Jim's eyes forced open to see the cell was empty.
"Bones!" Jim shouted.
Panic.
Fear.
Unsure.
Doubt.
Fright.
"Damn it, Bones." Jim muttered, helping himself upright using the wall as his guide.
Jim got upright then he went toward the door then he grabbed on the bars using his hands and tried to pry them open forwards in his direction. God, the bars burned his hand! With a shout Jim fell back on the hard concrete floor wincing at the pain he was in. His eyes closed as he could smell the burning coming off his fingers. How perfect. He didn't have Bones to help him take care of the hand problem. He looked up to see there being a pair of bars at the top with a space in between them.
He made a invincible barrier with his doubts of being captain between his friends and the job.
He had all the time in the word to self-pity himself.
Jim looked down toward his red burned hands.
Surely, the determination of one old Vulcan to get him aboard that ship should ease his worries. No, they didn't. It just made him believe that old Spock believed every James Tiberius Kirk in the multiverse belong on the Enterprise regardless of their position but preferably be the captain of it. He spoke highly of his Jim on the way to the base. How they became fast tracking friends and the human practically grew on him like a brother. Jim didn't see any of that with his Spock. They strictly had the captain-commander relationship.
The scenery dissolved around Jim falling like liquid. His hands,remarkably, still had the burns! It was a bitter taste of his reality. What he had did was stupid, he should have expected the bars to be electrified. Perhaps the mute can help him as she did with Bones wounded thumb. It was a miracle, Bones noted, that she was able to heal with her hands. Even more unusual that she could not speak and did not know sign language. Jim went down the dark hallway until he came to the pool of light where there was the young woman curled up, her legs around her calfs, and her eyes were bright as two sea blue beads from a bracelet he made for his mother. One that he never did give to her because she left and Uncle Fred broke it.
She turned toward Jim's direction.
"We have to get out of here," Jim said. "Stat," He was thinking about her, getting her to safety, other than getting his hand healed after walking in the darkness for what felt like an hour. "Take my hand," She looked up toward his hand, her eyes full of wonder, and fear rested in them. "You can trust me." Her gentle brown eyes rested on his light blue ones. "I will not hurt you."
The girl looked as though she were touched.
She extended her hand toward his hand.
Then she let out a scream taking her hand back.
Shit!, Jim thought realizing his error.
When he looked down toward his hands the injuries were gone. Jim then picked up the one hundred twenty pound woman into his arm. He picked the girl up into is arms then speeded in the direction where there was a source of light. Jim had a eerie feeling this had happened before, but maybe not, far as he was concerned this had never happened before. He went in the direction of the light heading past metal towering pillars supporting the ceiling. He saw there being a exit that showed light at the end of the tunnel. Jim looked to the entrance and then back to the exit. He lowered her down to the floor letting her stand upright.
If he had his communicator, then he would simply request Scotty to beam up one and hand it to the girl then run off to find his two friends.
Jim came to a choice.
His only choice in fact.
"Wait outside." Jim said.
The girl shook her head, her hands wrapped around his arm and she seemed to be terrified. For the one who healed and the one he wanted to protect, she seemed to get easily attached to the one who made herself get injured and then healed. Jim rubbed his forehead with his free hand. He remembered the image of a older man being held by shackles,covered in burns and injuries all over, then placed down onto a cushion weakly pleading, "Don't let her heal me, Jim." It was a different voice that had the same southern drawl that belonged to Bones. Maybe Spock Prime had given him memories of a incident such as this during the mind meld. These memories were now his.
"And then we are all getting out of here," Jim said. "Let's find my friends and get the hell out of here."
The girl nodded.
And off they went to find Jim's friends. The girl looked about, afraid, her eyes trained to see the slightest of all movement. Bones had theorized this girl came from a civilization that did not speak but somehow communicated and were against violence much like Vulcans only for a much more good reason. Her hair was short, dark brown, and her outfit mostly consisted of purple with what seemed to be little gems. She could have been a ballerina, a extravagant dancer, or a well trained actor and Jim wouldn't have cared about it: instead, he would care about rescuing her. Spock would comment on her dancing skills. Bones would sigh, muttering, "I am a doctor, not a critic!"
Eventually they came into a laboratory.
Jim froze seeing a curled up unresponsive figure against a tube with pointy ears. Right up against a empty tube alongside two men, the frightened to death men, who had their hands against the screen trying to escape what was terrifying them so. Spock! Jim could feel horror and mixed emotions coming down straight from the head. He could hear his heart beating slowly.
"Spock!" The name came out emotionally.
His whole world started to spin when the girl put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. She made him turn his attention toward the other way where . . . Oh god. That image. The next Jim knew is that he found himself bringing Bones down to the floor, breaking off the chains, and he looked pretty bad at this rate. Jim found himself trembling. Scared. Fucking scared!
"Don't . . . let her. . . . heal me, Jim," Came the request, taking Jim's hand with what strength remained in his hands. "Let me die."
Jim's vision was getting fuzzy and blurry.
"Bones. . ." Jim said, putting one hand in the way of the girl. "Go to Spock."
The girl looked over toward the slumped body that was not facing her direction then back to Jim, she shook her head.
"He. . .was. . . like that when I came here," Bones said. "Only, crying. . ."
Jim held the hand of his ailing friend forcing back the tears that were coming back.
"Jim, get outta here." Bones said.
Jim shook his head.
"I am not leaving without the both of you." Jim said.
"Damn it, Jim," Bones said. "Don't try . . . to be. . . the hero."
Bones grip on Jim's hand loosened as lost consciousness.
"We have one last test for you, captain." The first alien said.
Jim looked over from the ailing doctor feeling embroiled by rage. This never happened the first time around. He let go of Bones hand placing it to the side on the ground. The girl stepped back with a stifled cry. Jim's tears dried up. The girl took Jim's hand. Jim looked over toward the girl who was pleading through her eyes for him not to go.
"You go," Jim said. "I stay."
He slipped his hand out of her grip then he stood up.
"Are you prepared?" The second alien asked.
She tried to take his hand but he yanked it further away from the girl.
"I am." Jim said.
"Your test is in here." The first alien said, pointing over to the tube with a open door.
A terrible captain who let his two best working officers fall in action should die, rather than be demoted, at least that was what resting on Jim's mind. His hands had clenched up into fists, there were guilt on those shoulders. Jim willingly headed in the direction of the tube that was like a steel case. Of everything he had done: screwed up, had sex with every girl he came across, made some people die because some of his mistakes were just that bad, and sometimes captaining the ship into a reckless war zone . . . It could all end here. Jim's legs felt heavy. To Jim, time went slow, he didn't look over his shoulder.
Spock Prime had told him their friendship would define each other.
One year of a friendship, is that how it would be capped off?
Spock Prime could have easily gloated to Jim that his Jim saved his life, and went across the galaxy to save his, but that wouldn't have made up for what Jim has to face. He entered the steel case watching the empath look down toward Bones. Itisnotfair. It is not fair. IT IS NOT FAIR. They shouldn't die because of him! He should go straight back into the academy to learn a new thing or two before being swept into space. He felt a pain in his mind. Something . . . un-conceivable.
His hand met the glass.
I make a terrible captain, Jim thought, hey, at least . . . The Enterprise will zip out of the zone . . . At least she will have the most level headed--He kneeled down first feeling a barrier in his head was shattered. It was horrifying, to say for the least, as his eyes landed on the figure of Spock who had a small pool of tears by his elbow. The empath appeared to be frightened as he fell further down. His eyes closed feeling like he had been struck from another plane, forcefully. It was almost like dirt was pilling up on him and he was drowning. Drowning in his own thoughts.
Bones. . .
Spock . . .
I'm sorry.
And then he fell to his side, his eyes closing, and he stopped breathing. The alien drew alert, their eyes widened, and they spoke in their native language. They pressed several buttons to their machine trying to revive him. They were snapping at one another for a 'job done terribly'. They looked up toward the body to check his vital signs. It wasn't working. Their faces were getting heated, their hands were getting sweaty, and their voices were getting strained.
"GET HIS MIND IDIOT!"
"NOT LIKE I AM THE ONE WHO CHOSE THIS KIND OF TORTURE!"
"IT WAS YOUR IDEA!"
"NO WAY, YOURS."
"THIS WAS THE RISKIEST TORTURE WE HAVE EVER DONE!"
"We have to trace his mind back and bring it into this vessel."
"Let's use The Vulcan trace connection."
"You idiot, that's rare."
". . . Right. I forgot."
The aliens busied themselves resurrecting the human. Apparently he was suppose to succeed by fighting against the mind torture. The machine glowed a light blue by the inside. Then the chest started to raise up and down. It was a miracle. The two aliens shook hands. Admiral James T. Kirk opened his eyes to see a familiar scene. The aliens with strange heads. He was confused. Was he reliving this moment? Why? Why of all places? He saw a familiar woman place her hand on a man followed by a shriek.
The two aliens faced her direction and watched.
And Admiral James Tiberius Kirk closed his eyes to get much needed rest.