Kelvin Timeline (Alternate Original Series)

Jim sat stiffly in his chair, drumming his fingers on the arm rest as a Romunlan captain appeared on the viewscreen. It was a few days ago that they had finally gotten a lead on where Bones' shuttle had gone in the form of a small, fading ion trail that they rushed to follow, and it led them here, to a Romulan warship. Jim kept a straight face as the Romulan captain studied him, despite the raging emotions that swirled in his chest. If these Romulans took Bones and the pilot in the shuttle, this could be grounds for a war. Jim could barely keep his rage contained, yet he knew that he had to tread carefully. He wanted his men back, yet he didn't want a war to start among them. Their peaceful relations were already walking on a tightrope. One wrong move could plunge them into a conflict that none of them wanted.

But, if the Romulans did kidnap Bones, a war could begin regardless.

Jim took a deep breath, composing himself and getting to his feet, putting on a confident expression.

"Greetings. My name is Captain James Tiberius Kirk of the USS Enterprise, of the Federation of Planets. To whom do I have the honor of speaking to?"

"Captain Alak, of Romulus. It is a pleasure to finally put a face to the great name James Kirk." The Romulan replied, sitting confidently in his chair, a smirk on his face. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Captain Alak, I had two officers aboard a Federation shuttlecraft, yet we lost communications with them. We've been tracking an ion trail that the shuttle crafts made, and it led us here. Do you know anything about the lost vessel?"

The Romulan broke into an even bigger smile. "Ah, you're the vessel that the doctor belonged to."

Jim took in a sharp breath, anger swirling in his stomach. He could see Spock out of the corner of his eye, walking closer to him. "Yes. What happened to him?"

"He wouldn't talk. We asked him questions, yet he wouldn't speak."

"May I ask what you asked him, Captain Alak?" Spock said, keeping his voice as even as ever.

"Why, for the formula, of course!" Captain Alak laughed, smiling brightly. "He escaped, like a slimy fish, it was brilliant!"

Jim's hands turned into fists, yet the Romulan kept talking.

"But, he didn't give us what he wanted! We're looking for him, too!"

"What? You captured him and you don't even know where he is?" Jim couldn't hold back his rage, and Spock gave him a glare.

"No! He vanished! If you ever find out where he is, please do let us know!"

Jim couldn't contain his rage, despite all of the diplomatic training he had received. This was Bones they were talking about. "Never! Captain, this could be grounds for a war! You kidnapped members of Starfleet, and you can't even tell us where he could be now!"

Spock put a steady hand on Jim's shoulder. "Captain Alak, what of the pilot of the shuttle?"

"Ah. Well, we didn't need him, but we didn't want to kill him, and start a war. He's in our Brig. I will have him transported over. Goodbye, Kirk, and please let me know when you find the doctor."

With those words said, the video communication was cut off, and Kirk slammed his fist into the chair, the sound echoing across the Bridge.

"Jimー"

"He was so…he didn't care! And now Bones is out there, probably hurt, and these Romulans have the guts to tell us to bring him back to them? Are they crazy?"

"Captain, I suggest you take a break, let me have the con for a while. You are in no condition to be on the Bridge."

Jim knew he was right. He wasn't acting like a Captain should, composed, calm, and collected. But he couldn't be right now. He couldn't be. Bones was still missing. The Romulans didn't put any care into his well being. They probably tortured him, and now he was out there, alone, after an escape that probably got him hurt.

"No, Spock," Uhura said before he could reply, standing up from where she was sitting. "We don't care about seeing his anger. We're all angry, too."

Jim was thankful for her words, and took that opportunity to kick his chair, falling back into it like a temperamental child, keeping his tears at bay. He closed his eyes, hearing others whisper about their worries, giving him a moment to collect himself. Opening his eyes, he noticed that Spock was watching him, something close to compassion and fear in his eyes.

"Captain, are you alright?"

"I'll be fine."

"Captain," Uhura interrupted, back at her station, her hands into tight fists around the communication device that usually sat in her ear. "It's the Romulans. They will be transporting the pilot soon."

"Do you really believe that the pilot is alive?" Sulu asked after a moment turning in his chair. His eyes were full of worry, and Jim shook his head.

"It's hard to tell, but we should probably prepare for a trap. Uhura, will you please alert Mr. Scott about possible intruders beaming aboard?"

"Of course."

"The Romulan Captain was acting differently than other Romulans we've encountered." Spock said observantly. "It was as if he did not care about the possible war. He did not act like a Captain, more likeー"

"Someone who was crazy, and wanted something badly." Jim added, "What formula did he want from Bones?"

"I cannot be sure, however, I have reason to believe that it would be the serum that saved your life, back when we were dealing with the individual known as Khan. Doctor McCoy was the only one who knew the formula, even though I do not know the entire scientific blueprint for such a serum."

"What about Starfleet? No admirals know?" Chekov asked, and Jim was glad for it, as he had that question too.

Guilt filled his stomach, was Kirk the reason that Bones was gone? He was the one that needed the serum to survive. He was the reason that Bones made it. That he used it.

"No. They kept it private, not even recording it so that, if anyone should hack into Starfleet databases again, the formula would be safe."

"So Bones was the only one who knew it. The only one they could get to tell them. But why? Why would they be willing to go so far as a war over this?"

"Captain, that formula could bring many back from the brink of death. As much as we wish for that for all life-forms, the Romulans would likely abuse this knowledge, and possibly create bioweapons through it."

Sulu spoke up, then. "But how did he know that Doctor McCoy was the man behind it?"

"Doctor McCoy, and his relation with the serum, was spoken about by many Medical professionals around Starfleet, it is possible that the information had spread."

"Captain!" Scotty's voice echoed through the Bridge, interrupting Spock, and Jim pressed on the communicator.

"Go ahead."

"Ensign Morris, the pilot from the shuttle that McCoy was one, was beamed aboard, with barely a scratch! No intruders."

"Thank you, Mr. Scott. Get him to Sickbay. I'll meet him there. Spock, you have the conn."

With swift movements, Jim hopped off of his chair and made his way into the turbolift, hating how his heart pounded inside of his chest. He had lost his cool on the Bridge. He lost Bones. And now he knew that it could've been all his fault. Before when he felt like this, he had no proof of that, yet now he did. If he hadn't died, Bones wouldn't have made the serum, and he wouldn't be missing right now. It was a tough thing to think about.

But, Jim knew that dwelling on that wasn't going to help Bones. He just had to keep going and do what he could to make things better. To get him back.

It didn't take long for Jim to get to Sickbay, where the pilot, Ensign Morris, was already on a medical bed, a dermal regenerator at his side. Head Nurse Wagner, the only Medical staff who had the experience needed for taking over most of Bones' duties, was hovering over him, reading the tricorder with a distant interest.

"Nurse Wagner, how is he?"

"Fine, Captain." The young woman said, looking up. "Barely any injuries, but he does have some news about Doctor McCoy."

He turned to Ensign Morris then, wanting to apologize for putting him in that position and make sure he was okay, but the pilot raised his hand, shushing him.

"Captain, with all due respect, I'm exhausted and I need to tell you this as soon as I can, before I fall asleep."

"Go ahead."

"Sir, they put us both in their Brig together, and they injected him with some sort of serum."

"Serum? What did it do?"

The ensign shrugged, wincing as he did so, and Jim could now see small bruises littering his skin. "I can't know for certain, but then Doctor McCoy started rambling about how they had killed me. They bound me and gagged me, I couldn't tell him that I was alive."

"What? They made him think that you were dead?"

If Jim was going to hear anything, he didn't expect that. Why would they make Bones think that Morris was dead? Was it some sort of intimidation tactic? Something to make him think that they would kill him because they killed someone else? To make him talk?

He hoped that whatever that new serum was wouldn't hurt him. That was the last thing that they needed right now.

"What happened after?" Jim asked, and Morris continued.

"They started asking him about the serum that brought you back to life. But, you know the Doctor, he was as stubborn as a mule. Wouldn't say a word, even after they started torturing him."

Jim felt his limbs tighten, a sick feeling swirling around in his gut. So he was hurt.

"How bad?"

"It…" Morris took a shaky breath. "It was bad. I don't know how, but somehow, when the guards weren't around, he still managed to escape despite that. From what I heard, he took the shuttle out of the ship and vanished into what the Romulans described as a wormhole."

"A wormhole?" Nurse Wagner asked, her dark eyes shining with confusion. "There shouldn't be any wormholes out here."

"No, but…" Jim said, his throat reeling. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. I took Romulan as a language class at the academy, I could understand every word that they said. They hurt him while he was escaping, but they couldn't find the shuttle after it departed the ship. From what I heard, they damaged the engine too, but before the doctor left. The Romulans thought that they would find him easily, but they haven't yet."

"So, wherever he is, his shuttle probably isn't moving. Let's hope that the life support systems are still working." Jim took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. Yet, the only one that was at the forefront of his mind was how cunning and slippery McCoy must've been to escape the Romulan Brig, get back in the shuttle, and somehow escape.

Bones, despite his fears of space and the unknown, was someone who has proved time and time again to be adaptable even in the worst situations. It was something that Jim was immensely thankful for now. He was glad to hear that Bones had gotten out, too. Who knows what the Romulans would've continued to do to him? Now they needed to find him and get him home. Jim turned back to the nurse.

"Nurse Wagner, after he gets some rest, I want you and Ensign Morris to talk about Doctor McCoy's possible injuries, I want your team ready to receive him when we find him."

"Of course. Sir, but how are you planning on finding him?" Nurse Wagner asked, and Jim gave her a small smile.

"We're going to find that wormhole, go into it, and get McCoy back before the Romulans do. Prepare for a bumpy ride."