= VIII =
It had been twelve days, seven hours, forty-eight minutes and something seconds and Mira felt stir crazy as she laid on the couch in her light skinny jeans, a grey tank and cardigan on. Mira was mindlessly playing with the chain around her neck as she was listening to Khan work on a new smaller weapon, she had been told by many different people -that had been told to not help her by Admiral Marcus-; that her recovery was a miracle. Mira's reaction to their phrasing of her amazing recovery had earned her a lot of glares as she just started laughing out of nowhere, Mira never saying as to why she was laughing at them and even Khan had asked once what was so funny but she had simply shaken her head at him and he had never asked again.
Because of her outburst and apparent lack of respect to the Good Doctors and Nurses they decided that she would need be on a three week "Sick leave" which Marcus had turned into "Just help Khan leave" and of course Khan hadn't wanted any help but once in awhile he would ask her a question or ask her to retrieve something that he needed. Nearly two weeks of doing nothing really and she couldn't take it, Mira wasn't sure how the hell she was suppose to last another week. Khan had of course made it a little more bearable for her, with the little tasks he would ask of her and once he had even tried to teach her something but it had resulted in Mira fucking up something so irrevocably that he couldn't undo the damage and had simply told her to not touch anything in his lab again, ever.
Mira had of course wanted to counter this but stopped when the device she had been working on started to smoke and so she had simply sat down in her chair and remained silent for the rest of the day. However, it seemed Khans kindness didn't run out after her debacle and he had asked her to hand him a tool every once in awhile, trusting her at least with that. Twice he had asked her how something was used or what a certain device was, Mira had raised an eye brow at him once wondering why he wasn't simply reading about it like he normally did but didn't question his motives, glad she had something to do and talk about.
Mira thought her sick leave may not have been so bad had she been in her own apartment and could go out, do something but they had also placed her on lock down. No leaving the facility and if she had to, she would do so after getting permission and a guard to accompany her. Mira was pulled from her thoughts by Khans voice "You're fidgeting again" he commented trying not to sound annoyed but slightly failing, Mira turned her head so she could look at him and then looked back up to the ceiling, drawing patterns where there was none.
"Sorry" Mira muttered out, stapling her fingers together over her stomach so she wouldn't move them like she had been, so she wouldn't play with the chain that held his tags. Mira knew it was silly to keep them that they did indeed belong to Khan but she wanted to wear them and had kept it from him. Every once in awhile Mira would attempt to give them to him but he had simply told her he was busy and to ask her questions later and so Mira simply sat down at her stool and said nothing about it. Mira wasn't entirely sure she understood why she was keeping them, she had thought maybe because he had saved her life, that he was the only one willing to defy Marcus to do so… and while that may have been part of it, the bigger part was what she felt when they were around her neck.
That part Mira did not want to admit out loud or even mentally but she felt safer with Khan and when his tags were around… 'I'm going to hell; this is confusing… he's nearly choked me to death twice but apparently saving my ass once is enough for me to feel safe around him' Mira chastised herself mentally. Mira tried to figure it out, putting most of it on the fact that they were similar in a few ways that no one else could understand, well besides the 72 other members of his crew and the people that are like her that were hidden away in secret labs that spanned across the Universe.
Khan let out a loud sigh which drew Mira's attention again. "Come here" He demanded from her, motioning to his side with a tilt of his head, quickly Mira got up and joined him on the floor, sitting cross legged just like him.
"What does this one do?" Mira asked once she was settled on the ground beside him, Khan looked at her through the corner of his eye before returning his gaze back to the weapon in his lap.
"Marcus has asked me to adjust this one to accommodate for high energy shields" Khan said in his usual tone, missing the look that passed across her face but didn't miss her hand going to her bracelet "Something wrong?" He inquired, sounding generally interested in knowing -which had turned into a normal thing as of late with Khan- and Mira shook her head "No, umm why did you want me to move?" Changing the subject immediately as Mira looked around on the table that held the tools and parts Khan needed for this particular device. "I need you to read off the schematic on my PADD when I ask you to" Khan said nodding towards the PADD that lay on the table. Mira grabbed it, looking down at the screen before nodding her head. "Don't you normally memorize these things before you start?" Mira inquired looking up at Khan through her lashes and saw him shrug.
"I was busy" he answered lamely, 'Lie' Mira thought. Mira looked to the PADD for a moment and then smiled to herself as she began to flip through the folder she was in, it seemed Khan had a million and one different ideas to advance already existence technology or create entirely new ones. It was fascinating to read the labels that were before her but was pulled from the screen when she felt Khans stare on her. Mira looked up at him and innocently batted her eyelashes at him, she thought it might not work but didn't want to count it out yet, knowing that her puppy dog stare still worked very well on her Father and when all else fails, go to tears. It was the only manipulation she knew how to do decently. "I am certain I said read off a specific schematic not Go through what is on my PADD" Khan commented dryly, not seeming phased at all that she had sneaked a peak. Mira puffed out her cheeks for a second before she shrugged.
"I wanted to see what else you were planning on working on, you never really tell me and the only time I get a hint is when you ask me to get you something" Mira mumbled out as she lowered her gaze back to the PADD and continued scrolling down the list before she stopped and furrowed her brow "Portable Trans warp?" Mira questioned as she double tapped the document to open it. "The current transporter capabilities are laughable; the first real progress was that equitation I found" Khan commented as he continued to work on the weapon.
"But with this you could carry it with you… you'd be able to go anywhere…" Mira mumbled and then realization hit her hard and fast. He was going to make this to find his crew. Mira looked up at Khan as he seemed to become tense all of a sudden, most likely knowing what her thoughts had just been. Mira quickly tapped out of it and went back to the original document "What do you want me to read out?" Mira asked, trying to ease himself out of his sudden tension. She should have said she had no intention of ratting on him but she was slightly sure he wouldn't have believed her even with his sudden behaviour change.
Ever since she had woken up from her accident Khan had been kinder to her, he didn't tell her to go away or that her questions were bothersome and on the bad days, he wouldn't insult her utterly for even speaking a word like he had before. Mira had thought maybe it was her, that maybe she was imagining things at first but she noted as time went on he had become nicer, nothing over the top but their relationship had turned into moderately pleasant civility, something Mira had thought would never happen again. At least on his side, Mira had remained the same though an air of wariness had surrounded her. Khan of course noted and asked on several different occasions if something was in fact bothering her but Mira played it off, pretending -although not an entire lie- that it was the explosion in her lab that had thrown her off kilter and not his change in attitude towards her.
Despite his kinder nature that seemed to be shining through, it appeared to only shine on her, as Mira had to run interference with other people he had been cruel to, some overly so -a couple of them he had made cry and sent them away, their tails tucked and looking like thoroughly kicked dogs-.
When Mira had asked him what that had been about Khan had simply shrugged his shoulders, coldness locked up tight and a warm exterior pulled up for only her "They kept asking the same questions, saying what I am proposing is not possible. The norm" Khan had told her like it was nothing and ignoring what she was really asking. Mira, arms crossed and hip cocked to the side, glared at him "Not what I asked. Why did you make them cry? Why were you being so mean for no reason?" Khan stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Mira as he gave her his answer.
"I do not like being questioned or being ignored which is what they threatened me with; to which I told them that if they did their Admiral Marcus would not be pleased and consequences would ensue. I already have to lie and pretend to be what I am not… I will not be ignored simply because they do not like me" Khan had nodded once and then turned back around to go back to his work leaving Mira to sigh as she gave up the topic, she had barely heard what he had said at the end but still somehow caught it and she instantly felt her heart clench at his words and she felt slightly awful, she supposed it made more sense now.
To be told that you have to lie about who you are to everyone around you and then have those same people turn around and say they wouldn't acknowledge him… Mira was glad she would never know the pain of not being recognized for who she was.
Mira had left his lab after that, claiming she wanted to get some food and once she had reached their quarters began to set to work on her food but she wasn't paying much attention, her thoughts still on Khan as Mira grabbed a glass but dropped it. Mira had however grabbed it right before it smashed on the counter. As a Doctor you have to have fast reflexes for surgery in case something went wrong but this was a whole other level, ever since she had woken up something had been off.
She had been different in a way; her senses had been better. Everything was more acute to her, even her emotions seemed to be in overdrive and while that may have been odd, what struck her as the oddest was that she had no cuts at all. Mira knew she healed faster then normal but still slowly enough that she knew she should still be hurt but there wasn't a single cut or scar on her from the explosion she had been in. Not even a single bruise was left on her. And so Mira had gone to Khan and asked him what had happened, asking him what he had done but received no answer.
Mira had been trying to pull answers from him the day after she had woken up, wondering what had happened after she had passed out, how she was in perfect health, what he had learned about the explosion and what he had done to get her out of sickbay to begin with. The answers she received were less than pleasing 'You fell asleep, I analyzed your blood and derived a solution and thus why you are alive and as for getting you out there, I had simply picked you up and walked out' he had answered calmly but Mira had this nagging feeling that he was leaving something out and had questioned him more until four days later he had produced the anti-serum he had used.
Mira asked him if he's had it the entire time then why only show it now, that had earned her a glare and a brush off as he went on about enhancing a ships warp capabilities. Some of Khans dodges since then had been obvious where as others Mira had no clue if what he told her was the truth or a lie, she wasn't sure if maybe she was getting used to him, understanding his tells or if he was simply allowing her to see the lie he had fed her or not.
After two hours of sitting and the occasional read out, Mira's communicator went off and she was asked to report to the security offices. Mira had placed the PADD down and gotten up, stretching her legs quickly before pulling on her boots and leaving their quarters. Once she had arrived at the CO's office, she stood in the hallway for at least a half an hour before she was allowed into the CO's office who motioned with his hand for her sit and so she quickly did. "Sir" she said with a nod of her head "What can I do for you?" she said and waited for his response and then she waited some more.
The man behind the desk ignoring her as he read his PADD, occasionally glancing her way and held up a hand for her to wait when she went to say something and so that continued on for an hour according to the digital clock that was on his desk, Mira found herself glancing at randomly and then finally the silence was interrupted by one of the facilities doctors entering the room and handing him a PADD, the CO nodded his head at them, waiting for them to leave before he turned his gaze onto her.
"Sorry about that Doctor Sullivan, just needed you out of your quarters" He explained and Mira's back straightened when the words left his lips; tension rolling off of her in waves. "What?" She questioned him, panic and fear gripping her heart. "After your incident" the CO said pausing most likely for dramatic effect but it had just annoyed Mira, he had made it sound like it was her fault; that she was careless with her steps even though the report was ruled an accident, faulty wiring in the heating conductor supposedly. "Commander Harrison had insisted you were fine, of course we don't bend protocols just because a Commander says to. He has delayed this long enough though; a thorough search of your room has been conducted to make sure you were not hiding anything and such."
Mira was stunned to say the least, he hadn't even tried to hide it from her and so Mira stood up, back straight and shoulders square, looking very much like the Admirals daughter that she was as she glared down at him. "I did not try to kill myself and what you just did is against protocols and my civil rights. I will be informing Admiral Marcus" Mira threatened the man who just smirked at her, not giving a damn at all but then she smiled as she narrowed her eyes "And my father, Admiral Sullivan" when that name left her lips the CO's smirked dropped and he sat up straighter. Marcus may not have done anything if she reported it to him alone but if she goes to her father, hell will be had. The CO looked like he was about to say something else but Mira cut him off quickly "What happened was an accident" Mira said sounding bitter about it, she knew what had truly happened but of course she couldn't say anything about it.
"If they have broken anything or taken anything I will demand for it back and you will be paying for the damages." Mira seethed out.
Turning briskly on her heel, Mira walked right out of his office, head held high and smirking that she had put the little rat in his place and once she had cleared the offices area, Mira bolted to her quarters, hoping that they hadn't found Puffins, 'He didn't say anything but I didn't really leave him time to' Mira's mind screamed and she turned into the last corridor, stopping only barely when she had reached the door and squeezing herself through when it looked like it would fit her.
Mira didn't pay any mind to Khan as he called her name upon her entrance and went right to her room and despite everything being tossed upside down and some of her belongings destroyed she saw no signs of her Puffin or anything that belonged to him. Mira quickly put her hand to her mouth as tears swelled in her eyes and spilled over. "My Puffins" Mira whispered softly as she felt more tears fall down her cheeks, she couldn't believe it… they had left nothing.
Mira let a sobbed sound escape her lips as a picture of Puffin came to mind, she had gone through hell to keep him, to sneak him out of the lab she had been working at. She had never understood the need to experiment on animals when the target was humans, yes it was for precautions but then they had to kill said animals and Mira just couldn't do that. So she had stolen the Tribble assigned to her lab and named him Puffins, keeping him secret from everyone but her Father and now Khan. "Mira" Khans voice rang out through her head and Mira simply shook her head in hopes to get rid of some of her tears before she turned and faced him.
Khan seemed to have frozen when he saw her but snapped out of it as he motioned for her to follow him after a few moments. Khan had stopped just outside his room and waited for her to catch up before he opened his door, he didn't do anything after that, just stood at the threshold to stop the door from closing; Mira very confused was about to ask what he was doing when she heard a distinct purr and not a moment later Puffin came scuttling out of his room. Mira covered her mouth to stop herself from squealing in delight, lightly jogged to Puffin and picked him up, hugging him to her chest.
"I hacked the surveillance cameras around our quarters so I may know who is coming, I saw the team and figured that wasn't allowed since you had to smuggle it in" Khan said pointing to Puffins and Mira looked at him "But you hate Puffins" with Mira's comment Khan just shrugged at her "You would have been upset if they had taken him and not in the right place to help me" he said simply looking very uncomfortable which caused Mira to smile. "They may do another hash check of your room so he may for the time being, stay in mine" Khan offered "If it touches anything I'll set it on fire" and then threatened and Mira just let out a small giggle before putting Puffin down, walking up to Khan and standing up on her tip toes doing as she had done before, placing a small kiss on his cheek and backed away; returning her attention back to Puffin, trying very hard to ignore the nagging feeling in her stomach but it wasn't all that hard as she was happy her Puffin was okay and still with her.
