Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek.
Author's Note: Well, we're not done with angst. Dear Brilliant Beta Reader DLB48, I suppose I am taking my sleepless nights/misery out on poor Jim.
BTW, after this chapter comes one of my favorites. And I can't give any hints because I need to keep the suspense. :) Please stay tuned- only a couple more chapters. THANK YOU again for your reviews. Reviews for writers and sincere encouragement do wonders for inspiration. :)
My plan for future stories is now up on my profile. I can't tell you how excited I am to begin the next one!
Chapter 20
Spock steadied his breath and eye movement as he nestled his hand between his chest and Jim's body. Spock fingered his comm carefully, opening it with the hand hidden from Agent Sloan. His calculating fingers switched his comm to manual and signaled Sulu and Uhura. He muted incoming communication but allowed Uhura and Sulu to hear.
"It is quite the honor to meet you, Commander," said Agent Sloan. "I met your older counterpart here on Revlair and found him to be an incredibly intelligent and worthy opponent. I can only assume you will match that, even in your younger age. Let's get on with this, then, shall we?"
Sloan jerked his head towards one of his men. "If you want your captain returned to you in one piece, I suggest you give Kirk to my security officer."
"I will not willingly hand over the captain to you."
"No, I don't suppose you will. That is why I will force your hand, Commander." Sloan said, impatience threaded through his tone. "Those children here, they won't survive. If you don't hand Kirk over to me directly, I will stun you, take Kirk anyway, and blow this facility up. The perimeter is surrounded with my men. However, I will call them off once you have handed the captain to me, as I already requested. Time is wasting. Don't make the same mistake he did." Sloan looked at the dead ex-governor.
Spock stalled as he questioned the agent's motives. Jim was stirring after his brief time passed out. Spock could not wait for Uhura and Sulu, but he wanted them to have as much information as possible before Agent Sloan struck next. The captain's time was running out.
"You are the agent Captain Kirk and Ambassador Spock worked directly with to ensure assistance for half-Vulcan, half-human children. Am I to assume that your involvement with these children here was your coverup and Kodos was your pawn to get to Captain Kirk?" Spock asked.
"You can assume anything you want to, Commander, as long as you give me Kirk."
"Are we to remain your prisoners, Mr. Sloan?"
"If you can get yourselves to the Enterprise, you'll be well on your way back to your five year mission. Kodos' ships, which are mine, anyways, the scheming SOB, would not fire due to scrambled sensors. My ships are still a threat." Sloan smirked. "And as you know, you cannot beam aboard your own ship unless it comes out of hiding. I have the coordinates of the Enterprise. My crew is instructed to engage her if you do not listen."
"You will return Captain Kirk."
"Commander, you can retrieve your captain if you and you alone get to my ship outside fast enough. If you can get the children and yourselves out of the Green Gate before it blows. Feel free to do what you wish with Kodos' body. You have fifteen minutes...and if not, I'm sure your captain will not appreciate what I have planned for him." Sloan paused and lifted his comm to speak to one of his crew. "Do it."
Spock looked down at the captain, who blinked his eyes open. Jim's eyes still lacked their dynamic blue but not their usual fire.
"Commander," Sloan warned.
"Spock?" The captain rasped as he tried to turn his face out from Spock's coat.
The security officer hefted Kirk from Spock's arms with no care. Jim moaned weakly while he was half dragged over to Sloan.
"Spock...go," Jim mumbled when the officer stopped.
"Place him on the ground." Sloan said. The security officer obeyed and Sloan fired his phaser at Jim to stun him. Spock's angered flared as Sloan fired again to put Jim out. The drug maintained a stubbornness in Jim's system- one stun had not been enough. "There. Full cooperation from your captain. Spock, you better get a move on."
With those words, Sloan, his officers, and Jim were beamed from the basement.
Wordlessly, Memphis looked at Spock before he darted out of the basement door holding Lenore. Spock assisted Kevin and within three minutes they were walking in the science wing of the Green Gate.
We are at the front entrance, Mr. Spock. It was one of the Vulcan children informing Spock of their location.
Because of Kevin's difficulty standing upright, Spock carried Kevin in his arms as he had done for Jim. Spock calculated the time he had left to reach Jim once they reached the entrance. The children stood in Memphis' way. Only eight point 4 minutes. If the ship was any distance away, the cold would evoke another dangerous situation for Spock. He would be slowed down, the pain possibly becoming too much to bear.
"Lt. Sulu to Commander Spock. We're here." The lieutenant's voice prompted a few cheers from the children.
Kevin half-smiled. "If only we could be that optimistic."
"Indeed, Mr. Riley." Spock opened the door first after setting Riley down on his feet. "Mr. Vager, any attempt to escape will be futile."
"Lenore," Memphis said. "I...can't leave her."
"Very well. Understand that you are still our prisoner."
Memphis turned his downcast face away from Spock's view. "I would rather be your prisoner now than continue to be used by Sloan," he whispered so softly that Spock knew his words were not to be heard by human ears.
Memphis could not be altogether trustworthy but Spock had no choice. He allowed the man to remain behind the other children as he looked for Sloan's men outside. Seeing all was clear, Spock ushered the children and others out of the facility.
Seven and a half minutes.
The ship was impressive, larger than the shuttlecraft and obviously equipped with more weaponry. Uhura stepped out to aid the smallest children on the steps.
The girl, Ayhan, was enamored with Nyota and let a few others pass by her while she stared at the lieutenant. Finally, with a soft smile, Uhura picked Ayhan up and promptly placed her in the craft.
Spock got to the entrance as Uhura rushed back out to him.
"We can't find the other ship, Spock. Our sensors went haywire. Our comms only worked for your signal and then we lost you." Uhura gave him a look of distress.
"We will find the ship after we take off." Spock noted the remaining time.
Six point three minutes.
The ship was cramped and Spock found himself staring in fourteen curious pairs of Vulcan-human eyes.
Not one spoke but regarded Sulu, Uhura, and himself with that curiosity Spock never saw from a Vulcan child before.
Fascinating.
Memphis laid Lenore down on a small bench, and a girl sat so Lenore's head could rest on her lap. Memphis stood up and turned to Spock, hands out.
"Mr. Sulu, get us off the ground. We have five point seven minutes to find that ship." Spock ordered, while he cuffed Memphis. The children made room for Memphis. The young man sat down cautiously, looking wounded as he glanced down at Lenore, but he made no effort to touch her again.
"We're on our way, Commander," said Sulu. "On our way here, we observed plenty of mountains and cliffs, interspersed with spacious plateaus. I am betting the ship is on one of those on the other side of the facility."
"Lieutenant Sulu, proceed then. Lieutenant Uhura, did you speak with the Enterprise?" asked Spock.
"Commander, briefly before the signal was jammed. Dr. Marcus recognized Agent Sloan's name but I could not hear her reply," said Sulu.
"Her voice held shock, Commander. I believe she knows this agent," added Uhura.
"Then, our Acting Captain may hold valuable information. Attempt to patch us through the Enterprise, again, Uhura," said Spock.
"Yes, Commander." Uhura busied herself in her station but had no success. "Sir, we are unable to use the ship's communication. It's jammed. Perhaps using the comm on planet."
Spock nodded to Uhura, his eyes taking in the vastness of several cliffs the ship passed over. The ship projected a shadow over the snow and ice. Spock thought of Jim's shirtless and shoeless body and if he was unable to reach him in time- the temperature would be more than dangerous. It would be deadly.
Spock's throat closed as he struggled with a breath.
"Spock," Uhura said softly. "We'll find him."
"Nyota," Spock inhaled and exhaled, carefully balancing his emotions. "I am concerned not if we find him but if we find him too late."
"I got a weak signal." Uhura's hand rested on his shoulder. "Something from Sloan's ships is jamming whatever we got."
"My comm worked best on land. I will use-" Spock stopped abruptly. "Sulu, I see a dark shadow directly ahead. It must be their ship. Maneuver us as close as possible. That is our destination.
Sulu's skills were commendable as he placed the shuttlecraft on its own tiny cliff and plateau close to the other ship. Spock stepped into the frigid air once again. He took in the vertical distance to Sloan's ship and noted it held the steepest incline that Spock had ever attempted to climb.
Two forms remained in front of Sloan's ship- one fully clothed with a coat, the other not so fortunate. As Spock reached the halfway point of the incline, his eyes confirmed his logical assumption- it was Sloan and Jim. And Jim, his eyes were half-open and his attempt to push away Sloan sluggish. Spock's momentum slowed with the cold's effects but Spock forced his legs in time with his thoughts.
Get to Jim. Get to Jim.
Sloan's features came clearer. It was a manic grin perfected on Sloan's face as he pulled what looked to be a blood sample from Jim's arm. He waved it in the air and mouthed 'thank you' to Spock. Jim's eyes rolled back in his head, his body having taken all it could.
Spock was now a mere fifty eight feet away compared to the three hundred and twenty he began with. He was gaining but Sloan dropped Jim to the hard, cold ground. Spock gained ground, five feet, ten feet, fifteen feet, but time ran out.
Five. Four. Three...
Sloan grinned wickedly as he pressed a foot on Jim's side.
Two. One.
Helpless to aid Jim again, Spock watched the rogue agent kicked Jim's torso over the top of the hill. Now pitted against nature, Jim's body scraped against the ice as he remained unconscious and slid, almost spiral like, down Revlair's formidable incline of ice. Gravity allowed Jim's body to maintain effortless speed as he raced towards a looming end.
An eventual cliff's edge.