"Jon Pike was sentenced to death." Bones waited for Kirk to say something, but what he said wasn't expected.
"Who was that girl?"
Bones pulled out a small blue device, wondering if there were finally signs of an illness in his brainwaves. "There was no one else beamed back up with you." He took a step closer. This conversation had been repeated at least twice before.
"Okay, but someone was there- someone saved my life!" He turned from staring out the Enterprise window to raise a hand towards Bones. "If you put that thing near my head-,"
"Damn it, man! There was no one else with you! It was you, Spock, and Jon Pike! That was it!"
"Has Spock said that?"
"Yes!"
Kirk made a frustrated noise and stormed out of the room. "Wait!" Bones ran after him. "Jim, wait!"
"Spock!" Kirk shouted. Bones had no idea what Kirk planned to happen by shouting aimlessly, but obviously it worked. A certain Vulcan appeared out of the elevator, look immaculate as usual. "Spock- who saved my life?" he demanded.
Spock blinked. "I do not know of what you speak." His voice, monotone, gave away nothing to those that did not know him. But to those who did know him, they sense the faintest trickle of confusion.
Kirk's facial expression was priceless. "You don't- what?"
Spock looked at Bones, the faintest traces of concern gracing his stoic features. "Is the Captain doing well?"
Bones grazed Kirk's head with his portable blue device. "His brainwaves are normal, but there is some heat building up in his face-,"
Kirk bolted out of the room. He stormed down the hall and into his quarters, placing a lock on the door so neither Spock nor Bones could enter. "F- gah!" Words couldn't make their way out of his mouth, and they simply hung on his lips, open for interpretation. He plopped onto his bed, head on his chin, counting back the days.
Seven days since his rescue. Seven days since Jon Pike was captured as a result of his terrorism on Star Fleet. Seven days since he had felt relatively normal.
Jon Pike had been trying exact revenge on Star Fleet for allowing his brother to die. No matter who told him, he refused to believe it an act of terrorism. There was absolutely no bargaining or compromising with the guy, which is what had gotten Kirk into trouble.
Twice, twice, because of a silly notion to compromise, the man had escaped their grasp. Luckily, the bombs Jon Pike set off after his escapes were small and harmed no person. But he was still clever. He hid in vessels that Star Fleet was not able to search without special permits, and he left no traces of how his bombs were made. But a pattern began to form.
And thus the manure farm scene.
Kirk straightened.
Jon Pike had been there, too. Maybe he knew the answer to this mystery woman. Someone else had to have seen her, someone else had to have remembered her; even if that person was a criminal about to die, at least Kirk would have gained some peace of mind.
With that he stood, mind set. It wouldn't take much to get access to the man, it was just a matter of avoiding the persistent Bones. His friend wouldn't let Kirk go, he knew that much. He'd much prefer to get Kirk checked over by a therapist.
Around every corner he peered. He cast his gaze up and down the hall for a good while, and made sure the coast was clear from any signs of Spock, Bones, and Uhura (guilty by association). He just had to make it to the bridge again, where he could pick up his PADD. Easy enough from there. Just a few swipes and he'd have his contact with Jon Pike. Perfect. Almost there…
"Excuse me, Captain," the familiar thick Russian voice said, borderline apologetic. Kirk's brain switched from deer-in-headlights to a florescent light bulb showering his head in a bright halo at the sight of the kid trying to squeeze past his captain. He was obviously on his way to the bridge.
"Chekov!" The kid started and turned around. His face was the epitome of obedience, simply waiting to be told what to do, like a dog. "Just the man I needed!" The considerable change in his face was impossible to miss. Kirk felt a pang of guilt. "Fetch me my PADD." Oh, well. Chekov would get over it.
"Yes, sir."
"Thank you, Chekov. I'll be near my room."
Chekov ran off, and Kirk turned back. All settled. He hovered outside his room, looking even more conspicuous than his sneak down the halls. But it was working. The few people that passed paid little attention to him except to give the standard greeting, and he realized just how grateful he was that everyone on this ship knew exactly what they were supposed to be doing. That meant little work on his part, trying to be secretive. With unsure workers typically came unprofessional ones, and he didn't need anyone trying to pry into his private life.
Chekov returned. "Captain." He extended the device.
"Thank you, Chekov. You can return now to your duties." The boy bowed a bit awkwardly, but then straightened. Kirk looked at him, eyebrow raised. "Yes?"
He opened his mouth, hesitating for a few seconds. "Mr. Spock wanted to know why you need that, sir."
"Tell him it's none of his pointy-eared business." And he was gone, into his room. Chekov stared after him. Then, deciding to not tell Spock those exact words, he scurried back to the bridge, where he knew he was needed.
In his room, Kirk hurriedly passed through all the security checkpoints and entered the profiles of criminals sentenced to death. In the Jon Pikes' profile there was a list of the places he had been hiding. There was nothing of importance, Kirk thought, except maybe the manure farm in Iowa. Why there? Rubbing his eyes, he tapped another part of the screen, which led him to making appointments to meet with one of the condemned criminals. This is where he glanced around. He knew there was no one there, but he was still paranoid.
Tap. Appointment made.
Breathing a sigh of relief that nothing had exploded or something, Captain James T. Kirk drew himself up and walked out of his room proud.
Each hidden camera whirred quietly and followed his every step, the golden eyes watchful of this man. Perfect. He was acting exactly as she had hoped. And if he was acting as hope, then the Vulcan should follow his Captain and soon be near their coordinates. And then it was just a matter of getting into contact.
"Mr. Chekov," Spock greeted the Russian in the bridge. "Is the Captain doing well?"
"Yes, sir, Mr. Spock," assured him lightly. Face flushing slightly at the thought of telling Spock the Captain's exact words, he hurried to his chair and sat down. Once the Captain was in the bridge they could ready for take off. They had received orders to investigate a planet known as Ferrgate, a planet of nothing but frozen deserts and oceans. Apparently there was a primitive species there to observe and possible rescue.
Spock exchanged a look with Uhura and he positioned himself near the door, awaiting the Captain. A few seconds later he appeared, fingering his PADD and a pen. He motioned for Spock o come closer.
"Yes, Captain?"
"How long can we delay our departure?"
Spock blinked. "As long as needed, but may I make an enquiry?"
"Shoot away."
"What reason delays the accomplishment of our orders?"
Kirk shook his head. "Classified, Spock." He patted the Vulcan's back. "Be a dear and alert everyone. They'll retake their position in two days, at the same time. I'll be at the Star Fleet prisons. Don't bother me."
He sped out, determined to avoid their questions- to avoid Bones. This left Spock alone in front of the crew. Silently, he accessed the live video feed that would be announced across the Enterprise and spoke, "The Enterprise's departure has been delayed for 48 hours by orders of the Captain. Please return to your post at this time on Tuesday."
Inside the bridge there was a murmur. Spock switched the video off and then turned to Chekov. "What else did the Captain say to you?"
The Russian slowly spoke, "He said it was none of your pointy-eared business."
Uhura called down to the medical bay from the Captain's chair. "Dr. McCoy, please report to the bridge." There was a signal of confirmation from the doctor, and then Uhura turned back to Spock, conscious of the other crewmembers. "Jon Pike?"
Spock inclined his head to show his affirmation of coming to the same conclusion. Sulu and Chekov looked at them, slightly confused. They knew who Jon Pike was, but they had little notion of what that meant to their Captain; at least, what it meant further past just Admiral Pike's brother.
Sulu spoke up. "What does Jon Pike have to do with this?"
Spock motioned for them all to stand. "Once Dr. McCoy gets here we shall depart for the Star Fleet prisons. And to answer your question, Mr. Sulu, the Captain believes there was someone else there the day we captured Jon Pike. He strongly affirms that a woman saved his life and was beamed back aboard the Enterprise."
Bones strode in. "What the hell was that about?" he demanded, looking around for Kirk. When he saw Uhura, Spock, Chekov and Sulu standing in a tight circle, with a few other nameless faces scattered about, he knew that Kirk was not present. Understanding dawned on his face.
"Dr. McCoy and I shall go retrieve the Captain," Spock announced. "We will return shortly, and if anything happens of dire importance, we shall keep our communications open." He looked at each member, waiting for any other input.
Uhura objected. "Let Dr. McCoy and I go." When Spock raised an eyebrow in question she explained, "I believe the Captain may feel as if Jon Pike's life is his last link to Admiral Pike, and I think he would prefer someone with stronger emotions there." Her words were unsure to her, but they came out strong.
Spock was taken aback, if one could tell from the slight frown on his features. "I am capable of strong emotion-,"
"I think she is right," Chekov interrupted boldly, in his own quiet way.
Bones voiced his agreement. "I think Jim and I will both appreciate the company of Uhura. We enjoy your company too," he reasoned, trying to stay on Spock's good side, "but you should stay with the ship." He glanced at Uhura. The woman didn't show it, but she was relieved that they all had backed her up on it.
Spock relented. "Make haste," was all he spoke, nodding to them.
Indeed, they turned quickly and shot out the door, into the elevator. "Thank you," Uhura turned to Leonard.
"Don't mention it. I'd rather spend time with you than that robot." And then he remembered Spock and Uhura's involvement, and instantly regretted saying that.
"I understand." She glanced at him, smiling lightly. "Sometimes you need certain people for certain things. One person can't fulfill everything." Bones nodded in return, relieved.
Kirk waited impatiently at the front desk of the Star Fleet prisons, a great white building with a magnificent glowing logo on the outside and on the main floor. Security guards littered every place a person could think of looking. He didn't entirely like the feeling of being watched, but he understood the need for such things. Kahn was in this building.
The stuffy old man sitting at the front desk was flipping through papers, obviously a bit behind on the whole industrial revolution thing. "When did you make your appointment?" he rasped, glasses falling down to the tip of his nose. With a bony finger he pushed them back up, never looking away from his papers.
"This morning. 10:00." Kirk peered around at the heavy doors leading to the prison cells. "It was to meet with Jon Pike."
"Oh, yes. A late call. Our policy is for an appointment to be made at least twenty-four hours in advance," Kirk made a face here, "but taking into account the circumstances an exception has been made." The man pointedly glared at him. "Please step to the side and I will call down an escort."
Kirk nodded, not fazed at all. Almost as soon as he was beside the front desk one guard came to him, accompanied by a scaly man in a white uniform. "James Kirk?" the man asked, extending a hand.
"Yes, that's me." He shook his hand, refusing to grimace at the touch of the slick scales.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Dr. Leodro. Today is Mr. Pike's execution day. I will take you to see him in his cell, and once you are done we will begin the process." Leodro stopped for a second, trying to think of how to word his next sentence. "After we admitted your request, Mr. Pike made his own. Will you stay for his execution? He wished to be near the man that was near his brother when he died."
Kirk blinked. This was the last thing he expected, from anyone, but especially not the man that had nearly killed him only seven days ago. "Sure." What was he going to say? He couldn't deny the final request of a dying man.
Leodro smiled- sort of. Kirk preferred if the lizard man didn't try and smile. "Thank you for being considerate. We aware of your relation to him, and so we ask you to please not antagonize him. It makes the process harder."
"I wouldn't wish that on anyone," he said, unsure of how to respond to the doctor. That seemed to be an acceptable response. The lizard nodded and turned, leading the way through the heavy door and up a few flights of stairs.
"Through here." They entered another door and into a light grey hallway. Along the walls were a few scattered cells, force fields for walls and windows. Inside were very serious looking people.
They arrived at Jon Pike's cell. "Mr. Pike?" Leodro called.
Inside the lump of a man rustled, lifting himself off his bed slowly. Each step was painful, and Kirk almost couldn't look the man in the eyes. He seemed to have changed so much, he almost wasn't sure it was the same man. Had some mistake been made?
"Go ahead, Nestor." The guard stepped between them all and worked some digits into the force field. With a swipe of his arm the force field vanished and he stepped in, placing a hand firmly around Pike's arm. "Thank you. This is James Kirk, Mr. Pike. He will accompany you as requested. We will make our way to the lab first, however, and then you two can have all the time you need."
Jon Pike was shaky stepping out of his cell, and Kirk and Leodro let him and the guard move ahead of them. Once they were out of earshot Kirk asked, "What happened to him?"
Dr. Leodro scratched his scaly chin. "We found traces of the drug Tamnen in his bloodstream. A particularly strong one, highly addictive. He's going through withdrawals." His lizard eyes narrowed. "It's extremely hard to come by, unless you are involved with the only space system that grows it and circulates it. Apollnan System, I believe its name is. Very small."
Kirk nodded, thinking absently that if they could give him some more of the drug the man could die much more comfortably. But that wasn't in his hands.
They arrived at the lab. "Nestor will stay posted right outside the door while I go mix the injection. Please notify Nestor when Pike is ready." Leodro smiled, again, sending a shudder down Kirk's spine, but he smiled back all the same.
"Thank you," he replied. Leodro nodded and back out of the room. Nestor placed Pike on the chair in the room and then exited. Alone with him, Kirk exhaled quietly. Then he turned and approached the shaking man.
He was much paler than before, and that was saying quite a bit. The striking similarities to his brother made Kirk sick to his stomach, but he pushed on. "Do you remember the day you were caught?" he asked, hoping it was a good place to begin. He had jumped right in, but it didn't seem to bother Pike.
"Yes." His voice was much stronger than Kirk expected. "I do. You were there, and so was that Vulcan. Spock."
His heart began to pound. "Do you remember anyone else there? Like a woman? Long, dark hair?" Their eyes met, blue against brown, crackling. Silence reigned.
"Yes. She told me not to tell you. And then she flashed a device of some sort. It caught your Vulcan friend by surprise." His expression was hard, angry. "But I was smart enough to know that the Tamnen would protect me."
"A device? Like a memory thing?"
"Yes." He looked away. "But if that's all you need, then I'd like to go now. I… I need to see him again." A name wasn't needed. Kirk knew whom he was talking about.
"He was a great man."
"I know… He talked of you a lot. Very highly."
"I know."
"Do you know what his last words were? You were with him when he died, I was told."
Kirk shook his head. "I wasn't. But Spock was. And we avenged him. That's all that matters."
"You did. I didn't."
Kirk licked his lips and searched for the right words. Even though he knew it wasn't Admiral Pike in front of him, he felt the obligation and the need to make the final words exchanged meaningful. He needed to. Otherwise he'd never forgive himself for not being there for Admiral Pike. "I think he would have respected your bravery. And your cunning. All for him, too- I know what it's like to have someone do that for you." He thought back to the stories he had heard of Spock chasing Kahn down. Yes, he knew what it was like to be avenged. "Your brother would have only appreciated you."
Something changed in Pike's demeanor.
"I'll get the doctor."
"Wait-," Pike turned back. "Wait. The girl. Her name is Mia Menden. She was formerly on the Starship Command, but she requested to be removed from duty. And then she took refuge on a planet, where Tamnen is grown." His eyes were a bit wild now. "Please, avenge me like you did my brother. Go to that planet and destroy the Tamnen gardens. It ruined my everything."
Kirk couldn't say no. Not when the man was staring him down. "I will." Why was he making a promise he couldn't keep? "What planet?"
Pike opened his mouth, wild eyes hell bent on spewing everything he knew, every conspiracy, every secret, every little fact he knew that Star Fleet didn't.
Leodro stepped in, unannounced. His facial expression was changed, somehow, as if he were more vulnerable. "It is time."
Pike began to panic. He made a move to stand, but Nestor was pinning him down in an instant. Kirk didn't move. "We weren't done speaking," he slowly spoke.
Leodro brandished the needle. "New orders."
Kirk pressed a hand on Pike's arm. There was nothing he could do. Nestor was glaring his way, waiting for him to make a move against them. Instead, Kirk turned all his attention to Pike. It was unbearable- he felt like he was watching Admiral Pike die. The needle stuck into his arm.
"Faunus," Jon Pike whispered. His final words. Kirk nodded, and he found respect for this man as he faced death head on, eyes proud.
"I will," he whispered back.
Leodro glanced at him as Pike died next to them. Kirk met his gaze. And when he saw the fear in them, he gained the impression that Leodro had been threatened, not ordered. The lizard-man turned away. "Please exit the room, now. We must take care of the body."
Kirk stood and left without a word, fighting the burning tears of memory, remembering Admiral Pike's empty eyes. He couldn't help himself. He had to avenge Jon Pike. He would.