CHAPTER 6
"You what?" asked Jimmy.
Spock had explained the mind meld the best he could using words, as human words were inadequate for many of the Vulcan's psychological practices. He was getting impatient with the young Kirk as he had explained it as simply as possible, twice. A Vulcan child would have accepted it the first time. But he is not Vulcan, thought Spock.
"I must do this now, it will be more difficult if I wait to re-explain the mind meld to you," said Spock, irritated by himself by not keeping his voice even this time.
Jimmy gave Spock a look and seemed to be about to argue with that, but then he glanced down at Leonard and knitted his eyebrows together and nodded.
Spock relaxed a little and then realized with a slight shock that he had been tense. He slipped on his emotionless mask before Jimmy had a chance to see anything. Jimmy looked up and gave Spock a pleading look that said, Please help him, and then walked to the woods to give Spock some privacy.
Spock had been watching Jimmy's back until he disappeared into the woods then went to crouch down beside Leonard's left side and sat down cross-legged. He stared into the fire that was to Leonard's right, or in other words in front of Spock, to calm himself and to prepare. He had only mind melded twice in his life: the first time was when he was bonded with T'Pring, but that didn't really count since a wizened old High Priestess had done that, and the second time with his tutor that had started training him. A Vulcan boy normally would have had his first mind meld with his father, but Spock was not normal. Sarek has never offered and Spock thought he was not supposed to ask, since it's highly personal.
What Spock was about to attempt with Leonard would be a meld that would be deeper than what he had practiced with his tutor. Were the situation not grave, he would not even consider it an option.
Spock looked away from the fire and looked down at Leonard's pale face and decided that it was time. He lifted his long-fingered right hand up to Leonard's face and paused before he made contact. He closed his eyes for a moment and his face became determined. He spread his fingers into their proper position for the contact points. He then slowly brought his hand down onto Leonard's face lightly. At contact Spock jolted.
Just that slight contact surprised Spock, not because there was roiling emotions under the face, but because there wasn't. A total blank. This was cause for alarm. He placed his hand down on Leonard's face, checked the contact points and closed his eyes. He tried to probe Leonard's mind gently. He hesitated again, but continued again briefly afterwards. With great concentration he searched the labyrinth of Leonard's mind to find his essence. It was dark and light at the same time. Spock tried his best not to open "doors" to memories, since that would be an intrusion to ones privacy. But since Spock was so inexperienced he fumbled along the corridors known as Leonard's memories. Images drifted by of a cookie jar falling and breaking to reveal chocolate chip cookies on a kitchen floor Spock did not remember of. This scene faded to reveal a boy with floppy brown hair with small red spots all over him. Spock realized that it was a memory from Leonard looking into the bathroom mirror at himself around seven years old with chicken-pox.
Spock was taken aback at the sight of chicken-pox and thought, I thought that disease was extinct. He waved it off and tried to search faster to avoid coming into any more contact with Leonard's memories. He sent out a call, hoping to get an answering call from Leonard. He looked into the distance around him. The mind can be hard to comprehend. There cannot be distance, but that is as close as to what this can be discribed as in physical terms.
Spock thought he "saw" a faint glow and drifted to it. The glow felt familiar. He "touched" it and immediately felt fear so great that he snapped back. Images swirled around him of great big teeth, claws and a cold mind. A feral mind that was frightening because of the lack of emotions. Then in a swirling of black and sky-blue a red streak filled in and dimmed to black. Spock realized that this must have been the distorted version of the attack.
Spock was shaken, that animal somehow linked mentally with Leonard to make him easier prey. The end result was unconsciousness. Spock steeled himself as he reached out again towards the spot of light that must be Leonard. He did not withdraw this time but went deeper into the glow and thought out, You no longer need to fear. You are safe, but that will change soon if you do not come out of hiding.
The glow had shrunk at first when Spock had touched it, but regained its size. This slightly encouraged Spock and he tried "speaking" again. 'Leonard, please proceed to stretch yourself out. Try to regain consciousness. You are putting yourself at more harm.' Spock received no response. He thought to himself for a moment, racking his brain on how to get a response, then thought out, 'Jimmy is worried about you.'
The glow shuddered, seeming to rouse itself and got a little brighter. Its rays of light stretched out while Spock coached Leonard to awareness. Everything around Spock brightened to blindness until…
Spock's eyes snapped open and he withdrew his hand from Leonard's face, which was twitching. Then Leonard's eyes also snapped open and he grimaced.
"Oooohh," Leonard groaned. "Did that thing rip my face off?"
Spock's right eyebrow flew up past his bangs.
"DAMMIT! My leg's been torn to shreds an' the left side of my face must've too!" screeched Leonard as he reached up his left hand carefully to his face. When his hesitant fingers met unmarred flesh his face showed surprise. "Why ain't my face torn up? It feels like hell!"
Spock regained his composure and backed away from Leonard a couple steps and sat back down with a 'thump!' Mind melding proved to be draining.
"I mind melded with you," stated Spock with a raspy voice.
"Mind melded? Ya mean that Vulcan mental mumbo-jumbo?" asked Leonard, he couldn't seem to comprehend. "Are you saying that YOU were the one who brought me out of that nightmare? It was your head in mine?"
"I do not believe it physically possible-" Spock was cut off by…
"LEONARD! Are you alright? I was so worried about you! You wouldn't wake up and I thought you may have lost too much blood. But I knew you would pull through. Spock must've been a great help!" Jimmy said in a great rush. He plopped himself down in between Spock and Leonard and looked over Leonard critically. He flashed a smile of relief and looked back at Spock. Jimmy's happy face fell a little when he saw Spock. Spock was a little pale and face seemed drawn.
"Spock, are you alright?"
Spock nodded then keeled over. Luckily Spock was sitting so they didn't really have to worry about him injuring himself.
"What's wrong with Spock?" asked a once again nervous Jimmy.
"I wouldn't worry that much. He's just tired. Must have been from the mind meld," commented Leonard after he gave Spock a once over. It was times like this that he was especially glad that his father was a doctor. Otherwise he might have panicked.
Leonard frowned a little as he noticed that Spock was shirtless and thought he saw something green under Spock's back. He knew that Vulcans were uncomfortable with being touched, but he had to know. Besides, Spock was asleep.
When he turned Spock over he saw the long gash that went from shoulder to hip on Spock's back and gasped. The gash reminded Leonard of his own predicament and he looked at his leg.
"I'm gonna need to suture me and him. Do you have any needles?" asked Leonard. He highly doubted it. Why would a ten-year-old have any?
"No, I'm sorry that I don't have any needles. But I do have fishing hooks and line. Do you think you can use those?" Jimmy looked a little hopeful.
"Yes! We'll just hafta straiten the hooks out a little. Other than that, it should work. Pull them out," Leonard said eagerly. He had practiced a little suturing before. He has also seen his father do it many times before.
Jimmy went to look for some rocks so they could straiten the hooks out. He brought back a flat stone a little bigger than his palm and a couple of rounded rocks from near the bank of the stream. Leonard and Jimmy went to work and straitened out two of the hooks.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Thanks for the reviews everybody! Hi Doctor! I guess I'll be sending you the last paragraph and some of Chapter 7 soon. Any type of reviews are accepted, so please review.