Warning! Bad things ahead... sorry.

For three days tensions between the divided Starfleet officers rose. Jim watched everything unfold from his place beside Xverjabdene. It was difficult to reconcile the image he'd always had of Starfleet to the truth of their situation. Rogers was intent on spreading what Jim could only describe as a hate campaign. It was ridiculous, more than stupid and so last millennium. What was left of the Engineering department was convinced, or following the xenophobic idiot out of fear and it made his blood boil.

And then they all disappeared.

No one could find hide or hair of them. Two days of searching left everyone confused and worried. There was little doubt in Jim's mind as to where they had gone. He just hoped he was wrong. Surely the universe owed him that. Except, it totally didn't.

Another two days passed before everything went to shit.

Kodos' guards came pouring out of the forest. They surrounded the entrance, phases charged and made their way inside. Jim and Nidiss separated, running through the tunnels and warning the other 22 inhabitants. As they went, they destroyed anything which emitted light. Blinded, they had the advantage.

Jim found Abbey, Phil and Xverjabdene where he hastily explained his strategy. Basically, he and other volunteers would lead the guards on a wild goose chase through the tunnels to give everyone else time to escape. They would most likely be captured and taken before Kodos, tortured for information and killed. It wasn't the best of plans and Jim was sure Spock would kill him but he had nothing else. He had to get the kids to safety. Had to give them and Nidiss the best chance possible. Their safety was more important than anything. That was his win.

As expected, Abbey, Phil and Xverjabdene all volunteered to be heroes.

They rejoined the chase, each getting the attention of various guards and leading them deeper into their lair. These underground tunnels were less explored, decidedly more deadly for all involved. It wasn't unheard of for caverns to cave in unexpectedly, the limestone around them very old.

Phil was the first person caught. From Jim's position, he could hear the doctor cursing and thrashing around. He'd knocked out three guards, broken two noses and one arm before they'd finally subdued him.

Abbey was next, having led his guards the furthest away. He'd found himself at a dead end. Without the option of turning back, he worked the unstable rock to his advantage and engineered a small scale cave in. Before they'd stunned him, seven guards were dead, five were unconscious and another four covered in a malady of bruises and hairline fractures.

Kodos' men captured Jim not long after. Having the most extensive knowledge of their home, Jim led them to their underground water source. The river which eventually ran beside the town also happened to flow through their home. The water was inky black and chilled everyone who'd seen it. Unfortunately for the guards, the majority of them spotted the dangerous water much too later. Their bodies were ripped from the cavern and pulled down by the ferocious waters. Their short screams left echoing through the large space. From the other side, Jim watched as the two remaining men turned and hightailed it. It was a shame he'd managed to run into Xverjabdene and her perusers not long after. Jim sacrificed himself to keep her safe.

Xverjabdene escaped and left a line of broken bodies in her wake. They were the only clue as to where the others escaped. Jim had no doubts that Xverjabdene could keep everyone safe. Help from Vulcan was about due. It wouldn't be much longer.

Arriving at Kodos' mansion was pretty much exactly what Jim expected it to be. The staff said nothing about the three men, two of which were covered in nasty bruises, being led into the extravagant house. The opulence made Jim sick. People died, were dying, at the whim of a man so self obsessed he couldn't even see a solution to his own problem. That was, if the food shortage really was the reason he was killing off people left, right and centre. Jim had his doubts.

Everyone they passed, all of the guards, were well fed. They didn't seem to be weighed down by anxiety as Jim expected.

Without any form of medical treatment or consideration, they were led down into an underground cellar. Here, chains had been affixed to the walls. Each man was cuffed, kicked and spat on before the guards made themselves scarce. Probably to lick their own wounds and come up with an excuse as to why only 30 of them came back with three prisoners.

Night in the dungeons was cold and doughty. A single barred window set high in the wall between Phil and Jim let in enough air to leave them shivering against the cool stone floor. If the situation wasn't so deadly, Jim would have laughed. The room was like something taken directly from a bad movie. He just wondered if the Kodos would put on a really bad Russian accent when he came to interrogate them. That would make their incarceration worth it.

"Yho arrre nohw my prysnors. Teel mhe ahl yho knohw!" Jim rubbed his hand together and sent Phil his most evil smile. He must have looked pathetic because the old guy actually laughed.

"Sorry, evil genius sir, I'm not actually a secret agent. Just a regular old doctor." Phil shrugged in apology drawing a laugh from Abbey. They grinned at each other, ready to face anything Kodos threw at them come morning.

Unfortunately, come morning, they felt like shit. The door creaked as it opened and if Jim wasn't dead tired, he'd make a joke about it. Bone weary and exhausted, Jim just watched as three men and a woman walked inside. One of them flicked on a light and it burned. For weeks they'd mostly lived in half light. Electrical lighting wasn't a priority when everyone was slowly starving to death.

"Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy. Who'd have expected to see you here?" Kodos asked as he came closer. The light threw his features into sharp relief. Cold eyes stared down at Jim. A cruel grin stretched his lips when Jim refused to answer. Like he'd already been given everything he was after.

"Come on Jim, it doesn't have to be like this. We're alike, you and I. Better. Smarter." Kodos trailed a hand along Jim's jaw. His touch was feather light. "Just tell me where they are and you're free to go."

From the corner of his eye, Jim watched as Phil and Abbey were held down.

"You're right, Kodos. I am better than you." Jim spat. The hand on his face tightened and his chin was suddenly yanked up.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Kodos sighed and let Jim go, pushing him back against the unforgiving stone. "Inject them."

With a careless flick of his wrist, he patted Jim's cheek and turned to leave. No doubt he'd be back soon enough.

The woman, some sort of medic from the look of her, made her way over to Jim and tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear. She set her bag on the floor and carefully extracted a hypo. Flicking it twice, she grabbed Jim's hair and pulled his head to the side. Neck exposed, the needle sunk into his flesh and released its contents into his blood. Finished, she backed away.

Whatever he'd been injected with set to work straight away. Jim could feel his eyelids closing against his will. A fast acting sedative.

Jim drifted in and out of consciousness for what seemed like days. The first time he woke, his arms had been swollen three times their usual size. A sharp prick to his neck followed by a hiss and he was floating off again. Sometimes he dreamed of Earth. His friends back at the academy. Sometimes he dreamt of the Reliant and working with Scotty. Mostly, he dreamed of Spock. He knew he was dreaming and yet, it felt much too real. He could feel the intoxicating heat, the press of high gravity, Spock's skin against his own. Long fingers pressing into his cheek and temple. A kiss of minds. Love and protection and Spock and neverleaveyou, neverleaveyou, neverleavingyouagain. Mine.

Jim rejoined the living strapped to a table on his stomach. Without a shirt. Somewhere behind him voices were arguing. He tilted his head and glimpsed Phil chained to the wall. His friend looked like he'd taken on a legion of Klingons and called them dishonourable bastards. Or maybe he'd gotten the shit kicked out of him by one of the assholes who'd captured them.

"Looks like sleeping beauty finally woke up." Kodos said from somewhere behind Jim's left shoulder. It was a relief not to see him, not to see the sick joy he got out of this. Jim would rather die than give him and form of satisfaction.

"Now now pet, don't be shy." Kodos pushed something and the table began to move, lifting Jim's head and lowering his feet. When he was almost vertical, the contraption stopped with a screech. Jim refused to flinch.

"We've got a while day of fun games lined up for you today. Perhaps it'll get your friends to loosen their tongues." Kodos ran his hands along the skin of Jim's back. The touch revolted him. Up and down he rubbed at the smooth tanned skin, every pass making Jim want to vomit. Everything about it was wrong. He didn't want to be touched by anyone other than Spock. A headache formed behind Jim's eyes as he tried to keep in any physical reactions. Tears were welling behind his eyelids. His throat was uncomfortably tight. The muscles in his arms twitched, wanting to pull away.

"Why don't we get started?" Kodos asked, leaning over Jim's back to whisper straight into his right ear. "Acamarian whips should do the job."

There was a rustling behind him and then something whistling through the air. A long length of spiked leather slapped into his skin. His entire back felt like it was set on fire. Jim's mouth filled with blood as he bit his tongue to stifle any noise. He couldn't stop the tears that ran down his face. Clear twins to the rivulets of blood running down his spine. Kodos then yanked the whip from his flesh, tearing of little chunks of flesh. Someone vomited and he wished he could do the same.

Over and over again, Kodos slashed through Jim's back. The pressure in his head grew worse and worse until he finally succumbed to darkness.

A bucket of water was dumped over his head. He spluttered and coughed, trying to ease the burn in his lungs. The sudden movement opened his back and Jim swallowed a scream.

"I'm not nearly done with you." Kodos sneered. A second later something white hot was dripped into the cuts along Jim's back. The pain was unimaginable. Far worse than the whip. Worse than having every bone broken and knitted back together and broken again. There was no comparison. There was nothing but agony resonating through his body, through his mind, down into his katra.

'Spock. Spock. Spock. Spock. Spock. Help Me!' Unable to cry out, Jim screamed deep in his mind. He didn't know where he ended and the pain began. He couldn't remember what it felt like before liquid fire was poured into his veins. Everything which was once Jim, was now unbelievable torment.

From deep inside himself, Jim vaguely noticed the door rip off its hinges. Through tears and waves of debilitating pain, he watched as something hurtled through the air and straight into Kodos' chest. The snap of metal, the hiss of a hypo and alien-warm hands. Everything faded as he was unbound, washed, patched up and carried through the large house. Jim's head lolled on his rescuers shoulder, afternoon light piercing as he gazed unblinking at the colossal ships darkening the sky. Each one could eat a constitution starship for breakfast.

Jim closed his eyes and let himself fall unconscious. No doubt the next time he woke, Spock would be by his side.

There we have it. Tarsus over. Feel free to breath easier.