some lovely planet."
"Captain," Lieutenant Palmer said from the communications station. "There was a message from Starbase Six. Heavy interference. All I get is Intrepid and what sounded like a sector coordinate."
This news being unexpected, Spock ran through a series of non-routine scans on the region.
"Interesting," he said as the results came through. "No indications of magnetic storms in this sector."
"Try another channel, Lieutenant," the Captain said.
"Aye, sir."
Doctor McCoy, who as on the Bridge delivering reports from himself and Vivian, said, "The Intrepid is manned by Vulcans, isn't it?"
"Yes, that's right, Bones," the Captain answered.
"Enterprise calling Starbase Six. Enterprise calling Starbase Six. Come in. Come in."
With terrible suddenness, Spock sat bolt upright, feeling very cleanly, very forcefully, the death of hundreds of Vulcans.
"Spock?" the Captain said anxiously.
"What is it, Spock?" the Doctor asked. "Are you in pain?"
"Captain," Spock said, gripping at the rail, "the Intrepid. It just died. And the four hundred Vulcans aboard, all dead."
Doctor McCoy, who looked greatly concerned, said, "Come on, Spock, let's go down to Sickbay."
"Doctor, I know what I know."
"Get to Sickbay," the Captain said sharply.
"Captain."
"No, no, no," she said. "That's an order."
Spock felt compelled to argue, but he knew it would be fruitless.
"Yes, sir," he said, allowing Doctor McCoy to lead him to the turbolift.
Vivian would understand, or at least begin to understand what he meant.
/-/
While Bones scanned Spock on a biobed, Spock explained to Vivian what he'd felt, which was apparently the death of a starship and its crew, all in a moment. Vivian wasn't sure how that would feel, but it was a chilling thing to try to wrap her mind around, and little wonder that Spock had startled those on the Bridge with his expression.
"Well," she said, "whatever you say, Spock, even momentary pain can be serious." She looked up at the readout. "Granted, the readings look fine." She bit her lip, afraid to ask, but knowing that she had to. "Spock, what did you mean?"
Bones gestured for Spock to come off the biobed, which he did, and Vivian pressed again for information.
"How can you sense it die? Don't you need physical—"
"Vivian," he said softly, "even I, a half-Vulcan, could hear the death scream of four hundred Vulcan minds crying out over the distance between us."
Vivian shivered, glad she had absolutely no telepathic abilities.
Bones, however, was highly skeptical as usual, and he said, "Not even a Vulcan could feel a starship die."
Spock raised an eyebrow and said, "Call it a deep understanding of the way things happen to Vulcans, but I know not a person, not even the computers on board the Intrepid, knew what was killing them or would have understood it had they known."
Softly, horrified, Vivian said, "Four hundred."
He looked at her thoughtfully before saying, "I've noticed that about your people, Vivian. You find it easier to understand the death of one than the death of a million. You speak about the objective hardness of the Vulcan heart, Doctor," he said, turning to Bones, "yet how little room there seems to be in yours."
A strange expression came over Bones's face as he took in this soft stab at humanity, but one Vivian had to confess was fairly accurate.
"Suffer the death of thy neighbor, eh, Spock?" he said, frowning. "You wouldn't wish that on us, would you?"
"It might have rendered your history a bit less bloody."
Vivian knew he was very likely right, but she had to agree with Bones that the prospect of feeling the deaths of other humans like Spock had just done with the Vulcans on the Intrepid was terrifying.
/-/
Given the situation, Vivian had insisted on accompanying Spock to the Bridge, and although he argued that it was not necessary, he was glad of her company, and appreciated the opportunity to hold her hand in the turbolift.
When they let go of each other's hands and stepped out onto the Bridge, the Captain turned her head to look at them, frowning.
"Spock, you may have been right," she said. "We've lost contact with the Intrepid and we're out of communication with an entire solar system. Any update from Starfleet?"
Vivian gestured to Lieutenant Palmer, who stood and let Vivian check the channels. Spock watched her flip through them rapidly, expertly.
"If there is, we'd never know," she said darkly. "I can't do anything with this distortion, Captain. And it seems to be getting worse."
"Captain," Mr. Kyle said, "deflector shields just snapped on."
"Slow to warp three."
"Warp three, sir."
Spock checked the sensors for a sign of what had caused the sudden action of the shields.
"Indications of energy turbulence ahead." He ran it through algorithms, but came up with nothing. "Unable to analyze. I've never encountered readings like this before."
"Scanners on," the Captain said. "Magnification three on the screen."
Mr. Kyle did as asked and said, "Magnification factor three, sir."
There was a great blackness on the screen, and Lieutenant Palmer said, "Exactly what are we looking for, Mr. Spock?"
Vivian, whose back was to the screen, began, "Presumably—"
Her eyes widened at the sight of the blackness when she turned around, and her slightly-parted lips did not finish the question, but remained parted in astonishment.
"What is that?" Captain Kirk asked.
"Perhaps an interstellar dust cloud," Ensign Chekov offered weakly.
"Not very likely, Ensign," Spock said.
The Captain shook her head and said, "No. You'd be able to see stars through a dust cloud. Looks like a hole in space. Readings, Mr. Spock."
"Still not able to analyze, Captain," he said. "Sensors are feeding data to the computers now. Whatever this dark zone is, it lies directly in line with the course I calculate for the Intrepid and the Gamma VII-A system."
"Hold course," Vivian said sharply. "Slow. Try…warp one."
"Warp factor one, sir," Mr. Kyle confirmed.
"Mr. Chekov, prepare to launch a telemetry probe into that zone. Direct computer feed to Mr. Spock."
Mr. Chekov readied the probe and said, "Aye, sir. Probe ready. Switching data feed to library computer."
"Launch probe."
"Away, confirmed," Vivian said, and Spock was just beginning to see data from the telemetry when a high pitched sound came through the speakers.
"What was that?" the Captain said.
"The telemetry probe, sir," Mr. Chekov said, puzzled. "There's no signal from it."
"Speculation, Spock."
He raised his eyebrows and said, "I have non, Captain. Insufficient data."
Mr. Chekov groaned suddenly, and Vivian, who was standing between Spock and the communication station, nearly collapsed, losing her balance.
"Vivian," Spock said, going to her on instinct, holding her arms near the elbow, concerned when she brushed him off, reaching for the railing.
"No, fine," she said, smiling weakly at him. "Just a little bout of dizziness." He continued to hold her arms, not convinced, but she pulled away from him and said, "Really, Spock, I'm fine."
Doctor McCoy's voice said, "Sickbay to Captain Kirk. McCoy here."
The Captain pressed her intercom button to take the call.
"Kirk here. What is it?"
"I'm getting reports from every deck. Half the people on the ship just fainted."
Spock looked pointedly at Vivian, who just frowned, not meeting his eyes as the Captain said, "Vivian almost did. She says she's alright. Do you want to see her?"
"Not unless she's feeling ill. I've got an emergency here."
"I'm fine," Vivian insisted, more strongly than before. "What's wrong?"
"There's nothing organic. They all seem to be nervous, weak, and irritable. They say it happened suddenly, like a balloon popping."
"Sounds like mine," Vivian said, tucking a bit of hair behind her ear. "What are you doing? Can you handle it?"
"I'm giving them stimulants to keep them on their feet. Yeah, we can handle it, Vivian."
"Good," the Captain said, and Spock immediately retrieved the medical kit on the Bridge. "Kirk out. Hold our position, Mr. Kyle."
Spock prepared a stimulant in a hypospray, and although Vivian gave him an irritated look, she allowed him to give her the shot as Mr. Kyle said, "Aye, aye, sir."
"Spock, give me an update on the dark area ahead."
He barely had to glance at the sensor readouts to know what he had to say.
"No analysis," he said, "due to insufficient information."
"Nothing?" Vivian asked, still clearly irritated. "Spock, the Captain has asked you three times and you've got nothing? It is your job to have answers."
Spock did not take any offense to her coldness, but he was concerned for her well-being. He answered, delicately, "I am well aware of that, Counselor, but the computers contain nothing on this phenomenon. It is beyond our experience, and the new information is not yet significant."
"I don't know about you, but I'm tired," the Captain said, rubbing her eyes. "If you can't tell me what it is, let's use reverse logic. Perhaps it'll help us if you tell me what it isn't."
"It's not a liquid or solid, despite the fact we cannot see through it."
"Not a lot in that," Vivian said.
"It is not a galactic nebula," Spock continued, "such as the Coal Sack, and since our deflectors were activated by it, it would seem to be some form of energy, but nothing our sensors can identify."
The Captain, leaning back in her chair, said, "Is it possible that his is what killed that solar system and the Intrepid?"
"Very possible."
"Palmer," Vivian said, snapping her fingers vaguely.
"Yes, sir," Lieutenant Palmer said calmly.
"Notify Starfleet that we're going to attempt to prove the area of darkness to gain further information," the Captain said, watching Vivian closely.
"Aye, aye, sir."
The Captain paused as Vivian almost fell as she tried to cross to Lieutenant Palmer.
"Vivian?" Spock asked as she grabbed the rail, and he took a small step toward her.
"Really, I'm fine," she said, although he knew she was lying. "Kyle, how far is it to…whatever it is?"
"One hundred thousand kilometers, sir," Mr. Kyle reported.
The Captain, who really was beginning to look incredibly tired, said, "Ahead slow. Impulse power only."
"Aye, aye, sir."
Lieutenant Palmer said, "Transmission to Starfleet complete, sir."
"Very good. Time, Chekov?"
"Penetration of the zone in one minute, seven seconds, sir."
"Let's get ready," Vivian said. "Red alert, phasers and deflectors full."
"Phasers standing by," Mr. Chekov said. "Deflectors at full power, sir."
The sound that had first heralded Vivian's bouts of dizziness, as she called them, once again assaulted them, but louder this time, and not over the speaker system.
"It's not coming from communications, sir," Lieutenant Palmer said urgently, covering her ears as Vivian very nearly did keel over this time, allowing Spock to hold her up.
"Spock!" the Captain cried, and Spock held on to Vivian with one hand as he turned his attention to the sensors, locking them on audial frequencies.
"Analyzing now, Captain."
Just as suddenly as it came, the sound was gone, and Spock had barely gotten any information from it.
"The stars are…." Vivian trailed off, her voice hoarse and strained. "Spock, they're gone!"
He turned to the viewscreen, which she was staring at in horror, and he realized she was right. There were no stars to be seen.
"Malfunction, Mr. Spock?" the Captain prompted.
Spock turned back to his instruments, searching for a break in a line.
"Negative, Captain. All systems functioning properly."
"Then kindly tell me what happened to the stars."
"Unknown, Captain," he was forced to say as Vivian pulled out of his hold, walking over to the Captain's chair and pressing the intercom button.
"Bridge to McCoy," she said clearly.
"McCoy here," the Doctor's voice answered.
The Captain raised her eyebrows and said, "Things any better down there?"
"Worse. They're backed up into the corridor."
"Have you got anything that will help up here?" the Captain asked, rubbing her forehead. "I don't want anybody folding on the Bridge at a critical moment."
"On my way. McCoy out."
Vivian licked her lips and pressed the button again.
"Bridge to Engineering. Scotty, what was the power loss?"
The voice of Mr. Scott answered, "We lost five percent of our energy reserve, sir. Our deflector shields are weakened."
The Captain frowned and said, "Can you compensate for the loss?"
"Aye, if we don't lose any more. Don't ask me how it happened."
"Well, that's just what I want, Scotty," Vivian said, irritated. "Answers. Bridge out."
She turned off the intercom just in time for Doctor McCoy to step onto the Bridge with a nurse and a bag full of hyposprays. He began injecting the crew, starting on the far side at the security console and working around.
"Bones, how bad is it?" the Captain asked.
The Doctor winced and said, "Two thirds of the crew are affected."
"Why? How? Do you have any answers?"
"No. You know you'll get everything I can tell you. But when there's nothing, what should I say?"
A man at the engineering station collapsed, and Vivian vaguely snapped her fingers again.
"Nurse, do something," she said, and the nurse hurried over to the man in question as Vivian turned away, rubbing her temples.
The Captain folded her hands and said, "This ship is in trouble. We'd better start solving problems faster than we pick up new ones. We seem to be in the middle of a creeping paralysis. Mr. Spock, analysis of that last burst of noise before we started losing power."
Spock, who had gathered just enough data before the sound ended, said, "That sound was turbulence caused by the penetration of a boundary layer, Captain."
"What boundary layer?" she asked.
"Unknown."
Vivian pursed her lips for a moment before saying with evident frustration, "Well, what's it a boundary layer between?"
He considered her for a brief moment before saying, "Between where we were and where we are."
The Captain dropped her hands abruptly and looked at him as though he had just said something unforgivable, with utter astonishment.
"Are you trying to be funny, Mr. Spock?"
"It would never occur to me, Captain."
"Do you have any ideas, Spock?"
He raised his eyebrows and said, "We still have no specifics, but we seem to have entered a zone of energy which is incompatible with our living mechanical processes. As we draw closer to the source, it grows stronger and we grow weaker."
Vivian's eyes were clouded as she processed this information, more slowly than she usually would have done. Spock could sense how frail she was, and she swallowed, closing her eyes.
"So what do we do?" she asked.
Doctor McCoy said, eagerly, "I recommend survival. Let's get out of here."
This seemed to stir something in the Captain, who sat up straighter and turned on the full-ship intercom, her face set with determination.
"This is the Captain. We're on a difficult mission, but it's not the first time. Our orders do not say stay alive or retreat. Our mission is to investigate. We're sick, and we're getting sicker. We have no guarantees, but we have a good ship and the best crew in Starfleet. So do your jobs. Carry on. Kirk out."
/-/
Vivian pressed her fingers anxiously to her temples, ignoring Spock's glances.
"Sickbay to Bridge," Bones's voice said.
"Bridge," Vivian said, putting him on speaker. "Go on, Doctor."
"Jamie, Vivian, according to the life indicators, the energy levels…"
It was bad news, she could tell by his tone of voice alone, and she grew agitated waiting for the news.
"Spit it out," she snapped.
"According to the life monitors," he said, "We're dying. We're all dying."
Captain's Log, stardate 4308.8. It is now ten minutes since we entered the zone of darkness. We have stopped engines while we seek a defense against the energy drain which seems to pervade the zone.
Vivian looked at the figures Spock had and felt slightly sick. Sicker than she already had. He pressed the chair's intercom button.
"Bridge to Captain."
"Kirk here," the Captain's voice answered.
"Captain," Vivian said, "it's like we're being towed. We're speeding up and being pulled in toward the middle of this thing."
"By what, Spock?" the Captain asked.
"Unknown, Captain," he said. "I suggest you order Mr. Scott to give us reverse power."
"He just gave us reverse power. We lurched forward."
Vivian frowned and said, "So tell him to give us forward thrust."
They waited for the orders to trickle to Engineering, both of them leaning over Spock's readout, hoping for some improvement. It did make a small improvement, but Vivian could see as clearly as Spock that it was not sustainable for long.
/-/
When they gathered in the Briefing Room, Spock noted that Vivian was the worst for the wear. Whatever this thing was, it affected her more than the others, and Spock supposed she had taken more stimulant shots than anyone else on the Bridge, easily.
"All I can contribute," Doctor McCoy was reporting, "is the further we travel into this zone of darkness, the weaker our life functions become, and I have no idea why." He rubbed his temples, as Vivian had done frequently of late. "I'm alright," he said, brushing off the Captain's concern. "It's those stimulants. They catch up with you."
"Engineering," the Captain prompted.
"As to the power levels concerned," Mr. Scott said, "everything is acting backwards, but the drain is continuing. On the static test, I could only get sixy percent power. We're still being dragged forward."
"Spock."
Spock turned his attention away from his wife and said, "It is logical to assume that something within this zone absorbs all forms of energy whether mechanically or biologically produced. Whatever it is, it seems to be the same thing which drew all the energy out of an entire solar system, and the Intrepid."
Vivian, who was slightly dazed, frowned and said, "What do you mean? It's not the zone?"
Her slightly incoherent question was likely puzzling to the others, but Spock understood.
"I would say not, Vivian. The analysis of the zone indicates it is a negative energy field, however illogical that may sound, but it is not the source of the power drain."
"Maybe it's a shield of some kind," the Captain said slowly. "Some form of protection for something else."
"But what?" Mr. Scott asked.
Vivian, whose eyes brightened, said, "We have to get out of here if we're going to survive to find out. Scotty, we need all available power for a massive burst of forward thrust. Let's see if that's enough."
Mr. Scott seemed skeptical, and he said, "Aye, Counselor, but I'll reserve some for the shields in case we don't get out."
Spock said, "I submit, Mr. Scott, if we do not get out, the shields would be extraneous. It would only prolong our wait for death by a short period of time."
The Captain nodded.
"Use whatever power is necessary to get us out of her, Scotty," she said. "Report to your stations, continue your research. Dismissed."
The others left, but Vivian, Spock, and the Captain lingered, looking around at each other.
"Captain," Spock said, "the Intrepid would have done all these things too, and yet they were destroyed."
"We can't be sure," Vivian said anxiously. "You've said how illogical it is."
He nodded, watching the small changes in her face. It would be time for another stimulant soon.
"True," he said. "It is also true they never knew what was killing them. Their logic would not have permitted them to believe they were being killed."
Both women seemed puzzled by this statement, and the Captain said, "Explain."
"Vulcan has not been conquered within its collective memory. The memory goes back so far that no Vulcan can conceive of a conqueror. I knew the ship was lost because I sensed it."
"What is it you sensed?" the Captain pressed.
For want of a better descriptor, he said, "The touch of death."
Vivian's eyes were wide, although Spock could not tell the meaning of this. He sensed from her both fear and great interest.
"And what exactly did you sense them feeling?" she asked. "Their response?"
He searched her soft brown eyes as though the word he wanted was there. He could see how bloodshot her eyes were, could see the tiredness and strain. How long before she died? Surely he would have to watch her fade. A matter of hours? A day? He could not take time off work to care for her with the ship in the position it was in. Would he be beside her when she died? Could he give her any comfort?
"Astonishment," he said softly.
A shadow passed over her face and he knew that he had to do something, and quickly. He could not let her die this way.
/-/
Vivian flexed her hands, partly to keep them from trembling, partly to keep herself alert. Relaxing and flexing, relaxing and flexing, as she waited for the update from Engineering.
Scotty's voice said, "Engineering to Captain Kirk."
Vivian looked up as the Captain pressed her intercom button.
"Kirk here. What is it, Scotty?"
"Ready to try it when you are, sir."
Hearing the anxiety in her own voice, Vivian said, "Have we got enough?"
"I hope so, Counselor."
The Captain sat a bit straighter and said, "Stand by." She switched to full-ship transmission. "All hands, this is the Captain. We are slowly being pulled deeper into the zone of darkness by an unknown force. We are going to apply all available power into one giant forward thrust in the hope that it will yank us out of the zone. Prepare yourselves." She switched back to single transmission and said, "Alright, Scotty. Let's get on with it."
Everyone on the Bridge braced themselves, Vivian grabbing the railing, ignoring the way Spock was watching her. She knew he didn't think it was safe for her to stand in times like this, but it was the accepted mode for Tactical officers without another Bridge position. When the jolt hit the ship, everyone was thrown about, including Vivian, who quickly lost her grip on the railing. Spock seemed to throw himself in her direction, grabbing hold of her, turning their bodies sharply so that his back took the full force of the rail as they fell.
"Scotty!" the Captain cried out, perhaps hoping for good news.
"It's no good, sir," Scotty's voice said as Spock held on to Vivian, looking her over to see that she was alright. "The best we can do is to maintain thrust against the pull and hold our position."
Spock pulled both himself and Vivian to their feet and she smoothed her skirt.
"And power," Vivian said, "it's still draining?"
"Aye, sir."
"How long?"
"At this rate, plus the drain on all systems, two hours."
She felt slightly nauseous. Would she last two hours?
"Maintain thrust, Scotty," the Captain said, slightly despairing. She turned to where Spock and Vivian stood and said, "While we're maintaining our distance, Mr. Spock, have you ascertained yet what we're maintaining our distance from?"
Spock, who had yet to even glance at his readouts, said, "I cannot say what it is, Captain, but I would say it has found us."
He nodded to the viewscreen, and the rest of the Bridge looked up. Vivian blinked, unsure of her eyes when she found that it was no longer black, but that a strange image, multicolored like and abalone was before them. Spock sat at his station again, and Vivian gripped the rail as she felt a wave of exhaustion.
"Chekov, prepare a probe," the Captain said.
"Aye, sir. Probe ready for launch, sir."
Spock tilted his head slightly and said, "Getting very confused readings, Captain, but this is definitely the source of the energy drain."
"Launch probe," the Captain said.
"Probe launched, sir."
Vivian let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and inhaled sharply at the realization. She swallowed.
"Kyle," she said, "impact?"
"Six," Kyle counted down, "five, four, three, two, one."
The whole ship shuddered as the probe impacted whatever it was.
"Are we still in contact with the probe?" the Captain asked, sitting up straighter, gripping the arms of her chair.
"Yes, sir," Chekov said. "Data being relayed to Mr. Spock."
Vivian turned expectantly to Spock, who was going through the data carefully, looking for discernable patterns.
"Readings coming in now, Captain," he said, not looking up. "Length, approximately eleven thousand miles. Width varying from two thousand to three thousand miles. Outer layer studded with space debris and waste. Interior consists of protoplasm, varying from a firmer gelatinous layer to a semi-fluid central mass. Condition, living."
"Magnification four," the Captain said as Vivian turned back to the viewscreen.
Chekov made the adjustments so that they could see the whole of the mass, which looked to Vivian like a glowing, multi-colored bean.
"Magnification four, sir," Chekov confirmed.
"Alive," Vivian said softly, feeling the weakness that told her she needed another shot, "and drawing us to our deaths. Like the Intrepid."
/-/
Owing to the fact that the aggressor was a living thing, Spock and Doctor McCoy had considered together the data they had on it, and they were now in the laboratory, presenting these findings to Vivian and the Captain. To begin with, the Doctor put a picture of a single-celled organism onto the screen.
"That is an amoeba," he said, gesturing at it.
The Captain quirked and eyebrow and said, "Yes, I remember my basic biology, Doctor. You mean to tell me that that thing is a giant single-celled animal?"
"Yes, for lack of a better term," Doctor McCoy said, shrugging. "It's a very simple form of life. In fact, it's a much simpler form of life than what you're looking at now. But that thing can apparently perform all the functions that qualify as a living organism. It can reproduce, it can breathe, it can eat, although I don't know what."
Vivian, nodding thoughtfully, said, "Presumably it's eating our energy. It can't possibly be indigenous. Not to our region of space. But maybe the abundance of energy has drawn it in like an invading virus."
"The Intrepid died of that particular virus," the Captain said darkly. "How is it we survived?"
Spock said, "The Intrepid must have come across the organism while it was still low in energy, still hungry. We are not safe, Captain. We merely have a little more time than the Intrepid did."
She hummed and said, "What about this zone of darkness? Does the organism generate it itself as a form of protection?"
"It's one of the things we've got to find out," Doctor McCoy admitted. "We've got to take a closer look at it."
Vivian made a small sound like she was choking before she said, "Closer? Bones, we're barely hanging on where we are, and if we get closer the drain will only get faster."
"Perhaps we could risk the shuttlecraft," Doctor McCoy said. "Perhaps with a protective shield—"
"I'm not sending anyone anywhere," the Captain said, cutting him off stubbornly. "Unmanned probes can give us the information we need to destroy this thing, if it can be destroyed."
"I must differ with you, Captain," Spock said. "We have sent unmanned probes into it. They have given us some information but they have not told us what we need to know, and we cannot afford the power to take blind shots at it, hoping to kill it."
Eagerly, the Doctor said, "We could send one man in, pinpoint its vulnerable spots."
Vivian, however, was siding with the Captain, horrified at what they were suggesting.
"Bones, no," she said. "We can't get good odds on a shuttlecraft. To order someone—"
"Who said anything about an order, Vivian?" Doctor McCoy said. "You've got a volunteer. I've done the preliminary work."
"It's a suicide mission," the Captain said softly.
"The thing evidently has reflexes," Spock said. "The unmanned probe we sent in must have stung it when it entered. The lurch we felt was the turbulence of its reaction."
"Alright," Doctor McCoy said dismissively, "so I'd know enough to go slow when we penetrated its vulnerable spots."
"The sheer fact you've volunteered, Bones, suggests you're a psychologically unsuitable choice," Vivian said coolly.
"Do you think I intend to pass up the greatest living laboratory since—"
Cutting across him, Spock said, "The Vulcans saw it first and died."
But Doctor McCoy could not be swayed.
"Just because the Vulcans failed—"
"I am more capable," Spock said simply, but this sent Vivian into a sort of frenzy.
"Why are you all wasting time trying to volunteer?" she cried.
Why couldn't she see that Spock had to do this, that he had to stop this thing before it killed her? Why could she not see that he was the best chance she had?
"You don't think you're going?" the Doctor demanded.
"I'm better qualified as a command pilot than any of you are," the Captain said defiantly.
"Which makes you indispensable, Captain," Spock said, glancing at Vivian. "Further, neither of you are science specialists."
"Jamie," the Doctor said, "that organism contains chemical processes we've never seen before and may never see again. We could learn more in one day—"
"We don't have one day, Doctor," Spock said. "We have precisely one hour and thirty-five minutes of power left."
Maybe less of Vivian's life.
"Spock—"
Ignoring Vivian's interjection, he said, "Captain, I—"
"Gentlemen, I'll decide," the Captain said firmly, cutting off all further arguments.
And all Spock could do was trust in logic to win out. Everything depended on it.
/-/
Vivian sat in her office, bending a PADD stylus between her hands. The worst thing was, if she were the Captain, if she were impartial, she knew she would choose Spock for the mission. She would do it reluctantly, and she would do it with a heavy heart, but there were so many unknowns that choosing the only half-Vulcan in the crew was the only thing that made logical sense.
But she wasn't the Captain, and she wasn't impartial, and the weakness and stimulants combined were wearing on her nerves more and more as time went on. All she wanted was to be sure he stayed with her, where she knew he was safe, where she knew he would be there when she died.
Because Vivian was almost certain she would die, and she didn't want to do it alone.
Spock entered her office and she tossed the stylus down quickly, as though somehow it belied her thoughts, incriminating her intentions. He made no mention of it as he stood by her chair, seemingly waiting for her to say something. When she stayed silent for longer than he expected, he spoke.
"The Captain will select me, Vivian."
She said nothing, wanting to counter that Captain Kirk would never do that, that he was too valuable to lose, that he wasn't a Doctor. Anything. But words didn't come out, and she said nothing, clenching her fingers tightly because they wouldn't stop trembling. Her shoulders were so tense she could feel knots forming in them, and the trembling had already risen to her elbows.
"It is the logical selection. My stamina, my skill set, the likelihood that I will be able to complete the mission…. It is the only logical choice."
"No," Vivian said softly.
"What?"
She looked up at him, not realizing tears were forming until she saw how blurry his face was.
"I said no," she said stubbornly. "You're not going."
"I just explained—"
"You're not going, Spock," she snapped. "I'm not going to let you go. I don't care what the Captain says or what the logic says or anything. You're not going!"
He surprised her by pulling her from her chair, holding her against his chest as she wriggled and thrashed in frustration. She was so weak, however, that she quickly went limp against him, letting him hold her, shaking with her forehead resting on his shoulder.
"You can't leave me," she said softly. "I'm dying Spock."
"We all are."
"No, I'm dying," she emphasized. "If you go, I may not be here, even if you do get back. I don't want to die without you here, Spock. Please."
He kissed her hair and said, "This is why I have to go, Vivian. Because I cannot stay, knowing there was more I could have done, while you die. It is illogical for me to allow anyone else to go in my place when they have less of a chance of success."
She gripped his uniform and stayed still, saying nothing else. She wasn't interested in his logic. As far as she was concerned, he was not leaving, and when she'd dried her eyes and taken another stimulant, she took several minutes to steady herself.
Then she called in Bones.
He looked at her with a critical eye, but she waved him off.
"I've just taken another shot," she said. "I'll be okay for now. I wanted to talk to you about a back-up plan."
"How do you mean?" he said, still skeptical. "Like, if the shuttlecraft plan doesn't get us what we need?"
"No," she said. "No, I mean in case the Captain selects Spock."
"But she won't."
"She might," Vivian said sternly. "She might. And we need to be prepared."
He narrowed his eyes and said, "How come you're supporting me on this? You and Spock are usually thick as thieves. I would have thought you'd support him."
Vivian's jaw twitched as she spat out the words she'd been composing in her head when Spock came in to explain why it was best that he leave. She could have told him about the wedding, but it seemed like a poor time to bring up such a personal thing, and he would find out when she died, anyway. With any luck, Spock would be around and everything would be fine. Maybe Bones would even be successful, she didn't care.
"Bones, you're right. This is a major medical discovery, and as brilliant as Spock is, it really doesn't make him qualified for this kind of discovery. Do you see my point? And Starfleet needs Spock, whether he can see that or not."
Bones nodded, his excitement blinding him to her poor logic, and he said, "So what do we do about it?"
Vivian stood up, taking an empty hypospray and filling it with a dose of a neurolytic paralyzer that would render Spock unconscious.
"Congratulate him," she said. "Brief him. Whatever. Dose him. Get on in his place. By the time you launch, it will be too late for the Captain to do anything about it."
Bones took the hypospray and turned it over in his hands thoughtfully. Their eyes met, and they knew it was a very big risk they were taking, perhaps both for selfish reasons, but Vivian didn't care. She needed to know Spock was safe, because she didn't have long left.
"Alright," Bones said softly. "Alright."
Captain's personal log, stardate 4309.2. We have established that the thing which destroyed the USS Intrepid and the Gamma VII-A system is an incredibly huge but simple cellular being whose energies are totally destructive to all known life. Both Mr. Spock and Doctor McCoy have volunteered to go in a specially equipped shuttlecraft to penetrate the cell, find a way to destroy it, and free the ship. Doctor McCoy has the medical-biological knowledge. Mr. Spock is better suited physically and emotionally to stand the stress. Both are right, both are capable, and which of my friends do I condemn to death?
Spock, Vivian, and Doctor McCoy were called to the Captain's quarters, and Spock realized how anxious Vivian was. Still, she seemed to have accepted that he would be going, that he had to go. Doctor McCoy, on the other hand, did not seem convinced.
"Captain," Vivian said, announcing their presence, squeezing her hands behind her back.
The Captain was speaking into her intercom, nodding at Vivian to acknowledge that she had heard.
"Very well," she said to whomever was on the other side. "Prepare the shuttlecraft for launching."
"Sir?" the voice of Mr. Scott said, puzzled.
"Doctor McCoy will tell you what special equipment to put in. Kirk out." She closed her eyes and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Spock."
"Right," Doctor McCoy said, excited. "I'll get a few things I need, Jamie."
"Not you, Bones," the Captain said, perhaps the most solemn Spock had ever seen her. "I'm sorry, Mr. Spock. You're best qualified to go."
Spock saw Vivian sway slightly where she stood, and for a brief moment he thought she would faint, perhaps die right on the spot. He very nearly regretted volunteering, thinking in that brief moment that the shock had killed her, but then she took a stumbling step backward, blinking back tears.
She understood, Spock told himself. He had to do this. He had to save her.
/-/
Doctor McCoy walked Spock to the shuttle bay, sulking slightly, standing strangely. Spock felt it important to point out the logic of the decision again to ease the blow to the Doctor's ego.
"Do not suffer so, Doctor. This is not the first time superior capability has proven more valuable than professional credentials."
With a particularly sour expression, Doctor McCoy said, "Nothing has been proven yet, Spock. The DNA code analyzer will give you the fundamental structure of the thing. You'll need readings on three wave lengths from the enzyme recorder."
"I am familiar with the equipment, Doctor. We're wasting time. The shuttlecraft is ready."
"You're determined not to let me share in this, aren't you?" Doctor McCoy challenged.
"This is not a competition, Doctor," Spock said, thinking of Vivian's time and how it might be running out. "Whether you understand it or not, grant me my own kind of dignity."
"Vulcan dignity?" the Doctor repeated, incredulous. "How can I grant you what I don't understand?"
Spock glanced at the window to the shuttle bay and felt a lightness and tingling in his fingers.
"Then employ one of your own superstitions." He turned back to the Doctor to see that he had shoved his hand in his pocket. "Wish me luck."
There was a heavy, tense silence as the Doctor seemed to struggle with himself, jerking his hand several times in his pocket without taking anything out. Finally, the Doctor removed his hand from his pocket, empty, and opened the hanger deck door without a word.
Spock walked across the hanger deck, crossing to the Galileo, the door shutting behind him. He touched the door to the Galileo, thinking how he and Vivian had very nearly died in this very shuttlecraft. And now they might die separately, him in the shuttle, her on the Enterprise Bridge.
He needed to hurry.
/-/
"All systems cleared," Vivian said, sitting at Spock's station, feeling jittery. What if he suspected her when he woke up to find himself still on the ship? "Mr. Kyle, launch shuttlecraft now."
"Shuttlecraft away."
"Mr. Sulu," she said, "channel automatic telemetry directly to computers."
"Aye, aye, sir."
Her blood went cold when she heard Spock's voice say, "Shuttlecraft to Enterprise."
She froze, unseeing, realizing that somehow, Bones had failed. Perhaps he wasn't quick enough, or sneaky enough. Or perhaps his nerve failed him. Her vision was beginning to blur, and she quickly blinked away the tears, trying to hold her hands still enough to do her job.
"Come in, Spock," the Captain said.
"Power drain is enormous and growing worse."
"Chekov, take sensors," Vivian said, hearing tightness in her voice. She swapped stations with Chekov, who knew Spock's job better than she ever could, and she looked down at the navigational controls with flared nostrils.
"Diverting all secondary power to the shields," Spock said, and the turbolift doors opened Vivian turned to see Bones stepping onto the Bridge. He looked at her, then quickly looked away. He had lost his nerve. "I'll continue communications as long as there is power to transmit," Spock was saying, and Vivian turned back to the navigation console, listening to his voice more than looking at her work.
"Captain," Scotty said, "he won't have enough power to get back if he diverts it to his shields."
"Spock," the Captain said anxiously, and Vivian pulled her hands away from the buttons. They were shaking so violently; she was worried of hitting something by accident.
"I heard, Captain. We discussed that possibility earlier. But you will need this information."
Unable to stop herself, hoping the others took her thick voice for a health consideration, Vivian said, "Spock, estimation to penetration?"
He paused, perhaps noticing how she sounded, but he simply said, "Slowing now. Contact in eighteen point three seconds. Brace yourselves. The area of penetration will no doubt be sensitive. Contact in sex seconds."
Vivian held on to the edge of the console as the ship took a jolt.
"Report, Mr. Spock," the Captain said urgently as soon as the jolt ended. "Spock, report."
"I am undamaged, Captain." Vivian held her breath. "Relay to Mr. Scott I had three percent power reserve before the shields stabilized. There was nothing to spare. I shall continue my tests. Oh, and Doctor McCoy. You would not have survived it."
Vivian's nostrils flared and she said, "Spock…." Her voice broke and she tried to think of what to say. She would die, and he would die, and they wouldn't be together. "Constant contact."
It was the best she could hope for, now.
"I am moving slowly now," he said, "establishing course toward what appears to be the nucleus."
"Sir," Chekov said, startled, "Mr. Spock has reduced life-support systems to bare minimum."
"Spock you…you need to reserve power," Vivian said, feeling choking in her throat. "Your shields."
"Calculations indicate the shields will last only forty-seven minutes," Spock said evenly. "However, I am able to identify the chromosome structure. Changes indicate the organism has stored sufficient energy for reproductive processes to commence."
"You mean there'll be two of those things?" the Captain said, alarmed.
Vivian was beginning to grow especially dizzy.
"I'm having difficulty maintaining ship control," Spock said.
She felt a stab of panic that punched through her fuzziness.
"Spock?" she said. "Spock, are you there? Can you hear me?"
"I'm losing voice contact. I will transmit internal coordinates of chromosome bodies."
The Captain tried restarting the channel.
"Spock, come in," she said. "Come in."
"Contact lost, sir," Mr. Kyle said, as though it were routine, as though this was something they could live with.
The ship jolted again, and Vivian's heart leapt.
"That's him!" she cried eagerly. "Spock nudged the inner wall to tell us he's alive!"
"Captain, I'm getting telemetry," Kyle said.
The Captain said, "Mr. Chekov, telemetry information as it comes in."
"According to Spock's telemetry information," Chekov said, "there are over forty chromosomes in the nucleus that are ready to come together, ready to reproduce."
"If the energy of that organism only doubles, we're dead," the Captain said, "and everything within a lightyear will be defenseless."
Vivian, though, could see the bigger picture, and it was far more bleak.
"It won't stop there, Captain," she said. "It's only instincts are to feed and reproduce. Depending on its life cycles, the whole galaxy will be swallowed up."
The Captain nodded and her and said, "Spock understood when he transmitted the coordinates of the chromosomes. We must destroy that organism."
Scotty, who was monitoring power at his station, said, "Captain, the pull from that organism is increasing, and the power drain from our shields is getting critical."
"How much time do we have?"
"No more than an hour now, sir."
More time than Spock had, Vivian thought bitterly.
"All nonessentials and secondaries on standby," she said. "Priority to shields, unconditional."
"Aye, sir."
Lieutenant Palmer, who was fiddling with communications in the back, said, "Captain, I'm receiving a message from Mr. Spock on a low-energy channel. It's faint, but it is readable."
Vivian's whole body tensed and trembled as the Captain said, "Put it on, Lieutenant."
"On audio, sir."
His voice, weak and barely coming through, said, "This is Spock. I am slowly using life support and minimal shield energies. According to my calculations—" Spock said something that was unreadable through static "–the nervous energy of the organism is maximal just within its outer protective membrane. Relatively insensitive to interior irritation. I believe sufficient charge of—" another inaudible section "–could destroy the organism. Vivian, tell Doctor McCoy he should have wished me luck."
Vivian closed her eyes and didn't bother to wipe the tears that leaked from between her eyelids.
Counselor's Log, stardate 4309.4. We have determined we can destroy the creature, provided we can do it from inside the organism. It's a big ask. In spite of his best efforts, Spock wasn't able to tell us how, only that it could be done.
The Captain and Vivian had retreated to the Captain's quarters to discuss their options, and she was beginning to feel the toll of the stimulants and the drain from the entity.
"How do you feel?" Bones asked her as soon as he walked in.
"Please don't ask," she said, frowning. "What's wrong?"
"Spock," Bones said, and Vivian quickly looked down. She wished she didn't feel like he'd killed her husband, but she couldn't get over that feeling. "Is it me, Jamie? Am I so sentimental that I just have to keep believing that he's still alive in that mass of protoplasm?"
Vivian dug her fingernails tightly into her hands as the Captain said, "He knew the odds when he went out there, just as you did when you volunteered to go. What is that thing out there, Bones? It's not intelligent. Not yet."
"It's a disease, like a virus invading the body of our galaxy."
"Yes, it is, isn't it?" the Captain said slowly. "How many cells does the human body have?"
"Millions, I think," Vivian said wearily.
"This thing, this cell, this virus. It's eleven thousand miles long, and its one cell. When it grows into millions, we'll be the virus invading its body."
Bones gave a humorless chuckle and said, "Now, isn't that a thought? Here we are, antibodies of our own galaxy, attacking an invading germ. It would be ironic indeed if that would be our sole destiny, wouldn't it?"
"Antibodies," the Captain said softly, frowning. "Antibodies." She flipped on his monitor. "Bridge."
Vivian heard Scotty's voice say, "Scott here, sir."
"Scotty, how much power do we have left?"
"We're down to forty-three percent, sir. We're slipping a bit against the pull that beastie's putting on us. We can't last more than forty-five minutes at this rate of decline. Less, if I have to apply more thrust."
Suddenly, Vivian saw the Captain's point and she said, "Hypothetical. Divert all power to shields, except reserve impulse?"
"Cut the engine thrust?" Scotty said, bewildered. "We'd be sucked into that thing like being caught in a wind tunnel, sir."
"Perfect," she said, smiling weakly. "Prepare to divert the power on orders. Out."
As the Captain turned off the monitor, she slumped against it slightly, clearly exhausted. Bones pulled out his scanner, taking readings of the Captain.
"Have you got something to say?" the Captain demanded.
"Technically, no," Bones said. "Medically, yes. Between the stimulants and the pressure, I would suggest you try to stay off your feet for a few minutes."
"I don't have a few minutes, Bones," she said, waving him off. "Maybe none of us do. Let's go."
Vivian felt that the corridors were melting around her as she made her way to the Bridge, but she made it there, holding onto the railing as the Captain sat down, turning on the intercom.
"All hands, this is the Captain. We're going to enter the body of the organism rather abruptly, I would think. Damage control parties stand by. All decks secure for collision. Kirk out."
"Now, Scotty," Vivian said.
Scotty pressed a few buttons and said, "Switching power to shields. Impulse in reverse. Cutting thrust to zero, now!"
"Impact in five seconds," Kyle said.
There was a big jolt of the ship, people thrown all over the floor, including Vivian being tossed to the floor, where she paused, waiting as the ship calmed again. She took deep breaths, feeling the weight of her mortality.
"We're through, sir," Chekov announced.
"I believe everybody is aware of that, Mr. Chekov," the Captain said.
Mr. Kyle said, "Damage control parties report minimal damage, sir. Repairs are being initiated."
"Perfect," Vivian said, pulling herself to her feet, dusting off her skirt with violently trembling hands.
"Captain," Scotty said, "we've only twenty-six percent power reserves after entry."
"Do we have impulse, power, Scotty?" the Captain asked.
"I saved all I could, sir, but I don't know whether we have enough to get back out again. Or time, either."
Vivian watched the Captain's face as she took a deep breath and said, "We are committed."
"Aye, sir," Scotty said, "but we're committed to what? We have no power for phasers."
"If we tried using them here, we'd be cooked," Vivian said, holding on to the rail again.
"That thing would probably like phasers," the Captain said, nodding in agreement. "It eats power."
"Then what the devil, begging your pardon, sir, are we doing?" Scotty asked.
The Captain said, "Mr. Spock was trying to tell us what to do when we lost voice contact."
Vivian nodded and said, "Power is out of the question."
"Anti-power."
"What?" Bones asked, puzzled.
"This thing has negative energy charge," the Captain explained. "Everything seems to work in reverse. We'll use anti-matter."
"Aye, it couldn't swallow that," Scotty said with a grin.
"Prove, Chekov," Vivian snapped. "Scotty, how long for a magnetic container for the charge?"
"On its way, sir."
The Captain said, "Mr. Chekov, we'll use a timing detonator for the bottle. Work out a setting."
"Aye, sir."
"Helmsman, when do you estimate arrival at nucleus?"
"Seven minutes, sir," Mr. Kyle said.
"How close do we go?" Vivian asked the Captain as the Bridge began to morph and spin around her faintly.
"Point blank range. We'll implant it, then back away."
Vivian nodded, but Bones seemed puzzled by this plan, saying, "Why? The probe has a range of—"
The Captain waved this off and said, "With the eddies and currents in that protoplasm, the probe could drift thousands of kilometers. We must be exactly on target, because we won't get a second chance. Bones, time for another round of stimulants."
Vivian heard the sound of a hypospray nearby, and then felt one at her own neck a moment later as Bones said, "How long do you think you can keep taking that stuff? It'll blow you apart."
"Seven minutes," Vivian said as the room came back into fuzzy near-focus. "We'll only need seven more minutes, one way or the other."
Personal Log, Commander Spock, USS Enterprise. I have noted the passage of the Enterprise on its way to whatever awaits it. If this record shall survive me, I wish it known that I bequeath my highest commendation and testimonial to the Captain, officers, and crew of the Enterprise. The finest starship in the fleet.
Captain's Log, supplemental. We have arrived at the chromosome body in the nucleus of the organism. If we should fail in our attempt to destroy it, or be unable to free ourselves, I wish to record my recommendations for the following personnel, that they receive special citation. Lieutenant Commander Vivian Buckingham, Lieutenant Commander Leonard McCoy, Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott, officers Chekov and Kyle, and my highest commendation for Commander Spock, Science Officer, who gave his life in the performance of his duty.
Dizzy. Vivian was dizzy, standing on the Bridge, praying. She wasn't sure anymore what she was praying for, just that she was pleading with all her emotional strength.
"Target coordinates programed, sir," Chekov said. "Probe ready for launch."
"Mr. Scott," the Captain said, "how much time do we have left at one hundred percent impulse power?"
"Six, maybe seven minutes, sir."
Vivian took a steadying breath and said, "Kyle, set the fuse delay for seven minutes. All nonessentials and secondaries on standby. Scotty, get us back through the membrane before detonation."
"Aye, sir."
She was only vaguely aware of holding her breath. She knew she shouldn't, but she didn't seem to have control over her lung functions.
"Programming complete," Chekov announced. "Ready for launch."
"Launce probe at zero acceleration," the Captain said. "Forward thrust off, one tenth of a second."
"Forward thrust off, sir," Kyle said.
Vivian nodded to Chekov, who pressed the release button, and she watched his readouts.
"Prove is off," she said, and a slight jolt shook the ship.
Bones, who was holding on to Vivian's arm to keep her from falling, said, "Despite what Spock said, it's still plenty sensitive."
"Probe confirmed," Chekov said. "It is lodged in the nucleus, near the chromosome bodies."
"Mr. Kyle," the Captain said urgently, "back us out the way we came in. Mr. Chekov, a nice, straight line. Don't waste any time."
"Backing out, sir," Kyle said.
Chekov said, "Estimate we'll be out in six point thirty-seven minutes."
"Excellent," Vivian sighed, hoping that estimation was as exact as Spock's always were.
"Captain, metallic substance outside the ship."
She was holding her breath again, gripping at Bones's arm, but if he cared he said nothing to her.
"Spock?" he asked, anxious.
"Lieutenant," the Captain said, "get me Spock's voice channel. Highest possible gain."
Vivian continued to hold her breath until Kyle said, "Go ahead, sir."
But Vivian didn't wait for the Captain to say anything. This was Spock. This was hers. This was important. Even as the world around her was beginning to blur dangerously at the edges, she focused her energy on Spock.
"Spock, come in," she said. "Spock do you hear me?" There was static as a response. "Spock!" she cried. "Spock!" More static. As far as Vivian was concerned, this was more than sufficient response. "Scotty, tractor, now," she said sharply, her knees wobbling.
"Counselor," Scotty said, mournfully, "we don't have enough time to do it. We only have a fifty-three second escape margin."
Vivian was so frustrated that she would have screamed if she'd had the strength, but the Captain said, "We're well aware of that, Mr. Scott. Get two tractor beams on that shuttlecraft."
"Aye, sir. Tractor beams on."
Spock's voice, weak, responded, "Captain, I recommend you abandon the attempt. Do not risk the ship further on my behalf."
Vivian, vision totally blurred by tears, said, "You don't get a vote, Spock. We're going to save you."
Not a moment's pause and Spock's voice replied, "I wasn't aware of a democratic process on board, Vivian."
She closed her eyes, biting her lip hard as she held on to Bones for balance. She knew she was dying, and quickly. They might all be dead in moments, but she wasn't sure how long she had. It was nice to hear him say her name that last time, whatever else happened. She only wished she could see his face.
"Almost out," Kyle said. "We're approaching the membrane, sir."
"Time until explosion?" the Captain asked.
"Fifty-seven, sir," Chekov said.
"The tractor beam maintaining, Scotty?" Vivian asked breathlessly.
"Aye, sir," he said, nervous. "I can't guarantee it'll hold when the warhead explodes. The power levels are" – he paused to look at a readout, and his voice fell immediately – "The power levels are dead, sir."
Vivian's knees collapsed and Bones caught her, helping her over to Spock's station, lowering her into the chair.
"You may have just written our epitaph, Mr. Scott," the Captain said, just a breath before the warhead exploded, tossing everyone about the Bridge. Bones caught Vivian as she toppled out of the chair, shielding her limp body before they hit the railing. He helped her to her feet again.
"Activate main viewing screen," the Captain asked when the ship settled again. And there were stars, and Vivian's headache was dissipating, although she was still so weak and dizzy. "Mr. Chekov, report."
"The organism is destroyed, sir," Chekov said. "The explosion must have ruptured the membrane and thrown us clear."
"Power's coming back, sir," Scotty said.
"And the shuttlecraft?" Vivian demanded sharply.
"I don't know how, sir, but it's still with us."
Vivian pulled herself back to Spock's station, not sitting, but standing, gripping the edge of his console with sweaty, twitching fingers, but holding herself erect with a little remaining strength and great force of will.
"Shuttlecraft to Enterprise," she heard Spock say, and she sighed. "Shuttlecraft to Enterprise. Request permission to come aboard."
"Spock, you're alive!" the Captain said happily.
Vivian was watching readouts come in, afraid to speak and concern Spock. He was coming aboard. Even if she didn't recover now, she would see him. She wouldn't let herself die before he was with her.
"Obviously, Captain," he said. "And I have some fascinating data on the organism."
Her vision was beginning to clear and she smiled to herself as she said, "Bones, don't get angry about this, but the acetylcholine test is bust."
Bones's face went stiff and his nostrils flared, but the Captain, who was also smiling, said, "Later, later, later. Bring the shuttlecraft aboard, Mr. Scott."
"Aye, sir."
"Prepare to receive shuttlecraft," Mr. Kyle said over the intercom. "Received shuttlecraft. Hanger doors closed. Hanger deck pressurizing."
"Mr. Chekov," the Captain said, "lay in a course for Starbase Six. Ahead warp factor five. I'm still looking forward to a nice period of rest and relaxation on some lovely planet."
Vivian was ignoring him. She was pulling herself forward with as much strength as she had left, and she was going immediately to the hanger deck. She could stop when she saw him. She could rest when she'd held him. That was what mattered.
She took two staggering steps toward the turbolift, and promptly collapsed, unconscious.
/-/
Spock sat patiently through the series of tests and examinations Doctor McCoy insisted on putting him through, knowing that he was greatly weakened from his experience.
"And how is the Counselor?" he asked softly when he saw a nurse leave Vivian's office.
"She's recovering," Doctor McCoy said, frowning. "She was easily the worst off. Ten more minutes, maybe less, and she wouldn't have made it. Way too many stimulants in her system. Something of a miracle she lasted as long as she did. Stubbornness, I suppose."
"Indeed," Spock said softly. "What is your suggestion, Doctor?"
Spock submitted to the recommendation that he take the rest of the day off work, and if he was still progressing well in the morning, he could go back to work.
"But you need to take a proper shore leave, Spock," the Doctor said sternly. "I've assigned quite a list this time, and you are on it."
"I had planned on it, Doctor," Spock said. "I imagine the Counselor is on the list as well."
The Doctor nodded, dismissed Spock, and left to go through some of the test results Spock had gathered for him. As soon as Spock saw the back of the Doctor, he slipped into Vivian's office to see her sitting at her desk, exhausted. She perked up at the sight of him, standing.
He had planned to comfort her, to use logic and reason to help her feel better. Before he could begin to speak, however, she launched herself at him, wrapping trembling arms around him, pressing frantic kisses to his face and neck, shaking in his arms. He did not know what to say, and the warmth and familiarity of her against him was evoking a powerful set of emotions that he was struggling to control, yet straining to find a way to express.
Spock caught her lips with his, attempting to pour into the kiss all of these feelings, feeling her desperation and desire mingling with his own. He realized as her hands rested on his neck, her cool, trembling fingers against his skin, that this was going to get out of hand quickly, that he was already struggling to maintain any semblance of control – a product, he assumed, of the physical ordeal he had just undergone.
With reluctance, he pulled away from her lips and rested his forehead on hers to prevent further kisses to tempt him.
"Tonight," he whispered, supporting her weakening body. She needed to rest, too.
"Where?"
"I will come to you," he assured her, letting his fingers caress the usual loose strand of her hair, taming it back behind her hear. He helped her to her seat again before leaving, and he went directly to his quarters to meditate.
He found achieving focus exceedingly difficult. Repeatedly, as he tried to clear his mind, focusing it on the image of a flame, he would think of how weak her body had felt in his arms, how frail she was. He would think of the urgency of her lips and the way her eyes lit up at the sight of him, alive.
What would he have done, he wondered, if he had returned to the Enterprise alive only to find that she had not made it, that it wasn't soon enough to save her? Especially after she had begged him to stay with her, to be with her when she died. It was not logical to speculate on such matters, but Spock seemed incapable of clearing them from his mind.
When he could wait no longer, he abandoned his meditation and went directly to her quarters, not bothering to be invited in. He let himself in, going through to her bed, where she was unfastening her dress. Spock could see that she was still trembling, but not with the violence from her office. She reached to pull off her dress, but he hurried to put his hands in the way, to let his fingers trace the skin of her shoulder before pulling off the dress.
Vivian turned with burning eyes, and Spock forgot breath. He forgot everything except that she had nearly died and he had nearly died and how life seemed so terribly short. Without prompting, he pulled off his tunic and felt her shaking fingers on his skin, enjoying the feeling of their bodies together, of her cool touch. He reveled in the sight of glowing brown eyes and he lost track of time and space as he closed his mind to everything but the sensation of her.
"I love you," she sighed as they caught their breath, her fingers in his hair.
Spock wanted for a moment to say it back, but he kissed her neck and hoped she understood, hoped she knew how much it meant to him that she loved him.
A/N: Apologies on the lateness! Lots of stuff to do, so sometimes life slows us down.
Review Prompt: How long d'you think before people other than Scotty start to get suspicious of these two? And who do you think will figure it out first?
-C