The walk inside the belly of the beast was long, and like she always saw Khan doing she began taking in every detail, even though few seemed genuinely important. Limited lighting to conserve energy, limited crew - too few it seemed to actually run a ship of this size, unless more were just concealed. Every once and a while Carol tried to get free of her guards, and though she never even got close it was strangely uplifting to see her try.
It reminded Eve she wasn't entirely alone in this.
Then the doors in front of them parted, and Eve stepped forward into the bridge of the ship. It was similar to that of the Enterprise, all be it darker and approximately half the size and man power. Marcus wasn't in the captain's chair but rather standing over with another man examining what looked to be the weapons system.
"Sir," one of the guards called, drawing Marcus' attention.
He addressed his daughter first. "I'll deal with you later. Doc-"
Whatever he meant to say was lost when Carol slapped him clear across the face. The guards had let her pass now she was near her father, but they hurried forward to grab her arms again as she snarled, "I am ashamed to be your daughter."
Marcus blinked, then nodded and his men forced Carol over to the other side of the room. His blue eyes locked on Eve as she became more solitary, guards more concerned with the violent doctor than the quiet one. He didn't look as victorious as she'd expected, probably a result of his daughter's utter disgust. Instead he had a much more dangerous look - grim determination.
"Give me that." He held his hand out to one of the guards remaining. The man hesitated, then passed over the phaser in hand. It was a different design than normal rifles, all silver with a slit of blue glowing up the side to the handle. Marcus twisted the handle and popped a lever, and blue turned red.
Eve took a deep breath as everyone moved back from her, Marcus lifting the gun toward her. She waited for her hands to start shaking, or for her heart to burst into a wild flare of action. Her hands kept steady. Her heart didn't so much as flutter.
Here was where she belonged, on the other side of a weapon from Marcus. Here everything was blissfully simple, black and white in her muddled grey universe. There was the enemy, right in her sites. No guilt, no indecision, just perfect clarity.
"Tell me everything you know about Khan's plans."
Eve smiled slightly. "Well, he might have changed his plans since being moved to engineering, but I think he was hoping to get a nap in, maybe some pacing, a good hour of practicing his evil cackle."
She didn't have time to brace herself before the front of the phaser collided with her face, smashing against her nose and knocking her head back. She staggered, gripping her face as Carol screamed at her father to stop. Eve was unprepared as Marcus swung the phaser, smashing the length of the gun into her side. The damages side.
The metal floor smashed against her knee caps as she collapsed, blood gushing through her fingers as she wheezed for breath, the compiled pain screaming cracked ribs, potentially a broken nose.
"What is Khan planning?" Marcus asked again slowly, the room silent as Marcus pressed the phaser into the top of her head, forcing it downward. "Tell me so I can end your miserable existence."
Eve lifted her head, lowering a crimson hand to the floor. The red fluid was tailing down her face, nose distinctly crooked slightly to the right. She spoke quietly, too quiet for anyone to hear. Marcus jabbed at her again, leaning forward. "Speak up you waste."
She licked her lips, and then spat directly into his face. "I said go suck off a Klingon you disgraceful excuse for a man."
Even knowing what came next, the impact of metal against flesh was no less painful. He hit her in the throat right above her sternum. She gagged, and for a moment she thought he'd collapsed her wind pipe as she lay on her back, black spots invading her vision as her body attempted unsuccessfully to claim air.
When it came it was like drinking hot coals, and then Marcus' boot began ramming into her side over and over. She could hear Carol fighting to stop him, trying to save her, but she was still powerless against the armed men.
Eve kept count at first, but then he managed to hit the same set of ribs he had with the gun and for an instant everything went blank. When she came back to herself, she was lying on her stomach, her blood slowly leaking out of her nose onto the floor as a male voice spoke nervously.
"Sir, we've had an airlock open in engineering."
Marcus let out a low growl. "Khan."
Eve yelped as Marcus stepped down on one of her hands. "Well at least we have something he wants."
He moved his foot off, going over to the chair. Carol broke free, rushing over to Eve and picking her up gingerly. She couldn't help the noise she made as Carol lay her down in her lap, trying to mop up some of the blood with her hands.
"It's alright." She whispered frantically, eyes swelling as the red spread over them both. "Oh god I'm so sorry."
Eve tried to reach for her boot, but everything was burning. Carol tilted her head, glancing around before sliding her fingers into Eve's boot. She breathed in sharply as she touched the small case, Marcus ordering his crew trying to do something with weapons systems.
Deftly, Carol slid the case out and under Eve out of sight. "What is it?"
"Inject." Eve could feel something was seriously wrong inside her. The needles were useless to someone who didn't know what they were. "Me."
Carol undid the clasp, continuously watching the room. She slid one of the needles into her hand, glancing down quickly.
"Do it." Eve begged, blood welling up in her mouth.
She didn't feel the needle go in. For a while, she couldn't actually feel her legs. Then her ears began ringing, and all the pain flooded back into her at once. She grit her teeth, but she let out a muddled scream of pain that drew attention back to her.
Marcus stood up from his chair, walking over. Carol attempted to ward him off, but he seized Eve by the hair and dragged her up. She tried to get her legs underneath herself, but mostly he dragged her to the chair. He sat down, yanking her head up and pulling an arm around her neck so he had her head completely pinned.
"I want you to see this." He said into her ear. She looked out the window, the Enterprise floating in the distance amidst the debris of the ship where the guns had torn it to shreds.
"Power coming online, Sir!" A woman called from one of the stations.
"Retarget the Enterprise now!" Marcus barked.
The shriek of phaser fire erupted across the room, three men storming in the entrance raining down blue light on the unsuspecting crew of the ship. Carol swung her arm up taking down the nearest guard, and Eve buried her teeth into Marcus's exposed wrist. He shouted, releasing her and shoving so she landed on the floor.
She scrambled away, slamming against the side of one of the stations as all the crew slumped in their chairs out cold. Kirk rushed up in front of Marcus, training a pistol phaser on his head as another man moved to the far side of the room.
Eve forced herself to her feet, her rapidly mending body barely managing to support her. She saw Khan shortly before he collided with her, pulling her body to his with such crushing force that it felt like her ribs were retracing. His one arm held her lower back, the other cupping the back of her head bringing her close to his shoulder.
"Khan." She choked out a sob.
He took her face in his hands, and despite the blood, crooked nose, the weakness, he rushed forward. His lips were unyielding, determined and sure. She let all her fear soak into him through that core connection, drinking in his silent assurance that she was safe now. That there would be no separation from each other, not ever again.
It was no one else's definition of love, but she'd never been so completely assured that she was wanted in all her life. Like the Greek mythology of her child hood - the two halves had finally become whole.
"This ends here." Khan's eyes narrowed to slits as he moved back, looking at her face. It was healing right in front of him, but the blood which had spread down her neck and dress told everything he needed to know. Kirk had been talking to Marcus, demanding he leave the chair. The other man was trying not to watch Khan and watch him at the same time, looking mightily conflicted.
Eve could feel the absolute vindictive force of her other half mounting.
"Stay." She whispered, taking his hands in her own. That was when she noticed one of her fingers was crooked, unable to bend. "Don't."
But it wasn't in him to forgive. And now it wasn't Khan's torment alone that Marcus had to answer for.
Khan released her, and began quick strides toward Marcus before a streak of blue light knocked him off his feet, slamming him onto the floor.
"Khan!" Eve rushed to him, falling to the floor again and pulling him onto his back. She pushed his face off his hair, stroking him wildly as she looked over him to the third man, lowering his phaser and walking over.
"Sorry." He mouthed.
"Get away." She said coldly as the man tried to help her lift Khan's head. "I'm sick of Starfleet help."
Then Khan's eyes flew open and his hand snapped forward, grabbing the man's arm and yanking him forward, his leg flipping up and ramming his foot into the side of the man's head flipping him onto his back and knocking him down in one swoop.
Khan leapt to his feet.
"Jim!" Carol tried to warn Kirk, but Khan dove over the station between them, tackling Kirk. Marcus leapt from his chair, making a run for a strange door with a complex looking lock system as Khan picked Kirk up, punching him across the face and letting out a snarl of frustration. A second punch, and then Khan dragged him up by his hair and kneed Kirk in the ribs, tossing him to the side.
Carol caught and steadied Kirk, but then seeing Khan going for her father rushed to get between them shouting, "Stop, just wait!"
Khan threw her aside, pausing only to stomp her leg, the bone cracking loudly as Carol wailed in pain. Khan hardly slowed, closing the final distance between him and Marcus as the man turned, seeing it was too late.
Khan gripped his head in both his hands, yanking him away from the door. Marcus began yelling, forcing Eve to realize what was happening.
"You should have let me sleep." Khan hissed.
And then Marcus's skull collapsed under the pressure of Khan's hands, and Alexander Marcus died in a spray of blood and brain. It was one of the least dignified ways Eve could invent. And the only regret she felt was for Carol, whose terror and sorrow swallowed up the room in a single piercing cry.