Chapter 5 – Vengeance Crashes
The ship zoomed toward Kronos. Spock itched in the jacket but refused to scratch. It had been a hectic day. The meeting had been attacked, Pike had been killed, and now they were on a mission to capture the man responsible.
"I am detecting a single life-sign in the Cathin province," he told Kirk, "Given the information provided by Mister Scott, this is most likely John Harrison."
"Mister Sulu," Kirk said, "I think we found our man. You let him know you mean business."
"Aye, Captain."
As Sulu said his message, the ship travelled through Kronos' upper atmosphere. Spock thoroughly agreed with Kirk's decision to subdue Harrison instead of obliterating him, and this mission would be a welcome one if Uhura hadn't ignored him almost the entire time. When she didn't ignore him, she glared. He didn't understand her behaviour.
"We will arrive at Harrison's location in three minutes, Captain," Spock announced. "It is unlikely he will come willingly. I calculate the odds of him attempting to kill us at 91.6%."
"Fantastic," Kirk muttered.
"Good thing you don't care about dying," Uhura said quietly. What?
Spock turned his head in her direction. "I am sorry Lieutenant, I could not hear what you were-"
"Oh, I didn't say anything," she said, anger evident in her voice. "Actually, I'd be happy to speak if you're willing to listen to me."
"Lieutenant, I do not know what you speak of."
"That's odd, because you should. When you were in that volcano you just accepted death without any thought to the repercussions, what it would do to Zia if you died, Spock. You don't realise just how much she relies on you. It's like you don't care."
"Your suggestion that I do not care about dying is incorrect. A sentient beings optimal chance at maximising their utility is a long and prosperous life."
"It's not exactly a love song, Spock," Kirk commented.
"You misunderstand. It is true I chose not to feel anything upon realising that my own life was ending. As Admiral Pike was dying, I joined with his consciousness, and experienced what he felt at the moment of his passing. Anger… confusion… loneliness… fear. I had experienced those feelings before, multiplied exponentially on the day my planet was destroyed. Such a feeling is something I choose never to experience again. Lieutenant, you mistake my choice not to feel as a reflection of my not caring for her, while I assure you, the truth is precisely the opposite."
Uhura turned around in her chair. "Spock, just before we left Earth on this mission I received a call from her. She said that you've blocked her out and she can't get hold of you at all. She was panicked, and upset, and said something about your melding. Her voice was so shaky that I couldn't get a straight answer from her. Why did you block her out?"
"It was not intentional. I would break down the barrier if I was back on Earth, but I am not. This mission must be successfully completed before I can allow myself to become distracted by personal issues."
At that moment their ship was fired upon. The suddenness of the attack was joined by a new worry. Zia wouldn't just call to see how he was. She would only call if something awful had occurred. But he had to push the worry aside and focus on the mission. He could only think about it later.
o.O.o
Zia was nervous.
She'd never seen to Spock Prime before, let alone spoken to him. Yet here she was, seated in her room with his face on her PADD. So, this was what Spock would look like when he was a hundred years old. He didn't look that bad.
"Miss Abbott," Spock Prime said warmly. "It is wonderful to meet you."
"Same here." She nodded and swallowed.
"I trust I am treating you well."
"Sort of…"
"Am I not behaving appropriately?"
"Oh, it's not you. I actually called to ask how I can become telepathic."
"Did you not receive the proper training on Vulcan?"
She hesitated. "I, um, I was raised on Earth by humans. The only Vulcan training I have was provided by you last year. Before we began my training you and I mind-melded, which was a good idea at the time, but it's having a bad effect on me now."
He nodded. "You do not have melding experience and it is taking its toll on your mind. How far are you into the issue?"
"Blood vessels in my brain have ruptured twice, and each time it was when you lost control." She winced. "I apologise for referring to him as 'you'. It's just more natural."
"I understand." He nodded. "Your brain cannot cope with the emotional load due to your inexperience."
"That's exactly right. What's worse is that you've put up a mental barrier and I don't know how to get rid of it. I kind of hoped that you could assist in teaching me the basics on how to become a telepath, so I can better cope with it all. The other option is to break the meld, which I don't want to do."
"Have you used Lexorin to alleviate your symptoms?"
"Yes, I had a shot yesterday."
He sighed heavily. "I regret to say that I cannot aid you from here. The most effective way to build mental control and telepathic abilities is to meld with an individual who can teach you. Once I return to Earth from my mission, you must request to mind-meld to hone your telepathic abilities. You must do this soon, as blood vessel ruptures in the cranial area do not heal quickly and often affect other areas of the brain if not treated immediately."
"So, you can't help me?"
"I cannot, but my alternate self can."
Zia's heart sank. She'd been hopeful that some meditation and focus would work, but apparently, she was wrong. It sucked, because she didn't know when Spock would be back. How she missed him in her head.
"Thank you, anyway," she said softly.
Spock Prime smiled gently and stared at her with eyes full of wisdom. "Place your trust in me. I know myself well enough to know that I will do whatever is necessary to save your life. For now, rest, and I am sure that I will return soon."
She didn't trust herself to speak, instead just nodded and ended the call. Once the screen was black, she lay on her bed and more tears welled. Sleeping last night had helped and most of the pain was gone, but she couldn't say the same for her gut. It throbbed relentlessly, and she hated the moist feeling. Also, the thought of being able to bear children freaked her out more than she cared to admit.
On the other side of her room, her communicator went off like a bell. She dived for it and brought it up to her ear. "Hello?"
"Hey! It's Tara. I've spoken to my parents and they suggested the Lexorin. As far as they know there's nothing else to treat such things, especially if instigated by a mind-meld."
Her heart sank even further. "Thank you anyway."
"Hey, don't be sad. I'll be back in three weeks and then we can sort this out."
"Hopefully Spock will be back before then."
Tara chuckled. "I really miss you and Blair. You're my closest friends. I've been hanging out with other friends from high school and they're so simple-minded. You're both so much more fun to talk to!"
"We miss you too." Zia sat on her bed and grunted. "I got my first period."
"But you're, like, twenty. Haven't you already had it? I got mine when I was thirteen."
"With Vulcans it's different. I really don't like it."
"Get used to it sister. You're gonna be alive for hundreds of years, so it's something you have to learn to deal with." Tara burst out laughing. "Now I'll easily be able to predict your mood swings! They always coincide with your period."
Zia refrained from mentioning that the blood was green. "I don't have mood swings."
"You sure do! I could never be sure, but now I can. We need to talk about this in more depth when holidays are over. I'll give you little tips and tricks to help you deal with it in the future."
"That would be awesome," she replied gratefully. In that moment the floor rumbled. Her PADD fell from the bed and an empty glass slipped from her desk and smashed.
"What's was that?"
"I don't know. Give me a second." She rolled to the other side of the bed and loaded the Web on her PADD to find a news station that was currently broadcasting. "Hey Tara, so according to this, a ship fell from orbit and crashed into the other side of San Francisco." The ground stopped rumbling and the wardrobe toppled over. BANG! Zia squeaked and crawled under her bed. "That sound was the wardrobe falling."
"Why the hell would a ship crash into San Francisco? Do they have any pictures?"
She pulled her PADD under the bed with her. "It's big and black. Wow, that's a lot of damage. It says here that the ship hit the east side and skid for miles." Gulp. "Apparently, it was heading right for Starfleet Headquarters. It would have crushed the Academy."
"Holy… I sure am glad I'm not there. You okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Hey, I've got a similar report on my PADD. There's a picture of the side and it's called the…"
"It's called the Vengeance," Zia finished. "Wow, it is huge! That can't be a regulation Starship. It's way too big."
"That is strange. Hold up, let me ask my parents." Tara put down her communicator and Zia waited patiently on the other end. She rolled over into a more comfortable position and peered out from underneath her bed. Dust floated outside her window and now the screams made their way to her ears. "They agree with me. I'll bet whoever owned that ship was a rogue agent."
"Okay," Zia nodded. "I'm going to go out and help bring in wounded."
"Wait-"
"You can't hear their screams from here. People are hurt. I'll talk to you later."
"Okay, see you."
Zia switched off her communicator and crawled out from under her bed. She quickly changed into long-sleeved clothes and ran from the Academy as fast as her legs could carry her. What she saw was devastating.
The Vengeance was only two blocks away. It had come to a complete stop not long after crashing but had done a lot of damage before that could occur. People panicked and screamed through the streets. Few of them stopped to help the injured lying in the streets. Zia bolted up the two blocks, as close to the ship as she dared. Starfleet officers had completely blocked off access to the ship. Close by, a young boy and girl lay trapped under a park bench, both unconscious. Zia knelt and heaved at the park bench. She strained and grunted, and it came free.
She reached in for the children and checked their bodies for breaks and sprains. Starfleet Academy's crash course in medicine had done its job. The boy had a broken arm and the girl a dislocated shoulder. Ever so slowly, she inched them free from the wreckage and gathered them in her arms. People still screamed as she raced through the streets to Starfleet Headquarters. The Infirmary would be overflowed, she knew, but the public hospitals would be even worse, given they were closer.
The panic subsided, and awareness crashed in on the public. Ambulances filled the streets, their sirens blaring, to treat the injured. Dust coated everyone. Bodies were pulled from rubble and cries of loss echoed through the air. Zia blocked it all out. She had to focus on the two children cradled in her arms.
She burst into the packed Infirmary. Voices of patients and uninjured people filled the hallways. A nurse saw her and raced over.
"Come with me," she ordered. She and Zia bolted up the hall to the Turbolift and had to squeeze in with a doctor and a hovering gurney. The Turbolift doors opened and Zia followed the nurse to Emergency Room 90. She laid them on the nearest beds and saw two other children already in the room being tended to by a doctor. The woman looked incredibly frazzled.
"No," she groaned, "not more children. Those blasted idiots." Zia stepped back and allowed the doctor to approach the children.
"The boy has a broken arm and the girl has a dislocated shoulder," the Vulcan explained. "They were trapped under a bench."
"Thank you. Can you help me set the bones in his arm?"
Zia gently placed her hands on the boy's wrist and upper arm. The doctor felt all the way along it. "Is it a clean break?"
"Yes. Move it an inch left. Good. Now adjust the angle by thirty degrees… there we go. I'm going to put on a cast. Keep him there."
Obediently, Zia kept the boy's arm in place as the doctor injected a painkiller and wrapped the cast around his arm. Once it was in place, she pulled the seal and it immediately hardened. Then she moved on to the girl and Zia helped her relocate the shoulder. The pop as the arm went back into place would haunt Zia's nightmares for years to come.