Okay, so as promised here's the gratuitous Jim beat-down! Hope you all like it ya bunch of sadists :P
Also, poor Jim is going to have no privacy by the end of all this O.o Geez, between Frank and Pike he's not going to be able to do much of anything without being watched...Poor guy lol. And special thanks to Janiqua for the idea with Pike!! Thanks so much!! :D
Pike frowned and laced his fingers together, peering across the desk at the young man in front of him. "And your reasons for resignation would be…?" He asked, hoping to get some kind of decent answer from Jim.
The younger man shrugged fruitlessly and looked away slightly. Ever since coming to the Academy, Pike had been the mentor/father-figure Jim had never had. He respected him and looked up to him which made coming into his office and telling him he was going to resign so much harder. It made him physically sick to his stomach to be perfectly honest. Jim glanced up, his eyes catching the gleaming lenses of a security camera perched near the back window. He glared at it hatefully, knowing Frank was probably watching this conversation right now. Pike was smart; he could try dropping a hint to him about the situation in hopes that he would understand but then again, Frank was smart too. Any attempts at explaining himself directly could mean the death of his mother or his crew. Dammit. "My reasons are my own…" He said finally, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
Pike eyed him carefully, taking note of the slouched posture and downcast eyes, both of which were very un-Jim-like behaviors. Something was wrong that he wasn't telling him. "No."
"Sir?" Jim blinked and looked up in confusion.
"I said no, I'm not accepting your resignation." Pike shrugged casually and shuffled some papers on his desk. "If you can't provide me with an acceptable reason as to why you're suddenly resigning after being appointed captain of a Starfleet ship for less than a month, then I'm afraid I can't accept it." He leaned a little closer , eyeing the younger man carefully. "Jim, what's going on? If there's something you're not telling me-"
"It's nothing." Jim said quickly, biting back the bitterness in his voice. God, he wanted nothing more than to blurt out everything Frank was planning right then and there but he couldn't. God damn the advances in surveillance. "Sir, I appreciate your concern and wish I could provide you with a better reason for my actions but I have none…" He sighed and looked at the tiny model of a ship nearly identical to the Enterprise on Pike's desk. "I'm not cut out to be a captain…you know that…"
Pike's frown deepened and his dark eyes narrowed slightly. "And what makes you think that, Jim?"
"Well, I mean look at what happened on the last mission. We wrecked the ship, I nearly got Emissary McNeil killed…all this on a mission that should have been handled blind-folded. Do you really think a good captain would let something like that happen?"
The older man sighed and leaned back. Jim had a serious perfectionist complex and hated making mistakes no matter how minor. He knew that most people would feeling guilty about the performance of the past mission but Jim was taking it twice as bad. "Jim, what makes a good captain are the attributes and qualities which you displayed under such extremes. You reacted quickly and wisely and probably saved more lives than you know. I realize the last mission didn't exactly go as planned but you made the right decisions throughout. Try giving yourself a little bit of credit instead of nothing but blame."
Jim didn't say anything to Pike's analysis. He wanted to believe what he was saying but the nagging presence in the back of his mind refused to allow it. You stay Captain, you're entire crew dies. Frank's voice echoed in his head and he closed his eyes slowly, trying to block it out.
Seeing he was doing nothing to change his mind, Pike sighed again and pulled out a sheet of paper from the drawer of his desk. "Look Jim, I'm going to put you on academic suspension for the remainder of the week. That means you won't be accompanying your crew or the Enterprise on their next mission and Spock will remain as acting Captain until stated otherwise. If you still feel the same about your resignation by the end of the week…" Pike faded off, not really wanting to finish the thought. "Well, we'll talk about that then. Deal?"
The younger man nodded slowly, unable to meet the Admiral's eyes as he handed him the sheet of paper. He nodded slightly and stood, folding the paper in his hand and tucking in his pocket. "Sir." He said quietly, nodding respectfully before walking to the door and slipping outside.
Pike watched him leave, a heavy knot forming in the pit of his stomach. Something was definitely wrong with this situation and he didn't like it at all. "Computer," He said softly, turning as a small, flat monitor appeared out of the surface of the desk. "Wire surveillance system to track movements of Cadet 0849, James Kirk." The screen divided into several smaller screens, each one displaying a different camera's feed. Unfortunately, the dorm rooms lacked video lines but all of the hallways and classrooms of the Academy were equipped with several security cameras. He could follow Jim's movements discreetly without ever alerting the younger man that he was being watched. Pike frowned, watching as a black and white image of Jim walked stiffly down the hall before disappearing into his room. He was determined to find out what was going on.
OOOOO
The door to his room slid open softly and Jim stepped inside, dropping the paper and his key onto the desk near the door. The room was dark and cold; Bones probably wouldn't be back until much later in the afternoon. However, despite the absence of his roommate, the room was definitely not empty.
Frank sat in a desk chair, one leg crossed over the other like he was ready to make a financial deal. Jim jumped slightly when he saw him but he had to admit he wasn't entirely surprised; he did have a copy of his key after all. "You didn't stick to our arrangement, Jim." Frank pointed out coldly as the younger man recovered from his shock. "I said resign, not suspension." He pressed a button on the monitor and a fuzzy image from Pike's office appeared on the screen. Look Jim, I'm going to put you on academic suspension for the remainder of the week. Pike's voice repeated the conversation they'd had a few minutes earlier and Jim could see himself sitting uncomfortably in the chair across from him.
Jim growled, clenching his teeth sharply. "Look, I'm off for the rest of the week and by the time I go back I'll be out for good. Either way I can't go near the ship so what does it matter?"
Frank shrugged slightly and re-wound the tape until it faded to black. "How do I know you won't just change your mind once the week is up?"
"I won't." Jim glared hatefully at him, wanting nothing more than to rip that arrogant smirk off his face. "And besides it doesn't work that way. Resignation is pretty permanent."
Frank chuckled darkly and nodded. "That it is." He allowed, pressing another button on the monitor. The computer switched through a few different systems before coming to a program that was comparable to an answering machine. He hit the play button and a frantic female voice filled the room. "Jim? Jim, honey it's mom. Listen, I got a call from Frank yesterday…he's out of prison. Jim, I want you to stay as far away from him as possible, understand? If he tries to contact you at all I want you to-" The voice was cut off at the message was paused. Frank's eyes glinted maliciously.
Jim felt an icy stab in his stomach and his face felt hot immediately. "You son of a bitch! If you've done anything to her-!"
"Oh, don't worry, I haven't done anything. Yet."
Jim reacted before he could stop himself and lunged across the room, grabbing Frank by the front of the shirt and slamming him into the wall. The element of surprise allowed him to get at least three good blows in before Frank recovered. He grabbed a handful of Jim's neck and brought his knee up fast and hard, easily breaking the younger man's nose.
Jim stumbled back, pain and the sudden dizziness making him lose his balance. The loss was just what Frank needed because he swiped Jim's legs out from under him and watched as he fell. The younger man's head connected sharply with the edge of he desk and his vision darkened for a split second. He tried to regain his footing but the painful crack of Frank's boot crashing into his ribs kept him on the ground. The air was knocked out of him with each blow, the unmistakable snap of a rib accompanying a few of them. Jim gasped in pain and managed to grab the leg of the chair, jerking it out and knocking Frank to the floor as well. He struggled to his knees and landed a few more punches before he was thrown into door.
Frank tangled his hand into a fistful of Jim's hair and slammed his head into the wall a few more times for good measure. "You know," He said, releasing the younger man in huff and watching as he struggled to remain conscious. "It didn't have to come to this. We could have been civil." He spit a mouthful of blood onto the floor and stood.
"Yeah…" Jim groaned, tasting the bitter tang of blood in his mouth. "You and civil go hand in hand." He kicked out sharply, catching Frank's ankle and causing him to topple back into the opposite wall, knocking over a framed certificate on the wall. The glass shattered loudly, littering the floor with glittering shards. Jim had barely made it to his knees before another foot crashed into his side, breaking another rib and causing him to collapse to the floor in agony. He couldn't breathe for several seconds and wasn't even aware that Frank had pinned him to the floor until his felt the older man's arm pressing into the back of his neck. He struggled weakly, both the pain and Frank's combined weight causing his efforts to be pretty much useless.
"You've got balls, kid. I'll give you that." Frank muttered from above him, wincing as he wiped blood away from his newly split lip. "But I'm always going to have the upper hand." White-hot pain rippled through him as something sharp pierced the back of his shirt, slicing through fabric and skin at the same time. Jim bit back a cry and grit his teeth, struggling harder to get free. Another slice ripped through his shirt and he could feel fresh blood covering his back and running down his sides. It figures Frank would use broken glass as a weapon he managed to think through the pain. Each cut felt deeper than the last, blood streaming in rivulets across his back, but no matter how much he struggled he couldn't break free.
"What…do you want…?!" He growled finally, his breath coming in sharp gasps.
Frank stopped the cutting and dropped the glass onto the floor. "I'll accept your "suspension" for a price. 75% and I'll even promise not to call your mother again."
Jim winced, blood oozing from his broken nose and forming a small puddle on the floor. The original price to get Frank to leave had jumped from half to 75% and he still wasn't satisfied. "Why…should I trust you…" He asked, struggling to breathe beneath the added weight on his back and neck.
He could practically hear the smirk in Frank's voice as he leaned closer. "You can't. But you really don't have a choice, no do you?" The weight was suddenly removed from his back and Jim was able to curl onto his side, gasping and coughing in pain. Frank stood slowly, popping his neck on the way up, and glared down at Jim. "Have the money ready by tomorrow, Jim. I'm starting to lose my patience with you." He gave him one final kick in his already broken ribs before swinging open the door and disappearing into the hall way.
Jim couldn't move for a long time; it was a chore just to breathe without wanting to pass out. His head throbbed with ever heartbeat and his ribs and back didn't feel much better. He could feel sticky blood clinging to his shirt, binding it to him like a second skin. He didn't know how many cuts lined his back now, four maybe five, but each breath felt like someone ripping them open further. He resisted the urge to simply give in and pass out knowing that if he did he probably wouldn't wake up. Struggling to his knees was quite possibly the hardest thing he'd done in a long time and for a few minutes the waves of nausea threatened to send him right back to the floor.
Taking slow, shallow breaths, Jim looked around the room carefully, taking in the extent of the damage. Blood stained the floor in various places, contrasting sharply against the white tile. The chair was in the middle of the floor and broken glass littered the corner against the opposite wall. Simply put, it looked like a hurricane had ripped through the room. Jim sighed, touching his broken nose gingerly and frowning at the swelling that was already forming. He needed to get this place cleaned up before Bones got back; something he really didn't want to have to explain right now.
Pulling himself to his feet slowly, gasping as the straightening of each vertebrae caused his ribs to protest and his back to sting all over again, Jim made his way into the bathroom to get the basket of cleaning supplies out from under the sink. He barely made it into the room before the nausea won out and he collapsed in front of the toilet, emptying the contents of his stomach into the bowl. The force caused his nose to start bleeding again and he gagged as blood mixed with bile. Tears stung his eyes, both from pain and frustration and he closed his eyes tightly, refusing to let them fall. He would not give Frank the satisfaction of breaking him completely; he'd rather die first. Another few minutes passed before the last of the sickness left him and he was able to climb to his feet again. He grabbed the cleaning supplies and headed back into the room to start straightening up.
It didn't take as long as he thought it would, maybe because the cleaning helped him focus on something other than the pain radiating through every inch of his body. The glass was swept away and the blood came up easily, replaced by the smell of Lysol and disinfectant. He had just stooped to pick up the remains of the picture frame when something thin and silver caught his eye. Frowning, he reached beneath the desk and pulled back a thin band. It looked familiar and Jim realized with a start that it was Frank's prison identification band. He examined it carefully, looking over the wires and circuits that had been tripped and tampered with. Reverse technology shouldn't be too hard; he'd mastered that subject his first year at the Academy.
Jim frowned and looked around the room carefully. There were cameras in here but Frank could trace his online activity and he needed a computer. Ruffling through the drawer of the desk, he pulled out Bones' ID card from the previous year. They were required to get a new card every year but the information stayed pretty much the same from one year to the next. And besides, its not like Bones needed this one, he had a new one for the Enterprise already. With a small, broken smile, Jim tucked the card in his pocket and stood slowly, making his way to the door. He had an idea but not alot of time to do it.
Okay, so I'm not really sure why Frank still had the prison ID band with him O.o Maybe if I were a better author I'd have a good reason for it but I don't so...*points* hey look, Jim is bleeding!! *run away while everyone looks up*
