The soft rhythmic bleeping of the computer monitor bounced vacantly around the room. A strange tense silence had fallen over the laboratory, the air felt strained...heavy.
Uhura raised herself from her seat slowly, glancing around her with concern. She could not understand the reason for her unease. It was as if someone had flipped a switch. Barely even thirty seconds after she had been seated at her console, music playing softly through two headphones placed in her ears. The strangest tickling sensation had run down her spine, forcing a small shudder to rack her body. She had removed her headphones, instantly looking over her shoulder to see if another person had entered the room without her knowing it.
All that greeted her was familiar layout of the long-range communications lab, no living things in sight. So what had startled her?
The campus grounds had become rather quiet these last seven days. The last week of term had always been considered a lackluster event. Well, she had been informed that it became lifeless. As this was her first term at the academy, she had no prior experiences to call upon. But she could understand the sudden decrease in stamina and interest within the cadets. With the promise of a peaceful, work free fourteen day break almost within reach, a sort of dismissive laziness had fallen across campus.
It had taken only the threat of burning Gaila's most expensive underwear to get her roommate out of bed that morning. She had still complained and whined her way out of the door. Uhura's only lecture of the day was empty, with only six students showing up. Her tutor had even turned up dressed in civilian clothing and holding a cup of coffee.
Uhura had been unimpressed.
Regardless of this being the last day before the official start of the Easter break, she had expected at least the illusion of professionalism.
But it was not such a bad thing. For the last three days, she had been given free reign to the communications laboratory. No classes had been booked within the building – which meant she did not have to deal with constant background chatter or having her chair bumped into as people left the room.
Because of this, Uhura had taken to relaxing a little more than she usually would. Her boots were placed neatly beneath her desk, one bare foot folded under her thigh comfortably. Her music player was another luxury she had awarded herself. Since her free time had been allocated to one building, she had taken to completing all her work in the same room. Tonight she was proof reading her final written essay for her Andorian Religion and Rituals exam. The deadline for the exam was at exactly twelve midnight. That gave her another six hours to reread her work and put in any finishing touches.
True to his word, Commander Spock accompanied her each time she used the laboratory. Due to the lack of students on campus, he had offered to escort her even on the days they had not already agreed upon. Such as Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. She had protested of course, as doing such a thing would result in a loss of his own personal time. He had dismissed her protests, assuring her that any work he needed to complete could be finished anywhere on the academy grounds. The location did not matter.
Whilst she used the computer consoles in the student labs, he always stayed in the private office down the hallway. It did not matter how long she stayed, he waited patiently for her to finish. He would then walk her back to her dormitory, bidding her a pleasant evening after making sure the security doors to the student accommodation were securely locked. This had been their routine for the past two weeks.
Even though she was positive Gaila already knew, Uhura secretly looked forwards to any time she spent alone with the Commander. Even if that time was spent was in separate rooms. She felt safe with him. Protected. After all, in the two life threatening situations she had found herself in this year, he had always been the one to save her.
She was not sure what label she could give to her relationship with Spock. She respected him, deeply. He seemed to tolerate her more than his other students. Not favoritism, but something close.
Uhura sighed, shaking her head to control her thoughts. If she was not careful, she was going to develop a crush on the stoic Vulcan. Not that being attracted to the commander was a bad thing...from an aesthetics point of view. He was an extremely handsome man. Even though his hair was styled in a way that many on earth found strange, Uhura felt it suited him. He was not particularly built, yet she knew that beneath that impeccably pressed suit – there were muscles. Muscles that had held her as easily as they would a small child.
Uhura sighed again. Her mother would be pleased. She had chosen a very fine man to become attracted to. But even if she were willing to sit down and really think about it, she was not going to act upon these new feelings, no matter how unsure she was of them. She was a Cadet, and he her commanding officer. It really was as simple as that. She would rather hand in her resignation to Star Fleet than do something that could result in her expulsion anyway.
Pushing her chair backwards, Uhura narrowed her eyes to look carefully at the room around her. She took in a deep breath through her nose, trying to smell anything out of the ordinary. It smelt as it always did. Clean and slightly of lemons.
Frowning, Uhura turned and bent, picking up her boots. She hopped on separate feet as she pulled them on, tugging her skirt down when she was once again balanced.
She was out of the door and walking briskly towards Spock's office before she could even tell herself she was being foolish. She had made a promise to both herself and Commander Pike that she would instantly report anything that made her feel uneasy. Even if that feeling of uneasiness was simply a stomach bug.
She raised her hand to the glass door, knocking twice. Behind his desk, Spock looked up from his computer. He pressed a button on his table, and the doors slid open.
"Are you ready to leave Cadet?" He asked politely. Uhura shook her head.
"Not yet sir. I was just wondering if you would accompany me back to the laboratory" Uhura said. Spock frowned, his eyebrows raised in what could be concern. He pushed himself to his feet, pulling down his shirt as he did so. Uhura fought a small smile at the motion. He seemed to do that a lot. His uniform did not fit his built very well. The arms pulled too tightly against his shoulders, the material stretching. The hemming of the shirt was also a little too high, each time he sat down it would ride up.
"Is there something wrong Cadet?" Spock asked, rounding the table to stand by her side. Uhura pursed her lips slightly and tilted her head.
"I...don't really know. You told me to come to you if I ever felt something was wrong. I'm probably over reacting but..." Uhura trailed off. Spock frowned and glanced over the top her head in the direction of the laboratory.
"But there is something in the communications laboratory that is concerning you" Spock finished. Uhura nodded slowly.
"I think so. There is nothing there though. I just felt as though I was being watched" Uhura said quietly, then blinked. That was it. The strange feeling that had crawled down her back. Someone had been watching her. She could not suppress the shiver that ran through her. Nor the echoes of fear. Surely Bado would not be stupid enough to actually trespass onto the academy grounds?
A part of her had hoped he had given up on her after his last attempt to kill her had failed. An idiotic hope, but one she had clung onto. It had been nearly a month since then after all...
Spock's eyes snapped back towards her, his frown deepening.
"Stay in this office. You will not leave unless I give you permission to do so, do you understand?" He said firmly. Uhura blinked in surprise at his tone, but nodded nonetheless. Spock stepped away from her, through the open door. He turned and placed his hand against the locking system on the other side of the wall.
The doors slid shut with a soft hiss, locking her in.
Spock turned away and walked down the slightly curved hallway. Within seconds, he had disappeared from her sight. Uhura sighed and folded her arms.
All she could do now is wait until he returned. Huffing slightly, she backed herself up until her rear rested against the edge of the desk.
She must have misjudged the stability of the table. As soon as she rested her weight against it, the legs furthest away from her lifted from the ground, upsetting everything that was placed on the desk.
Startled, Uhura jumped up, her hand instantly snapping out to steady the computer monitor and the touch screen phone. Blinking guiltily, she quickly turned and pushed everything back into its rightful place. The computer monitor refused to budge, so she skirted her way around the table – keeping her hand on top of the appliance to make sure it would not fall.
Once she had it placed properly, Uhura sighed and looked around her. Her gaze focused absently on the computer screen. A blue tinted view of the communications laboratory met her. The camera was focused upon the furthest end of the room, almost directly on the seat she had been sitting in only a few minutes before.
Had Spock been watching her? Or was that just the purely coincidental positioning of the camera? Leaning forwards, Uhura swiped her finger across the screen, and the view of another camera moved into view. This one was facing into the room from the corridor outside. As she watched, Spock moved across the doorway, his posture tense as he looked around the room.
A small smile curled the corner of her lips.
Even if this turned out to be nothing but a figment of her over reacting imagination, Uhura was glad Spock was taking it seriously, she was happy he was there. It would not surprise her if he returned and informed her that a moth had somehow flown into the room – hence her feeling of being 'watched'. He would probably capture that same moth and bring it to her just to alleviate her fears.
At that mental image, a soft giggle escaped from her lips, her unease leaving her system. He really was a great man...
Smiling, Uhura moved her finger across the screen once more, moving the view back to its original position. As she did, a sharp gasp burst from her lungs. There was a dark figure pressed against the wall. Not even four feet away from Spock's turned back. The Commander had not noticed.
The figure was dressed in dark clothing. A hooded jacket of some sort covering his upper body and shadowing his features from the camera. From where he was standing, partially hidden behind the ajar door and the large bulk of the laboratory's hard drive, he was almost invisible. His dark clothing merging him into the shadows. Uhura would have walked right past him without even knowing he was there.
With her eyes wide, Uhura took a step away from the computer, her body already turning to dart forwards around her desk. Yet something held her still. As she watched, the figure turned, and looked directly at the camera.
Bado smiled and raised one hand in greeting, his fingers splaying as he waved. In his other hand, a dark familiar object was clutched in his fingers. A phaser. He had a phaser...
Uhura's breath caught. On the screen, Bado lowered his hand and placed one finger over his lips. He then pointed secretly towards Spock's turned form.
Uhura had staggered around the table and thrown herself through the doorway before the glass door had changed to fully open.
"Spock!" The shout emerged as a yelp, her legs moving as quickly as they could back down the corridor. Her hand lashing out to grip hold of the door frame outside the laboratory. She used the momentum to swing herself inside the room, instantly gripping hold of the door and slamming it shut with enough force so the boltricocheted off the frame and sent the panel swinging back towards her.
Bado was not there. Neither was Spock. In the three brief seconds it took her mind to register that, and the fact that she had just charged directly towards a man who wanted nothing more than to kill her, it was too late.
The door behind her closed softly, with an almost ironic gentleness that betrayed the rush of fear that drained through her system. Uhura went still. Her breath caught in her chest, heart seeming to tighten in both denial and panic. With her eyes wide, she forced herself to turn around.
Bado stood behind her. His hands placed in his pockets casually as he looked directly at her.
"Hey there Nyota" He said happily, sounding delighted.
Uhura's narrowed her eyes, instantly taking a defensive step backwards. Her heart was pumping so quickly she could feel it against her rib cage. She was scared. No, she was out of her mind terrified. But there was no way she was going to go quietly. Yes, she was trapped inside a locked room with a fucking lunatic, but she had two very powerful allies on her side. Her mind, and a Vulcan.
Bado would expect her to talk to him. Beg for her life, attempt to bargain her way out of the room. Try to make him see reason. He knew Spock was here...but...
"SPOCK!" Her scream was so sudden, Bado flinched. His arm flashed upwards, the phaser aimed almost directly at her chest (to silence her, she was sure) – when the door exploded inwards.
A dark blur darted into the room, and with the sound of a fist hitting flesah, Bado went flying into the nearest wall. Uhura only just managed to blink before that dark blur was in front of her.
She abruptly found herself staring at the back of a dark grey uniform. Spock's arm whipped around her frame, pulling her into his body with a hand against the small of her back. Uhura almost squeaked, her nose pressed firmly into a spot just below Spock's shoulder blades, her hands pressed against the muscles near his spine.
"I told you to stay in the office Cadet" Spock said, his tone deep. Uhura felt the vibrations of his voice underneath her palms.
"I'm sorry Commander...he was right behind you" Uhura whispered in response, her fingers gripping hold of his shirt.
On the floor, Bado snarled, wiping his arm against the bloody pile of bones that had once been his nose. He pushed himself to his feet slowly, the phaser held up in front of him.
"That was rude Commander..." He said quietly. Uhura peaked her head around the solid blockage that was Spock's arm.
"Lower you weapon Bado" Spock said calmly, his hand pressing firmly against Uhura's back. He wanted her to remain still.
As a response, Bado sneered. The phaser popped, a harsh string of red light tearing across the distance between them.
Spock's hand gripped ahold of the material of her uniform, giving a heavy tug.
Uhura was thrown across the room. She lost her balance, her feet tangling together and sending her falling in a sprawl onto the nearest chair. She landed with a winded 'oof!' instantly turning back towards the two men. Spock had dove to the right, away from the phaser fire. Now a huge smoldering hole burnt in the wall behind him, the white plaster crumbling and falling to the ground in shock. But he hadn't moved in time. From her lowered position on the ground, Uhura could see the inch wide cut in his left arm, his uniform burnt away to reveal a deep and freely bleeding gash.
"Spock!" Uhura gasped, pushing herself onto her knees. Bado sneered, his top lip curling as he faced the man opposite him.
"Your whore is calling you Vulcan" He spat. Spock said nothing. His entire body tensed, ready to charge forwards at the first opportunity.
"Lower you weapon Bado. This is my last warning" He said, his voice a toneless growl.
"Go fuck yourself"
It happened so quickly Uhura did not have time to react. Bado twisted, turning the phaser towards her and firing it in the same movement. In that same millisecond of time, Spock also moved. He lunged sideways, directly towards her. His hands fastened around her waist, physically lifting her up as he threw himself to the side. The two of them rolled, Spock's arms wrapping around her hips as he twisted so she landed on top of him. Uhura gasped in alarm, her eyes wide as she forced them to focus. Her face was directly above his, her hair falling over her shoulder to act as a curtain between them and the deranged man on the other side of the room.
His lips were barely an inch away from hers. Despite what was happening around them, Uhura felt her heart stop. Spock's eyes were open. Looking directly into hers with such a variety of emotions that she momentarily forgot how to breathe.
Anger, annoyance, pain, denial, confusion, dominance...want.
And then the spell was broken. The high pitched whine of phaser fire tore through the air.
Spock rolled, his body falling over hers, shielding her from the attack.
He grunted, his entire body tensing as the phaser caught him in the side of the chest. Uhura let out a gasping scream, bracing her knees each side of Spock's hips and rolling them until he was on his back. She once more landed on top of him, straddling his waist as her hand instantly pushed against the smoking and bloody wound on his side.
"Spock! Are you OK?!" Uhura gaped, her free hand cupping the side of his face. Spock gritted his teeth, reaching up to grip her hand and keeping hold of it as he sat up. His head turned, eyes narrowing dangerously towards the man on the other side of the room.
He then stood, barely flinching as he pushed himself to his feet – bringing Uhura with him with an arm hooked under her shoulders.
Uhura kept her arms around torso, her hand pressed firmly against his wound.
"Cadet" Spock's voice was quiet. Uhura looked up at him, his face blurring in and out of focus as she fought her tears. She knew he was going to tell her to leave. To run.
"No" It was all she had to say. His hands tightened their grip on her shoulders.
"Run. That is an order Cadet"
Uhura shook her head, pressing down harder against his wounded side in disobedience.
"I am not leaving you"
"Cadet-"
"No!"
"Uhura-"
"Shut up Spock!"
Spock's hand cupped her cheek, forcing her to look directly into his eyes.
"Nyota. Please" His voice was so soft. Almost pleading. Uhura clenched her jaw, her eyes slanting sideways to glare at Bado with a dark venomous fury. He looked back at her with the same anger, his posture slightly uncertain as he watched the interaction between the two of them.
She knew she was being irrational. But there was no way she was going to leave Spock here. Wounded and on his own. She knew he was perfectly capable of protecting himself...but he was not the one who Bado was after. Who's to say Bado would not simply follow her out of the door?
She was not leaving. She couldn't.
"No" The denial was nothing more than a whisper. She felt rather than heard the sigh that went through him. His hand moved back to her shoulder, giving it another squeeze before he stepped in front of her, pushing her protectively behind him.
Bado had seemingly recovered from his confusion over their private interaction. The phaser was once more raised, aimed at Spock's lower stomach. At his heart.
"Well, that was very touching. But I don't really want to kill you Commander. Move aside" Bado's voice was even yet demanding.
Spock said nothing, his eyes calculating as he mentally assessed every possible scenario that could happen during a confrontational battle. He had to disarm Bado. Without the phaser, he would pose no fatal threat towards Uhura. If he could move behind the other man, a simple nerve pinch would render him unconscious. But that would mean moving away from Uhura in order to incapacitate him. This he would not do.
In the end, it was Bado that made the decision for him. It was an error in judgment that Spock would regret. He had not made the allowance for Bado's mental determination and instability.
A string of red flashed through the air, the heat of the laser pressing against his skin a few seconds before the radiated light hit him.
Uhura's scream was the only thing that alerted him that he was injured. The shock of the incident and his own lapse in judgment leaving him somewhat detached from the situation.
"NO!"
Spock flew backwards, his back impacting with the wall with such force he left an indented hole. As he fell, a vivid smear of green marked his decent. Spock landed with a slump on the floor, confused and disorientated. He looked down, assessing the physical damage to his body. There was a large hole in the direct center of his liver. Or what was left of it. It seemed Bado had misjudged the location of his heart. A fortunate miscalculation, as it had saved his life. Indirectly of course.
Uhura landed on her knees next to him, shock rendering her speechless. Her face blurred out of focus, features darkening as his consciousness slipped away from him. A dark out of focus shape stepped into view behind Uhura, hand outstretched. Spock lifted his own, bones heavy and uncooperative.
That hand fell heavily to the floor. His eyes closing as his head fell forwards.
Uhura gasped, the sound sharp and uneven. Her fingers rushed forwards, pressing against Spock's neck, desperately searching for a pulse.
Bado's hand gripped hold of her hair, physically wrenching her from Spock's side. He threw her away from him, her body hitting the ground awkwardly. Her hipbonebaring the brunt of her weight. Then Bado crashed onto her, forcing the breath from her lungs. His legs fell each side of her hips, arms pinning her down as they lay across her chest.
His dark eyes burnt with a fury that Uhura had never seen before. In man or alien. He snarled, one hand dragging across the floor to grip hold of her hair.
"You ruined everything" He screamed, spittle flying from his mouth. Uhura let out a strained gasp, the shock feeling from her system to replaced with desperate anger. She kicked her feet, twisted her hips, and pushed her chest upwards in a pointless attempt to get him off her.
It did not work. He was much heavier than her, and he had her pinned. A large sadistic grin spread across Bado's face, his eyes deliberately roaming her writhing body. He moved his gaze back to hers, and his tongue sneaked out to lick his lips with relish.
"You know..." He snarled, pressing down as hard as he could against her shoulders. "...You're pretty damn sexy when you're scared"
Uhura stilled, her eyes narrowing dangerously. Bado seemed slightly taken aback at her change in behavior. She used this to her advantage.
Taking in as much oxygen as the pressure in her chest would allow, she let out a scream.
"FUCK YOU!"
Her knee flew upwards, and impacted with every ounce of strength she had directly into his groin.
Bado howled in agony, the shock of the attack and the pain sending him flying sideways. Uhura's hand flashed upwards, her fist clenched as she lashed out blindly. She felt rather than saw her knuckles collide with the side of Bado's head.
And then she was on her feet. Rolling herself away from him and twisting herself into a crouch - using the same momentum to fling herself to her feet. Bado lay on the ground, his hands cupping his genitals pathetically. Uhura darted forwards, lifting her knee and bringing her foot down with a satisfyingly loud crunch against Bado's hip.
She lifted her foot again, bringing it down with another bone bruising blow. Bado gurgled in pain, the blood from his broken nose seeping into his mouth, causing him to choke.
With a wail, Uhura felt to her knees, pressing her hands against Bado's shoulders and forcing him to roll over onto his back. She lifted his chin, tilting his head back so he could breath.
The son of a bitch was not going to be spared from being punished by death. She was going to make sure of that.
With tears falling down her face, Uhura bent, her back jerking violently with the force of her sobs.
This was how they found her. Bent into a fetal ball, her head pressed against the ground as she cried. When the security team arrived, they found three people inside the communications laboratory. One living but emotionally distraught woman, and two men.
One was pronounced dead before the medical team had time to arrive.
AN: My heavens...what did I do that for? Drama much? This was both an absolute stinker and highly enjoyable to write. I think I've wondered away from the point a little bit. Opinions? Is this uh...'Star Trekkie' enough?
Anyways, this may seen like a final chapter, but don't fret. Its not. I wouldn't leave the story like that! You'd hunt me down and skin me alive if I did.
I really need some feedback on this one. If it receives to many negative reviews, I'll rewrite it. :) Scouts honour! I just wanted Bado to get the living shit kick out of him. And oh boy, did Uhura do that. ;)