Chapter 43 - Show Him How


Dr. McCoy barreled through the lift doors onto the bridge. "Dammit, Jim, what is it now?"

Jim was hunched over in the captain's chair and cringed visibly at the doctor's voice. McCoy stopped and Uhura looked up at him and whispered "Migraine." Bones nodded and moved more quietly to his friend's side.

"Sorry, Jim." He ran the medical scanner over him. Uhura was right. No obvious physiological cause, but from the chemical and vascular indicators it must a doozy. He fished in his kit for an antidote Jim wasn't likely to have a reaction to, and by way of apology for yelling, administered it gently for a change. Bones monitored him as the drug took effect, reflecting that it was a good thing Selina kept shooting Jim down, if for no other reason than that a woman with rare reactions to half the drugs in the known universe would do well to stay far away from a guy allergic to the other half.

Jim slowly straightened and cautiously opened one eye, then relaxed and opened both. He smiled. "Thanks, Bones."

"That was a first," McCoy said irritably, able to vent again now that Jim was feeling better. "What'd you do to bring that on?"

Jim glanced at Spock. "Stuck my head in where it didn't belong."

"Jim, if that's all it took, you'd have had dozens of those by now," Bones snarked.

"Captain," Spock came over, holding out a PADD. "If you are recovered, I have summarized the information on Jaco Maldi."

"Who?" Bones asked.

"The criminal who has abducted Ms. Chandri and Cmdr. Sorenson," Spock replied evenly.

"WHAT?"

Spock stepped back slightly. "My hearing is excellent, Doctor. I assure you, there is no need to shout."

Kirk grinned at Spock. "I guess we shouldn't mention how they're holding him off?"

One corner of the Vulcan's mouth twitched momentarily upward. "Perhaps not."

McCoy looked from one to the other, and then rounded on Spock. "What in the blue blazes is going on here? Your buddy and your all-but-sister are in the hands of some goon and you and Jim are cracking jokes about it?"

Uhura was starting to rise from her seat and Jim shot her an I-got-this look. "Bones," he said, putting a restraining hand on his arm, "they're in the guy's ship, but for now they're holed up in their shuttle and trying to get a signal out through the cloak." Jim tapped his head in response to the doctor's questioning look. "She just let us know. They're okay and we're going to get them out before that changes."

Kirk turned his attention to the PADD, and slightly pacified, Bones read over his shoulder. Maldi had a list of known and suspected aliases as long as his arm. Several of them had been convicted of fraud, smuggling, or theft, although the man himself seemed to have skipped out before doing time. Several other identities had outstanding warrants for other offenses, many of them considerably worse than nefarious business dealings. The last suspected alias jumped out, having been a top story only last year: Jacques Volmari, wealthy entrepreneur and small-time politician, who had been quietly buying influence on the Federation Council until one of his cronies turned on him when his funds mysteriously evaporated. A story tying him to Maldi had made headlines on the nets for a couple days, but disappeared when the reporter couldn't be located to provide proof. However, Volmari had disappeared shortly thereafter.

Spock waited until the Captain looked up from reading the report. "Cmdr. Sorenson has been involved in securing evidence leading to at least some of his legal difficulties. If Maldi is aware of his involvement, then Ms. Chandri is correct. He will not release him unharmed."

Jim lifted a hand toward Spock, then, noticing the eyebrow, thought better of it and thumped the arm of his chair instead. "We'll get him out, Spock. We'll get them both out."

He realized that he was repeating himself, but he decided he was going to keep saying it until fate or the universe or whatever believed it and agreed to show him how.


.

Selina returned to herself, re-orienting after what had to count as one of the odder telepathic interactions she had had with Spock thanks to Jim's rash interruption. It was in many ways surprising that he had been able to break in and participate to the degree he had, but she would ponder that later. She opened her eyes and removed the earplugs. It had been only a few minutes, but the shuttle air was already warmer. Maldi's unpleasant voice was coming over the comm.

"...This does not have to involve so much discomfort, Erik. Verasitol is after all a painless drug."

She glanced over at her friend. His shoulders were tense and his jaw clenched, the sharp outline clear even under his beard. Bastards, she thought, reaching over to him. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow in surprise. She withdrew her hand and addressed Maldi. "Thank you for the offer, but do not call us. We will call you." She switched the comm off with a forceful gesture.

"I am sorry." she said a bit abashed. "I forgot to 'switch gears'."

"It's okay. I don't mind just hearing your voice in my head," He gave her a reassuring smile. "...at least when I agree with what you're saying. Did you reach Spock?"

"Yes. He knows what to look for." Her brow furrowed in concern. "Maldi knows you are Erik?"

"He thinks I am. But his information is pretty sketchy." He grinned at her. "He also thinks you're Spock's girlfriend."

She made a face and Allen laughed, the tension draining from him a little. "Maybe I'll re-open the comm and sing a chorus of 'My Best Friend's Girlfriend', just to confuse him," he teased.

Selina smiled, but raised her eyebrows and held the earplugs back up, as though ready to re-insert them.

He shrugged. "Go ahead, Maldi's the only one I want to torture. Who knows? If I torque him off enough with my singing, there's a chance he'll decide he'd rather beat the information out of me." He ran a hand through his hair. "At least that would give me a fighting chance."

She could tell that he was only half-joking and tried to reassure him. "It may be a close thing, but I believe the Enterprise will find us."

He bit his lip and looked down at the sensor displays. "I wish you had stayed put on the Enterprise, then I could just set this thing to burn out and take my chances."

"Which is precisely why I did not." She put a hand on his shoulder. "As I have told you before: you are not permitted to die, unless I kill you."

It was an old joke and he gave her a half-smile. "I may yet have to take you up on that, or at least ask you to put me in a coma or something, so he won't be able to interrogate me." He wiped his forehead and re-checked the temperature read out. "Maybe you can finally demonstrate whatever it is that you threatened Spock with?"

She shook her head, one corner of her mouth edging higher than the other. "I doubt that it would have the same effect on you."

"And you've been threatening me with this for how long now?" He rested his chin in his good hand, one eyebrow arched in amused disbelief.

She shrugged. "It is not my fault you lack the confidence to call a bluff."

He stroked his beard for a moment, and then narrowed his eyes. "I dare you."

"When we get out of this," she promised. "If you still dare to ask."


.

"I haf got zhem!" Chekhov's youthful voice rang triumphantly across the bridge.

"Good work!" Kirk exclaimed. "Where are they?"

"On zhe edge ov station space. Here, outzide zhe main travvic lanes." A display appeared on the main screen, enhanced to outline a disturbance in space tracing the lines of a sleek ship, it's forward section barely discernible, but the aft more clearly defined.

Spock was leaning over Chekhov's shoulder, examining his readings. "The energy signature is much stronger than anticipated for this point in time and increasing too rapidly."

"What does that mean?" Bones asked.

"I would conjecture that Maldi is attempting to break through their shields with concentrated weapons fire."

"Shields?" Bones raised an eyebrow.

"Don't ask." Jim shook his head and looked at Spock. "How long do you think they have?"

"Lacking precise data, I could only conjecture," Spock said, clasping his hands behind his back.

Jim turned his hands palms up and widened his eyes at him. Spock nodded fractionally. "Eighteen minutes, at best."

"Right. And then that bastard will be able to jump to warp." Kirk stared at screen. His fey tactical sense sprang to life and tossed the outlines of a plan into his head. "Mr. Sulu, are we disengaged from the dock and prepared for maneuvers?"

"Aye, sir."

"Good. Chekhov, keep an eye on them. Sulu get us as close as you can, but make it look like we're heading right past their aft end as if we don't even know they're there."

"Aye, sir. Engines engaged."

Spock's face remained impassive, but his back was stiff. "What do you intend to do, Captain?"

"Give him a taste of his own medicine."


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AN: Bones chewing Spock out for not being emotional enough (on the bridge!) is another TOS standard. I've known and worked with a fair number of people in the Navy, so that one always sticks out for me as proof that the writers had little if any military experience.

I have told a couple people close to me on several occasions that they should drive carefully because they are not allowed to die first, unless I kill them. My kids will probably know that line by heart by the time they are old enough to drive.