Surgical Bay - Starfleet Medical
"McCoy, what the heck-?"
Leonard growled in frustration and ignored Puri's angry tone; his focus was getting his nearly naked, badly beaten, drenched friend on to a biobed and as far from death as possible.
The transport had been quick, but Jim had passed out in the middle of it and now Leonard had to act fast or Jim would soon die. The wounds on Jim's face and body were numerous and horrific, Leonard thought as he lifted Jim on to a biobed; whoever did this would pay.
"I was on my way back from an off campus meeting when Cadet Kirk came staggering towards me with a bloodstained weapon in his posession," Leonard stated in a strained voice as he forced the weapon from Jim's weak grip and threw it on the floor near the exit door.
Dr. Puri gaped at the bloodstained weapon on the floor, "I'm calling Starfleet Security," he said in an anxious voice as he looked back up at Leonard, only to find him slowly cutting clothing away from Cadet Kirk's body with a small pair of scissors. "What are you doing?"
"I'm cutting what little clothing he has off and then giving him a sonic shower," Leonard stated as he finished removing the clothing and lowered a frame over Jim's body. "I can't operate on Jim when he's this dirty; he'll die from post-op infection if I do that."
Swearing loudly, Dr. Puri moved over to a computer console just as Phlox entered the surgical bay with surgical clothes on, "I have come to lend my assistance," Phlox stated, relieved that Leonard seemed to be tending to the patient properly. "Have you scanned the patient?"
"Overhead monitor records unstable vital signs," Leonard replied as he quickly pulled out a tricorder and scanned Jim's body. "Tricorder scan shows multiple fractures, severe internal bruising, broken ribs, countless lacerations and heavy blood loss. What I see right now concurs with what the tricorder and monitor is telling me. Immediate surgery is required."
Secretly impressed with Leonard's professionalism, Dr. Puri tapped in a request for Starfleet Security to report to Sickbay immediately, "I'll contact Captain Pike and Admiral Archer from my office and then return to assist. Go shower and get into surgical wear, Doctor McCoy."
Leonard nodded and moved out of the surgical bay to clean up, knowing that Phlox would take care of Jim until he got back; hopefully, Jim would make it through this crisis.
Starfleet Command - Captain Pike's Office - 0200
"Jim Kirk had a WHAT on him?" Chris asked, wide-eyed at what Dr. Puri had just told him.
Dr. Puri sighed as Chris leaned forward in his chair, "It looked to be a phaser rifle of some sort covered in blood," Dr. Puri replied in a distressed voice. "Security came and got the weapon out of the surgical bay. Phlox and McCoy are preparing to operate on Cadet Kirk now."
"Okay, go and supervise the surgery," Chris replied, wanting nothing more than to go order a Starfleet Security raid on Section 31 for their continued troublemaking. "I'll talk to Admiral Archer myself and I'll expect a call when Cadet Kirk is in Recovery. Do you understand?"
Dr. Puri nodded and Chris quickly switched off the viewscreen and gazed at Arianne, who had been in the visitor's chair for hours and hadn't moved, "You should go home and get some rest, daughter," Chris stated in a gentle tone, seeing how worn out Arianne looked.
"I'd prefer to wait until Jim's out of surgery," Arianne replied in a monotone voice, gritting her teeth with pain from being upright too long. "It's my fault he was put through this."
Chris sighed, "It's premature to assume that the attack on Cadet Kirk was an attempt to get information or anything from you, Arianne," he stated in a firm tone. "Besides, I can clearly tell that you're in pain right now from being upright too long. Go home and go to bed, okay?"
"Yeah, Dad, okay," Arianne replied, wincing as she got to her feet and grabbed the desk.
Fighting the urge to swear, Chris rose from his chair, "You can take the office transporter to the Command Housing Courtyard," he stated as he moved around the desk ad gently took his daughter's arm. "The walk from there to our house isn't very far."
Arianne sighed and allowed her father to lead her over to the small transporter that he had in his office; she gently wriggled from his grip and obediently moved on to the transporter pad.
"When you get home, I want you to call," Chris stated as he inputted a command into the console for direct transport to the proper courtyard. "After that, I want you to take a pain pill and go to bed. I don't know when I'll get home, but you'd better be resting when I do."
Arianne nodded, "All right, get some rest," Chris stated. "Energizing now."
As Arianne dematerialized, Chris turned away and moved back to his desk; he had little doubt that Arianne would have any problem getting home from the Command Housing Courtyard.
However, Chris had no idea that even close to home, danger still freely lurked in shadows.
Starfleet Command Housing Courtyard
Gazing at the towering Vulcan Embassy that was merely yards from the dwellings that housed all Starfleet Command personnel and their families, T'Pol scowled and crossed her arms.
"No need to become angered," the stoic voice of Jeris suddenly sounded in her ear.
T'Pol turned and saw Serij standing beside her, "I told Lady Amanda that I would not be long in my evening therapeutic walk," he stated with a raised eyebrow. "Does Cadet Kirk live?"
"He lives, but with severe injuries," T'Pol replied crossly. "You became overstimulated during your interrogation and administered more physical force than was necessary."
Serij looked slightly amused, "I wasn't alone in being overstimulated, T'Pol," he replied in a cool voice as he regarded his superior. "You expressed an attraction towards Cadet Kirk."
Before T'Pol could reply, a flash of light caught her eye; she turned her head just in time to see Arianne step off the transporter that was on the other side of a small patch of decorated trees that adorned the middle of the courtyard; she couldn't see either of them.
"Return to the Vulcan Embassy and engage in immediate meditation," T'Pol replied, a deep growl in her normally stoic voice. "I will return shortly, as I must tend to Lorian."
Serij gave a nod and turning, he swept across the grass back towards the Vulcan Embassy.
T'Pol watched as Arianne moved over to a small bench near the trees and took a seat; the exhaustion on Arianne's face was obvious, T'Pol thought, making her very vulnerable.
Gritting her teeth, T'Pol crept up behind Arianne and gripped her face aggressively with one hand while restraining her in a sitting position with the other. Arianne gasped and shook out of pure terror, but because of the hard day she had experience, had no strength to fight.
Arianne could hear faint whispering as she felt a presence enter and dig through her thoughts, desires, and memories; it was painful and made her want to pass out.
Suddenly, Arianne felt a sharp jolt and felt herself sinking to the ground; the courtyard was coming back into focus, but she could see someone in a blue shirt coming towards her.
Unfortunately, Arianne wasn't able to tell who was coming, as the meld she had been forced into had drained her of strength; her eyes slowly fell shut and her body went very limp.
For a moment, there was silence as Spock hovered silently over whom he recognized to be Ensign Pike of Starfleet Academy; he knelt down and touched her skin to find it warm.
Spock's eyes narrowed as he noticed claw marks on Arianne's face; he had been coming back to his residence after visiting with his parents at the Vulcan Embassy and had briefly seen a hand initiating a mind meld with the young Ensign, one that seemed to cause her distress.
Biting his lip, Spock moved his hand to where the marks were and felt an immediate jolt run through his body, as if Arianne were fighting him off with her mind out of shock and fear.
Letting out a small sigh, Spock carefully scooped Arianne into his arms and straightened his posture; in order to prevent Pa'nar Syndrome from materializing, he would need to act quickly, but in private. There was no need to alert Security unless there was danger.
Spock gazed around to ensure that he was alone and, with another sigh, he quickly carried the unconscious Ensign towards his dwelling on the farthest edge of the courtyard.
Surgical Bay - Starfleet Medical - 0600
Rays of the rising sun shone into the surgical bay at Starfleet Medical as Leonard activated the stasis field that would keep his heavily sedated friend in bed. The surgery was finally over.
After the surgery, Leonard had seen to it that Jim's frail body was covered with both a patient gown and blankets; nobody needed to see the damage done and Jim needed to feel safe.
Letting out an exhausted sigh, Leonard sank on to an empty stool next to the biobed and hung the dripboxes of fluids and blood that were in Jim's good arm. The surgery had been long and exhausting even with Phlox's help, but it was done and Jim would be fine in time.
"McCoy, I want a report," Dr. Puri suddenly said as he entered the surgical bay and saw Jim properly situated and Leonard having a sit-down. "Phlox said that you were done."
Leonard nodded and grabbed a PADD off the bedside table, "I have no spare strength for lengthy conversations, so read that," he said, offering the PADD to Dr. Puri. "In short, Jim's got a fractured skull, broken left arm, a dislocated left shoulder, two broken ankles. several broken ribs, multiple rib fractures, a heavily lacerated and bruised back, a broken nose, and a broken jaw. I had to wire his jaws shut and induce a medicated coma to promote healing."
"Hmm," Dr. Puri grunted as he took the PADD and skimmed it. "How long will Kirk be out?"
Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Leonard sighed, "Two weeks," he replied tonelessly. "In that time, Jim's body will be able to heal enough so consciousness will be easier later on."
Dr. Puri nodded and returned the PADD, "As of now, you are officially the only physician for Cadet Kirk," he stated in a no-nonsense tone. "You can add the surgery notes to his file later, but for now I want you to clean up and go relax. You've been up for 24 hours straight."
"I can't," Leonard replied in a tired voice that was not his own. "Jim's still at death's door."
Leonard then sighed and got to his feet, "I'm going back to my dorm," he grunted in a weak tone of surrender as he pocketed the PADD. "Hope you don't mind not having a TA today."
"I'll forgive it under the circumstances," Dr. Puri muttered quietly as Leonard left the surgical recovery bay in silence with his eyes drooping; in all honesty, Leonard felt ready to collapse.
With a sigh, Dr. Puri moved over to Cadet Kirk's bedside and began to monitor his in-coma progress; he was also thinking of a way that he could commend McCoy for his heroism and continued improvement.
Commander Spock's Residence - Starfleet Command Housing
Intense pain flooded Arianne's body as she opened her eyes to find herself gazing upward.
The ceiling was one that was found in each Command Housing unit, yet it was darker than her father's ceiling and the air was warmer than that of her father's house; where was she?
With a sigh, Arianne slowly uprighted herself into a sitting position and saw that she was facing a large desk that had a chair behind it and a small computer on top of it.
A sudden feeling of nausea prompted Arianne to lay back down and close her eyes.
Silence reigned for a few seconds and then Arianne suddenly felt a hand rest on her forehead and move to her cheekbone, "NO!" she shouted, suddenly jerking away from the hand.
"Ensign Pike, cease expressing anxiety," a toneless voice suddenly stated as Arianne felt herself slowly slipping off the couch. "I do not endeavor to harm you. I am here to help."
Suddenly recognizing the voice as Spock's, Arianne slowly sat up and saw that Spock was indeed standing next to the couch and looking at her with a slightly concerned expression.
"Where am I?" Arianne asked, surprised at how weak she sounded as she looked at Spock.
Raising an eyebrow, Spock sat on the couch next to Arianne, "I was returning to my residence last night from the Vulcan Embassy when I witnessed you being attacked by a forced mind meld," Spock explained in a toneless voice. "You are on a guest couch in my private office."
"I fought back," Arianne whispered, suddenly remembering how she pushed the attacker from her mind, which caused her great pain. "How was I able to fight back?"
For a brief moment, Arianne saw intrigue in Spock's eyes, "I believe the meditation and mind discipline techniques taught to you by my father have served you well," he replied, gazing straight into her eyes. "However, I also feel you could benefit from additional assistance."
"I'm a certified counselor," Arianne replied in a worried voice. "I shouldn't need help."
Spock inhaled sharply, "While it is true that you are a certified counselor, you have not yet fully learned how to overcome effects from your more recent experiences so that you can use them to assist in the recovery processes of others," he stated firmly.
"You're right and I know that in my heart," Arianne replied softly, ignoring the lethargy that threatened to send her back into unconsciousness. "What help do you recommend I seek?"
There was a brief period of silence, "I am willing to act in the position of helper so that you might be able to work through these experiences," Spock stated in a soft tone. "I am not a qualified counselor, but I am offering help if you are eager to become a better helper."
Arianne was quiet for a moment and then nodded, "I appreciate your offer," she replied, knowing that she could never tell anyone of this. "Will our sessions remain confidential?"
"I have no intention of disregarding your desire for privacy," Spock stated, a slight tone of sincerity in his voice. "We can commence these 'sessions' as soon as you desire to."
Arianne nodded and suddenly winced, "Forgive me, I'm still not fully recovered from the surgery that eliminated cancer from my body," she said in a weak voice as she laid back, her gaze still on Spock as she placed a hand on her chest. "I'm restricted from classes until Fall semester."
"I am aware of this fact," Spock replied in a tone of unusual concern. "You need to rest."
Arianne managed a small smile, "I was on my way home to do so when I was attacked," she stated in a faint voice. "My father insisted that since Jim is now in good hands, I should stop worrying about him. I have this tendency to overwork myself, much like my father."
"Overwork will produce no positive results," Spock stated in a tone that told Arianne she had better not argue with him. "I must insist on providing you an escort back to your home."
Too weak to argue, Arianne nodded and closed her eyes; she was unaware that Spock had risen from the couch, moved to his desk's communication console, and was now contacting his mother about the situation. All the while, he was watching her sleep, silently relieved.
T'Pol's Quarters - Vulcan Embassy
The de-aging experiment; it had worked on not only Lorian, but Arianne Pike as well.
It all made sense, T'Pol reflected as she meditated in the common area of the quarters she and Lorian shared during their visit to Earth; Arianne Pike was not who she appeared to be.
T'Pol remembered that the Arianne from the NX-01 had shared a deep friendship with Commander Tucker from the time that they had gone off searching for the Xindi in the Delphic Expanse.
Not long into that mission, Commander Tucker had played matchmaker for Arianne and Captain Archer; the two immediately fell in love and began courting.
T'Pol suddenly rose from meditative stance; she remembered that after the Commander's death and the NX-01's return to Earth, Arianne had been assigned to the USS Mandarin; the ship had ended up destroyed in a tragic accident and all hands lost in El-Aurian space.
However, after breaking through a mind block in Arianne Pike's mind, T'Pol knew that not all the Mandarin crew had perished; the El-Aurians had saw fit to rescue the lone survivor.
Scoffing quietly so not to wake Lorian, T'Pol moved into the kitchenette and opened one of the drawers she had stored personal belongings in; she pulled out an old picture of the NX-01 crew taken right as they were en route to the Expanse. An older looking Arianne was in it.
T'Pol closed the drawer and moved to a nearby computer console; she typed the name Arianne into the database and waited; almost immediately, two service records appeared.
One record was of Admiral Archer's fiance that ended with her alleged death in 2161 with the rest of the Mandarin crew near the El-Aurian homeworld; her rank was full Lieutenant.
The other record was of an Arianne Christine Pike who was born circa 2231 and adopted by Captain Christopher Pike shortly after her birth; her record listed little more than that she was granted a field promotion to Ensign at the age of 16 and sought civilian education until she was accepted to the Academy. T'Pol's eyes narrowed; the two were the same person.
T'Pol knew that, despite the new information, one question remained unanswered; how had the de-aged Arianne made it from El-Auria 2161 to San Francisco, Earth 2231?
Had it not been for Ensign Pike being able to shield her mind and end the meld, T'Pol knew that she would have been able to get all pertinent information about the situation.
Kidnapping and torturing Cadet James Kirk half to death had done nothing to help either and after the kidnapping, Serij had retreated to Vulcan to avoid arrest by Starfleet authorities.T'Pol was now regretting not kidnapping Ensign Pike again for more information.
For now, however, T'Pol reasoned that she could contact Admiral Archer and share with him the information about his lost fiancee being found and reborn; he would likely have a fit.
Closing the files, T'Pol moved over to the comlink and inputted a message; she then sent it off to Admiral Archer's mail reciever. He would most likely get it soon, if not right away.
A quick glance at the chronometer above the replicator told T'Pol that it was time to wake Lorian, get him sustenance, and begin him on his daily studies. A reply could surely wait.
Starfleet Command - Captain Pike's Office
Gazing at the bloodstained phaser rifle that Security had brought to his office, Chris sighed and set it on his desk; a search for the attackers was still underway with no plausible leads.
The only thing that had been discovered was that the phaser rifle had come from a Starfleet supply shack in Alameda that had been allegedly abandoned after the earthquake in .
Chris suspected that Section 31 had been responsible for the whole thing and that they were acting to avenge Kodos, who had made life terrible for both Jim and Arianne when they were younger because of civilian fear, recklessness and neglect; many had suffered and died by it.
Unfortunately, most who had survived the massacre were either off-planet and remaining as anonymous as they could or they were in Starfleet, but far away and unreachable.
Arianne knew about Section 31 and the Tarsian Order, yes, but Chris didn't want to delay her recovery by asking her to relive those memories; he wouldn't subject her to that stress.
Speaking of Arianne, Chris realized, he should call home and see if she was resting per his orders and let her know that Jim would be all right, as a call from Dr. Puri had confirmed that.
Letting out a tired sigh, Chris turned on his vid-feed and sent a hailing frequency to the comlink that was in his living room; it beeped three times and then a familiar face appeared.
"Lady Amanda, I was expecting Arianne to answer the vid-feed," Chris said, taking great care to sound polite instead of shocked or concerned. "Not that it's not pleasant to see you-"
Despite only being on a vid-screen, Amanda's smile was obvious, "It's perfectly all right to be surprised, Captain Pike," she replied in a pleasant tone. "How is Cadet Kirk doing?"
"Cadet Kirk will be fine thanks to Doctor McCoy," Chris replied. "I hate to sound rude, Lady Amanda, but why are you at my house? Is everything all right with Arianne?"
Amanda nodded, "We ran into each other when she was walking back to your house," she replied pleasantly, hoping she sounded convincing enough. "I walked her home."
"Oh, Lady Amanda, thank you so much for keeping an eye on Arianne," Chris replied in a relieved voice; he knew, however, that Amanda wouldn't be there unless something was wrong and that now wasn't the best time to ask, just to accept Amanda's words.
There was a brief silence and Chris could suddenly hear a whistling sound, "Oh, I borrowed your kettle to make some tea for Arianne on your stove," Amanda said in an anxious voice as she looked away from the screen. "I should go and tend to it since Arianne's asleep."
The vid-feed went off without warning and Chris sighed; he was ready to just fall asleep in his chair after being up all night. Arianne was obviously fine and he was too tired to think.
Chris slouched in his chair and was about to close his eyes when his computer beeped, indicating that a new message had just entered the email portion of his computer console.
Letting out an irritated sigh, Chris opened his email and the name of the sender caused him to sit up straight; he hadn't heard from Madame Guinan since Arianne had lived in Iowa.
Captain Pike,
I have recieved Ensign Pike's message on Cadet Kirk's misfortune and I will be en route to San Francisco as soon as possible. As soon as I recieved the message, I did contact both Winona and Sam Kirk, however, neither wanted anything to do with the situation or with Cadet Kirk.
Do not inform anyone that I am coming, but just be there for Cadet Kirk when you can.
Thank Arianne for thinking of me as a person who could be of assistance.
Madame Guinan
Chris sighed and turned the computer off; he badly needed sleep before he could focus on anything else. It was disgusting that Jim had no family support, yet it was beyond his control for the moment. Later on, when he was rested, he would find a way to contact Winona about Jim; hopefully, she would come to her senses and start being a mother to her youngest son.
For now, all Chris could do is allow his eyes to close and grant him the sleep he craved.
Admiral Archer's Residence - Starfleet Command Housing Courtyard
Turning away from the computer screen, Jonathan fought the urge to vomit; he had just read a message from T'Pol in which she claimed that his Arianne and Arianne Pike were the same person and that de-aging had made the young lady look younger than she really was.
Yes, that baby he and Chris had found on the Starfleet Academy grounds did resemble Trip's old friend a great deal, but there was no way that she and Arianne Pike were the same.
Still, the whole resemblance between his Arianne and Ensign Pike was startling; T'Pol had included the most recent photos of both women with the message and it made him wonder if T'Pol's nonsense about a de-aging experiment was truth and if it had really happened.
If Ensign Pike WAS his beloved fiancee de-aged, Jonathan knew that he would eventually need to approach Ensign Pike with the information. However, being de-aged, Ensign Pike might not even have retained those memories and might think him a crazy liar and stalker.
Porthos suddenly rubbed against his leg and letting out a sigh, Jonathan gently pulled the beagle on to his lap; he had to find out how T'Pol had gotten this information and if there was more that she hadn't told him about Arianne. His love for HIS Arianne had never died away.
As he sat there, gently petting Porthos, Jonathan also knew that even if they had been lovers once, Ensign Pike was a very different person now with a very different past and present.
Jonathan sighed again and frowned; he would need more information on this new situation before he could attempt to do anything about it. Time and true patience were needed now.
Captain Pike's Residence - Starfleet Command Housing - 0800 H
Letting out a quiet yawn, Arianne opened her eyes and immediately knew she wasn't alone.
A quick sideways glance caused her to see Amanda seated in a nearby chair reading a PADD while keeping an eye on a large mug of something, "Lady Amanda?" Arianne croaked.
"Oh, you're awake," Amanda stated as she placed the PADD on the table and removed the mug from the table it sat on. "I stayed after escorting you home and made you some tea."
Arianne blinked, "Where's Spock?" she asked, confused. "He helped you walk me home."
"Spock is spending time with Sarek at the Embassy," Amanda replied, watching as Arianne slowly pulled herself into a sitting position. "Sarek will have to return to Vulcan very soon to attend to duties there, but I am remaining on Earth to spend time with both you and Spock. I was told by Spock to let you know to contact him when you are feeling better."
Nodding, Arianne was silent as Amanda placed the mug in her hands, "I will most likely need to return to Vulcan at the end of the month, but for now, you need me," Amanda explained in a gentle voice. "I know about the illness you battled recently and you need looking after."
Arianne remained quiet as she sipped the tea and Amanda sat on an ottoman that she had placed next to the couch earlier, "Even if you hadn't battled an illness, Arianne, I would still find a way to come and visit you," Amanda continued in a soothing voice. "I know you've been missing having a mother figure growing up and your father blames himself, I think."
"Dad's done his best," Arianne replied softly. "He adopted me when he didn't have to."
Amanda looked thoughtful, "When you're feeling better, I don't doubt you will find a way to express gratitude to him for being a good father," she stated gently. "For now, however, I want you to rest and actually let someone look after you. You are not invincible, Arianne."
Arianne nodded; she had to start slowing down and take one day at a time; she had given that advice to both Jim and Leonard often enough and she ought to start following the advice.
Continuing to drink the tea, Arianne knew that once she was feeling stronger, her academics were only one part of the things that needed dealing with; strengthening her friendship with Jim, making friends with other cadets, and dealing with unresolved feelings for Leonard.
None of these tasks would be easy to accomplish, but her happiness could very well grow.
I would like some reviews, please. Reviews make me want to post the rest of the story!