Eleven

SHIELD wasn't above breaking protocol and putting cameras throughout buildings that were considered restricted areas. They were usually meant to be placed as a security detail in case something ever went wrong. When Emily first discovered that Coulson was spying on her during her time at SHIELD academy, she had been pissed. She wasn't entirely surprised by the measures he took to make sure she was safe, but that didn't make what he was doing any better. The same could be said for SHIELD spying on her while she worked for Starfleet. It was a wonder that others hadn't picked up on the cameras scattered throughout the ship.

Eventually, Emily was able to determine which rooms the cameras had been placed in. She was thoroughly embarrassed to find that her quarters had several cameras scattered around the room. The bridge also had some, along with a few rec rooms and Engineering. Keenser had been the first to spot them, but he never once made a sound about it. Emily was suddenly thankful that the little alien never once tried pinning the blame on her. He was capable of talking, but he rarely did so unless it was necessary. And she was okay with that. She worked better with those who rarely spoke unless the situation demanded it, especially when it came to concentrating on work.

Emily wandered down the sidewalks of San Francisco and made her way towards the building that made up one of SHIELD's many bases. She had already reached out to Maria in the hopes that she would confront the issue head-on. Maybe she could knock some sense into their thick skulls about privacy and such bullshit. What happened on the Enterprise should have remained private, especially as far as what she did with Leonard. She could already imagine the outrage he would feel upon finding out what SHIELD had been up to. She shook her head at the thought, not really wanting to dwell on what Leonard would say once he found out what had happened.

He's going to throttle Spock if he finds out he's responsible for all of this, she thought bitterly. Leonard wasn't afraid to speak out his mind. When he knew that something could have been done differently, or that it should have been done differently, he was usually the first to speak out about it.

It wasn't until she reached the main building that Emily's shoulders stiffened. She spotted Maria talking quietly with a couple of other agents as they got ready for whatever mission they were about to be sent on. Swallowing hard at the lump forming once again in her throat, Emily carefully approached her SO and gave her a curt nod.

"Do you have any idea how much bullshit it is to find out that I was fired because of cameras placed aboard the Enterprise?" she deadpanned.

She ignored the terrified looks written across the newer agents' faces. Most of them had heard rumors about Emily Coulson and her infamous temper. She knew that they would have likely heard firsthand accounts of how she handled missions, and how she worked her way through the ranks. Maria threw them a warning look, dismissing them with a curt nod of her own before guiding Emily away from the group. Not for the first time, her expression was neutral as she kept one eye on Emily and the agents standing nearby.

"What do you mean by cameras on the ship?" she asked warily.

"I just heard an interesting detailed report from Admiral Pike that there are cameras placed throughout the Enterprise," Emily snapped under her breath. Maria lifted a brow in surprise, though Emily could tell she was hiding it behind a mask. "Look, I get that SHIELD has security protocols placed for a reason, but I was fired because of that report filed by Spock! Do you have any idea how infuriating it is to know that the agency I've worked with for years doesn't even trust me?"

Maria let out a sigh of frustration when she finally seemed to understand why Emily was so frustrated.

"I do know the feeling," she admitted. "But I can't in good measure explain why those cameras were placed. You of all people know that we take the security of our fellow agents seriously. And we do trust you. It's those outside the agency we don't trust."

Emily sucked in a breath when she realized what Maria was implying. She didn't trust her enough with that kind of information. And it hurt to know that she didn't. They had known each other for over twenty years, and never before had Emily heard her say that.

"Then I guess this means I can't bring myself to trust the agency," she retorted. Maria's eyes widened in disbelief as Emily lifted her chin and stared at her warily. She wasn't going to back down now. After finding out that SHIELD installed those cameras in the first place, she allowed her anger to get the better of her this time. "I'm tired of trying to figure out who I can and can't trust within this agency, and as of right now, I'm not going to allow myself to become another victim."

The brunette opened her mouth, ready to defend herself when she couldn't bring herself to admit out loud what really needed to be said. Instead, she shook her head and left it at that. Emily's shoulders sagged once more as she found herself standing in the middle of the building, suddenly aware that she had given up the one job that meant more to her than anything else. And she realized with a start that she was okay with that decision.

Shaking her head at the thought, Emily made her way out of the warehouse and tried to think of what to do from there. She wasn't in any hurry to go to their apartment and explain what happened to Leonard. She dreaded the moment when she would have to explain to him what had led to getting her fired from Starfleet, and resigning from SHIELD. If it came down to that. The truth was, she wasn't sure if she could bring herself to resign from SHIELD. She wouldn't have anywhere else to go if she did.

Papa would have known what to do, she thought after realizing that Coulson would know what to say to her. He would have provided the comfort she needed at the time. He would have done whatever it took to make her happy again. She also realized with a start that Leonard wasn't much different. While he didn't understand why these jobs were so important to her, he did know that they meant the world to her. And he would do whatever it took to make her feel better.

She decided that visiting the bar was her best option. She knew that Jim would have likely stopped by after his fallout with the Fleet. It was the next best option compared to having to go back home. At least until she was able to figure out what she would say to Leonard.

With that thought in mind, Emily made her way to the bar where she and Leonard used to hang out all the time. She wasn't entirely surprised to find Jim sitting there with a glass of tequila in hand. His shoulders were slumped in a way that told her he wasn't in a talking mood. That didn't stop her from sliding in beside him to order a drink of her own. Jim threw her an incredulous look when the bartender tossed her a glass of bourbon along with a knowing look.

"Thought you'd be with Bones," he said without even looking at her as she sat beside him.

Emily tsked her tongue at the thought of going back at a time like this. She didn't even know where she would begin explaining to Leonard what had happened. He wasn't going to be happy with her sudden revelation. To make matters worse, she doubted things would get any better. The only thing she could hope for was that they would figure out how to resolve the situation at hand without making matters worse.

"He's working the late shift at the medical center," she explained once she ordered a shot of bourbon. She had been tempted to ask Natasha or Clint if they knew anything about the cameras. Though, Emily doubted they would ever admit to knowing the truth. Their loyalty had remained unhinged, much like Maria's. "Besides, he's more than capable of taking care of himself while I'm away. It's you I'm more concerned about."

Jim snorted skeptically as he looked at the glass sitting in front of him. It was obvious that Pike's news had taken its toll on him. Emily frowned at the thought. He had worked hard to claim his role as Captain, and in a matter of hours, it had been stripped away from him.

"What'd Pike say after I left?" he asked warily, knowing that she would have a firsthand account of what had happened after he left.

"They've reassigned me," she explained. "It was something along the lines of needing someone with my assets elsewhere." Emily chewed the bottom of her lip when she recalled what Pike had informed her. She knew she would have to tell Jim the truth eventually. The cold reality of knowing that she was no longer employed suddenly came rushing back. She grabbed her glass of bourbon and took another long drink. She suddenly found herself relishing the way it burned all the way down her throat. It was at times like these where she wished she could get drunk rather than facing the music. "At any rate, Pike reassigned you as his First Officer aboard the Enterprise."

"Does he really think it's a good idea to have you assigned to another ship?" Jim asked in disbelief. "Everyone on the ship played a role in that mission. If Spock filed a report on you and me, he should have filed a report on everyone else!"

"Are you really willing to let everyone else get marks on their records?" she countered after narrowing her eyes at the thought. "Jim, you of all people should know better than to let everyone else take the blame."

Jim swallowed back the urge to make a retort when he realized that she was right. She didn't want anyone else to suffer the consequences of their mistakes. Knowing that she had to explain to Leonard what happened didn't make things any better. She swallowed hard at the thought. They'd just gotten used to working together on the same ship. She couldn't imagine what her life would be like without him, or how he would handle the news.

"Alright, you're right," he relented after deciding it was better not to argue. "But even if you are right, that doesn't make the fact that he filed reports on us any better."

"No, but it isn't as if he isn't lying," she murmured thoughtfully. Jim looked at her warily as she took another long sip after refilling her glass. "The only thing I'm saying is, we did technically all play a part in that mission. I'm the one who helped Scotty design that device, and I was the one who convinced Spock to use it."

She listened as Jim tsked his tongue and looked away with annoyance. As much as he wanted to deny it, he knew that she was right. Everyone had played a role on that mission. But she, himself and Spock had played the largest rolls. As acting Captain, she should have known that letting the indigenous people seeing the ship would violate over a dozen regulations. She should have tried convincing Jim that there was another way around the mess they created. And he didn't want to admit that he'd made a mistake by trusting Spock of all people. None of that should have happened in the first place had he used logic to guide him.

"Damn pointy-eared bastard," Jim muttered under his breath, and Emily almost smirked in agreement at that.

"Look, we all knew what we were getting ourselves into," she said thoughtfully. "And like it or not, the rewards outweighed the risks."

He threw her an apprehensive look that suggested he was anything but happy with the idea of doing what was right. All of this had stemmed from trying to help an entire planet. He should have known better than to trust that Spock would keep the truth from his report. The only consolation was that he hadn't been suffering alone. They sat there in silence for a few seconds while trying to figure out what to do from there. It was only a matter of time before she would be forced to explain to Leonard what had happened. And then came the irony of having to start job hunting all over again.

It didn't take long for them to settle on a couple of drinks as time went on. Emily watched out of the corner of her eye as a pretty looking woman dressed in black approached Jim's other side. She almost smirked when the woman managed to catch Jim's eye, only for her to be replaced seconds later. Her amusement didn't last long when she noticed that the newcomer was Admiral Pike.

"How'd you find me?" he groaned with a roll of his eyes.

"I know you better than you think I do," Pike retorted. "The first time I found you, it was in a dive like this. Remember that? You got your ass handed to you."

"No, I didn't."

Emily rose an eyebrow as she tried picturing what Jim would have looked like with napkins hanging from his nose. She almost wished she could have been there at the time. She couldn't hide the sheepish smirk when she recalled how he looked on the shuttle. He'd had a black eye that morning and a face caked with dried blood. Overall, it looked as if he'd been hitting a brick wall a few too many times.

"You don't?" Pike rose an eyebrow in amusement.

"No, that's not what happened," he shook his head.

Though, it was obvious that he didn't want her figuring out just how badly that fight ended. She tried not to smirk at the mental image that burned in her mind. After everything that Jim had put her through, it suddenly left her feeling oddly satisfied. She'd given him a black eye that was similar to the one he had on the shuttle. She could still remember his reaction when he tried approaching her from behind. Though, Uhura's reaction had been the best when she finally saw Jim after that incident. She never let that moment down to this day.

"That was an epic beating," Pike reminded him. "Almost as epic as the broken nose she gave you at the Academy all those years ago. You remember that shiner you had?"

"No, it wasn't," Jim retorted.

By now, Emily was struggling not to laugh. She had broken Jim's nose on more than one occasion. It was usually through accidental means, though there were a couple of times when she did it on purpose. When that happened, it was usually Leonard who had to mend the broken nose.

"You had napkins hanging out of your nose. Did you not?"

And, ironically enough, she could picture that. Jim only chuckled at that and shook his head.

"Yeah, that was a good fight," Jim sighed.

"A good fight? I think that's your problem right there." He paused as Jim looked at him. "I'm sure Emily's already told you the news," he added.

All at once, the humor that Emily felt just moments ago suddenly disappeared. She scowled and looked back at her now empty glass, knowing that there weren't enough drinks in the world to take care of the issues at hand. Pike wasn't the one who put her in the position she was in. And she knew that it also wasn't entirely Spock's fault either.

"Congratulations," he said, "Watch your back with that First Officer, though."

Emily frowned as she caught the look in Pike's eyes.

"Spock's not gonna be working with me, he's been transferred. USS Bradbury," Pike explained.

"Look, I get why Spock was transferred, but why transfer Emily?" Jim suddenly asked.

"You didn't tell him?"

Pike turned to look at her in surprise, and Emily had to bite her cheeks to keep herself from making some kind of retort. She was still furious with Spock for telling the Fleet that she had installed those damn cameras. None of that had been her fault either.

"Damn pointy-eared bastard filed a claim that I installed cameras throughout the ship," she finally explained through gritted teeth. Jim's face fell as realization dawned on him. "I tried talking to my SO about it, but she kept making excuses over the reason behind their installation."

It took a few seconds for her explanation to sink in. Jim just stared at her in disbelief when he realized that she hadn't even known about the cameras. She didn't want any part in spying on the crew, and here he had been trying to accuse her of doing just that. Guilt stabbed him in the chest; she must have been kicked out of Starfleet for something she hadn't even done. He was about to say something when all of their coms suddenly went off.

"I want you to report to Daystrom immediately." Emily blinked in surprise at the sound of Fury's voice. She wasn't expecting to hear from him so soon after what she said to Maria. "There's been an incident in London revolving around the Archives."

"Suit up, I can get you in with myself and Kirk," Pike said once she turned to them.

Emily shoulders sagged in understanding. Pike was taking a huge risk by letting her join him and Jim during the meeting. But she knew that it was important to be part of this meeting just as Fury informed her. Anything was better than not knowing what had happened.

.

.

It didn't take long for Emily and Jim to get ready. She had dressed in her Starfleet uniform in an attempt to blend in with her surroundings. She wasn't in any hurry to explain why she was there in the first place. Fury wanted her there to assess the damage and file a report if it was necessary. The only downside to being part of this was that she would cross paths with a certain Vulcan science officer.

Once they had finished changing into uniforms, Emily followed Jim to Daystrom an hour later. She was thankful that Leonard had been away at the time. Not for the first time, she found herself suddenly wondering how the hell she was going to explain to him what had happened. She did explain to him through their mental link that she would be attending the meeting with Jim under Pike's permission. At least that much was mostly true. It wasn't until they had reached the main lobby and one of the elevators when Emily cursed under her breath at a familiar sight.

"Captain," Spock greeted them without missing a beat.

"Not anymore, Spock," Jim corrected him with a sigh of frustration. "First Officer. I was demoted, you were reassigned, and my friend here was fired."

Emily's eyes narrowed dangerously when Spock looked slightly perturbed by Jim's statement. Her fists clenched with anger as she struggled to maintain her composure. She knew it wasn't fair to just keep pinning the blame on Spock for doing his job. As much as it annoyed her to admit it, he had been right to file the report. It was technically SHIELD's fault for installing those cameras in the first place.

"It is fortunate that the consequences were not more severe," Spock remarked.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Jim muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Consider yourself thankful that I haven't ripped those ears off of you," she snapped under her breath. "I'm still pissed off enough that I might just go through with it."

"And doing so would only lead to a court martial," Spock reminded her without missing a beat. Emily bit back the urge to spit something worse at his face as she realized what he was insinuating. "I would not advise—"

"Spock," Jim threw him a warning look when Emily's eyes narrowed with fury.

She wasn't above fighting back. Hell, she had done so on a daily basis when she saw some flaw in Spock's plans. And as much as he resented her for doing so, he was also grateful. He wasn't human, but he still made the mistakes that humans would.

"Captain, it was never my intention to—"

"I'm not Captain," Jim cut him off. "I saved your life, Spock. You wrote a report, I lost my ship, and my friend got fired. How do you think Bones is gonna feel when he finds out?"

Emily swallowed hard at the mention of Leonard. She really couldn't imagine what they were going to do about this mess. She planned on giving Fury a piece of her mind once this was over. Until then, she planned on sticking around to see what had led to the attack on the London Archives.

"Commander," Spock corrected himself, "I see now I should have alerted you to the fact that I submitted the report."

"Spock, did it ever occur to you that everyone else wasn't too concerned about filing a report?" Emily finally asked, narrowing her eyes at the Vulcan. "Rules are mended all the time, and for a good reason. Imagine what Uhura is going to say when she realizes you'll be gone?"

"I was not aware that you did not know about the cameras," the Vulcan tried defending himself. Emily nearly rolled her eyes in annoyance as she crossed her arms. "It is against the regulations to install cameras of any kind."

"Again, I didn't know the damn cameras were installed," she snapped through gritted teeth.

Spock just looked at her curiously as he realized that she was finally allowing her emotions to get the better of her. She hated it. Letting her emotions to get the better of her just made things that much worse. Her powers meant that she couldn't lose control, especially when she was surrounded by so many people.

"The fact that you are using language tells me that you are defensive, and therefore find my statement valid—"

"Spock," Jim threw him a warning look as Emily's eyes narrowed with fury. She was more than willing to continue the argument and pick at his flaws; even he wasn't perfect, whether he was willing to admit it out loud or not, "Look, we're all familiar with your compulsion to follow the rules," Jim muttered with another roll of his eyes, "but you see, I can't do that. Where we come from, if someone saves your life you don't stab him in the back."

"Vulcans cannot lie."

"Then I'm talking to the half-human part of you, alright? Do you understand why I went back for you?"

"Commander Spock? Frank Abbott, USS Bradbury," a black man interrupted them before Spock could explain himself. "Guess you're with me."

"Yes, Captain," Spock nodded, though Emily could see some hesitance before he'd answered.

Jim just shook his head as Spock followed the Captain into the room. Once the Vulcan had disappeared, so did the tension from just seconds ago. Emily's shoulders sagged in exhaustion and annoyance when she realized that she had allowed her emotions to get the better of her. She tried to steady her own breathing as she reminded herself that losing control was the worst thing she could do at that moment.

"He's going to miss you," she muttered under her breath.

Or at least Jim would miss Spock's presence. She wasn't sure if the Vulcan would miss them or not. Spock had made it perfectly clear that he couldn't determine whether or not he would understand the risks he took by filing those reports. The only hope that Emily had at that moment was that he would figure it out sooner or later.

Once she and Jim walked into the room where Spock had followed the other Officer, Emily found herself meeting Pike's gaze. He managed to convince the Council to let her stay for the meeting simply because she had requested it. She was suddenly thankful that he'd taken the risks of doing so. He risked his own career as Captain and Admiral by letting her join him during the meeting.

Everyone took their places around the large round table where Admiral Marcus himself stood in the center of. Marcus was an intimidating man himself - she'd met him on more than one occasion to discuss her role as a Starfleet Officer. Not for the first time, Emily kept shooting him cautious looks as she wondered how he felt about the most recent attacks. London probably wasn't going to be the last. Even though it had been completely random, she doubted the terrorist responsible wouldn't stop just there.

"Thank you for meeting on such short notice," Admiral Marcus began addressing the room, "Be seated." He sat with the rest of them, Emily taking a deep breath as she took her seat. "By now some of you have heard what happened in London. The target was a Starfleet data archive, now it's a damn hole in the ground," he explained. Emily felt her blood run cold at that, knowing that London was one of the more populated cities in Europe. "Forty-two men and women are dead. One hour ago, I received a message from a Starfleet officer who confessed to carrying out this attack, that he was being forced to do it by this man."

Emily narrowed her eyes as an image of the officer behind the attack appeared on their monitors, followed by what looked like a human with black hair, blue eyes, and very pale skin. The image itself was chaotic. An explosion from the Officer responsible for said attack shook the entire city and left everyone scattering for cover. The pale-skinned man looked as if he was trying to hide in plain sight, though it didn't look as if he was on the run. And that unnerved her.

She had gone through enough missions throughout her lifetime to know when someone was on the run. Hiding in plain sight was something that most enemies would use as a tactic to avoid getting captured. The biggest challenge was tracking them down before they could cause further damage. What bothered her more than anything was that Harrison looked eerily familiar. There was something about those eyes that left her trying to figure out why he looked so similar to someone she had seen pictures of years ago.

"Commander John Harrison. He's one of our own and he is the man responsible for this act of savagery. For reasons unknown, John Harrison has just declared a one man war against Starfleet and under no circumstances are we to allow this man to escape Federation space. You here tonight represent the senior command of all the vessels in the region. And in the name of those we lost, you will run this bastard down. This is a manhunt, pure and simple, so let's get to work."

Emily felt a chill sweep through her at the way he'd mentioned hunting Harrison down. That wasn't what Starfleet stood for. He was making it sound as if this was a military operation, which only made her feel uneasy.

"Earth's Perimeter sensors have not detected any warp signatures leaving the system, so we know he can't be far," Marcus went on, "You will park your ships in a blockade formation and deploy search vehicles and landing parties to run down every lead. This man has shown willingness to kill innocent people, so the rules of engagement are simple. If you come across this man, and fear for your life and the lives of those nearby, you are authorized to use deadly force on the subject."

Another shiver of unease swept through Emily when realization dawned on her. She hadn't enlisted in Starfleet just to be part of another manhunt. She had enlisted purely because it was a peaceful exploration unit. Unlike SHIELD, where the casualties could happen at any second, Starfleet tried to avoid such clashes. She tried pushing the uneasy thought aside, knowing that Marcus did have a point about hunting Harrison down.

"What's in the bag?" she heard Jim whisper as images with Harrison leaving the sight, with a bag in hand, appeared on their monitors. Pike was whispering under his breath for Jim to knock it off, but that didn't seem to deter him. "It doesn't seem odd to you that he targeted an archive? It's like bombing a public library."

Emily narrowed her eyes after realizing he had a good point there. The archive was like a public library, and in a sense, it felt like mindless killing to her. Harrison had targeted the archive for a reason, and she suspected it didn't have anything to do with records. A shiver of unease swept through her as she recalled how Starfleet was meant to be a peaceful mission. Nothing about this felt right, from Marcus's story to the fact that Harrison was so familiar.

It didn't help that she recalled what Marcus told her about wanting to construct a ship of his own. Director Fury had warned her about Section 31 and the fact that Marcus wanted her to be apart of his crew. That thought alone sent a shiver of unease through her, especially when she realized how easily she could have fallen into Marcus's trap.

"Chris, everything okay there?" Marcus asked, narrowing his eyes in their direction.

"Yes, sir. Mr. Kirk is just acquainting to his new position as First Officer," Pike replied.

"You got something to say, Kirk, say it. Tomorrow is too late," Marcus told him.

"I'm fine, sir," Jim replied, seeing the look Pike was giving him. "My apologies."

She caught the look Pike was giving her, as if daring her to speak out. Rolling her eyes, she leaned back, knowing full well that wasn't going to happen. As much as she would love to speak her mind, she knew it wouldn't end well. Unfortunately, Admiral Marcus was the kind of man who sought out those willing to speak against him.

"Spit it out, son. Don't be shy," he snapped.

"Why the archive?" Jim asked after seeing no way out of this, "All that information is… is public record. If he really wanted to damage Starfleet, this could just be the beginning."

"The beginning of what, Mr. Kirk?"

Seeing Marcus' frown told Emily that he had no idea what Jim was trying to say. She realized with a start that he was right about the London Archives being totally random as a target. Because the Archives had been attacked, it meant everyone had to gather and figure out what to do about said attack. She shivered with unease and looked down at the table thoughtfully.

"Sir, Starfleet Regulations state that protocol mandates that senior commands gather, Captains and First Officers, at Starfleet Headquarters, right here in this room," she recited.

The rules and regulations had been one thing engraved in her mind since she was younger. Her parents always made it adamant that she know the rules before she started walking. She also knew that Jim wasn't just thinking about the most recent attack on the Archives. Watching as his eyes darted back and forth for what he might have perceived as a threat, she stiffened and looked around warily herself.

"It is curious Harrison would commandeer a jump ship without warp capability…" Spock had begun to agree when something stopped him.

Her eyes widened with panic when she saw the red lights approaching the building, just as Jim had, "Clear the room!" he shouted just as she had ducked as glass shattered around the other, wincing as a piece of glass cut across her arm.

Bullets and lasers flew across the room as they were ambushed. Emily winced at the sounds of chaos unfolding before them. She'd been in enough firefights to know how to defend herself and how to react. Everyone else sprung into action and tried avoiding the crossfire or firing back at the intruder.

"We need air defense team!" she heard Pike call through the com, a handful of Captains and First Officers already lying dead around them from the attack. "Daystrom conference room!"

She took the chance and reached for the nearest phaser after blocking the debris flying towards her. Using her powers best as she could to manipulate the area around her, Emily fired the phaser at the ship hovering in front of the building. The intruder was fast though. Each time she managed to land a hit, they maneuvered just in time to slip past her, firing turrets at whoever stood in their way. Emily's teeth ground together as she concentrated on aiming her phaser this time. She needed a precise aim in order to prevent the asshole from firing anything else.

Finally, she caught sight of Jim trying to reach for the hose latched to a nearby wall. Without wasting any time, she reached him and glanced at the covered glass warily.

"Think you can break the glass?" she asked while keeping an eye on the pilot.

"I've got one thing better," he retorted. "Give me some cover."

Emily nearly rolled her eyes before nodding as he managed to run towards one of the pillars holding up the ceiling. She blocked whatever blows were dealt by the pilot, giving Jim enough time to finally reach the panel and smash the glass apart. Once he did that, he gave Emily a nod and gestured for her to use her powers once more. She glanced at the hose warily when she realized what he was planning. Once Jim started to throw the hose, Emily used her powers to guide it towards the thrusters that held the ship in the air.

She watched warily as the ship let out a shuddering groan, until finally, one of the thrusters exploded. It only took a few minutes for the ship to finally crash and careen towards the ground below. Swallowing hard, she noted that the man who piloted the ship had disappeared along with the crash.

"Captain Pike!"

Emily froze at the sound of Spock's voice. She whirled around in time to see the Vulcan standing over the Captain, who looked as if he had suffered a blow from the blast. She didn't bother waiting for Jim to join her as she reached Pike's side, eyes widening in horror when she finally saw the deep wound on his chest.

"No… you can't die," she whispered, ignoring Spock's presence entirely as she desperately tried using her powers to heal his injuries.

She could already feel the energy draining from her. Tears threatened to overwhelm her as exhaustion quickly seeped through. It wasn't until feeling a strong pair of arms pull her away that she finally broke down. Jim held her close, already aware of the fact that she'd watched too many people die in her lifetime.

"You're going to kill yourself if you keep doing that Em," she heard Jim whisper.

Her heart sank at that. All they could do at that point was watch as the life drained from Pike's eyes. It was bad enough that she lost Coulson. Losing Pike was twice as bad, if not worse. And she realized that there wasn't a damn thing she could do to help either of them.