Eve only had a couple hours before the call for Doctor McCoy over the com to report to the shuttle bay. She ignored it at first, in the middle of a conversation with one of the relatively unharmed members of engineering, just some light burns that needed freezing gel. She was explaining that the warp core had suddenly exploded in a flare of fire, and that they'd found how to fix it but not the actual source of the problem.
It set off all sorts of warning bells and whistles in the back of her mind, but she hadn't yet assembled all the pieces to figure out why. Engineering had plenty of problems, it was the reason their team existed. Warp cores malfunctioned, on occasion. But for it to malfunction just as they encroached on the single most anti-federation sector of space known... It reeked of Marcus.
Then she saw McCoy speaking with a nurse, already heading out the doors.
"Doctor Swan?" Doctor Povlati came over to her. "You're being summoned to the bridge over the com. I can show you the way, if you like. Probably better not to make the Captain wait."
"Perish the thought." Eve mumbled before turning her attention to the red shirted woman. "Keep the gel on for at least the rest of the day; ask one of the nurses to get you the cover gloves so it will stay on. Check in here before you go to bed tonight, get a fresh coating. No working, enjoy the excuse to have a little R&R. Good luck."
"Thank you Doctor." The woman said as Eve touched her arm, then left with Povlati.
"Do as I say, not as I do huh?" Povlati smirked, throwing her hands up as Eve gave her a look. "Hey, I get it, just saying it was good advice you're blatantly ignoring."
"Just saying." Eve shook her head. "How long have you served on the Enterprise?"
"Since it belonged to Admiral Pike."
"Christopher Pike? Man what a loss it was to Starfleet when he had to step back." Eve shook her head. "You heard stories about him, you know, as a cadet? He did the commencement speech for my graduation."
Povlati blanched. "Did you know the Admiral?"
"Only in name, really. He had a good laugh once when I knocked out a civilian in front of him for grabbing my ass. Broke the data pad I was holding, but it sent the needed message. Pike's a friend of the Captain's, isn't he?"
She smiled sadly. "Sounds like him. Yeah, he was a mentor to the Captain. He was... in the conference room Harrison attacked with the jumpship."
No wonder Kirk hated Khan. And no wonder he believed Khan was beatable - he had to.
"It's going to get better, the farther you get away from all this." Povlati said as she stepped into the elevator.
It was a common enough held lie. One she'd tried to convince herself over a year as she woke up sobbing, sheets grafted to her skin with sweat. Just one more month, and you'll forget he's still there. One more week, you won't hear his voice in the twilight hours. One more day, just make it one more day.
Leaving Khan had destroyed most of the relationships she had. She drew away from her sister and brother in law, even the newly cured Lacy talked to her mostly over phone. The vague starting of something with a guy she met in a club during her sister's attempt to bridge gaps shriveled and died in the shadow of her guilt. Eventually all she had were mild attachments to people she used to know, so all there was was to eat tasteless meals, sleep sleepless nights away, and try to make some modicum of good at her work.
It made her wonder what the death of a starship would mean for her.
"I know." She lied, but the dead tone of her voice gave her away. Eve didn't step forward into the elevator.
Povlati opened her mouth to give hope another try, but Eve shook her head. "Povlati, can you take me to the brig?"
The doctor's eyes swelled. "I don't think that's a good idea. You need distance-"
"I need closure." Eve interrupted, folding her arms. Her hands were shaking again, and as much as she hated it she lifted one to push a stray hair out of her face to insure the other woman saw. "P-please. I need to ask him why."
"He's a psychopath; I don't think he knows why."
"Why are we scientists if we don't go after the why?" Eve implored. "How can we call ourselves doctors if we don't try to fix people?"
"I think he's beyond saving." Povlati said as deftly as she could. "Some people can't be fixed - we need to accept that as woman and as doctors."
"Well I refuse to. John Harrison isn't the kind of person who seeks random chaos - I know him. There's a reason for all this."
"And was there a reason for what he did to you?" Povlati challenged.
Eve winced as she swallowed. "I've done terrible things. I have perpetuated so much torment for that man... He should have killed me. But he didn't. And I deserve to know why."
Povlati groaned, gripping her head, dragging her fingers through her hair. "What do we tell the Captain?"
"I'll meet him in med bay later, tell him I needed to walk around and get some air." Eve smiled invitingly. "I'm a trauma victim - he can deal with it."
"You're so going to get me sanctioned."
Under Eve's instruction, Povlati took a quick trip back to the bay, grabbing the equipment for taking more blood samples. Together they made the long journey down into the center of the ship, Povlati drumming on the data pad case all the way and humming nervously.
Eve felt strangely eager, the idea of seeing the only one who really knew what was going on making her move a little faster. By the time they entered the massive round room, four cells built into the walls and two red shirts sitting at separate desks, they were both more charged than a than a rabbit chewing battery packs.
The two red shirts looked up, the Barzan one call out, "There aren't any scheduled visits."
"Chief McCoy wants more blood samples to work with." Eve lifted one of the self-filling needles. "He was called away by the Captain before he sent the message, but he still needs it done."
"You can't see the prisoner without permission from a senior officer." The human red shirt shook his head. "Sorry."
"No that's alright." Eve smiled crisply. "I'll just send down the Chief after the Captain has asked him to do some extremely taxing work, prepped with the information of how you wouldn't let us draw blood samples, and let him deal with you. He's always so civil after all, when he gets slowed down by red tape... and red shirts."
The guards exchanged looks, and then sighed. The human one lifted up a data pad. "Fill in this form."
"Povlati?" Eve nodded to the waiting paperwork and then strode across the room, trying her best not to smirk at Khan watching her with a muted look of delight.
Eve touched the small silver circle on the side as the man and Povlati began talking, drawing it in front of her and extending it into a gap in the glass and beckoning him with a finger. Khan walked over languidly, stopping in front of the hole.
"Arm please."
"Now this is more comfortable." He put his arm through the hole. He was wearing clothes he'd been given also, black pants and shirt with a barely visible Starfleet symbol. She sighed, sticking the case of needles under her arm and moving closer to roll up his sleeve.
"You seem to have acclimatized nicely." He watched her work she felt an unexpected fluster as she realized he was observing the dress as well. "I imagine these familiar surroundings are something of a comfort to you."
"It's strange." She shrugged, making sure his sleeve was tucked and secure before opening the kit of three needles. "I swore I'd never set foot on one of these again... Wear this uniform. Last time I did, a whole lot of people died."
"You also saved a great number as I understand." Khan didn't express any judgment, but she was back into question. She could feel it. Seeing her on the other side of a spread of glass, how could he not feel that basic need to distrust her again? That was half of how he survived the year.
"Why are you having Kirk open the missile? They'll find your people."
"I had doubts about you capability to open and armed torpedo. It's the safest way for you to gain access."
"And you don't think when they find a frozen man they're going to get him under high security lockdown?"
"This... Kirk trusts his crew as much as I. He won't see a need."
Khan looked down as she jabbed the needle into his arm, setting off the device leading it to begin drawing out his blood. Khan laughed softly. "You've lost your place, and are trying to find it again. Tell me, why come here when Kirk is so eager to protect you?"
She drew out the needle. "I don't need his protection."
"No, then why are you hesitating now, if not for fear of what happens to you when my people wake?"
"You're saying that like I don't have a reason to worry! But, actually, it's the crew of this ship - thousands of lives." Eve hissed starting on the second sample. "These aren't people like Marcus, or you and I. These are good people, Khan. People who want to help, and who have people who care about them."
"These good people were ready to obliterate us knowing you might very well be innocent."
"You said it yourself. If they were going to use the torpedoes, they wouldn't have sent in a landing crew - not to mention their captain. And what makes you more worthy of salvation than all of them? I can't even trust you half the time! Twenty three, seventeen, forty six, eleven. You knew where the virus was. So why not tell me?"
Khan's mood visibly darkened. "I would have told you if the need arose."
"If you had no other choice you mean."
"Yes... If I had no other choice. You are the variable in all this Eve - you never take the same path twice. It makes you difficult to predict, which means limiting your knowledge base is the only way to counter your independent tendencies."
"I don't have independent tendencies."
"Name one person other than myself who is essential to your survival."
She made a noise of frustration. "Fine, I hate depending on people - they're breakable and unreliable. At least my tendencies aren't homicidal. But Khan... there has to be a way for your crew to live as well as Kirk's."
"I doubt it." Khan frowned. "Do you wish for me to attempt to find one?"
"I'd like for us to be different than Marcus." Eve tucked the two filled needles away, the last one in hand. Not much time. "I think we can be. Kirk might not have to be the enemy. And we have time, the warp core malfunctioned - there are plenty of burn victims in the med bay saying so. So long as we're not on route to Earth, we have time."
He exhaled slowly as she slid the last needle in. "And if they fix the warp core and attempt to return me to face justice?"
"No need to jump in the river when the bridge is farther along." Eve pulled back the needle, touching his hand for just a moment. "We have to try. Thank you. Really."
"Do not trust to hope." He warned as he pulled his arm back, fingers brushing her own. "But I will do what is possible."
Eve jumped as Povlati came up beside her. Khan continued looking at Eve, ignoring the other doctor entirely.
"Times up. Come on." Povlati glowered at Khan, reaching forward and shutting the gap then grabbing Eve and steering here away. "Did you get what you came for?"
"More." Eve had to bite her lip to lessen her beam as they left the brig.
Povlati shook her head, digging her fingers into her data pad. "I don't know how you can stand to be so close to him. Just looking at him makes my skin crawl."
"You don't know what Admiral Marcus did to that man." Eve shook her head, smile wilting. "He took everything from John. I don't think any many who cares about his family would react that differently."
"My dad loves me." Povlati said slowly. "But he wouldn't steal a jumpship and unload on a room full of innocent people."
"He sees all of Starfleet as responsible for his suffering." Eve knew this exercise was pointless, but part of her didn't want to be the only person who saw the redeeming qualities behind all the rage and brutality.
"So it's okay that he killed Pike, since he misunderstood?"
"Of course not. I'm just saying it's easy to fear people when you sensationalize them. Jim Kirk is the swaggering Captain with the heart of gold, everyone loves him. John Harrison is the lunatic who murdered innocents and kidnaped a woman from her office." Eve shrugged. "They're both just flawed men driven by the same motivation. Protect their family. Kirk came out her to avenge his - well so did Harrison."
"It's... It's not the same."
"Really? I'm pretty sure Marcus didn't load you guys to the gunnels with torpedoes just to sound imposing. Kirk left Starfleet intending to use them - which would have killed me and John. I'm not saying I'm innocent, but I hardly deserve to get blown up."
"But he didn't do it." Povlati said, nodding vigorously. Eve's brows lifted as she realized, Povlati wasn't trying to convince her anymore. "Anyways, I hope it was worth all this. Doctor McCoy is going to have me flayed."
A chance that everyone might be saved, a moment with the only person she still had a connection with, and three off record vials of Khan's blood. Three more lives she could stash away, to save for a darker day. Was it worth it? Infinitely. She had everything she could ask for, and only the man trapped in the plastic box knew it. All in all, she felt for the first time in a very long time like an equal of Khan.