Mr. Spock tightened his stomach, thrusting his torso backward in order to evade the oncoming bladed swipe of his long-time friend Captain Kirk. Previous to their engagement, Mr. Spock carefully examined the bout between Lieutenant Warren and Bones. As discussed prior, Bones pushed the tip of his spear into the upper left-hand side of Lieutenant Warren's chest. This came after the duo faked a sufficiently long and entertaining show for both the Caesar and the audience. As expected, Doctor McCoy's strike to Warren's chest was surgically precise. And the Lieutenant's reaction to the non-lethal blow convinced all spectators that she had certainly expired.
Now, it was up to Kirk and Spock to create a death scene as convincing as the one before it. Kirk swung at Spock again, narrowly missing one of the Vulcan's pointed ears. If Spock didn't know better, he would have believed that the Captain was actually trying to kill him. However, Spock was merely biding his time waiting for Kirk to make the proper, final blow. The longer their battle took, the longer Susanna would be left alone. And the longer Spock thought about it, the more he disliked the notion.
It was time and Kirk made his last jab at the Vulcan's chest. Unfortunately, the Captain's aim was not as precise as the doctor's, but the damage done was still minor nonetheless. Spock estimated that he had two days before the injury would interfere with his abilities to establish communications with the Enterprise. With luck and effort, Spock believed that both he and the Lieutenant could accomplish such a task before then.
"Mr. Spock!" it was Lieutenant Warren speaking to him, and she was shaking him into consciousness. "Mr. Spock! Are you alright?"
He leaned forward, straining to open his eyes and regain his focus. Around both of them was the dense jungle brush that made up the outskirts of the stone city and a cluster of recently dug holes interrupting the continuous flow of pastel flowers.
"Mr. Spock, you're going to need medical attention." The Lieutenant wrapped her arms around his chest, helping him to his feet. "I would have thought the Captain had better aim," she commented. "I found some cloaks for us to wear while I was waiting. The city isn't far from here; I'm sure we can get medical supplies from somewhere."
"I am fine, Lieutenant," he lied, pulling away from her assistance. "Our priority is to establish communication with the Enterprise."
She held her hand over the wound in her own chest. "Mr. Spock," she said, "I don't think we'll make much progress if one of us is dead. And I'll eventually get an infection; we need something."
Spock noted that she had gathered not one but two phaser rifles. "How did you go about acquiring those weapons?" he asked.
"I got one from the guard that dragged you out here-" she pointed to an unconscious body that lied in the shallow pit next to them, "-and the other from my guard-" she pointed to a distant pit he could not see.
"Interesting," Spock said, raising a brow. "Are you alright, Lieutenant?"
"I'm fine," she replied, confused. "The doctor's hit was precise and-"
"-That is not what I am asking," he stopped her. "Prior to your suggestion of escape, you were on the verge of experiencing a mental breakdown. No doubt this toll was from the multitude of battles-"
"-Mr. Spock," she interjected, raising a hand. "You tell me; how do I feel?"
"I can only assume you are perfectly calm considering you are not projecting any obvious emotions."
"We need to deal with one thing at a time, Mr. Spock," she said. "This is about saving the Captain and Doctor McCoy. It isn't about me."
"I fear that if your emotional trauma is not addressed, you risk jeopardizing our rescue mission."
"Fear?" she said, curiously. "Fear is a human emotion, Mr. Spock."
"Then I misspoke," he corrected himself. "My priority is also saving the Captain and Doctor McCoy. I cannot allow your emotional state to interfere."
"Maybe because you're a Vulcan, Mr. Spock, you don't understand. I know how to function despite my emotional state. I know how to stay level-headed. You have to. They teach you that in the academy."
"As soon as we establish contact with the Enterprise, I order you to return for a full psychological assessment," he spoke sternly, folding his hands behind his back.
She bit her lip, refraining from showing further frustration towards her Vulcan crewmate. "Aye, sir," she answered. "I still recommend we seek medical supplies for the time being."
"Your suggestion is noted and will be taken into full consideration." He paused, weighing the logical pros and cons to himself.
"So, sir?" Susanna's voice cut through the silence of his thoughts. "What should we do?"
He stared blankly at her, again contemplating the strangeness of her personality. How an individual could be socially inept half the time and personally confident the other half, was a strong curiosity to him. She was an emotional being and yet capable of turning it off like the flick of a switch. There was no doubt her oddness was a side effect of being half-Vulcan, but not being reared under the tutelage of Vulcan itself.
"As you have recommended, we will first seek medical supplies to prevent our conditions from worsening," was his eventual response. "Although I see complications in obtaining any considering we have no currency to barter with."
"I'm guessing a robbery is out of the question?" she joked, holding up one of the rifles.
"We cannot draw attention to ourselves," he said, ignoring her jest.
"We can just steal something when no one is looking," she suggested. "Unless you have a better idea? Maybe we can politely ask someone and they'll take pity on us?"
"Your sarcasm is noted, Lieutenant," Mr. Spock raised a brow. If Susanna didn't know better, she would have thought that the Vulcan seemed annoyed. "Until I can devise an alternative when we reach the city, I will take your suggestion into full consideration."
"Aye, sir." She wondered how many more times he'd take her plans into 'full consideration'.