Eighteen

A sigh of relief escaped from Emily's lungs as she sagged back into the chair, trying to calm the frantic beating of her heart. That had been far, far too close for comfort. Between losing Admiral Pike, almost losing Leonard to that torpedo, she wasn't sure she could afford this much anxiety at once. She knew that Jim would never stop jumping into reckless decisions like that; it was in his nature to put himself in danger. But that didn't stop her from caring, or getting angry whenever he could have just as easily avoided the situation. Though he would never admit it out loud, the feelings were entirely mutual.

"Good to see you, Scotty," Jim sighed in relief after a few seconds had passed.

The blinking dots representing Jim and Khan had disappeared the moment they had arrived in the enemy's ship, which was why Emily had feared the worst until Scotty spoke up. She knew nothing good would come out of losing both the Captain and some madman hellbent on revenge. Though Khan's death would have been more of a blessing than a curse.

"Who is that?" Scotty asked.

"Khan, Scotty, Scotty, Khan," Jim introduced them quickly.

"Hello," Scotty answered hesitantly, as if put off by Khan's sudden appearance.

"They'll know we're here," Khan got right to the point, ignoring Scotty's greeting, "I know the best way to the bridge."

Oh, I bet you do, Emily thought with a roll of her eyes. Something told her Khan knew more about the enemy ship than Marcus himself did. What worried her though, was what Khan would do to Jim and Scotty once they had reached the bridge. She hoped Jim knew what he was getting himself into. She cut off the com at the moment they had started making their way to the bridge. She didn't want the crew getting distracted; plus, they were still waiting for that transmission from New Vulcan, as Spock had requested.

She knew that Spock wanted to discuss matters with his counterpart. If anyone had information on Khan, it was Spock Prime. She just hoped that the older version of Spock would be willing to relent said information. She understood that there were risks in relenting information about the future. Such information could just as easily cause a shift in the timeline, thus ruining it once again. But she also realized that any advantage they had at that point was better than nothing. Khan was willing to do whatever it took to claim victory. And she suspected that he wouldn't just stop with Earth or any planet involved with the Federation.

He would have been in for a nasty surprise though if he did try attacking Earth again. One attack was enough to put everyone on alert, including the Avengers. She knew full-well they wouldn't allow him to get away with the damage that was inflicted on the planet, especially in light of recent events.

Hopefully it won't come to that, she reminded herself.

"Uhura, have you heard anything new from New Vulcan?" she asked, turning to the Lieutenant in question.

"The transmission's just come in," Uhura nodded.

"On screen, please," Spock called.

"Standby," Uhura reported, replacing the image on the viewing screen with that of what appeared to be an older Vulcan who looked surprisingly similar to Spock.

Memories of meeting Spock Prime suddenly came rushing back. Emily couldn't help but offer a small smile when she saw his familiar face once more. She knew that she and Jim wouldn't have likely survive on Delta Vega if it hadn't been for him. To top things off, he was the one who encouraged her to continue her relationship with Leonard. Though truthfully, that hadn't been a difficult decision in the first place when she thought about it.

Nowadays she wasn't sure what the outcome of their relationship would be like. Her thoughts drifted back to the way Leonard had been acting since their encounter with Khan. She knew he still felt resentful towards for all the years she had ignored him entirely, and she couldn't blame him for feeling that way. Maybe at the end of the day, they were never meant to be together. Whatever the case, she wanted him to make a decision he would be happy with. Hers wouldn't likely matter regardless of what she said.

I was never meant to live a happy life, she told herself silently.

Those thoughts had continued consuming her for years. Leonard was well aware of the fact that she had wandered down a darker path in the past. She could still remember the shock registering on his face when she told him of how she tried taking her own life. It hadn't been worth living if all everyone saw of her was a monster. She couldn't bring herself to admit that his ignorance had also led to such devastating feelings. Her self-harm and self-destruction had only stopped because Clint caught her in time. She knew it was a possibility that she could wander down that path again, especially if Leonard chose to leave her after all was said and done.

"Mr. Spock," the older Vulcan greeted, seeing the younger Spock first.

"Mr. Spock," Spock gave a nod in response.

Emily found herself struggling not to let out a sigh of relief at the sight of a familiar face. Talking to Spock Prime might have given them some valuable insight on what they were up against. While he had promised that he wouldn't interfere with this world anymore than he already had, they needed anything they could get their hands on. Seeing the look on Spock's face told her that he was thinking the same thing. Any advantage was better than none.

"Liaison Coulson, it is a pleasure to see you again," the older Vulcan gave her a knowing look when he noticed her sitting in the Captain's chair.

She hadn't missed the looks of surprise that followed when Spock Prime addressed her. Leonard was the only one she told about meeting Spock Prime along with Jim. She'd explained how he was the one who saved her when she was on the verge of freezing to death. If it hadn't been for Spock Prime, she knew that she wouldn't have lasted for more than a few minutes on that icy planet. She glanced at Leonard knowingly when he reached her, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. She couldn't hide the sheepish smile that followed.

Despite the tension from earlier, she didn't allow that to show. Spock Prime had been all too aware that she had a bloody past. That the tension between herself and Leonard would likely never fade away. But at least they worked around each other and had been reestablishing their relationship since enlisting in the Academy.

"Likewise, sir," she returned the gesture.

"I will be brief," Spock began after Emily had given him a nod of approval. She wasn't even sure where to begin with Spock Prime so, it was best to leave the questions to someone who did, "In your travels, did you ever encounter a man named Khan?"

Spock Prime's expression changed from a look of calm to utter disbelief when his younger counterpart mentioned Khan's name. A lump formed in the back of Emily's throat as she realized that whoever Khan was, he couldn't be anyone good. Spock Prime had conveyed so much more emotions than Spock did. If he was worried about Khan's presence in their world, then he likely had a good reason behind his worries.

"As you know, I have made a vow never to give you information that could potentially alter your destiny," Spock Prime explained, his brow furrowed as he gazed at them thoughtfully. "I have already said too much while you and Kirk were on Delta Vega."

Somehow, that doesn't surprise me, Emily thought as she recalled how worried Spock Prime had been about giving away too much information. The only reason she had asked was because she had been genuinely curious of what her life had been like in his world. What bothered her more than anything was how much their lives had changed. They could have just as easily moved on and ignored one another entirely, but instead, she'd allowed her curiosity to get the better of her.

"Your path is yours to walk, and yours alone," he added in a grim tone. "That being said, Khan Noonien Singh is the most dangerous adversary the Enterprise ever faced. He is brilliant, ruthless, and he will not hesitate to kill every single one of you."

"Did you defeat him?" Spock asked.

"At a great cost," Spock Prime nodded, "Yes."

"How?" Emily leaned forward, eager to know exactly how Khan was defeated.

.

.

After a long discussion about how they had defeated Khan in the past, Emily wasn't sure what to do. She knew what the right thing to do was, but her mind was trying to run over the multiple scenarios that would follow. She doubted Khan would fall for the trick of lowering the shields while Jim, Carol and Scotty were still aboard. This was why Jim should have assigned Spock as acting Captain. At least with his knowledge, he would have already thought of something. She couldn't even begin to think of what to do if anything happened to all three of them while Khan was still on the move. While every fiber of her being wanted to take Khan down without any remorse, she knew that wasn't the answer.

Her mind was already churning with anxiety as it was when she tried thinking of how she would handle the situation. With the torpedoes still aboard the Enterprise, they still had one advantage. But she was aware that Khan would do whatever it took to get his hands back on those torpedoes. She had little doubt in the back of her mind that he was a strategist, and that he would use his mindset to his advantage. So they needed to be faster.

"Captain, if I may?" Spock inquired, and she looked at him in surprise, "I believe there is something we can do." She simply nodded in approval, knowing full well there wasn't many options she could provide at the moment, "Lieutenant, I need you to assemble all senior medical and engineering staff in the weapons bay."

"Alright," Uhura nodded, looking a bit surprised by his request.

"Why the weapons bay?" Emily eyed the Vulcan curiously as he gestured for Leonard to join them.

"Doctor McCoy, you inadvertently activated a torpedo, could you replicate the process?" he asked.

"Why the hell would I want to do that?" Leonard scoffed.

"Can you, or can you not?"

"Dammit, man. I'm a doctor, not a torpedo technician!"

"The fact that you are doctor is precisely why I need you to listen very carefully."

.

.

This wasn't going to be easy. Emily closed her eyes for a brief moment as she thought of the crew and the trouble they were currently in.

She didn't plan on letting anything happen to them. When she talked things through with Natasha and Clint, she'd told them that if it ever came down to it, she would give her life to protect those she cared about. She knew that in the end, it wasn't worth grieving over her.

It suddenly made her wonder what the others would have thought if they knew her intentions. More specifically, what Leonard would have said to that. Oh, he would have given her hell for even considering the option. But she also knew that he wouldn't have even dreamed of talking to her had she never enlisted in Starfleet.

Fate works in mysterious ways, she reminded herself. When Spock Prime had asked when she enlisted in Starfleet, he was surprised to hear that SHIELD told her to do so. He was even more surprised to hear that she had been reluctant to enlist, at first. When he found out why, he suddenly understood. Though, he was hardly surprised when she explained to him that Leonard jumped at the opportunity to enlist after she told him the news.

While they hadn't exactly done the same thing in his world, Spock Prime had mentioned something similar happening in his timeline. She almost smirked as she wondered what Leonard was like in his timeline. She had little doubt they were any different if Spock Prime spoke so fondly of both of them.

"Sulu," she turned to the helmsman, having returned to the chair and her job as acting Captain, "Can you scan for Jim?"

"Our sensor array is down," Sulu replied with a shake of his head, "I can't find him."

Emily felt her blood run cold when the viewing screen flickered back on, revealing Khan while holding Jim, looking a little battered, at phaser point. The fact that his phaser was pressed against Jim only made her fists clench with fury.

"I'm going to make this very simple for you," Khan began, his voice cold and calculating as usual.

"Captain!" Spock exclaimed as Emily cursed under her breath, having already guessed Khan would try pulling off some kind of trick.

"Your crew for my crew."

"You betrayed us," Spock glared at Khan.

Emily's chest tightened with worry as she spotted Carol in the background, laying on the ground while clutching her leg. Scotty was sprawled out on the floor beside her, likely knocked out the moment Khan was given the chance. She wasn't entirely surprised that Khan had betrayed them, but it left her stomach twisting in a knot with anger.

"Oh, you are smart, Mr. Spock," Khan spoke mockingly.

"Emily, don't—" Khan hit Jim in the back of his head with the phaser before he could finish his warning, and Emily's eyes narrowed with hate as she glared at Khan.

"Liaison Coulson, give me my crew." After their discussion with Spock Prime, there was no way in hell Emily would give up that easily.

"And exactly what would you do when you get them?" she demanded, keeping her voice steady, despite the situation they were in.

"Continue the work we were doing before we were banished," Khan sneered.

"Which as I understand it involves the mass genocide of any being you find to be less than superior," Spock retorted before Emily could open her mouth, having already heard what Khan and his people were capable of.

"Shall I destroy you, Mr. Spock, or perhaps your acting Captain?"

A shiver of rage crawled through Emily as she glared back, that familiar spark of hatred suddenly returning. This man was responsible for killing innocent people in London. He had killed Admiral Pike, and injured both Scotty and Carol, along with Jim. She'd watched far too many people die in her lifetime to allow it to happen again. Her mind was churning with fury as she continued glaring at the screen, knowing there was only so much she could do in her position.

"We have no transporter capabilities," he cut in, having noticed the comeback she was about to fire at Khan.

He knew just how spirited she was from the moment she was assigned to work with him on the Kobyoshi Maru. Liaison Coulson was not like other crew members. It was with that fact that he wouldn't allow Khan to take advantage of her, especially with so much at stake. If she lost control now, the end results would be disastrous.

"Fortunately, mine are perfectly functional. Drop your shields."

"How do we know you won't just attack us the moment shields are lowered?" Emily retorted, and the term, 'if looks could kill', was eloquently painted within her eyes.

"Well, let me make myself clear than, Liaison Coulson," Khan sneered, "Firstly, I will kill your Captain to demonstrate my resolve, then if yours holds, I will have no choice but to kill you and your entire crew. If you destroy our ship, you will also destroy your own people. Your crew requires oxygen to survive, mine does not. I will target your life support systems located behind the aft nacelle. And after every single person aboard your ship suffocates, I will walk over your cold corpses to recover my people. Now, shall we begin?"

Emily swallowed hard, knowing that Khan was telling the truth. She glanced at Spock, not missing the look he was giving her.

"Lower shields," she sighed, suddenly wishing that they had fired those torpedoes on him when they had the chance.

"A wise choice, Coulson." She glowered when he turned and kicked Jim, as if to prove a point, before heading to the controls to command transport for all seventy two torpedoes. "I see all seventy-two torpedoes are still in their tubes. If they're not mine, I will know it."

"Vulcans do not lie," Spock reminded him. "The torpedoes are yours."

"Now, give us back our crew," Emily snapped.

Khan only chuckled at that, finding her reaction all the more amusing.

"As you wish," he replied, and they watched as Jim, Carol and Scotty, who had just started waking up, disappeared in swirling lights.

"Sulu?" she turned to the helmsman warily.

"They're on board," Sulu reassured her.

"Of course," Khan smirked, the smug look on his face making Emily wish she could punch it off, "After all, no ship should go down without her Captain."

"He's locking phasers on us!" Sulu reported frantically as alarms began to go off, Khan ending the transmission shortly after.

"Where are the others?" Emily asked, knowing they'd need medical attention right away.

"The brig!"

"Right." Emily turned to Spock, who seemed to understand what was going on through her mind. "Spock, I'm putting you in charge as Captain," she told him, knowing the Vulcan would have a better sense of knowing what to do than she would any day. "I need to check in with Engineering."

Spock was barely able to nod in agreement when she made a run for it, trying desperately to shut out the panic that quickly followed, and ignoring whatever everyone else was trying to ask her.

.

.

She tried not to wince as she crashed into a wall as the ship not only jolted, it started leaning as the gravity that had cut off the power grid failed. She stole a quick glance out the window, realizing with horror that the ship was slowly being caught in Earth's gravitational pull. Her heart was racing with dread as she realized the only reason for this to happen was because the warp core had gone offline. Anyone who hadn't strapped themselves to safety harnesses were being thrown in different directions, and she grimaced as she thought of what would happen if a hole was breached.

She hadn't missed the fact that the evacuation alarms went off, but she kept pushing herself towards Engineering, knowing that something needed to be done. She had gotten to know the ship well enough that she could reach any place like the back of her hand. The problem was, with the power offline, the crew couldn't even evacuate if they were given a chance. The escape pods were activated by emergency power switches, which were also connected to the warp core. Knowing that much, she needed to figure out what had caused the power outages before it was too late.

Once she had reached Engineering, she spotted Chekov desperately trying to get some sort of program into the controls. He was trying to find out what was wrong. Guilt suddenly swept over her as she realized that poor Chekov had been left in charge of all this chaos. No wonder he looked so stressed, especially since she was the most qualified of all to handle the situation. Emily knew in that moment that she should have been down there with him instead of leaving him to pick up the slack.

"Chekov! Pavel!" she called after running to him, prying him away from the controls and spinning him around to face her, "I've got this, you leave the ship now while you can!"

"But—"

"Now!" she snapped.

She shoved him away as she reached the controls, not bothering to check and make sure he had run as she ran through the programs on the controls, struggling to find out the exact problem, or they'd take too long finding out what was wrong with the core.

Her heart sank when she realized where the problem was. The report that came up read that the core was misaligned. And there was only one way to reconnect it.

"Em!" Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Jim and Scotty running towards her, Jim pulling her in a tight hug.

"Scotty, the core's misaligned," she explained after pulling away.

Scotty's mouth opened and closed for a couple of seconds, as if he found the whole idea ridiculous, until he looked at her readings.

"Oh, no! No! No! No!" he cried, his eyes widening with horror as he realized she was right.

"What?" Jim shook his head in confusion.

"The housings are misaligned," Scotty explained.

"And that means?"

"We can't redirect the power," Emily informed him, rubbing the back of her head as she realized there was one way of realigning the core.

"The ship's dead," Scotty said, his voice grim and his expression solemn, "She's gone, sir."

"No, she's not."

Emily hadn't missed the look in Jim's eyes. It meant knocking the core back into place, dealing with intense radiation levels, climbing, and brute strength. It also meant that no matter what, someone was going to die. Her jaw clenched at the realization as she began to understand what it meant. She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing full-well that if anyone was going to make the climb, she would. Her body was likely more than capable of enduring the heavy radiation that filled the warp core… if anyone was going to survive the climb, she knew she would.

"If we go in there, we'll die. Will you listen to me? What the hell are you doing?" Scotty demanded as Jim wrenched his shoulder free.

"I'm opening the door," Jim replied, voice full of determination, "I'm going in."

"That door is there to stop us from getting irradiated," Scotty tried explaining, looking at Emily as if expecting her to knock some sense into the Captain's head. "We'll be dead before we made the climb."

Jim fell silent for a moment.

"You're not making the climb," he declared.

He spun around quickly and punching Scotty across the face before placing him gently in a chair as the straps wrapped around him. He turned back to the door to try and stop Emily as well, only to run straight into her fist.

"Neither are you," she whispered.