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Episode 10: A Lesson in Perspectives

Xxxxxxx

A week had passed with no progress. The prisoner refused to speak and only spat at Kirk when he told her it was he that had killed her sister, not the good doctor. With each day that skulked by, hope that their Chief Medical Officer would return wavered.

Spock closed his eyes and took a long, slow intake of breath, filling his lungs with scent of burning incense.

Spock lay in a dark cavern. The rain poured down outside the mouth of the cave but the air remained warm. He opened his eyes when he heard the sound of tiny claws scrapping across stone as something scurried by him. He sat up, inwardly grimacing at the dampness of his clothes.

The sound of scurrying caught his attention once more. He looked around but the area was much too dark to see anything but shapes. Not wanting to wake his companions with a flashlight he reached for his tricorder to try to take a reading.

Stone against stone. The sound registered too late. A sharp, intense, searing pain accompanied by a white flash of light in his mind, just before it was all swallowed by darkness.

He could feel his legs and feet being dragged against the ground. The Vulcan winced at the pain radiating from the back of his head. He looked up to see McCoy hauling him into a large cavernous opening, looking back he saw they were deep inside a cave, the tunnel they had come from not showing any light from the outside despite the lightening from the storm.

McCoy noticed his movements and stopped. He dropped the first officer roughly, his skull slamming down on the ground making his head spin. A wave of nausea and the Vulcan recognized the signs of a concussion. Once his senses returned he felt the nagging intrusion in the back of his mind. Something foreign sifted through his thoughts.

He pushed it away but it persisted. Spock groaned and his brow furrowed, unable to concentrate on the task at hand. A voice echoed in his mind but he wasn't sure what it said. It grew louder and louder then suddenly nothing. His eyes opened to see McCoy scowling down at him. He looked at him in confusion then was kicked hard in the stomach, forcing the nausea he felt earlier to escape.

He coughed and spat the remaining liquid from his mouth. The Vulcan attempted to get up but the disorienting dizziness he felt only made it possible to accomplish a swaying sitting position. His efforts were rewarded with multiple kicks and punches to his head, chest and stomach. His eyes refused to focus and again there was a nagging, foreign intrusion in his mind.

"No.." Spock could hear himself say but his voice was weak and distant. "I said no!" He pushed himself away from McCoy and finding a sudden strength he scrambled away, shouting for the captain and other members of the landing party. He heard a dark chuckle from behind him and glanced back to see McCoy catching up to him. He got to his feet and steadied himself against the wall of the tunnel they entered from.

He pushed off and pressed forward but then came to series of connected forks in the path. Quickly, he chose one, simply trying to put distance between himself and the doctor. He followed the tunnel for a time then paused to catch his breath. The first officer pulled out his com device and hissed into it's receiver.

"Enterprise." He tried. White noise answered his call. Spock put the com away, obviously some sort of magnetic field was interrupting the signal, he would have to wait for either the storm to pass or his escape from this damned cave. His side ached but he continued until he came to a dead end. He cursed under his breath and turned around only to be struck and beaten once more.

"You won't escape the tunnels with out knowing how you came in." McCoy grinned wickedly at him.

"Why.." Spock gasped. He was answered with a stomp to his ribs. He wheezed and coughed as the air was forced from his lungs. He tried to steady his breathing and focus on trying to escape again. He heard McCoy grunt and saw him carrying a large stone towards him. Eyes widened and his breathing became rapid once more as the boulder was lifted above McCoy's head.

Blackness engulfed him once more.

"Ka'll. Delegate Ka'll.. The council meeting." A voice said gently on the edge of his thoughts. Spock groggily repeated the words back. "Yes. Ka'll." The voice encouraged.

Spock frowned and began recalling the delegate's species. He reviewed the information in his mind, then began reciting the various ways to resuscitate members of the delegate's race.

"Ka'll!" The voice growled.

Spock continued to think of life saving techniques for various races.

"Delegate Ka'll!" The voice screamed. His thoughts jumbled as the scream repeated and echoed in his head.

Malice. The feeling radiated off the intruder.

Spock tried to focus on saving lives. After all… He might need to save his own…

A sudden wave of dizziness swept through him, bringing with it a tidal wave of jet black emptiness.

Spock slowly opened his eyes to find himself alone. Dazed, he shifted, and groaned at the pain in his leg and side. The taste of iron coated the entirety of his mouth and he spit out the red liquid that had pooled inside it. Cautiously, Spock looked around himself then, seeing he was truly alone, he tried to shout for help.

A gurgle, cough, wheeze and blood were all he could manage. He knew he wasn't quite dying yet but a lack of food, water, and medical attention would make quick work of that. Spock shuddered and swallowed back the swell of panic and unrestrained emotion that threatened to escape him.

Not yet.

Not now.

He hadn't even said…

Spock tried once more to move. The pain in his leg and side over took him and he fell to the ground. He spit out the blood that came up each time he groaned, coughed, or tried to regain control of his breathing.

"P-pointy eared… bastard…" He wheezed. "Come.. find me…" He felt a wetness on his cheeks then his eyelids grew heavy.

Spock was next awoken by McCoy shoving him on to his side with his boot. He groaned and cried out in pain.

"I don't know how but they're reading your biosigns…" The man flipped a dagger in his hand. "They won't be for much longer though." He stabbed Spock in the gut with the knife then quickly discarded it on the ground. "Sorry but we can't have you alerting your friends about our plans." McCoy grinned and kicked him, forcing more blood to pool and be coughed out.

"Bones!" The Captain's voice rang like a bell in his ears as he watched the man before him vaporize. In an instant, Jim was next to him, checking him over. He tried to hail the Enterprise but only static replied.

"Jim.. Not…not me… Jim… The…" Spock panted and coughed.

The Delegate is in danger you idiot! Tell them before it's too late! His mind raced.

"I know Bones. I know." Spock could see his Captain's eyes glisten with unfallen tears. "Can you stand? We have to get you out of here. I can't contact the ship."

"Mag—netic … Feil—" Spock attempted to move but was unsuccessful, his injured leg refused to move anymore than he had already made it. "Jim…"

Listen to me damn it. For once in your damn life, listen.

"Not me… The counc—" Spock choked on his words.

"I know Bones. Don't talk anymore. I'm going to get you out of here."

You don't know anything you idiot. Shut up and listen! Spock could feel aggravation rising in his chest as his breathing quickened.

"No.. its not…"

Tell the hob goblin. He'll listen. Where's my… A sudden wave of despair washed over him. He looked up at Jim, the sound of his own raspy panting filled his ears. Spock felt cold and exhausted. He felt an unwelcome hollowness in the pit of his stomach.

Spock knew he was going to die.

He was going to die… without…

"Spock… tell… Spock… I…."

Spock opened his eyes with a sharp intake of breath. The burning smell of incense filled his nose. He took a moment to collect himself then stood and left his quarters.

Xxxxxxx

"You're sure?" Jim asked, obviously a bit skeptical. "I want to believe it as much as everyone else but…"

"He's there Jim." Spock confirmed from his seat.

"You're telling me Bones is stuck in a corner of his mind, reliving the events that happened on Firack 9 in some sort of unending loop?" He stared at the Vulcan, unsure.

"Indeed." Spock gave a small nod.

"You know I would have never thought you'd be the one to cling on to false hopes like this, Spock…"

"Captain—"

"I know you miss him. God, I miss him too but this…" He gripped the back of a chair he was standing behind. "The sister wasn't even there. She knew her sister's death was caused by a member of starfleet and assumed it was Bones. How could she make him relive something she has no prior knowledge of?" Jim sighed heavily and shook his head, continuing before the other man could reply. "Maybe you should take some time off. Relax. Rest. Greif can be—"

"Captain. I am not grieving. I—" Spock's voice rose.

"You have been known to make illogical decisions when it comes to McCoy and I won't let you endanger his life any further by being reckless and impatient." Kirk shouted at him.

"Jim." Though his features hadn't changed much Kirk could see the deep well of emotion swirling in his eyes. He had to look away before he changed his mind.

"Spock." He sighed again and rubbed his forehead. "I didn't want to have to do this…" He bit his lip. "You're not to go to Sick Bay for the next.. say 72 hours."

"But Captain." He protested.

"No Spock. You need a break. Take a few days, meditate, relax, sleep.. we'll be stopping at the Ranill station tomorrow. Why not see some sights while we're in Port?"

"And if I require medical assistance?" He cocked a snarky eyebrow.

"Someone will attend you, privately, in your quarters." Jim smiled smugly. He held a hand up when the Vulcan opened his mouth to protest again. "Don't make me confine you to quarters Mister Spock."

The hybrid stood and swiftly walked out of the room. Kirk rubbed the back of his neck wondering if he had done the right thing.

Xxxxxx

"You know… I have read this thing .. beginning to end…" Kirk sighed looking at his PADD. "And the only thing I know for sure, is that Spock must really love you if you got him to read this nonsense." He chuckled and looked at the man on the biobed.

"But you already knew that…" He smiled. "Sorry he's not here now… I um… he and I had it out the other night.. I told him to stay away from you for a few days…" He took a sip of a drink he had with him. "He was going on about how our prisoner had somehow managed to lock you into a time loop of that nightmare you were in on—"

There was a long pause while Kirk thought about what he had just said.

"Nightmare..." He quickly stood and left the medbay.