I apologize for the wait. Though I've been on spring break I've been swamped with family business and school stuff. So here it is, a little late. I hope you enjoy!

Answers to reviews by guests!

Jade - Am I keeping this T-rated? So far, that's the plan. I'm bad at smut.

Sass-Trek – I guess I did not realize what an emotional climax that chapter would be. Honestly. I am pleased that it was so effective. As for the consistency in Khan, I do apologize. It may have been months in between writing these chapters, honestly, but that's no excuse.

-XXX-

Shortly after Khan leaves, it strikes me that the shuttle was left behind. It takes me only a few hours to decide that I want to follow. Or, rather, leave.

The only issue, I can't drive any means of spacecraft. There was some basic training from Starfleet prior to my departure on the Union, though, that was for emergency shuttles. Not for legitimate crafts. I was taught enough to get me off of a ship and into a zone close enough for swift pick-up.

"If the coordinates were logged it, and autopilot on, I could at least make it out to some place where I could contact Starfleet…."

The idea of reaching out to Starfleet for aid isn't appealing. And, overall, I'd prefer to avoid leading them anywhere near Khan – despite everything, I want him safe. I want him and his family a chance, if I can. He's already running the gauntlet just trying to get them out. So, I hate to bring Starfleet anywhere near. Though, that might be the only option I currently have. I need to go.

I sleep on this, then rise with the dawn. I pack nothing but water and an MRE. My biggest challenge is the river. This time, I'm less weighed-down, and I go with extreme caution. I make it in ten minutes, inching slowly in an attempt to avoid slipping on the rocks below.

By the time I make it to the clearing with the shuttle, my hair is stuck to my neck with sweat. I sink against the door, sighing. It's already midday.

But I cannot rest for too long. Too soon, I'm climbing aboard. To my surprise, the vessel is perfect – nothing wrecked or locked. Khan has apparently done nothing to impede my ability to leave. Perhaps he underestimated me, or simply assumed I wouldn't have the nerve to attempt an escape.

"Typical," I murmur as I move about the cabin, examining the various mechanism.

At the pilot's console, I start the engines. It takes sometime to warm them up. While I wait, I run diagnostics. Everything appears to be in order. Surprised, I set the coordinates, then prepare to lift us out of orbit. Taking a deep breath, I set off. The jerking motion of lifting upwards, I clutch the captain's chair's arm with a squeak. I inhale slowly, then close my eyes.

The shuttle beeps. "Five minute to exiting the atmosphere. Brace for pressure."

My fingernails dig into the rubbery surface of the chairs arm. The craft shudders – then speeds up. When we break through, there is another sharp motion. My fingers fly across the console, ensuring that the shuttle is stabilized. In a matter of minutes, the white-gray haze turns to blackness, shot with streaks of white. I've made it.

"Out of atmosphere," the shuttle says. "Five days, thirteen hours, and twenty-seven minutes until destination is reached."

"Thank you," I tell the machine. Then I feel stupid for taking to a computer. I sigh, sinking into the seat. "Thank you."

-XXX-

For a few hours I watch as the galaxy passes by, then I decide to retire. Once I am sure everything is stable and I won't be thrown into a wormhole from misdirection, I set on autopilot and move to the bunk I'd originally woke up on only a day or two ago. The synthetic fibers are scratchy, but I snuggle in, trying to get cozy.

I wake to a loud beeping several hours later. Someone is hailing me. Tossing off the blankets, I race to the pilot console, bring up the comm cam, straightening myself.

Captain James Tiberus Kirk faces me, brows raised. In the background, I can see Commander Spock, Lieutenant Uhura, and Bones. McCoy is staring straight at me, his expression a cross between horror and relief.

"Dr. Nejem," Kirk beings. "This is a surprise. We expected to find you on some desolate planet in the company of a fugitive. But our readings indicate that you are alone."

"Kirk," I answer shortly. "I'm afraid you've caught me at a bad moment."

He grins. "I'll say. Would like a ride back to Terra, Dr. Nejem?"

"I believe I've already acquired one, sir."

"That bucket of rust won't last you another lightyear," McCoy protests from the background, moving forward. "We're bringing you up."

"I –"

But I can already feel the pull. The craft is being drawn into one of the Enterprise's holding bays. Huffing, I sit back in the pilot's chair. The bridge cuts off communication. I have no doubt that at least a small number of the party is hurrying down to meet me. A small thrust alerts me to my landing. Far from pleased, I remain in the shuttle. Besides the need to gather my bearings, I need to start strategizing.

The comm beeps after about ten minutes. I am asked, coolly, by Commander Spock, to exit the craft. I do so, taking nothing with me.

The bay is relatively empty. Only Scotty, the engineer, and Spock await me.

"Dr. Nejem," the Vulcan intones. "Welcome aboard the Enterprise. If you will accompany me to the bridge, Captain Kirk is eagerly awaiting you arrival. He has many questions for you."

"Oh, I bet he does," I murmur. "No doubt."

Silently, I am lead to the lift. Scotty stays behind, likely to search the shuttle. He'll find absolutely nothing of importance, aside from perhaps the last log of travel – detailing where, exactly Khan received the vehicle, though I'd been thoughtful enough to erase coordinates leading to Cylfax VI shortly after Kirk ended the call. At worst, a few jobs might be on the line. The shuttle is clearly old Starfleet junk. Someone broke a few rules to put it in the augment's hands.

We reach the bridge quickly. Entering, we pass Uhura, who glances up briefly. To my shock, the left side of her face is bright pink with the remainders of a shiny burn. Her brown eyes flicker upwards to meet mine briefly. Anger surges in them for an instant, but it soon evaporates to be replaced by her typical expression of impassivity. Spock seems to gravitate towards her as we near, though not a word, glance, or touch is exchanged.

Beyond the communications station, sits Kirk, with Leonard standing beside him. On our approach, Kirk rises.

"Dr. Nejem," he calls. "Delightful that you could join us."

"Indeed," I agree dryly. Bones is beside me in a flash, examining my face, touching my elbow.

"Are you alright? Was he rough with you? Where did you go, Alya?"

"Is this an exam?" I snap. When he recoils, I feel guilt. In my best tone of reassurance, I allow, "I'm fine, Leonard. Ship shape, I promise. Maybe slightly concussed," I admit. "But overall fine."

"You should examine her," the captain instructs in a semi-aside to the doctor. "Take her to medbay in a moment, I have a few questions."

Irritated, I move forward to "barge" into their conversation. "I am fine. And as for the rest, interrogate me or passive-aggressively dance around questions, I don't care, let's just establish this: I know nothing."

Kirk turns to me, looking far-less-than-convinced. "You say that, Dr. Nejem, yet I have my doubts. You might believe you know nothing of value, but what is and isn't of value will be established by us."

"I know nothing. Khan told me nothing. Showed me nothing."

"Somehow, I find that hard to be true," he answers dryly. "Where did he take you?"

"A planet. I don't know where, but it had deciduous forests. Possibly the Cryllian quadrant?"

My bullshit is accepted to some extent. Kirk still isn't done, however.

"What did he do with you?"

"I was kept bound," I say. "He kept us on the ship the entire time."

"How did you know the surface of the planet was deciduous, then?

"Windows," I answer shortly.

Kirks crosses his arms. "How did we come about finding you, doctor? What circumstances led to your daring escape?"

Here I add an edge of relief to my voice. "He went outside – I don't know for what. It'd been about a day or two, and I'd managed to loosen the cords he'd used to keep me tied to the bunk. Once I was sure he was going to be out for a while I released myself and took over the craft. I'd been out only for a few hours when you found me."

This lie not only served to release me from suspect, but established that the planet was only a few hours away, rather than almost a day's flight.

"So," Kirks begins slowly after a long pause. All of the bridge is quiet, listening in with baited breath. "He's alone, without any technology or resources?"

"Yes."

The captain eyes me. "You've been his champion for sometime, Dr. Nejem – why leave him?"

"Because, despite everything, this is the best option. He's away from society, Kirk – he's a very limited threat at this point. Besides, above all, I just wanted to get home." Here my voice cracks, authentically, as it is the truth. All I desired was normalcy. Should this go well, everyone would have peace – Khan, Starfleet, me. "I can't guarantee that you'll never hear from him again. But I can say chances are unlikely."

He seems to be done with me for the moment – though, whether he has bought my tale remains to be determined. Kirk regards me for a long moment with his icy blue eyes before nodding. "Very well. Bones, take her to med bay. It sounds like you've been through an ordeal, Dr. Nejem. We'll talk again later."

With that, he turns back to the bridge, and Leonard swoops in to take up my elbow, leading me to the lift. His pace is hurried, slowing only when we've entered the lift.

"Damned fool, interrogating you before you've had a proper examination. You could've been dying of internal bleeding all of those ten minutes," McCoy murmurs as he slams the button indicating the level medbay resides upon. He's not dropped my arm.

"But I'm pretty sure I'm not," I point out. "Feel fine, Leonard."

"I'll be the one deciding that." He pulls me out of the lift. Medbay is only a little ways down the hall. He shoos me inside, towards one of the examine tables. A nurse passes us, and he holds her up, requesting a variety of medical devices to be brought to him when she had the opportunity. I'm ordered to sit. He then begins probing lightly.

"Anything hurt?"

"Nope."

This isn't enough to slow him down. Taking my blood pressure, he determines that my heart is relatively okay. McCoy checks my eyes, probes my scalp, and feels along all of ribs. Next it's my joints. When he reaches my wrists, he pauses. Lifting my hands, he turns them, eyes flickering over the skin.

"You said you were tied?" he asks slowly.

I can practically see the thoughts forming in his head. The cogs turning, piecing things together to form a conclusion – a conclusion that I do not want to be reached.

"They were fabric – whatever he had on hand, I guess." Rubbing the joint, I sigh. "They're a little sore, but overall good."

Leonard is still suspicious, but he says nothing, moving on to other parts of the examination.

-XXX-

Afterwards, I am given a set of grey, baggy sweat-things. They are, according to the nurse, the only things they've got in medbay. I sourly accept them, then crawl into bed. McCoy wants me to stay the night for "observation." It's a far kinder way of saying that they want to watch me for being so suspect in regards to the augment situation. I'd prefer, either way, that we weren't so "round-about" with one another, but no one asked me.

I lay in the semi-darkness for a good hour. The medbay is relatively quiet, with no other patients. I could hear a nurse moving about, cleaning equipment, but other than that it's dead silent. The lights are dimmed, enough for comfortable sleep, and for me to see the outline of most objects about the medbay. Still, sleep is difficult to reach.

Maybe it's the new setting, maybe it's the scratchy replicated sweat-things, or maybe it's simply my mind, keeping me from any respectable rest. But I'm resigned to simply lay there, staring out past the glass dividing me from the rest of medbay.

I wonder how long it'll be before Khan returns. How long it will take for him to release his fellow and transport them all back. The portable transporter thing isn't viable to take so many. Will he hijack another ship? Or has he already arranged that? How long will it take him to realize that I'm gone? Will he even bother in looking beyond Cylfax?

Then again, do I care?

With a heavy sigh, I turn against the sheets, forcing my eyes to shut. "Do not think on it. Sleep."

Sleep will bring about a new day. And a new day might just result in me returning home. It's a slim hope, but all I've got right now.

-XXX-

Well, it looks like Alya has gotten herself into a bit of a pickle.

Reviews would be wonderful.