Chapter Five

Missing

Sulu sighed when he heard the report about the search groups and scouts. Why would he have to go and break out of confinement? Anyone would think he wanted to be kicked out of the federation! He thought miserably. Sulu ignored the pounding headache he had because he had argued with the navigator all day. Focusing his mind back on his job, Sulu carried on walking with a new spring in his step. If Chekov was going to be found, it was in a room just around the corner. It was a disused rec. room. It had been scorched during battle and nobody had ever bothered to repair it. Coming to think of it, it was even better than engineering to hide away in. Sulu walked through the doors hesitantly, he didn't know what to expect. If Chekov was hurt, if he was slowly bleeding to his death… no. He had to be positive. Even Chekov- who was notorious for not going to sickbay- would go there if he knew he was badly bleeding. He walked to the centre of the room. Nothing. It was empty. Just as he turned around to leave, Scotty came through the doors.

"What are you doing in here Mr Sulu?" he asked politely. Sulu looked around the room one last time. All hope of finding his best friend was now gone for Sulu. He had looked everywhere he could think of that Chekov would go.

"I was looking for Chekov sir. I thought, well, not many people come in here, you know, he could've been in here but he's not." The Scott frowned at Sulu.

"Has no-one told you? Mr Chekov is not on the ship. We are heading back to our last destination to look for him with the ship's scanners." Sulu's mouth fell open in shock.

"No sir, nobody told me. But sir, where was our last destination?" Sulu looked hopefully at Scotty. Only four people had known where they had been going for the past two months.

"If you swear, you must not tell anyone else! And do not give the captain the impression that you know." Sulu nodded eagerly. He would do anything to know where they were headed.

"We're going home. Or rather, Chekov's home. Russia." Sulu's eyes opened wide. So that's maybe why Chekov was acting so irritated and strange. Maybe it was because he wanted to go home and he knew we wouldn't be stopping to have shore leave or anything. Sulu thought to himself.

"Thank-you sir." Sulu spoke quietly as he walked past the commander and out of the room.

Scotty had been on his way to his quarters when he'd passed the deserted recreational room. Nobody came there after it had been obliterated in a recent explosion. He walked passed it, completely ignoring it. Wait! He thought suddenly taking a few steps back. Why are the doors open? What in the name of Satan is going on? He stepped in, his human curiosity getting the better of him. Sulu was stood in the middle of the room looking around him. He turned around abruptly when Scotty addressed him. Sulu looked surprised to see the engineer in here. Then again, Scotty knew that some people sometimes set up parties in here; he had heard them in engineering section. Then the Doc. would be irritated by the amount of people coming into sickbay for anti-hangover injections the next morning. Uhura, Sulu and Chekov were often among those people.

Scotty followed after Sulu, who left briefly after thanking him, and continued on his way. Scotty thought it was strange that the captain was so relaxed about the whole thing. There had been more blood in the brig and in the Klingons quarters. Jim had immediately ordered the ship to head back to earth. Scotty soon got immersed in technical journals and glasses of scotch. Time passed.

Jim was worrying himself stupid over Chekov. Bones had never known Jim to be like this. He knew that Jim treated every one of his crew like a brother but this was different. Anyone would think that Chekov was his baby. He paced up and down sickbay frowning. Leonard McCoy finally got fed up of seeing his friend so lost.

"Jim, will you just sit down? You're making me dizzy and I'm only looking at you." His friend's face was fraught with worry. When Jim shook his head and continued to pace, Bones got up and forced Jim down onto a bed. "Captain, I'm telling you this as a friend, and as your chief medical officer. You need to stop worrying over it. Look, Chekov's bright, young, fit. To be honest, if every crew member except me, you and Spock, befell the same fate, I'd be putting my money on Chekov to get away from them and find a way back. It's not your fault. You couldn't have stopped it happening could you?"

Jim looked at him before throwing his face into his hands.

"But maybe he'd still be here if I hadn't put him in the brig. I mean, I made it a walk in the park for them didn't I? All they had to do was pick up the key and open the door. And he wasn't going to not walk out was he? Who would actually try and stay in a prison?" Jim spoke quietly, almost like he disliked the sound of his own voice. Bones sat down next to Jim and took a pulse reading. Jim frowned. "Bones, what are you doing?" Jim asked with curiosity edging into his tone. Bones looked mildly surprised.

"I'm taking a pulse reading what did you think I was doing?" he asked, a hint of humour in his eyes.

"I know you're taking a pulse reading, I mean, why are you taking a pulse reading?" the captain asked his friend. Bones looked even jokier now and Jim was getting scared. The only time Bones was jokey was when he had given everyone on the ship a "Happy Hypo" or when he'd been hitting his secret stash of saurian brandy.

"Oh well, it's a reflex test. Carry on!" he was positively beaming. His whole face was alive with laughter and joy. Jim stood up and started backing away from the crazed doctor who snatched up an electronic clipboard known as a PADD and started scribbling away. After a couple of minutes Bones started looking at him and started crying. No, Jim thought, what the hell? He never cries! This is weird. I better get the nurse. He edged his way carefully around the doctor and walked into the office. Nurse chapel came toward him smiling.

"Can I help you captain?" she asked sweetly. The look on her face was genuine so Jim thought she didn't know what the doctor was doing.

"Yes! I think Bones has gone mad. Either that or he's drunk. He said he was giving me a reflex test. He took a pulse reading and then started laughing. Then he was drawing on a PADD and then started crying. Have you any idea what's causing it?" The Nurse had a frown on her face. She led the way back out of the office where the doctor was drawing again. He looked up at them and gave a cheery wave. Chapel was walking toward him and smiling like he was a four-year-old child.

"Hello there!" she said brightly to Bones "What are you doing? Can I see?" she spoke with a sickly sweet sound in her voice. Bones responded by handing her the PADD and saying he was drawing blueprints. "Oh wow! That is brilliant! Well done. You should be an artist!" she said with false enthusiasm. Bones looked like the smile which had spread from ear to ear would never leave his face.

"Well you pass by my standards Jim." He said, suddenly breaking out of the child act. "You looked really worried then! I didn't know my acting skills were that good!" He tilted his head back and laughed. The nurse was smirking now as-well.

"What? You mean, it was fake? All of it? Was fake? Why?"

"Because Jim, when humans grieve and worry, their reflexes drop. And you need all your reflexes- we all do- if we're going to get Chekov back."

The intercom whistled, interrupting Jim's thoughts. Bones had walked over and clicked the small white button that was next to the blue panel. Jim could hear Uhura's voice in the background but wasn't listening to what it said. Even though the doctor was right, Jim couldn't help feeling partly responsible for Chekov's disappearance. He could be lying, helpless on the ground, slowly starving to death. Snap out of it! He forced his mind back on his job.

"What did Uhura want?" he asked his friend, who was walking back over toward him, a reserved look in his eyes.

"She was notifying you that we are now in orbit around earth, tracking Russia." Bones told his captain. Bones couldn't bring himself to share the other thing she'd said to him. "The captain is being hailed by the current Russian equivalent of a prime minister. He wants to discuss some very troubling issues with the captain immediately." What very troubling issues were there? This yarn is just too complicated and painful. Why does it always have to be this ship that gets all the really hard problems to solve? Dr McCoy fidgeted from one foot to another trying to word it in his head before repeating it to Jim.

"Jim, the Russian leader," he paused, not quite sure how to word it, "they erm, want to. To talk to you about something." Jim looked as confused as Bones felt. His frown looked so deep on his face Bones thought it would never come back off.

"Why would- what about? What thing? What the hell?" Jim asked to no-one in particular. He started toward the door.

"Jim wait!" Bones cried out, going after his friend. Jim stopped but didn't turn around. "Do the rest of the crew know what's happening?" Jim's shoulders sagged. He didn't turn around but his head dipped down.

"Only the bridge crew and you. And you nurse I guess." Jim finished, glancing over at the befuddled looking nurse. The nurse nodded absent-mindedly and walked out of the room to finish the work she had been doing in the office. Bones nodded. Jim left to leave again and was surprised when he saw bones follow him into the turbo lift.

Pavel tore the Klingons off Larisa and cradled her gently as she fell to the blood-stained floor. "Pavel," she croaked barley able to keep her eyes from closing. Pavel gently ran a hand through her hair. He shook his head blindly. Her hand reached up and grasped his shirt. "Don't, baby, don't fall apart, go back to your friends. Stay there. Don't let them break you too. My born survivor." She exhaled and then laid still. Pavel bent his head over her and he waited until all the heat had left her body. His hand came up and rolled her eyelids shut. Laughter from behind him turned his sadness into blind fury. He turned his head sharply to look at the only family he had. Being careful not to drop it suddenly, he placed his mother's body onto the floor. Slowly rising to face his relatives, he felt the anger boiling inside his stomach and he had to fight the urge to go and do the same to them. The evil sound stopped abruptly. They walked over, staring intently at him. Anger took over his fear of these powerful beings as they tried to take him down. After about a five minute struggle, his half-brother had a tight hold on his left arm. His step father was holding his shirt collar with an iron grip. Drogaff "senior"- as he demanded to be called- leaned forward, putting weight onto Pavel's chest.

"Don't you dare rebel!" he spat in Pavel's face. "Don't you remember what happened last time? To your poor poor brother?" He asked Chekov. This just made Pavel even angrier. He tried to break free from his half-brother but struggling was pointless. Tarasov was twice as strong as he was. Pavel gritted his teeth as he was pushed effortlessly to the ground. He was in agony with his knee and wrist and his lungs still felt like they were being torn apart with every breath he took. It would be easier if I just stopped breathing. He thought dismally to himself. His step-father laughed. Pavel braced himself for the blows that would surely follow. What happened next he would never have guessed. "Get up." the klingon said. Pavel knew it must be a trap. Of course! The klingon wanted to punch his lights out and at the moment, he had his head bent. He didn't move a muscle; he was not going to get his face punched in. "I said, get up." When Pavel remained still for a second time his step-father got angry "Are you deaf? You idiotic human! I said get up!" The rough scarred hand clamped down on Pavel's neck like a lion holding on to its prey and pressure-pointed him as he dragged Pavel to his feet.

"Get the hell off me!" Pavel cried in Russian at them as he struggled to get the flesh jaw from around his neck. His family roared and bent double with merciless laughter as they started to push him toward a local estate. He recognised the third house down, number 20. The place he had grown up in. The house where it had all happened. Pavel closed his eyes as the memories came flooding. Walking through into the "room", two sharp knocks on the front door shattered the three-year-olds daydream. Frowning slightly, he called for his parents and walked toward the door. His mum had been quick to respond to his cries. She swung open the door and in that moment the world seemed to stop. "May I come in?" a gruff voice asked. It sounded gentle enough then, but it was obviously not always gentle. Thump thump thump meant that dad was coming down the stairs. She looked back at him as he stared long and hard at her. "I think I've got some explaining to do…" she mumbled quietly. Dad walked into the room, pushing his son gently forward as-well. Then the strange man walked in, what on earth was wrong with his head?...

Jim walked into his quarters slowly and collapsed onto his bed. He groaned when he looked at the time. How much longer can it take? The leader of Russia, apparently, hated visitors to his country. Only Russians got in, only Russians got out. His personal secretary had been gaining them 'permission to come into the country as V.I.P's' for the last two and a half hours. Jim was getting more and more tetchy. All he wanted to do was find Chekov and forget any of this ever happened. They could go into space, and things would be normal again- well, as normal as things can ever be on the Enterprise. He had been patient, waiting all day on the bridge for a reply from Russia but they were maintaining radio silence. Oh what the hell? He figured. Jim radioed Bones and told him to meet him in briefing room three in five minutes. His friend had sounded surprised but agreed to meet him. Jim walked out of his room and went to find Spock. Probably in botany or on the bridge. Jim reasoned, he wasn't only looking for Spock but also for Sulu and Scotty. All the S's! What a coincidence. I'm closer to botany so I'll go there first. If I find Spock and Sulu then I'll go straight to engineering but if not, I'll go to engineering via the bridge. Jim planned the route in his head. Crew-members he was passing were frowning at him as if he shouldn't be here. He stopped a new auxiliary navigator. "What's your name? I'm never any good at remembering names." He told her apologetically. She looked shocked that the captain should want to talk to her but after a moment's pause, she replied.

"Um, Lieutenant Power, sir, why?" her voice sounded unsure, as if she thought this was some kind of prank.

"Why, lieutenant Power, is everyone that I walk past staring at me like I'm a newbie?" he demanded in a kind but firm voice that suggested he didn't want to be messed around.

"I don't know because you're not new but em, my guess would probably be because of the tear-stains all down your cheeks." She finished in a rush, after seeing kirk's expression change after the first part of her answer. Jim frowned when she'd finished. Tear-stains? What tear-stains? I haven't been crying. What the hell is wrong with the crew? Ever since Chekov went missing… he forced himself not to think of Chekov. It hurt too much, knowing he was partly to blame for whatever had happened to the kid. He mentally cursed. Chekov was 24. He was not a kid and he hated being called a kid. Jim and Bones had seen the result of the Russian being called a kid by someone many a time since he was put on the crew. "Sir, what are you doing here? Its gamma shift. Why are you here?" the lieutenant asked him wearily.

"I am looking for, have you seen Spock, Scotty or Sulu? I need to find them. It's urgent!" he replied. The young navigator' eyebrows went wide in shock.

"Em, yes sir, I err, Mr Spock and Mr Sulu are both in botany and I think Mr Scott is on the bridge. He's quite busy fixing the helm though." She finished rapidly. Jim bowed his head and let a smile crack on to his face. Acting on instinct, he grabbed her wrists and bent them down as he bent down.

"Thank you so much!" he said gratefully as he let go of her hands and rushed down the corridor, heading for botany. Lieutenant Power was completely flustered by the captain's abnormal behaviour but she carried on with her work and headed off toward auxiliary control, shaking her head in disbelief.

Jim raced through the corridors and eventually crashed into the botany doors headfirst. He backed off, a bit dazed as the doors slid open. Sulu and Spock looked around suddenly by the commotion and looked a bit confused as Jim walked in holding his nose. "Spock," Jim groaned noisily, "You need to get those doors to open according to the speed the person trying to enter is going at." He finished.

"No offence captain," Sulu started, "but do you mean you just face-planted the door again?" he asked, in a slightly amused tone. Both men looked at Jim, waiting patiently for an answer. He nodded his head silently. He looked back up at them. Sulu was smiling gently; Spock had a hint of humour in his human eyes. He smiled as-well. It was funny, after all. Even as captain, he could not stop things being funny. Nor could he stop things being urgent!

"Anyway, that's not why I came here, I came here to get you two." Jim said. "We are having a meeting in briefing room three. Now!" Jim barked at them. That seemed to sort them out. He got two yes captains as they filed out of botany. Jim stepped forward and placed one hand on Spock's shoulder. "Can you go via the bridge and get Scotty please?" Spock nodded and changed direction. Sulu waited for his captain and they walked down into the briefing room where Bones was already waiting. And he looked livid. Really livid.

"Where the bloody hell have you been?!" he exploded like a volcano, spewing lava with his voice, "You told me you would meet me here in three minutes! So explain to me why I've been stood here for seven! I have patients to deal with!" the look of outrage was still on his face when Spock and Scotty walked in the room.

"I err; I had been going round the ship getting these three. Sorry I was late." He spoke quietly and sheepishly and Bones instantly regretted shouting at him.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have lost my cool like that." Bones told his friend.

"Bones, forget it!" Jim beamed at the doctor. Bones gave a small smile as they all sat down. "So, I want your opinions." He told the group of people, who all looked confused.

"Opinions about what, captain?" Scotty asked. Sulu nodded. He agreed with Scotty's question. "Haven't I told you? Sorry! I am considering skipping the waiting game and beaming down to Russia to look for Chekov without permission."

All he got for his efforts was a silent room full of stunned people…