Vines criss-crossed from floor to ceiling, making the away team's progress painful and slow. Spock's gaze bored holes into them, as if that alone would clear the way. From the little he could see through the gaps in the tangled vines, the back door stood a dozen meters away. Gripping the prickly foliage about to tear the doctor's skin, Spock shielded McCoy, more or less allowing the menacing brush to lacerate him instead of the human as he pushed forward. Spock's blood dripped and spilled sporadically on the moss covered path. He paid no heed to the injuries or creatures, not even to the squawking bird by his ears whose wings came too close and scraped his skin slowly and surely like a knife.
Spock gritted his teeth against the sharp pains. Those were insignificant wounds and were nothing compared to what the doctor and captain faced. They arrived at the door, but he felt no relief. They were merely transitioning from one difficulty to the next, as he anticipated that Lequa's guards would greet them on the other side. The ancient style doorknob tantalized Spock, offering a way out of their current predicament but the door refused to budge.
"You've got to be kidding me. Locked?" Sulu huffed, wiping the sweat of his brow. Spock observed both Sulu and Uhura's appearances, quickly noting that the onslaught of Re'an thorny brush and aggressive creatures had not caused extensive injuries to either of the lieutenants.
Without answering the helmsman, Spock carefully deposited the unconscious but wheezing doctor on the only clear section of ground and stepped back. He propelled himself forward and rammed his shoulder into the door.
"Spock!" Uhura cried.
He ignored her. Instead, he rammed his shoulder again, vaguely considering the possible contusions he was self-inflicting, and pushed with all his strength. The door opened with a solid grunt from Spock. Within seconds, they were stepping out into the garden. Spock straightened and shifted the body in his arms. The unconscious human was no physical burden but he was rather unsettled by the five pairs of peach eyes staring down their spears at them.
"He has agreed." Spock said to Lequa, finding no benefit in wasting time. "Now fulfill your part of the agreement. Dr. McCoy requires the prompt administration of the antidote."
"Hmm," Lequa brought a hand to his chin. "Indeed, I will. Guards, please escort Commander Spock and Dr. McCoy to their cell."
A hushed gasp came from Uhura. Sulu's jaw clenched.
"That is not part of the agreement," Spock arched an eyebrow, feigning displeasure. In truth, he wished to remain as close to Jim as possible during the melding process, either to calculate a way for them to escape or plea the case to immediately repair the mental damage done to the captain once they were finished - and then escape. His bond with Uhura would provide a way for them to communicate once he found more answers.
"Neither was Dr. Jahnas' involvement with the snakes," Lequa tossed back.
"You left us in a most precarious situation."
"Your captain resolved the situation, did he not?"
Spock's fury rose to an incomprehensible level. His captain was in the hands of a deceitful species who would use him. Even worse, Spock could not yet determine the true alteration of the captain once the Re'an were finished with him. "I demand that you hold to our agreement."
"You and the doctor will stay. As will Dr. Jahnas."
"That is unacceptable."
"It is perfectly acceptable if you wish for Dr. McCoy to survive. Dr. Jahnas has shown us that she will be helpful to us as well. I will allow you to remain for the doctor's sake, as you will need to administer the antidote to him several times over the next hour. He should not be moved until he has received three dosages. Or would you prefer us to care for him by ourselves?"
"That would be most illogical," Spock said slowly. "I will stay. I demand that Lieutenants Uhura and Sulu be returned to the Enterprise immediately."
Lequa smiled. "As you wish."
Jim was barely aware of the passing time. Half an hour, an hour, or perhaps more had elapsed since the Enterprise crew had left, but it didn't really matter exactly how long it had been. The only thing that mattered was that no one had come to rescue them. He had spent the time doing everything conceivable to calm Aleyah, but the xenozoologist now showed signs of breaking.
"Why aren't they here?" She whispered.
"I imagine they are taking care of Dr. McCoy first." At least Jim hoped they were, barring any other demands the Re'an would make on his crew.
"Jim," Aleyah's pitiful voice interrupted his thoughts. "I can't do this."
"Yes, you can," Jim quickly affirmed. She'd begun to tremble the second that the snakes' hissing had increased around her. "You are a strong woman, Aleyah. You can do this. I'll find a way out of this, I promise."
"I'm scared. I didn't think I would be, but..." Wide-eyed, her eyes grew frantic. "I...I don't like...them on me. They're so strong."
"But so are you. Aleyah. Take a deep breath, relax your muscles, and they will loosen their hold." They had for him, and now Jim was so relaxed that he had a difficult time understanding Aleyah's fear.
"I'm scared, Jim." Her eyes reached for him.
"Don't be. I'm here with you. I'm not going anywhere," he said gently. He'd have to take her mind elsewhere, away from Re'an V and even the Enterprise. Maybe he could talk about something they had in common. "Talk to me. Tell me about those times you had with Gaila at the Academy."
"Yes." Her eyes clenched shut. "She and I were a little crazy...Uhura, sometimes, too."
"You two got yourself in all sorts of trouble." Jim himself had been in the middle of some of it at times.
"Gaila...she loved you, Jim."
Jim's eyes softened without thinking. "Aleyah..."
"She loved you because you were crazy stubborn, and broken and strong, just like she was," she took a ragged breath. "And even though she knew neither of you would ever take it to another level and you wouldn't dare allow yourself to fall in love with someone...she loved you."
Jim swallowed. He'd known that, heard it from Gaila's own lips. He didn't want to reminisce on this particular subject but he couldn't afford not to, either. What could be the harm? "And I...loved her," he said honestly.
Her eyes flipped open in surprise. "Captain."
He gave her a small smile, maybe even with a ghostly hint of the emotional pain he'd felt after he had physically recovered from defeating Nero and being choked by Spock. Combined with the recent devastation of a beloved friendship, it may very well have been a tragic smile. "I just..." Didn't realize it until it was too late. "I have...a hard time expressing my...affection." He almost cringed when words he and Bones shared in sickbay ran through his mind.
"So say most men. Maybe when the time comes again...for love...you won't find it so hard to keep your feelings to yourself?"
Jim fell silent. Gaila's death had been only one of the innumerable losses that terrible day but it was one that he felt to this present day. Despite his best intentions, he had made countless mistakes in their relationship that he could never repair. Falling in love had hurt, and he did not think he could ever do it again. Then again, it was highly unlikely just by virtue of being on a ship in the middle of deep space. He had come to love Bones as a brother, even opening up and trusting the doctor more than he had ever trusted before. Just as he had made mistakes and hurt Gaila, he had gone and hurt Bones, and even worse, had refused to attempt to fix their broken friendship. Romantic love? he silently scoffed. He'd still be an utter failure at that.
A distinct hiss from a snake brought Jim back from his rumination on Gaila's death and the last glimpse of Bones' deathly pallor.
Jim answered Aleyah with a simple, "I don't know," but in reality he did know. He wanted an impossible miracle more than anything. He wanted his best friend returned to him and wanted it done without remembering all that happened to him on Tarsus IV and absolutely without opening the Pandora's box that were his feelings. Once more it seemed that the universe mocked his every desire. In all probability he had seen his best friend for the last time and would have to re-live the worst time in his life alone and full of regret.
He continued. "I don't think that'll happen for..." He clamped his mouth shut as the doors behind them creaked open.
The Re'an had returned. Jim sent a worried glance at Aleyah. She'd grown anxious again - face flushed, breathing erratic and eyes overly wide - in a matter of seconds.
"You'll be out of here in no time, Aleyah," he whispered before the hems of Prince Lequa's robes brushed across the room's floor.
"Ah, Captain Kirk."
"Prince Lequa." Jim refused to move a muscle and, in particular, he refused to nod or bow his head as he normally would in greeting.
"You are upset," Lequa's eyes narrowed. "I suppose I can understand your feelings at the moment. However, they will change."
Lequa motioned to the guards and they immediately walked to Jim. Within seconds, they were removing the snakes from his body and handling the reptiles themselves. As the last one was taken from him, Jim clenched his hands into fists, wanting the creatures back. Jim instantly recoiled at his bizarre thought. Still, he could not tear his eyes away from the writhing creature. He cocked his head. It wasn't writhing. In fact, Jim found it...comforting.
"Is something wrong, captain?" Lequa's voice rolled over him.
Jim's face warmed and he shook his head. "No. I..." He paused and frowned as he stared at Aleyah. Her eyes were wet, her body obviously shaking under the burden of snakes. "Please, will you remove the snakes from Dr. Jahnas?"
"We must hurry. You must continue your end of the bargain for us to continue administering the venom's antidote to your doctor."
Two guards came to either side of Jim and grabbed his arms, forcing him to take several steps before Jim realized they'd not assisted Aleyah.
"No," he said harshly. He dug his heels into the floor. "Dr. Jahnas -"
"Was not a part of the bargain."
"But, she is...the snakes came to her." Jim searched for any excuse to convince them to wrench the snakes off her. "You can use her memories, too."
"True, but at the moment we are only prepared for one, and the melding ceremony only requires one."
"She was forced to help protect my crew from the snakes. Please, let her go."
"Jim?" Aleyah's pitiful voice shook his soul.
"Please," Jim begged. "I am not leaving her."
"I'm afraid you don't have a choice, Young Kirk. She will be used for a different purpose." Lequa turned his back to Aleyah. The prince looked at Jim most joyfully, however, and Jim's stomach rebelled. "You are here to save us, but you cannot save her, today."
Jim needed no further explanation. He twisted the arm of one of the guards flanking him and drove him to his knees. A right hook sent the other reeling. He grabbed the guard's spear by the handle before it fell to the ground. Jim spun around with the guard's weapon tightly fisted and pointed the tip at Lequa's throat. "Let her go."
"I'm afraid I cannot."
Jim narrowed his eyes. "Then I will." He walked backwards, aware that with every step he made, the snakes followed him. He held the spear out and without looking at Aleyah, held up one hand to the snake on her right arm. The creature transferred itself to Jim, just as he'd hoped. As he waited for another, there was a pinch to his neck. He lurched, unable to keep hold of the spear and slapping a hand over the offended, now burning area. The dart he found there pulled out easily and he stared at it. Numbness spread over his body, his stance growing incredibly awkward. He looked accusingly at Lequa. "What...what did you give..."
He fell. He knew he did, but it was as if a cloud broke his fall.
"Jim," Aleyah whimpered.
His brow creased. He felt tugging and pulling but there was a clear lack of sensation Jim couldn't understand. Before he could comprehend what was happening to him and therefore, respond to Aleyah, they were carrying him down a corridor on some sort of board, only he couldn't feel it underneath him. Panicked, Jim searched for a reasonable explanation other than that it felt as if he were floating in the air, for that wasn't reasonable enough for him. He desperately tried to get his bearings, but found himself sorely limited. He was numb, but...different. His legs and hands moved awkwardly as he tried to push away from his captors, and he stopped when he realized his movements made no rhyme or reason and did not coordinate with what he commanded his limbs to do. Stunned, his mind resorted to thoughts on how to escape. There'd been no mistaking Aleyah's terror - she needed him.
As they passed by an open window, a gust of wind lifted the Re'an robes. The hoods of two fell off and brushed Jim's face. His heart skipped a beat in his confusion and doubt consumed him. Why couldn't he feel the fabric against him? Or the wind in his face? What had they done to him that his sense of touch registered nothing, not even the chill of the air? The only sensation he had was rage and sorrow as each step carried him further away from his crew.
"Young Kirk, I realize you are experiencing something rather unusual. I am sorry we had to take such drastic measures to insure your cooperation but it was for your benefit. So you can feel at home here you must learn to cast off your current duties and become one of us. You'll understand soon enough." Lequa patted his arm. Jim looked at the royal hand oddly. He hadn't felt a single touch. Lequa murmured to a guard, who promptly freed Jim's arm. Jim lifted his own hand and stared at it in horror.
"What did you do to me?" He whispered, clenching and unclenching his hand and finding himself even more despondent when he couldn't sense his fingers touching. It seemed impossible, but he couldn't feel. What had they done? How could he get to Aleyah and save her like this?
"It's only the beginning, Young Kirk. Soon you'll think of this as mere growing pains. The process of stripping away your identity-"
"Identity?" he repeated numbly.
"Yes, so you can be free to be one of us. It will not be easy, I confess. You will experience side effects that will eventually pass. We have more to do but the end result is nothing less than outstanding for the melding ceremony. You'll be wonderfully happy here. You have experienced happiness here already, have you not?"
Yes, he had. Jim's heart warmed for an instant. He blinked and crushed the feeling with silent accusations about Lequa. He poisoned Bones and left Aleyah behind. He had no right to talk to him about happiness.
Lequa continued. "You've perhaps felt more happiness here than you have felt anywhere else for some time."
Jim paused to consider those words, searching for a recent happy memory on the Enterprise. Recalling his shipboard life immediately brought Bones to mind, and his heart twinged with loneliness. Where there should have been joy and contentment he could only find anger and grief. His mind raced when he couldn't recollect a single, pleasurable moment. Surely he had been happy. It was his ship. His crew. He'd been happy. Hadn't he?
A scream shattered the air. Jim jolted. With his heart in his throat, he twisted his neck to look back but was obstructed by the board underneath him.
"Do not move," Lequa ordered. "You've scraped your cheek. It is bleeding."
Scraped? Bleeding? He had felt nothing. "What's going to happen to her?"
Lequa moved to block his view of any surroundings and the guards carrying Jim picked up their speed. Seconds later, Aleyah's shrieking came to a cold stop.
No one had answered his question. For a short time while he realized the xenozoologist's fate on his own, Jim was content with their silence.