((Chapter heading is from Vivaldi's Farnace, specifically an aria of Pompeo. Basically, it means The angry cloud rises.))

Chapter 9

Sorge l'Irato Nembo

Spock felt the fingers on his meldpoints, felt the gentle touch of Vires's mind. This time, she probed more deeply than when she had verified his bond with Jim. 'I do not sense anything in you that indicates you are in less than perfect condition,' she said at last, withdrawing her hand. 'You have time, more than I do. I find resistance harder with every passing minute.' Collecting himself from the intense contact, Spock took a deep breath.

'Thank you, Reldai. Is there a way I can assist you?' Vires shook her head.

'No, Spock. But if you allow another meld, I can demonstrate to you how you can control the process. Do you know how it happened?'

'We have a hypothesis.'

'But you will not share. I understand.' He had to ask her something crucial, something he had been wondering ever since he had understood what was happening to him.

'How will this affect Jim?' He felt concern and examined it. The emotion did not come from the drug. This was all him.

'I cannot tell for certain. He will feel it. You can shield at the beginning, but towards the end, he will have to do that himself.'

'Shielding is not his strongest point.' Jim had never wanted to learn this. Spock had told him that he had to and why, and in the end, Jim had given in, but he did not excel in it. He could not. And knowing him, no arguments would change that. He would rather go under with Spock than leave him to deal with the pain by himself.

'If there is no shield between you, he will die with you, Spock.' He had feared as much.

'He might choose to do so. I need to dissuade him.'

'Impress upon him that you do not desire him to follow you into death. But it is his right. You know that.' That was true. Dying with one's bondmate was not an unavoidable fate, but there were those who chose it rather than suffer the loss. Spock wondered what his own choice would be. He remembered well how he had felt when Jim had virtually died at his hands. He remembered that he had been quite determined to end his life as soon as he had seen to his last remaining duties. Now, to even imagine losing him was agony.

'I am aware,' he said at last. 'Please demonstrate to me how you deal with the onslaught, Reldai. I need to prevent Jim from having to make such a decision.'

'You cannot. Sooner or later, you will be unable to resist.'

'Perhaps by then there will be a cure.'

'You have more faith in the researchers than I do. But by all means. Please empty your thoughts. Prepare for a deep meditation and tell me when you are ready.' Spock closed his eyes and focussed on breathing alone. He signalled his intent to meditate to Jim, who responded with a shield. With the hum of his bondmate's thoughts, Spock found it difficult to focus. He had asked T'Kray if she had made similar observations, but it appeared that Leonard had a natural talent for mental shields, wielding them with an agility that rivalled his own. According to her, he could wall himself off completely, filter, or close only one way of communication, letting her meditate in peace while he still felt her presence. Scolding himself inwardly, Spock pushed that thought away as well and slipped into the peace and calm of meditation. The only sign he gave Vires was a minute nod.

Her fingers returned to his face, and her mind slipped into his with ease. The depth of the meld made words redundant, mere impressions were sufficient. So he watched her handle what beset her with growing apprehension. The foreign emotions came from everywhere. Fear, anger, revulsion, lust, greed … for each sensation she managed to restrain, another followed, and they came faster and faster, a growing tide that soon would be unstoppable. Her mind was working frantically on keeping itself free of the negative feelings – for that was the only thing they had in common: None of these sensation was positive. The fact that she could still function showed how schooled her mind really was. He would never be able to do this, not to this extent.

Perhaps, her answer was, he could. He would grow with the situation. Vires would withdraw now.

But she did not. Instead, the mind inside his tried to anchor itself to his sanity, his strength, unwilling to leave and face the madness that was impossible to escape. Already, some of the alien emotions were left unchecked, they changed, grew, melted into each other.

Spock realised what was happening and started to push at the meld, pushed at Vires's mind, started a struggle he could never have won under normal circumstances. But the circumstances were far from normal, and with an enormous effort, he broke free. It took Spock three minutes and four seconds to compose himself and to ascertain that his thoughts were his own. He felt something frantic nudging his mind, and for a moment, he thought that he had run out of time. Then he realised that the sudden attack must have leaked something through Jim's reluctant shield. He sent reassurance and the waters calmed. He could breathe. He was free. There was nothing in him that was not his own. Another deep breath to steady himself. Only then he opened his eyes and his entire perception to the room. Vires was quivering beside the force field that kept her locked in. He knelt beside her and reached for her shoulder. 'Vires,' he tried without any hope. She motioned towards the door, but flinched away from the force field instinctively. With a last look at her, Spock signalled to the guards to let him out. 'Whoever did this to you will be found, Reldai,' he said quietly before he was let out. 'They will be found, and they will answer for their crime.' Not that she could process it. The broken figure on the ground was alone in a sea of terror. It was a matter of time before it would suffocate her.

Ϡ

If he was honest with himself, Jim had to admit that he needed just this: to track someone down and perhaps force him into cooperation. He did hope that Charika helped willingly, but if the young man tried to run, he wouldn't complain.

As it were, Charika was in a lecture. T'Kray had slipped into the auditorium and returned moments later with her unsuspecting foster child. Together, they walked him along the hall out of earshot. 'I need to ask you a question,' she told him coolly. 'Are you aware that Doctor McCoy was drugged?' Charika's eyes went wide. He opened his mouth and closed it again. 'Did you do it?' The young man looked from her to Jim and then down the corridor as if contemplating an escape route. 'Him and Spock. And if Spock dies, that makes it murder. You know that.'

'I don't …' he faltered. 'I don't know why.'

'Then let me find out. Let me look inside you.' At first it seemed as if Charika would protest, but then he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.

'Yes.' The single word was barely audible. T'Kray's fingers settled on the meldpoints, and although Charika flinched, he didn't try to escape. It seemed as if T'Kray struggled to establish any contact. The meld lasted so long Jim was tempted to interrupt by pulling her hand away. The only thing that stopped him was that he had no idea what that would do to her. A low groan started in Charika's throat, rising to a half scream. T'Kray's hand jerked from his face as if she had been burned. The young man swayed, and Jim had to catch him lest he fell like a rock.

'What was that?' he asked at last, lowering the unconscious form to the floor.

'More of the same,' T'Kray said. Her voice was strained. 'Same drug as Leonard, I should think. Only he was told to pass on the gift.'

'Was he told specifically to whom?' T'Kray shrugged. She crouched beside Charika and reached out to him again. This time, it lasted only seconds before Charika opened his eyes to glance at them both. The Vulcan gently brushed his hair out of his face.

'Easy. Are you able to speak to us now?'

'I … think so. What did you do?'

'Your exposure to the drug was a while ago. I could remove the barrier it created. I am sorry that I caused you pain.'

'I deserve it. If anything happens to them …' T'Kray shook her head.

'Talk to us, Charika. Who told you to do this?'

'Terik.'

'The Terik? Head of the VSA? Why would he do that?'

'I don't know. But I knew I had to spike Leonard and Spock's food as soon as I could.' Jim balled his fists.

'I'll get him.'

'No.' T'Kray's voice was sharp as a whip. 'Too soon. We need to find out what he wants. I am certain he has a plan b in case he is found out.' She stood and helped Charika to his feet again. 'We cannot alert him. That means that no-one except us can know that we have found the cause or have a means to protect ourselves.'

'T'Lin and Sinek know it was in the food.' T'Kray looked grim.

'They know that Len's drug was in the food. They do not know what it does to Vulcans. We cannot protect them.'

'T'Kray, this is wrong. We can't …'

'We cannot help them and risk the lives of so many others.'

'Vulcans! These are people, T'Kray, not items you can weigh against each other.'

'It is the only way, James. You said you trust me. Do you really?' Reluctantly, he nodded. 'Good. We will keep this quiet. Charika, I am sorry, but I cannot protect you from being drugged again. It would be suspicious. The substance won't harm you permanently.'

'No, just make me a murderer.'

'I am sorry,' she said again. Jim was torn between outrage and admiration for the woman. 'The rest of us … We need our minds. I think Spock should take the antidote, too, to prevent further exposure that might speed the illness, but I'll ask Len before.

'What we are going to learn is what Terik wants and if there are others that want the same thing. Then, who the others are. And then we will see that they are punished.'

'Where would you start?' T'Kray gestured towards the auditorium.

'There's a lecture on psychic contamination starting in half an hour. Sounds like just the place for me to be. You return to security, please. Perhaps you find … something.'

Ϡ

'There are 115% more humans on Vulcan than two years ago, tendency rising. There are 50% more students from Earth currently studying at the VSA than last year.'

'Excuse me,' T'Kray said in a carrying voice. 'There are currently a total of six humans studying here, last year there were four. I do believe that total numbers are the way to go here.' The lecturer shot her a look before she continued.

'Furthermore, there are two students from Betazed. There is a known case of a Vulcan exposed to humans over an extended period of time, who was then unable to achieve Kolinahr.'

'Unwilling, I should think,' T'Kray said. 'I happen to know the man, you see.'

Need a pick-me-up later? I sure do. Leonard's voice through their bond was an odd mixture of anxiety and amusement. She refrained from answering and instead took a deep breath to calm herself.

'There has been a 200% increase of Vulcans bonded to humans in the recent past. One of them, according to a reliable source, is already infected.' This time, she kept her mouth shut. How could anyone know that Spock was affected in the first place? Except, of course, whoever had poisoned him. If she had needed evidence that there was more than one person involved, now she had it.

When are you coming down here, Len? Because I think I'll appreciate something to lift me up. The amusement from before had increased tenfold, for the moment winning over the undercurrent of dread.

I'll be there in a bit, just need to finish this. Need to see Spock first. When you come back to Sinek's, I'll already be there.

'Since this is the first time in our recorded history,' the lecturer droned on, 'that we experience such an epidemic, the only conclusion must be that external factors caused it. Which brings us to the topic of the lecture: psychic contamination.' T'Kray was certain if the auditorium had been on earth, a wave of muttering would have erupted. Here, only a few eyebrows were raised. But as far as she could see, no-one seemed overly convinced. Good. 'While our inherent telepathic abilities function mainly through touch, there is a rudimentary perception that does not require direct physical contact. The stronger telepaths among us will know that they can sense intense pain from persons in their vicinity.

'While humans are not telepathic, they do have emotions. And they do transmit them. Every Vulcan who has been touched by a human will know this. The increased number of humans on our planet and in close contact with us, has led to a constant, if shallow mental input.' T'Kray had enough. She shut out the lecturer and looked for a place that would work for her plan. The magnetic board was the obvious choice.

Ignoring the fool and his speech, she stood and walked over. As she had expected, no-one paid much attention to her. She found a stylus and started doing what she had to. She would have liked it larger, but for now she wanted it hidden behind her person, so the size had to be somewhat limited. When she was done, she waited patiently until the lecturer paused after a particularly disgusting bit about how humans should, again, be excluded from the studies and best be sent far away from their planet.

'I would like just a moment of your attention,' T'Kray said, interrupting before he could continue. 'I understand that this thought might occur. I understand that there is a need to investigate. But we should investigate ourselves, our shields, not start a purge of Vulcan. Unless we want to forget what we are. What we think is right.' She stepped aside and spun, looking at the students. 'This,' she said, indicating the symbol she had drawn, 'is one of the central points of our philosophy. And every word that has so far been spoken in this lecture, goes directly against that. Infinite diversity in infinite combinations. If we forget that part of Surak's teachings, we can go back to killing ourselves off right now. Good day.'

Ϡ

Leonard watched Spock with a mixture of fascination and worry as he sat in Sinek's house, completely calm and composed, deep in meditation. How long he'd been here like this was anyone's guess. Unwilling to interrupt the Vulcan, he had decided to wait after Blanik had beamed him directly into the house. Durlan had allowed him to come back down under the condition that he did not return to the VSA yet. The drug's effects were almost gone, but almost wasn't enough for Durlan – as it wouldn't have been enough for him.

He had placed his medkit on the small table and reviewed his findings on the PADD he'd brought. He was satisfied with them already, but it was something to do.

When Spock finally broke from his trance, he seemed calm and composed, but that might well be feigned. 'How're you doing?'

'I am well. I cannot detect any symptoms, but once they arrive, I shall be able to deal with them. Vires, however, is lost and I am at least in part responsible for that.' Leonard's heart sank. She had been a source for hope.

'I got a counteragent,' he said, ignoring the last part of Spock's statement. 'T'Kray and I think you should be taking it too, in case another dose would make you worse. Durlan's trying to find that out.' He smiled vaguely. 'T'Kray and I have a slight ethical disagreement about who should be kept safe.'

'We cannot vaccinate the entire VSA and force the perpetrators' hands too soon. It can be only us.' Leonard snorted, despite his mood.

'Thought you might say that. I know she's right, but I hate this. I don't want to have to decide who lives and who dies. I'm a doctor, not a god.'

'Quite correct, doctor.' Leonard glared at Spock, but it was half-hearted. 'I do understand your predicament, but the logical …' Leonard groaned and Spock fell silent.

'Don't even start. Anyway, tomorrow I'll be back at the VSA and start working on an actual cure. I'll have to do some useless research that follows false theories, too. To make sure no-one finds out I'm on to them, you see. And then we'll feed you whatever it is I cook and you'll be fine. You hear me, Spock?' The Vulcan allowed a small smile to touch his face.

'Loud and clear, Leonard. And I am tempted to believe you.'