So I totally lied. There is one flashback at the end and one dream sequence...Sue me. And don't yell at me, I totally updated within two weeks, and I updated a different story in between this update and the previous one. So I updated twice in two weeks. XP. Um, not sure how I feel about the writing quality but as my editor lives 6 hours ahead, she's already asleep and I'm impatient. Leave some feedback yeah?
Jim restrung his bow, planning his new route. There was a faction less than a two kilometer to the east. They appeared to have about fifteen people with two groups of three that go out scouting at night for food. They had been getting progressively closer to his crew. He planned to take care of that tonight if they headed this direction again. He tied the quiver he made while staying in the caves to his belt. It was small but managed to hold about fifteen of his handmade arrows.
He was going over his plan for the tenth time in his head when he suddenly pulled the phaser from its holster and pressed it against the neck of the man who had appeared behind him.
Spock raised an eyebrow. "Captain," he greeted calmly.
Jim blinked then chuckled as he replaced the phaser to his belt. "You shouldn't sneak up on me. I could have shot you."
"You would not have harmed me. You did not harm Nyota, and you were in a much more agitated state," The Vulcan said logically.
Jim spared him an assessing glance. "You're the second person who didn't even look the tiniest bit nervous that I drew a phaser on you," he smiled a bit. "That same person was also the only one who could sneak up on me like that too." The way the human spoke was vulerable, and his eyes glazed over for a moment, lost in memory before returning to the present. "Who else knows?"
"Luca knows you are somewhere close by, and I assured the doctor that you were alive and unharmed. Only I am aware of how close." Spock answered.
Humming in confirmation, the captain fell into thought. "How?"
Spock actually hesitated. It was only for a few seconds, but Jim knew Spock. Their various missions and games of chess allowed the captain to be privy of his first officer's thoughts. He knew when Spock was trying to come up with a way to work around a question. Still Spock answered, "I noticed our trails traces being erased in areas we had been. I also deduced you would not stray too far from the landing party given your insistence to be in the rescue party on previous mission even if it is not advisable. Chances were high you would be within the vicinity."
They stood regarding each other. Kirk decided not to call the Vulcan out. It was foolish, and he was aware of how much so. Still he moved on from the subject. "Why are you here, Spock? Decker told you not to follow me."
"I did not follow you, Captain. I happen to be out for a walk and coincidentally found you."
A smile crossed Jim's features. "And here I thought Vulcan's couldn't lie."
"You are my captain. As such, I will follow your orders and your orders alone."
The smile turned bitter, "Really? Is that such a good idea, Spock?"
"You have yet to have done anything to lose my trust; therefore, I will continue to, as Doctor McCoy would say, 'Place my bets on you.'"
Jim snorted. "So if I told you to kill someone. You would do it?"
Spock stood unwavering with eyes so intense it made the human look away. "I believe you already know the answer to that."
Indeed he did. Jim thought of Khan, of the footage Uhura had shown him when he wouldn't believe that Spock would become so emotionally compromised over him. Even in Nero's final moments, the Vulcan carried a sense of humor over deciding the Romulan's fate, albeit a dark sense of humor, and that man had destroyed his planet, killed his mother. Knowing what Spock had done for him, and that Spock would trust him so completely even though he continued to emotionally compromise him again and again, made the captain think that perhaps Spock had the right idea to distance himself from Jim originally.
"I can't let you go that far for me Spock," he whispered.
"Cap-… Jim… I understand that the events that occurred on Tarsus IV and the actions you had to take to survive them are far beyond my comprehension without experiencing them myself. I also understand that you do not wish for us to know or repeat those actions. However, I ask that you do not distance yourself farther from us."
Turning his back to him, Jim sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "You don't know what you're asking of me, Spock."
"Are you reluctant because you truly believe that I…we cannot handle it, or is it because you are afraid."
Jim's body snapped to attention, his eyes blazing. "What?" he growled.
"You are afraid that we will see you as you once were, and we will not accept you as we once had."
"Let's make one thing clear," Jim's voice dropped lower, almost threatening. "Everything I'm doing, everything I did in the past, I don't regret a thing. I'd do it all again if it came down to it. But it doesn't mean I want you guys to do what I had to. Once you commit those sins, Spock, it doesn't ever go away."
"You cannot take on the world alone, Jim," the words were soft, almost gentle. Brown eyes, finally looked away from fiery blue in a submissive gesture, and Jim eased. His authority wasn't being questioned, and Spock wasn't trying to undermine him. He was just trying to help.
"I know," the blond sighed, releasing his anger. "Look…I'll think about it, alright? If I think I'm in way over my head, I'll come to you."
"That is acceptable."
Jim was about to leave when he remembered what he had wanted to say to Spock. "And Spock?"
"Yes Jim?"
"About Luca, think of me as his guardian okay?"
Spock thinned his lips. "I do not understand."
"I'm trusting you to look after him. I'm giving you permission to do what you think is best while I'm away. So don't hesitate." Jim disappeared into the forest before Spock was able to question him further. He had some business he had to take care of.
Luca shot up from his bed of blankets, panting heavily. His eyes were crazed as he looked from one place to another desperately, searching. He wasn't there. His heavy breathing grew ragged as he looked more frantically. Where was he? Neither of them was there.
McCoy, who had been up keeping watch over the camp, went to the boy's side, his fatherly instincts kicking in. But once he got within a foot of the young boy, the child, scrambled back frantically, throwing himself up against the trunk of a tree, shivering violently as he held himself, eyes shut firmly closed.
McCoy frowned and tried to approach the boy cautiously. "Hey, Luca. What's wrong, kid?"
He quickly stopped his advances when Luca began shouting at just the light touch on his arm. "Don't touch me!" He screamed. "I promise! I'll be good! Just stop it! It hurts!"
The doctor backed away, realizing that his presence was only making Luca worse. Uhura had also woken up from the screaming, and he glanced at her, asking her if she could try to calm the boy. Both stopped however with Luca's next words. "Jim! Don't let them touch me! Help me! You promised they wouldn't touch me anymore," he whimpered, curling into a ball.
Decker emerged from the forest, having returned from being on watched. In a harsh whisper he snapped at them. "Get him to be quiet! He'll give us away," his eyes was searching the trees around them frantically, searching for any attackers who might be hiding in the shadows.
"What do you think we're trying to do?" McCoy growled. "If we get near him, he gets worse."
Spock chose that time to return as well, slightly out of breath. He had heard the screaming and sprinted as fast as he could back to the camp. He had thought there was an attack. Seeing Luca, he was almost certain an attack would have been easier to handle.
Slowly he approached the child with the same caution that he had given Jim when he had just killed their first set of attackers. Unlike with McCoy, Luca allowed Spock to get closer. He even allowed the Vulcan to kneel at his side. Spock reached out to touch him. Luca made an ear piercing scream and suddenly lashed out, attacking Spock with kicks and swinging arms. Spock was forced to grab his wrists before Luca hurt himself.
Upon contact, he was unprepared for the strength of the raw emotions that flood through his shields. For a split second, he felt every emotion as if they belonged to him. His skin felt bruised from where too big hands had grabbed him. Hands that touched him in places he did not wish them too. Fear. Anger. Hatred. He wanted to kill them, but he was hungry. So hungry. They had food. If he allowed them to touch him, they gave him food. But with Jim, he didn't have to allow it anymore. He didn't have to accept it anymore. But Jim had left. He wasn't here anymore. It was only a matter of time before it happened again, but it hurt so much, but he also didn't want to die.
Spock let go as if he had been burned as the emotions flooded his psych. To shocked to even rely on his Vulcan training to keep them out. It was like Luca had been reliving the past in his mind. Every unwanted caress. Every bit of fear and hatred. It was almost enough to make Spock lose his lunch as bile made its way to his mouth. He forced it down through sheer force of will.
He grabbed for Luca again before the child could get too far away from him. The action made the child panic, redoubling his efforts to escape. Spock wouldn't let him. Pulling him closer, he instinctively put his fingers to the boy's meld points. It was a light meld. He did not wish to fully enter the child's mind and invade his privacy; however, he did as what a Vulcan parent would have done. He pushed back the bad memories, muting them from the forefront of Luca's thoughts, and pulled up the feelings of calm and comfort, the ones Jim induced when he was present.
Luca fell into Spock's arms when the Vulcan pulled his hand away, and Spock caught him, allowing Luca to rest against his chest. The child didn't fall asleep, but his body was too exhausted to move. The Vulcan didn't mind however and settled against the tree so Luca could rest.
Decker moved closer to them a soft look on his rapidly aging features, but forced to stop when Luca he began to whimper. Obviously noticing he would unable to approach, he said, "I know it's hard, but try to stay strong, kid. Have to get over it for now. At least until we get out of here." Turning his eyes to Spock, they glinted dangerously. "Commander I need to have a word with you." The commodore's eyes flickered to the child in his arms. "In the morning. Don't wander off again." With his message delivered, Decker left the camp, assumingly to resume his patrol.
Silence fell over the camp along with the heavy atmosphere. The only sound was the occasional sniffle and soft breathing from Luca, who had attached himself to Spock, snuggling into his chest.
McCoy was the first to speak. He stared into the small fire they had made earlier, watching the flames grow weaker as the night wore on. "Jim, used to get those type of dreams. Back at the academy. He'd wake up disoriented, and not have a clue where he was. It was mild in comparison though. He seemed to snap himself out of it after a minute. He could even go right back to sleep like it never happened. I guess I never realized how strong Jim was after seeing the real thing."
Spock held Luca tighter, resisting the urge to say it was because Jim had been on his own. That there had been no one to help him through it and had learned to deal with it himself so he could continue on with his everyday life.
"Do you two mind telling me what's going on?" Uhura placed her hands on her hips, staring down the two men. "I know you two know what's going on with Kirk."
McCoy and Spock glanced at each other unsure if what they should tell her and how much. In the end, Spock was the one who spoke, telling her the things Jim had told him and McCoy together. Nothing more.
When he finished, she sat awestruck at both Jim's passed and the severity of the situation. "I didn't realize…" she faltered, unsure what to say.
Luca buried his face into Spock's neck, giving Spock whispers of his emotions through the constant contact. It was peculiar but the Vulcan was certain he felt a growing dislike towards the Lieutenant and a hint of condescension. Obvious Jim was a survivor. Stupid. Spock and Jim good together.
Spock tried to ignore the last part, but he hypothesized that the boy's opinion on Jim and Spock's relationship influenced how Luca felt about the Lieutenant now. The more pressing matter was that Spock had been unable to meditate since Jim decided to, as the doctor put it, "become a vigilante". Partly because of Luca's sudden attachment and the other being he could not truly enter a deep meditation if he needed to remain alert and act within a moment's notice. The result was showing. His shields were not at acceptable levels and keeping stray thoughts out, for example Luca's, was becoming increasingly difficult.
"I suggest we rest. In 2.43 hours, it will be dawn."
McCoy and Uhura listened to the Spock's suggestion, falling asleep within minutes of laying down. The boy remained wide awake, listening to Spock's soft breathes and feeling the steady heartbeat against his side. Sleep was far gone from his mind. Nightmares followed sleep, and Luca was not ready to face them yet, so Spock didn't push.
"Spock?" Luca whispered.
"Is there something you require?" Spock asked, equally as quiet.
"I," he stopped. Slowly, he sat up in Spock's lap. His cheeks were still flushed red as was his nose which he wiped with his sleeve before meeting Spock's eyes. "I'm sorry. For crying….I've…I'm a burden." His face filled with determination. "But I promise, I won't cry anymore. So…please don't be mad at me."
Spock blinked then lightly shook his head. "You are not a burden. It is natural for humans to express their emotions, just as it is necessary for me to control mine. It is I who should apologize."
"For what?" the boy asked.
Jim had once told Doctor McCoy that it was necessary to keep Luca busy. Since Jim had left, they had done nothing but coddle the boy, leaving him with only his memories to dwell on. Jim knew this. That was why he had anticipated Luca's episode and given Spock permission.
"It is of no consequence. I plan to scavenge for food in the morning. Would you like to accompany me?"
A big grin graced Luca's features, and he nodded frantically. "Yes!"
"If you are to accompany me, you require sleep."
The grin fell and horror ghosted over his face. Nonetheless, Luca settled down in an attempt to sleep. Once he began to drift, slender fingers met with his psi points, bringing forward the calm once again to ensure a peaceful resting period.
Spock fell asleep soon after.
Jim watched the camp fall asleep from a distance. Spock really was good with kids whether he wanted to admit it or not. He had made a good decision leaving Luca with him.
The entire scene worked out in his favor. Uhura was now more aware of the situation, though he did not like the look of pity that had marred her expression, and she was now more prepared.
He wanted to follow Decker, see if he was merely patrolling or up to no good, but the camp was essential unprotected right now if Decker was up to something, so he stayed.
In the morning, he'd try to find some meat for them. For now, he'll watch and he'll wait, awaiting his chance, and catch a light nap somewhere in between.
He wasn't going to make it. He couldn't dodge. This was going to be the end.
Jim was on his knees looking up as the finger on the phaser pulled the trigger. It was like everything was happen at slow motion. The world around him was a blur. The red beam exited the nozzle heading straight for him. He closed his eyes awaiting his final moments.
Warm blood splashed onto his face. He was afraid. He knew who was standing in front of him, who had taken the shot for him. This moment was what had haunted him the most since leaving Tarsus, and he knew no matter how much he wished otherwise, it wouldn't go away until he opened his eyes and faced it.
He expected dark skin, a tall, lanky body of a teenager and calm, warm, golden-brown eyes, staring down at him while red blood stained the dirty rags they called a shirt. In its place was pale skin, a tall lean, muscled body, pointed ears, shiny black hair, and calm, warm, chocolate-brown eyes staring down at him.
Morning came all too soon. Spock was up before the rest of the group though it was likely they would wake within another hour. The sun was barely over the horizon, the air cool and the grass wet with dew. Spock placed Luca under the covers after separating the young boy from his person. He estimated approximately 15 minutes before Luca woke from his lack of presence. That was just enough time to go to the restroom and see if Decker had returned from his patrol.
After relieving himself, he followed the trail Decker had left during his patrol. It was difficult but easy relative to trying to find Jim. It seemed Decker had spent majority of his time away from camp. The trail was cold and there was no sign of wear nearby. The commodore hadn't kept a constant route nor had he been close enough to return to camp in an emergency.
Nearing the 20 minute mark, Spock wondered if he should turn back. There was a possibility that his superior office had run into trouble and needed assistance, but Decker could have just wandered off on his own as well. He couldn't leave his comrades defenseless for any length of time even if Jim was watching nearby.
He continued on for another five minutes. He turned around, about to head back to camp when he heard voices. One of them was Decker's. The other Spock had difficulty hearing. Carefully, he approached the source.
Decker had a man pressed up against a tree, forearm pressed against the man's throat and a phaser pressed firmly under his chin. "I'm losing my patience," Decker growled. "You get one more chance before I kill you, now tell me. Where are they?"
The man smiled darkly. "We ate them. They were a little gamey, but hey, better than starving."
Decker struck the man's with his phaser, causing the stranger to fall unconscious. The commodore had a crazed look in his eye, filled with disgust and hatred towards the man.
"Commodore, I have been searching for you," Spock said, making himself known.
Decker turned to face him, giving a lopsided grin, and ignoring the body just a foot behind him. "Spock, perfect timing, we can have that talk."
"Indeed, Commodore," Spock said carefully.
"I was thinking that with the five of us, we could sneak in to the main encampment. I couldn't do it by myself, but now we have just enough people to possibly make it work. With that Vulcan brain of yours, we can come up with something. Then we can lower the shields around the planet and─"
"I am relieving you of command as you are emotionally compromised," Spock interrupted.
The smile dropped and anger radiated off of Decker. "I am not emotionally compromised."
"You have just proposed entering a heavily fortified area with only four officers and a child. In addition, you have left the camp unprotected. As of now, I am relieving you of command."
"I am not emotionally compromised," he growled. "What about you? You wondered off last night as well. You could have announced our presence to enemies nearby."
"I will not say I did not leave the camp last night; however, I was close enough to camp where I could hear Luca's distress and returned within two minutes. Not only are you too far away to not be aware of any danger that may have befallen the camp, but you are too far away to be of any assistance should you become aware of the situation. You have and are endangering those under your command with your actions in what appears to be a search of vengeance. Therefore, it is necessary to relieve you."
"And if I won't step down?"Decker glared, stepping up to Spock.
Spock wasn't intimidated, he merely raised an eyebrow. "Then I will have to forcibly remove you from duty, Commodore."
There was no retort from the commodore. The man scowled at the ground, clearly agitated, but unable to find a way out of his predicament.
He had been away long enough. Spock left to return to the camp, knowing that everyone was probably awake by now and wondering where he was. Perhaps he could convince Jim to return now that he was in command. It would put Doctor McCoy and Luca at ease, and Jim could come up with a ludicrous plan, that would somehow work despite the odds, and fix their situation. It was where Jim belonged.
As he suspected, Luca was already wide awake. He was tense and unnaturally still until he saw Spock. Relief spread through the boy, and he gave Spock a tentative smile. "Good morning, Mr. Spock."
"Good morning, Luca." He turned to face a partially awake doctor, sitting up in his bed, and Uhura making the last of their food over the fire. "Nyota, Doctor McCoy."
McCoy grunted a response, while the lieutenant smiled and said good morning as well.
"Mr. Spock, I think I saw some berries yesterday we can eat. Can I get them?"
Spock was going to say no, but remembered Luca needed to be given responsibilities to keep him functionally. Despite his better judgement he said, "Do not go past the stream."
The child's eyes lit up with determination, and he was off in a second. McCoy looked disapproving.
"Spock, you should eat something," Uhura offered him a plate.
"I do not require it at this point."
Uhura gave him her calling bullshit look which Spock promptly ignored.
Uhura chatted during breakfast about going on shore leave the moment they returned and having a huge dinner full of every dish she could imagine. McCoy added something about going to Risa and getting laid then about how much of a lecture Jim was going to get for ditching them. Uhura helpfully added strange and unusual punishments for the doctor to try. Spock only listened with half an ear, the other half listening to his surroundings.
Luca was taking too long. Spock listened harder. It was too quiet. He didn't even think Jim was nearby for how quiet it was. Unease crept up the base of his spine, searching for any sound. What Spock heard was five sets of heavy footsteps.
Without warning, he hoisted his two companions to their feet, shoving them towards one direction. "Someone is approaching the camp," he whispered to answer their bewildered faces. "I will draw them away. I need you both to circle around to find Luca and head north. I will rejoin you when I have lost them.
Both nodded without further comments or complaints, heading quickly, and noisily, away from their camp. Spock, in an effort to draw attention to himself, ran through every bush and stepped on every twig he could find.
The assailants turned towards his direction and thankfully, the small group didn't split up either, so he continued running, luring them farther away from his companions. He forced his mind to stay blank. He didn't want to wonder why Jim had yet to show himself. Whether Jim was injured or had abandoned them. He refused to think about it. He focused on the now, pushing himself to go faster once he felt he had drawn them away far enough, softening his footsteps and lessening the noise he made.
He jumped over some high bushes and was forced to stop. He had memorized the map on the Enterprise and the geography of the planet. This cliff had not been on the maps. A small fast paced river was down below. He was calculating the success rate if he was to jump and calculated the odds to be less than 13.498 percent.
The five assailants caught up with him and Spock turned to face them. Three were armed with phasers and the other two with knives. They were dressed in civilian clothing with the colony insignia on their shirts. Each assailant had that same look in their eye. A look that said that it wasn't anything personal, just survival. A look Jim occasionally had since their landing on this planet. They were going to kill him.
Spock took a step back ready to jump when Luca came barreling though them with a phaser clutched in his small hand, causing two of them to fall their knees from the unexpected force. Luca shot them both. One had a gaping hole in the head and the other through the chest.
With the two gone, Luca managed to get between Spock and the other three, standing in front of him as if his small frame could protect him from the two other phasers and a knife. But Spock knew as well as Luca, that Luca's phaser was out of juice, and the phaser the one assailant had carried, skidded behind the other three. Spock grabbed the boy's hand, backing away to the ledge. He would protect Luca from the fall. Jim would find him.
Luca's eyes widened a fraction before Spock saw it. Jim came out, running out a knife on hand and a phaser in the other. He sported a long gash across his chest and the skin of his left eye and right jaw was discolored. But there were no signs of pain in his face.
He stabbed the man who carried the phaser in the back, severing his spinal cord, while aiming his phaser at the woman who carried the other. The woman turned to shoot, but Jim was faster, shooting dead center in the chest. The third assailant managed to cross the distance between Jim and himself, wielding his knife with skill. Jim used his phaser to block, but the knife continued its strike downwards and sliced into his already injured forearm. He countered with his own knife, slashing across air as the attacker had dodged backwards.
Jim would win. He already knew that nothing could change that, except…
Just behind the assailant, Jim watched in slow motion as Spock curled himself around Luca, a phaser wound to his chest, the blood quickly spreading. Spock was falling forward, over the cliff, Luca in his arms, and one of the assailants Luca had shot, smirking before he finally died.
Jim's blood ran cold. Running past his opponent, Jim jumped off the cliff after them.
Mumbling to yourself probably wasn't a good sign, but it sure as hell beat the deafening silence around the camp. They were held up in one of the old abandoned farmhouses near the settlement. Jim had cleared out the stranglers before he brought the others. It was close to Kodos' mansion and close to the forest where they would stage their final attack.
For now, he was skinning some meat he had caught on the journey. It was a fairly small wolf like creature, but it was for the very young children who would be staying behind. The four children who were under 10 were going to hide here tomorrow with Kevin in charge. Everyone else was going to storm the mansion. There was a good chance, they wouldn't come back, so he wanted to leave as much behind with Kevin as he could. This was really it.
He didn't even realize he was grinding his teeth until he felt a calloused hand take the skinning knife from his. He looked up to see Jabari staring down at him with soft brown eyes, and Jim offered a small smile in return. Jabari was the only one he could smile at these days. He…he was his first real friend, and the only one he could count on not to die.
Still, the boy squatted beside him and said, "Let me help."
Please review!