In sickbay, the doctor took command. "Spock, you sit down." He did a double take to make sure he really saw the relief in the Vulcan's eyes. "Christine, look after him." He didn't have to look to see the minute joy in hers. McCoy looked over the girl in Kirk's arms. He knelt, looking up at her scorched back. "Good lord," he mumbled before standing. Lay her down, Jim, on her back." McCoy looked at a doubtful Kirk. "She needs to be alive first and foremost." Kirk nodded and laid the girl gently on the nearest bed.
As McCoy fought to save their rescuee, the captain wandered over to where his First Officer had taken a chair. He smiled at the slightly embarrassed glint in Spock's eyes at all of the attention he was receiving from Nurse Chapel. "Well?" he asked, catching her attention.
"Rest," she replied. "Things are slowing down, but I think he should skip a shift or two." Chapel smiled as Spock gave her a skeptical scowl. "Of course, Dr. McCoy…"
"Dammit!" the doctor's voice rang through the room, interrupting Chapel and sending Kirk to his side. Spock rose and followed, despite protests from his caregiver.
Lieutenant Montgomery shook fiercely, jerking from Nurse Pracht's grip and knocking the hypo from her hand. "Hold her!" McCoy was shouting. Kirk grasped the girl's shoulders tightly, keeping her still as the doctor pressed a different hypo to her trembling neck. "Dammit," he cursed again as he watched the gauges on the screen above her head continue to rise. "She's not responding."
"Bones, she not human!" Kirk remembered.
"I noticed that, Jim!" McCoy shouted back, pointing to the silver blood pooled around his feet, "That's why I'm so afraid to give her anything more. She's rejected everything!"
"Rejected?"
"Yes, her body's gone into total shock. She's fighting us…like she doesn't want help."
Lexxi's words rang in Kirk's ears as this sank in… "Let me die…"
"You have to save her," Kirk stated.
"What do you think I'm trying to do?" McCoy was obviously frustrated.
"Perhaps," Spock's steady voice broke through the rising chaos, "I can help."
The doctor immediately saw where the Vulcan was leading. "No…I though I told you to sit."
"I assure you, doctor, I am quite…"
"The hell you are! You look dead on your feet!"
"Doctor!" Kirk's voice rose above McCoy's. "Her objections may be purely psychological. Spock may help. Please, Bones." he was close to pleading.
McCoy scowled but relented. "This doesn't mean that I agree," he mumbled as Spock moved to the head of the bed. He grabbed her wrists as the Vulcan bowed his head, eyes closed in preparation. Just before the strong, steady fingers touched her trembling face, McCoy reminded Kirk, "Hold her," he whispered. Lieutenant Montgomery jerked violently once as Spock entered her mind before falling still.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Darkness, blackness. And a wall. Words floated softly through Spock's consciousness as he set about trying to get through it.
"I've built walls, a fortress deep and mighty, that non may penetrate."
Familiar, yet unfamiliar. He pushed them away. He reached out and Lieutenant Montgomery recoiled sharply. Pushing forward, he probed along the wall, the shield, protecting her from him. A crack. Blemish. Isolation flooded in. Loneliness swept over him like an icy wave. Understanding. Spock self-consciously let down his own shields. Emotions long suppressed surged forward as he tried to hold them back. His own isolation and pain lay bare before him in cold blues and fiery reds. Everything laced with empathy. Understanding. The wall before him crumbled slowly to reveal door. Shut and locked. More words drifted in, soft and contemptuous.
"I have no need for friendship, friendship causes pain. It's laughter and it's loving I disdain."
Weakness. Growing weakness. Time was running out. Spock could not deal with mazes anymore. With an intake of breath and a sharp pang of regret in his chest, he forced the doors open. Memories were exposed. Pain. Fear. Anger. Hate. Overwhelming, almost.
"Let me help," Spock whispered.
"Let me die," she pleaded.
"I must help," he reiterated, stronger.
"Let me die." Pain. Pain. Pain. Shattered images like broken mirrors.
"Help."
"Die." Pain. Hate. Pain. Anger. Pain.
"Help!" Spock fought through the fiery haze to keep contact. He was losing her.
"Let…me…die!" Screams, male and female, pierced the conversation as everything went black.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Screams of pain tore the silence that had settled over the sickbay. Screaming, Sock pulled violently away, stumbling back, and collapsing limply to the floor. Screaming, Lexxi, who'd begun to shake once more, jerked fiercely beneath the strong grips of the doctor and the captain before she, too, fell still and silent.
"Spock!" Kirk shouted, rushing to his side.
"Christine!" McCoy called to Nurse Chapel, "Help him get Spock to a bed." He went about stabilizing his now cooperative patient and setting her broken ribs. "What'd I tell 'em?" he mumbled. "What'd I tell 'em?"