Chapter 6 – A Nightmare Begins
It had been several hours since the Vengeance crashed. The Infirmary had finally quietened down, and the wounded had stopped pouring in.
She slumped in one of the corridors with Yeto. They had no energy left from the afternoon of tending injuries.
"You did well." Yeto groaned. "You should switch tracks and get into medicine."
"Nah." An old man connected to a drip ambled past, assisted by a nurse.
"We couldn't have done it without McCoy, though."
She perked up. "McCoy?"
"Yeah, and his whole crew. The doctors and nurses aboard his ship all came here to help. Their Captain died, and they brought him here for revival."
What? "Kirk is here too?"
"Yeah. The Captain is in Major Injuries Room 67 in a deep coma."
"McCoy told you all this?"
"Why wouldn't he? I'm being groomed for service aboard the Enterprise. Doctor McCoy put forth the case to the board and I'm graduating next year."
She blinked. "You can do that?"
Yeto smiled gently. "Come on, let's go see how our future Captain is faring."
They stood and moved on aching muscles towards the turbolift. Yeto typed in the room number and they appeared on the floor. He opened the door to a room occupied by a single patient, although two other people stood at the end of his bed. McCoy and Spock both turned as the door hissed open.
"Yeto, just the person I need to see," McCoy said, all business-like. It was impossible to miss the redness around his eyes.
The Betazoid crossed to where Kirk lay and placed his hands on his face. He concentrated on reading Kirk's nervous system and pulled away after several seconds.
"He will wake in approximately fourteen days and five hours," he announced. He glanced at Zia, but she shook her head. She didn't need to worry Spock right now.
"Will he make a full recovery?" Spock asked quietly.
"His body is embracing the healing powers of Khan's blood, so I believe so. He may feel a bit uncomfortable, but I assume that's normal for someone who has come back from the dead."
McCoy cleared his throat. "Spock, we should go and see what's happening to that bastard. I want to be there for his trial."
"Of course, Doctor," Spock nodded. His eyes were rimmed with green. The two men left the room and Zia watched Spock's retreating form. An ache formed in her chest. He shouldn't have shut her out.
Yeto stood beside her. "Give him time. He needs to process that Captain Kirk will live and make sure that Khan gets what's coming to him. It's a stressful time for everyone."
"Thank you," Zia sighed. She couldn't wait to get to her room and sleep.
o.O.o
Over the next two weeks, Spock's schedule was full. He was among the thousands of people who were rebuilding the city, as well as overseeing the trial of Khan and the treatment of the Enterprise. Scotty claimed that it would take over a year for the Starship to be ready again, especially since the crew was focusing on the city instead of the ship.
The hospitals and infirmaries emptied over the two weeks as patients healed. Khan was sentenced for cryo-stasis for the remainder of his life. Even better, Kirk would wake in thirty minutes, according to the Betazoid's information.
Things looked better.
Spock dressed slowly in his apartment and tried to ignore how desperately he wanted Kirk to wake up. His Captain's death had affected him more than he cared to admit. McCoy had been a great source of support, as well as the rest of his crew, but he'd thrown himself into work rather than confront his emotions. That was the last thing he wanted to do.
For the first time in two weeks, Zia crashed into his mind.
He blinked. How had he not thought of her in that time? Granted, he'd seen her briefly in Kirk's room, so his worry that she was injured was satiated. Yet, he hadn't sensed her emotions at all during the last couple weeks. Uhura had been right. He had shut her out. Guilt crashed down as he thought of how she may be feeling. He'd effectively ignored her for over two weeks. This wasn't like a Starfleet mission. He was on Earth, mere blocks away from her, and he hadn't attempted to see her. What kind of boyfriend was he?
His mask descended. She would understand. She had to. Otherwise… what would he do without her?
Suddenly he was marching through the Infirmary. He hadn't registered the trip there. The turbolift took him to the correct floor, and he walked into Kirk's room. McCoy was already there, dressed in his white Infirmary uniform.
"I'm glad you're here," he said briskly. "He needs a friendly face." Beside him, Yeto handed him a PADD. Spock approved of the young Betazoid. He was logical and honest, albeit a bit too honest at times. McCoy glanced at the PADD. "We've got two minutes. Yeto, I'll need you to get some drip-food for him."
"Yes, Doctor." Yeto left for the food.
Spock and McCoy stood near the bed and waited impatiently for Kirk to awaken. The timer on McCoy's PADD counted down agonisingly slow. Forty-nine… forty-eight… thirty-six… twenty-four… twelve… ten… five… four… three… two… one…
Kirk awoke silently. His eyes opened and flicked around the room. Immediately his breathing deepened, and his throat constricted from the lack of use. McCoy grabbed his PADD and tricorder and approached the bed. Kirk turned his head and saw him.
"Oh, don't be so melodramatic," McCoy said, his voice scratchy. "You were barely dead. It's the transfusion that really took its toll." Spock watched as he ran his tricorder over Kirk's face. "You were out cold for two weeks."
"Transfusion…?" Kirk asked weakly. He squinted at McCoy.
"Your cells were heavily irradiated. We had no choice."
"Khan…?"
"Once we caught him I synthesised a serum from his 'super-blood'. Tell me, are you feelin', uh, homicidal, power-mad… despotic?"
"No more than usual. How'd you catch him?"
"I didn't." By that time McCoy had completed his examination and stepped back to allow Spock to approach Kirk.
"You saved my life." Kirk smiled gently. Spock kept his relief in check and maintained his stoic posture.
McCoy decided to butt in. "Uhura and I had something to do with it, you know."
Spock ignored him and took a deep breath. "You saved my life, Captain, and the lives of the-"
"Spock, just…" Kirk closed his eyes. "Thank you."
"You are welcome, Jim."
o.O.o
Zia was in deep meditation when her consciousness registered someone calling her name. She pulled herself from the blissful, emotionless state and glanced around. All her annoyance evaporated when she saw Spock.
"May I speak with you?" he asked softly. He looked out of place in the garden, his crisp Starfleet uniform in the foreground of a rainbow of flowers. Her traitorous heart raced at the sight. She was supposed to be mad at him, goddammit!
"Sure." She gestured to the bench beside her. "What can I do for you?"
"I would like to apologise for my behaviour," he told her, "and offer an explanation."
He sat down and explained everything from the moment he left her on the harbour to his knocking on her door mere minutes ago. She didn't speak throughout the entire explanation but remained open and passive. When he finished, she covered his hand with her own.
"I'm glad that Kirk's alive," she murmured, "and I know how tough it must have been for you."
He met her eyes and compassion swirled within them. "May I make a request?"
"Yes."
"Will you allow me to re-establish our connection?"
A smile split her face. "Yes!"
Spock nodded and placed his hand on her face. It was easy to find the barrier, and even easier to break it down. Their minds joined again, and emotions flooded. He controlled his, but hers flowed free from inexperience.
'I have to say, I really missed this,' Zia sighed. She felt the force of his love return and smiled. "Now, uh, there's something I need to talk to you about."
"Anything."
"You need to teach me how to become a telepath." His surprise reverberated in her brain and all she felt was relief. He was back in her mind.
"Vulcans hone their telepathy from a young age. It is unlikely-"
"Spock," she said softly, "if you don't, then I'll die."
Their world slowed. "What do you mean?"
"My brain can't handle the emotional load. Each time you experience a particularly strong emotion, I don't have the skill to regulate it, and blood vessels burst in my brain. It's happened twice, but if it happens much more it could kill me. My only options are to become a telepath or break the mind-meld."
He stared at her, lost for words for once. It took him a moment to process it all. "I… do not wish to terminate our connection, although that is the most logical course of action. I will do my best to teach you, although it will be a long and arduous process."
She smiled and leant into him. "Thank you, I-"
A sudden pain erupted in her shoulder and she gasped. Spock noticed and reached for it, but something silver slammed into his neck. The world was fuzzy… She blinked. What was happening? She groped for Spock's hand, but couldn't find it.
A blurry shape loomed, and darkness claimed her.
o.O.o
The two men, dressed in casual clothes, approached the garden.
One man's radio crackled. "Targets have been neutralised. Move in."
"Copy that," he replied. The men slipped into the garden. Both Vulcans lay unconscious. He tossed the female over his shoulder and carried her out of the garden and into the waiting vehicle. His partner struggled to carry the male.
"This bastard is heavy," he panted. He managed to pull the Vulcan into the vehicle, and with both targets on board, he pulled the tranquiliser darts from their necks and secured them with rope. Then he whipped out a modified tricorder and placed it on their arms. It sent an electrical charge that fried their transmitters. Two armed men clambered into the back, and hi-fived.
"Let's get 'em back to base," one smirked. "Someone contact the boss and let him know that we've got some new meat."