Chapter-06:
A soft sound drifted into her dreams, a flutter gradually pulling her towards wakefulness. She was able to identify the sound as paper before she even opened her eyes. She awoke facing the wall, the same wall that could be found in any room on the starbase, and so for a moment she completely forgot where she was. That is until she heard the brush of paper again and remembered where she last was before falling so suddenly asleep.
Jolting upright, her fears were confirmed. She was in Khan's quarters. Which meant she was in his bed. It was still made perfectly as she laid, boots and all, atop the blankets. With about as much grace as her sleepy body allowed, she slipped off the bed and immediately began to touch her hair, making sure it wasn't flying up like an electrified tribble. She heard the paper again. With a quick look in the mirror, she walked quietly around the corner until his desk came within her sights.
He was sitting behind it, the computer and PADD in front of him, but his eyes lowered into the open pages of an old book. There was such placidity on his face, a calm she had never seen in him. She couldn't contain the smile knowing that she was at least partly responsible for it.
"You should have woken me…" she said quietly.
"I would have awoken you…" He spoke before lifting his eyes from the text of the book. "… when, and only when, I saw fit to."
"I'm sorry…" she laughed with embarrassment. "I didn't realize how tired I was. I've been reading through the data collected on your ship, and Admiral Marcus expects me to report on it by tomorrow. Did you intentionally leave the databanks so blank on your ship's computer?" As she spoke, she moved to the desk, seating herself in the chair that sat opposite of his. This was where she often sat during their visits.
"The best protection is anonymity," he replied simply. "Which I maintained exceptionally well until you denounced me."
"You could have denied it," a challenge came out instead of an apology.
"It would have bought me a sliver of time only." The book was still held steadily in his hand, but his eyes were fixed on her. "If I had to be discovered, I'm glad it was by you."
There was that flutter in her chest again. "But why?"
"Why what?"
"Why me?"
He blinked once, his chin lifting ever so slightly as he surveyed her. "Because of this," he held up the book. "Your duty requires you to analyze me and transcribe my essence into a computer. You're bound by your profession to get what you can from me." The book was closed carefully and set onto the table. With elegant movement, he was on his feet and moving around the desk. "Instead, you've given everything to me, even your prized antique books, that I might have some scrap of the world that no longer exists. Most valuable of all, you've given me your company."
His voice had dropped low, his steps taking him nearer and nearer to her until he shadowed her from the light. One curl of his finger beckoned her onto her feet, and without a thought of her own, she did so. He was standing so near to her she could feel the energy that radiated from him. It made goosebumps raise across her flesh.
"Because I know…" his voice was all vibration now. "…whatever I wish of you, you will not say no."
The same finger that had commanded her to stand now touched at her chin, tilting her head back to force her gaze onto his. She felt so small and her voice suddenly failed her. To have his attention, no matter how dominating he was, made her hungry for more. Without further warning, shockingly soft lips were pressed to her own. She was hardly aware of the moan that wisped out of her, her body melting into the strong angles of his own. Her arms moved on their own to cling onto him, her fingers splaying over the curves of his sharp shoulder blades. Already her head was spinning, her heart pounding, all sense of time fading away...
Beeeep beeeep.
The kiss was broken, and through her unfocused gaze, she saw him looking towards the desk. That was the sound of an incoming transmission. Through her palms she could feel the muscles of his back harden. It was with surprising self-control that she peeled herself away, her hand coming to her still-tingling lips as she spoke through fingertips.
"You should answer that."
He sent one last glance to her, one that she thought showed reluctance, and he returned behind his desk. Sitting, he did not hesitate to answer the incoming call. She couldn't see the computer's screen from where she stood, but she saw the severity of Khan's face when the screen flickered on.
"Admiral," he greeted coldly.
"Commander Harrison," she heard the harsh vocals of Admiral Marcus. "I'd like a status report on those designs of yours. Lassiter has told me that you're making a lot of progress on a phaser array."
"It's finished." Khan dropped his gaze to the console, his fingers masterfully dancing over the buttons like a man who was raised with the technology. "I'm transmitting the schematics to you now. You'll find that these phaser arrays consume less energy from the ship, allowing for the shields to retain a percentage of their integrity when fired. They charge as quickly as your current standard arrays and cause the same level of damage, but with the decreased energy usage more phasers can be equipped on a single ship without risk of an overload."
The computer whirred and buzzed compliantly as the transmission successfully sent and was received in San Francisco by the admiral. Khan watched the screen, his attention never even flickering her way to indicate that he knew she was still there. But she wouldn't make a sound, her breath trapped in her lungs as she waited to hear the admiral speak.
"I'll be damned…" his voice was barely audible in its mumble. "We've been trying to solve the energy issue of the phasers since the formation of Starfleet. And you fix it in three weeks. I knew you'd fit right in here."
Khan's mouth tightened, the slightest twitch of his nostrils telling of a contained fury. Those green eyes of his had taken on a frightening silver sheen. It made the hair on her neck stand on end, and she wasn't sure why.
"I'll level with you, Harrison. This is damn impressive. In fact, I've never seen anything like it and I'd like to take this a step further. There's a top secret project that's been underway for some time of a prototype starship. Dreadnought Class. Its faculties are being specialized for combat only—no exploration or science or transport like every other god forsaken starship in the fleet. This one is a battleship, made for war. Your weapons are just the enhancements she needs. I want you to be a lead designer of this ship. There's a list of things we'd like her to be able to do, but no one's been able to find a way to do it."
"Such as?"
"It's a bigger ship, but we want it to have a smaller crew. Nothing larger than your average bridge crew, if possible. An advanced warp drive is also in the making and could use a bit of polishing to work out the kinks. I'll have Commander Lassiter bring you to the space dock where she's being built. Then we'll decide where to go from there."
Khan glared into the screen silently.
"Problem?" Marcus asked sharply.
"Clearly you've forgotten the circumstances of my service, Admiral," a hiss crept into Khan's voice that she didn't like. "I've given no oaths to the Federation, nor am I being charitable in my skills for Starfleet. You have my crew and no amount of ambiguous language or righteous cause will alter the fact that you are a coercer. You have my cooperation only as long as I know my people are safe and within my reach. I will not leave this starbase without them."
"You think they're within your reach right now? They might as well be on the other side of the galaxy. If you think you can get them off the starbase without anyone noticing, I would love to see you try."
"Then I will have to make my designs from here," Khan said simply.
"That's not going to happen," Marcus's tone was becoming more and more abrupt. "There's no such thing as classified subspace frequencies. There's always someone listening and it's too risky. You're going to be transferred to the space dock where you'll supervise the developments of the starship. You'll just have to be content with my word that your crew is and will be safe while you're gone. When you come back, assuming you do as you're told without any trouble, maybe you'll see them for yourself. All seventy-god damn- two of them. You know what I could do if you keep fighting me on this. All it takes is a slight malfunction and cryogenic freeze becomes fatal. This isn't a request. Be ready to leave the starbase with Commander Lassiter in ten hours."
The computer buzzed as the transmission cut off from Marcus's end.
She stared at the back of the computer. "He's holding them ransom." She couldn't even believe her own words.
"Did you think his title made him infallible?" Khan uttered dryly, a long finger hitting a button to turn off the computer's glaring screen.
"He's always been a hero to us at the Academy… What are all these classified projects of his? Why so much secrecy?"
"Because he knows his vision of Starfleet will not be so easily accepted. I'm sure you have never heard of the organization known as Section 31. It's the secrecy of it that allows him to remain on the peripheral of Starfleet regulations. He's made it abundantly clear to me how much he loathes the pacifist attitude that poisons the Federation as a whole. In his eyes, your Federation is growing weak while the enemy—the Klingons—are preparing for war with nothing but a meager neutral zone to stop them. He believes in his cause. There is no man more dangerous than one who has noble intentions, and such perceived justice is enough to vindicate a few small sacrifices."
Section 31 meant nothing to her. It was just words, as far as she was concerned. Khan spoke with such articulate understanding of Marcus's motives, but his tone was sharp with contempt. It killed her to see such a man of pride and power in chains, and all because he cherished his crew.
"I'm so sorry…" her voice cracked with the paltry comfort, but her heart was breaking for him.
The sharp angles of his face seemed to soften as the vehemence faded, a hint of a smile appearing. "There is no need to be sorry," he replied quietly. "Marcus believes there is a savagery in me that no longer exists in mankind. He believes it will empower his military endeavors, but he is not counting on the savage's talent for survival. There is no intelligence like a feral fight to live." He was returning to her side now. "I am going to escape with every one of my people. But I cannot do it alone."
He gently took her hand and drew it upward, her knuckles brushing the fabric of his shirt. Though he didn't use the words, she knew what he was asking. It sent a wave of panic through her. Being a traitor to Admiral Marcus was to be a traitor to all of Starfleet, which was full of good men and women.
"I don't know…"
"You're afraid?" his voice hardened.
"It's treachery—" she had barely gotten the last syllable out when it turned into a small cry of pain. His grip was tightening around her hand, slowly, but enough for a small pop to sound in her knuckles.
He didn't even blink. "Such loyalty for a man you know to be so corrupt."
"Khan—" she pleaded, her other hand clasping over his in a vain attempt to loosen the vice grip he held on her. It was enough to hurt only, and she was terrifyingly aware that it would take little more than a flex of his hand to crush all the bones in hers. "Please…"
"It seems I mistook you for a woman of strength. Now I see you're defined by your uniform." His hand opened, allowing her hand to retract. He turned away from her.
She cradled her hand, her eyes burning with tears.
"You're still here?" he paused and regarded her askance. "Oh, how rude of me…" The sarcasm in his voice hit her like a thousand knives. Reaching forward, he picked up the four books from the desk dropped the bulk of them into her aching hands. "Go."
He didn't seem to find her worth regarding anymore as he turned to his papers. As much as she might have begged to stay, the iciness of his demeanor coupled with such ferocity frightened her. But nothing scared her more than the possibility of him seeing her cry. Hugging the books, she walked calmly from the room in spite the shaking in her legs, glad that he could only see her back and not the tears as they began to trickle down her face.
It was a dazed trek through the corridors of the starbase. She was only vaguely aware of the greetings from familiar faces as she walked by, her only focus to get to her own quarters. As soon as she was isolated behind the door in her own room, the automatic lights fading on, she was met with the reflection of herself in the full body mirror that was mounted on the wall. All she could see was the uniform and the badge that shined on her left breast. It wasn't who she was. It was a false sense of purpose, and for the first time in her career, it turned her stomach to look at it.