━━ Beam Me Back, Now!
System Loading... Reagan Kelley... 39%
Reagan was furious when Spock returned to the Bridge without Pike. She had hoped that he would be able to talk Pike out of his decision to sacrifice himself, but it appeared he was unsuccessful. She braced herself as the Enterprise was hit with another torpedo. Her hands itched closer to the launch button, but she caught herself. If she fired now she would not only waste ammo, but would likely hit the small shuttle carrying her crew member.
The bridge watched as Pike's shuttle headed closer to Vulcan and she caught herself holding her breath as the away team launched from the side. The woman was extremely grateful that Bethany was here to witness Jim jump out of one of those tin cans. Reagan was partly glad that Pike had turned her down.
"Away team is entering the atmosphere, sir. Twenty thousand meters." Checkov announced.
"This is madness." Reagan said, looking over at Spock but he ignored her.
"Approaching the platform at fifty-eight hundred meters." Checkov started and moved their screen so they could better see Jim and the others.
"Kirk to Enterprise." Jim called. "Distance to target, five thousand meters."
"Forty-six hundred meters from the platform."
"Forty-two hundred meters to target." Sulu said.
"Four thousand meters." Jim continued
"Three thousand meters."
"Three thousand meters." Olson confirmed, with a hint of joy in his tone.
"Focus Olson." Reagan called into the comm.
"Two thousand meters."
"Pull your chute." Sulu shouted.
On their screen the bridge crew could see that both Sulu and Jim had pulled their chutes, but Olson had not. He was still plummeting towards Vulcan at a rapid speed. Reagan felt her blood boil as she clenched her fists together to keep from smacking something. She knew Olson was a decent fighter, but he lived for the thrill and this drop would be his fix for the next year. He was a compulsive adrenaline junkie.
"Olson pull you chute!" Reagan ordered, but he didn't listen.
"Two thousand meters!"
"C'mon, pull your chute, Olson!" Jim called out.
"Not yet! Fifteen hundred meters!" Olson replied as he plunged towards the platform.
"Open your chute!"
"Yeah!"
Olson's yell of excitement caused anxiety to ripple throughout the bridge as they watched the man fall. Instead of acting like the Starfleet officer he was, he was hooked on his next high. Something no one could control, but that he would pay dearly for. Many looked away knowing the outcome, but Reagan couldn't. She watched the tragedy unfold.
"Olson, pull your chute!"
"One thousand meters."
She watched as the red shirt pulled his chute only to slam onto the platform. The sound of his leg snapping could be heard on the comm and Reagan winced at the injury. However what followed would haunt her as he continued to roll until his chute launched him into the energy beam below. Her hand came to cover her mouth as she let out an inaudible whimper. Olson was a junkie, but he didn't deserve to die in this way.
"Olson!" Jim yelled.
"Olson is gone, sir." Chekov reported.
"My god." Reagan breathed.
Jim lands safely and begins his assault on the platforms, as Chekov reports, "Kork has landed, sir."
The crew watches as Sulu and Jim successfully disengage the energy beam. Reagan tried not to think of the bruises that would eventually form on their bodies. She set to work prepping the transporter room to receive them as Uhura sets to work reestablishing communication.
"The jamming signal is gone. Transport abilities are reestablished." Uhura announces.
"Transporter control is reengaged, sir." Chekov adds.
"I've already alerted them that Sulu and Kirk will be arriving shortly." Reagan reports.
"Chekov, run a gravitational sensor, and I want to know what they are doing on the planet." Spock orders.
"Aye commander, ack, Captain. Sorry, Captain." Checkov corrects.
"What do you think it could be?" Uhura asks her friend.
Reagan bit her lip in worry, "I don't know, but whatever it is hasn't stopped."
Jim's voice on the intercom once more, "Kirk to Enterprise. They just launched something at the planet, through the hole they just drilled."
"What?" Reagan asked, but his voice was hazy.
"Do you copy Enterprise?"
Another cadet answered, "Yes, sir."
Reagan sent a glance in Uhura's direction only to find the beauty's eyes glued to Spock. She had known the two were together for quite some time and yet it still hurt her. Part of her wished Uhura would look at her that way, but she was happy for her friend if she was happy.
"Captain, gravitational sensors are off the scale. If my calculations are correct, they're creating a singularity that will consume the planet." Checkov reported.
"They're creating a black hole at the center of Vulcan?"
"Yes sir."
Spock looked slightly alarmed at this, but masked it quickly, "How long does the planet have?"
"Minutes, sir. Minutes."
Spock stands and turns to Uhura, "Alert Vulcan command center to signal a planet wide evacuation on all channels, all frequencies."
She looks alarmed, but he doesn't waste any time in turning, adding, "Maintain standard orbit."
"Yes, sir." The cadet answered.
"Where are you going?" Uhura called out.
"To evacuate the Vulcan High Council. They are tasked with protecting our cultural history and my parents will be among them." He answered.
"Can't you beam them out?" Reagan asked.
"It is impossible. They will be in the katric ark. I must get them myself." Spock replied and looked over at the Russian genius. "Chekov, you have the conn."
"Aye. Uh, yay."
The crew watched as Spock left only to turn their eyes in horror to the screen as the beam retracts and sends Jim and Sulu plummeting once more. Reagan does her best to communicate with the transporter room, but they are unable to answer back. All she could do was watch as her friends fell into Vulcan's gravitational pull.
"Kirk to Enterprise. Beam us outta here!"
"Just hold on!" Reagan yelled.
"Kirk to Enterprise! We're falling without a chute! Beam us up!"
"I can do that. I can do that! Take the conn!" Checkov shouts before taking off.
"You got it." Reagan replies.
Reagan inputs full control to her console as she watches in relief as Jim and Sulu are safely beamed back on board. Only to hear more devastating news from a nearby female officer. Apparently she had been running calculations for some time and had finally been able to understand their next problem. Surviving a black hole.