A/N: Hi everyone! As you can see, we are finally getting some action. For the sake of it, I'm making up some tech details that probably don't exist. But it's a fiction, right? We are here to make up stories, so we've got what we've got. Please, bear with me here.

As for heart surgery, it did, in fact, slip my mind. In my defense, I can say that Lee refused it, and cardiomyopathy without severe symptoms is usually not the reason for making someone staying in medical. Or at least as far as I know. :) So, yes, McCoy let her out. And yes, it was probably not his wisest decision.

Also, from now on there will be violence and blood from time to time. The story is rated M, after all.

As always, betaread by JularaVon. Thank you for helping me with this story.

No, no, no. It couldn't be real. McCoy stared at Lee in a complete and utter shock.

"You," Jim hissed, "We saved you, we gave you shelter. And this is your gratitude?"

The girl that McCoy had held in his arms just a half an hour ago didn't even bother looking fazed.

"Yes you did, and this is the reason you're still alive," she replied calmly, "And you'll continue maintaining this state if you be so kind and open the door."

Uhura shook her head furiously. Spock made a small movement towards the two women.

"No, Commander, don't do that," Lee warned and now her voice was full of ice, "You'll need half a second to reach us, and it will take me a quarter of it to cut her head off. So stay where you are, and she'd be fine."

Spock froze and gave her the look of a man who single-handedly took a superhuman down with his bare hands. But Lee didn't seem to give a shit about the enraged Vulcan several feet away from her.

"Come on, Captain," she was saying, "We both know you'll do it. You can try to disarm me, but I sure as hell will slice her throat open. I have nothing to lose, really. So if I'm going down, she's coming with me."

"Captain, no," Uhura croaked.

Lee angled her dagger, and absurdly red blood streamed down the comm officer's neck. Uhura inhaled sharply, and Jim's hands clenched into fists.

"You wouldn't dare," Jim spat.

"Try me."

She would dare, McCoy thought, of course she would. She'd always been quite ruthless when she'd wanted something. And now she wanted their ship, so why the hell not.

McCoy could practically feel Jim giving up. There was one more second of silence, then the Captain entered the necessary code, and the door to the bridge changed its status from 'locked' to 'opened.'

Lee gave Jim a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Thank you, Captain. It was the right choice."

Jim's harsh reply was cut by the sound of the door opening.

The intruders stepped on the bridge with their weapons pointed at the Enterprise's crew. The officers hadn't even had a chance to arm themselves, so only Jim and Spock, who took phasers everywhere they go, could actually fight. But Uhura was in danger, and the two of them couldn't risk it. So they stood still and helplessly watched Lee's men, apparently pirates, spreading across the bridge.

"Captain Kirk, Commander Spock, please, drop your weapons and push them aside," Lee ordered, still holding Uhura by her hair.

The commanding officers obliged. Both radiated danger, and be Lee more sensible and self-preserving individual, she'd run as far as she could to avoid these two guys' wrath. But it was clear she didn't have it in her, so she just smiled and said something to the huge Klingon. He approached Lee and her victim and took hold on Uhura's throat with his one hand. Uhura made a small noise and grabbed the Klingon's arm, the action the pirate probably didn't even notice.

Lee stepped aside and looked around the bridge.

"Now, Captain, I need you and your people to stand right there," she pointed at the spot in front of the viewscreen.

Jim's face lost its color completely. He didn't make a move, so Lee turned to the huge Klingon and nodded. He tightened his grip on Uhura's neck and she wheezed.

"Okay!" Jim shouted, and the grip loosened, "Let's go," he barked to the rest of them.

This moment the Enterprise's security officers chose to appear from nowhere and start shooting.

McCoy didn't even have time to react as the attack was brutally suppressed. Lee's people were obviously ready for this course of events - only some of the pirates took the fight, Klingons mostly. The rest of the intruders were still pointing guns at the crew, and the huge Klingon kept on slowly strangling Uhura. The result of this unexpected attack was only seven criminals being nocked out. That was all, and that wasn't enough.

The obvious leader of the pirates didn't spare this short fight a look. She was studying Jim's console, and when she raised her head, McCoy saw a familiar spark of triumph in her eyes.

"I see you've already entered your override code," she said, "So nice of you."

McCoy turned his head away so he couldn't see the agony on his friend's face. Instead, he gave a closer look at the red shirts now lying lifelessly on the floor. One of the officers, Kervaz, landed badly on the step of the bridge's stairs and now had a dangerous gash in his head. He was still breathing, McCoy could see it, but if the man didn't get medical attention now, he'd either bleed out or die from the very possible internal bleeding.

Well, fuck it. Fuck it all.

McCoy stepped away from the rest of the crew and made for the wounded officer. A Klingon blocked his way.

"Get back to your people," the pirate growled.

McCoy snarled.

"I am going to my people. There's one of them," he pointed at Kervaz, "and he needs help. I am a doctor, and I can help him. So fuck off and let me do my job."

"Bones, don't," Jim muttered, but McCoy ignored him.

He rounded the Klingon and kneeled in front of Kervaz. Captive or no captive, he was still a doctor. He took the officer's hand to check the pulse and looked up at the Klingon, expecting a hit every second. But the bastard didn't look at the Doctor, he was looking at Lee with an expression of uncertainty. Lee, in turn, was staring at McCoy with her head tilted. He met her gaze, daring her to shoot him down or beat him up if she so pleased. He was a doctor, damnit. He broke too many rules and regulations for her, but he'd be damned if he'd break the oath to treat sick wherever he was and whichever the consequences were.

Her expression was as unemotional as ever. She was regarding him for several long seconds, then shrugged.

"You've heard the man," she said to the Klingon next to McCoy, "He's a doctor. Let him follow his calling."

"But it's dangerous to let one of them wander around," her man objected.

"This is why you're going to watch him and make sure he isn't doing anything except treating," she said with a sweet smile and turned to the rest of her captives, "Now, you move."

Jim nodded to the rest of the crew and they did as they were told.

Lee entered some code at Jim's console and gestured to the Klingon who was holding Uhura to come closer.

"Now," Lee commanded, and the Klingon threw the comm. officer right into Jim's arms. The next second the crew was separated from the rest of the bridge by some sort of magnetical field.

Lee smirked and turned to her people.

"Gentlemen," she declared, "The ship's ours!"

Cheerful shouts followed her announcement.

The Klingon that was holding Uhura approached Lee and bowed, sweet Jesus, he bowed to her. What had a small human girl possibly done to receive a bow from a Klingon?

"Tora," the Klingon said, holding out a phaser for her which she took with her left hand, the right one still holding the dagger, "It is an honor to meet you again."

"Utrar," the girl nodded, "Nice to see you too."

So her name was Tora. McCoy doubted though that this name wasn't another fake.

He'd already finished assessing Kervaz's wound and now was thinking of the next steps in preventing the guy from dying on his hands.

"I need medical supplies," McCoy ventured to say, standing, "He's hurt badly, so either you let me get my stuff, or you can as well kill him. He'll die without medications."

Lee, or Tora for God's sake, turned to him, wearing this blank expression of her. Damn bitch. For all he knew, she could plan the whole thing, starting with infiltration the Enterprise. It all was just a carefully designed plan, and she was good at designing. After all, he was just the means to an end.

Still, even with this pain of knowing he was betrayed, even after seeing this indifferent mask of a person who'd kill without a second thought, he couldn't stop loving her. Not when he knew how radiant her eyes could be, how excited she was during solving one of these insane equations and how passionate she was during their kisses. He couldn't believe that Lee he knew and that stranger named Tora was actually one person. Logically, he knew she was, but accepting this horrible truth was another thing.

This damn red-headed devil stole his heart, broke it and now was performing a victorious dance on its splinters. But what did he really expect? His relationships with women had usually ended with a disaster. This time the disaster was just bigger.

"You need medical supplies," Lee finally echoed, "Or I can as well kill him."

McCoy felt chill rushed through him.

"I'm not insisting on going to sickbay," he hastily said, "The ones on the bridge would do just fine."

It was hard to tell what she'd been thinking because even her eyes didn't betray anything. But it seemed she wasn't about to harm him, this is why he was going to push his luck and get everything he needed to help the wounded.

"Of course you're not going down," Lee (or Tora, whatever) said, "But okay, I'll let you help the guy. Where's the stuff you need?"

He told her where to look, and she retrieved the medical kit he'd put here ages ago, just in case. She threw him the kit, and he wondered if she was too cautious to approach him, or just didn't want to get closer to him. McCoy pushed these dark thoughts aside and busied himself with the officer.

"How?" the Doctor heard Jim's voice vibrating with anger.

"You see, I'm quite good in gaining information of any kind," was the reply, "You know, the ship's specifications, maps, the layout of ventilation shafts…"

So that was how she'd got to the bridge. The ventilation shafts, of course. She was small enough to be able to use it as a secret passage.

"You hacked the ship's system with your damn PADD," Jim flatly stated.

"Yes, I did," McCoy now heard a hint of a smirk in her voice that disappeared in her next words, "But if you don't mind, I'd like to get to the more pressing topic."

McCoy glanced up and saw Lee standing in front of this magnetical cage that was apparently designed to hold prisoners on the bridge if there'd be some on it. How ironic.

"What are your demands?" Jim asked.

"Don't worry, they're quite easy to satisfy. As you can see, I have yet to seriously harm any of your people, intentionally at least. This is all because I am, in fact, not interested in hurting you or breaking your ship. Believe it or not, but I'm grateful for everything you did to me, so I'm not gonna harm you. This is why I ordered my people to keep their hands to themselves and not attack unless provoked.

The reason we are here is simple: I need something from you, and once I get it, we'll leave. All of us."

McCoy ordered his hands to remain as steady as always and not to tremble at the thought of Lee leaving his life completely. He wasn't ready for that. Not yet, not like this.

"So what do you want?" was Jim's question.

"Oh, not much. First of all, I'm intending to take your dilithium, it's quite expensive, you know."

"And second?"

"Information," she said gently and McCoy felt she was smiling while saying it, "Being a flagship, the Enterprise has free access to some databases I'd like to see. All that means that I'm going to download some stuff from your computer, hack some other computers with resources your ship has, take the dilithium and say goodbye."

She took a deep breath and continued.

"As I previously mentioned, my people have orders not to harm your crew. So I want you to order your people to behave, and in this case, everyone would get out of it alive and healthy."

McCoy heard her sigh and wondered if it was possible to be more screw up than this girl was. They saved her life, gave her a place to stay and were about to offer her a permanent place to live. It was a pity that all she cared about in her life was money.

He pushed these thoughts at the back of his mind again. She was a fucking pirate working with fucking Klingons, and he had no idea what was happening in their goddamn heads.

"I don't wanna hurt you, Jim. I'm just doing my work, and if you cooperate, I won't have to," she finished her speech.

McCoy huffed and the Klingon that was watching him twitched nervously. Don't wanna hurt you, right. And the unconscious officers spread across the bridge floor were just taking a nap.

"And do you think I trust you?" Jim snorted

"Well, I didn't harm anyone, did I? And besides," McCoy heard her smiling again, "I can do this, and you'll do anything that I'll tell you to do."

McCoy raised his head to find out what she was talking about and saw a phaser pointed at his head. He felt cold sweat running down his body. So she didn't let him stay on this side of the cage to let him do his job. She left him here to manipulate Jim.

"You bitch," Jim hissed, and McCoy inwardly agreed with that Lee's characterization.

She laughed in response.

"I suggest you come up with something more creative, Captain," and then, more seriously, "So, I'm opening a shipwide channel and you order your crew not to fight, and everything will be fine. Do we have a deal?" she asked without lowering her phaser.

Jim's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Yes, we do."

She nodded and tapped something on Uhura's console.

"You're online, Captain."

Jim took a deep breath and announced, "Attention crew of the Enterprise. We were being attacked by very dangerous criminals. However, they agreed to do us no harm if we don't fight back. I have agreed to these terms, so I order you not to engage with our captors and they will leave without hurting us. So let's hope they have at list a glimpse of conscience in them. Kirk out."

Lee stopped the broadcast and gave them a wide smile.

"That was the right thing to do, Captain."

McCoy shook his head and came back to his patients. He actually finished with Kervaz, but there were four other officers on the floor, and he tried not to think about the two girls the pirates left in the corridor. He really hoped they were just knocked out, not dead.

So McCoy moved to the next still body. His watcher Klingon shifted nervously but didn't object. Lee didn't spare them a single glance. She was talking with someone on the comm.

"No, don't touch anything. They've had a pretty bad break just recently. I'll extract it myself once I'm done here."

Lee finished the comm. and muttered, apparently to herself,

"Okay. Let's get started."

She took Chekov's seat and her hands went flying on the navigator's computer.

"You'll pay for this," Jim said to her. McCoy didn't have to see her to know that she was rolling her eyes.

"Clearly haven't heard that before."

The obvious sarcasm made McCoy wonder how many time had she done this - taking over control, taking hostages, stealing hearts…

She retrieved a flash drive from her dagger's handle and put it in the computer. The download process started. McCoy glanced at the Klingon guard once again. They had to stop the pirates somehow. The Enterprise indeed had access to a great amount of information that shouldn't be in other folks' hands. And she was going to hack other Starfleet's databases. If this information leaked…

"You'll never pass through their firewalls," Jim stated, but McCoy doubted his friend was confident about his words.

"Well," she said without interrupting her work, "I did guide my guys through all your sensors. I believe I'm quite capable of doing something like this. Besides," and there was a grin in her voice again, "It's a challenge. I love challenges."

Jim didn't reply.

McCoy went on with his task too, helping the crew members where he could and buying some time for a later help where he couldn't. His mind raced. They had to stop her before every bit of precious information would be downloaded and left the ship to be sold to someone like Klingons or Romulans. All tech inventions, secret weapons, tactical starbases… God help them if it happened. They all would be doomed.

He looked up and saw the Klingon's blank stare. The guy was obviously bored. It was good. McCoy was near Uhura's station and an idea suddenly appeared. There was an alarm button near the comm. officer's seat. If he pressed it and sent SOS, Starfleet wouldn't be in time to prevent Lee from taking the precious info away, but they could follow and catch her.

He was done with treating for now but was nevertheless scanning a lieutenant laying just a couple of feet away from the button. McCoy peaked up one more time and made sure the Klingon wouldn't notice his movements. The bastard wasn't even looking at him now. He was staring at Lee with clear lust in his gaze. McCoy shivered. She was playing a dangerous game by staying with these guys. He shook his head. It was not his problem, he had another task. Focus.

His hand was inches away from the button when a powerful kick in his chest beat all air out of his lungs. He gasped, colliding with a wall behind him. A phaser blast thundered the second later. When McCoy's vision cleared, he saw his guard laying unconscious and Lee standing and holding her phaser in the ready position.

"I believe I told you: no violence," she calmly said and lowered the weapon.

"But it wasn't his fault!" one of the humans objected, "The Doc was about to send SOS!"

Lee made a step toward the guy and the human flinched.

"This is why I told L'alar to keep an eye on him," was an unflappable response, "I suggest you take his place and not screw this up."

"This is bullshit," an Orion stepped in, "Why do you even bother to keep them alive? Let's kill them and there'd be no such problems."

Half of the pirates cheered in agreement. Neither Klingon joined the noise.

"Yeah," another human shouted, "It was these no-violence ideas that have brought you to Kauri. It was your fault you've got caught and now you'll get us all caught."

The girl tilted her head.

"So you don't like my tactics?" she asked gently with that gleam in her eyes that promised an upcoming shitstorm.

"Yes!" three humans shouted.

"Very well," Lee cooed.

The next second three blasts rang through the bridge, and the humans went down. The other pirates shared glances. Then the rest of humans and Orions raised their weapons and shot at Lee standing in the very center of the room.

McCoy didn't quite register what happened next, but when the fire ceased, all who rebelled against their leader were on the floor unconscious. None of them was Klingons, who stood impassively without intervening.

Lee, who now appeared near the opposite wall, lowered her phaser and turned to the huge Klingon she earlier referred to as Utrar.

"Why did you take this scum with you?" she demanded.

"You ordered to take all resources I have," Utrar reported, "These were the resources I had."

"Ugh," was an irritated response.

Then she turned to McCoy and for the first time this day he felt the very real fear for his life.

"It wasn't a wise move, Doctor," she said, approaching him.

He stood and squared his shoulders, trying to hide his fear under the scowl. She was wearing that trademark wicked smile of hers which indicated that the hell was about to get loose.

"I see that you've done with your patients," she observed, "And I guess you are bored now."

She secured her phaser at her belt and took the dagger instead.

McCoy swallowed and forced himself to look at her, not at the weapon.

"People do crazy things when they're bored," she continued, coming closer.

McCoy ordered himself to stand straight. Whatever she was going to do to him, he'd face it with his head raised high.

"Don't you dare," he heard Jim's growl.

Lee paid no attention to the Captain.

"Let's make you less bored," she said, raised the dagger and caught a glimpse of light on its blade.

McCoy fixed his eyes on hers, fighting back a desire to turn away and run. Damn traitor. He hated her so much now. Still, he hated himself even more, so whatever. He was long past the stage of giving a fuck.

Then she sent the dagger flying, but not in his direction. McCoy heard a surprised yelp at his right and saw a Klingon with the weapon in his stomach.

Lee smirked and marched to the wounded Klingon. She retrieved the dagger and used its handle to hit the Klingon's head. The pirate went down.

"There," she said with a polite smile, "I've got you a patient. If you are finished and get bored again, just say it. I'll find you another toy to play with."

McCoy stared at the dagger in her hand. Huge drops of pink Klingon blood were falling on the floor. Lee followed his gaze and pressed a button. The dagger's blade disappeared in the handle, leaving several more drops of blood on the bridge.

He raised his eyes and looked at her. Lucifer stared back at him.

She'd just shot her own people and ripped a hole inside one of their bodies. At this point, McCoy believed that she was capable of anything. She was clearly a psycho, a very dangerous one, but with authority and force on her side.

"If he bleeds to death, it's gonna be your fault, you know," she noted in a tone one might discuss the weather.

He fought back a wave of nausea and hurried to the Klingon. He caught a glimpse of Lee waving at him with her out-of-date, but nevertheless efficient weapon. Two Klingons stepped forward and pointed phasers at him. Then she got back to the computer.

It took her about 5 minutes to pass all Federation's defenses. When the computer announced 'Access granted,' the pirates cheered.

She turned to them with a wide smile.

"Oh boys, we're gonna be sooo rich."

"We'll catch you," Jim threatened.

Oh, the Captain was seriously pissed.

Lee snored. "You have no idea how many times I've heard this line in my life."

McCoy finished sealing the Klingon's wound and now was watching the drama unfold in front of him. He witnessed Jim's furious stare and Lee's calm returned look. They were the rivals worth each other, that was for sure. Unfortunately, one of them was playing dirty, and they could do nothing about it.

A beeping in the helmsman's computer broke the rising tension. Lee glanced at the notification and for the first time this day, worry crossed her features.

"Oh shit," McCoy heard her murmur. She tapped something on the screen and the computer signaled that shields were up. She stormed to Uhura's desk and tapped something there as well. Then she ran back to Sulu's seat.

Okay, that was interesting.

The next second after she'd stopped her chaotical rotations, five huge starships appeared in front of the Enterprise. Lee stood up and looked expectedly at the big screen.

After several agonizing seconds, the screen lit up. McCoy saw an Orion who clearly didn't belong to the best circles of his race. The guy saw Lee and grinned.

"Tora, my girl," he exclaimed, "So nice to meet you here. What a fancy ship you've got!"

"Laguz," Lee greeted with a polite smile and the slightest nod, "I'm happy to see you too. Glad you like my new ship. Figured it would look great with my new shoes."

"It totally would," Laguz laughed, but abruptly stopped and went serious, "Am I right in assuming that you've also got the fearless crew of this ship and its golden Captain?"

"Yes, you're right," Lee replied impassively, but McCoy noted tension in her stance.

Was she afraid of that Orion?

"Great!" the guy brightened even more, "I'm buying them, then. Oh, so many would kill to have Kirk as a slave. Or kill him! Tora, my girl, you don't stop to amaze me!"

So that was who owned the vessels. Slave traders. Sweet Jesus, slave traders.

'I'm not gonna harm you,' she said. Well, of course she wasn't. She'd lose money if her hostages were in the poor condition.

All McCoy emotions went numb. He couldn't feel anything anymore - it was too surreal to be true.

They were outmatched by a single girl who made a brilliant plan to ruin their lives and stuck to it. Hell, she was a genius. And she was going to sell them to slavery.