Here's a new chapter which I hope you all will enjoy. Finally got some time to write. :D
Please note that I have edited the story quite a lot in some places. So, I heavily encourage my old readers to reread at least the last two chapters.
Thank you all for your love and patience!
The boy screamed as white hot agony lanced through his body. The situation he was in would have taken the fight out of most people by then. But it was simply not in his nature to give up.
As the initial shock of pain lessened, he could feel something digging in between his shoulder blades.
His dagger!
Dark eyes snapped open in determination.
Battling the pain away, he freed the dagger from his shoulder strap and took a deep breath. His shaking hands steadied; and his eyes quickly studied the animal in front of him.
Exoskeleton: present. Organic? Metallic? Unknown. Head and abdomen covered. Neck vulnerable.
As quick as a lightening, he plunged the dagger into the beast's neck.
Howling in pain from the blow, the beast released his leg and jumped out of reach. Unfortunately, the beast had sunk its teeth into his leg pretty deep and thus had taken a chunk of his flesh along with it.
Another inadvertent scream left his mouth.
!
Jim increased his pace as another pain filled scream reached his ears. He could hear it loud and clear now.
He was close, very close.
He slowed his pace and furtively surveyed the scene in front of him. His eyes took in the three-legged animals and immediately noticed that their mouth had plenty of teeth. Yup, all very long and very sharp.
Then his eyes fell upon their unfortunate prey.
'What the hell! That's a child,' Jim gaped. The boy tilted his head in a certain way and Jim froze looking at pointed ear tips quite familiar to him.
'A Vulcan child…'
!
Seeing the condition of their pack mate, the other animals in the pack eyed the boy sprawled on the ground warily… assessing him anew. As for the boy, he did not have much strength remaining. He was rapidly losing blood and his body was going into shock. So he simply waited for the next attack with the knife held loosely in his hands.
It was a commendable but pointless effort on his part.
Unless and until a miracle happened, the breaths he was taking would be his last. And while his Vulcan side scoffed at the idea of miracles, knowing that they were illogical, his human side couldn't help wishing and hoping for one.
Another beast, perhaps the leader of the pack, growled at him. Its intelligent eyes correctly assessed his weakening condition and dismissed the notion of him being a threat any longer.
It crouched with the help of its single fore-limb and two hind limbs.
'Interesting; the forepaw is of a much greater size in order to increase the stability,' the boy thought dispassionately. He was too weak and tired to be afraid any longer.
And then the beast lunged for him, its jaws wide open and ready for kill. It was aiming for his throat this time.
And in a last bid of survival he brought the knife up, even knowing he was going to lose.
!
"Damn it," Jim cursed and brought up his phaser, firing at the beast which had lunged for the boy's throat. It was not much of a plan, but he had run out of time. A second of hesitation on his part could result in the boy's death.
As always, his aim was true. The boy's lethal knife followed his shot after a few precious seconds and Jim had to marvel at the boy's resilience.
With their leader down, the pack scattered. All of them trying to locate the new source of threat and Jim took advantage of the chaos. He made a beeline for the boy and seeing that he was in no condition to even walk, much less run, hoisted him up onto his shoulders. Blindly firing a few more shots at the beasts, he broke into a run.
"Faster," the boy gasped out after a while, "they are gaining on us."
Jim tried increasing his pace but damn it, the boy sure was heavier than he looked. And unfortunately, he did not possess superhuman strength. Where was Spock when he needed him?
The dense undergrowth certainly did not help either. Neither did the low atmospheric oxygen of the planet.
"Towards your left. There should be a river up ahead. Dan said they don't like water," the boy informed him and even those few words left him wheezing. Jim realized that the boy required medical attention soon or he would not survive.
Cursing silently, he obligingly turned towards his left. Although he had no idea who Dan was, he would have to accept his words at face value. He simply had no better plan.
And so Jim increased his pace even though he was tiring.
Suddenly the boy's jubilant voice broke out, "Yes… they are hesitating… even slowing down…"
Jim silently thanked whichever deity was watching over them. He did it a moment too soon though, because the next second… he tripped.
!
Jim's curse was drowned by the boy's shrill scream and for a second, Jim felt so frustrated that he could scream himself.
He was about to get up when the cavalry finally arrived.
Spock was sprinting towards them from the opposite direction with Bones following a few feet behind him. Spock's face seemed carved from granite, but his eyes were blazing with determination. Jim knew it was to protect him and his heart beat a tiny bit faster.
Spock shouted out a single word, "Down."
Jim dropped flat to the ground instantly and a volley of phaser shots flew above him. Bones caught up to Spock a few seconds later and the intensity of the shots increased.
Jim took the opportunity to greedily gulp some much needed air into his lungs while trying to assess the boy's condition from his position simultaneously. It seemed that the boy had finally lost his consciousness.
"Damn it! That's not good," Jim cursed. "Not good at all."
!
After a minute or so of continuous firing, the pack decided to retreat in search of an easier prey. They had to accept defeat after a lot of them were either killed or injured. Their growls soon became naught but a faint sound in the distance.
Spock ceased his firing and signalled Bones to copy. Both he and Bones then made a beeline for Jim and the stranger accompanying him.
Once they were near enough, their eyes alighted upon the person Jim had been carrying. He was a young Vulcan male… a severely injured young Vulcan male.
Spock's only reaction was momentary widening of his eyes; Bones hissed out a litany of curses.
"Only you… I swear Jim… only you. You must have been alone for fifteen or so bloody minutes. How did you manage all this in that short time frame?" Bones asked him, scowling. Without waiting for an answer, he unceremoniously shoved Jim away from the boy in order to check his condition.
While Bones used his medical tricorder to scan the boy, Jim gave a quick rundown on what had happened. After he was finished, Spock surmised that the boy could be a part of the group they were searching for and that he would be vital to the completion of their mission.
"Will he be okay Bones?" Jim asked, worried. It was not only because of the mission. He had really liked the boy's spunk and would like to know him better. Not to mention, he was part of an endangered species.
"He'll live," Bones huffed once his scan was complete. "Don't just stand there like a spare end. Take off his trousers and be careful of his injury. " Shaking his head, Jim complied with Bones' instructions while Spock stood guard.
They were out in the open and none of them liked the fact. Just like Jim had done before, climbing a tree would have been the safest possible action. But doing so with the boy unconscious and bleeding to death was so not happening.
Taking another device out his medkit, Bones began treating the boy's wound.
"You carry a vascular regenerator in you medkit?" Jim asked in amazement.
"Jim," Bones growled out without looking away from what he was doing, "with the amount of trouble you and the hobgoblin manage to land yourselves in, I carry a lot of stuff you won't find in any other medkit. Now do me favour and shut up. Go stand guard with Spock or something. I said he'll live but it is going to take a lot of work."
With that Bones gave his complete attention to his patient.
!
Jim rolled his eyes at the rude dismissal. Knowing Bones, the boy was in the best possible hands. And so, taking a deep breath, Jim turned to face Spock.
A soft gasp escaped his lips when he found Spock standing close to him, much too close. When did he get so close? Damn sneaky Vulcans.
Spock's heavy gaze ran all over his body, from the top of his head to the very bottom of his feet, cataloguing his injuries. Finally those chocolate brown eyes landed upon his and their gazes held.
Jim valiantly tried to fight the blush staining his cheeks but judging from the amused spark in Spock's eyes, he had failed.
Predictably, Jim's temper flared and he glared at Spock. Not letting Jim's glare faze him in the slightest, Spock stepped even closer to him and stated, "Your torso is injured, Captain."
"I'm fine," Jim grumbled, looking away from those eyes which always saw too much. "Just banged up a bit. You and Bones got here in time."
I do not need you. Jim winced internally, having to eat those words. What a load of bullshit.
"Captain," Spock countered, in the tone of voice which suggested that Jim was being stupid again, "fine has variable definitions. And your injuries are not fine. Please take off your uniform shirt. I will attend to your injuries."
Jim acquiesced with a long drawn sigh. He was too tired to argue with Spock over his injuries. Besides he knew that this would be an argument he would lose anyway.
Spock carefully assessed the numerous scratches on Jim's body. They seemed to be shallow enough even though some of them were bleeding. Spock retrieved the dermal regenerator from the medkit and went to work. Once he deemed that Jim's injuries were healed satisfactorily enough, he stepped back and allowed Jim to put on his shirt back.
An awkward silence stretched between the two of them.
"Captain, I must apologize."
Jim, for his part, could only stare at Spock in surprise. Finally, he found enough of his bearings to ask, "Don't Vulcans consider apologies to be illogical?"
Spock's lips twitched. "My… outburst was illogical too and I should have never mentioned your…"
Jim raised his hand, stopping Spock from continuing. "Yeah… well… let's call it even. I too shouldn't have mentioned your mother. And you were right anyway. I shouldn't have rushed into the cave without consulting anyone. Because of me, you and Bones are now in danger. Your outburst was understandable."
There, perfectly mature behaviour on his part. Jim silently cheered.
It was brought to an abrupt end by Spock's growl. He actually freaking growled. "Jim, do you really believe that the reason I lost my composure was because your actions landed us in danger? Or do you think it was because you acted on the spur of the moment?"
Jim nodded his head, non-verbally acknowledging those statements before taking a look at Spock's expression. He gasped and took a step back.
Spock was furious and was glaring at him. Well, the Vulcan equivalent of glaring but glaring it was.
"Allow me to clarify, Jim," Spock nearly bit out the words, his voice elevated beyond his normal tenor, "I did not lose my composure because Leonard or I were in danger because of your actions."
Uh-oh, Jim thought. Spock was clearly angry enough to not monitor his words. He would never have called Bones by his name otherwise.
Spock continued with his rant, taking another step forward when Jim took one back. "I lost my composure because you placed yourself in danger… again. You ordered me to return to Enterprise, which would have left you alone and unprotected."
Spock took another step forwards while grabbing Jim's chin. "I lost my composure because if I had been a second too late in following you, I wouldn't be here with you. I wouldn't be here to keep you safe. Do you understand the reason behind my outburst now?"
!
"Well, I hate to interrupt this, but we have a problem."
Both Jim and Spock sprang apart. Jim turned towards Bones, for once at a loss for words. Spock turned to face Bones too, hands clasped behind his back.
"What seems to be the problem, Doctor?" Spock enquired after a moment or two of tense silence.
Scowling at the two of them, Bones answered, "That kid is out of danger for now. But we need water… and food too. I used our last reserves of water on the kid. Also, we need to move somewhere safe. The kid has to rest and so do we."
Jim nodded grimly; immediately pushing aside the… conversation with Spock to the back of his mind. He began mulling over their next steps. "I did see some caves back there but we can't risk it, can we? Spock?"
"Negative," Spock added. "There is a high probability of some unknown species dwelling within it."
"So… we have no choice but to brave the trees," Jim said looking at Spock as it would fall upon him to get the boy up there. He was the strongest of them after all.
Spock nodded.
"Now just wait a second," Bones grumbled. "The kid's unconscious. How will Spock climb a ruddy tree with him? Strapped like a papoose?"
Jim couldn't help but chuckle at the image Bones' words painted before replying, "No Bones, we'll wait for him to regain consciousness. He'll be able to hold on while Spock climbs with him, won't he?"
Bones nodded his head wearily. "Let's hope so. We can strap him on for extra safety. So now we wait."
"Errr… no. We cannot wait. The longer we stay in the open, the longer we will be advertising ourselves as our prey."
Bones glanced between the two of them suspiciously before demanding in an impatient voice, "Jim, explain."
It was Spock who replied. "I will guide him back to consciousness by forming a mind meld with him."
"WHAT?" Bones thundered.
"My hearing is perfectly sound, Doctor. And I assure you the technique is perfectly safe when performed by a strong enough telepath," Spock informed Bones primly.
Bones glared at Spock for a while before giving in. He was too tired and hungry for this shit. "Fine," he muttered irritably, "do your Vulcan voodoo."
Spock nodded and approached the unconscious boy. Splaying his fingers to touch his psi points, Spock slipped into the boy's mind.
!
Bones winced; it was the first time he was witnessing a meld and couldn't help but wonder how invasive such a thing must feel. Wanting to share his thoughts with Jim, he turned towards him.
Jim was staring at Spock unwaveringly. His hands were clenched shut and his lips were pressed into a thin line.
Bones was shocked.
"Jim, are you jealous?" he asked disbelievingly.
Startled, Jim turned towards him. "What? Of… of course not. What the hell Bones? Why should I be jealous?" Jim denied hotly.
"Don't give me that innocent look, kid," Bones growled. "You are jealous. Have you done this with him before?"
Jim shifted uneasily, trying not to meet Bones' eye; but finally admitted the truth under the intensity of Bones' glare. "Uhm… yeah. A few times. Not a big deal, Bones."
At Bones' 'are you out of your goddamn mind' look, he hastily explained. "Look, it helps when I can't sleep because of my nightmares. It… keeps the nightmares away. Makes me feel safe." He almost mumbled the last part.
Bones simply stared at Jim for a while before heaving an exasperated sigh. "So, that was the new meditation technique you told me about… the one which was making you sleep better."
Jim had the decency to look sheepish.
"I don't like it. We'll talk about it later, Jim. But right now, you don't need to be jealous. You do know that you are the only one whom the hobgoblin adores, don't you?" Bones asked him a soft voice.
Jim gulped and answered in a shaky voice, "Stop talking crap Bones. He's going to bond with Nyota."
Bones smirked. "Is he? Are you sure?"
"Yes, damn it Bones, he is. He told me so himself," Jim snapped and just for a moment his pain was unmasked. The smirk slipped off Bones' lips as he glimpsed the terrible hurt in Jim's eyes. He gently clasped Jim's shoulders before replying, "Well, he has always been an idiot when it comes to you. Jim… they've broken up."
Jim froze; his face filled with disbelief and also a small bit of hope. "No. He would have told me. You're wrong."
Bones shrugged. "I'm sure he will, kid. And I'm not wrong. He told me about their break-up himself."
"Oh," Jim whispered softly before looking away. "Why?"
"Why do you think?" Bones countered, looking pointedly at Jim.
"R… really?"
"Yes."
A smile broke out on Jim's face and it reminded Bones of the sun breaking over the horizon. Giving in to his urges, he pulled him into his arms. "You deserve all the happiness, kid."
!
"Am I interrupting something?" a cool voice enquired from behind.
Jim, who seemed intent on hugging the life out of Bones, pulled back and winked at Spock. Spock's brow ascended.
"Why yes, Spock. Can't you see we are bonding?" Grinning impishly, he laid a smacking kiss to Bones' cheek.
Spock clenched his teeth while Bones gulped nervously.
"What do you think you are doing? The damn hobgoblin is not exactly sane when it comes to you. Let go before he cracks," Bones implored and Jim burst out into laughter.
"Is the boy away awake?" Jim asked his disgruntled Vulcan after he got his breath back.
"Affirmative, Captain."
!
"Hey," Jim smiled down at the boy, "You alright? What's your name? I'm Jim."
"Hello," the boy croaked, blinking his eyes tiredly while trying to focus upon Jim. "My name is Denak. You are the one who saved me… Who is he?" he asked eyeing Bones who was busily scanning Denak's vitals with a medical tricorder.
Jim grinned and clapped Bones on his shoulders. "That's Bones, the best doc you will find."
"Do you mind? I'm working." Bones scowled.
Jim leaned closer to Denak , sharing a conspiratory look with him. "Worst bedside manners though and loves to torture me with his hypos."
Denak almost smiled before his eyes fell upon Spock.
"And that scary dude over there is Spock," Jim introduced. The said scary dude suppressed an exasperated sigh.
"Oh!" Denak's eyes widened with wonder as he looked from one to another. "Commander S'chn T'gai Spock, Dr. Leonard McCoy and Captain James T. Kirk… You are very pretty," he blurted out the last line to Jim.
Bones sorted outright while Spock smirked in amusement. It was undetectable to the most eyes, but Jim was adept at reading Spock's non-expressions. Swallowing a groan, Jim glared at the other two until they quit having fun at his expense. They knew he hated being called pretty.
Forcing a smile back on his face, he turned back to face the boy. "Err… thanks Denak. We do have a lot to talk about. But first we need to get you in a safe place where you can rest and recover."
Denak nodded tiredly.
"Alright then, Spock will climb up a tree with you on his back. You'll just have to hold on for a bit. Any time you feel tired just ask him to stop, okay? We'll even tie you two together with a cloth for safety. Can you do that, Denak?"
He once again nodded his acceptance.
!
"Hey Spock, you alright?"
Spock looked up to find Jim eyeing him with a hard glint in his eyes. Both of them were at the river, filling their water bottles to tide them over the night; while Bones had stayed back to keep an eye on Denak who had fallen into a deep sleep. Fleshy red coloured fruits, which looked a lot like huge, ripened plums, had been gathered to serve as their dinner.
Spock had obsessively scanned the fruit; first to make sure that none of its components would be poisonous for either humans or Vulcans. Then to see if it had any allergens which Jim would react to. After all that, he forbade Jim from eating it until he and Bones sampled it.
Bones, the traitor, actually seemed to approve Spock's paranoia. Yup, paranoid was the word.
"I am well, Captain. May I know the reason why you are enquiring?" Spock asked with an arched brow.
Jim cocked his head and began tapping his chin with his index finger; as if thinking the question over. "Hmm… well I don't know, Spock. You did have to climb up a tree with Denak on your back. You might have pulled a muscle or two."
"I am not suffering from any injuries, Captain," Spock assured him.
"Oh… you sure?" Jim asked, voice dripping with innocence. "Sorry, had to ask. It's not like you tell me anything important."
Spock stiffened for a moment before stating, "You are displeased."
"Am I?" Jim asked with a fake smile. "By the way, how is your and Nyota's relationship going?"
Spock blinked, realizing the reason behind Jim's petulance. "You have been informed about our separation by Dr. McCoy," he stated and resumed filling the water bottles. No, he was not trying to avoid meeting Jim's eyes; because that would be illogical.
"Yes. Unlike you, he tells me important stuff," Jim bit out. "So why did you two break up?"
Spock continued filling the bottles, only giving a short reply, "It is complicated."
"Complicated my ass," Jim swore. Spock finally looked at Jim and found his eyes blazing with determination. "I'm freaking tired of ignoring the elephant in the room, Spock… and I'll punch you if you dare and ask why I am referring to a Terran mammal."
"Captain… we are on an assignment and it will be unbecoming, not to mention against the Starfleet regulations, for the Captain and his First Officer to focus upon their personal affairs," Spock intoned.
Astonished, Jim simply stared at Spock for a few seconds. But then he lost his temper. "You're such a fucking hypocrite, Spock. You flouted my direct orders to come after me. Where were your bloody regulations then?"
Spock's nostrils flared and he answered while gritting his teeth, "We will continue this discussion once we are back on board the Enterprise, Captain."
Never let it be said that there was a person alive who could out-stubborn Jim Kirk. "Don't 'captain' me. We're gonna speak about this now!"
"Captain…"
"No, I've had it Spock," Jim thundered. "We're going to settle this…"
"Captain, you must…"
Jim cut him off again. "Just tell me how you really feel…"
"Jim," Spock growled, "be quiet."
Jim closed his mouth with an audible snap, heeding both the command and urgency in Spock's voice.
"We are about to have company."
… to be continued.
Hope you all liked it. Do share your thoughts.^_^
tanseynz - I'm glad you liked it.:)
Splashing Ore - **giggles** They do? But it was such a teeny tiny one.:P
Guest - Thank you!