Hello yes this chapter hurt me to write, but here it is finally (not like its gonna get any easier). Thanks so much to Breathewithme, CLTex, EmmaMarie, peerme, phoenixj, and Poodle warriors for your reviews. You guys are the best!

Also just a note that there is violence in this chapter that may be triggering.

Chapter 19 – Rogue Wave

As the shuttle sailed through the afternoon sky and away from San Francisco, Khan channeled his anger and frustration into mental gymnastics, quickly formulating a plan that would rid him of the noose Starfleet had shackled him with again while allowing him to quickly track down Madelyn. Her signal had stayed relatively stationary so far, which meant she was probably being held somewhere. This was assuming of course that she still wore the necklace he'd given her, but Khan had no other choice but to hope she did.

The thought kept returning to him that her disappearance—her kidnapping—was related to William McGivers' murder, as well as the night someone had attempted to drug her in the moments she'd been out of his sight in Trafalgar Square. The mysterious cause of these incidents was doing a very good job as usual of covering their tracks and hiding behind the actions of others, making the lack of connective proof more frustrating than ever.

His conversation with Dr. McCoy prior to boarding the shuttle played over in his mind, unearthing a hint of jealousy deep within him that he hadn't felt in a long time. He knew McCoy cared about Madelyn, whether he admitted he did or not. The doctor had made it clear that Khan was to bring her back as soon as possible and report to him when she was safe. Whether McCoy believed he would follow that order or not was up for debate, and it mattered little considering Khan's agenda was far different from the doctor's. He had no intention of following anyone's orders anymore.

His jealousy was stirred up with anger at the thought that Madelyn had entrusted McCoy with information she didn't trust with anyone else, and especially because she'd wanted it hidden from him. Khan knew it was the only logical course of action for someone in her situation, put on trial for merely associating with him before Admiral Marcus' actions had forced him to retaliate. He understood her distrust of him, but he still couldn't quite work through her complete revulsion with him. The last time he had looked at her, she had returned the look with a burning glare that could have cut through the hull of a starship. There was nothing sentimental in her look, no love, not even a positive glance. Only hostility and resentment.

Khan had met McCoy's order to report back to him as quickly as possible with a subtle threat to try and weaken his resolve, which only made the doctor give him a pointed look and a warning. If Khan refused to cooperate then Starfleet's higher authorities would be forced to intervene, but both men knew how little that warning had really meant.

McCoy was putting his entire career on the line by allowing Khan outside of his jurisdiction. With an escort of just five red shirted security officers, Khan could have easily taken control of the shuttle already. If McCoy went to Starfleet and admitted he'd essentially let Khan go free, he would more than likely be dishonorably discharged with a mark on his record that would determine his ability to find work in the future. Whether the doctor was willing to risk his career like that remained to be seen, and Khan cared little to nothing about it. All he wanted was Madelyn, safe and back under his protection, something that would be close to impossible to maintain if Starfleet continued to intervene. Whether she would accept him back remained to be seen, but for now he just needed her to be alive, and if she was pregnant then the risk was even higher and his intense need to have her back even stronger.

But McCoy's warning still lingered, an invisible bond resting on a tenuous thread that if broken could result in unwanted consequences for both parties. As a result, Khan would have to act more covertly.

He ordered the pilot to set the shuttle down in a clearing almost fifty kilometers away from the location of the pulsating red dot on his PADD broadcasting Madelyn's apparent location. When they unloaded down the shuttle's ramp, Khan was refused a phaser. He accepted this only because he still needed to maintain the faint trust he had with these soldiers in order to continue pointing them in the wrong direction. If they suspected he'd try something, they would probably shoot him until they managed to knock him out.

They followed him across the thickly wooded terrain for about a kilometer. The air was thick and humid and cool. It had probably recently rained. Enormous, ancient redwoods towered above them, forming a green canopy that blocked the sun from reaching the thick wet underbrush now trampled under their boots. It would be easy terrain to hide in, with plenty of cover for a stealthy get away.

Khan slowed his steps until he eventually fell back behind them, and continued directing them with his lowered voice. He motioned towards the rising hillside, lying about the signal's location being somewhere near the top.

"It might be better to take them by surprise," he said quietly. "Whoever is holding her is probably waiting for us. They will try to kill us."

The group leader agreed and promptly ordered his officers into a formation that allowed them to flank a small section of the hill at a rising pace. Satisfied that he had led them astray long enough, Khan slipped away down the hill, barely rustling the underbrush with quick and careful steps. He couldn't afford to waste anymore time. By the time the red shirts realized their mistake, he would already be in their shuttle, miles away and unreachable.

Madelyn groaned the moment she opened her eyes. Harsh lights hung down from the ceiling above her, old-fashioned fluorescents that made her head throb. She raised her hand to her temple to try and stem the pain. She felt like she'd been held underwater too long. Then she remembered.

Her eyes flew open and she swung her legs around the side of the small plain bed, ignoring the throbbing in her head when it returned. Like being drowned with a hangover.

Her stomach churned and she ran her hand across her belly, small but growing rounder underneath her sweater. Whatever Owen had given her, it had knocked her out like she'd never been knocked out before. The symptoms reminded her of the time back in London someone had managed to drug her, only she felt twice as worse this time. She hoped it wouldn't affect the baby.

The walls and floor of the windowless room were rustic concrete. It reminded her of an old military bunker like she'd seen in a movie once. The air was dry and cool, and somewhere in the distance a giant fan whirred, probably filtering the air. There was chance she was underground, and the thought didn't make her feel any better about this situation.

Her eyes snapped to the door when she heard heavy footsteps behind it. Owen had taken her and he could still be here. She carefully stood up and glanced around the bare room, looking for something she could use to defend herself. It was a tiny space, barely enough room for the bed against the wall and a small locker nearby, which was sealed shut when she tried to open it. She could take a sheet, roll it up, and attempt to strangle him from behind, knocking him out long enough for her to get away, but there was no way she had enough time to do that and there would be no element of surprise.

She turned when the door opened and Owen walked in, still wearing that gray, unmarked uniform. She backed away before he could reach out and grab her arm, until her legs bumped up against the bed.

"Don't you dare. What the hell is going on? Where am I?"

"Doesn't matter where you are," he replied with a shrug. "You'd never be able to get out of here without being caught. There's private security posted at every door."

Madelyn watched him carefully, ready to dodge away should he try to stick her with something again. "Why did you bring me here?"

"You might remember Dr. Madsen. He said you worked with him on the Vengeance."

For all of ten minutes, Madelyn thought, feeling dazed at this revelation. "Madsen?" she swallowed, remembering only that he'd taken copious amounts of her blood and made comments about how "useful" her unborn child would be to his work in studying Augment genetics. Her heartbeat quickened as she considered what this would mean now.

"Yeah, I work for him now," Owen continued. "We made a deal. I helped him out by bringing you to him, and I get to be the first of his new experiments."

She narrowed her eyes. "That doesn't sound like a good deal."

"Oh it is," he said vigorously. "I feel stronger, smarter, healthier. I can run for longer amounts of time and not get tired. My reflexes are twice as quick. I don't need to sleep as much and I don't have to eat as much to keep up with my body. My mind is clearer. I feel like a brand new person."

The knot in her stomach tightened. That would explain why she hadn't been able to fight him off earlier.

"Come on, Madsen wants you now."

She sidestepped his second attempt to grab her and he tilted his head as though he was warning her.

"You still haven't answered my question," she said quickly, his reaction disconcerting to her. Was his ego effected the way his body had been? "What am I doing here?"

"Oh come on, Maddy. Why do you think? You're pregnant with that bastard Khan's child. Madsen wants to run tests or some shit, probably take some samples. Don't worry, you're not going to be hurt."

With you leering at me like this, that's totally comforting. She decided to keep her thoughts to herself. "And what if I refuse to go with you?"

Owen sighed. "I could knock you out again." He patted the pocket of his uniform. "But I don't want to have to do that. It's a strong dose. Needed to be apparently, since you're better than human too."

"Being like… this?" Madelyn waved her hands at them both in a vague gesture. "This is not better than anything. It's just different. God, you're as bad as Khan now."

She bit her lip when she realized what she'd said. She saw Owen's jaw clench.

"Or maybe I'm better than him," he replied.

Madelyn ran her tongue along the inside of her cheek. She didn't want to give Owen the opportunity to even touch her again, which meant acquiescing to his current request. "Don't go there," she said. "Look, I'll go with you, but this doesn't change anything. You still kidnapped me—"

She stared up at him in silent fury as he wrapped his hand around her arm and motioned to the open doorway. When she reached up to pry away his fingers, his grip tightened. "I wouldn't try anything, Maddy."

She ground her teeth, trying to come up with some reason to get him to let go of her, but it was no use. He was convinced he'd won, and for now she'd have to go along with him. Her anger grew with each step, and she had to walk quickly to keep up with him as he pulled her along.

"What good is working for Madsen going to do you in the long run?" she asked after a moment. "If he's using you as an experiment, how do you know he won't find someone else to replace you in the future?"

Owen tightened his grip around her arm even more, until she felt her blood flow constricted. "Does it look like his tests failed, Maddy?"

"You know that's not what I meant."

"He told me I could have you when he's done with you."

Madelyn tensed, her anger slipping away into panic. If Owen was as strong as he was showing himself to be, getting away from him would be like trying to escape Khan. The only difference was she wasn't pregnant with Owen's child and Owen clearly didn't give two shits about it. That was more reason than ever to try and find a way out of this situation. She fought desperately to think of a way to alert the outside world where she was, but she didn't have access to a PADD or communicator. Owen certainly wasn't going to give her one.

She hoped Carol had stopped by the apartment by now. She would have seen the bag she'd dropped on the floor. She'd left her communicator on the kitchen counter too, something she never would have left behind if it hadn't been for Owen's untimely arrival.

As she was yanked along down the dark hallway, she felt a sudden urge to fight him off and run. She could make it. She was small enough, and fast. But she didn't know where she was, and even if she made it out of this place, they could be in the middle of nowhere. She was better off down here for now, but she wasn't going to let Owen finally get his way. For the sake of her child, she couldn't.

Khan set his stolen shuttle down several kilometers from the red marker on his PADD. He had no way of knowing whether the area was being scanned, and he would need the shuttle for later. The trees provided excellent cover for him in his black trench coat, but there were no people in sight despite his assumption there would be. He'd considered at one point that this was a trap to reel him in, but the idea was too farfetched. No one but himself knew Madelyn's necklace could be tracked, so there was no reason for whoever was holding her to expect his arrival. This provided him with the ultimate advantage. He knew he couldn't fail.

He checked himself as he reached the proximity of the marker on his PADD, his gaze darting back and forth, taking in every tree, every broken twig, every potential trail through the underbrush. There was nothing strange in sight, nothing out of place, not even a stone upturned revealing mossy undergrowth. He went a little further until he was standing right on top of her, except she wasn't there. Then he realized his mistake.

Cursing, he sought out the likely location for what would be the entrance to an underground facility and found it quickly. It was an old metal slab of a door, its paint rusted off, hidden behind a rocky alcove at the bottom of the hill. It was a relic left over from the Eugenics Wars, part of a large bunker used by both sides as a safe house at various points during the struggle. Modern 23rd century technology could easily penetrate the aging metal and concrete housing that ran underneath the forest for miles, but back in the 21st century the facility would have been considered impenetrable.

Khan crushed his PADD to destroy the tracking device inside it and then buried the pieces in the dirt under his boots. He looked up when the door creaked open and quickly crouched behind a boulder as two men appeared, armed with phasers and dressed in generic gray uniforms that looked similar to some he'd seen in Section 31. Probably private security. They looked bored out of their minds as they took up posts outside the door, one of them chewing gum like a cow chewed its cud. They clearly weren't expecting company. They would be little trouble.

Khan rounded the edge of the clearing, staying behind the trees until he was close enough to quickly leap down and take them by surprise. He snapped the neck of the first one and crushed the second's throat with a single blow, then he pulled their bodies into the woods a short distance and covered them so they would never be found again, taking one of their phasers before hurrying back to the bunker entrance and quietly sliding inside. If the rest of the security at this reclaimed facility was as incompetent as those first two, then getting to Madelyn would be easier than he thought.

Owen pulled Madelyn into a room that appeared to be set up like a small makeshift medical clinic. Dr. Madsen turned to greet them when they entered, adjusting a pair of latex gloves on his hands with a snap.

"Ms. McGivers! How pleasant it is to see you again. Mr. Gallagher has assured me that you won't try to strangle me this time."

Owen gave her arm another tight squeeze and Madelyn gritted her teeth as Madsen continued.

"I'm going to run a series of tests, but first I want to give you an ultrasound. Please lay back on this bed for me so we can begin."

Madelyn stared at the doctor for behaving as though her unwilling presence was perfectly normal, and for the fact that he wanted to give her an ultrasound first before he ran his "tests."

Madsen swept his eyes over her. "I can see the trepidation on your face, but I must assure you your unborn fetus means as much to me as it does to you."

She hated the terminology he used, and she wanted to gouge out his eyes as he assessed her.

"Have you ever had an ultrasound before?" he continued. "Don't worry, you won't feel a thing. You don't even have to lift up your shirt. Now please lay back here."

Owen's hand let go of her arm and settled flat on her back and she begrudgingly took a step forward to avoid his touch, climbing up into the bed Madsen was motioning to without another word. It pissed her off to see Owen standing there watching her the way she was, so she focused her attention on the nearby monitor when it flickered on. Madsen held his scanner over her stomach and an image quickly materialized onscreen.

It didn't look like much at first. A grainy, cloudy image of unidentifiable lumps, but slowly the shape of a tiny human being began to take shape. Madsen pointed out the delicate hands, curled into miniature fists, eyes almost completely developed and scrunched shut above a tiny button nose, the small curve of a delicate backbone, and little legs and feet smaller than her thumbnail. Madelyn let out a quiet astonished breath when she spied the toes, microscopic buds that wiggled onscreen.

"For nine weeks, the rate of development here is astonishing," said Madsen, his gaze darting between her and the monitor. "You're better off considering yourself sixteen weeks. You must see now why I'd like to study your case."

Madelyn didn't respond or look at him. She was transfixed by the image onscreen as it pulsated and flickered, the outline of her baby's body flickering as it turned a little and raised its thumb to its mouth.

"It's a boy," she noted, not glancing at either men in the room. She bit her lip to restrain her grin, not wanting to show too much emotion in this situation she'd found herself in involuntarily. Tears of joy pricked her eyes and she blinked them rapidly away. She was going to have a baby boy.

After another few close looks at the monitor, Madsen switched it off and asked her to sit up. She kept a watchful eye on Owen, who stood nearby looking at her thoughtfully.

"If you're going to run tests, I don't want him in here," she said.

"I thought you'd be more comfortable if you had someone close by whom you knew well," Madsen replied, turning to tinker with his medical scanner.

"I'm not comfortable around him," she said, fixing her gaze on Owen. He returned the look, but when Madsen turned and glanced at him knowingly, he shrugged and headed for the door.

When he'd sauntered away and stepped outside, Madelyn let out a breath and looked back at Madsen. "What are you doing to him?"

"I'm surprised he hasn't told you."

"He has, but you're his doctor, apparently."

She hated the smirk that materialized on Madsen's face. "He's the first recipient of a special serum I developed that allows him to possess the abilities of an Augment. It's a temporary improvement however and requires regular injections. I haven't been able to synthesize something that his body will accept for longer than a few hours."

Madelyn filed that information away. "What would happen to him if he didn't get his injection?"

Madsen held a scanner by her head. "His body would most likely begin to detoxify, similar to coming down off of any stimulant. He would lose his heightened senses and enhanced strength, though the mental and emotional side effects appear to last longer. Obviously we're still in the beginning stages of this, but he's the first of many more to come if the next few days prove that he's ready."

Madelyn held the doctor in her gaze. "Ready for what?"

He was about to answer when Owen hurried back into the room with two other security officers behind him. "We've got a problem. My men out front are gone."

"Did you try to contact their communicators?" Madsen replied, looking exasperated.

"They didn't respond," said one of the officers.

"Well go outside and take a look. Maybe they got bored." Despite his tone, Madsen was noticeably agitated, his hands shaking as he gathered his instruments together headed for the door. "Mr. Gallagher, escort Madelyn to my ship. We'll continue these tests at a later date."

When Owen advanced on her, it took her one look at his satisfied features to realize she sure as hell wasn't getting on that ship with him. She slid from the bed and kneed him in the crotch before he could take her arm again. While he was reacting to her sudden attack, she made a beeline for the door, barely registering Madsen's comment when she pushed past him.

"Its important that you cooperate," he called. "The emotional effects of the drug can render the subject unstable."

She wasn't going to wait around to find out what he meant.

She ran down the corridor, looking for a way out of this place that would at least get her out of Owen's grasp. When she glanced back, he was right behind her. With adrenaline coursing through her, she crashed through the first open door she came to. It was a storage locker, lined with shelving units stocked full of everything she could think of.

She edged around to the shadows in the back of the room, snatching a length of metal piping off a shelf. Owen's silhouette appeared in the doorway and she snuck further back into the shadows. If she was quick enough, she could edge around the side of the room and get out before he realized she wasn't hiding anymore. He followed her and advanced, red in the face, his jaw set and his dark eyes fixed on her. She held the piece of piping out in front of herself threateningly.

"I'm not doing this, Owen. You're crazy if you think I am."

He tore the pipe out of her hand before she realized what was happening, dropping it to the floor with a clatter and crushing her throat in his hand.

"I don't care," he muttered.

She grappled at his fingers as he pushed her against the wall, feeling her panic grow when his other hand brushed her stomach. Out of instinct, she swung a foot out and dug the toe of her boot into his kneecap until he loosened his grip. It was enough for her to wrench his hand away and slip free.

"Maddy, don't," he growled. She stumbled past him when he tried to grab her shirt, making for the door again. Her effort was short-lived.

She was yanked backwards suddenly and slammed against the wall face first, Owen's body holding her there. His hand snaked into her scalp and took a fistful of her hair, pulling her face back until he breathed into her eyes.

"You're making this harder than it has to be," he muttered. She struggled as he smashed her into the rough concrete wall. Her scalp was burning. She tried to swing her arm around and poke him in the eye, but he caught her wrist and pulled it behind her back. Her muscles screamed as they were twisted in the wrong direction, and then he crushed her against the wall again.

Her face scraped against the rough concrete, but it was nothing compared to the feeling of her belly being crushed. She whimpered in pain, struggling to regain control over her body. Owen just pressed himself closer to her.

"I'm fucking sick of you getting away," he murmured. "You should've taken me up on my offer when I was being nice."

Her stomach felt like it was being mangled as sharp pain shot through her. All she could think about was her baby boy being crushed to death. She kept fighting him, trying desperately to relieve the pressure on her stomach. Owen responded by yanking at her scalp, his other hand working to restrain her wrists. With a last ditch effort, she went with his momentum, then suffered the pain of her scalp being pulled in order to fling her head into his face. He didn't let up.

"Bitch!" he snarled.

She hissed as another throbbing pang shot through her body, and she could barely stand it as Owen pulled her from the wall. She stumbled in his grip, only held up when he slid an arm around her waist. She tried to half-heartedly push at him, but she was too overcome with the sudden agony growing in her pelvic region.

He dragged her down the corridor until they came to an open door that led into a large hangar like room. The ceiling opened up to the forest above and an older unmarked shuttle sat ready to go with its loading ramp extended. She managed to get a good look at the open hatch, where a piece of metal lining had come loose in the doorway. As Owen pulled her up the ramp and through the door, she snagged a jagged length out of its casing and quickly jammed it into his shoulder. It cut into her hand as it scraped his bone and he roared in pain, immediately loosening his grip on her. She slipped free and stumbled down the ramp and out of the hangar, not even chancing a glance backwards now.

She thought she was going to vomit. Waves of pain increased inside her like contractions and she fought to keep moving as they overtook her. She needed to find a way out of this place. Another tremor shot up through her abdomen from her pelvis and she leaned against the wall for a moment to catch her breath. Her head was spinning. Her face stung and her scalp burned and her belly felt like it was on fire. Owen had crushed it against the wall, and now her insides felt as though they were falling out. Another pang pulsated up through her, centering back within her belly. A terrible thought struck her that something was wrong with the baby.

She heard Owen cursing down the corridor and forced herself to keep moving despite the pain. She needed a doctor, and Madsen was the only doctor around. She needed to find his lab. Phaser fire and distressed yells echoed down the corridor behind her and made her go faster, trailing a hand along the wall when her legs began to shake. She'd never felt so much pain in her life. Another contraction shot through her and she almost stopped walking, doubling over and holding her stomach as though just willing it to stop hurting would make it all go away. She needed to save the baby.

"Madelyn, hurry!"

She looked up to see Dr. Madsen down the corridor beckoning to her. She made her way towards him, strangely slightly grateful even as the pain grew unbearable. "Owen, he—"

"I warned you." Madsen slid a hand down her back and guided her beside him into the lab. "What happened?"

She didn't respond, groaning as another contraction made her shudder.

"You need to lie down. I can still salvage this."

She didn't like the way he sounded, but leaned up against the med bed. The pain made it too hard to push herself up. She leaned over it, trying to breathe through the contractions as they got worse. Madsen was frantically trying to contact someone on his communicator, but with no luck. He turned back to her when she'd failed to climb onto the bed, then quickly waved his scanner over her belly. She clamped her eyes shut against the pain, focusing on breathing deeply, hoping it would help. Nothing she did helped.

"You need to lie down, Madelyn," Madsen was saying.

"I can't," she groaned. "Why'd you think it was a good idea to do that to Owen?" She opened her eyes when he didn't respond, groaning through another contraction. She was barely prepared when Madsen yanked her around and clamped her jaw in his fingers, pressing a scalpel against her throat. She was about to protest, but the words evaporated from her lips. Khan was standing in the doorway.

She forgot about the pain for a split second, hit with a mixture of fear and surprise. Another spasm took her and she clenched her jaw tight to keep from reacting too severely. The last thing she wanted was Khan to think she needed him. When he took a step towards them, she felt Madsen's grip on her tighten, the scalpel scraping her throat.

"Doctor, let her go and perhaps I'll give you a quick death."

His threat wasn't nearly as convincing as he probably thought it was. Her meager attempt to struggle only gained a pinch from Madsen's scalpel.

"If you want her to survive, Khan, I suggest you don't come any closer."

"What have you done to her?" he growled.

Madsen let out a faint sigh, and readjusted the scalpel in his fingers when Khan took another step forward. "I did nothing. She's miscarrying and I believe I'm the only one here who knows how to handle this. So if you want her live, I suggest you restrain your urge to murder me and let me do my work."

Madelyn registered the whirlwind of panic happening inside her head, but the pain tearing at her insides kept her from reacting, and Madsen was still holding the scalpel to her neck. For all his claims about wanting to help her, he sure wasn't averse to using her to further his own life a few more minutes.

"Can you save her?" Khan's voice reverberated with more emotion than Madelyn expected to hear from him.

Madsen nodded.

"If you don't, you know this will only end one way."

This is going to end the same way no matter what, Madelyn thought as she willed herself not to feel the pain burning her up inside. Something was soaking her jeans.

Madsen didn't respond to Khan's threat but finally removed the scalpel from her neck and left her side. Madelyn turned and leaned over the bed, feeling sick to her stomach, like her insides were falling out. Her legs were shaking, but she couldn't let Khan see her vulnerable like this. She hoped Madsen would knock her out with anesthetic so she wouldn't have to feel this anymore.

She knew when Khan was beside her, his arm bracing her back so she could climb into the med bed. She didn't look at him. She couldn't focus on anything, and instead shut her eyes as she lay back, putting herself on her grandfather's boat, remembering the cold salty wind brushing her hair into her face, the way it rocked, sundrenched, back and forth on gentle waves. She clutched at the closest thing she could reach as Madsen deposited the contents of a syringe into her arm. Laying back had done nothing to stem the pain, but when she opened her eyes briefly numbness was seeping over her like a warm fog, clouding her vision and streamlining the only thought going through her head now. How did he find me?

His silhouette blocked out the harsh lights above her, but she didn't want to look at him, even when she realized she was clutching his hand. She barely managed to let it go before slipping away into a dream of the south English coast, her grandfather's boat swaying gently on the waves, but she couldn't feel the wind anymore. The waves grew larger until she lost her balance and stumbled over the side, plunging into the dark water without a sound. She couldn't keep her head above the water because something kept her arms from moving. So she tumbled and sank like a rock until she lost all sense of sight or direction. Her breaths came slow and easy as she descended, until the darkness finally enveloped her and lulled her sleep.

I'm super excited about the upcoming chapters, but it was a trip getting through this one (It broke the 100k word ceiling (!). I tried my best not to rush this chapter like I did with the last one, so please leave feedback and let me know what you thought! xoxo