Khan

"What the hell happened?" they could hear the struggle in Bones's voice, "I can't get my arm out!"

"Target clear signal," Kirk jumped to his feet, turning to Spock who was handling the transport, "Beam them back right now."

"Transporter cannot differentiate between Dr. McCoy and torpedo," Spock shook his head, frowning at that, that had…never happened before, "We cannot beam back one without the other."

"Dr. Marcus," Kirk turned to the viewscreen again, "Can you disarm it?"

"I'm trying," Carol panted, frantic, "I'm trying!"

"Jim get her the hell out of here!" Bones shouted.

"No!" Carol cut in, "If you beam me back, he dies. Just let me do it."

"10," Bones swallowed, starting to count, "9, 8…"

"Standing by to transport Dr. Marcus on your command, sir," Spock looked to Kirk as he stood there, unsure of what to do.

"4, 3..."

"Shit!" Carol cried, ripping something from the sound of it…and the clamp noise sounded again, but more of a releasing noise.

"Deactivation successful, Captain," Sulu let out a breath.

"Oh thank god," Victoria put a hand to her racing heart at that, before she glanced at Kirk, "Why do I get the feeling they're going to be the next us?" she joked a little, hearing Carol shouting at them to let her stay with Bones, to save him, hearing Bones shouting at them to get Carol out of there, to save her…it reminded her a little of her and Kirk.

Kirk let out a laugh at that, "No one's like us," he told her, sending her a wink, before calling out to the comm., "Dr. McCoy, are you alright?" but the feed was silent, "Bones?"

"Jim?" Bones came back a moment later, sounding…stunned, "You and Vick are going to want to see this."

Kirk frowned at that, "See what?"

"There's a body in here," Bones told them, "There's a body frozen in the torpedo."

~8~

Carol looked up, hearing some sort of muffled argument or struggle going on just beyond the doors to the medbay. She didn't even need the doors to open or to hear the person speaking clearly to know who it was. She just barely managed to hide her smile when she saw the doors open and Kirk literally dragging Victoria into the room. The girl in question was struggling though, trying to pull her arm out of Kirk's hold as he tried to tug her in. Victoria was hunched over, her knees locked as they dragged on the floor, her sliding into the room despite her best efforts.

"At least we didn't have to drug her this time," Bones mumbled from beside her, the two of them standing on one side of the torpedo, opened and exposing the body inside it for all to see.

Carol did laugh at that though, she could imagine Victoria needing something to get her into a medical facility of any kind. She really had no idea what the girl had against medical, she wasn't afraid of the instruments, she was ok around people even if they were doctors when NOT in a medical setting (she was friends with Bones after all), she had no issue with blood or injury…she really didn't know why her friend seemed to hate being in medical so much.

"Vic…tor…ia…" Kirk struggled to pull her in but she was putting up a fight, "Stop it!"

"Just let me go James," she twisted her arm in his hold but he wouldn't give in, "I can watch from the Bridge…"

"It's just the medbay," he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist for more leverage as he hauled her further into the room.

"And I hate it," she argued.

"Why?"

"I just do!"

Kirk rolled his eyes, grabbing her arms as she tried to pull his from around her and closed his hands over her own, crossing her arms so she was hugging herself with his arms over her, finally making it to the torpedo, "Before she escapes," he turned to Bones, speaking quickly, Victoria still trying to struggle though her efforts were not quite helping him focus on Bones and the body, she was a little…too close to him at the moment, he always had trouble concentrating when she was that close, "What have we got?"

"It's quite clever actually," Carol began, hoping if she could make it sound interesting that Victoria would focus on that instead of trying to flee the room, "This fuel container was removed from torpedo and retro fitted to hide this cryo-tube."

"Is he alive?" Kirk tried to glance over Victoria's shoulder at the man lying frozen inside the weapon.

Bones nodded, "But if we try revive him without the proper procedure, we could kill him. This technology is beyond me."

"How advanced, Doctor?" Spock called, entering the room after the duo.

"It's not advanced," Carol corrected, "That cryo-tube is ancient."

"We haven't needed to freeze anyone since we developed warp capability," Bones agreed, "Which explains the most interesting thing about of our friend here. He's 300 years old…"

THAT made Victoria stop squirming as she glanced at the body, "He's looking good for it," she muttered.

Kirk smirked at that, "Maybe he moisturizes."

~8~

"Are you sure about this?" Kirk asked, looking at Victoria as they headed towards the holding cells once more.

Victoria took a breath, nodding, "I won't kill him," she promised.

He'd…shaken her earlier, his words about her father and how if she killed Harrison the way he had Pike then she'd be no better than him. She could admit…she'd killed before, she'd shot at Romulans and Klingons and other enemies in battle, when lives were in true danger, she'd killed yes. To go hunt Harrison and kill him while he was unaware, while he wasn't openly attacking her…that wouldn't make her father proud. No, he'd have been proud if she'd stopped Harrison in the middle of him attacking the crew or her or Kirk, but not while he was hiding away.

"Just…" Kirk reached out for her hand, making her pause before they entered the room, "Be careful," he warned, "Harrison is…he'll try and manipulate us, especially…"

"Me," she nodded, "Because of dad," she sighed, "I get it."

He squeezed her hand once more and turned to head into the room with her, the two of them dropping their hands so as not to give Harrison any more fuel. They knew he likely already gathered how important each of them were to the other, even more so after he'd slipped and called Victoria his wife, but whatever they could do to dissuade him from trying to pit them against each other or use their feelings to get to them they'd do.

"There's a man hidden in the torpedo," Victoria got right to it as they came to stand before Harrison's cell, the man standing there stoically as though waiting for them, "Why?"

"There are men and women in all those torpedoes, Miss Pike," he smirked as she flinched at the name, "Or is it Mrs. Kirk?"

"It's Pike," Victoria frowned at that, confused, as Kirk close his eyes, having hoped that Harrison wouldn't bring that up.

He knew that Victoria had overheard portions of the conversation he'd had with Harrison, but not all of it, only enough to gather that there was something about the torpedoes and that he was going to check one. He sometimes called her his wife in a joking sense, teasing her, or trying to get a rise out of Pike…he didn't want her to know he'd called her his wife like that, so openly and rawly and immediately, without thought, as though he truly (subconsciously) considered her his wife. He didn't want her to know especially since he hadn't even told her he…he hadn't told her he loved her yet. He'd wanted to, god had he wanted to, but then Harrison attacked and with Pike gone and her so…hurt and mourning he'd struggled with whether to tell her or not. He didn't want to seem like he was taking advantage of her.

He knew that was how a few others felt, he saw how they looked at him at times, like he was just using Victoria to advance his career in the Fleet. Some people who knew who she was, who her father was, thought he'd been doing that. Half of them stopped thinking that when they realized he hadn't known her last name till after the attack on Vulcan. The other half thought he was faking and had known all along who she was. Others who saw them together thought that he stayed with her after he'd learned who she was for the same reason, to get ahead, to get on Pike's good side. They didn't stop to think that Pike wouldn't have hesitated to KILL him if he dared hurt the man's daughter and that schemes like that always came out so why would he risk it unless he truly loved Victoria? He hated those people who thought he was with her for her name and family legacy. He'd seen a few looks on his own crew's face, they were surprised he was STILL with her after Pike died or thought that he was just not leaving her because it would be disgusting for him to leave a woman after she'd suffered such a loss.

He knew his reputation in the Academy left something to be desired with the women, but…Victoria wasn't women, she was ONE woman, THE woman. And he was going to do anything he could to prove that to everyone, Victoria…she was it for him.

He just…had to work up the nerve to tell her that.

"I put them there," Harrison continued, making them look at him.

"Who the hell are you?" Kirk asked.

"A remnant of the time long past," Harrison sighed.

"A little less poetry would be great," Victoria shot him a glare.

"Genetically engineered to be superior so as to lead others to peace in a world at war," Harrison elaborated, "Better?" she nodded, "We were condemned as criminals, forced into exile. For centuries we slept, hoping when we woke, things would be different. But as a result of the destruction of Vulcan your Starfleet began to aggressively search distant quadrants of space. My ship was found adrift, I alone was revived."

"I searched for John Harrison," Victoria told him, "I even hacked into the system to do it. You don't exist, not since a year ago."

"John Harrison was fiction created the moment I was awoken by your Admiral Marcus to help him advance his cause. A smoke screen to conceal my true identity. My name is Khan."

"Why would a Starfleet admiral ask a 300 year old frozen man for help?" Kirk shook his head.

"Because, I am better."

"At what?"

"Everything."

"I doubt that," Victoria shot back.

Khan tilted his head at her, "I would be more than happy to prove it in any manner you see fit."

"You are NOT kissing me," she glared at him, stepping closer to Kirk, making the Captain's cheeks actually tint pink at just what Victoria thought Khan would NOT be the best at and feeling a rather large inflow of male pride at that.

Khan gave her a look that was a cross between a curious sort of disgust and the fear that she'd gone mad, before he decided to ignore her outcry and continue with his own lament, "Alexander Marcus needed to respond to an uncivilized threat in a civilized time. And for that he needed a warrior's mind, my mind, to design weapons and warships."

"You are suggesting the Admiral violated every regulation he vowed to uphold simply because he wanted to exploit your intellect," Spock spoke up, entering the room and stepping over to Victoria and Kirk.

"He wanted to exploit my savagery," Khan corrected, not sounding at all disturbed to describe himself as savage, "Intellect alone is useless in a fight, Mr. Spock. You…you cannot even break a rule, how would you be excepted to break bone?" he shook his head, "Marcus used me to design weapons. To help him realize his vision of militarized Starfleet. He used you," he glanced at Victoria, "Your grief to fuel the need to 'hunt me down.' He sent you," he turned his attention back to Kirk, "To use those weapons, to fire my torpedoes on an unsuspecting planet. And then he purposely crippled your ship in enemy space, leading to one inevitable outcome…the Klingons would come searching whomever was responsible, and you have no chance of escape. Marcus...would finally have the war he talked about, the war he always wanted."

"No," Kirk shook his head at that, not believing, not wanting to believe Marcus was capable of something like that, not the man who had been the one to recruit Pike. It wasn't even that Pike had doubts about the Fleet, like Victoria had, no, he'd always known he wanted to be a member of it, but every Cadet needed a recruiter to vouch for them, and Marcus had vouched for Pike…unfortunately…he didn't notice Victoria fall silent and still beside him at Khan's words, "No. I watched you open fire in a room full of unarmed Starfleet officers. You killed them in cold blood!"

Victoria reached out and put a hand on Kirk's arm, just…looking at Khan with…disgust, in herself because…she might possibly believe him. Her father had always been dedicated to the Fleet, had raised her to be a member of it one day and while he'd always been by the book, by the Fleet's book, she DID know Marcus. She HAD grown up on a ship where Marcus was the captain once, she'd seen the man in action, she'd seen him interact with his crew, how he acted around his peers, how he treated his daughter. He loved Carol, yes, but…for how set on the Fleet her own father was, Marcus had always been more strict but in a militant sense. The man struck her as more of a soldier than a captain, a man more suited to be on a battle ship instead of a starship. She was the only one of the crew, besides Carol, who knew what Marcus was like, who had been around him long enough to get a sense of the sort of person he was.

The trouble was…she COULD believe Marcus capable of what Khan had described. She could fully believe that Marcus would want some sort of war, he seemed too sure it would happen when he'd sent them after Khan. She hated that though, she hated believing the man about that, because she knew what that meant for Carol, for the crew, the Fleet…for herself. If Khan was telling the truth…then Marcus was inadvertently truly responsible for her father's death. Marcus's desperation for war had led him to not put Khan back to sleep when he'd first discovered who he was. He'd wanted to use Khan…and now Khan was fighting back.

She closed her eyes a moment, which man was she more angry at? The one who had physically killed her father…or the man who had created the situation and circumstances that had allowed and led to it to happen?

"Marcus took my crew from me," Khan narrowed his eyes at Kirk.

"You're a murderer!" he snapped, stepping forward slightly to put himself just a bit in front of Victoria, having seen her close her eyes beside him, thinking her reaction was a result of him bringing up Pike's death.

"He used my friends to control me. I tried to smuggle them to safety by concealing in them in the very weapons I had designed. But I was discovered," Khan turned away from them, moving to look out the back window as he continued to talk, the three of them silent as they listened, "I had no choice but to escape alone. And when I did, I had every reason to suspect that Marcus had killed every single one of the people I hold most dear. So I responded in kind. My crew...is my family, Kirk," he turned to them suddenly, his eyes bright with tears, one trailing down his cheek, though Victoria shook her head at that, not believing for a moment that Khan was capable of that sort of emotion, he struck her as a sociopath, mimicking emotions, but not feeling them, "Is there anything you would not do for your family?"

Kirk had only just cast Victoria a glance at that, already knowing the answer, there was nothing he wouldn't do for his crew, for his family, for her. He…didn't have much by way of family anymore. His father was gone, his mother remarried and he didn't see her much, though Victoria kept pleading with him to take her to visit the woman, and…really, the only one he had in his life, the only one he could see being in his life to the end of it (however short that might be given his luck) was Victoria. She was…his family, in another life…she was his wife. He would do anything for her.

"Proximity alert, sir," Kirk looked down as a report came over his comm., "There's a ship at warp heading right for us."

"Klingons?" he frowned.

"At warp?" Khan gave him a look, "No, Kirk. I think we all know who it is."

"I don't think so," the man on the comm. agreed, not having heard Khan, "It's not coming at us from Kronos."

"It's Marcus," Victoria nodded as Kirk looked at her, a sinking feeling forming in her stomach as Khan's words proved all the more true. If it really WAS Marcus…then the man was right. There would be no other reason for him to be there unless it was because of Khan.

"Lieutenant," Kirk glanced at one of the other crew members as he and Victoria turned to head out with Spock, "Move Khan to medbay, post six security officers on him."

"Yes, Captain," the man nodded, moving to do just that as the trio rushed out.

~8~

"Captain on the Bridge!" Sulu announced as Kirk strode in.

"ETA on incoming ship?" Kirk wasted no time in getting to task.

As much as he hated to admit it…he was starting to see the logic in what Khan had said, all the little things even Spock had brought up about Marcus's behavior and attitude. The man, who was supposed to be dedicated to peace and Fleet regulations, had ignored all of it and essentially told them to go blow up Kronos for ONE man…there had been worse offenders in the past who had gotten off with lighter sentences. None of them had been as hunted by the Fleet as Harrison nearly had been. So what made this different? What was affecting Marcus so much that he was willing to cause a war to get the man taken out?

The truth was…he didn't want to know, and the reality of it all was that…he was likely about to find out.

"Three seconds, sir," Sulu reported.

"Shields!" Kirk called.

"On it," Victoria moved to help Sulu. While she was usually meant to be the Liaison for Engineering, they all had a basic level of training in different areas of the Bridge, the portions of the crew that were going to be on the Bridge often at least. She could get the shields up at least and get back to her post easily.

She'd just raised them…when an enormous ship came out of warp before them, at least twice as big as the Enterprise, possibly even three times larger, and rather ominous and menacing in the dark of space.

"They're hailing us, sir," Uhura turned to Kirk.

"On screen," he gave the order, "Broadcast ship-wide for the record."

The viewscreen flickered on and Marcus was sitting before them, "Captain Kirk."

"Admiral Marcus," Kirk greeted, glancing at Victoria to see her frowning at the man in what looked like hurt, disappointment, and anger and he knew…she believed Khan as well. Maybe not all of it, given what Khan had done and how easily he'd murdered people, how little remorse he seemed to have, they both doubted that he was as 'kind' and 'hopeful' as he'd tried to make himself and his crew out to be, but there was one thing they did believe…Marcus knew more than he was letting on about and if the man had any hand in what led to Pike's death…he wanted to know, "I wasn't excepting you. That's a hell of a ship you got there."

"And I wasn't expecting to get word that you'd taken Harrison into custody," Marcus countered, "In violation of your orders."

"Our apologies sir," Victoria remarked, "Our warp core developed a fault, a leak," she gave Marcus a meaningful look and Kirk could see it in the man's eyes, in his expression…and he was kicking himself for it.

Marcus, whenever he'd looked at Victoria after Daystrom…had had this terribly guilty expression on his face, like he could literally feel the guilt eating at him. At first he'd thought it was because the man blamed himself for getting Pike involved in the Fleet (even though they all knew Pike would have joined no matter what) but now…he was starting to think that it was because Marcus knew that the man HE had released had been the cause of Pike's death and he was being faced with Pike's daughter's devastation in front of him, knowing it was HIS fault.

He had the same expression on now as Victoria spoke to him, her tone indicating that they knew there was something wrong with the core that was beyond a normal happenstance.

"But you already know that, sir," Kirk frowned at the man.

"I don't take your meaning," Marcus looked back at him.

Kirk shook his head, seeing the apprehension in the man's features, "That's why you are here isn't? To assist with our repairs? Why else would a head of Starfleet personally come to the edge of the Neutral Zone?"

"Captain," Spock warned, "They're scanning our ship."

"Is there something I can help you find, sir?" Kirk gave Marcus a hard look.

"Where is your prisoner Kirk?" Marcus got right to business again.

"As stated in the Starfleet regulations," Victoria began, getting up to move beside Kirk, resting her hand on the back of his captain's chair to lean on it, facing Marcus down. If Kirk was going to challenge the man who had released Khan, she was NOT about to let him do it on his own. Pike was HER father, "It is the duty of the acting captain and his crew to return a fugitive to Earth for a proper trial."

"Well, shit," Marcus cursed, making them frown, "You talked to him," he realized, "Exactly what I was hoping to spare you from Miss Pike," he frowned, seeing her not flinch at the use of her father's name again and looking as though he'd momentarily lost a prime weapon, "I took tactical a risk when I woke that bastard up. Believing that a superior intelligence could help us protect ourselves from whatever came after us next. But I made a mistake. And now the blood of everybody he's killed is on my hands," he looked at Victoria again, "He killed your father Miss Pike, and for that I will never stop being sorry. I had thought you, of all people, would want to see him brought to justice."

Victoria frowned, though she felt Kirk tense and grab one of her hands subtly, "And he will be," she agreed, "TRUE justice, in court. After all, James and I were nearly expelled from the Fleet for breaking the rules again, forgive us for wanting to follow them now."

"Then I am asking you," Marcus amended, "Give him to me, so I can end what I started."

"And what exactly would you like me to do with the rest of his crew, sir?" Kirk scoffed, "Fire at them at the Klingons and end 72 lives? Start a war in process?"

"He put those people in those torpedoes!" Marcus defended, as though that made what he'd ordered them to do ok. The man hadn't even realized that he'd admitted to knowing that the bodies had been in there before he'd given the torpedoes to them, which just disgusted Kirk and Victoria even more. The man knew there were people in there…and he was going to destroy them too, "I simply didn't want to burden you with knowing what was inside of them. You saw what this man can do all by himself. Can you imagine what would happen if we woke up the rest of his crew? What else did he tell you? That he's a peace-keeper? He's playing you, son. Don't you see that? Khan and his crew were condemned to death as war criminals. And now it is our duty to carry out that sentence. Before anybody else dies because of him."

Kirk glanced at Victoria to see her frowning at Marcus with a familiar expression on her face. He really did love how he knew her so well that he knew what every expression meant just from the minutest details. Her current one was a look she often gave others when they said something that implied they thought she or himself were stupid. He had t agree there, hearing Marcus berate them for listening to Khan's claims…it was irritating and annoying and a little disheartening. As though they'd just FALL for that? The man had MURDERED people and walked away. Did he really think they'd believe Khan about being a peaceful being at heart?

If he did, it was a testament to how intelligent Marcus thought they were.

"I'm going to ask you again," Marcus took a breath, seeming to be trying to remain calm, "One last time, son. Lower your shields. Tell me where he is."

Kirk was silent a long while, staring the man down, before he sighed, "He's in Engineering, sir. But I'll have him moved to the transporter room right away."

"I'll take it from here," Marcus gave him a curt nod, cutting the transmission.

"Do not drop those shields, Mr. Sulu," Kirk pointed at the man immediately after.

"Aye Captain," Sulu nodded.

"Captain," Spock walked over to him as he went to Victoria's side, putting his hands on her shoulders to squeeze them, the girl still staring at the viewscreen with a frown on her face, "Given your awareness of Khan's true location in the medbay, may I know the details of your plan?"

"I told Marcus we're bringing a fugitive back to Earth," Kirk explained, "That's what we're going to do," he looked at Victoria, "Think we can warp?"

She shook her head, recalling the last readings and reports Chekov had sent her, "No," she sighed, "We try it, it'll damage the core severely and…"

"But CAN we?"

"We COULD," she countered, "But James…we really SHOULDN'T."

"I'm sorry," he offered her a small smile, "But we need to get Khan back to Earth, if the Fleet sees us appearing, being chased by the Vengeance," he nodded at the viewscreen displaying an image of the other ship, "They'll question why Marcus was after us for merely bringing 'Harrison' back. They'll have to investigate his orders and everything…"

Victoria rubbed her head, getting the feeling she really was going to regret this, "Then we need to hurry."

He gave her a smile for her support, dropping a kiss onto the top of her hair before he headed back to his chair, "Mr. Sulu, set course for Earth."

"Yes, sir," Sulu nodded, doing just that as Kirk watched on.

The second the course was put in, he gave the order, "Punch it," he watched as the stars streaked past the viewscreen as they shot off into space and glanced at Uhura, "Lieutenant Uhura, contact Starfleet, tell them we were pursued into the neutral-zone by an unmarked Federation ship."

Uhura shook her head at that, "Comms. are down, sir."

"Permission to come on the Bridge!" Carol half-ran into the room, shouting to Kirk before recalling herself, years of rules drilled into her by her father making her pause even though she was already technically on the Bridge.

"Dr. Marcus," Kirk nodded her in.

"Carol?" Victoria turned to her, seeing her wide, frightened eyes and how she was panting, having run the entire way, "What's wrong?"

"He's going to catch up to us," Carol warned them, "And when he does the only thing that is going stop him destroying this ship is me. So you have to let me talk to him."

"Carol, we're at warp," Kirk shook his head, "He can't catch up with us."

Victoria frowned, "I wouldn't be too sure…" she murmured as Kirk looked at her, "It should have been impossible to beam aboard a ship at warp, and Scotty managed to get US here," she reminded him, "It should have been impossible to have a portable warp device too…"

Kirk stopped at that, he…hadn't considered that, he hadn't even thought about how they'd beamed aboard the ship even though it had only been barely a year ago.

"He CAN catch us," Carol agreed, "He's been developing a ship that has a volatiles warp capabilities and…"

"Captain," Sulu turned in his chair to face Kirk, a confused frown on his face, "I'm getting a reading I don't understand…"

He couldn't even finish his sentence as the entire room jolted, the ship shaking horribly as it was struck, fired upon by Marcus, damaging it so badly that they fell out of the warp, watching in horror as members of the crew in another area of the ship were sucked out into the vacuum created by the hole the Vengeance had made in its firing.

"Where are we?" Kirk looked to Sulu, needing to know how close they were to Earth, they'd need all the help and witnesses they could get now.

"237,000 kilometers from Earth."

"Damage report!" he turned to Victoria, who was skimming the automated readings quickly.

"Weapons were knocked out," she called, "And the bulkhead's been breached…"

"Where's the damage?" Kirk stared at her, stunned.

"The hull as well," she breathed.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Kirk shouted as they took another hit, "Get us to the Earth, right now!"

"Captain, stop," Carol ran over to him, "Everybody on this ship is going to die, if you don't let me speak to him. Please!" she looked at Kirk pleadingly, "Your crew, will die," she warned him, "You…Vicky…" Kirk stiffened at that, "Please, just let me TRY."

Kirk swallowed hard, glancing at Victoria before turning to Uhura, "Uhura, hail them."

Carol took a breath, looking at Victoria as well as the girl offered her an encouraging nod, "Sir, it's me," Carol began, "It's Carol."

"What are you doing on that ship?!" Marcus demanded as the viewscreen flickered back on once more.

"I heard what you said," she told him instead, "That you made a mistake and now you're doing everything you can to fix it. But, dad," her voice cracked, "I don't believe that the man who raised me is capable of destroying a ship full of innocent of people," she didn't want to believe he was capable for being the cause behind the attack in Daystrom either, knowing what it meant for Victoria, but…he had been the reason, hadn't he? HE had been the one to release Khan and now they were all paying for it, "And…if I'm wrong about that, then you're going to have to do it with me onboard."

They were all silent for a moment as Marcus looked at her…before he smirked, "Actually Carol, I won't."

Carol frowned, not sure what he meant by that…when she suddenly started to glow as the transport lights swirled around her despite her not being in the transport room, "Vick…" she looked at her hands as the lights got bright.

"Carol!" Victoria tried to run to her, but Kirk pulled her back, not about to risk her getting sucked along for the ride.

"Can we intercept the transport signal?" he looked at one of the crew.

"No, sir," a man shook his head.

"Captain!" Carol gasped before she disappeared completely.

"Captain Kirk," Marcus began, his smirk growing wider as they stared at the man in trepidation, "Without authorization, and in league with the fugitive John Harrison, you went rogue in enemy territory. Leaving me no choice…but to hunt you down and destroy you. Lock phasers!"

"Wait, sir," Kirk leapt forward, "Wait!"

But Marcus just cut him off, "I'll make this quick," and turned to one of his men, "Target all our torpedoes…on the Enterprise Bridge."

A/N: Just have to start with, I am SO sorry! I put the poll up but I guess I didn't save it correctly and it wasn't there when I went to check the results last night :( I'll be putting it up again in about 2 hours though. Sorry!

As for the chapter, I'm so excited for the next chapters, I can't believe this'll be over in only 3 days! O.O

Some notes on reviews...

I'm jealous of the girls too, mostly because they have men though lol :) I'm probably projecting a little of what I wish I could have in a relationship onto them, now that I think about it, but I think the world would be amazing if there were more Kirks and Doctors out there ;)

Oh no worries, a majority of my stories are already written out entirely before I post them, so it'll definitely be finished ;) I'm glad you're enjoying the story! :)

I don't think it's wrong, I sort of want Bones and Carol together too ;) I think Kirk and Victoria might ship them too ;)