Chapter 14: Aggressive Negotiations
The security personnel's weapon's vault was strangely quiet as Jim Kirk, Layla Pike, Hawke and Spock all made their way to various sections, where their most favoured weapons were stocked.
For Jim and Spock it was to the standard handheld phaser blasters at their charging units, for Hawke, the rifles. Layla on the other hand stopped at the wall stocked with the blades and knives, and began to select through the entire shelf until she had picked out one of every single kind available.
She had so many on her person that even Spock for all his calm composed self, quirked a confused eyebrow at her.
"Miss Pike"
"Hmm?" Layla grunted as she stripped off her red shirt so that she could strap more knife holsters over her long fitted black undershirt and onto her protective phaser padding.
"I understand that this is a high risk mission, but is it logical for you to be carrying so much weaponry on your-"
There was a sharp whooshing sound as something bright and metallic flew through the air and straight for a wooden target board on a nearby wall.
"person…" Spock's voice trailed away as both he and Jim stared in shock at the boot knife, which had hit the bullseye dead in the centre and stuck there quivering in the air.
"To hell with logic" she snorted darkly. "I'm not going unprepared again"
She glanced round to Hawke who smirked, his grey eyes gleaming with admiration as he caught Layla's eye.
"Impressive"
"You should see me when I'm trying" Layla snorted as she made to tug the knife out of the wall and slide it into her boot.
"I'd like that" Hawke smirked softly, his eyes watching the curve of her body as she leaned over, her black pants hugging her hips and legs just rig-
"I'm sure" she smirked as she straightened up, not noticing the way Spock quirked a confused eyebrow at Jim whose face had turned oddly stony at the exchange.
When he spoke his voice was stiff and tense.
"Lay, hurry we've only got a few minutes." he held out two phasers to her and she took them, poking her tongue at him with a scowl.
"Whatever you say, Captain"
"Yeah-yeah, very mature Oh midget Chief of Security" Jim snorted.
"I'm not midget, just pe-tite!" she hissed, jabbing his chest hard with her fingers whilst doing her best not to laugh at Spock as both his eyebrows disappeared into his blunt fringe.
However even as they all made to step out of the weapons room, he spoke nothing of his true thoughts which were a swirl of confusion.
For someone who was just about to re-enter a place of hell, the young cadet sure was spritely and enthusiastic. And not only that, (and at this Spock's brow furrowed a little as his gaze wandered over her torso) but he'd been sure that in his blind rage he had hit her hard enough to send someone of her size painfully flying. And yet here she was walking and darting her way through the ship without even a twinge of pain.
Was she just hiding her pain? Or did she have a higher pain threshold than most other humans?
He would have to ask Doctor McCoy later he supposed.
But even so…he could not help but wonder-
His thoughts were interrupted by the familiar sound of his name being called and he turned just in time to see Uhura dash from a door and towards him.
"Ji-Captain" she corrected herself as she came level with the four officers. "We have received word from Engineering. They have just managed to boost our Warp Yield. Sulu and Chekov said we should be reaching the Terran Solar System space in ten minutes."
"Good, anything else?" Jim clipped his voice suddenly very stiff and formal in spite of the small scowl he was aiming sidelong at Hawke.
If Uhura noticed his mood she said nothing, instead opting to keep her professional tones as she nodded.
"Yes, Mr Scott said he'll be waiting for you at Transporter deck 2"
"Uhura," Layla piped in her voice suddenly curious "Who's manning the weapons station on the bridge?"
"Ensign Hanson and Ensign Gibson"
"Good, when you get back to the bridge tell them to keep an eye on the Deflector Shields, and make sure the Photon torpedoes and the Phaser Banks are prepped and ready to fire. Once Nero notices our presence he's gonna put up one heck of a fight"
"Right, got it" Uhura nodded firmly as she drifted across to walk with Spock, with whom she began to speak quietly in hushed tones.
Taking advantage of the Vulcan's distraction, Jim glanced at Layla. She was bearing the expression an angry bull would wear when pawing the ground before charging you down. Seriously, he could almost see the horns sprout out of her head as he quietly asked.
"Lay, are you sure you wanna do this?"
"Yes" She murmured back her teeth gritted "I'm absolutely sure"
"But if this goes wrong…" Jim sighed heavily "Lay you know I trust you with my life and I don't doubt your skill but-"
"Jim" Layla snapped her icy eyes flashing "I get it okay. You're my best friend and you don't want me to get hurt. But best friend or no, I'm still your Chief Security Officer, and I've trained for moments like these. Maybe I failed in my duty aboard that drill, but now I understand the risks, and I know what I have to do. So just do us both a favour and let me do my job"
Jim opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it hastily
"What?" Layla frowned, only to scowl as her friend ruffled her hair, much to his amusement, and much to Hawke's scorn as he glowered at the pair of them from behind.
However nobody was to notice the expression as the ship gave a small but very sudden jerk.
"Whoa, timber" Jim chuckled as Layla all but bumped into him on the way into the Transporter room.
"Not funny. And don't even think about it!" she scowled as she made to swat his hand away from where it hovered teasingly over her ruffled black hair.
"…It's good to have you back Tiger" Jim smiled patting her on the shoulder, a gesture that was noticed with amusement by Montgomery Scott, who was grinning from his spot behind the transporter's console as a man's spoke from the other end of his communicator.
"Transporter Room. We are in position above Titan"
"Really? Fine job Mr Sulu. Well done" the Scotsman nodded approvingly at the readings on his screen before him as Jim made to call out to him.
"How are we Scotty?"
"Unbelievably sir, the ship is in position" Scotty quickly coughed as the new young captain made his way over to his station and re-opened the link to the bridge.
"Whatever happens, Mr Sulu" Jim's voice was calm but firm as he spoke "if you think you have the tactical advantage, you fire on that ship, even if we're still on board. That's an order"
"Yes sir" Sulu muttered on his end, though it was clear to Jim and Scotty that the helmsman was really reluctant to agree to the order.
"Otherwise we'll contact the Enterprise when we're ready to be beamed back"
"Good luck" Sulu nodded on his end, though if he had anything else to say on the subject he didn't voice it, and so it was with a reassuring beep that the com link was closed, and Jim made his way to the transporter pad.
Layla and Hawke were both already standing in position, the former both looking stiff as boards as they studiously tried to avoid watching Spock and Uhura, who, Jim noticed were standing a bit too close to be considered normal.
No they weren't standing…they were kissing.
"What the? When did this happen?" he mouthed to Layla as he made to stand beside her. However the younger security officer only shrugged, her cheeks flushing as she chanced a peek to her friend and her ex-computer sciences professor as they broke apart to murmur in soft tones.
"I will be back" Spock's voice wavered ever so slightly, but otherwise there was no outward sign of his reluctance to go.
Uhura however was not so composed.
"You better be." She whispered "I'll be monitoring your frequencies"
"Thank you Nyota"
Now Jim really did look befuddled.
"Nyota?" He hissed again to Layla who rolled her eyes.
"Her first name dumbass!"
"Seriously?" he sighed, almost face palming to himself as he watched the communications officer quickly dash off the platform to stand behind Scotty's console, her dark eyes bright with unshed tears of worry.
Once he was sure she was out of earshot, Jim turned to Spock.
"So her name's Nyota?"
"I have no comment on the matter" Spock replied swiftly, his eyes sharp and stern on Jim who quickly snapped back to attention as Scotty announced to the room at large:
"Okey-dokey then, if there's any common sense in the design of the enemy ship, I should be putting you somewhere in the cargo bay. Shouldn't be a soul in sight"
Jim nodded in confirmation only to start as he heard Layla give the bark of an order:
"Energize"
And then in the blink of an eye, golden circles swirled around and there was black.
"Sir! Sir! Our sensors have detected an anomaly in the Terran atmosphere"
"An anomaly?"
"Yes sir…from what readings and footage we have got already it seems to be some sort of plasma drill"
"A plasma drill?"
"Yes sir…but it's not a model approved by the Federation mining vessels, heck it looks nothing like anything we've ever seen and the ship-"
"Has it been activated?"
"No sir not yet, but we think it will soon. It's already giving off interference to our communications links."
"hmm… not good, definitely not good…"
"Sir…"
"What?!"
"um…sir… there's something else…the Enterprise, it's returned to the Sol System!"
Cold air…loud yells of surprise…metallic clicks as weapons were drawn…
Layla Pike did not need to be able to see beyond the yellow rings that surrounded her to know that the spot they had landed…was not the right place at all.
"Shit!" she cursed as, ignoring her momentary nausea, she, Jim, Spock and Hawke all whipped out their phasers and began firing them at the Romulans that surrounded them.
She managed to tag three of the ten, only to miss the eleventh one as one of her companion's dragged her behind a console for cover.
"There are too many of them!" she heard Jim yell from beside her as he shot two romulans with his phaser.
"We don't need to beat them! We just have to lose them!" Layla yelled as she made to fire at a rogue enemy who was trying to sneak on them from the other direction.
As the Romulan man crumpled she caught sight of Spock covering Hawke's back as he dashed to a set of stairs.
"This way!" He yelled. "QUICK!"
Jim and Layla did not need telling twice. As quickly as shadows they darted between consoles and towards the stairs, which led them into another large room filled with consoles.
There were less romulans in here, but more were coming in behind them.
But Layla was quick to remedy that problem. With a quick flick of her wrist, her phaser was shot directly at a half destroyed door panel, catching the electric spark as it danced between the wires.
At once the small locking unit exploded as with a heavy metallic clang, the heavy door slid tightly shut from the ceiling to the ground.
"Now what?!" She yelled to the others as she joined them in taking down the remaining three Romulans in the room with them. Two of them went down quickly, but the third was hit twice with a blue low level stun, aimed by Jim, who turned to Spock.
"We'll cover you" he muttered quietly.
"Are you certain?" Spock quirked a brow.
"Yes, now get going! The alarms are off" Layla snapped before turning to Hawke "you watch Spock's six, and Jim-"
"I have yours" Jim nodded as he and the other young man straightened up with her to hover over Spock as he knelt beside the fallen Romulan, his hand to his face.
After a moment or two he opened his eyes, just as Hawke shot an unsuspecting Romulan who had come to investigate the room.
"Do you know where it is?" Jim muttered as he sidled close to the Vulcan. "The Black hole device?"
"Yes. And Captain Pike" Spock nodded and Layla's head snapped round, her eyes wide.
"How is he? Is he okay?"
Spock's gaze on the girl was measured and calm, but there was a stony edge to it that made her insides drop as he muttered.
"From what I saw, yes. But he also appears very much weakened"
"Is he still strapped to that slab?" Hawke's eyes narrowed.
The Vulcan nodded.
"yes he was."
Layla turned to Jim eyes wide, but even as she opened her mouth he put a hand on her shoulder.
"Go, find him. We'll catch up with you soon"
"You sure?" Layla bit her lip, but he could see her eyes turn into wells of relief even when he pushed her away.
"Positive. Now go!" he yelled as the loud thudding announced the arrival of more Romulans.
"Keep down" Hawke hissed as he and Layla both sprinted towards a ladder that led to a lower railing. She barely even had time to glance over her shoulder, fear flooding her as she saw both Spock and Jim ducking for cover to avoid getting hit.
No! keep it together girl! they're tough, they'll make it. You all have to make it!
She mentally slapped herself as she and Hawk both jumped down to the level below.
Once there they were met with silence, save for the voices of a Romulan's.
Oddly enough, Layla recognised the gruff tone of him at once, for it belonged to her old captor on the plasma drill.
She raised her phaser and pointed around the corner only for Hawke to push it gently down, shaking his head.
"there are guards on the other side too." He hissed quietly as he pointed out four other Romulans with their backs to them on the other side of the room.
"Pass me one of your knives"
Layla nodded, doing her best to keep herself from gagging as she watched her companion quietly stalk his way up behind the Romulan. As he did so, the knife slipped quietly down by his side.
Then, in an instant that lasted barely a second, a hand clapped over a mouth and the blade sliced clean across a throat, green blood splattering softly to the floor.
It was only by sheer will-power that Layla willed herself not to throw up then and there as Hawke silently dragged his dead victim down to the ground with barley a sound.
The other guards on the other side of the room, barely even batted an eye as they made to stalk up to the upper railings above their prey's heads, completely unaware of the loss of one of their own.
"Y-you-" Layla spluttered only for Hawke to press a hand over her mouth as the made to drag her body along with him to the door.
Once they were safely through and hidden in another corridor, she roughly shoved him off of her.
"You know a thank you wouldn't go amiss." Hawke rolled his eyes but stopped quickly at the look on Layla's face. It was paler than death warmed up and glaring fiercely.
"You didn't have to kill him" she hissed. "now once they go down to check on him, they'll know where we went"
"Yeah and if he turned round he'd have spotted us and we'd both be dead" Hawke snapped back just as viciously. "I don't know what it is with you and your stupid friends on that ship, but this is a life and death situation. If you think that you'll be able to stay alive in a job like yours by being nice and politely stunning all your enemies then you really need to have your brains checked."
"Oh so what? you're saying I should just go about killing people like I'm some sort of savage from the twentieth century!"
"It didn't stop you before…actually you seemed to quite enjoy it last I saw"
There was silence as Layla stared with wide eyes up at the man before her, who ignored her shock as he continued to hiss into her face.
"Listen here you pint-size-princess. Your savagery, as you call it, has been the only thing keeping you alive today and it's going to keep being your only ticket to survival for as long as you are in danger. The minute you let it go, will be the minute you die here. So either you man up, and take out these alien arses and save your dad, or you chicken out and let him die and you can then spend the rest of your miserable life crying into your dear Captain Jim's shirt like a little baby. It's your choice"
Layla's face was so red with anger it was amazing her head hadn't caught on fire.
Indeed her brain was almost pounding with the thunderous thoughts as what felt like white hot heat streak through her gut. It was a heat that made her body tingle with energy and pulse with a need so powerful that her fingers buzzed. But it wasn't the need of lust or hunger…it was the craving to take one of her many knives and shove it right up her companions arse as painfully as she could as he all but sneered in her face.
"So…Layla, what's it going to be?"
Layla shook her head and growled to herself.
"Once all this is over, I'm going to take you to Bones, and I'm gonna make him stick you so full of hyposprays that you'll be begging to die!"
"Pff! I'd like to see you try" Hawke grunted as he stepped back to let her pass.
Layla however did not turn round to face him as she made to stride away from him and down the new crossways in the corridor they had come across.
Most of them were about the multiple ways she could kill the infuriating yet attractive bastard behind her then and there, whilst the rest of her brain was trying to comprehend their position.
She could sort of remember this corridor, for it was one of those she had been dragged down by Nero's crew.
If we take a right up ahead and down a tunnel along the core cooling stations it will take us downwards the brig and interrogation chambers. If what Spock said was true, he should still be there… Tied to that slab…like a carcass to be butchered or dissected…
She shook her head vigorously as she gripped tighter to her phaser.
No. No she wasn't going to let her fear mess with her head again, not when the cost of the mission was so high.
She was relieved to find that the pathways that she and Hawke took were mostly deserted as they meandered down through a floor flooded tunnel.
Layla could've cursed as with every step taken a splashing sound echoed over the tunnel walls.
"Jesus, for guys from the future, they sure don't have good plumbing" Hawke grunted softly as his boots were filled with cold water.
"there must be a leak some-"
"Look out!"
Pew-pew!
Layla barely had time to turn around when a pair of hands pushed her out of the way of two bright green killing blasts aimed from the ambushing Romulan's rifles.
She winced as she splashed head first into the watery path, struggling for air as she scrambled to get back to her feet, hot bursts of energy flying over her head as Hawke and the Romulan's fired at one another in the watery tunnel.
Where is it? where is it?
She flayed out wildly for her phaser only to grab hold of a decimated half of it.
But she wasn't deterred. She of all people knew that with just the right fiddling a phaser was just as good a weapon broken, as it was whole. As quick as lightning her fingers extracted and cut two of the wires embedded in the weapon, tiny electrical currents passing through them as she clicked the trigger.
"GET BACK!" She roared to Hawke as she all but jumped to her feet and threw the half-phaser at the group of attackers.
BOOM!
The explosion that blasted through the tunnel was so loud and so thunderous that even many corridors away that two Starfleet officers (a Vulcan and a human) both felt the tremor in the ground as they made their way to the Narada's humungous hangar bay.
"What the hell was that?" Jim looked over his shoulder, as did Spock, whose dark brow was raised high.
"I do not know. But the sound suggests that it was a kind of energy burst"
Energy burst?
Jim shook his head softly to himself.
No what was he doing, he needed to get to that hangar bay.
Helene Marlene Pike was not a woman easily surprised. Though her face and body looked as young as a woman in her late twenties, her mind had seen at least ten, if not more, years of events that had enriched her knowledge.
But the large loud tremble beneath her feet gave her such a shock that she actually jumped back into her desk.
What on earth?
Indeed what was on the earth?
She turned around quickly, strawberry blonde curls swishing about her pale face as her green eyes widened.
There outside the window was a long column of light, streaking down from the sky.
"Computer!" she yelled as she stumbled about her office, the tremors shaking her footing even as she tried to take one step forwards. "Computer what he hell is going on?"
"Seismic activity detected in the upper crust, at Earth sector 2" A female computerized voice clipped robotically.
"Yeah I can feel that" Helene muttered darkly and cursed when she saw one of her lecture PADD's fall and smash to the floor.
There goes tomorrows' lecture…
She thought bitterly, though it was quickly wiped from her mind when her communicator fell out of her pocket.
Her heart sank as she saw that a light on it was flashing.
She picked it up and put it to her ear.
"Pike here" she squeaked as she all but fell over again, her grip still tight on the communicator.
But there was no reply. Instead there was a lot of yelling and crashes on the other end and a voice shouting out.
"Come on get up!"
Helene gasped. The voice…that voice…how long since she'd heard it?
"No...but it couldn't be…"
"Come on get up!"
The voice pierced straight through Layla's ringing ears as a pair of hands swiftly tugged her up to her feet.
"Remind me not to do that again" she gasped as she retched up bile into the watery path.
"Don't worry I don't think you'll have to." Hawke grimaced as he patted her back awkwardly before grabbing hold of her shoulder.
"Come on. We only have five minutes to get out of here"
"On it" Layla rasped, wiping at her mouth. Her head was thumping and she could taste a little bit of blood from a cut in her cheek, but apart from that she felt fine, save for her legs aching horribly as she started to run.
For some reason she could not comprehend, the metallic taste in her mouth was oddly…satisfying. Even as she swallowed to rid her mouth of excess fluids she could feel something, like a shiver zip up and down her spine in continuous streams.
But this wasn't tremors of fear.
No…
It was tremors of excitement…of thrill…
Of very familiar enjoyment…
The thought was so staggering that she almost stopped dead in her tracks, but the feeling of the phaser in her hand kept her going.
Just keep concentrating! Dad's in trouble-he needs you.
She told herself firmly but still she could feel her fingers trembling from the shock of her revelation
Down one corridor, then another, then suddenly cold air hit her face as she and Hawke both ran into an open space.
Her heart soared as she recognised it at once. It was the main bridge. The place Nero had first questioned her.
And there just beyond a few consoles was a familiar door.
"Dad" she whispered.
Forgetting the pain in her legs or the thumping of her head she balked forwards only to be pulled back as a green blast hurtled her way.
"Well, well, well. Look who's come back" a voice sneered and she turned quickly to see none other, than the Romulan man that had captured her on the drill, step forwards to stand between her and her father's body energy rifle raised to point at her head.
She felt Hawke tense up beside her but he didn't fire as many other Romulan's with phasers seemed to appear from all around them.
"You know it's a pity you never stayed longer little girl" the first Romulan hissed softly "Your father wasn't very co-operative when you were gone."
"He wouldn't have been co-operative even if I was there" There were titters and snorts of chuckles from the other Romulans around her, but Layla ignored them, eyes narrowing on the one before her as she did her best to keep the red veil of anger clouding her vision
"Oh I doubt that." The lead Romulan leered "Human parents are especially self-sacrificing when something they love is in danger"
"the only person in danger here is you assholes" Layla's eyes narrowed "and as far as I can see, you're severely out matched"
"by whom?" the romulan snorted, but Layla could see in his eyes a slight flicker of anxiety in his dark eyes. "you and your little partner are only two and we are ten. What makes you think you can beat us"
"Because quantity is no guarantee for quality" Layla smirked. "And speaking about numbers…"
Hawke blinked, eyes widening in shock as he watched the Romulan to their side reel backwards from the sheer force of the small pale fist shoved straight between his eyes.
He had not seen Layla move, such was the speed of her body as she all but pummelled the alien man's face clean in, before grabbing onto his phaser rifle which she fired twice, hitting two other Romulans squarely in the chest.
"three down, seven to go" she growled to Hawke who grinned.
"Good shot"
"pff! That was kids play birdbrain" Layla snapped as she shot down another Romulan only to lunge at another and break his arm.
But this isn't
Her lips quirked upwards in a small smirk as the ninth romulan went down from a solid punch to the jaw, leaving behind the squad leader…her prey standing before them his eyes full of fear.
"What…what are you?" he stammered as he took a step back.
"Someone you shouldn't call a little girl" Layla snarled and then swiftly she kicked.
The phaser rifle flew out of the Romulan's hands, but he didn't notice it's absence.
Thunk!
There was a deafening silence as the Romulan suddenly swayed where he stood, smoke and blood both gushing from the point in-between his eyes where the phaser blast had hit him, point blank.
"Well what do you know…" Hawke muttered eyebrows raised to Layla as she lowered the phaser face cold and eyes icy. "The little kitten does have some bite after all"
"Keep talking like that and I'll show you bite jackass!"
Hawke barely had time to register the harsh tones as her small shoulder slammed painfully into his side as she brushed past him.
Man… For a tiny thing she sure hits hard…
He grimaced as he rubbed his arm, and yet in spite of himself his lips quirked upwards in a small smirk as he watched her poke her head around a corner.
And yet she's almost just like-
"Hey!" Hawke called but already Layla was streaking ahead and back into an even bigger space. littered with tall platforms with high drops, where three figures were standing, both of them very far away from where both the rescuers had just appeared.
Two of them were darkly clad tall, pointy eared tattooed Romulans, one of them standing guard and holding a phaser whilst the other who had very familiar grim and sallow face, stood over a figure lying on the ground.
"I know your face from Earth's history"
"Jim…" Layla breathed, her eyes widening to the size of dinner plates, as she watched Nero advance on her friend who spluttered on his back as he was hoisted up and thrown away like trash in a bin.
She began to run forwards, ignoring Hawke's loud yells behind her as she quickly switched her phaser from kill to stun. Even with her good aim, Nero and Jim were still too far away to get a clear shot and she did not want to miss, or worse hit the wrong target.
Her heart hammered as she ran, her legs just running on autopilot whilst her eyes remained transfixed to the ever horrible sights and sounds of her friend's body being bashed and hit, over and over again.
Hold on Jim I'm almost there!
She winced as she saw a small splash of both red and green blood fly out as both romulan and human thrashed at one another, only for the latter to be thrown on the floor again.
"James T. Kirk was considered to be a great man" Nero hissed as he made to wrap his hands around Jim's throat and squeeze it hard "He went on to captain the U.S.S. Enterprise. But that was another life. A life I will deprive you of, just like I did your father-"
"Not on my wat-whoa!" Layla squeaked as she grabbed onto a nearby console to steady herself, as suddenly the around her shook, a loud groaning and crashing sound reverberating off the walls as a computerized voice sounded.
"Captain Nero. The Vulcan ship has been taken. The drill has been destroyed"
Nero's face contorted.
"SPOCK!" he all but roared to the room around him "SPOCK!"
Layla could have jumped for joy then and there had she not been so unstable on her feet. Indeed even as she got back up to run a grin spread across her face.
Spock you mother f-ing son of a gun!
She all but laughed breathlessly, only to startle as she watched Nero suddenly turn heel and literally jump off the platform above her and onto a lower one.
She would have run after him, god knows how much she wanted to run after that murdering crazy sonofabitch, but the sight of the Romulan captain's lackey striding forwards to take his place before Jim wiped all thoughts of vengeance from her mind in a heart-beat.
"JIM!" she yelled as she did her best to dodge out from behind her cover just in time to see Jim jump off from above and straight towards her.
"Layla look out!" He cried.
She leapt back just in time for him to land only to cry out as a blast of heat hit her squarely in the shoulder, sending her flying backwards as Jim slipped the other way to struggle at the edge of the platform.
"Lay!" he called but sputtered as a large shadowy hand reached down and grabbed him by his already sore throat. It was Nero's guard and he sneered triumphantly into the young Starfleet officers face as he lifted him high into the air above so that his feet dangled over the deadly, endless drop below.
"Your species is even weaker than I expected" the romulan hissed his fingers grasping even tighter at his prey's neck as he struggled for air. "you can't even speak"
Jim gasped for air, his eyes momentarily glancing over his adversaries shoulder to where his best friend was struggling weakly to her elbows.
Not for the first time today a wave of guilt and frustration washed over him as he watched her raise her head, icy eyes full of fear as she all but managed to raise herself to her knees, desperate to push herself towards her phaser. But no matter how hard she tried, Jim knew that she wouldn't be able to fire…not without the Romulan dropping him into oblivion first.
"Bast-ard…" Jim choked breathlessly glaring back into the sneering face of the Romulan that had him in his clutches. "I-I-"
"I what?" the Romulan snorted.
"I got your gun"
There was the sound of a shot being fired, but it was oddly muffled by a loud squelching crunch as an energy blast made point blank contact with un-protected flesh.
But Jim wasn't interested in the quality or effect of his shot. His only concern was of the sudden loss of the hand that had once been around his neck.
Oh crap!
He barely had time to blink before his body dropped again beside the platform, only this time he knew in a split second that he hadn't a chance at grabbing at salvation.
Needless to say he was very surprised to feel his body jerk to a stop mid fall as a pair of small pale hands suddenly grabbed hard at his wrist.
"Hold on Jim" Layla grunted as with a tremendous effort she heaved on her friend's arm and pulled him upwards.
As she pulled Jim was quick to notice the red that was dribbling down from a deep burn in shoulder.
"Lay" he grunted but Layla just growled.
"Just shut up-ungh!" her grip tightened almost painfully as her shoulder throbbed horribly, more blood dribbling from her shoulder as the muscles in it made to twitch with the effort. But Layla didn't care, all she could focus on was the hand in both of hers that she was pulling on.
It was a hard slog, one which she almost wouldn't have been able to manage at all if Hawke hadn't jumped down to them a few seconds later, his strong arm grabbing quickly onto Jim's other one.
Quickly they slid him up onto the platform where he struggled up to his hands and knees, panting and gasping as he rubbed his sore bruised throat.
"Thanks" he puffed, sparing a small smirk for Layla who smirked (or rather grimaced) back.
"Anytime"
"Hate to break this little happy reunion" Hawke snorted "but we should probably get out of here soon"
"Right" Jim nodded, though Layla noticed there was a lot less hostility in his tones or his glances to the other male, who only gave a curt nod before re-arming himself with a phaser rifle.
Jim followed suit as did Layla, who winced as she moved her injured shoulder.
"I'll be fine" she snapped irritably before Jim could even open his mouth.
"You're bleeding" Jim deadpanned in return, though inwardly he cringed at the sight of her. what had once been a clean and crisp security officer was now a young girl with messy damp black hair and a torn up, burnt, singed and green and red bloodstained uniform and face, which scowled even harder at his disturbed expression.
"Dad's close" she pointed to a doorway just a little way away from where they were standing. "The interrogation room should be through there"
"Right" Jim nodded as they cautiously began to step off the platform and back onto the solid deck of the ship.
"Kirk to Enterprise" he hissed into his communicator and was relieved to hear the familiar beep of an open channel. "Commander Spock has disarmed the drill, Hawkins, Layla and I almost have Captain Pike. We'll contact you to beam us out when we find him. Kirk out"
It was a very tense going, barely anything seemed to stir in this part of the ship, especially once they'd made their way down into the very dark, very watery chamber below.
Layla shuddered as she recognised the dark space around her. It was almost exactly the same as she'd remembered it being all those hours ago…except for the two Romulan guards stationed on either side of a large slab.
The shots from Hawke and Jim were quick and decisive and in no time did the two enemies drop to the floor like stones in a pond.
"Dad" Ignoring the stinging of cold air on her wounded shoulder, Layla rushed over to the slab the two guards once stood over and her heart all but sank in her chest.
There he was, Christopher Pike her tough grizzly but strong father laying on his back, his arms, legs and chest bound tightly as he struggled to look at her, his face slack and weak with fatigue.
"Layla? What…how…" he breathed, his dazed eyes vaguely focused on Layla's face as she leaned down to undo one of his bonds.
"It's okay dad, we're gonna get you out of here" Layla tugged quickly on a thick rope like restraint around his waist promptly ripping it clean apart.
For a second Christopher looked stunned but then when the other restraints on his arms were pulled away he gave a small smile.
"I forgot you could do that" He muttered quietly, his voice hoarse as he turned to see Jim and Hawke run up to his slab.
"What are you all doing here?"
"Just following orders" Jim grinned as he made to help Layla take off the bindings over his Captain's legs.
But even as he bent down to reach for the material, Christopher's arm shot out and grabbed his phaser from his belt and shot it straight over his shoulder towards the door, whilst at the same time Hawke fired his own weapon.
Layla and Jim both looked up just in time to see their potential attacker at the door drop quickly to the ground just as Christopher all but fell backwards in exhaustion.
But that was not the worst of it.
There was a great big crash overhead and Layla squeaked in surprise as she almost fell backwards into the watery interrogation floor.
"What the hell-" Hawke narrowed his eyes as he looked above only to duck as what looked like something large and metallic crashed through above them.
"Kirk to Enterprise, beam us out now!" Kirk yelled as he grabbed at a still very weak Christopher and half dragged him away from the slab.
Eyes shut, Layla barely felt a person grab her arm tightly, or the warm chest she was shoved into as beams of swirling energy consumed them in a whir of colour and light.
The next thing she knew a solid stable ground hit her feet and a voice was hissing loudly in jubilation from a few feet away.
She opened her eyes and promptly laughed out loud for joy as she caught sight of the familiar clean white interior of a U.S.S. Enterprise's transportation room.
"Nice timing Scotty!" she heard Jim call out from beside her and sure as eggs the Scotsman's familiar accent whooped noisily through the room.
"I've never beamed five people from two targets onto one pad before!"
Five?
Layla peered around Jim, and her father and her grin widened even more as she caught sight of the back of a blue shirt, a clean black head and very pointed pale ears.
Spock noticing her glance caught her eye and nodded once in affirmation, and for a moment she was certain she saw the tiniest hint of a smirk creep up the Vulcan's lips. but it was quick to turn into a frown of confusion as the brown eyes travelled above her head.
Layla blinked and turned round, only to find herself looking closely into a pair of stormy grey eyes.
"uh…hi" she gulped, feeling an intense heat flare up in her cheeks.
"hi…" Hawke mumbled, his own cheeks also flaming red as Layla made to open her mouth to speak…only to be cut short by a loud gruff voice.
"JIM! LAYLA!"
"BONES!" both Jim and Layla cried out as none other than Doctor Leonard McCoy all but stampeded into the transporter room, followed closely by a flock of five other nurses and medical personnel who instantly swooped on Christopher Pike, who was barely standing even in Jim's secure grip.
"I got him" the doctor panted as Jim deposited his captain into his friend's arms.
"Come on!" he called to Spock, Hawke and Layla who were quick to follow, the lattermost swatting a couple of nurses away from her.
"I'll come by later, just help my dad! That's an order!" she yelled and at once the nurses squeaked and bustled off to help Leonard with his new patient.
Layla knew she shouldn't have yelled, but she did not really care much for anything as she followed Jim and the others all the way up to the bridge, where they were greeted by a very much relieved and happy Chekov.
"Captain, the enemy ship is losing power! Their shields are down sir" the navigator exclaimed to the room at large from his console.
"Hail them now" Jim growled through gritted teeth as he led his little group to stand just before the viewing screen on which an amazing, but terrible sight, greeted them.
The Narada, the mammoth sized ship was being sucked into a big gaping hole.
Layla gasped as she beheld it in her gaze. She had often seen depictions of black holes in her text books but nothing could compare to the sight before her today. It was like the great mouth of a giant monster, sucking and swallowing everything and anything in its path and into an empty void.
The Narada looked so small against it as its many solid tentacle like limbs were crushed as easily as glass under a hammer, the bright flames of explosions flashing briefly before even they were sucked into the black hole's heart.
Then suddenly the image was gone, and a scratchy blurred image of Nero's pale gaunt and sallow face filled her vision.
The sight was enough to make her almost reach for her phaser again, but she was stopped by a hand grabbing her shoulder.
It was Jim's, and though he looked just as furious as she felt, his voice was calm as he spoke.
"This is Captain James T. Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Your ship is compromised. You're too close to the singularity to survive without assistance which we are willing to provide."
Layla blinked and looked around the room.
Did Jim just say what she thought he'd said.
She exchanged a glance with Spock, who likewise looked confused even as he turned his back to the screen murmur privately:
"Captain what are you doing?"
"Showing them compassion" Jim hissed quietly ignoring the way Layla and Hawke both rolled their eyes silently. "it may be the only way to earn peace with Romulus. It's logic Spock, I thought you'd like that"
"no not really, not this time" Spock shook his head, catching Layla's eye to her surprise. "to quote Lieutenant Pike, to hell with logic"
Layla grinned, but her eyes were quick to narrow as Nero's distorted image made to speak again, his voice filled with the venom and hate of a man with a hundred years of vengeance.
"I would rather suffer the end of Romulus a thousand times. I would rather die in agony, then accept assistance from you"
"You got it" Jim smirked just as the feed cut dead with the other ship. "Arm Phasers, fire everything we've got" he called to the rest of his crew.
"Yes sir!" the bridge all cried out in unison.
"Buckle up birdbrain, it's going to be one hell of a show!" Layla grabbed Hawke quickly as she made her way towards the weapons station where two empty consoles were waiting ready for her to use.
"Listen up ladies you got one good target, don't waste it!" she called through her comm link to the other weapons stations.
"Yes mam!" she heard the voices of several men bark out from the other end as well as from beside her.
Hawke meanwhile was gripping his seat tightly as the emergency belts slid out from the seats to tighten up around their passengers, holding them securely in place as the ship began to rumble and shake from the sheer barrage of weapons being fired.
"Lieutenant Pike we have phaser cannons ready" she heard ensign Hanson call beside her loudly over the hubbub.
"Fire at will" Jim called from his spot at the captain's chair. "We've almost got 'em"
"Already on it!" Layla pressed the firing button her eyes whipping around to watch through the bridge window as the Narada slowly but surely, slid back into the black hole.
In spite of her anger at the Romulan vessel, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity. Not for Nero, but at least for his crew, or rather the crew she had not met in combat.
How many lives had that madman sacrificed just for his revenge? All for nothing…for a future for him that will now never exist thanks to his interference…all those lives lost…
She was brought out of her reverie by Jim's loud call from the Captian's chair.
"Sulu take us out now!"
"Aye Captain" Sulu called as he pressed down hard on a lever to his left. At once the ship began to bank left the view screen's vision turning from the black hole and into the beautiful peaceful realm of outer space…that was oddly becoming more distant with each passing moment.
"Shit" she swore, her heart sinking as realization, horrible realization set in, replacing victory with the all too familiar sensation of fear as they were sucked backwards into the gaping black chasm behind them.
"Why aren't we at warp?" Jim yelled, over the increasingly loud humming of the ship as it was slowly dragged backwards.
"We are sir!" Chekov called.
"It's just too-the mass!" Sulu grunted as he pushed harder at the lever before him, as if the mere minute force and willpower in his hand would somehow push the ship forwards.
"Kirk to Engineering!" Jim called through the com link in his chair. "Get us out of here Scotty"
"You bet your arse Captain!" Scotty's voice all but screeched through the link, "Captain, we're caught in the gravity well, it's got us!"
"Go to maximum warp! Push it!" Jim yelled as the metal coverings of the bridge room groaned and creaked ominously as gravity made to press in from all sides.
"I'm giving her all she's got Captain!"
"All she's got isn't good enough, what else you got?!" Jim barked over all the noise of breaking material and frantic panic around him.
"Okay, if we eject the core and detonate the blast could be enough to push us away I cannae promise anything though!"
"Jesus Christ!" Layla cried out as a large crack suddenly split loudly into being right above hers and Hawke's heads, just as many more appeared around the ceiling and even the very thick viewport glass.
"DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!" Jim yelled.
There was silence on the other end of the link, but Layla was sure she heard several small metallic clunks and a grunt from the Scottish engineer for the smallest moment.
She shut her eyes tight as a red alert warning flashed on the screen of her console, unable to watch as memories of the past week flashed over her minds eye.
Being at the academy… bickering and joking with Jim and Leonard as assignments piled up…going back to her parents flat for the weekend…her mother cooking dinner for her and her father…
Her mother…
It had only been two days since she had last seen her, but already it felt like a lifetime ago.
Would she know even now where her daughter and husband were…would she get to know in the future? What would happen to her once they were gone?
Was she safe at home back on earth?
"I love you mom," Layla whispered softly to herself, as she gripped the base of her seat and shut her eyes even tighter, so tight that her eyes seemed almost glued shut even as light burst all around her, and piercing straight through her eyelids.
The ship hummed, its entire hull shaking and trembling with the force of the explosion behind it, the people and machinery inside rattling around like glitter in a snow-globe.
"HOLD ON TIGHT!" she heard Hanson yell beside her as he gripped hard at his console, the skin on his face pulled back by the sheer gravitational force being exerted at that moment.
Layla did not need any telling twice and wildly reached out with a hand to grab something on her console.
She eventually found something, or rather, someone's hand and clenched it tight, not caring who or what it belonged to as she held on for dear life.
This was it…either they were pushed out back into the safe void of space…or they were crushed by a black hole…
What a way to go…
She couldn't help but think as she squeezed the hand in hers tighter.
The hand in return squeezed back just as hard, its larger fingers trembling over hers as they laced together for a more secure grip.
And then suddenly without any warning, they all lurched forwards.
The force of the great push was so great that Layla's eyes burst open, as she all but jerked violently in her seat, her body only held back by the safety harness on her seat.
The hand she was holding still gripped onto her tightly as the ship began to suddenly speed forwards as, like a stone from a child's slingshot, they were rapidly flung forwards into a black calm void of space.
There was silence as all members of the bridge crew stared out ahead at their cracked view screen, through which they could see the rest of the ship, accelerate away, it's mass propelled forwards in the empty vacuum as normal physics intended.
Then there was a collective exhale of breath, one that made sighs appear over the mouths of everyone's faces.
The first one to break the silence was Jim, who was still sitting in the Captain's chair and grinning from ear to ear, his blue eyes wells of relief as he looked over his crew and chuckled breathlessly.
As his gaze swept over everyone present, they each relaxed in their seats, each one letting out sighs or sounds of relief ranging from grins to groans of exhaustion.
"We're alive…We're bloody alive" Layla let out a breathless laugh as her body all but sank in her chair. However she was stopped from going too far by the grip on her hand.
She looked up, and felt heat flare up in her cheeks as she caught Hawke's eye.
He was eyeing her curiously, his eyes never leaving her face even as his grip relaxed on her limb. She couldn't pinpoint what it was…but there was something about the gaze that was different. It was as if he was looking at her for the first time and noticing something she couldn't see.
She was distracted from her thoughts as she heard Chekov's small laugh of relief behind her as Jim motioned to Sulu tiredly.
"Mister Sulu…set us on a course back to earth…and Lay… Lieutenant Pike…" he turned towards Layla his grin softening as he beheld her in his gaze "Call off all emergency security measures. And get yourself down to medical"
Layla rolled her eyes but smiled fondly all the same.
"Aye, will do... Captain Kirk"
Uh-oh... looks like they're not out of trouble yet.
anyways phew! that was a long chapter in the making. hope it was worth the wait. the next chapter should come up shortly afterwards (because this was actually the first half of the chapter i was writing originally but when i checked it it was really really long so i decided to split it here)
Anyways hope you enjoyed and review for more :)