Nobody

A Star Trek Fan Fiction

.

Chapter Four

.

The amount of grime that coalesced around Jim's feet made him wonder how many days he went without showering. It was strange to finally see his skin – all patched with bruises and swollen lacerations from yesterday. The water running over his worn muscles was both a blessing and a curse. Even the slightest pressure from the shower head sent ribbons of pain throughout his knotted body. From what he could tell he definitely cracked a rib, maybe two.

The hot water started to wane after five minutes and Kirk groaned. He wanted to stay in the sanctuary of the bathroom for as long as possible. Outside waited a suspicious Vulcan, an over-eager nurse, a depressed little girl and a Caitian who knew him only as 'John'; all of which wanted a ship-load of answers the teenager couldn't give.

The cold water made him grimace and he was forced to turn off the shower to conserve his warmth. He knew Chapel would be listening for her cue to start her physical, so he wasted no time snatching a nearby towel and wrapping it around his waist to feign some semblance of modesty.

With a hiss of breath Kirk steeped out of the bathtub and gingerly set his feet down on the peeling linoleum floor. He hoped that Chapel would have something to take away his aches and pains in that kit of hers.

He looked into the steamy mirror, the action born from habit rather then curiosity. Once his eyes met blue he froze. Kirk could never get used to his face being that of a stranger's. With some hesitation he brought up calloused hands to touch the portions of his face that weren't purple or oozing.

A light rap on the door made him jump. He quickly dropped his hands to his side and turned to the exit.

"Come in…"

The door opened a fraction to allow Christine to stick her head in - her gentle smile revealing very white teeth. Her eyes rolled from Jim's feet to his head before her face disappeared again. "Perfect. Just a second." He heard the sound of rummaging before the rest of her body immerged into the bathroom. Kirk noted that there was suddenly a large med kit in her hand; it was bigger then the one she used earlier on his head. The door shut behind her with a snap making Kirk suddenly feel claustrophobic.

"Could you please sit on the toilet while I examine you? I hope you're not shy."

Kirk rubbed the back of his head nervously; this was such a strange situation. "Nah… not particularly. But is this really necessary? A sensory block and some bandages will suit me fine…"

Cadet Chapel set her med-kit on the bathroom counter and sneered. "After all you've been through; you need all the medical attention you can get. I told Spock last night that we probably should have taken you and Auri to an actual hospital - but he wouldn't have it!" She was very animate when she talked; Jim wondered if all young women liked to move as they gossiped. He watched the tin of some weird cream bob up and down in her hand as she went on about Spock.

"Why?"

The girl blinked. "Well, he didn't explain… or he might have. It was four in the morning when he knocked on my door and dropped off Miss Auri, so I wasn't exactly listening. I think he wanted to find Doctor McCoy. We're in the middle of a survival expedition meant for cultural integration, so our superiors are off-planet. Spock is the highest ranking Federation officer and Dr. McCoy is the only cadet here with a medical degree. Spock is technically our mission leader at the moment, and you can bet having his primary medic missing is going to rattle him." Chapel started to run a tricorder over Kirk's abdomen, frowning every so often at the readings. "A fracture and some bad bruising. Looks like some of these have been broken before as well. You must attract a lot of trouble…"

"You have no idea…" The boy muttered as he eyed the tricorder with curiosity. The model number and some of the buttons seemed to strike a memory within him... but he pushed the thought to the corners of his mind. Jim wanted to know more about Spock's rational behind finding McCoy himself.

"Why doesn't he just call his aloof superiors, tell them that one of the Cadets has been kidnapped and to get their asses down here and find him? I mean… there's a seven year old out there thinking her daddy is in a ditch somewhere. Something needs to be done."

Chapel chewed her bottom lip as she listened to the teen's rant. "That is protocol…" She turned away and opened her tin of cream. "But I'm not questioning Spock. He has a damn good reason for everything he does… and if I had to choose someone to rescue Doctor McCoy it would be him."

The chill of the cream against Jim's skin gave him goose bumps and he slowly sucked in a breath to resist a shiver. "Whatever… he's just weird. I don't exactly see that guy as a knight in shining armor, you know?" He looked up into Chapel's face to see her eyes glittering with some fantastical mental image. He inwardly groaned; Jim knew better then to feed a young woman's imagination.

Thirty minutes later, after more boring chit-chat and some uncomfortable dressing, Chapel and Kirk came out of the bathroom and joined the other three forms in the living room. Johanna was curled up in the corner of the couch clutching her purple teddy-bear while Auri and Spock were engaged in deep conversation.

Kirk sat down heavily on the wooden coffee table, which was uncomfortably close to the two of them, and gave a tired smile. "So, what's the plan?"

Spock gave him a haughty glance while Auri reacted as if nothing Jim said would surprise her. "I was just telling Spock that the only place I can think of that they'd take a hostage is Grays down in Gallow's Alley. It's a very shady night club – unfortunately with a guest list."

"A night club? My little adventure just keeps getting better and better…"

Auri smiled despite the situation. "It's a front for the Executioners. What little law enforcement we have can't get their ears and eyes into the place without a mole, and you see what they do to moles." She frowned and put a hand on her abdomen. Kirk got the point.

Spock's brow furrowed. "We're going to have to make sure that McCoy is indeed at this establishment before we make plans to infiltrate it."

Kirk shook his head and chuckled, "Nah… Auri and me will just get past the security and party till we find some silver-haired bastard, then I'll get the information out of him. If he's there – great, if not… we'll find out where McCoy is anyway."

"Auri and I." Spock corrected.

"…what? You two? No offense but those ears of yours stand out more then an Andorian on Mars."

Kirk swore he saw the Vulcan's eye twitch before he replied. "You misunderstand. I was correcting your inadequate grammar. I have no intention of entering a building filled with dangerous criminals and attempting an interrogation. That would be foolish."

"You underestimate the power of some good old fashioned vodka."

"Negative. Apparently I overestimated the capabilities of your prefrontal cortex, for there is a problem with your higher brain functions. If you go in there – if you can even get yourself through the front door; which, approximating certain variables, results a low probability somewhere in the single digits – you're going to get yourself killed."

Chapel looked to Kirk. "He's right… we need a plan. A good plan."

Auri ran a hand through her matted hair nervously. "John's plan might work… with some adjustments. I might be able to get the both of us through the door since I doubt Varian took me off the guest list yet. It would have to be now or never though… since the Executioners think I'm dead – hopefully. If any of them see me there I'm going to wish I was. Jim could go as my date; if I slip security some credits we'll be fine."

"Perfect! Then I just need to grab someone with some information – Auri can tell me who – and get him outrageously drunk so he doesn't know which way is up. Weaseling out the information should be easy."

Spock rubbed the bridge of his nose, then ceased once he realized he was exposing a moment of weakness. "This isn't some sort of Terran cowboy movie Kirk." His tone implied that he was in the company of idiots.

"When you've had the last 12 hours I had… you start to wonder." The boy mumbled as he rubbed his still tender forehead. "Relax Ensign, I'm not entirely stupid. I got McCoy into this; I'm going to help get him out. I owe him that."

There was a moment of silence following that statement which earned the blond a smidgeon of respect. His momentary sincerity must have shown through, because Spock stopped arguing with him and Auri looked like she was mentally preparing herself for what she was going to face later that evening.

Chapel wasn't very pleased with the current scheme.

"You both are practically riddled with holes. If something goes wrong you're not going to be in any condition to deal with it. You know this right?"

Kirk waved her off. "Just give me a stimulant and I'll be fine. I'll power nap before the party too if it'll make you happy."

"I don't know… with the amount of trauma you've been through…"

"Trust me. I'll be fine." He flashed a smile that killed any further protests. "Now, to satisfy Mr. Ears I suggest we come up with several contingencies to fall back on in case vodka doesn't do the trick."

"Agreed." Three of them responded in unison.

Jim smiled and snatched the cold piece of toast Johanna threw at him earlier then stuck it in his mouth. He talked around it as he readdressed the group. "Good. Anyone have any ideas?"

There was a pregnant pause before a small voice from the corner piped up.

"How about figuring out why Daddy was taken." Johanna said with some heat. "Everyone seems to be okay knowing all this is was what's-his-face's fault he was taken in the first place." The girl gestured to Jim, her blue eyes flashing as if daring him to argue his innocence.

"We've been over this before… I don't know why."

Auri and Spock turned contemplative. All attention turned to the Caitian as she stood to stretch her legs before voicing her opinion.

"At the bar you knew they were after you..." She stroked the caramel fur on her chin. "If you come to them then you're in a worse position then I am. Maybe I should take Ensign Spock… or maybe Chapel."

Jim stood as well, a look on incredibility on his face. "Hell no! Spock is the last person you'd want in that sort of situation. Just look at him! He's a Vulcan, have you ever seen a Vulcan in a nightclub? Besides, I'm certain I can get the information… I need to do this. I'm going with you one way or another… and trust me; the alternative would suck for everyone. I can be very stubborn. Trust me Auri."

Johanna sneered, "Yeah, my father did that and look where it got him."

Jim sighed deeply, "Joanna, I didn't kidnap your dad - those assholes did. Let me fix this - please."

His eyes met hers, and for a second the child looked like she was going to burst into tears; but she swallowed her sorrow and turned away. "Fine, but you're not going to ditch me with Christine all the time. I want to help too – and don't you dare tell me I'm too little!" She snapped as the four of them opened their mouths to counter her terms. "I know I'm only a girl, but that's my father, and I'm going to do what I can too."

"I understand." Kirk said with a small smile. He turned to the others in the room, a sympathetic expression easily readable on his face. "Is that all right with the rest of you?"

Everyone looked very uncomfortable with the idea; yet no one wanted to argue any further on the subject. Kirk took the opportunity to make things official by throwing in his hand and looking to Johanna to complete the ritual. She shook it and sat back down next to Spock. Suddenly, it was as if a switch was thrown and a vein of maturity emerged within the child.

"I think that it would be smart to have the rest of us nearby in case something bad happens." Joanna suggested, earning her several strange looks.

"Yes, I believe that to be wise. I will be close by undercover in order to interfere if required. Chapel and Johanna should be on stand by for medical assistance." It was nice of Spock to purposely include the girl in the plans to make her more compliant. Auri and Chapel still frowned.

"Let's hope nothing goes wrong then…" Chapel said tersely.

Spock looked at her with a stern Vulcan stare.

"Wishful thinking is an inefficient Terran failing Cadet. This plan could do without such idealism."

Jim leaned into Auri's triangular ear and chuckled, "Well, he's a ray of sunshine…"

At that, they both smiled; well… that was until the moment Spock turned on them and reminded the both of them about Vulcan hearing. With a diplomatic flare, Kirk changed topic and asked Spock if he could raid his suitcase for something sexy to wear for his date with Auri.

The boy could have sworn the Ensign's ears turned green before the Vulcan answered him flatly, "No."

Author's Note:

Worst. Month. Ever. Not only did I have final exams, but my boyfriend of 3.5 years decided to break-up with me in the midst of them. Then there was the holidays and my family is a bunch of drama llamas... BLAH! So... yeah... that's what happened to me. Sorry for the very slow updates, and short chapter. I'm in recovery mode.