oOo
"What do you mean, they're dead?" Moreau couldn't begin to describe the mixture of emotions those words, spoken so coolly, brought up. Sorrow, relief, fear, others she couldn't quite figure out. Of all the men she'd ever known, James Kirk had always been the most alive, the most passionate, both in bed and out. It was inconceivable, that all that energy, all that passion, was just gone, scattered into space as a result of one impulsive nonentity's actions.
All Spock had to do was look at her with raised eyebrow, and she swallowed before moderating her tone. "I'm sorry, I just can't believe they're dead. If the shuttle was destroyed..."
"Then the Tantalus Field was destroyed along with them." Spock's voice remained impassive, even in the face of such a devastating blow to their plans. At least, Moreau assumed it was a devastating blow; surely the alien device that Kirk had used so effectively in the past to keep command of the Enterprise would have been equally important to Spock's much more ambitious plans to alter the very nature of the Empire in which they lived.
Spock had entered Moreau's new quarters unannounced, unaccompanied by his usual bodyguards, and bearing the bad news which he'd just shared with her. "May I ask what your next move is?" she ventured to ask as he remained standing by her desk. She presumed he had more to say on the matter, or else he wouldn't have bothered coming to see her personally. Unless he simply wanted to study her reaction, to see if she still harbored an emotional attachment to the man whose bed she'd shared for almost two years.
If that was the case, then she wasn't afraid to show him how the news affected her, the bewildered dismay, the guilty sense of relief. And if rumors she'd heard about Vulcans were true, then he could probably feel those emotions whether she showed them or not.
"I need to know everything about this device that you knew, everything you learned from watching Kirk use it." Moreau sucked in a panicked breath. Spock's words were tantamount to an announcement that he intended to perform a mind meld on her. At least, she thought bitterly, he was deigning to inform her first.
"Everything I know about the Tantalus Field, or everything I know about James Kirk?" Some of the bitterness crept into her words as she voiced her suspicions as to his true intent. She should have known he didn't believe her when she protested her innocence; like everyone else, he wanted to use her, expected her to betray him and was fully prepared to betray her in return. So much for being honest, not guarding her reactions to his unexpected news... "I told you, I didn't help him escape..."
"And I told you I believed you," Spock cut in coolly, moving finally to stand next to her. She had been sitting at the console when he entered her quarters, and had moved only to rise to her feet. "I am not requesting this meld because I believe you lied to me, Marlena."
It was the first time he'd used her given name, and hearing it this sent an unexpected shiver of pleasure down her spine. "Requesting?" she repeated, once she could speak. When had Spock ever "requested" a meld and meant exactly that and nothing more?
"If we are to effect the changes that will keep some semblance of order for our various peoples longer than the projected 200 year existence of the current Empire, then we must begin with our personal methods," Spock replied. "I will not force this meld on you, but you must understand that it is vital I learn as much about the Tantalus Field as I can, including that which you do not consciously recall."
"But if it was destroyed, why bother?" Moreau was thrown off-balance by Spock's radical departure from the norm, but it gave her a cautious sort of hope; if he meant what he said, than that other Kirk was right. Spock was the right person to bring about the revolution he predicted was necessary to improve things for everyone in the Empire.
"Because there is a 48.597 percent chance that Kirk and Uhura were not on board, that it was merely a decoy, and that they remain hidden on board this vessel. Security is currently searching for them."
"If they were still alive and in possession of the Tantalus Field, you and I would both be dead by now," Moreau argued. Another shiver crossed her spine, this time a chilling reminder of how Kirk had last spoken to her, the fury in his eyes at her betrayal.
"That is something I intend to confirm." Spock was standing even closer, and Moreau fought the urge to back away. He reached tentatively toward her face. "Once the field was deactivated, removed from its place in Kirk's quarters, how quickly could it be reestablished for use elsewhere? Once again, I request permission to search for the information I need in the one place I can access it: Your mind. I would not ask if it were not vital to our continued survival."
He meant it, every word, Moreau realized, and realized she was nodding her head, staring wordlessly into his dark, serious eyes. She continued to keep her gaze locked with his as his fingers pressed against her temples, and he began a chant she'd never heard before: "My mind to your mind, my thoughts to your thoughts..."
oOo
"You can't be serious!" McCoy felt the sweat trickle down his brow, wiped it away with a shaking hand. "You'll never get Scott to agree!"
"Just get him here," Kirk ordered. "He'll agree. I know a few things about our Chief Engineer that he wouldn't want to reach Starfleet Command's ears. Or Spock's." He smirked as if he'd just made a joke.
"What's to stop me from just telling Spock where you are and taking my chances?" McCoy's voice was challenging. "He might show leniency if I come clean and turn you two in."
"We'll be watching you." That was Uhura, her voice silky. "Remember how the Captain's enemies have always just vanished?" Her tone remained the same, but the threat behind each word was unmistakable. McCoy, already ghostly, blanched further. "We have a way to monitor you, and if you do decide to betray us," she shrugged. "Let's just say it wouldn't be in your best interest to do so." She smiled. "However, aiding us could be extremely beneficial."
"Get Scott here," Kirk snapped, jumping to his feet and towering over McCoy's seated form. "I don't care how you do it, just get him here." He reached down, yanking the doctor to his feet by the front of his blue uniform top. "We need him to get us back to the mirror universe."
"But why?" McCoy was bewildered, and didn't bother trying to hide it. "What could you possibly gain by going back there?" Another objection occurred to him: "How do you even know it'll work without another transporter exchange?"
"We don't." Kirk shoved the other man away from him, toward the door. "But you and Scott are going to help us figure it out."
McCoy left at a stumble, quickly regaining his footing once out in the corridor, where others might see him and wonder why he was staggering out of his quarters. Especially without a bottle under his arm.
How the hell did I end up in this mess? He found himself wondering as he strode down the corridor. Even after ascertaining that he was, indeed, alone, he kept his mouth shut. After all, Uhura wasn't the only one spying on the crew. He'd grown adept at avoiding trouble on board the Enterprise, aside from his gross miscalculation with Christine Chapel before she left the ship under Spock's protection, forever out of his own reach.
Sure, he was a competent surgeon, brilliant at times, and could wield the standard torturer's implements when required during the odd interrogation deemed too important for even the Agony Booth, but he knew, deep down, he wasn't considered reliable enough for a posting at Starfleet Medical, where he really wanted to be. It was his bitch of an ex-wife, of course; she'd made damned sure he ended up as far away from Earth and their daughter as possible. He could handle his liquor; she had no right to insinuate that it was because of his drinking that damned Admiral had died…But, he thought with a certain malicious relish, even her well-placed family members couldn't just make him disappear. He had friends of his own, people who needed him to stay alive in order to keep their own secrets, so at least his exile involved a posting on the most notorious ship in the fleet.
Of course, life on the Enterprise wasn't exactly a free ride. Although he was allowed to experiment on the various alien life forms they encountered, and although his credit account was growing fat with the bribes most crewmembers paid to ensure their continued well-being while under his care, he still had to be alert. Alliances between crews of different ships were rare, but his spot on the Enterprise was coveted by more than one of his medical rivals, and he'd already dodged one assassination attempt not too long ago. Why couldn't everyone just leave him the hell alone?
With these and other self-pitying thoughts to keep him company, McCoy continued down to Engineering. He had no idea how he was going to convince Scott to come back with him to his quarters, as Kirk had ordered, but he would find a way if he had to bash him over the head and order a couple of the security guards whose loyalty he was paying for to bring the Chief Engineer there.
Of course, that would probably result in their deaths once they realized Kirk and Uhura were still on the ship, but it was all part of the job. Certainly he wasn't going to lose any sleep worrying over it.
oOo
"Do you think he believed us?"
Kirk shrugged, taking another healthy swig from the bottle. Uhura swung her legs over the side of McCoy's bunk, joining him. "If he didn't, if he goes to Spock, then we're dead," she pressed.
"He believed us. You," Kirk corrected himself, flashing her a smile that raised her pulse and weakened her knees. "He believed you. As far as he knows, I've got something to keep him in line, not just a pile of useless equipment that'll take days to properly calibrate and set back up." He swaggered over to the bunk, offering Uhura another sip of the brandy. She shook her head and ran her fingers up his arm, smiling at the goose bumps she raised. He lowered his head for another searing kiss, pulling her close and letting the bottle drop to the floor as she clung to him, moaning his name as his lips moved to her neck and began exploring the flesh exposed by her low-cut neckline.
Their kisses grew more fervent as they tugged each other's clothing off. Kirk stopped her when Uhura started to remove her boots, and her smile turned wicked as she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him down on top of her. If McCoy was going to betray them, if they were about to die or face imprisonment, then whoever walked in on them was going to be treated to a real eyeful. That was Uhura's last, defiant thought before surrendering herself completely to the moment and the man sharing it with her.
oOo
Scott had his head buried in a technical manual when McCoy arrived. "This had better be important," he growled without looking up when he felt the other man's presence behind him.
"I need your help in Sickbay," McCoy replied. Scott turned to stare incredulously at the doctor, the last person he'd expected to see in Engineering. "It can't wait, and I don't want any of your lackeys touching the diagnostic equipment." His voice was etched with contempt, earning him a few sullen glares from the few technicians in earshot, which he ignored.
"I'll get to it later." Scott turned back to his manual dismissively.
"Fine, but when the acting Captain asks why the modifications he requested haven't been taken care of, I'll be sure to tell him you were too busy." With that, McCoy turned and started to walk away, hiding a grin as he heard Scott cursing and rising to his feet.
"What the bloody hell does Spock want the diagnostic equipment modified for?" Scott quickly caught up with McCoy, just outside the Engineering doors. McCoy shrugged and continued heading for the turbolift.
"You'll see," was all he said after he sent the lift to the deck holding his quarters. "I have to pick up the specifications from my quarters; it'll only take a minute," he added before Scott could protest. Or ask inconvenient questions. "This information wasn't transmitted through the ship's computers," he added as the turbolift doors whooshed open. "It only exists in hard copy."
Scott began to look interested in spite of himself, but he kept silent as they headed toward McCoy's quarters.
"This might take a second," McCoy cautioned as they reached his door. "You'd better come inside. I don't want anyone getting nosy."
Scott shrugged. "Fine, let's get on with it." He waited patiently as McCoy opened the door.