Chapter Five: More Than Meets The Eye:
Jim sighed as they came to a stop in the lobby, reaching up reluctantly and removing his mask, looking up at Spock sharply, "You wanted a word?"
"Yes." the Vulcan seemed hesitant as he watched Khan lean against the wall, "Doctor McCoy informed me of your recent disagreement... I must share the doctor's opinion that your desire to play friends with Khan Noonien Singh perplexes me as much as it does concern me. He murdered hundreds of innocent people, including Admiral Pike, for his own gain. And you seem to be perfectly content to court such behaviour simply because it suits you."
"Wow, tell me what you really think Spock... Don't hold back, will you?" the blond hissed slightly, dropping his gaze as he found that his words stung slightly.
"I have always been honest and told you when I have believed you to be making a mistake, Captain, it is what friends do." his First Officer offered, head slightly tipped.
"Would you rather I pretend he wasn't here? Act as though nothing had changed? Fool around and appear as though everything is fine?" he spat, "He is here. Things have changed. And nothing is fine."
"Captain-"
"No!" Jim stepped up to Spock, their noses almost touching, "This isn't logical Spock, I wouldn't expect you to understand. You don't have to understand. Khan didn't have to stay in that hospital, he chose to do it because he knew he was needed, he knew I was in trouble. Ever since we left the hospital he could have done a runner, but he hasn't, he has stayed, he's behaved, he hasn't done anything to hurt anyone."
"You make an apt point, Captain, that he is here because he wants to be," Spock was undeterred, "What happens the moment he no longer wants to be here? How many people will he hurt to get out? If you trust him it will get you killed. And I am not willing to stand around and watch that again."
Kirk gritted his teeth and turned away, bristling as his temper flared, talking to Spock about these things always felt like he was hitting a wall with a plastic hammer – no matter what he said, it just bounced back off.
"Commander Spock," Khan said suddenly, taking them both by surprise, "I am not one to allow arguments to incur on my behalf, so allow me to say something in my own defence, rather than you metaphorically beating your Captain over the head with your supposed logic."
"Don't bother, if he doesn't want to hear it, it will go in one ear and out the other." Jim muttered.
"No," Khan said gently but firmly, "James I won't have the pair of you rip shreds out of each other because of me. I'm stood right here and I have a tongue in my own head."
"I am willing to listen, whether or not I change my mind is another matter entirely." the Vulcan responded stiffly, appraising the superhuman with suspicious eyes.
Khan nodded once, moving away from the wall and clasping his hands behind his back, "I am not going to lie to you, I still have a faint urge to slaughter anyone I deem lesser than myself. That urge will never go away, because it was built into me and it was all I ever knew. But, am I going to act on it? No. No I won't act on it and there is a very simple, but very powerful reason for that... For the first time in my life, I've been given the power of choice. James has given me that freedom."
"You have no loyalty to him, no loyalty to anyone other than yourself and your crew. Starfleet still has your crew, what is to stop you from seeking them out?" Spock mirrored his stance.
You are mistaken with that assumption," Khan glanced at the observing blond, "I owe James my life, and my freedom. I always repay my debts. And because of that, he has my loyalty. As for my crew... It pains me to be away from them, to be without my friends and family. However, if they were woken all they would know and remember is the savagery of our past lives, and I truly desire something different. In order to achieve that I'd need time with them, time to change them, to bring them to the same point as I am."
Spock's eyes narrowed slightly, he took a moment before speaking again, "The only reason you are stood here now is because we needed your help to find out what is happening to him."
"I am aware."
"But regardless of that, if I even suspect you of having an ulterior motive I will end you." the Vulcan said plainly, there was a coldness in his voice Jim had never heard before, "The Captain believes in you, and for now, for a very brief amount of time... That is enough for me."
"James is a good man." Khan said quietly, his posture relaxing as he believed they had reached some form of consensus.
"He is, but he is also an idiot." Spock muttered.
"I am stood right here, Spock." Jim growled.
"I disagree." Khan stated sharply, "The way James acts is instinctual at best, and instincts are never stupid. They keep you on your toes, keep you fresh and alert. And considering how many lives he has saved on the Enterprise by being instinctual I think you are because too harsh in your assessment. I've seen his aptitude tests, they rival mine."
Jim looked at Khan for a moment, of course he remembered the man saying he'd done his research, but to go as far as to look into his aptitude tests seemed extreme. Though he felt his gut do a little jump at his suggestion that he was as smart as he was.
"I'm not arguing that he has proven an exceptional leader, however his decisions are debatable..."
"Spock, just stop." Jim said suddenly, sounding tired, "Both of you just leave it. I know you care, I know you want what's best for me but... I really don't need this tonight."
Spock and Khan both stared as Jim put his mask back on and stomped back in the direction of the party, leaving them both stood about a foot apart feeling extremely uncomfortable.
"What is so bad about tonight?" Khan asked, "That's the second time he has mentioned not wanting stress."
"Oh..." Spock sighed softly and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I had forgotten..."
"What?" he asked impatiently.
"Today is the-"
Spock was cut off as an alarm blared over head, showering them both in scarlet lights; both men shared a glance before they ran into the conference hall where the music had stopped and most of the attending officers were checking their communicators to see if any reports were coming in yet.
The pair made their way through the crowd, watching as some of the officers were shedding their costumes. It appeared everyone had the forethought to wear their off duty uniforms underneath. Jim was propping up the bar, halfway through a pint of some concoction as he worked on unfastening the large buckles of his pirate costume.
"Oh God leave me alone." he groaned.
"Captain, what is going on? What is the alarm for?" his First Officer instantly moved forward, helping him shed the final layers of his outfit.
"No idea, no one seems to know." he muttered, glancing around before his gaze fell on Khan and he let out a curse under his breath, "Khan get under the table, start taking that costume off, we'll need you if things go bad, but I don't want to risk an uproar without reason."
"You have to be kidding me..." the dark haired man sighed heavily and got down on his knees, shooting Jim a glare before disappearing under the table cloth, fighting with his clothes.
There was a loud clap over heard, followed by a whirring as the over head projector came to life, flickering as the lights went out to reveal a recording against the wall.
A man with greying hair and severe burn scars on his face sat down in front of the camera, he sat forwards slowly, tapping on the glass before a soft laugh escaped him, "Are we live? I think we are. Well, good evening Starfleet! I trust you are enjoying your party. I do apologise for gate crashing but you see... I have rather an important message." his voice was rough, yet faintly familiar to Jim, "Just over an hour ago I planted a bomb somewhere in your building, it is rigged to go off in sixty minutes. Happy anniversary."
The message cut as the projector exploded, showering the room with sparks as the lights failed to come back on. Jim winced slightly, smelling a pungent odour in the air; he glanced around in the darkness as he heard a number of thuds, reaching into his pocket he pulled out a small ball and pressed it, watching as it flickered once or twice and then gave out a soft glow, illuminating the space just in front of him.
The other officers were unconscious. Collapsed on the floor in a huddle, apparently effected by whatever smell he had picked up. He was glad however, that Spock was still beside him, apparently unaffected.
"Well, we are never short of people trying to kill us are we?" he muttered, turning and lifting the table cloth up to find Khan, pausing as he found nothing but his costume, "Khan?"
"Over here." the other's voice echoed from the buffet and he moved closer, holding out three phasers, "I figured we would need something to arm ourselves with, in case the assailant is still in the building. Thankfully, some of the other Captains were armed."
"Good idea, thanks." Jim hastily took one and locked it to stun, "What was that smell before? I'm assuming some kind of airborne sedative?"
"That would be a logical idea." Spock murmured, also taking a phaser and locking it to its stun mode.
"Why weren't we affected though?" he frowned.
"Perhaps it was tailored for the regular human immune system. I am half Vulcan, so naturally I have resistances which most do not. Khan is genetically modified, and most likely can resist most drugs." his First Officer suggested.
"And you are somewhere in between." Khan mused, "Let's be thankful for that."
"So, that means we are probably the only people in the building capable of finding this bomb. Fantastic." the blond grunted.
Moments later they were looking at a holographic map of the building, Jim stood back and ran a hand through his hair restlessly, his instincts were telling him that there was a pretty good chance the bomb would be in the underground engineering bay, where most of the buildings in the area drew their power from. If he was going to hide a bomb somewhere, that would be it.
"I think our best bet is to go here," he murmured, sharing his thoughts, "If this guy wants to make an impact, blowing the engineering bay sky high would be his best bet. On top of that its huge, lots of hiding spots, lots of nooks and crannies, it will take time to search it."
"And with our communications blocked, we have no way of calling for extra help." Khan shook his head, "How many routes are there to the area?"
"Three. There are two fire escapes and the elevator shaft. With the power being out, the elevator isn't really an option." Spock stated, pointing out each path as he spoke, "This route seems to be the shorter one of the two fire escapes, it may be our fastest choice."
"Agreed, according to these maps the entrance is in the lobby, so lets get moving." Jim closed the hologram down and led the way, trying not to stand on any of his fellow officers as he moved through the throng of bodies on the floor.
The hatch to the fire escape was easy to spot, round and silver, in the wall near the elevator. Hooking his fingers under the release leaver, he pulled hard and yanked the hatch open, jumping back as a body fell out, only slightly illuminated by the orb still hovering around his head, the three men aimed their phasers at it, before he crouched down slowly and turned the body over.
It was a woman, a young cadet by the looks of it, and there were phaser burns in her abdomen, "Someone must be guarding the lower levels." he murmured, checking her pulse and hanging his head for a moment, closing her eyes.
"Dead?" Spock asked.
"Very much so. And for a few hours if her temperature is anything to go by." he stood slowly and considered their options, "If someone is on guard down there we need to be able to take them by surprise. I don't like the idea but... I think we need to split up, each take a route to the engineering bay. At least that way one of us has a chance of reaching the bomb."
"That is a risky strategy Captain, I would not consider it a wise option, perhaps if I-"
"Agreed," Khan butted in, lifting his own phaser, red light showing, "I'll take the other fire escape. Good luck."
"Same to you." Jim nodded, throwing Khan and Spock a luminous ball each to help them before he entered the hatch and began descending the narrow ladder before his Vulcan friend could comment.
The Vulcan stared for a long moment at the space Jim had previous occupied, and clenched his jaw as he prised the elevator shaft open and slid inside, his expression somewhere between worry and rage. He would be having serious words if they got out of this unscathed.
Jim grunted softly, holding his phaser between his teeth as he hurried down the rungs, his arms and legs burning from exertion as he moved as fast as he could, without falling the forty foot drop to the bottom. Stronger or not, he didn't feel like risking a broken neck.
His mind wandered momentarily and he felt an uneasy lurch as he realised he had allowed Khan to go off by himself with a phaser. A phaser which had so obviously been set to kill. He groaned inwardly, acknowledging that this was the time to hope Khan was serious about his reforming, or else he'd allowed a known terrorist to leave his sights, armed.
Shaking himself from his concerns, he flinched as he felt something cold and wet under his fingers, and upon examination found that the bars had started to grow bloody. Had some kind of fight happened on the ladder itself? Trying to ignore the uncomfortable squelches as he moved, he lowered his foot to where the next bar should have been, but instead found nothing but air.
He glanced down, eyes widening as he saw a large section of ladder had broken away, leaving a gap of three foot where there was nothing to grab onto. On top of that he could see jagged metal where the ladder had been damaged. He swallowed hard, looking back up the way he had come, and then back down again.
"Ugh how do I get myself in these situations?" he muttered before sucking in a breath and letting go off the rung he was holding, stomach lurching as he dropped, thigh and hand snagging as he dropped passed the broken metal, he let out a groan and a yelp of pain as he managed to grab the ladder again, slipping a few times before finally finding his footing.
He swore under his breath, feeling blood running down his arm and leg from the wounds, Jim forced himself to ignore it, and successfully climbed the rest of the way down the hatch; he dropped down into a long winding corridor, full of generators, all of them dark due to the power cut.
Grabbing his phaser from between his teeth, he crept forwards carefully, tracing the route which would take him to the engineering bay, which if the map had been correct should only be a few meters away from him.
Kirk, however, did find himself feeling grateful that he hadn't had the time to down too many drinks, at least this way he was still alert and his mind was clear in case there was a fight coming his way.
Checking his watch, he realised he needed to pick up the pace, and began a gentle jog towards his destination, rounding the corner and hitting something soft and body like, he bounced off and hit the floor, instantly lifting his phaser and firing at the back of the person he'd hit, only to receive a stun in return.
His muscles spasmed and made him shudder violently, but aside from that rather unpleasant sensation nothing else happened, he didn't lose consciousness blinking through the bleariness caused by the spasm, he found himself looking up at a very perplexed Khan, who was still on his feet but apparently suffering the same muscular seizure as he was.
"W-what the hell was that?" he ground out, the tremors slowing enough for him to speak.
"I apologise, I thought you were an enemy." Khan responded after a moment, reaching down a little shakily to help him to his feet, "And that is what happens when I get stunned."
Jim shook his head to clear away the remnants of the feeling, "Why didn't we get knocked out?"
"I'm resistant to stunning, that's why I was always able to get up faster from them when we were on the Vengeance." Khan murmured, "And you are... Developing similar resistances."
"I see." Jim paused and stared at Khan, "Wait... You stunned me? Your phaser was set to kill."
The dark haired man paused at that, Jim could just about make out a puzzled expression on his face as he checked the gun in his hand and found that it was indeed set to stun, "I..." Khan frowned, "I changed it."
The blond tilted his head slightly, "Why? On the Vengeance you acted like stunning was a sign of weakness."
Khan looked up at him, "I know I did. I still believe that... I think..." another frown, "I'm not sure why I changed it."
There was a moment of strange silence, where both of them seemed equally confused, Kirk then smiled slightly, "Well... I'm glad you did otherwise I might not have been standing here."
"True."
They were interrupted as the wall beside them split open, revealing the inside of the elevator shaft, and a very disgruntled looking Spock. They hurried over and held the doors open so the Vulcan could climb out, and shared a glance before the all headed in the same direction.
"Should we not have encountered someone by now?" Spock murmured as they jogged the rest of the way to the bay.
"It is a possibility that the culprit is downstairs unconscious, a smokescreen perhaps." Jim murmured carefully, "It's unlikely but we have to consider that as a possibility. Or they could be hiding up ahead."
"A logical deduction of the known facts." the Vulcan said.
"So glad you agree." Jim said under his breath, he saw Khan smirk to his side and realised the man had heard him.
The engineering bay was a construct on a colossal scale, twice the size of the Enterprise, walls thick with mechanical technology; cables; generators; and stone columns which slowly led to the centre of the room. In the centre was a chasm, shaped in the Starfleet emblem and plummeting several stories down into blackness. Starfleet really loved elaborate builds.
The room was lighted by a faint glow of power, the generators were on a different grid to the rest of the building, and provided some assistance in their search. The three split up to cover more space in the time they had left. Jim found himself wandering down towards the opening in the centre of the room, never having seen it before.
As he grew closer, he squinted, sure he could see what he believed was a tractor beam, a gravity resistant pull to hold something in place. And inside it, was what looked like the bomb they were looking for.
"I think I found it!" he called out, his voice echoing around the room, only to be met with silence.
He looked around, as he received no response to another call, concerned by their lack of punctuality. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he spun on the spot, holding his phaser up.
"Don't move, Captain Kirk." a gruff voice warned, "I wouldn't want to make a pretty pattern on the floor with your friend's brain."
Gritting his teeth, he watched as two men lead Khan and Spock towards him, phasers pressed against their heads, set to kill. They looked scruffy, hired thugs most likely. He was surprised though, one had Spock in a headlock, and the other had Khan's arm twisted up behind him.
"How did you two managed to get the jump on them? They're like fighting machines?" he asked, unable to keep his thoughts to himself.
"We're just better." one of them sneered, "Put your phaser on the floor and kick it towards us. Or else we'll be redecorating."
He didn't even hesitate, bending the putting the weapon down, he kicked it towards them before holding his hands in the air, "What's your plan then guys? Hold us here until detonation? All of us get blown up together?"
The one with the gruffer voice snorted, "No, we're going to leave you here and get paid."
"Right..." he mused, taking a few cautious steps towards them, "And you think that whoever is hiring you... Is actually going to pay you? When you've been involved in an act of terrorism against an organisation as big as the Federation? You're just baggage..."
"Stop moving!" the other one snapped, taking his phaser away from Khan's temple and aiming at him instead, which of course, was his biggest mistake.
Jim could see the change in Khan instantly, it was like his eyes glazed and his training took over.
Khan's head snapped back, breaking his captive's nose in a splattering of blood, before he ducked under his arm, grabbing his wrist and forcing him to shoot his accomplice in the ribs, following up by bringing the offending limb down across his knee, dislocation it at the elbow and dropping to the floor, lurching his feet up into his face and sending him flying past Jim and down into the chasm of void below. Like fluid, he whipped around, grabbing the other thug and slamming the heel of his palm up into his face, the bone in his nose snapping up into the brain and killing him instantly.
Jim raised an eyebrow and retrieved his phaser, putting it away in the holster on his belt, he watched the glaze leave Khan's eyes as the man regained control of himself, "That was... Impressive. I knew there was a reason I was keeping you sweet."
"You assume that you have been succeeding." the dark haired man answered with one of those rare smirks, barely out of breath, he threw Spock's phaser back to him, "You found the bomb?"
He nodded and glanced over his shoulder at the explosive, "Yeah, but we have another problem."
"So I see." Khan walked forward lithely, toeing the edge of the drop with caution, "I'd wager a guess that the beam itself is easily penetrated, we could in theory pluck the bomb out unhindered. Reaching it is the real issue."
"Captain, we have only ten minutes left." Spock informed him as he joined them on the edge, "What do you propose?"
Jim bit his lip, looking around for something to help them, but with the clock ticking only one idea came to mind. One crazy idea. He crouched down, observing the drop, and rubbing the side of his head as he felt the tickle of a migraine beginning to settle into place, the first one for about a week. He could feel Khan's eyes on him, and he knew that the other man could sense his pain.
Sharply, he turned and walked away, taking a deep breath, "I can make it."
"Make what?" Khan and Spock asked at the same time, sharing a look which spelled out 'murderous intent' before they looked back at Jim.
"When I was a kid, growing up in Iowa, there was this huge chasm in the desert. Not the one I drove a car off, a different one. Me and a couple of other boys from the neighbourhood used to hang out there. And one day we decided to see who could make the jump. They were too chicken to follow it through but me? Oh no, I was never a chicken. A dare was a dare. A jump... Was a jump." he breathed, not meeting their questioning gazes.
The pair realised too late what he was insinuating and instead had to watch as he twisted on his foot and sprinted back towards the void. They both lunged at him, trying to stop him making the jump, but they missed, both hitting the floor at the same time and being forced to watch as the Captain made the leap, their worry only growing as they saw his eyes shut.
His fingers sank into the tractor beam, snagging the bomb from its gravity resistant casing, and in a heartbeat he began to drop towards the other side of the Starfleet insignia. A loud grunt escaped him, air pushed from his lungs, as he collided with the edge of the wall, feet scrambling against the metal plunge, shoving the bomb over the side and clinging on for dear life with one hand.
Jim's gaze was drawn to the eternal darkness below and he was left wondering just how far the drop was, when a cool hand wrapped around his wrist and began pulling him back up. His eyes met angry blue ones, Khan wasn't happy. Another hand grabbed his shirt and together, Spock and Khan hauled Jim up over the side, onto safe ground.
The blond panted hard, taking a moment to absorb his most recent act of death defying stupidity, and then scrambled over to the discarded bomb, grabbing it in his hands.
"Alright, six digit code to stop the countdown. This thing is pretty solid, I don't think we'd be able to get inside the casing to cut any wires. So we need to thing of a logical code to try... And... And..." he trailed off, turning the bomb slowly in his hands, his face turning pale.
"Captain?" Spock asked, moving closer as he heard him falter.
"James?" Khan also noticed the change in his posture.
He frowned deeply, brushing his thumb over the name plaque on the lump of explosive, "Its... This name plaque is from the USS Kelvin." he whispered.
"That is not possible," the Vulcan uttered, "Forgive me Captain, perhaps you are emotionally compromised by the date?"
"Spock." Jim growled dangerously, shooting him a glare as he drove the bomb into his hands and stood up, pacing in deep thought.
Khan watched the exchange in confusion before his gaze was caught by something else, and he stopped Jim walking, grabbing his hand and pushing his sleeve back, "Who's blood is this?"
"Mine," he muttered, clearly still deep in thought, "I cut myself on the fire escape, my leg too."
"Are you sure?" he asked with a frown.
"Of course I am sure, why? Do you think I'm emotionally compromised too?" he snapped.
Blinking, Khan fixed him with a sharp gaze which made Jim want to shrivel up, "I do not doubt you for even a moment, however, you don't have a scratch on you."
Jim's face changed to one of surprise and he looked down at himself, confirming that the earlier gouges made my the sharp metal had indeed gone. He checked his thigh as well and shook his head, "I... I suppose the blood is responsible for this."
"Most likely." Khan breathed, staring at him, his expression unreadable, "You have another headache don't you?"
"Yes."
"I see." his voice now a whisper, "I think we should take you back to see Doctor McCoy when we are done here. Just to be sure you are alright. I know you hate it there but... I will...!
"You'll what?" Jim prompted.
"I will stay with you, if you wish. To keep you company." he said awkwardly, looking away.
Kirk smiled faintly before clearing his throat and hiding it, "I'd like that. It would certainly save me the trouble of breaking out to see you."
Spock glanced over at the pair, grimacing slightly at how friendly they were being. He felt uneasy at the amount of time they were spending together, he was worried. He made a decision to share his feelings with the good doctor when he saw him next, and maybe Nyota. None of them wanted their Captain in danger.
"I confess," Spock cleared his throat, "This is the plaque from the Kelvin, it is an original, not a remake. I might even hazard a guess that the material the bomb is made with is also from the ship, perhaps a part of the hull. But I cannot think of a reasonable code, and we have only minutes left."
Jim strode over, taking the bomb from him and giving it another look, trying to find a clue or something his friend may have missed. There was nothing though. And then it clicked, or at least he hoped he did, "I have an idea... In that video that played, the guy said 'happy anniversary' so... Maybe..."
He took another breath and slowly typed in six numbers: 2233.04 and peaked with one eye to see if it worked or not, there was a serious of violent bleeps followed by silence, and the timer froze. Jim closed his eyes and leant back against one of the nearby columns.
"So... Our would be terrorist is celebrating today as well. Brilliant." he muttered, tucking the bomb under his arm, planning to hand it over to Starfleet for a more detailed inspection, "Nothing like a lunatic with a passion for the theatrical. No offence Khan."
"None taken, James." Khan offered another of those rare smirks, but then quirked an eyebrow, "But what do you mean: anniversary?"
Jim started walking, glancing over his shoulder at the man, "Today is the anniversary of the destruction of the USS Kelvin." he rolled his eyes, "In other words... Its my fucking birthday!" he let out a huff before a particularly sharp pang of pain speared his head and he fell to the floor unconscious.