Beep! Beep! Beep!
Beep! Be–!
Kirk's hand slammed down on his alarm.
Sluggishly, he pushed himself up into a sitting position and immediately dropped back down. Kirk groaned; he had a splitting headache. Rubbing his eyes clear of grit, he tried to recall the events of last night. He remembered leaving the med clinic and telling Uhura that he was going to get dinner. That much was more or less true… except that when Kirk said dinner, he meant liquor. Today is the day he thought, the day that so called survivor was meant to speak. Or maybe they aren't a fraud. What if they really were on Tarsus? He deliberated; better stay low– just in case.
More carefully this time, he tested his head and pushed up off the bed. He sat there for a few minutes until the pounding in his head lessened to a more tolerable level. Then he swung his legs over the side and cautiously walked to the bathroom. He splashed water against his face, washing away the remnants of sleep and rinsed his mouth. Finally fully awake he pulled on his cadet uniform and stumbled out the door. Maneuvering in a slight zigzag as he walked down the hallway towards the stairs that would take him to the med-bay. Hopefully, it would be relatively deserted and easy for him to snitch a hangover hypospray. Ironically, it was the very device he loathed that would give him a respite from the pain.
Half an hour later, Kirk was attempting to squeeze himself through an incredibly tight window he'd found in the storage room. Why anyone would make a window so small was beyond him. But if he ever met the idiot who did, he'd make them steal a hypospray and then escape the clinic he got it from through a window in the storage room. Grunting, Kirk managed to wrench his hips through the tiny crevice. But with nothing supporting his legs, the weight displacement was far to great for gravity and it let him fall face first into the dirt.
He found Bones at the back of the cafeteria, his padd propped up against a small mountain of books.
'What're you reading?' Asked Kirk as he slid into the seat next to his friend.
Bones didn't reply. He was staring intently at his padd holding a piece of toast, which had stopped its ascent halfway to his mouth. Kirk cleared his throat and glanced sideways at Bones, still no response. Kirk waved a hand in front of Bones' face.
'Hellooo! Earth to Bones!' he exclaimed.
Bones looked confusedly at Kirk.
'Huh? Oh. Hey,' he said before turning back to his padd.
Kirk sighed and took the liberty of leaning sideways and looking at the screen. Bones had a Physics textbook open on his padd. Kirk groaned inwardly, he'd completely forgot about the exam after his run-in with loudmouth and his bulldogs. He wondered where that ignorant cadet was. Coward he thought ran off and let your bullies fight for you eh? Following Bones example, he opened his physics textbook to page one and started reading – occasionally spooning cereal into his mouth.
'Well that went well,' said Kirk sarcastically.
Bones, as always, completely missed his tone.
'Yeah, it was easier than I thought it'd be,' he replied cheerily.
Way to make someone feel even worse thought Kirk. Hopefully, 10 minutes of studying in an extremely noisy cafeteria would be enough to help him pass the test.
*Beep-beep-beep-beep*
Bones flipped open his communicator and listened through his earpiece. He sighed in exasperation.
'Medical Emergency?' queried Kirk.
Bones nodded, snapping shut his communicator.
'Some Denobulan thought his friends were too stressed out about their exams and spiked their food with a hallucinogen. You know how they think – hallucinating is supposed to 'release nervous energy' *scoff* yeah buddy, just not on earth and not on humans,' Bones rebuked an imaginary alien.
'See you at lunch then,' Kirk told Bones who nodded and ran off towards the academy's medical clinic.
As Kirk turned into the next corridor, he took out his padd and opened up his timetable; his next class was 'advanced hand-to-hand combat'. Looking up, Kirk stopped in tracks. His eyes locked onto a teenage boy who was turned away from him and surrounded by Starfleet personnel. He tried to tear his gaze from the figure but for some reason his head wouldn't do what his brain wanted. Stop it Kirk! He mentally reprimanded himself People are going to think you've got a mental issue if you don't stop staring. Kirk couldn't seem to shake the feeling that he knew the guy. Then it hit him – This must be the other survivor thought Kirk. Why else would he be drowning in Starfleet security? If Kirk thought the teenager looked familiar then there was no way he was a fraud, which meant he was absolutely capable of recognizing Kirk as another Tarsus IV survivor. Quickly, Kirk went to duck into the side corridor but before he could, the teenager turned around and looked at Kirk straight in the eyes.
Uhura walked out of her Xenolinguistics class, frowning slightly as she came close to colliding into a cadet standing outside the entrance of the classroom.
'Excuse me,' she said stiffly.
When the cadet didn't move she scowled and squeezed sideways through the small space between the cadet and the doorframe. When she emerged on the other side she saw the reason behind the hold-up. It looked as if half the first-year cadets were present in the cramped corridor. Most of them had their necks craned towards something outside the Anthropology classroom. Or someone thought Uhura, remembering her teacher's announcement in-class yesterday. Forcing her way through the sea of students, she finally spotted a small battalion of Starfleet Security Officers. Looking closely, she could see the individual they were escorting. He had obsidian coloured eyes and hair to match them. He was dressed similarly – in dark, drably clothing. His eyes were piercing and caused anyone he looked at to quickly avert their eyes. Strange mused Uhura, you would think that a traumatized teenager would act a little more secluded. She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully; there was something very familiar about the individual that she couldn't quite grasp. Then her mind wandered back to a video she had seen in class the other day… One of the soldiers… a boy with jet-black hair… his eyes were incredibly dark and cold, hardened by what they had seen... 42… Her eyes widened – could it be, that not all the survivors from the Tarsus IV massacre were innocent? After all, with Kodos using children as soldiers it would be easy to mistake one of them for a victim.
The teenager suddenly wheeled around at something that had caught his attention… Apparently he heard a noise for he whipped his head around, scanning the undergrowth to his left… A look of confusion overcame his face before it morphed into shock and surprise, mingled with recognition. Briefly, his eyes betrayed his true emotions as they reflected fear – before that fear turned into panic.
Uhura followed the path of his gaze, trying to see what had caused all that emotion on his face when her eyes finally settled on Kirk. His face looked fearful at being spotted and then recognition flashed briefly on his face before it clouded over with anger. His eyes were murderous.
It was at that moment that the predicament revealed itself to her with such burning clarity that she scolded herself for not seeing it earlier.
Then all hell broke loose.
Kirk elbowed his way through the crowd, no longer caring that the memories he had buried long ago were gushing out– filling him with hatred and fear and determination; all mixed up into one deadly Molotov cocktail. And when Kirk wanted to get drunk, he could get pretty damn drunk… The child screamed for help, thrashing against the soldier until he managed to get free… Mitchell unconsciously took a step back from Kirk's rapidly approaching figure… he shrugged his gun free, raised it, aimed and shot… Kirk shoved a protesting security officer to the side… The fleeing child slumped to the ground… And let out 4 years worth of anger in a single act of revenge.
Yelling, he tackled Mitchell to the floor… A screaming form rammed into the soldier's side, pushing him to the ground… His buried memories that had been pouring out of him now exploded from within as he used all the years of grueling 'advanced hand-to-hand combat' to his advantage. Grabbing hold of Mitchell's neck he squeezed with everything he had. But the face that looked back of him was an expression he had seen so many times. In his friends – in his boys… right before Mitchell and his kind shot them dead. Shocked, Kirk's loosened his vice like grip around Mitchell's. Overcoming their initial shock, the Starfleet security officers hastily pulled the pair apart. Kirk screamed at the top of his lungs.
'Murderer! I'm going to kill you for what you did to them!'
The head of Starfleet security barged his way through the crowd. He paused to take in the current dilemma and quickly came to a decision.
'Cadet!' He roared, 'cease your actions immediately!'
Kirk ignored the head of Starfleet security and tried to claw his way out of the two men who were doing their best to restrain him.
'You don't deserve to live! You hear me? You should have stayed on Tarsus!' he screamed.
The Starfleet academy commandant entered the hall and walked through a path split by the cadets whom had come to attention at his presence. Once through, the cadets dropped their salutes and hurriedly surged inwards to get as close to the scene as possible.
'Cadet Kirk!' he said sharply, 'this citizen is an honored guest of Starfleet academy and currently under the protection of Starfleet security. Death threats towards him would be unwise.'
Kirk managed to free his arm and stab an accusing finger at the partly obscured figure hiding behind Starfleet security officers.
'That citizen is a mass murderer that I watched kill innocent men, women and children! It's a cruel insult towards the families of those from the Tarsus IV massacre to let him to live as a free man,' he snarled, his voice dripping with malice.
The cadets around Uhura began gossiping amongst each other and throwing confused expressions at the scene unfolding in front of her. What's so bad about the survivor? Why is Kirk acting so upset? Did he know someone from the Tarsus IV massacre? They whispered.
The teenager's eyes widened at Kirk's accusation and his speech was jumbled by his panic.
'I-I've never done that! He's lying! His voice rose in pitch at every world he blurted out, 'I don't know what he's talking about!'
'Shut up!' yelled Kirk. 'I don't want to hear another dirty little lie from your mouth!'
Every muscle in Kirk's body was coiled, ready to pounce as soon as he got his chance. His whole body trembled with anger and his fists were violently shaking.
*Beep-beep-beep-beep*
Everyone fell silent as the commandant took out his communicator and listened to the caller from an earpiece. His face remained completely deadpan throughout the conversation and he remained silent for a few seconds before answering.
'Yes admiral,' he said, 'I understand.'
He snapped his communicator shut and turned to the head of Starfleet security.
'Please escort our guest and cadet Kirk to the nearest Starfleet security building,' he ordered before pivoting on his heel and walking briskly down the hallway.
Baffled, the officer nodded and indicated his men to follow the commandant's instructions. Uhura watched as they dragged away the screaming and thrashing form of Kirk, followed by a sobbing boy whose sins had finally caught up with him.
