Unfinished Business

Chapter 15 : Recovery

March, 2273

Jim Kirk waited, in another thruster suit, as Spock's body tumbled in his direction. Matching his velocity and direction carefully, he reached out his arms and caught his friend's body with only minimal impact. His friend's eyes were closed, and he did not react to the calling of his name at all. It was imperative to get him inside the ship and to sick bay, as quickly as possible. There was absolutely no telling what had happened to him.

Once they had him inside, they found the recording he had made, and Kirk and McCoy listened to it. The sounds that came from Spock's mouth at the end were chilling. McCoy immediately began a neurological assay.

Spock lay on the biobed, unmoving, his face totally still. At least his eyes were open now. Chapel moved forward, and ran a small scanning device over him. There were indications of neurological trauma. As Kirk and McCoy watched the scanner readout, Spock made a small sound, and instantly they crossed the room to stand beside the biobed where he lay. Kirk leaned over and spoke his name, and a small smile appeared on Spock's face and he called him Jim for the first time since he had returned to the Enterprise. Some of the distress left Kirk then, for surely this meant that Spock was recovering.

Spock confirmed that V'Ger was indeed a living machine, from a planet of living machines, which contained great knowledge and unbelievable technology. But its intellect was cold and barren, utterly devoid of any appreciation of beauty at all. He added one more statement. "I should have known." And then his eyes closed again, in the middle of a word.

Kirk looked at him in concern, his brow furrowed. He bent over, clasping his friend by the shoulders. He shook him lightly, trying to bring him back to consciousness. "What should you have known?" This might be very important for the survival of the ship. He had to know what Spock was thinking.

Spock opened his eyes again, and slid them sideways, looking at Kirk without moving his body. And then he lifted one hand, and grasped Kirk's arm, and called him Jim again, while McCoy and Chapel waited, anxious about his condition. Kirk slowly straightened up, and his arm slid through Spock's hand, until their hands were clasped tightly together. And then Spock spoke again, in a quiet voice, not nearly as harsh and flat as it had been only hours before. "This." He squeezed Kirk's hand, and shook it slightly. "This. Simple feeling. This is beyond V'Ger's comprehension."

Kirk laid his other hand over the two clasped together, and smiled slightly, nodding his head. His friend was back. Back from wherever he had hidden himself.

Spock spoke again, still laying there, most of his body immobile, but his face was more animated now, expressive as it had not been all the long day that they had struggled to understand what this intruder was. He nodded his head slightly before he spoke. "No meaning. No hope. JIM! No answers. It's asking questions. Is this all that I am? Is there nothing more?"

They stood there, the three of them, trying to absorb what Spock had said, but their thoughts were interrupted by a hail from the bridge. Uhura was asking for the captain. Kirk released Spock's hand, and crossed to a console, and responded. The intruder cloud had been detected from Earth and was dissipating rapidly as it approached. Sulu added that StarFleet reported that the cloud's velocity had slowed to subwarp speed. "We are three minutes from Earth orbit."

Kirk responded that he would be right there. He turned to find McCoy and Chapel watching him. "I need Spock on the bridge."

There were no objections from anyone. Chapel called to the orderly to bring her a stimulant that worked on Vulcans. Spock just lay there, not saying anything.