Carnival

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Chapter Seven

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Saviors and Swans

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First thing Jim felt upon waking was the drool that managed to seep into his pillow as he slept. Half-conscious he rubbed the moisture from his face and sat up as though rising from the grave. Jim rubbed his eyes with some difficulty before realizing he must have been drinking heavily last night. Usually he was bright eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning due to his Starfleet training; but his body was having trouble cooperating with him after the trauma he put his various systems through.

Groggily the Captain rolled out of his bunk and headed to the small bathroom attached to his quarters. He then immediately brushed his teeth to get the taste of bile out of his mouth. The problems he must have caused for the janitorial staff last night was going to earn him a few dirty looks in the hall. Jim looked into the mirror to see if he managed to get any vomit in his hair. Apparently he wasn't that drunk then, since he didn't find any traces there. He looked instead to the wrinkles around his eyes that had been starting to appear there over the last few years. With a sigh he told himself that it would give him some sort of sage-like appeal; after all, Bones was pretty good looking for his age and still attracted attention - even if he said he didn't want it. On the subject of his doctor, Jim peeled off his dirty clothing and stepped into the shower in order to properly review the events that transpired up until this point.

Jim brought up the facts regarding Bones' disappearance. He had no basis for panic, since Zira and her Dolls had been more then hospitable to him and his crew. There was the discomfort Spock had been radiating for the majority of his time on Pacifica; though Jim thought it was just the noise and the chaos at the time... there was the way his First Officer looked at Vienna last night changed that opinion. The Vulcan was suspicious of the woman – and Spock had every right to be when he was one of the well-educated officers on the subject of Jim's luck with the ladies. Jim wouldn't be surprised if Spock calculated the probability of the girl killing him in his sleep. They both knew Vienna wasn't everything she seemed to be, but to James. T. Kirk that was all a part of the allure.

"Bridge to Captain Kirk."

Jim turned around and stumbled out of the shower. He wrapped a towel around his waist as he wandered to the intercom and responded to Uhura's call. "Captain Kirk here, what is the problem Lieutenant?" He was eager to hear if Spock returned, though part of him knew that the bad feeling currently creeping through his gut probably meant that Spock didn't.

"Captain, it's been six hours since Commander Spock left to search for Dr. McCoy. Scotty sent out a recall on the Gamma group to see if anyone else has gone missing. They were all accounted for. Lieutenant Freeman interviewed all of them to see if they had any information on where Spock or McCoy went."

"Good work. Did any of them have something to say?" Kirk quickly donned a fresh uniform and pulled on his boots as he spoke.

Uhura's voice dropped in tone. Jim had a sinking suspicion that her following words were going to be something he did not want to hear. "Apparently a few of them spotted Spock, but it was only a few minutes after he beamed down. He was with a human woman, but no one knows where he was heading."

The Captain rubbed his forehead. Now doubt was edging its way into his thoughts. This wasn't something as simple as Bones going on a private venture… especially if Spock hadn't contacted the bridge in hours. Jim was forced to assume that his best friends were kidnapped - or worse. Nothing less would have prevented his First Officer from following procedure.

Kirk left his room and headed for the transporter. He was going to fetch his friends and sort this whole thing out even if he had to stop the Carnival to do it. Deep down he knew there was going to be more to this ordeal then just waltzing in there with a scowl and a phaser, but cowboy diplomacy was the only tool currently at his disposal. Everyone knew he wasn't known for being the brains of the operation – Spock was. Once he found his sidekick then something more efficient could be worked out.

The captain entered the Transporter Room with his usual strut of confidence, making the Ensign at the console stiffen into attention. Jim waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Prepare to transport to co-ordinates 372-1-mark-600"

The Ensign looked hesitant, but Jim ignored it and jumped up on the transporter pad. When the red-shirt made no move to input the coordinates, the Captain tilted his head slightly. This stare down made the officer look to his panel guiltily.

"Ensign, did you hear me?"

"Yes Captain." His voice was full of tension. Jim was wondering if he was going to have to order this guy to sickbay. He made his voice a little less terse just in case, "Then why are you not doing your job?"

"Sir, acting Captain Scott was ordered by Commander Spock to not allow you to transport down to Pacifica. He said that there was a high probability of danger."

Jim let out a very short sigh and stepped off the transporter. He approached the Ensign like an instructor at the academy might approach a particularly brainless cadet. "Firstly, I am Captain of this ship; therefore, my orders supersede that of anyone else on this vessel… including both Commander Spock and Lieutenant Scott. Secondly… there is danger down there - that's why I'm going." The Captain input the co-ordinates himself and powered up the transporter. "Tell Scotty to continue keeping my seat warm for me, I'll be back with my Science Officer and Physician before the day is out. Energize."

The Ensign didn't argue further and beamed his superior down to the planet.

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Kirk materialized in the middle of the Grand Tent. Above him, two Orion girls were rehearsing some sort of suspended dance that required a lot of silk scarves. For a moment he was entranced, but then he heard the soft tread of Vienna from behind him. How she got to him so quickly... Kirk would never know.

"I knew it was a matter of time before you came back down from the heavens." Her words were said with a bit of a purr and Jim wondered if that pleasant smile on her face was meant to lull him into a false sense of security. Well... it was working.

"Two of my most accomplished men are missing Vienna. It's something I can't take lightly. Spock was with you last night, where did you leave him?" He searched her angelic face for any sign of potential deceit.

The woman picked up his intent and rolled her eyes, "I suppose it's too much to ask not to be treated as a criminal."

Jim chuckled darkly, "Vienna. I'd be a fool not to suspect you or Madame Zira after everything that's happened. Spock found you out and now he's missing. Bones went missing before that. I could have a dozen Federation Security Teams sweep this place from top to bottom while you and the other Dolls are out of work for a week… or you can lead me to what I want."

Vienna twirled a lock of her golden hair around her dainty finger. "I was planning to anyway. Dr. McCoy and Mr. Spock made terrible guests." She turned her back on the Captain and headed towards the exit with a swing to her hips. The woman glanced seductively over her shoulder when she noticed Kirk didn't immediately follow. "Coming Captain?"

Kirk's gut feelings were telling him that he was just another cow being led to the slaughter house, but he followed Vienna anyway. How many more dangerous situations was he going to walk into before his career was out? Spock could probably hypothesize on that...

Outside everything seemed normal. Under the endless sea it was perpetual night and the effect was starting to make Kirk miss the sun. The crowds buffered the two of them as usual, and on more then one occasion Jim managed to bowl someone over to try and keep up with his guide. He wondered vaguely where Vienna would keep Spock and Bones to prevent then from returning to his ship. His Science officer was known for being able to escape from various cages easily.

When they stopped outside of a particular amusement ride Jim couldn't stifle his skepticism. This was the last place he'd put his two most cynical officers. "You didn't…"

"They'll be waiting for us at the end of the ride. I thought it fitting since you'll be leaving with them to gallivant across the stars and would want one last memory to keep you satisfied till your next Shore leave." She smiled sweetly and took Kirk's hand in hers. "Just the two of us, alone… for a few moments... Please?"

Jim looked to the multitude of hearts and the occasional cherub that decorated the Tunnel of Love, and then back to Vienna. "As tempting as the offer is… you don't honestly expect me to hop in one of those swans, float dreamily into that dark tunnel, and not get shanked by whomever you have waiting in there to ambush me? You really must not think much of me…"

Vienna tugged the Captain over to a tethered wooden boat, which as Kirk pointed out, was shaped elegantly like a swan. It floated as a cloud on top of a shallow pool of water. The current tugged at the craft, attempting to lure it towards the gaping maw of the amusement feature. Jim still refused to jump aboard.

"Honestly, you have a phaser, your ready for anything, there's no other way to get to your friends… just let me have my fun - which does not involve harming you by the way - and I'll give you Spock and McCoy. It's an innocent deal." The woman cocked her head so that her flaxen hair cascaded down her back in soft ringlets. The movement revealed the nakedness of her throat and Jim stared - caught in yet another web. With a sigh, he stepped into the boat before grumbling,

"There's going to be nothing innocent about this trip one way or the other."

Author's Notes:

There were two chapters I planned out that for DAYS had me agonizing over which one to put up first. In the end I decided to throw up my least favorite (and terribly short) so that I could l skip through the boring part of Kirk's ordeal and instead tell it through a different point of view. Next chapter is going to be longer and far more entertaining. Every time I think of this next scene I can't stop laughing... the set-up is too funny. I need to draw it.

Also. I'm still addicted to the song LuvSik by Mozella. I swear SOMEONE needs to make a MV for Spock/Bones out of it... or tell me where I can get a free download of some program that'll let me make one myself. It won't get out of my head...

On another note... what the heck is a Funhouse? I looked it up and it seemed like a cross between a Hall of Mirrors and a Haunted House. So... technically the combo of Bones and Spock's horrors was indeed a Funhouse. All-things, your shot in the dark turned out to be correct. Where else would Kirk face his fears then in the tunnel of love?