Chapter Four - Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before
David sat next to his father, still shocked at his appearance. He had never seen Kirk before the Genesis Project, and he could hardly believe that it was the same man.
'Come on, wake up so I can talk to you,' David mentally told Kirk. 'I haven't seen you in fifteen years, or so Mother tells me.'
Right on cue, Carol Marcus stepped into Sickbay. "How is he?" she asked David. Then she saw Kirk, and gasped. "My goodness...what happened?"
"The Genesis planet did make him start life all over again," David said. "But that means from the very beginning and then working its way up quickly. You should have seen him on the planet, Mother. He was fourteen years old!"
Just then, Kirk began to wake up. His wandering eyes fixed on David's face. "Do I know you?" he asked.
"What do you remember?" Carol asked him.
Kirk blinked in confusion. "Uh...not much."
"Do you at least remember who you are?"
"Admiral James Tiberius Kirk," he said, sitting up.
"Anything else?"
"Sorry, no."
David and Carol exchanged a worried glance. "I'll call Doctor McCoy," Carol said, heading over toward the comm unit.
Kirk frowned. "McCoy...Bones? Where is he?"
"Last time I saw him, he went up to the bridge to speak with Captain Spock," David said, amazed at how fast Jim's mind was coming back.
"Spock..." Kirk repeated, as if turning the word over to study it more closely. "Half-human, half-Vulcan if I remember correctly."
"Right," David agreed. "What about the rest of the bridge crew? Can you remember any of them?"
Kirk tried hard to pierce the fog covering his thoughts. Finally he said, "Not really." He stared at David. "You seem familiar, though..."
"My name is David Marcus, sir," David said, daring to hope. If Jim could remember about him...
Kirk's eyes went wide. "David! I remember you! You're...er, did Carol tell you yet? About...?" He was at a loss for words.
David grinned. "Yes," he answered. He clapped a hand on the admiral's shoulder. "Welcome back to the world of the living, Dad."
~~~~~~
McCoy stared at his ceiling, utterly unable to sleep. Thoughts of Jim kept him awake. His doctor's instinct, unwilling to rest until he was sure about the admiral's fate. He was also at a loss about what to do about Kirk's amnesia. It was not, after all, guaranteed that he would regain all his memories. And what would happen if his memory of death came all too soon?
His comm beeped, and McCoy swore. "Not again, dammit!" He grumbled his way over to the switch on his desk. "McCoy here."
"Doctor?" Carol's voice came. "Jim just woke up."
That got him awake in a hurry. "Is he okay?" he asked. "How much does he remember?"
"From what he's said, not much. Only a few names and faces, luckily including his own." A loud whoop came from the background, and the sound of two people laughing.
McCoy raised an eyebrow in a Spock-like way. "Sounds like he's having fun to me. Is David with him?"
"Yes, and he's helped him remember quite a bit," Carol said. "But I think you'd better get down here to make sure he remembers everything."
"Understood. I'm already on my way. McCoy out." He hit the off switch and headed for the door.
David sat next to his father, still shocked at his appearance. He had never seen Kirk before the Genesis Project, and he could hardly believe that it was the same man.
'Come on, wake up so I can talk to you,' David mentally told Kirk. 'I haven't seen you in fifteen years, or so Mother tells me.'
Right on cue, Carol Marcus stepped into Sickbay. "How is he?" she asked David. Then she saw Kirk, and gasped. "My goodness...what happened?"
"The Genesis planet did make him start life all over again," David said. "But that means from the very beginning and then working its way up quickly. You should have seen him on the planet, Mother. He was fourteen years old!"
Just then, Kirk began to wake up. His wandering eyes fixed on David's face. "Do I know you?" he asked.
"What do you remember?" Carol asked him.
Kirk blinked in confusion. "Uh...not much."
"Do you at least remember who you are?"
"Admiral James Tiberius Kirk," he said, sitting up.
"Anything else?"
"Sorry, no."
David and Carol exchanged a worried glance. "I'll call Doctor McCoy," Carol said, heading over toward the comm unit.
Kirk frowned. "McCoy...Bones? Where is he?"
"Last time I saw him, he went up to the bridge to speak with Captain Spock," David said, amazed at how fast Jim's mind was coming back.
"Spock..." Kirk repeated, as if turning the word over to study it more closely. "Half-human, half-Vulcan if I remember correctly."
"Right," David agreed. "What about the rest of the bridge crew? Can you remember any of them?"
Kirk tried hard to pierce the fog covering his thoughts. Finally he said, "Not really." He stared at David. "You seem familiar, though..."
"My name is David Marcus, sir," David said, daring to hope. If Jim could remember about him...
Kirk's eyes went wide. "David! I remember you! You're...er, did Carol tell you yet? About...?" He was at a loss for words.
David grinned. "Yes," he answered. He clapped a hand on the admiral's shoulder. "Welcome back to the world of the living, Dad."
~~~~~~
McCoy stared at his ceiling, utterly unable to sleep. Thoughts of Jim kept him awake. His doctor's instinct, unwilling to rest until he was sure about the admiral's fate. He was also at a loss about what to do about Kirk's amnesia. It was not, after all, guaranteed that he would regain all his memories. And what would happen if his memory of death came all too soon?
His comm beeped, and McCoy swore. "Not again, dammit!" He grumbled his way over to the switch on his desk. "McCoy here."
"Doctor?" Carol's voice came. "Jim just woke up."
That got him awake in a hurry. "Is he okay?" he asked. "How much does he remember?"
"From what he's said, not much. Only a few names and faces, luckily including his own." A loud whoop came from the background, and the sound of two people laughing.
McCoy raised an eyebrow in a Spock-like way. "Sounds like he's having fun to me. Is David with him?"
"Yes, and he's helped him remember quite a bit," Carol said. "But I think you'd better get down here to make sure he remembers everything."
"Understood. I'm already on my way. McCoy out." He hit the off switch and headed for the door.