Chapter 28
Operation Annoy The Vulcan was a go.
Meira looks at Khan as Spock enters the lab.
"So, is it true Augments are smarter than Vulcans?" Meira asked Khan and he bit down a smirk. "What do you think Spock?"
"I believe that one's intelligence cannot adequately be tested and therefore there would not be a reasonable test to which to test your hypothesis. Also, the intelligence of an individual would vary from person to person in a species. Therefore, one individual may by more intelligent than one Vulcan, but the opposite could just as easily be true."
Meira sighed quietly.
Spock plugged in his microscope and peered down at a bacteria culture. Khan walked past the Vulcan and unplugged his device as Khan reached for a sample of his own. Spock's eyebrow twitched slightly before he plugged the microscope back in.
Meira waited five minutes and then stretched her legs out, kicking Spock in the shin.
"Oops. Sorry'," she said.
She did not sound sorry. She soon unplugged Spock's microscope. Slightly irritated Spock stared at them both in turn.
"I do not understand the reason for your antics. Would you care to explain?"
"Explain what?" Meira asked innocently.
Spock inhaled slowly and then exhaled. He blinked. He turned to Khan.
"Khan, perhaps you could—"
"I do not know what you are referring to? What do you mean by 'antics', Commander?" Khan asked flatly.
Spock left the room.
"I believe our mission was a success," Khan stated simply and they high-fives.
"As do I."
…
Meira was lying on her bunk with her arms crossed behind her head and Amichai sitting lightly on her chest. The dog yipped lightly at Khan before yawning and curling in Meira's side.
"So…" Meira stated. Khan waited patiently for her to continue. "What is the likelihood that Spock will shoot us out of an airlock later for irritating him?"
"I place my odds at approximately 98%, but you should be fine." Khan lay down as well. If he stretched his foot out, he could almost kick her ankle.
"Well, as long as I'm okay, and, hey, I'd finally have the room to myself. I say this calls for a celebration." A smile crawls onto her face.
"My slow and painful death in the depth of space, requires celebration?" Khan raised himself up onto his elbow to peer at her. Her eyes were closed; the back of her head was cradled in her palms. Her chest rose and fell slowly as she breathed.
"Of course," her eyelids flickered but remained shut. She stretched out more and groaned slightly as she relaxed. She'd be asleep any minute now; he just knew it. "We're all dust in the wind anyway, right?" A large, silent yawn.
"Well, aren't you the optimist?" Khan joked sarcastically in a low purr. His boot reached out and tapped her sock covered toes. Her eyebrows furrowed and she pulled her leg back onto her mattress instead of letting it hand off her bunk.
"Stop," she murmured. "I'm sleeping." She rolled onto her side facing away from him and he smiled crookedly.
"I know." He stood and covered her with his blanket "Goodnight."
He lay back down.
…
Alarms rang wildly. Meira jerked up in her bed and fell to the ground. Nimbly, Khan hopped over her fallen body, whipped around, and grabbed her by the arm. He yanked her quickly to her feet and then they were racing towards the bridge. Meira stumbled after him, her feet still clumsy from sleep. Growling irritably, Khan scooped her up into her arms and carried her the rest of the way, the scene blurring as he raced wildly through the corridors.
"Take us up! Sulu! UP!" Khan heard Kirk shout before the Enterprise jolted upwards, the highway tilting high and high until Khan began to skid backwards. Meira yelped and wrapped her arms tightly around Khan's neck as his arm swung out and clasped ahold of an entryway. His free arm held her closer protectively as tables, crew members, and other debri flew past them.
"Khan!" Meira screamed over the sound of the shrieking engines. Khan ducked his head closer to her to better hear her as he entered the entry way and leaned against the roof—now wall—of the corridor. "What's happening?"
"We're under attack!" He yelled back but his words were snatched away as the hull shuddered from the outside assault.
"Raise shields, Sulu! Do it! DO IT!" Khan heard Kirk shout.
"I can't, sir! All systems are failing! We don't have enough power—all systems are going into auxillary mode, sir—basic life support!"
"Can we warp?" Kirk shouted back.
"Negative, sir!" Sulu replied.
Khan shifted Meira to his back and quickly began to scale upwards. He blinked as their gravity regulator switched off and they began to float aimlessly. Meira held onto his neck and kicked her legs in an effort to direct them towards the bridge; they spun out of control.
"Stop!" Khan ordered sharply. "Hold still! Wrap your legs around my waist and hold on!"
He then kicked off the walls, flipping head over heels until they floated onto the bridge. Khan grabbed onto the Captain's chair and gazed coolly down at Kirk as his legs began to rise, lifting his body above the young captain. Meira's hair fanned out behind Khan's head and Kirk smirked crookedly at the pair.
"What's the situation, Captain?" Khan glowered, his blue eyes stabbing into Kirk's.
"We're being attacked by an unmarked Romulan ship with EMP capabilities. Our shields took the brunt of their attack, but we're out of power. We can't outrun them and we're severely outgunned. Got any ideas?" Kirk asked, his aqua eyes wide and searching.
"I could hack the crap out of it." Meira said instantly and Khan's eyebrows shot up with surprise. Kirk, too, looked at her with disbelief. "That's why I'm here…right? To…hack things?"
Meira frowned and Kirk swallowed quickly, his mind running in circles.
"Um…sure. I mean—yes. That's—that's why you're here." Kirk turned to the pilot. "Sulu, do we have enough power for her to—"
"We don't have a lot, but we may have just enough juice for her plan to be successful, sir."
"Spock?" Kirk glances at his first officer.
"I concur, but haste is of the utmost importance, Captain."
"Alright," Kirk nodded. "Go for it."
"Get me to a monitor." Meira directed Khan.
He pushed off Kirk's chair and they glided smoothly across the room. Khan grabbed onto a chair with one hand and grabbed Meira's shoulder with the other. Easily, he maneuvered her into the seat as the enemy's weapons began to prepare itself for another assault. Meira punched on her seatbelt and Khan settled himself into the chair beside her. He watched as she created complex algorithms—her fingers a fury of motion.
"Meira?" Panic licked at Kirk's voice as the weapon's straightened, taking careful aim.
"Hang on." Her voice was calm. Emotionless.
Flat.
"Meira?!" Kirk shouted, louder this time. The weapon had locked onto them. It lit up slowly as it recharged. It would be operational within seconds. "Any time now would be great!"
"Shut up!" Meira snapped. "I'm working!"
"If you could work faster that would be—"
"Captain." Khan's voice was quiet but firm and commanding. "Hold. Your. Tongue!"
"But—"
"SILENCE!" Khan roared before turning to glare at the young captain just as Meira sent the code. The Enterprise watched in awe and their attacker's weapons flopped uselessly down to the side. Small explosions sounded on board, the smoke vanishing into space just as quickly as it had been birthed. It's interior lights flicked off and slowly the ship fell back into a black hole. Within minutes, the hull was completely ripped apart.
"Did it," Meira smiled sheepishly at Khan and he sighed—internally—with relief.
Kirk released a shuddering breath: "Okay, then." He put a hand to his forehead and his eyes closed for a moment before he hit the comm button on his chair. "Mr. Scott! How long will it take for you to fix my ship?"
"Eh…I'll get back to you on that one, Captain, but it'll take a while."
Kirk sighed and nodded. "Can you at least fix the gravity problem?"
"Already working on it, sir. Let me get the generators back on line…just give me thirty minutes."
"Alright." Kirk sighed and looked around at the bridge. "Guess we're hanging out here for a while, then."
"Speak for yourself," Meira scoffed. She released her belt and floated towards the windshield of the ship, she kicked off the thick glass and made it to the command chair, knocking heads with Kirk. They both winced at the sudden shock of pain. Khan shook his head at the woman before releasing his own belt and pushing off of his chair. He grabbed her arm and she clambered back onto his back. Quickly, he bounced with into the hallway and eventually into their dorm.
"Now what?" Khan asked as she loosened her grip and flipped over him, her body upside down, her eyes level with his forehead.
"Simple," she kicked off the roof and splayed her fingers towards his chest. "I reclaim my territory!"
Lightly, her fingers pushed against his torso and propelled him out of the room and into the corridor just as he grabs her dog, Amichai, gingerly in his powerful hands. She caught herself on the doorway and closed the door with her foot, closing him outside.
"The room is mine once more!"
He smirks at her challenge.
"No for long," he vowed.