Moving with a severely damages side was unpleasant. Trekking through the Qo'noS industrialized version of the outback with a quiet three hundred year old terrorist and a bag full of high tec weaponry after opening fire on a room full of innocent people to hurt one monster… she swore they walked for days. Eve didn't complain, though whether it was out of reluctance to look frail or because she deserved the torment she wasn't sure.

Now and again Khan would stop, disappear into a crack between the walls a few minutes, then reappear and move on. She surrendered her accommodations to his choice – she had no idea what passed for a suitable hide out.

But with only the wind shrieking in her ears for conversation, she was left to brood. The one man with the gun, the only one who'd managed to take them down, he lingered in the forefront of her thoughts. How many of his friends had she helped murder today?

He would be coming after them. She wasn't exactly sure how she knew, but she did. That moment of locked eyes, when he should have taken his opportunity to run down the hall and be gone into safety. He brought the fight to them instead.

He'll be the one that finds us. She thought as Khan came out of another hole then continued to trudge. Soon, if Marcus is alive. What wouldn't Marcus do, to see us both dead?

She couldn't stand the quiet any longer, so instead of continuing to trail behind her sped up to meet his stride. He glanced her way, making no comment.

Fine. I'll start.

"So, care to explain to the class what we're looking for?"

Khan frowned, scanning around.

Eve sighed. "It's an expression."

"Yes I know. We shouldn't be making noise."

"Well tell me or I'll scream."

"You'll scream if the Klingons feed you your entrails. Do you have any idea what they'd do if they caught you? No fighting skill, intelligent mind but not geared towards their needs, and fairly attractive. They'd kill you slowly for the pleasure of it."

"I'm starting to forget why I agreed to road trip with you, you know that?" Still she pulled her hood a little further down. "So?"

"So?"

"What are we looking for?"

"A defensible all but unnoticeable area for you to rest in while I tap into Star Fleet communications and see how our friend is getting on."

"Oh. You don't sleep do you?"

"Not overly much, no."

"Are you trying to suggest I sleep too much?"

He rolled his eyes. "Does antagonising me make you less uncomfortable about what you've just done, Evelette?"

Harsh but fair. She didn't answer, and he got the silence he desired. The next place he checked, he returned and gestured for her to follow. She had to turn and shuffle to squeeze between a pair of massive stretching walls, so she managed to catch up to him as he struggled to get through.

"Move it or lose it, small fry." She nudged him with her shoulder.

He stopped, turning to look down at her. There was no smile on his face, she could make that out though it was dark between the walls. "Are you certain your right arm isn't broken, it seemed rather tender, perhaps I should check again."

"No!" She squeaked, sliding back out of reach. She heard his chuckle from gloom, and he continued to shuffle inward. She leaned forward, pressing her forehead to one of the walls.

He has murdered more people than you've saved. A small voice whispered inside her. Other people's Lacy's. He doesn't mind killing every member of Starfleet – he probably plans to. He doesn't care about anything anymore… or at least not anyone.

She continued on, an orange glow igniting in the distance. As she came out from the tight space, she found herself in a tiny cavern. It was more of an alcove really – no more than four meters long and two meters wide. The rock glistened like obsidian, and had the same smooth face with sharp edges.

Khan had tossed a few hand held lights around the area, the orange liquid inside them casting the area in a strange light. He cracked the last one as she entered, tossing it to the far end.

"Home at last." She went to the farthest reach of the cave, grabbing the light and tossing it back his way, rolling to a stop as it hit his bag. She dropped onto the floor, leaning back gradually to make she sure didn't slice herself on an unseen crack. She pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and putting her head to her knees.

She pulled her arms tighter as she heard him walking over. He set something down beside her then returned to the bag by the front of the cave. She lifted her head, watching as he pulled out some sort of computer and set it aside, opening up the display and beginning to put it to work. And at her side, a small box labeled in basic print RATIONS, sitting on a folded up blanket.

It was too much. A shred of undeserved kindness amidst so much that was wrong. Self-loathing swelled up in maelstrom of memories and thoughts and disgust. She sat by and watch all those people die, promising herself that more shots would miss than hit. As if some of the members of the meeting living excused the harsh slaughter of the ones who didn't.

Was this how Marcus felt, in the quiet hours with his towering office full of metals and reminders of his atrocities? Or did he truly think that because his ultimate goal of protecting Starfleet was just, that all the steps along the way didn't matter?

She was both men – Khan and Marcus. She knowingly murdered, helped to make it efficient, but for a right cause. The guilt was the only thing that belongs to her alone.

Eve moved forward, crawling over to one of the lights and grabbing it, getting to her feet. Khan didn't look up from his work, and she was careful to move slowly in an indirect pattern as she made a sweep of the cave. And then she was by the entrance, where the air still managed to spit small flakes of black to gather on the ground.

And then she slipped through. He didn't notice not immediately, and by then she was out of arms reach.

"Evelette what are you doing?" He called as she sped up, squirming against the enclosed space. He sounded annoyed. "Don't go out there."

She ignored him, smirking with an undefinable satisfaction as he began to fit himself back in. She burst out back into the wind and murk, running in the first direction she managed to align herself to. She darted through the rows of square structures, wind snatching at her clothes tugging her in different directions. It was getting stronger now. She had no idea what a storm on Quo'noS would be like, but part of her wanted to find out.

Taking every sporadic turn she could think of, she kept going until she thought there was a chance she was free of him. And then she began screaming. Not words, really, though occasionally some came out amidst the senseless noise. All she needed was to be loud – to draw anything in the area toward her faster than he could reach her.

And then something slammed so hard into her stomach it took her legs out from under her, slamming onto the dirt. She coughed, rolling onto her side into a ball. She half expected blood to come up, but of course the kick he'd delivered was geared for silencing on a more temporary basis.

Eve groaned, but then he was grabbing her by the collar and dragging her to her feet. She gasped as he threw her against one of the stone walls. He seized her by the throat, snarling, "Are you completely insane?"

She laughed, cackled really. Now she was bleeding, her face having made acquaintance with the wall first. "Are you going to threaten to kill me? Oh gods would you? I don't think you would… you're not kind enough to do that."

Khan released her throat, watching as she dropped to the ground, gripping her head. "It's too much. I thought I could do it, but I can't. I can't watch you kill people, Khan, I won't. Not good people, ones who haven't done anything wrong."

"They were his friends." He dropped down to his knees, grabbing her wrists. She tried to fight him but he pulled her hands free. She cried out as he pressed his thumbs into her palms, pain forking through her nerves. "Do you feel that?"

"Yes!"

"And does it hurt?"

"Yes!"

"Good, now listen closely." He grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him. "The people in that room were the ones capable of hunting us down, of saving Marcus from us. They might have been good people but they were ignorant and for that there is no excuse. They are purposefully naive, blinding themselves so they can rest comfortable in their expensive homes and dine in exotic restaurants to satisfy their gluttony. Humanity has not changed – there are the helpless, the corrupt, and then there are the precious few that are something more. Getting yourself tortured and brutalized doesn't change the fact that you can see what needs to be done. Now do you wish to find that virus or not?"

"Yes." She murmured.

He sighed, loosening his hold on her. He moved one of his hands off, the other going to her chin and tipping her face up. "We should seal that before anything infects it."

"Why don't you just leave me?" She pushed his hand away, tugging the scarf back over her mouth and getting to her feet slowly.

"I'm responsible for you now." He grunted, watching her clutch her side. "Come on. You need to eat and rest… No more running."

"Yes sir." She muttered, but she followed him back to the cave, the orange light forgotten behind them on the ground, glowing in the ugly storm.