Kirk walked across campus, looking for the building that held his 'Tactical Analysis' class. He was tired and restless from his time with Pike the previous day. For hours, they had worked on re-creating Kodos' face as close as possible although Kirk could have sworn his ears were a tad too big. Pike had told him he'd run the face through the system and contact Kirk if anything matched. Trudging into class, he chose a desk at the back of the room, which appeared to be isolated from its peers. Slumping into the chair, he lowered his head just enough that he could still see the other cadets in front of him. Most of them snuck glances towards his desk and more than one was curious. Kirk ignored them; his mind was still on yesterday's event. The teacher began the class, some students fell asleep, Kirk's mind raced ahead of the content, he got bored – overall a typical lesson. When class finished Kirk hurried out and blended into the crowd, staying as inconspicuous as possible. He finally made it outside where the crowd dispersed and was instantly met by Bones – his friend had an uncanny ability of finding Kirk whenever and wherever he was.
'So is it classified?' Bones asked.
Kirk smirked at his friend.
'No one told me it wasn't but then again, no one told me it was,' he said cryptically.
'In your books I guess that means tell the world, eh?' scoffed Bones.
Kirk shrugged.
'Starfleet's probably going to tell the world themselves soon,' Kirk said, 'but right now it's tell Bones and the world can find out after it's over'.
Bones raised his eyebrow in a quizzical expression. Kirk rolled his eyes at his friend's expectant expression; he was never good at keeping secrets anyway. Checking to make sure the other cadets weren't within earshot, Kirk slowed his pace and leaned towards Bones so that his friend could hear him clearly.
'Starfleet's going to try and track down Kodos,' he muttered, 'but I don't think it's wise to tell anyone incase he gets a warning and goes off-planet.'
Bones eyes widened.
'So they were lying after all?' he said in a hushed tone.
Kirk shook his head.
'No I'm pretty sure they were certain Kodos was dead, they just hadn't ruled out the possibility that he'd faked his own death.'
Bones nodded in understanding.
'So you spent the entire afternoon and most of the evening at Tullsey's office just so they could tell you that?' Bones asked sarcastically.
'They want me to identify Kodos for them,' Kirk admitted.
Bones nodded thoughtfully.
'Makes sense,' he mused.
Bones checked his position and realized he was in the wrong part of campus. He nudged Kirk who had continued to head towards his next class.
'I've got class in the lab,' he said jerking his thumb behind him in the general direction of the laboratory.
Kirk nodded consent as Bones disappeared in the opposite direction.
*Beep-beep-beep-beep*
Kirk flipped his communicator open.
Kirk, we got a few matches. Rendezvous back at the Admiral's office.
It was Pike. That was fast thought Kirk before changing his course to the office buildings. 20 minutes later he arrived at his destination.
'Kirk,' Pike greeted him.
Kirk nodded in reply and came to attention at the admiral's presence.
'At ease,' Tullsey replied and Kirk abandoned his salute.
Greetings made, Pike displayed the faces the computer had matched to a screen in the office. Admiral and Captain turned expectantly to Kirk as the cadet scrutinized the faces. It didn't take long; Kirk recognized the face as soon as he laid eyes on the photograph.
'That's him,' he pointed to the face on the far left.
Immediately, Pike terminated the connection from the screen. He didn't want to cause Kirk anymore distress than was needed.
'Thanks Kirk,' he said softly.
The Admiral turned to the cadet.
'You do understand, I have to ask you to accompany us incase we attack the wrong man,' he said carefully to the cadet.
Kirk breathed in deeply and nodded. He wanted to be able to confirm Kodos' arrest with his own eyes the next time he saw Kevin.
Kirk sat in a metallic chair outside a small café. He was dressed in civilian clothing, as was Pike who was sitting opposite him at the miniscule table. He squirmed in his seat, his eyes sweeping fearfully around the area. Pike watched him from across the table.
'It's ok, you can calm down – Tullsey will let us know when we get eyes on him,' he murmured to Kirk.
Kirk gave Pike a strained smiled and worked on his breathing to chase away the memories that were threatening to overthrow him.
Tullsey to Pike; walk with Kirk to the edge of the steps – about 10 metres east of your position.
Pike glanced at Kirk to check if he'd received the message. Kirk nodded surreptitiously. Before they'd left campus, both Pike and Kirk had donned earpieces so that they wouldn't have a communicator broadcasting the mission for the world to hear. Pushing his chair back from the table, Pike pushed himself up and motioned for Kirk to follow him. They walked to the steps as per request form the Admiral and scanned the people below.
'Is he suppose to down there?' Pike muttered.
According to out intel – yes. But Kirk will need to confirm; can you identify anyone cadet?
Kirk peeled his eyes as he searched the sea of faces below.
'That's a lot of people,' he admitted.
He's wearing all black sans for a dark brown shirt – look for the man walking towards the sculpture.
Kirk switched his gaze in accordance to the admiral's instruction. He sighted a ridiculously large wooden cube – supposedly the 'sculpture' the admiral had mentioned…. There! A man who matched the admiral's description was walking docilely towards the cube. Kirk focused on the man's face and had to shake off a moment of panic as he recognized the former governor.
'That's him,' he confirmed quietly.
Pike turned to Kirk in concern, his face had paled considerably and he was staring at the black and brown clad man. Pike gently laid a hand on Kirk's inner arm, pulling slightly so that the cadet started and turned to look at Pike with haunted eyes.
'It's ok kid,' Pike told him softly.
Kirk smiled and nodded his thanks. He turned his gaze back to the cube, remembering the promise he'd made himself to testify Kodos' arrest to Kevin. The tyrant continued his slow pace towards the giant cube and in his peripheral vision Kirk could make out the indistinct blurs of the Starfleet officers moving in to arrest the criminal. Indistinct yelps of surprise and retorts emanated from below as the officers pushed their way through the crowd; Kodos momentarily disappeared as the wooden cube obscured Kirk's view. He waited expectantly, eyes intent on the far side of the cube he knew Kodos would reappear from. He waited; the officers moved in – Kodos still hadn't appeared yet… something was wrong. Starfleet personnel surged behind the cube, phasers at the ready; set to 'stun'.
Silence.
Total, agonizing silence as Kirk waited for the admiral to report Kodos' status.
Pike, Kirk… did any of you see Kodos move out from the cube?
Kirk's heart filled with despair and he frantically searched the citizens below. Pike looked inquiringly at Kirk, the cadet shook his head miserably.
'Negative,' Pike reported.
Everyone receive the orders to split. Pike, take Kirk and see if you identify him again from your elevated position. The officers will sweep the ground level.
Pike nodded grimly and set of at a brisk pace in the direction Kodos had been heading in. Kirk followed, his eyes methodically swept the crowd for a familiar face; he fought an overwhelming sense of panic – what if he couldn't find Kodos? What if he went free? ...No… no… no…yes!
'There!' Kirk nudged Pike and pointed out the man he had previously identified.
Unfortunately, Kodos chose that exact moment to turn to his right and notice a familiar looking individual pointing in his direction. His eyes widened as he recognized the pointer… and ran.
'He's 50 metres south from the original attack position,' Pike alerted the admiral, 'Do you wish us to – he's running!'
What!?
'Kodos! He must have se – Kirk!'
Seeing his enemy attempting to flee, Kirk was galvanized into action and took off in pursuit; determined to put away the man who had traumatized him for so many years. Dimly his brain processed a distant voice yelling his name but he ignored whoever had called him, slowly loosing himself to the memories that had suddenly flooded his head; leaving no room for rational thoughts.
'Kirk!' Pike yelled after the rapidly shrinking figure.
What's happening Captain?
'Kodos ran, Kirk's chasing him... Send all security south!'
Affirmative
Pike didn't wait any further; he took off in pursuit after Kirk.
Dammit how fast can a 40 something year old man run? Kirk thanked Starfleet for all the times they had made him run marathons whenever he got in trouble with a teacher. Chucking a fleeting glance behind him, he spotted several Starfleet officers pursuing the criminal as well. Pulling up suddenly, Kirk came close to loosing his balance as the runway petered out into a 2-meter drop straight below to the ground level Kodos was currently on. Swinging his gaze around, he did a double take when he spotted Kodos. Surged with adrenaline, his brain processed and calculated the criminal's approximate position in the next 10 seconds. Given the direction he was heading and the position his eyes were locked onto…. Kirk discarded all irrelevant information and jumped.
Pike panted; he cursed the old devil that was age, deteriorating his stamina and speed ever since he had passed the 30-year mark. His feet thudded rhythmically onto the pavement, shouts rose from below as the pursuing Starfleet officers yelled warnings and ordered Kodos to stop. Citizens scrambled out of the way as the officers barged through the crowd; alternatively Pike was able to move at a constant velocity without any obstacles blocking his path. Keeping his eyes wide open, he simultaneously tracked the two sprinting figures ahead of him. Pike's stride faltered momentarily as he saw Kirk skid to a stop, reeling as he tried to obtain his balance. The small figure paused for a fraction of a second before retreating a few paces from the ledge and then continuing his previous forward motion, flinging himself off the edge.
Kirk free fell diagonally towards the ground below. A split second before impact, he curled himself into a ball in a movement he had rehearsed countless times at the academy. He maintained his crouching position, rolling to absorb and break the fall. He used the momentum from his forward roll to push himself up from his crouch without using his arms. Pivoting, he spun in a half-circle until his eyes met with Kodos'. The tyrant stumbled slightly as he checked his sprint and slid to a halt a few meters away from Kirk. Strangely, Kirk's fear had been left behind on the ledge and only his anger remained. He glared fiercely at Kodos and began advancing towards his childhood nightmare. Kodos' eyes reflected a brief flicker of… fear? Before they hardened and he smiled sinisterly at Kirk – eyes cold, dark and completely merciless. However, before either adversary could react a Starfleet officer stumbled into the scene, breathing heavily and brought out his phaser.
'Stand down!' he aimed the phaser at Kodos.
The citizens in the vicinity scattered before the phaser although some actually neared, hopeful for a spot of real-life violence – not surprisingly, some of them were reporters; alerted to the scene by various citizens who had recognized Kirk as he sat outside the café earlier with Captain Pike. Kodos flicked a bored look at the officer and noted that majority of the battalion where still several metres away. Ducking low, he rammed himself into the officer, knocking the man to the ground and winding him in the process. The officer's phaser flew through the air, bouncing twice as it hit the pavement before sliding to a stop 3 meters away from the grappling pair. Unable to breathe, the Starfleet officer could only watch in a detached daze as a rapidly approaching fist suddenly blocked his field of vision. Kodos lurched away from the incapacitated officer and reached with his outstretched hand for the discarded phaser. Before he could however, another hand snatched the weapon away and Kodos quickly clambered up onto his feet.
Kirk aimed the phaser at Kodos' head. At this proximity there was no way he could miss but his hand was unexpectedly steady; he had set the phaser to 'kill'.
'Kirk!'
Kirk kept his eyes locked on Kodos but flinched when he recognized the voice. Pike walked cautiously towards Kirk, his phaser out albeit he made no move to shoot. With the stolen phaser set to 'kill', Pike didn't want to risk stunning Kirk incase his hand jerked and triggered the command anyway. Kodos stared straight back into Kirk's eyes - he stared down his imminent death.
'J.T,' he mocked, 'think you're such a hero, don't you? Wait till the world finds out your just a cold blooded murderer.'
Kirk's hand began to tremble slightly. He remembered the drawling voice all too familiarly; the careless tone that had casually ordered the death of thousands as if he were dismissing an unwanted plate of food.
'Thought you were something special, didn't you? Thought I actually cared for you... you were nothing more than another smart-ass; a tool for my uprising,' he sneered.
'Kirk, don't listen to him,' Pike cautioned.
Kodos ignored that Starfleet Captain as if he didn't exist.
'You never should've loved those kids, they never loved you – they were just desperate, so they used you. Love is weakness, boy and you paid the ultimate price for it,' Kodos spat out, 'I made sure of that, didn't I Jimmy?'
His cruel, twisted smile pierced Kirk like daggers.
Pike was getting desperate; Kodos' taunts were pushing Kirk towards the inevitable, every gibe was causing Kirk's finger to add more and more pressure onto the trigger. Where's my plan B? Thought Pike.
'He's lying J.T.'
A new voice added itself to the psychological battle. Pike silently breathed out a sigh of relief there it is. Kevin Riley approached Kirk from behind Kodos so that his friend would still be able to see him with the phaser locked onto Kodos.
'We weren't just friends; we were your brothers – you were the only person who ever showed us any kindness through that nightmare,' Kevin said softly.
Kirk's hand clenched the phaser tighter and he blinked rapidly to stop the tears that were threatening to fall.
'No one deserves to be murdered, J.T,' Kevin whispered.
'To do a great right, do a little wrong,' murmured Kirk, recited Shakespeare.
'What's done, cannot be undone,' Kevin said simply, quoting from Macbeth.
Kodos watched the byplay, he narrowed his eyes at the wavering cadet.
'Weakness, Kirk,' he warned.
Kirk held his position for a few more seconds, then his eyes burned with clarity and the anger fled his system. Staggering away from his enemy he dropped the phaser, horrified at his actions. Kevin ignored Kodos and rushed past him to where his friend now sat, hyperventilating from shock. Starfleet security surged towards the criminal, wasting no time making their arrest. Within a few seconds, the officers, cadet, citizen and criminal were being transported to Starfleet Security.
