After hearing Sulu's words Jim missed the look shared by Spock and Khan as he turned to the security officer in the room.
"Cuff him and take him to Med-bay…I want a six man security detail on him at all times."
"Yes Captain."
Orders given to security Jim and Spock ran to the bridge. As Jim slid into his chair Uhura informed him they were being hailed so he told her to put it on screen and then told Sulu to broadcast it ship-wide for the record. The resulting conversation with Marcus, him firing on Jim's ship, them warping away only to be caught and fired right out of warp, Marcus beaming Carol onto the Vengeance, and then attempting to fire again only to be unable thanks to Scotty's interference…all of this made for one pissed off Captain who yet again ignored Spock's warnings and sent him back to the bridge so he could see Khan alone.
"Tell me everything you know about that damned ship."
"Dreadnaught class. Two times the size three times the speed. Advanced weaponry. Modified for a minimal crew. Unlike most Federation vessels it's built solely for combat."
"I will do everything I can to make you answer for what you did…but right now I need your help."
"In exchange for what?"
Jim sighed softly and looked Khan in the eyes.
"I was going to offer safety for your crew, but I can't guarantee my own crew's safety right now. The only thing I can offer you is a favor…anything you want within reason…and not against any of the vows I have taken…to be redeemed whenever you want it."
Jim watched something flash in Khan's eyes as he seemed to debate the offer in his head. Khan's mind whirled with the possibilities of all the things he could use Kirk's offer for.
"You coming with me or not?"
Minutes later found both of them both suited up and standing in a chamber as Jim spoke to Scotty via comm., preparing to be launched through space and through a door on the other ship. Scotty's reaction to finding the access port they needed to enter was rather amusing, even to Khan though Kirk's response amused him far more.
"Whoa whoa whoa hold on there Captain. This door is very wee, I mean ya know small. It's four square meters tops. It's gonna be like jumping out of a moving car, off a bridge, into your shot glass."
"It's ok I've done it before."
The look Khan gave him made Jim try to explain it only to give up when it just sounded ridiculous. They launched into space, dodging debris as they went. A piece hit Jim's visor making him lose his visor, forcing him to fly blind. Khan told him to pull back a bit and follow his lead, both of them safely arriving in the larger ship. After introducing Khan to Scotty the former began leading them through the ship towards the bridge. Once there Jim approached Marcus while Scotty stunned Khan. Scotty gave Jim an apologetic look.
"Sorry lad but Mr. Spock said he canna be trusted."
"He saved our lives Scotty…more than once now. I trust him…to a point."
Scotty looked guilty while Jim tried to get the Admiral to surrender. Khan had heard everything, including Jim's defense of him. That did not stop him from attacking Scotty, rendering him unconscious, and proceeding to knock Jim out as well. He shoved Marcus' daughter out of the way, breaking her leg in the process before crushing the Admiral's skull…though he did feel a bit guilty for his daughter having to see it. Khan turned to Jim who was trying to get back up and lifted him by his throat, pinning him to the wall.
"Captain…Jim…Why do you limit yourself with Starfleet? You are better than them…smarter and bolder. You could be so much more…"
"Starfleet does good…we help keep peace…Marcus does not represent all of us Khan…we're not all like him. I'M not like him."
"I know you aren't James. I need you to help me now. I want my crew back."
Khan hailed the Enterprise and picked up Kirk, showing him to Spock as he demanded his own crew be returned to him before throwing Jim back onto the floor. Spock seemed surprisingly willing to agree to the terms in Jim's opinion, even though he was laying on the ground struggling to get back up. Khan reached down to run a hand through Jim's hair as he moved to the control console.
"I see your 72 torpedoes are still in their tubes. If they are not mine Commander I will know it."
"Vulcan's do not lie…thee torpedoes are yours."
Khan transported the torpedoes onto his ship and sounded relieved when he spoke again.
"Thank you Mr. Spock."
"I have fulfilled your terms, now fulfill mine."
Khan beamed Jim, Scotty, and Carol back onto the ship…unfortunately directly into his former cell in the brig. When Jim finally reached the med-bay so Carol could get help he found out Spock had detonated the torpedoes. Khan's scream of rage was unknowingly echoed by an equally unhappy yell from Jim.
"What the hell did he just do Bones?! There were people in those things!"
"Spock's cold, but he's not that cold. I've got Khan's crew. 72 human popsicles safe and sound in their cryo tubes."
"Son of a bitch."
Jim sounded a bit awed at their audacity…particularly coming from Spock. A sudden loss of power made Jim curse even more as he and Scotty ran for engineering. The enterprise was heavily damaged from the Admiral's firing upon her and was going down with no power to stop her. The vengeance was having trouble staying out of Earth's gravitational pull as it too was now badly damaged. Khan was enraged by what he was as Spock's murder of his people. He pointed the ship towards Starfleet headquarters and let it fall.
At some point Scotty realized that the housings in the warp core were misaligned. Jim knocked him out and strapped him into a chair, venturing inside the warp core chamber alone, knowing the radiation would kill him. He made it, aligned the housings, and managed to make it back to the sealed chamber door…by sheer stubborn willpower. He managed to close the door and saw Spock kneeling outside the door. Jim's voice was weak but he had to know.
"How's our ship?"
"Out of danger. You saved the crew."
"You used what he wanted against him. That's a nice move. Making him think you killed his crew…not so much."
"It is what you would have done."
"And this…this is what you would have done. It was only logical. I'm scared Spock. Help me not be. How do you choose not to feel?"
"I do not know. Right now I am failing."
Jim heard the emotion in Spock's voice and felt somewhat soothed, knowing that he would be missed…be remembered.
"I want you to know why I couldn't let you die. Why I went back for you."
"Because you are my friend."
Seeing the Vulcan shed tears over him dying made something inside of Jim want to cry with him, though he had no energy to do so. He managed to put on hand on the glass, an action mirrored by Spock, and Jim moved his fingers to replicate Spock's gesture. He finally lost the battle between the radiation poisoning and his stubborn willpower, his hand sliding down the glass as Spock broke down and screamed in rage.
On Earth the vengeance crashed into Earth, narrowly missing the Enterprise on the way. Khan managed to get out and started running, especially after Spock beamed down and began chasing him. Bones had Jim in the med-bay and sat heavily in his chair…he'd just lost his best friend. A sudden sound from the table next to him made him shoot up as the dead Tribble he'd injected with Khan's blood came back to life. He commed Uhura on the bridge and told her to get Khan's ass back on the ship because his blood could save Jim's life. She beamed down onto where Spock and Khan were fighting and shot stunners at Khan. Khan and Spock fought some more until Uhura screamed for Spock to stop.
"Spock stop! We need him alive! He might be our only chance to save Kirk!"
Khan used Spock's moment of shock to incapacitate him and rounded on Uhura.
"What do you mean save him? What happened?"
"He…the warp core housings weren't aligned…he went inside…"
"Radiation poisoning…foolish, reckless, bold…Let's go…NOW!"
Uhura had them beamed back to the ship and Khan immediately ran into the med-bay, Uhura and a couple nurses moving Spock on a bio-bed behind him, and instructed Bones as to how to synthesize a serum from his blood to fix the Captain.
"It will take both serum and a direct transfusion of blood in order to fix the damage that was done…and even then he will need rest for sometime after."
While the transfusions took place Khan watched Jim for any sign of healing, any sign of life…and breathed a deep sigh as the other's chest began to rise and fall. The crew around them weeping in relief that their beloved Captain was alright made Khan realize just how great a man James Kirk really was. It made him that much more determined to keep him safe no matter the cost.