Wow, well, would you look at that, I'm not actually dead!

Though the email informing me that I haven't updated in 10 weeks would like to beg differ.

Anyway, he's the deal, life got in the way, I had a month's worth of finals which decided if I was going to get into university or not, I went on holidays with my family, I met up with friends that I haven't seen in months, and basically procrastinated the rest of the time away before finding out two weeks ago; I GOT INTO MY FIRST CHOICE COLLEGE COURSE!

And now I'm back!

And hopefully will continue to update every two weeks as usual, so, you know, enjoy.

Rachel :)

Chapter 44

The next day saw nearly everyone back in Professor Pike's office, albeit this time without one Winona Kirk much to Jim's relief. Today, he was sitting front and foremost at the headmaster's right-hand side and they poured over an intergalactic map.

"Okay, so according to Winona's intel, Khan should be coming straight here, meaning that we've got approximately three days before he touches down on Earth at the nearest spacebase".

"And we can't blast him out of the sky in space?" Sulu asked, but Pike shook his head, "There's no guarantee that we'll have a direct hit or kill everyone onboard, never mind the debris that would need to be cleaned up as a result. It's too risky".

"So we let him come here" Bones finished, "And then we... what? Shut down the most popular spacebase on the west coast? Get three dozen Starfleet officers lined up and ready to fire?"

"We could" He agreed, "But I doubt anyone would take the threat as seriously as we do. To Starfleet, he's just another mutant. They don't know the full extent of his powers, very few do... There's no way that humans alone will be able to take him down. If we can catch him unaware, then we'll have some chance, so we need him to bring the fight to us".

"But we cannot risk any civilian casualties either" Spock said, "This Academy is too near the city for there not to be backlash".

"There's also the younger students to think about" Uhura chimed in, "We can't let them get caught in the cross fire".

Chekov nodded, "And even if ve did find a suitable and safe location to lead Khan zo, how would ve actually lead him zere to begin with?"

"So basically" Jim summarised, collapsing back in his chair, "We've got nothing".

"I'm afraid so" the professor replied, "We need somewhere neutral, somewhere safe... But by doing that, we're making it an even playing field, and we need the upper hand of a familiar territory to win this battle, but we can't use the academy either".

They all paused, thinking hard for the solution, Jim idly playing with the flames flickering across his fingertips.

"... Well, he is coming here solely for revenge" He finally said, and the others turned to look at him.

The blonde glanced up at them, "He wants to kill Pike. That's his only reason for coming to Earth to begin with, isn't it?"

"And?" Uhura questioned.

"And... doesn't that give us the upper hand that we so desperately need?"

Spock hummed thoughtfully, "It is true that Khan will have no interest in us, only in the headmaster".

"What are you thinking?"

"He's coming to the academy because of the professor" Jim finished, "... But what if the professor wasn't here to begin with?"

"You're suggesting to move me" Pike realised, "To relocate to the ideal battle ground, and hope that Khan will follow".

"And insure that Khan will follow" Kirk corrected, a slow grin spreading across his face, "I've got a few friends who owe me favours. I'll give them a call, get them to spread the word that the famous Christopher Pike has gone into hiding... It won't take too much time to spread through the mutant community, and if this Khan guy is as smart as you claim? It'll take even less before word gets to him".

"So we lay a trap" Bones smirked, beaming with pride for his younger boyfriend, "Make him think that Pike has gone underground alone, or with one or two guards, make him lower his guard a little".

"And then" the blonde grinned, "We leap out and attack".

Three and a half hours later, and they had their plan.

And one James Tiberius Kirk was fuming.

"So let me get this straight" Jim said, glaring, "You want me, me, by the way, being the most powerful weapon that you've got, you want me to stay here?!"

"Yes" Pike said simply and the boy took a deep breath.

"... Why?!"

"Because knowing you, you'll charge in head-first, over estimate your abilities, and end up dead!" McCoy snapped, and his boyfriend pouted, "But Bones! I'm your best shot at killing this guy!"

"Which is why we're not killing him" the headmaster announced, "Khan may have done a lot of wrong in this world, but no one deserves death".

"Yea? Well try telling that to the families of the Stafleet officers he killed!"

He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath, "Jim. Please. We will recapture him, we will transport him back to the Starship he came from, and we will put him as well as his friends back into cryogenic suspension".

"Until what? He wakes up in a hundred years' time and becomes somebody else's problem?!"

"Until the Starfleet Council makes a just and democratic decision as to what to do with him!" Pike replied, "If you kill this man, despite all that he may have done, he will be treated as a victim by the Federation, and you as his murderer".

Jim shot up from his seat and began pacing furiously, only stopping when he stood in front of Spock for the fourth time.

"And you? You're okay with this?"

"I would rather not lose you so soon" He replied quietly, face softening in the way it only ever did for the young mutant.

Jim refused to fall for it.

"But it's okay for me if I lose you?"

The Vulcan let out a heavy breath, "Jim... T'hy'la... After you, I am perhaps the most powerful and well experienced mutant in the academy. It is only logical that I go with Professor Pike to protect him".

"Logical? Logical, my ass!" He snapped, resuming his pacing, "It would be logical to prevent this man from killing again, it would be logical to let me go with you even if just for protection, and it would be logical to stop assuming that I'm a ticking timebomb about to go off!"

"Jim, you know that's not-"

"I want to go!"

"And I'm forbidding it!" Pike snapped, "... I'm not arguing with you on this Jim. I don't want you in front of the Starfleet Council for murder, whether done intentionally or not. The power that you have... I can't risk it".

"... So what now?" the blonde finally asked, "I just... sit here? Wait? Hope that you come back alive?"

"It's all you can do" Bones replied quietly, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to still his pacing, "But if it's any consolation, I'll be right here with you... And hey, it won't be that bad! We can even organise a little surprise for when Spock gets home".

Pike made a very pointed cough and the Vulcan flushed to the tips of his ears... but at least it got a small smile out of the pouting blonde.

And Bones counted that as a win in his book.