Chapter 6: Escape

Spock stormed down the corridors of the Enterprise with purpose, Bones and the rest of the bridge crew hot on his heels. In this one instance, no one had argued. There were all going planet-side to rescue their lost captain.

They reached the shuttle bay without intervention; the determined looks on their faces were enough to clear out anyone in their path.

Uhura, Chekhov, Sulu, Spock, and Bones sat silently in their shuttle, weapons loaded and medkits ready.

The mission was simple: get in, get Jim, get out.

With steady hands, Olin began unscrewing the car battery from Jim's chest. The captain maintained even breaths and kept his face passive through the process. In only a few minutes, the screws were out and Olin was preparing the remove the battery.

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready."

With that, Olin reached in and pulled the battery from the port in Jim's chest. Jim could feel it tugging and had to stifle a groan. The doctor grabbed a pair of pliers and quickly began unplugging the various wires holding the battery in place. Jim clenched his teeth and scrunched up his eyes in an attempt to control the blinding pain racing through his heart. By the time the battery was completely detached, his eyes were wide and he was gasping for air. His vision was becoming spotty, and he could barely hear Olin calling for him urgently.

The doctor didn't know what to do. His patient seemed to be going into cardiac arrest, and it was his job to implant a warp core in the man's chest. It was simply outrageous. He was shaking and sweating, paralyzed with fear as he watched Jim scramble to breathe. He heard the young captain gasp a word that sounded very much like "bones," and hoped that the man wasn't experiencing some kind of electric shock through his limbs.
Olin was thrown back into focus when Jim's eyes slid shut. He quickly began maneuvering the wires into the warp core, fingers flying as they connected blue to blue and green to green. He then slid the core into the metal port and turned it until he heard a satisfying click.

Slowly, the warp core began to glow as it gained power. A soft blue light illuminated Jim and Olin's faces. The doctor was in awe at what they had created.

It was beautiful.

Olin carefully watched Jim, growing more worried as the seconds ticked by and the captain remained unconscious. It was becoming more and more apparent that their plan had not worked, that he had killed Starfleet's poster boy.

He leaned forward and pressed his forehead into Jim's bed, his body lax with defeat. After weeks of hard work, Jim had died anyways. And that meant that Olin would certainly die as well.

A sudden cough brought Olin to his feet. As he stared down at Jim, the man's eyes popped open and more coughs followed.

"Jim?" The doctor questioned cautiously.

"Never thought I'd see such a beautiful face," Jim croaked, a warm smile spreading across his cheeks.

Laughter overtook Olin. Tears slid down his face as he guffawed, dancing in small circles. Jim watched quietly from the bed, feeling energy return to him in a way that it hadn't since the accident.

Finally, Olin sat back down, running his fists across his eyes to clear the tears pooled there.
"Ah, Captain Kirk. I never thought I'd see those eyes again. I was convinced that our crazy scheme had killed you."

"Can't get rid of me that easily," Jim responded with his usual boyish charm. He sat up in bed, flexing his fingers and stretching his neck. He'd almost died again, which was something he was trying very hard to ignore. And even though he was grateful to still be alive, he knew that their plan was not yet complete and that time still remained for him to wind up dead after all.

"Alright Olin, it looks like our work paid off. It isn't gonna be long before Duranja and his men decide to check out what, exactly, we've been up to."

Jim stood and his knees wobbled, but he managed to remain upright. He could feel the warp core humming in his chest, but it was oddly comforting. Most importantly, it allowed him to move around without being slowed down by the car battery cart. He walked to the workbench and picked up the monkey wrench that he'd requested a few days earlier. Olin grabbed a rather large screwdriver and twirled it in his hand. Together, they made their way to the only door in the cave and pressed their backs to the wall on either side of it. They could hear the pounding footsteps approaching, and they exchanged nods that said 'It's been a pleasure working with you.'

The door swung open and Bajorans charged through. Before they could blink, Jim and Olin were all over them. The monkey wrench swung hard into the temple of one, while the screwdriver plunged into the left eye of another. The two brutes went down in a heap, but more filed in to take their place.

The two humans fought with a desperation that neither had felt before. Their arms kept swinging and their legs kept kicking as they forced their way through to the hallway. Before they knew it, there was an empty expanse of corridor in front of them and a pile of dead or dying Navot behind them.

"That was some pretty impressive handiwork back there, Doc."

Olin grinned, a newfound fire in his eyes.

"The same could be said for you, Captain."

They dropped their bloody tools, picked up the discarded rifles of the Navot grunts, and raced off down the hallway before more guards could arrive.

After long minutes of sprinting, the hallway grew lighter and lighter until a curve in the path brought Jim and Olin to the exit of the complex. The door was thrown wide open, and sunlight touched the men for the first time in weeks. Jim hollered in victory.

"We did it! I can't believe we actually-"

The sharp bark of gunfire cut him off, and Jim flinched in anticipation of getting shot. When the air cleared and he still felt as if he were in one piece, he opened his eyes.

Olin lay prone on the floor next to him in a growing pool of blood; his eyes wide open as he wheezed like a fish on dry land.

"Olin!" Jim cried, preparing to fall to his knees to help the man when another figure entered his line of sight.

It was not Duranja, as he had hoped it would be. It was just another guard on patrol who had gotten lucky. The Navot's eyes flashed with glee and his mouth turned up in a smile. He had tricked them, made them put their guard down, and then attacked.

Jim shrieked, an animalistic sound that tore from his throat and ripped through the air. He raced forward, firing the rifle at his target. A thump in his shoulder followed by a sharp pain had Jim tripping, but he did not stop. He continued his barrage of 21st century bullets until he reached the Navot.

Throwing the rifle to the side, Jim kneeled down and hoisted the guard up by his armor.

"Where is Duranja?" He whispered menacingly. The guard laughed, a wet sound that angered Jim more.

"Where is he, you son of a bitch?!"

The guard went limp in Jim's hands, and Jim yelled in frustration. He threw the body to the ground and stood, the taste of defeat bitter on his tongue.

It was then that he remembered Olin. Jim's heart dropped as he raced toward the doctor, calling the man's name all the way.

"Talk to me, Olin! Don't die on me now, we're almost there!"

He slapped Olin's cheek lightly, and the doctor's eyes slid halfway open.

"Jim…"

"I'm here, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

"Listen. You can't… You can't tell them about me."

Jim looked down on the man in confusion.

"What? Tell who about you?"
"Anyone… My family cannot know. They think I died… All those years ago. I cannot bring them… more pain."

"You're not dying, Olin. I'm bringing you back with me, okay? I won't leave without you."

"Promise me."

"No."

"Jim. Promise me."

Tears sprang from Jim's eyes, landing silently in tiny puddles on Olin's face. He wasn't sure the man even felt them.

"I promise."

"You are a good man, Captain Kirk. Do not… Do not waste your life."

Olin gasped a few more times, and then went still.

Jim sobbed openly, pressing his head against the doctor's chest. He knew that his blood was probably covering him by now, but he didn't care. The man had saved his life, but had been unable to save himself. And Jim had sworn never to share Olin's heroics, and he knew that it would come to haunt him.

Sniffling, Jim stood up. The door to the cave was still open and the sunlight beckoned him towards freedom. With one final glance down at Olin's body, he walked the final distance and emerged on the other side. He was greeted by miles upon miles of desert.

Jim was victorious, but he couldn't find it in him to celebrate. So, instead, he walked. And walked.

The sand stretched on forever, and the sun was merciless on Jim's pale skin. He found himself stumbling often and knew it wouldn't be long before he fell and was unable to get back up. His right arm had taken on a weird tingling sensation, and when he finally mustered up the energy to turn his head and look at it, he found a small bullet hole in his shoulder and a river of blood. The pain of it suddenly hit him, and he dropped to his knees.

After coming so far, he couldn't believe that he was going to die out in the desert. Olin had died for nothing. Jim no longer had the energy to weep. All their work had been wasted.

As his vision began to swim, Jim saw something distant in the sky. He wasn't surprised that he was hallucinating; it was common sign of heat stroke.

The object grew closer as Jim's face planted in the sand. By the time it landed nearby, he was dead to the world.

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