Chapter Twelve
"Bones, what does those files say about when Gael was captured?" Kirk asked as he barged into McCoy's office.
McCoy looked up, startled at Kirk's sudden appearance. "Um, she was fourteen-"
"No, Bones, when. What year was it?"
"There isn't any years or dates anywhere on the files. Just designations like 'Year 2, Day 53'," McCoy answered. "What's wrong, Jim?"
Kirk was pacing, cursing under his breath. "Remember her saying that we couldn't be in space because no one had this kind of space travel?" he asked, stopping to face the physician.
"Yeah. Thought it was odd, but I figured she was just confused."
"Well, she said that because nobody did back in her day," Kirk said. "She just told us she was from 2016."
"2016?" McCoy nearly shouted.
"Yeah, she said that's what year it was when they froze her."
"So they froze her for sixty years before taking her to space." McCoy ran a hand down his face. "They torture her for five years, then wait sixty years to take her to space to resume their 'experiments'. Why?"
Kirk, who had resumed pacing, paused. "The Eugenics Wars...Bones, what if the augmentation experiments went on longer than we thought? What if Khan and his bunch weren't an isolated thing? What if there were other experiments back then?"
Gael stood by Pavel's chair on the bridge. After they put her clothes away in the wardrobe, Sulu and Pavel led her up to bridge where she met Commander Spock for the first time since he had come to Sickbay. He simply gave her a deep nod from where he sat in the captain's chair. Uhura, however, got up from her station long enough to give Gael a hug.
Since she didn't know why she was on the bridge, Gael stayed by Pavel's console as he explained how it worked.
Ten minutes later, Kirk and McCoy came in.
"Keptin on ze bridge," Pavel announced, seeing them out of the corner of his eye.
"Gael, may I speak with you a minute?" Kirk asked as he stood in front of the captain's chair that Spock had just vacated. Nodding, she approached him. "We sent a report regarding your situation to Starfleet, and Admiral Archer will be contacting is a few minutes with his initial findings. I'd like for you to be here for it. If anything sounds familiar to you, we'll know we're on the right track."
"Right track for what?" she asked.
"To find the ones responsible for...kidnapping you," McCoy answered. "We want to find them if they are still around."
Gael felt cold dread well up inside and turn her stomach into acid. "Why?"
Everyone sensed her tensing up and going on the defensive.
Pavel was standing and at her side in a moment.
"Ve vant zem to be brought to justice for vot zey did to you and ze ozers zees Eenstitute took," he said, slowly taking her hand and squeezing it reassuringly.
"Ye donnae want tae give me back?" she breathed tentatively.
McCoy sighed and felt his heart breaking for her once more. Gently laying a hand on her shoulder, he looked Gael in the eye. "You'll go back to anyone like them over my dead body, you hear me?"
Kirk nearly smirked at the doctor's words. McCoy's affection for the Irish girl was becoming more obvious every day. For a moment, Kirk wondered how much longer Bones would lie to himself before admitting that he saw Gael as daughter. Gael turned her wide hazel eyes to him. Kirk gave his firm, one-word answer with a soft grin. "Never."
Gael felt a warmth deep in her chest disperse the cold, tight dread inside her. She wanted to do nothing more than throw her arms around men before her and let herself be engulfed the safety and protection they so willingly offered her, but she did not want to embarrass any of them in front of the rest of the bridge crew. Blinking back the tears pricking her eyes, she just nodded mutely. Pavel squeezed her hand once more and whispered, "Мы здесь для вас, дорогой друг," before returning to his navigator's console. She was not sure what he said, but she got the idea from the tone of his voice. She smile gratefully at the Russian, and moved closer to McCoy who stood by Kirk's chair. She looked to Sulu, who sent her a warm smile that seem to say, "Yeah, what he said." As she came to stand by McCoy, his arm slipped around her shoulders protectively. Kirk took his place in his chair, and Spock, who had watch the events before him from the distance of the science station, came forward to take his normal, stoic stance by his captain.
"Starfleet is hailing us, Captain," Uhura announced.
"Good, on screen, please, Lieutenant."
A middle-aged man in the charcoal grey uniform of an officer sitting in an office filled the screen. His brown hair was lightly streaked with grey, and crows-feet creased the outer corners of his brown eyes. "Greetings, Captain Kirk," he said with a slight smile.
"Afternoon, Admiral," Kirk saluted the man. "I hope you have good news for us. I'd like to present our guest to you." He turned his chair and motioned toward Gael. "This is Miss Gael of Ireland. She endured five years at the hands of this 'Institute'."
"I am very sorry for all that happened to you, Miss," Admiral Archer said with compassion. "I read Mr. McCoy's report. I can't imagine going through all of...that."
"Thank ye, sir," she murmured with a nod, nervously shifting even closer to McCoy. Gael still felt trepidation of men who looked like military officers.
"As for good news, I wish I had more to give than what I do," Archer continued. "We are fairly sure this 'Institute' mentioned in the recovered files is what would become the Daystrom Institute. Several founding members were later found to be tangled up in eugentics and the Augments."
"Augments? You mean like Khan?" McCoy asked.
"Yes, Doctor."
McCoy's arm instinctively tighten around Gael.
"Khan? As in the Eastern tyrant?" she asked.
"You know Khan?" Kirk gasped, swiveling his chair toward her.
"O' him, sure," Gael nodded. "He twas in my history book. He was exiled jus' afore I was born, I think. Some called him a freedom fighter and good leader."
"I sense a 'but' in there," Archer prompted.
Gael nervously twisted her hands. "Well, some the accounts I read about what he did tae people who stood up tae 'im or entered his lands..." she swallowed thickly. "I donnae remember much now, but I think he was...less than...understanding...towards them..."she trailed off uncertainly, suddenly aware that everyone was watching her.
Spock was first to speak. "You would be correct, Miss Gael. Our personal experience with the Augment know as Khan was...less than pleasant. You remember well for an individual who was removed from school as early as you were."
"I always liked history," she murmured. "and I learn quickly...I think...Tha' what Ma always told me."
"Well, as I said, we believe that it might refer to the Daystrom Institute," Admiral Archer said. "In the early years there was a big issue among the board members regarding whether or not it was ethical for the biology department to experiment on live human subjects."
"That sounds like our folks," McCoy growled.
"But the Daystrom Institute was founded after Gael was frozen," Kirk commented.
"Our guess is that they might have been trying to convince the rest of board to allow the human experimentation so that they could continue their work in the open," Archer answered.
"Ye mean, they might have...done...m-more...? Gael gasped. Shuddering, she buried her face in McCoy's shirt for a moment before remembering her promise to herself to not cause them any embarrassment in front of others. As she began to pull away, McCoy tightened his arms around her, lightly pressing her head to his chest.
"Jim, I don't think having Gael here while you discuss all this is a good idea," he said.
"Nay, I'm fine." Gael firmly pushed away and wiped at her teary eyes fiercely.
"Darlin', you don't have to stay if it's painful," McCoy soothed. "We aren't gonna judge you."
"I'll be okay. I need tae know," she answered, but slipped her hand into his.
"Alright," McCoy sighed, squeezing her hand firmly.
"Can you tell us anything else, Admiral?" Spock asked.
"I'm afraid not, Commander," Archer admitted. "I'm sending you a databurst with the names of the board who advocated eugenics and experimentation."
"Thank you, sir."
"I'm sorry that it's not more, but I will update you as I can. Archer out."
"Captain, we are receiving a data package from the Admiral."
"Thank you, Uhura. Send it to my PADD," Kirk said. He rose and went over to Gael. "You gonna be okay, kiddo?"
She nodded and gave him a weak smile.
"I'm taking you back to your room, Darlin'," McCoy said. "You need some time to decompress after all that," Gael simply nodded again, not trusting herself to speak.
"Aww, come here, sweetheart." Kirk opened his arms, and Gael immediately walked into them, burying her face in his gold command shirt. "I know whole 'they might not have been done with you' is a frightening thought, but we aren't gonna let anything like that happen to you ever again." He held her close a few long moments, his cheek resting on her head, before releasing her.
"Thank ye, Cap'n."
"For you, sweetheart, it's just Jim," he winked at her, causing her let out a tiny, little giggle. "Now go on, before Bones has an all-out, Sourthern, hissy-fit."
McCoy rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I do not have hissy-fits."
"Yes, you do. Every time I go to Sickbay."
McCoy muttered something about Jim and showing real hissy-fits as he took Gael's hand and lead her to the turbo lift. She just let him. Her mind could not shake the thought of the possibility of enduring any more...anything...at the hands of the Institute. Without realizing it, she leaned back against the lift wall, tipped her head back against it, and let out a heavily sigh. Tears began to sting her eyes again. She several deep breaths in an attempt to get her frazzled nerves and emotions under control.
"Gael?" McCoy's voice sounded from her right. "You alright?" She felt him stop the lift between levels and turn towards her. "Talk to me, Darlin'. What's wrong?"
"It's just alot tae take in..." she lied in whisper, closing her eyes.
"Gael."
"Th' thought o' someone...advocatin'... usin' people, innocen' people, f-for guinea pigs...all in th' name o' science... an'...an' progress..."
"Darlin', listen-"
"I am Subject 23," she breathed. "Twenty-three. There was a' least...twenty-three others, includin' mae brother Aiden...who went through wha' I did...and they're gone..."
"Gael."
"Jus' like tha'...probably nae proper burial...families ne'er...knowing w-wha' happened tae their loved ones..." Tears silently slipped down her face as scenes from her darkest days flashed under her eyelids.
"Gael!" A sob escaped her pale lips. As McCoy watched she had been growing paler and paler over the last few minutes.
"An-an'...an' tae think they were nae...were nae..."
"GAEL!" McCoy gripped her upper arms to make her face him. Gael, lost in her memories , flinched violently. "Gael Darlin', look at me!" he choked out. Dang it. It seriously hurt him to see her like this. Slowly, her pain-filled eyes opened. "Listen to me," he said. "No one is goin' to touch you ever again. Ya hear me? Never ever again." He crushed her to his chest, fighting back his own tears that were stinging his eyes. "I won't let 'em. They'll have to kill me first."
Gael threw her arms around his chest, taking folds of his shirt's back into a death grip. He felt his shirt dampen as she sobbed and mumbled something in a language he did not understand, presumably Gaelic. 'It's alright, Darlin', let it all out," he soothed, gently rubbing circles on her back.
Her grip on him tightened, and she suddenly let out a muffled scream. Her hands finally let go of his uniform, and gripped either side of her head instead. "Is it another episode?" McCoy quickly asked. She nodded against his sternum. He immediately slapped the button to get to the lift moving and barked out an order for it to take them to the Sickbay level.
When the doors opened, he scooped her up into a bridal carry, and charged down hallway to Sickbay. There, he carefully laid her down a bed where she immediately curled into the fetal position, still clutching her head. He dashed over to the med cabinets, searching for an appropriate pain-killer, calling out for a nurse to prepare a sedative. Once his hypo was ready, he rushed back to Gael's side. "Okay, I've got a pain-killer for ya, then I'm gonna give ya a sedative so you can sleep through this thing." She nodded with another cry of pain and pushed her hair off her neck so he could administer the hypo. A few moments later, the nurse had brought him the sedative, and Gael had already sagged in relief as the pain-killer took effect. He gave her the sedative and sighed in his own relief when her eyes fluttered closed. Giving the empty hyposprays back to the nurse, he plopped down in a chair by her beside and ran a hand down his face. Gosh, this hurt. She was just a kid, for cryin' out loud. Nobody should have to deal with stuff like this, least of all, someone like Gael. He raised his eyes to her sleeping form. She was still curled on her side, facing him. She looked so young...so innocent...now that the lines of pain were gone from her face.
Slowly, he pulled his communicator out of his pocket. "McCoy to Bridge."
Jim's cheerful voice sounded out of place as it came through. "What's up, Bones? You took Gael back to her quarters, right?"
"We never made that far."
Jim's voice instantly colored with concern. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"She had another episode in the turbo lift, Jim. I had to bring her back to Sickbay for a pain-killer and sedative." He could hear murmurs of horror in the background before Jim answered.
"Is she okay?"
"She completely out, Jim. She can't feel anything."
Kirk cursed quietly. "Dang it, it's all my fault. If I hadn't insisted on her being there-"
"Now, wait a minute-"
"I thought it might do her good...you know, help her to know we're going after these-"
"Jim!" McCoy nearly yelled.
"Sorry, Bones."
"Jim, she wanted to be there. We offered her an out and she chose to stay. That was her choice." He heard a huff on the other end. "Look, I just wanted let you guys know since we probably won't be at dinner."
"Okay, Bones. Keep us in the loop."
"Will do, Jim." He looked over at the sleeping girl. Gently, taking her hand in his, McCoy brushed a kiss to her forehead, and laid his head on the edge of the mattress. Wearily, he closed his eyes, and was asleep in moments.
Мы здесь для вас, дорогой друг = we are here for you, dear friend.
Author's note: Sorry it's been awhile since my last update. Had to take care of some family stuff and I'm working through a case of writer's block. If the chapter is horrible or weird or doesn't made sense, I'm blaming it on writer's block.