Chapter 27

It wasn't the pain that made him want to curl into a ball and disappear into the floor. No, it was the humiliation. The embarrassment. Marcus had smirked as he ordered men into Khan's—No, John's—cell for punishment. The old man had watched as they beat Khan into submission, his finger on the kill switch the entire time. The moment Khan would even dare to defend himself, ten of his people would die at the flip of that damned switch.

And so he had allowed it.

He had allowed the first man to punch him in the face, whipping his head painfully to the side. He had allowed the second to kick him to the stomach and then shove him to the floor. He had allowed them to break his ribs and a few vertebrae in his spine. A broken nose. A busted lip. Slight concussion.

They had laughed cruelly, their voices grating painfully in his ears like nails on a chalkboard, and though liquid rage had replaced the blood in his veins at his treatment, he was powerless to stop it. If he fought back, everyone he cared about would be destroyed, and it would be his fault. Because he had misbehaved. Because he had stepped out of line and refused to acknowledge the rules.

So, he did nothing to save himself.

"Having fun, Jonny boy?" Marcus taunted him and smiled cruelly before waltzing into the glass cell and kneeling down to look at Khan. His weathered hand forces Khan's head to the side so that he can better examine the damage. Chuckling, he continues to speak in a low and menacingly kind voice, "I said I wanted torpedoes—not missiles". He smiled but the humor didn't reach his eyes.

"Question me again," Marcus says softly. Calmly. "And I'll kill you and wake someone else instead. Or maybe...I could just tamper with the life-supports of one. How does sound? Is there anyone in those damned tubes you'd rather not be here? If so, save yourself the trouble and just say so. It'd be less pain for you, in the end." Khan's eyes go wide at the implication and Marcus chuckles hollowly in amusement. "So, do you Understand?"

"Yes," Khan had ground out with a stead voice even though the pain in his chest made him want to scream. "I Understand."

"Good. Now get your lazy ass back to work." Marcus kicks him roughly in the rib cage before marching proudly away.

Lazy? Khan blinked in surprise. He was lazy? Him? He had gone days without sleep. Without water. Food. All that just to finish Marcus's damned projects only to have the sadistic man add another one. This week it was torpedoes. What was next? A Star Ship?

Slowly, he eases himself into a sitting position and examines his wounds mentally. They were bad but there was nothing life threatening. In a few hours, he would be healed, leaving behind nothing. Not even scars.

"You alright?" A man pauses in his doorway and looks at him. Worry, not cruelty, lined his features.

"Yes," Khan gasps as he gets to his feet. "Perfectly fine." He grunts as his broken bones flair up painfully. To the Augment's dismay, the stranger notices.

"Let me help you," The man takes Khan's arm over his shoulders and helps into the hallway. Despite his resolve not to give in to the pain, Khan founds himself limping slightly. The man—who he later learned was named "David Stone," Meira's father—handed him an unopened water bottle and a container of pain medication.

"Thank you." Khan says politely as he downed two pills but saying the words burned his tongue.

"Get back to work!" Marcus marches into the room. "Or do you need more incentive?" The old man snarls.

Khan turns away and begins to struggle to get back to the lab. His leg goes out and he crashes to the ground. Marcus rolls his eyes in disgust as the Augment struggles to rise. Khan had miscalculated slightly about his wounds. Blood trickles from his nose and lip and his vision whirls around wildly from his concussion. He shouldn't have risen back up from the ground, much less walked.

"This man needs medical attention." The man from earlier—David—interjects and Khan winces inwardly.

Marcus will punish Khan for this—for allowing someone to see his weakness. He was a witness to the admiral's cruelty. One word from David Stone and Marcus's squeaky clean reputation will be tarnished. How many of his crew would perish because of that imbecile's false compassion? Didn't he see the danger he was putting Khan in? Khan never should have let the man help him. He should have snapped him neck when he had the chance, consequences be damned.

"This is a secure location," Marcus growls as he moves forward to glare at the man in an attempt to intimidate him, but Stone refuses to cower away. "I don't believe you have access to this room." Marcus snaps. "Guards! Drag this man to the brig!"

Red shirts rush forward but Stone speaks before they can apprehend him.

"I have orders from up high." He pushes a PADD forward. "I'm to work in the medbay. I believe a medical officer would take precedence in this situation, yes? Now,you." He looks at Khan. "You're with me; let's go. Good day, Admiral." Stone puts as much venom into Marcus's title as he can manage before putting Khan's arm across his shoulder and grabbing the Augment carefully around the waist.

"You're going to get yourself killed." Khan breathes. "In the end, none of this will matter."

"Maybe not, but that doesn't take your wounds away, now does it?" Stone shoots back lightheartedly and Khan smirks wryly.

"No. It does not." He conceded as they walk into the medbay and Stone helps him onto a bed. Sighing, Khan leans back and allows himself to be examined. Stone whistles under his breath.

"Oi vey!" The man exclaims. "They really give you a beating. What'd you do? Flirt with the daughter?" Khan smirks and shakes his head. "So, what's your name, then?"

"John Harrison." Khan doesn't even pause to consider telling Stone otherwise. "Who sent you here?" He wondered. Surely no one was more powerful than Marcus!

"That, my freakishly tall friend," David smiles as he walks into the medbay, "Is classified."

"Is it now?" Khan shuts his eyes tiredly as Stone wipes the blood gently from his face and bare chest.

Stone hums in confirmation, his green eyes laughing as he picked up his Tripod and scanned Khan once more.

"I recommend some bedrest," He said after wrapping Khan's ribs and fixing his spine with a small laser. "With your rate of healing, you should be out by tomorrow."

And he was right. He was healed just long enough for the guards to beat him senseless once more and then submit him to a vivisection. It was because he had done anything wrong. This time, it was a warning to others. Nothing they did would help him. Stone could bandage his wounds until the doctor was red in the face, but nothing would save Khan. Marcus would do what he wanted when he wanted. No one was going to get in his way. Nothing was going to stop him.

And yet, Stone did. Eventually. Unlike countless others, he had succeeded in halting Marcus's plan. He had smuggled his precious lab rat out to safety at the expense of his own life—just as Khan had predicted. In the end, Marcus was the one who had lost. Check and mate.

…

Something wet touches his nose and he jerks awake. That infernal puppy yipped happily and then lunged for his face once more. Khan caught it easily in his dangerous hands and glowered at the creature, but it had no shame for waking him. If anything, it got happier. Scowling, he sets the pup on the floor and sits up. His pale white hand rubs the side of his head wearily.

"Your creature is being annoying." Khan complains.

"It has a name," Meira says back from the bathroom. The water was running. Was it safe for her to be in there alone so soon after getting out of the medbay…? No. Forget it. That was one place he'd leave her alone. If she fell or something, he'd call Uhura.

"Fine. Your Amichai is obnoxious," He amended.

"But it's cute." She walks out fully clothed with the water from her her hair dripping down her the back of her shirt.

"That is arguable." He snorts. He was a war loving tyrant who destroyed cities for fun. He did not think puppies were cute!

"So, ready for work?" She throws her pillow at his head and he blinks as it bounces off him and hits the ground.

Work? He had forgotten he had that still.

"How much stronger is a Vulcan's hearing to an Augment's, do you think?" Meira asked and Khan raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" He inquired.

"Because, I want to annoy Spock. You game?" She smirks and her green eyes glow with amusement.

Like father like daughter, Khan mused.

"Definitely."