XxX
The doors opened to the darkened hallway, the emergency lights did their best to flash every once in a while to light our path. The air weighed heavy, adding to the ominous silence of the empty level. Something was definitely not right.
Jim's brow knit as we took up our formation, stealthily making our way down the hall. All of a sudden the ship lunged, throwing us to the side as what remained of the Enterprise began to turn on its side.
"What is happening?" Jim called, jumping to his feet. The two guards who accompanied us were helping those who had been thrown down the adjacent hall and had just collided with the wall.
I pulled myself up, looking out the window and desperately trying to figure out what had happened. I pulled my sleeve down and wiped away the white cloud my nervous breath had created, "They are attacking the neck, the saucer is almost completed cut off from the body." My heart raced, trying to figure out what level the small ships had attacked and which one Spock and Bones were on.
Jim's frustration was building as his fingers tore back through his tousled bangs, "We need to evacuate." His skilled feet took him to the panel and he hurried to call the bridge. I stood back to back with him, making sure he was covered. A chatter caught our ear and Jim turned to it, his brow knit. He nodded for the guards to help their fellow comrades and gestured for me to follow him.
We pressed on through the dark hall, my feet align with his. He motioned for me to break off as continued on towards the intruders. I snuck across the hall and knelt down, my eyes narrowing through the smoke, and began assessing the situation in the dull light. The alien in the middle, the leader, held up the artifact from Teenax. Their language was unfamiliar but I could make out a few words here and there; the one I was certain of was the name they knew the object by, Abronath.
Jim caught my eye and held up his phaser; I nodded.
The reason we so often were paired off was because of our shared mind when faced with an obstacle; this time was no different. He needn't tell me when to attack, I could sense when he stepped forward and took aim. My body mirrored his and we both fired as we sprinted across the hall's opening. We broke off, at all times knowing where the other was as we took down each threat. The smoke and deafening alarm added an additional layer of challenge as we fought for our home.
The alien leader slammed Jim against the wall and captured him by the neck, lifting him off the ground. I drew closer, looking for an opening to attack without causing harm to my Captain.
"Captain…Kirk…"
My eyes grew, he knows him?
Before I could make my move, the ship lunged and threw us all to the ground. The lights light up slightly and the power came on; we were stable, for now. I slammed against the ground, hard, and my head spun as I hurried to pull myself up.
"Hermione!" Jim was on his feet and pulling me up by my arm. The Enterprise shifted again as Jim reached for the sought after relic; we tumbled down the hall and we slammed against the wall. Jim snatched the box and we were off.
"Scottie must have gotten the power back on!" I called as we ran. Jim drew to a stop by a call box and hailed the Bridge.
"Sulu, can you warp us out of here?" Jim called, his eyes always scouting the hall. I took up my post at his back, watching for any sign of the enemy.
"Negative. We have less than 18% power; I am using everything right now to keep the ship stable."
Jim leaned against the wall, his head dropped in defeat, "Sound the alarm, all crew needs to be evacuated immediately. We are abandoning the ship." We locked eyes in that moment and I gave a small smile; letting him know he was giving the right call.
"The saucer is still attached to the lower levels; we would stand a better chance if we could detach from the remaining neck. We are showing no life on them currently but we still have hundreds to evacuate up here."
My eyes flit to Jim's, the words going unspoken.
"We will take care of it. Kirk out." He signed off and we started down the hall, still searching for the First Officer and Senior Medical Officer.
He's alive, I can feel it, I said to my uneasy worries, Bones is too. Logically, the chance of survival, for any of us, was slim. Emotionally, I chose to believe otherwise.
The Enterprise began to turn again, sending a small group of crewmen down the hall. They hurried to their feet as the alarm sounded for evacuation.
"Ensign Syl." Jim ordered, motioning the others on, "I need your help."
"Yes, sir." The extraterrestrial nodded, looking between us.
Jim held out the object, "I need you to protect this, at all costs." The Ensign nodded and turned around, undoing the entwined claws on the back of her head. Jim stowed the piece away and let her go to catch up to the others.
"Are you ready for another grand adventure?" He smiled cheekily as we started down the hall in the opposite direction of the safety pods.
I tucked my wand away and picked up the pace, "Always."
XxX
Spock and Bones were tossed around the small elevator, unable to tell up from down as the star scape rushed past them in their descended. They slammed against the far wall as one of the attacker's ships pierced the side. Against all odds, they ended up in the right place at the right time and were able to board the vessel.
Instinct took over and Spock overtook the drivers; sending them to their death in space.
"Doctor, do you know how to drive this?"
"Yeah, yeah." Bones sneered as he mounted what looked like the body of a motorcycle, "They taught a class in how to drive any unknown enemy ship my Senior year."
Spock nodded his eyes, a brow raised, "That is quite fortunate. I hope you have not forgotten what you learned so long ago."
"Oh, shut up you hobgoblin and figure out the damn computer."
XxX
We breached the hull, directing anyone who crossed our path towards the evacuation lines. As we neared our destination, I chanced a look out the window and stopped in horror.
"Jim, they are taking the crew!" I called as another vessel whizzed by, snatching one of the escape pods on its nose.
"We have to give the others a chance. They will die for sure if they remain here." He pulled on my hand and took off once again, holding fast to me. He gave my hand a comforting squeeze and I returned the favor; knowing we might be all that was left of those we held most dear.
Jim skidded to a halt before the portal and hurried to type in his code. The hatch flew open and we began pulling down the releases when gunfire started.
"Spread out!" Jim called over the noise, pushing me towards one of the lanes. Reluctantly I obeyed as the attack's leader found us once more and went after my Captain. I made my way to safety behind one of the posts and took advantage of the higher ground.
"Stupefy!" I called, taking the lackeys down with one hit. Cautiously, I made my way back to the portal and continued our mission. My thoughts turned, trying to remember the steps. A blur of red caught my eyes and I saw Uhura running to meet me.
"Uhura?" I said with surprised eyes.
"I couldn't let you have all the fun, now could I?" And, for the first time in our three years in space and almost a decade of knowing one another, she smiled, genuinely.
If we hadn't been in peril, I would have laughed. Impending death had an odd way of bringing people together.
Uhura pulled the last release up, her face straining under its pressure. As it fell into place, Jim got the upper hand and threw the leader back towards us in the control room.
I saw the alien reach for his gun and I threw a curse, throwing him backwards. I snatched up the phaser and tumbled out of the chamber. I looked up in time to see the steal wall closing off; trapping Uhura with the monster.
"Uhura!" I jumped up and pounded on the glass desperately, "Nyota!" She wasn't my biggest fan but that didn't make her any less a part of my family.
The creature came to stand eye to eye with me and I dropped my arms to my side, my eyes slits as I stood off with him.
I'm not afraid of you, I thought, the hate filling my veins. The sounds of the separation deafened the air and my heart raced as I saw the remaining levels falling away; there was nothing I could do but watch.
"We have to get back to the Bridge." Jim stated, his voice calm and withdrawn as he focused on the mission at hand. I turned back and nodded; he offered his hand, which I took, and we raced back to those we could still help.
Everything was in chaotic order as people were directed towards pods. They made way when they saw the Captain and the Chief Communications Officer.
Numbers dwindled as the evacuation continued. I looked to each face as we passed; feeling hopeless.
Good luck and Godspeed, I thought, making it my own spell of protection for those still aboard, as the doors opened to the Bridge.
"Captain." Sulu stood to greet his commander, "The last crew pod just shot off, we are now the only ones that remain."
"Get to a pod, Sulu, Chekov." Jim nodded, meeting their eye and letting them know not to disagree with his direct order. Dutifully, they did as they were told. I gave them a small smile as they passed.
I watched as the pods shot off. My eyes fluttered closed. I could sense the emptiness, the absence of life in what had once been the safety place I knew; my home. I felt like a nomad with nothing to my name and no place, and no one, to return to.
"Herms, you are up." Jim called, leaning against the open vessel. My brow knit; sensing his resignation.
My eyes darted back to the pod holdings, noticing only one pod was in place, "Where is yours?"
"It's coming. Now, come on – let's get you settled. We don't have much time left." He motioned me forward, refusing to meet my eye.
"You only dodge my eye when you are lying." I replied, refusing to budge.
"Hermione, I promised Spock I would keep you safe and I am going to keep that promise." He met my eyes and I could read him like a book.
I gasped, my eyes wide, "There is only one left. How is that possible?"
"They took out a lot of the levels which pull the pods up to the deck before we had brought enough up for the evacuation, come on now. There isn't time for this." Jim took hold of my arm and forcibly pulled me towards pod.
"No! I am not going without you!" I dub my heels in, refusing to budge.
He took hold of my shoulders, shaking my sense back, "Hermione, enough! Enough!" He called as I struggled to free myself, "If it means a chance for his crew to survive, the Captain will go down with his ship."
My ragged breath evened out and I looked between him and our last chance of survival, "I think we can both fit in there."
"Hermione—"
Unwavering, my eye met his, "It is worth a try." You're all I have left, I silently pleaded.
He sighed, weighing his options as his eyes wandered to the window; the planet drew closer and closer with each second. We were out of time.
Jim looked around the Bridge a final time and turned back to me, the answer clear in his eyes. I took hold of his arm, not trusting him to send the pod of with just me in it.
He smirked as he helped me buckle in; I made it all the more difficult with my refusal to loose my death grip on his shirt.
"You are wrinkling my second favorite shirt. You can't make anything easy, can you?" He chuckled, making sure I was secure before stepping in to join me.
"I learned that form Spock." I gave a soft, sad smile. Jim returned the gesture as he anchored himself and reached back to activate the safety lock. He pulled his arm back just as the doors latched. Pressure built as the pod prepared to shoot off. Silence filled the air; weighing us down even more. Jim stood facing me, his hands on either side of my smaller frame as he tried to not take up too much room with his lengthy form.
"You couldn't have magicked this any bigger? Your boney little elbow is in my rib." He chided, able to find joy even in the most difficult of situations.
I huffed and rolled my eyes, holding back the tsk that this wasn't the time. As I shifted, my eyes wandered around him to the empty Bridge.
Goodbye, I thought. At that moment, the pod shot off, taking us hundreds of miles away in a matter of seconds. The Enterprise waned the closer we got to the planet.
I felt myself building a wall to protect myself from the emptiness which threatened to overcome my very being, I will not let fear overcome me; I will fight and I will win. My eyes narrowed, a new determination uncovered; I will not back down.
XxX