Chapter Two- Academy Years: Ambitious Memories
Sitting across from Captain Christopher Pike, I watch silently as he shifted through the papers on the desk before him. Only having been at the Academy for a week, I find that I am uncomfortable in the notion that I have to, not only dress in red, but in a skirt as well. Basic orientation filled up the entire first week of courses, but now I sit before Pike for some type of assessment test.
Only problem, I don't know how to respond to any questions he might ask.
"Your name is Kyra Amethyst McCloud, age twenty-one, and you have had some frequent run in with local law enforcement," Pike states as he summarizes my record. "So, tell me, Cadet McCloud, what are your strengths?"
Strengths? The fact that I can kill someone with my bare hands and not even bat an eyelash, or flinch from the exposed blood. The fact that my mind doesn't register the need to improve my living standards, but only rely on the basics that helps with my survival. I live, only to survive.
"I'm not sure what ye' mean, Captain," I reply, feeling the confusion that fills me as I try to come up with an answer suitable for the question.
"What do you succeed at?" he replies, glancing at me in slight curiosity.
"I can retain information. I can tell ye' that ye' smell like fresh spring water and smoke. I can hear the other students outside that door, pacing as they await for the assessment test. I'm...good at fighting."
The curiosity grew in his eyes and I inwardly sigh as he laces his fingers together, leaning forward, "From what I saw, and from what Cadet Kirk has stated, you are more than good." I shrug, hoping he'd drop the question and move onto the next, "What is your one weakness? Something that may hinder you from being at your best performance."
Beautiful blue eyes flash before my eyes, and before I can stop myself, I whisper, "JT," an eyebrow quirks in response, "Jim. Not in a bad way. It's just...if I ever find out that something happens to him, I'd completely lose all sense of reality. He's been by my side for many years and he's never treated me as though I'm some...inhuman fighting machine."
A small smile forms on Pike's lips, his light blue eyes lighting up slightly, "Cadet Kirk speaks highly of you. Strange, he says you're his biggest weakness as well."
I nod, looking down at my once blood-stained hands, "While Jim an' I have obvious difference in personalities, we seem to work as the foundation for each other. He makes me feel more alive, more human than I really am, an' from what he tells me, I am the one person who keeps him grounded and level-headed."
"So, you're saying you're not human," I nod in response, "Then what are you exactly? I don't think I've ever come across someone of your caliber."
I bite back the pain, "I don't know, sir." Another quirked eyebrow forms on the older man's face, "I was seven when my mother died, an' we lived in Ireland, hence the accent. I've never known anythin' 'bout my father, besides the fact that his advances toward my mother were not welcomed." His eyes widen in shock, but I didn't stop, "I went through many foster families before I ran away when I was eleven. I was searching for a place to belong, where I wasn't the outcast, but...it never worked out. Not until I met Jim. While we both knew I'm not completely human, he didn't treat me any different."
"You have qualities of a Hunter," he states, glancing up at me, "Hunters are used in special Black Ops missions to track down and take out any threats to the Federation."
"Does this mean I am done 'ere, sir?"
"Before you go, may I ask, if you ever have a chance to find out who, or what, you are. How would you choose between that, and Cadet Kirk?" I tense at the question, and from the minute flinch in the older man's eyes, I knew my calm gaze darkened significantly. "You said a week ago, where he goes, you go. Would you give up the opportunity to find your own answers in life for him?"
Looking down at my hands, my once restful hands now clenching into fists, clenching the red fabric of the skirt. Would I leave Jim for my own selfish gain? After everything he's done for me? Would he let me go? Would he expect me to let the chance pass, or would he encourage me as I have him for so long?
My hands released my skirt and I look up at the Captain, "I believe, Captain, if that were to come in effect, that is a decision Jim Kirk is going to end up making for me. While I want nothing more than to find answers to my questions, Jim is the only important person in my life. I cannot be expected to leave without the knowledge that he will be alright without me."
"Again, your loyalty is admirable," Captain Pike states as he stands from the desk, extending his hand, much like when I stepped aboard the shuttle to this place.
Shaking his hand, I allow a soft smile form on my lips, "Because of Jim, I've come to understand the point of loyalty and trust. If anything, I am thankful for him, because he gave me the ability to become more than the empty shell I would've become."
Dismissing me respectfully, I exit the room, hearing Pike call upon the next Academy student pending the assessment. Grabbing my satchel, I make my way down the hall, ignoring the curious glances and the glares from other students. Figures, even in a place where human-alien relationships are unified, I am still outcasted by others.
Stepping outside of the Academy building, I find a secluded spot beneath a tree and sit down. Laying back on the lush green grass, I peer up at the light white wisps of clouds decorating the clear blue San Fransisco skies. Reaching into my satchel, I pull a cigarette out of the pack and light it, feeling the addictive chemicals relax my nerves.
Staring back at the sky, I blow a stream of grey smoke into the air, thoughts of the moment I had known Jim had been different from any other human I've ever come across.
"Run!" his voice had yelled out, his fourteen-year-old face twisted in hidden torment as he shoved the older teens forward.
I was sick of the running. That's all we did. The hunger that raged in our stomachs, our bodies slowly turning against us as we raced through the rugged terrain. Blood filled the air after a phaser shot sounded past my ear, my eyes catching sight of the blonde-haired boy's body stumbling, his hand moving to clench his shoulder.
My hunger dissolved to unexplainable rage. Heat, hotter than the glaring sun above us, seemed to fill my veins like molten magma, running beneath the surface of my skin. My eyes watched as one of the older kids moved to support him as the ran and in that instant, I stopped.
No shot was fired, but I heard their footsteps fall silent behind me. Turning, I face them with the only defense I knew I owned. My unfaltering, blank gaze. My exotic and unique eyes often caused people to fear. I'm unknown, and everyone, no matter what race, feared the unknown.
"What the hell do you think you're doing!?!" I heard a voice hiss out.
I glanced over my shoulder at the wounded blonde, his beautiful blue eyes reflecting, not only pain, but the sudden need to protect. He reminded me of a lion, their protectiveness over their den. His concern for my well-being was something I've never come across before, so I allow my gaze to soften.
"Go. I'll be alright," I stated calmly, my gaze pulled back to the men before us as a blinding pain pierced my shoulder.
A throwing knife, embedded into my shoulder. Ignoring the blonde kid's screams, I yank the knife from my shoulder, the scent of my own blood wafting through the air. My blood burned through my veins and as I looked up, I'm not sure what it was about my gaze that made the older, more experienced, men before me each take a step back out of fear.
I hummed with delight as their fear filled the air, mixing with the scent of my blood, my body rushing toward them. No one seemed to know how to react until I lept over two men, aiming for the squad leader. The red-stained blade burrowed into the exposed clavical of the man, his tainted blood caused my stomach to clench in disgust.
Barely anything seemed to register as I moved with an ease I never knew I had. My hands seemed to use the blade as an extension of the body, slicing into the exposed areas of their bodies like a hot poker probing a cone of ice cream.
The wind picked up, my gaze glaring down at the cooling corpses at my feet. My fingers wouldn't drop the knife in my hand as I turned, the wide, fearful gazes of the other refugees staring at me unabashed by their discomfort. Without a word, I shoved my way past them and toward the stream.
Kneeling down, I finally released the knife at my side, my gaze turning to look upon the crimson substance staining my pale hands. Looking into the water, I felt curious, gently touching my reflection as I gaze into the eyes that place fear into so many hearts. But, something wasn't right. There was too much silver, more so than the dark purple that contained my irises.
If I was an animal, I swear my ears would've twitched as I heard the faint sound of a hesitant footstep behind me. Whirling around, my hand clenching the once released knife, I came face-to-face with a familiar pair of beautiful, soulful blue eyes. Such an eye color sought by so many humans to have, yet I am graced to look upon such an open pair of blue. Unashamed by the emotions that fill them, no sense of emotional blocking.
"Are you alright?" he asked, not moving to approach me, but I realized it wasn't from fear, but from not wanting to bother me.
Dropping my arm to my side, I turn back to the stream, my gaze once again turning to the blood-stained hands in my lap, "I...I just killed five, well-trained soldiers like they were nothing. The worst..." I don't know why I did it, "I enjoyed it. Watchin' the light leave their eyes, knowin' that I can take away what they take for granted. I can take their lives, just like they have damned so many others to do."
A silence fell over us at that moment, but I heard him take another step toward me, "Thank you." My shoulders tense at the foreign words, "You...you always seem in complete control. We've been on the run for a week and you've hardly said a single word, always silent but always keeping an eye over everyone. I don't even know if you've slept. But, I watched it happen. You just seemed to flash with a sudden anger. When I got hit, it's like you snapped."
I swallowed the bile that rose in my throat, "You're the one thing keeping everyone together and alive. I...I wanted them to die for hurting ye' an' I don't even know why."
"Well, whether or not you know why you did it; thank you. Can I ask you something?" I make no comment, but it seems he took that as a go ahead, "Can you teach me some of those moves?" I tensed at the question, "You won't always be around, and if I'm going to help keep everyone alive, I need to know what to do."
"No," I whisper, my red hands clenching tightly, the scent of rejection filling the air, "I won't need to teach ye', because I am not leavin' your side."
"Why?"
"Smoking is gonna kill ya' one day," a gruff, slightly familiar voice says, pulling me from my memories.
Pulling my gaze from the sky to the dark-haired, brown-eyed doctor, I nod in greeting, "Dr. McCoy."
"Please, call me Leonard, or if ya' like, you can call me Bones. Apparently it's the only name Jim will call me," McCoy states as he sits beside me.
Smirking, I glance back at the sky, "Jim has that habit."
"Quite the curious kid, he is. Does he always ask so many damn questions?" Leonard asked.
A giggle leaves my throat, seemingly surprising the older man, "Sometimes, he will continue askin' til he gets the answers."
"Answers he wants? Or answers he needs to hear?"
I quirk an eyebrow in Leonard's direction, giving him a look, "What do ye' think? He'll keep askin' questions til he gets what he wants, an' half the time, the answers he gets isn't what he's expecting."
Leo- Bones let out a laugh that filled my ears with a sensation that has hardly ever been around me. I've never met another human, besides Jim and Davvy, who finds my comments amusing, even though I lack a sarcastic, or even when I lack a teasing, tone of voice. Something inside me whispers that Bones is much like Jim.
Different.
Laughter leaves my lips as I part from one of my classmates, my gaze moving along the many other Academy students littering the grounds of the Academy. I didn't think I'd feel this way about joining the Academy and I'm glad I'm not forced to do it alone. Kyra. I haven't seen the exotic woman since dinner last night, she frequently skips breakfast to do whatever it is that she does after waking up.
My gaze lands on a familiar doctor, the older dark haired man laughing as a petite, red-clad woman laid down, a cigarette between her lips. Her full ruby lips pulling a drag from the cigarette before pursing together, a silver-grey stream leaving her lips. Despite her blank gaze, I can tell even from my distance that a small smile twitched the side of her lips.
She's everything I can never be. So in control over herself. Her arrogance held in her silence, where mine is well-known for I voice it easily. Her exotic looks attracts admires of both genders and it's no secret to me that she is beautiful. Her skin, pale, almost translucent and her tiny frame causes most admirers to see her as weak.
I smirk, remembering all the times she has sent men twice her size to the hospital due to their unwanted advances. Of course, I know of all the scars that cover her body, the only visible one resting on the corner of her left eye, just above her temple. Memories of that scar fills my mind as I recall our final moments on Taurus IV. The moment I knew I would never leave her side.
'Unlike myself, your soul is as pure as your hands. Untainted by the blood or death of another.'
Her words rang through my head as we sat in a cell, my gaze stared at the silent ebony-haired girl, who sat cross-legged, her back straightened against the wall. The other kids, those who weren't killed, sat beside me, none of them wanting to approach her. She saved our lives and yet they fear her.
Silver-violet flickered in the darkness and I realized her eyes had opened, her head turning toward the door of the cell. It wasn't much longer before the door opened and men entered the cell, dragging each of us to our feet. The girl, shot the two men before her a glare before moving gracefully to her feet. I'm surprised, we hardly eaten in a month and I've only seen her eat small portions, giving the rest to the others. It should be impossible for her to move with such mobility.
"It's time for your executions," a man sneered, pushing each of us forward.
"Touch me again, an' I'll break your neck," a thick Irish-accented voice stated plainly, the monotonous tone in the voice causing the other kids around me to shiver.
We stood before Governor Kodos, his menacing gaze peered down at us as we were forced to line up. Glaring at the man above us, who spoke to us, telling us that we were to make a decision on who would be the first. Movement out of the corner of my eye caused me to glance over, the silver-violet eyed girl having stepped forward.
"Ah yes, the little half-breed," Kodos sneered, obviously disgusted at the thought of someone not completely human standing before him.
I watched as he jerked his head, the same man from before roughly grabbing her by her upper arm. Her silver-violet eyes seemed to flash dangerously as the man shoved her up the steps toward the noose hanging from the death contraption. I struggled against the men holding me as the rope was tightened around her neck and I felt myself freeze as her gaze met mine.
I don't know what it was, but something in her eyes softened as they looked upon me. Why? Confusion filled me as a minute smirk formed on her lips, her right eye closing quickly in a human fashion of a wink. I didn't stop struggling as the floor beneath her disappeared, her body dropping before coming to a sudden stop.
Something burned at the back of my eyes as I struggled against the men holding me down. No. I didn't want to believe it. Not her. She saved my life. She saved all of us. I don't even know her name.
The rope released from the top of the contraption and her limp body crashed to the rock based ground with an unforgiving thud. I knew I was screaming as I felt the same man grab my arm. I knew I had fought against his hold, wanting to just break him the way he broke her.
The rough rope closed around my throat and I closed my eyes. Not out of fear, but because I didn't want to see the fear in the eyes of the others. Why? Why did no one come to our aid? Surely after a month of chaos someone, the Federation even for God's sake, heard about this mess.
A cry of agony sounded, causing my eyes to snap open as I glance behind me. She was alive! How the hell? I stared wide-eyed at the girl, who should be dead by all sense of reason, as she stood, her hand gripping the man's throat tightly.
A sickening crack sounded as she repositioned her hand quickly to grip the man's jaw and with a sudden twist the body fell limp at her feet. Kodos stood, demanding an explanation, to which the girl smirked in a cruel fashion. Her blank gaze hazed over to a sadistic steel gaze we witnessed the day I had been shot.
Her fist raised in the air before slamming into her own diaphragm, forcing a cough from her. Something metallic slipped past her coughing fit before a small, metal pipe hit the ground. Her smirk never fell as she straightened her back, her gaze turning on Kodos.
"I told 'im if he touched me, I'd break 'is neck, an' I happen to be a girl of my word," she stated, her tone hardened around the taunting words.
Kodos issued the other men to dispose of her and I watched as the men rushed past the rest of us and toward the girl. Once again, I'm left breathless as the girl moved with such ease that shouldn't be known by a thirteen-year-old. A sickening crack filled the air and I watched in horror as her body flew back after one of the men were able to get in a good hit.
My own rage filled me, but then they came. The Federation broke through the compound doors. I still paid no mind to the men rushing past us as I kept my gaze on the girl who pushed herself from the ground. A trail of blood seeped down her cheek from an open break in her skin, the wound in the shape of a crescent moon. The man must have been wearing a ring of some kind.
Being led outside, as if everything had been planned, a loud crackle sounded as the heavens above us opened up and poured down. I watched silently as some of the kids danced in triumph, others huddling to get out of the rain.
"Is this everyone?" a gruff voice asked and I glanced around.
She was missing. The information caused me to look around once more to find her standing off to the side, her face tilted toward the sky, eyes shut calmly. The dirt, grime and blood seemed to bleed down her entire body, and she made no move to approach us.
"Sir, there's one more. I'll go get her."
Rushing over to her, I paused a foot from her, "Hey," her eyes slid open, the hardened steel gaze having disappeared, "Come on. We can get off this hell hole."
"I have no where to go," she stated and I couldn't help but feel the sorrow her face didn't show.
I don't know why, but I grabbed her hand, watching as her eyes widened a bit, "Come with me. You said you weren't leaving my side. I thought you were a girl of your word."
Her gaze softened once again before shifting back to its blankness, "Alright."
"I never did get your name," I stated as I pulled her toward the shuttle crafts.
"Kyra McCloud," she replied.
I grinned widely, "James Tiberius Kirk, but everyone calls me Jim."
"I am not like others," she states as I pull her aboard the craft, gently pushing her into a seat away from the others.
"So...call me something else."
Her eyes softened again, "JT."
"Hey," I shoved her shoulder playfully, "That's not fair. I don't even know your middle name."
"Amethyst."
Putting her initials together I grinned widely, "Kam it is."
Her soft smile was enough for me to know she didn't mind the nickname.
I snap out of the memory, seeing the two still sitting under the tree. Approaching the two, I can't help but smile as I realize Bones has taken a slight interest in Kyra as well. The sight makes me feel pride, for I never thought Kyra would come this far in human relations.
"Hey Bones, Kam," I eye the freshly lit cigarette between the woman's lips, "Didn't he tell you those aren't good for you?"
A quirked eyebrow was the only response I receive from her before Bones chuckles, shaking his head. I grin widely as I take a seat alongside my two friends. Life sure as hell can't get any better.