Culture Shock

A Solid for A Solid

I woke up on the ceiling. Seem strange to you? I screeched and dropped to the floor.

I just stayed still for a moment, thinking about how I could've gotten up there when I realized that it was probably Harrison, getting me back for taking that metal pipe from his showers. After all, with all the other advanced shit they've got here, they must have an anti-gravity thingy. Oh, you sly bastard.

I stood up, and walked out to see Harrison in the same place he was yesterday (I think? I don't have any window's or a clock…) furiously scribbling down stuff. Ugh, how boring. I mean, the U.S forcing me to learn bio-engineering was bad enough, now I was forced to sit around someone who's life looked like it revolved around it. I feel sick already.

I felt hunger gnaw at my stomach, and I grimaced. Hit Harrison over the back of the head with a heavy object, or eat and get my revenge later. It was a very hard choice, but I had to put my hunger aside.

Harrison was a pretty scary dude though, freakishly tall, so I ducked aside to go and grab a pillow and I threw it at his head, before walking away coolly.

I had to duck the lamp he threw at me.

I felt a tick forming in my jaw as the lamp smashed against the wall. I turned, only to see his cold bright eyes measuring mine. It looked like he might have wanted to kill me, which would have been funny and probably would've fucked up a whole lot of shit with the time line. I grinned smoothly, daring him to do it. Go on, kill me now, and you probably won't even exist once the timeline has reset itself.

His lips thinned and he turned away, ignoring me. The air felt tense, but I ignored it, walking around and looking around for some sort of kitchen.

I was about to tap on a key-pad, when Harrison's cold voice ground against the air.

"Do not go in there."

I turned, matching his stare with my own. "Oh, did I miss when you became my mother?" I shot back sarcastically, raising a brow. I didn't get dumped into the future to get bossed around by know-it-all, pasty faced men who were freakishly tall. His pale eyes hardened instantaneously, his muscles tensing dangerously. I raised my chin, staring back defiantly. My eyes burned back into his icy ones, just daring him.

I wasn't afraid of some dude. After all, he was intelligent. If I got killed in the future, it would fuck up the past. But then again, if I push him too far he might just cross that line…

I didn't want to risk it. Call me a coward, or selfish, but I was abandoned in this place with Harrison. If I didn't get along with him, or if he did decide to hurt me, I'd be screwed. I couldn't escape from this place if I was injured.

My hand lowered, and I scoffed. "Is there any place to get food?" I asked, my voice scalding. Harrison said nothing, turning away. My scowl deepened, and I strode back to my room. Had I been able to, I would have slammed the door shut, just to piss him off.

"Fuckin' communist bastard, telling me what I can and can't do like he's my fucking parent…" I muttered, taking out my weapon and tinkering with it. I tightened some screw's, and was in the process of ripping the head bored off my bed when the door beeped and Harrison stepped in. I frowned, shoving my blanket over the weapon.

"Were you raised in a barn? Jesus, at least knock or something." I snarked. John didn't reply, instead staring intently at the weapon before his eyes flicked back up to mine.

"You're planning on escaping." He stated.

My eyes narrowed and all emotion dropped off my face. All of my focus was fixed on Harrison.

"Am I? I've got no reason to run, after all, the good Admiral assured me I could leave when I adjusted." I said smoothly, searching his eyes for understanding, anger, any emotion that would tell me whether or not Harrison would run to Marcus.

His eyes brightened with understanding, and a slow smile slipped across his face. It was a dangerous smile, the kind that made your hands shake and fear tighten your stomach.

"Perfect." Harrison murmured, and I shrugged watching him suspiciously.

"You want out too?" I asked, and his sharp smile widened.

"You won't be able to get out of here without assistance, Marcus has made sure of that." Harrison started smugly, and I smiled dryly.

"You'd be surprised exactly what I can do if I really wanted to. I doubt I'd need your help." I remarked. "But if you want to contribute, I'm not going to object. That'd just be stupid on my part."

"This place has several security measures around it. You can exit through the door easily enough, but it would trip an alarm that would alert the guards."

My brow raised, and my lips tightened. "Guards, huh? This is just wonderful." I muttered, rubbing my forehead through my bandanna. Harrison's eyes noted the action before he continued.

"It will be easy to exit the place, so long as you make sure that no one is following." He said; in a way that implied that I would be the one to screw up, and that I was to kill anyone we crossed paths with. I felt uncomfortable with that. I didn't kill anymore. Not since that cold night in '69. I raised my stormy eyes to his, grey meeting bright blue.

"I won't kill anyone." I stated, and his lip curled up with distaste. My eyes hardened in response. He could think I was weak if I wanted to, but I did not murder anymore. Not for myself, and certainly not for a man who I just met. "Go ahead and think whatever you want to about me. I don't really give a shit, but I won't kill anything, under any circumstances." I finished, my voice hard and unyielding. Distaste still lingered in his face, and was met with anger from me.

"Regardless, if we are followed, we will not be able to escape." He reiterated, and I snorted.

"Yeah, I got that the first time you said it." I said, rolling my eyes.

"You need to find different clothing. With the bandanna and your boots, people would recognize you immediately." He said, and I frowned. The bandanna stays.

"The bandanna stays. Unless you find me another one. Besides, unless you're planning on staying in an over populated area, which would be stupid, there shouldn't be a problem." I said, brushing my hair back.

Harrison smirked, giving me a look that said he wasn't going to be telling me where I was going. I glared at him from under my lashes. Well, this arrangement was going just great.

"Let me guess, you've got this all planned out? Why haven't you left before now?" I asked. His face smoothed out and became blank.

"I had more hope that things had changed in the future. Now I see I am wrong, that nothing has changed at all. Everything is corrupt, hiding under a righteous façade. Isn't that why you wish to leave?" He said, smoothly, his voice perfectly full of regret. I felt my anger recoil immediately before suspicion again arose.

"Things never change. They never will, even though they will tell you otherwise. So, it stands to reason that being as intelligent as you are, you already knew this." I said, crossing my leg's and pulling out my makeshift weapon. "So, let me make myself very clear I don't want to hear any of your bullshit. Answer me, or don't, but don't say something that we both know isn't completely true."

My eyes turned back up to his emotionless face. "If you do me a solid, I'll do you a solid. You get me out of here, I'll return a favor; you have my word." I said, sitting forward on the bed. Harrison smiled again, that handsome yet disturbing smile that could condemn you while at the same moment promising you salvation. It was almost unpleasant, the clash of emotions it seemed to inspire.

I didn't like it. That smile. It was filled with lies and hidden truths. I looked away, glaring at the wall in front of me.

"Excellent. We will leave tonight." He said before leaving, and I felt anger build again. I don't know why I was angry, but something about this situation made my blood boil. I didn't want to even be here, much less with that Harrison. Something was different about him, I could feel it in the marrow of my bones.

I sighed, and walked into the bathroom. It was probably because I was hungry. I took off my bandanna and the rest of my clothes, staring into the mirror.

My long, straight red hair framed my face. Angry grey eyes burned out of my face, drawing attention away from my other features. My lips were average, my skin tone on the paler side of average. Then, above my eyes, my angry hateful grey eyes, there was a puckered scar. Just as angry, it was a straight line across my head, reminding me of what the Soviet's did.

What Jack did.

Why I haven't killed anyone since 1969.

That scar symbolized all so many different things, none of them were good. All of them were bitter reminders. I sighed, and slipped into the shower. The computer had to help me operate it, because there were no dials at all, and in the end I ended up yelling at it and attempting to punch it. I'm pretty sure I looked like a complete idiot, but I didn't care.

Man, I'd have to work on that anger thing.

I looked away, putting my clothes and bandanna back on before I stepped back into my bedroom and waited. I slept lightly, leaning against my bed with my weapon in hand until Harrison stepped in again. He threw dark clothing at me, and I caught it.

"Put it on, I'll be waiting outside." Harrison said over his shoulder, walking out.

I tugged it on, it was the tight fitting but flexible enough to move in. I pulled my boots on over it and slung my weapon over my shoulder.

Harrison was waiting for me outside, and when I stepped out, he scowled.

"You are going to get us both caught-!" He hissed, eyes cold and harsh.

"Don't get your panties in a twist grandma, it'll be fine. You said you had this all planned out, so there should be no problem." I bit back. His face seemed to simmer before smoothing out and becoming emotionless again. I had to hold back my disgust at the action; it pissed me off when people covered up their emotion like that. Part of it was because I was a spy, and people who hid their emotions were usually the enemy.

Another larger part is just pissed off.

Harrison pressed a finger to his lips, signaling my silence before he stepped out of the door. I kept close to him, crouched in his shadow. A red-shirt darted towards me, and I struck him in the temple, knocking him out and catching him before he hit the floor. I lowered him, softly placing him on the floor before quickly following Harrison. He never glanced back to make sure I was there, which struck me as odd before I dismissed it. Harrison was strange; there was no explaining some of his actions.

I tensed, rolling back as another red-shirt jumped in front of John. John's shoulder's tensed and he grabbed the man's head, squeezing it until the poor man's face was contorted into a silent scream. I winced as his head crunched softly, blood running across Harrison's fingers. I felt bile hit the back of my throat and pity cross my face. That was a horrible fate, a painful and brutal death.

John swaggered forward, each step carefully measured, smooth and fast while I trailed behind him in his shadow.

I managed to spin out of the way just as a red shirt fired at me, and my hand flashed towards his face, knocking him out.

After that, there was no bloodshed, any of the red shirts that threw themselves at us were handled by me, and almost too soon, we had reached the end. The outside was just as alien as I remembered it, mixed in with the older buildings from my time. It was grey and damp. Harrison stopped suddenly, and pulled out a strange and sleek device. He pressed something and looked over at me coolly.

"Don't move." John whispered, the words far from comforting or even remotely nice. It was a command, and my fists clenched. Anger flushed through my nerves before lights swirled around me, up into the sky and fear took anger's place.

The lights faded and our surroundings had changed drastically. The air dragged my bones down, and my muscles responded by physically holding myself up. Sand swirled outside of the dark we were in; howling.

My eyes dilated and adjusted to the shadows, taking in my surroundings. It looked almost like a Greek structure, but there were subtle differences. The pillars were crude instead of smooth, showing the civilizations violence and aggression. It was impressive and intimidating, but not human.

Harrison turned; his eyes bright in the shadows of his pale face. It was almost surreal, the cold eyes in the smooth face. I would have though he would've been handsome; but his cruel demeanor changed it somehow.

My eyes hardened and I grinned, swinging my weapon over my shoulder.

"Finally out of there." I breathed through my smile. It disturbed me that Harrison had everything planned out, but he was extremely intelligent. It wasn't that surprising. What bothered me, was his strength. He wasn't human.

My smile slipped off and I sat on the floor looking outside. I felt that nagging feeling of curiosity hit me.

"Who are you really?" I asked, looking over at Harrison. His eyes flicked up to meet mine, giving away nothing.

"John Harrison." He answered flatly, robotic and systematic. Both words were reflexive and not personal. It wasn't his real name.

"No you're not. I thought I asked you to cut the bullshit?" I fired back, rolling my head over to see his smirk.

"I used to be an Augment. A genetically engineered human, faster, stronger, better-" He started before my eyes hardened and I cut in.

"Not better. Just because you are stronger, faster and more intelligent, that doesn't mean you're better." I muttered, low. His eyes seized mine, burning with a cold disgust that I threw right back. In the darkness, my eyes were a dark storm while his were like cold lightning. The air almost grew heavier before his eyes softened a fraction and I glanced outside.

"We were made to keep peace, to be a guiding light for humans-" He began again, smooth charismatic voice back. I felt disgust and distrust bombard my nerves as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Since you don't feel like being truthful, just tell me your actual name and when you come from. John Harrison is about as generic as John Doe." I snorted, not bothering to hide the emotions in my voice. It was irritating when someone thought they could bullshit me, I was a spy for God's sake.

"My name is Khan, and before I slept, the year was 1996."

Okay thank all of you who have followed, favorited or reviewed. You all rock. So, I want this to be a romance, but I'm torn between two character's Kirk and Khan. I was thinking maybe Kirk could be a friend, whereas Khan could be romantic interest. But then, I saw the movie again, and Kirk is really awesome, so I'm torn.

So please review and tell me what you think? Thank you!