Carnival

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Chapter Eleven

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Electricity and Goodbyes

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Bones was furious. He watched the retreating back of Spock while Vienna laid a gentle hand on his shoulder to stop the doctor from crawling after him. Kirk was riding the le-matya like it was some sort of hellish bronco. McCoy knew that at the end of Jim's cowboy moment his services were going to be required; but no… Spock's steel trap mind thought that leaving behind the only medic - an injured one at that - with a blond-haired blue-eyed turncoat was a brilliant idea. Whoever made that stiff-necked robot a science officer should be shot.

McCoy roughly pushed Vienna's hand off of his shoulder and tried to stand. His ribs felt like someone took a sledgehammer to them. He was forced to sink into a crouch in order cough more fluid out of his lungs – the dark variety. Bones noted that he was going to have to be more careful about that misplaced rib of his or he'd end up spearing himself in the heart without warning.

"Don't be an idiot. Your hurt, you need to lie still." Vienna's voice was still laced with the remnants of terror. Bones ignored her urging and properly straightened himself out. "I'm a doctor; I think I know what I need and what I don't need. What I need are some medical supplies; what I don't need is you nattering at me. I don't trust you, and I'm sure as shootin' not going to let you order me around."

"Your First Officer told me to get you to where you guys beamed down yesterday." Her frustration was evident.

"Yeah, well… I didn't hear it." Bones stumbled in the direction his friends went off in. He didn't get very far before he had to stop and take a breather. Operating with one lung was proving to be more difficult then McCoy wanted it to be. "If only I have my god-damned med-kit."

Vienna picked up on his grumbling. "It's not like you could patch a lung or something in the field. Face it; you'll only slow them down. Let's get to where they wanted us to be. Once they apprehend Zira I'm sure they'll get to the Enterprise and beam you up at the old co-ordinates."

McCoy wasn't listening; his brow was furrowed as he stared at the footprints of the le-matya. "There's a zoo at this Carnival… right?"

"Yes…" The woman answered slowly, not sure what the doctor was getting at; however McCoy didn't bother to clarify as he continued, "Where is this zoo?"

Vienna was getting impatient. She grabbed him by the shoulder and turned the doctor around to face her. He let out a painful wheeze and nearly lost his balance. "What are you trying to do? Kill me?" He hissed as he recovered his footing, but it was the Doll's turn to cut to the chase. "Just what are you scheming Leonard McCoy?"

Just as the doctor opened his mouth to respond, the world gave a terrible lurch and sent the two figures sprawling. McCoy landed heavily on top of Vienna. The both of them were dazed as the slight tilt they were used to became a very awkward one. The slope of the ground was now threatening to slip McCoy and his partner off the face of the carnival. The majority of their conversation was left behind as they struggled to maneuver into a standing position; it was difficult since McCoy was taking longer to orient due to being crippled and Vienna was pinned by his body. The girl blushed slightly.

Bones took notice and attempted to convey an understanding smile - it came out as a painful grimace. "It's okay. I'm a doctor."

Vienna paused and giggled weakly. It was strange that being in a graceless situation like this made her feel amused. The world was practically ending and yet there was a small bit of pleasure to be had in the company of a surly, stubborn medical officer she had - minutes ago - formally been the enemy of. "Is it the habit of every Starfleet Officer to use humor in dire situations?"

"Security doesn't. Then again… they rarely have anything to laugh about." McCoy finally made it to his feet and took a look around. "Which way did you say that zoo was?"

The woman sighed and scrambled after the doctor in case he decided to run off in a random direction. "I don't know what you could possibly want with the zoo… but it's just up ahead." She pointed a little left of where Spock and Kirk had run off. McCoy wasted no time following her directions and stumbled across the tilted street.

By the time they got to the zoo, the surroundings were a lot more silent. A chill raced up the doctor's spine as his thoughts became a little paranoid. Screaming was a sign of the living… but the absence of noise was a bad omen. Nothing but the squealing of bending metal and the distant sound of running water could be made out with the casual strain of the ear. Vienna stuck close. "I don't think we'll have time to make it to the beam up spot if we linger for much longer… this place is going to be destroyed in a matter of minutes."

McCoy grunted and entered the zoo. He looked around for a small second before letting out a fragile cheer. Vienna barely had time to follow as the doctor dashed for a small hut marked with the words, 'Veterinarian Clinic.' Vienna looked dumbfounded. "You're not intending to patch yourself up like an animal are you?"

"We're all animals." He opened the door – surprised to find it unlocked, "Human arrogance assumes otherwise." Bones started to rummage around for anything he could use. He found several hypos and a dermal regenerator. With some cursing he attempted to set the device for human conditions - it was currently set to Orca.

"Anything useful?" Vienna slipped in the hut behind Bones and looked around at the horrible mess. In the gravity shift half a dozen vials and several jars of antiseptic broke. Shattered glass and sticky substances littered the floor, but such junk didn't seem to faze McCoy in the least. She looked up to see the man pumping something into his jugular.

"This will keep my ticker going even there's a rib through it… but it won't last forever." The doctor went to go to the door, but as he turned, his eyes set on something he couldn't ignore.

Vienna followed his gaze and frowned at what McCoy was in the process of lifting off of the floor. "You are not seriously thinking of taking that are you?"

Bones had a mischievous twinkle in his eye as he turned his prize over in his only working hand. With a new confidence he hefted it over his shoulder and marched back into Carnival streets. His heading was the Wax Museum, even though Vienna shadowed him with much protest.

…

Spock was lost in his own mind for what seemed like hours, though the Vulcan knew it was barely two minutes from was counting the heartbeats of his commander through his frozen fingers. He could not hear, nor see, but Spock knew danger was fast approaching. Kirk's pulse quickened, though in Spock's twisted perspective of time, each pulse felt minutes long.

The collective screams of the dying had ebbed from Spock's thoughts to only being a slight buzz in the background of his mindscape. Vulcan minds were capable of multiple chains of thought, so Spock isolated all foreign stimuli to his outer processes. He chose to center himself around Jim, in hopes of finding some way to break free from Zira's thrall. It was possible, for he managed to regain his sense of touch; but now it was all he could do to refrain from moving as the Betazoid wished him to. Spock refused to damage the Captain no matter the circumstances, and his will was like diamond.

All of a sudden he felt a break in the woman's control. It was like a breath of reality. Spock opened his mind to what was really occurring and with a chocked out cry, he found he was too late.

Blood was gushing from his Captain's chest and Zira was screaming like a banshee while clutching at her eye. Spock barely had time to orient himself into a kneeling position to catch Jim as his knees gave way, but he managed to while putting a hand to the wound in order to stem the blood. The Vulcan was rapidly calculating how long his closest friend had before he bled to death. He looked to Zira and found her in the midst of falling to the grating. Her arms fell limp at her sides as she hit the deck, revealing a large dart compromising her eye in a rather gruesome manner. Spock looked for the source and stared in bewilderment at the corridor Kirk and he had emerged from earlier.

McCoy was bearing an empty Tranquilizer gun, Vienna at his side. As soon as Zira was out of commission, he shouldered the weapon and started to run towards the two of them as if a le-matya were at his heels.

Jim wasn't doing so well.

"S-Spock… is she dead…?" He rasped, clutching at his wound, his hand over top of Spock's. He was trying to keep his eyes open despite the blackness creeping in at the edges of his vision.

Spock looked to the doctor who was rapidly injecting Kirk with a series of mystery concoctions. As he struggled to make up more medication from the limited resources he foraged, McCoy explained what had happened. "I meant to hit her in the neck… but the first shot missed and she looked to see where the bloody thing came from, so she got a face full of tranquilizer dart. I'll have to look her over to see if she survived… you're more important right now. Spock, apply some more pressure… I only have seconds." McCoy was breathing in short gasps, his words sounding rushed. Spock raised an eyebrow but said nothing as he used both of his hands to push at the stab wound. A few seconds later McCoy pushed his fingers aside and poked around Kirk's wound, earning himself some yells of agony as Bones shoved the dermal regenerator into where the damage was the worst. The blood flow started to slow and McCoy withdrew his hand. "I need a damn Tricorder to pin point what's wrong… I can only slap a band-aid on this mess. Spock, we need to get to the ship, NOW."

The Vulcan nodded and picked up the Captain as if he were a child. Jim's head lolled back as he gasped in pain. "Gentle Spock… I'm damaged goods…" His voice was faint and lacking in humor. This spurred Spock on and he ran to the Transporter Zira attempted to use before she attacked the Captain.

Bones and Vienna dragged Zira's body next to Spock. Bones looked the woman over while Vienna dashed to the console and started to fiddle with the controls. "Automatic transportation sequence initiated. Beam out in 60-."

Her sentence was interrupted as a large spike of metal burst through the bottom of the atrium. It was the main support of a Carnival ride - forced through layers of concrete and metal as the park collided with the bottom of the ocean. With the twisted wreckage came a torrent of salt water that short circuited everything it touched. The sound deafened everyone within the central mechanism.

Large iron doors fell over the exits as the electrical apparatus' that supported them failed. Electric sparks flew out from the console and burned Vienna's hands. Her scream of pain was drowned by the rushing water. She was forced to yell in order to communicate to those waiting on the transporter. "The Transporter is shorting out!"

"Will we make it?" Bones cried in response.

The horrified expression on the girl's face was enough of an answer for the doctor to start saying his prayers. Spock gently laid the Captain down on the transporter pad before making a move to assist Vienna at the console. Jim grasped at his First's sleeve feebly. "S-Spock… I order you not to be a hero… and do something s-stupid like sacrifice yourself to save us… or s-some of us… or me."

"If that option presented itself it would be far from unintelligent and preferable to the fate that awaits us."

"All or none Spock. That's an order." Kirk's hand dropped from Spock's sleeve as he fell into unconsciousness. The Science Officer took a long hard look at his Captain before joining Vienna at the computer station.

The water level was rising rapidly, and at Spock's estimate, would overtake them in two minutes. With a hasty shove, he pushed Vienna out of the way and towards the Transporter Pad. "Vienna, tell the doctor that he will need to keep the Captain from drowning in the next fifteen minutes. Try to do the same for Zira, but if it comes down to a choice between her or the Captain – save the Captain."

"What are you planning to do?"

Spock stared at the burnt out console and began to tinker with the working remainder. "I will try to get a signal through to the Enterprise. This computer must have a method of communication, for it is receiving information from a multitude of cameras… therefore it is possible I could reverse the process and heighten the signal to broadcast through the depths of Pacifica's ocean. The likelihood that it will make it is astronomical… bordering on the impossible."

Vienna's eyes widened and panic set in. Numbly she watched the Vulcan's hands move fluidly over the keys. "You mean… we're going to die here?"

"Quite possibly, but despite logic… I think we'll make it."

The woman looked extremely confused, "But… what? You said astronomical…"

Bones crept up from behind her, having heard the last bit of Spock's statement. He grabbed her firmly by the shoulder and started to pull her back to the injured party members. There was a layer of water over the grating at their feet and their footfalls sounded like the crackling of lightning. "Obviously you've never heard of our reputation… or more specifically his." The doctor pointed a thumb to the unconscious Captain. "You just watch, he's going to survive this nightmare while sleeping; he always does. The odds could be stacked against him a million to one and he'll just come out of it needing a hypo and a tailor."

There was a shred of doubt in McCoy's voice that the woman picked up on. He was trying to keep up morale; after all, that was what he was trained to do. She chose not to expose it as she made sure the water didn't engulf her ringmaster's head. Both Zira and Jim were floating now that the water was up to their knees. Bones was frowning as the captain started to shake violently. The sea water was freezing; this coupled with a stab wound was going to kill the man if they didn't get out of there soon.

The Medical Officer looked to Spock, who was now working away furiously. His face was set in absolute concentration, even as the keypad beneath his fingers spat electricity, burning his fingers. Soon the entire console short circuited and water lapped at the Vulcan's chin. He swiftly moved on top of the computer station and began to access some of the higher mechanics by peeling off overheating panels and fiddling with the back-up interfaces; but he was running out of time.

The last accessible panel went under three minutes later, making Spock dive underwater and hope to Surak that he didn't get electrocuted. At the same time, McCoy was struggling to keep himself and Kirk afloat. The tips of his toes were leaving the top of the transporter and Kirk was sinking like a stone. It took all of his energy to lift the captain, but swimming for the both of them would be impossible. All that was keeping the doctor moving was some shots of adrenaline and a few painkillers.

The salt water swallowed the both of them, making McCoy's head hurt from the cold. Despite the lack of oxygen, Bones held Kirk above the surface. At least the man would survive a few more seconds then he would.

The weight was taken away from him and a firm arm wrapped around his torso. The heat of the body made McCoy instantly feel better. His head popped out of the water to stare tenaciously at Spock. The Vulcan had Jim part way over his shoulder and was managing to keep the three of them stable.

"Showing off are we?" Bones grumbled over the never ending splashing.

"Saving lives, and I dare say I'm better at it then you." Spock said with what the doctor swore was a small smile.

"Did you manage to get off the signal?" Bones was trying to keep the hope out of his voice.

Spock fell silent and tried to hide his emotions, "I did, yet I doubt our transporters could lock on to us with all this interference. Also, the signal only lasted for a few seconds…"

McCoy looked away with a miserable expression. Luckily Vienna was two busy trying to swim and keep her old master alive as well. Electricity was now dancing through the water, giving all of them momentary shocks that reeked havoc on their nervous systems. The doctor swore he was getting a heart attack, but maybe it was just a symptom of Spock's smile.

"What the hell are you smiling about? What happened to the whole Vulcan's don't have emotions bullshit?"

Spock's usual impassive face greeted Bones. "I was just ruminating. Out of all the times we could have died, this seems most appealing."

Bones stared at Spock with an expression of disbelief. "My god man. Do you hear what you are saying?"

"Barely. My ears are compromised with an access of fluid." Spock said as he gave a small frown. Bones kicked him underwater, knowing full well the Vulcan knew what he meant, but Spock merely thought it was a spasm on the doctor's part. "We will all die together, friends till our last breath."

"Poetic Spock… but I'd rather die alone knowing that both of you were safe…"

Silence answered this as their heads hit the top of the atrium. If ever there was a time for last words it was now.

"Spock there is something I've wanted to tell you… but I-"

Spock looked the doctor in the eye, his face unreadable as the water forced him to break contact and squish his face towards the only available air. Before McCoy could say anything further, he was forced to take his last breath; but he chocked because his left lung was already too full of his own blood. Accidently he inhaled a breath of water and Spock looked on horrified.

The Vulcan left Jim to free-float now that they all were doomed to the same fate. He then turned to help McCoy even though his scientific mind couldn't come up with any solution. The doctor was going to die first… and that was that.

But Vienna didn't think so. She shoved her way between Spock and Bones pushed at the doctor's chest. Blood and bubbles came out of his open mouth, and just as he reflexively went to inhale, the woman put her lips over his. It was a moment that shocked Bones into full awareness.

There was a small bit of oxygen Vienna withheld from her own starving lungs that kept McCoy conscious for about half a minute. During their interaction they sank a few meters from the top of the atrium, Vienna's hair leaving a golden trail behind her. She put a dainty hand to the doctors face, her blue eyes wide and full of fear, but also full of something akin to love. McCoy was speechless - which suited him well in this environment. Suddenly a strange sound flowed through the water and both figures looked up. They expected to see Spock still holding on with Jim at his side, but what they saw instead made turned their hearts to stone.

They had vanished.

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Authors Note:

A hastily written chapter after a long absence! August is a horrible month for me... and I've been crazy busy and will continue to be as college starts up again. This is one of my longer chapters though... so I hope I sort of made it up to you. It kinda got more Bones-Spock then I intended in the end here... but it seems that the majority of you don't mind it. I'm not too sure of the quality of this sucker, since I was scrambling to edit this... so point out anything obviously off, please and thank-you.

Read and review! Next chapter is definitely the last!