CHAPTER 23

McCoy sat in his office with his feet up on the corner of his desk, reading a datapad. It was a mysterious thing, he mused, how datapads would often turn up on his desk whenever he was away. It was as though they magically sprang into being or, more likely, the nurses waited for him to leave before sneaking in. This last datapad, however, wasn't from a nurse. It was a shift summary from Dr. M'Benga. Apparently one of the engineers had accepted a dare to climb through the Jeffries scaffolding in under three minutes. All things considered, McCoy thought it was one of the milder dares to come out of Engineering. And it would have gone unnoticed, too, except that the young man had completed the dare within the time constraints by falling the last fourteen feet down a Jeffries Tube.

A sprained ankle, McCoy read then signed off on the report. Someone should tell Lieutenant Yodin about the old Fireman's dismount. McCoy imagined Yodin, who barely reached four feet, trying to hook a leg around the outside of the access ladder and burst out laughing.

One of the nurses walking past his door was startled by the uncommon sound and stopped to stare into his office. He nodded to her and she gave him a tentative smile before hurrying away. They'll have to get used to the new McCoy, he thought, resting his head against the back of the chair. Last night, with Aggie wrapped in his arms, McCoy had slept like he'd once did in his youth, carefree and deep. He wondered if it would always be like that with Aggie, and he suspected that it would.

He was playing with the silver ring on his pinky, thinking of the shy kiss that had awakened him, when there was a soft tap against his open entryway.

"Howdy, Jim! What's your evening looking like? I thought maybe we could—" McCoy stopped abruptly as his friend stepped further into his office. Kirk's face was tense and his hands twitched as though he were agitated or feverish. "Ya'll right?" he asked, dropping his feet to the floor. "God, I hope you're not coming down with a case of Starpox. You're damned allergies—"

"Bones."

His nickname had been said in such a way that immediately put McCoy on alert. The last time Jim had sounded so tormented was just after Edith Keeler's death back in the 1940's on Earth. Her death had saved a billion lives, yet it would haunt Jim the rest of his. It'd been nearly three years and he still refused to talk about it.

"What is it, Jim?"

Kirk looked around helplessly for a moment and then went to the cream-colored couch, sinking down onto it as though his legs would no longer support his weight. "I just did something . . ." He swallowed hard. "Look, I need to talk to you, but I need you to hear me out, okay? I need you to stay calm."

"All right," McCoy said, his mouth suddenly dry. The skin along the back of neck prickled as he sank into the chair across from his friend. "What do you need to tell me?"

It was the tortured look that Jim gave him that made McCoy's guts twist into a knot. Kirk cleared his throat and began slowly. "Spock noticed a flash on our scanners. It turned out to be a ship . . . "

Time moved forward in a jerky, halting manner until, all of a sudden, McCoy found that time had flashed forward, and Jim was leaning toward him, asking him something.

McCoy shook his head, unable to understand the question. It felt as though wads of cotton had been stuffed in his ears, muffling the external world. Inside though, his thoughts felt too loud, too sharp. There was a Section 31 agent onboard the Enterprise. He wanted to take Aggie away, but Uhura and Scotty were doing something to the sensor relays. What had Jim said about stasis?

"Bones? Say something."

McCoy didn't recognize the grief-filled voice that replied. "Can I see her, Jim?"

Kirk looked stricken. "Yeah, Bones. Of course."

"Now?"

"Yeah," Kirk said again, getting to his feet. McCoy floundered for a moment before his muscles responded. "Just remember that Gray is likely listening from his shuttle so avoid saying too much over the intercom. If you need to call the brig, you do it as the Chief Medical Officer, okay?"

As Chief Medical Officer, McCoy repeated to himself. Not as a man in love. Got it. He nodded to Kirk that he understood and allowed himself to be lead out the door. Kirk shoved things at him before they left Sick Bay, and he took them automatically. It was a medkit and a tricorder. Props, he realized, just in case the agent showed up. He noticed that his knuckles were white but couldn't loosen his grip.

They walked down the corridor and waited several moments for the lift. Kirk motioned for a crewmember to wait for the next one as they stepped inside, and McCoy was glad he did. The shock was beginning to wear off, and his breathing was coming faster now from both fear and rage. There was a small snapping sound as the tricorder casing cracked in his grasp.

He could feel Jim casting sidelong glances in his direction, as though he were waiting for McCoy to say something.

"Uh, Aggie loves books. Can we stop by my quarters and pick one up for her?"

Kirk shook his head, looking unhappy. "She's in maximum security, Bones. She can't have anything."

Huh, he was pretty sure he knew that already. Prisoners in maximum security were prohibited from having free-moving objects in case they tried to harm themselves or others. Each cell contained a single ledge for resting and a built in lavatory with no privacy—the interior wall was made of a clear energy field so that the prisoner could be monitored at all times. Of course, he couldn't imagine Aggie throwing a copy of The Hobbit at anyone's head, but reminded himself that Jim was being cautious because of the agent.

Kirk punched in the code on the turbo-lift that would allow them to exit on the security deck. Was it his imagination or were the corridor lights dimmer down here? McCoy couldn't tell for sure, but he wouldn't be surprised. He had heard that Chekov had been spending a lot of time within the Security department, and it would be just like the dour Russian to turn down the lighting.

A short corridor opened up into a room shaped like a half moon. Along the curved wall were several cells, and in the center of the room, sitting at a desk with a several monitors, was a guard.

"Sir!" The guard stood and snapped to attention as soon as he saw them. His eyes flicked to McCoy several times. Information spread fast on a starship, especially rumors of senior officer romances.

"At ease, Dormer."

"She's been quiet, Sir" the guard offered gently, then lowered his voice further as he admitted his breach in protocol, "I've been trying to get her to talk but . . ."

McCoy headed for the only cell that had an activated energy field. Behind him, he could hear Kirk talking to the beefy security guard.

"You're a good man, Dormer. Tell you what: turn off the energy field to Cell Three, and we'll chat in the corridor for a bit. Did you hear the Meteors beat the Comets in last night's spaceball tournament?"

The energy field dissipated with a faint fizzling sound.

"Yes, Sir. I sure did." The security guard responded casually, following Kirk's lead. "Lost a five credit bet on it but next season—"

The last part of Dormer's comment was cut off as the two men exited the maximum security brig into the corridor just beyond. It was a severe violation of protocol for the guard to leave the brig unattended—he could be busted back to ensign or thrown out of Star Fleet completely if HQ found out—but Dormer hadn't batted an eye.

The crew loves her, too, McCoy thought, but the thought brought him little comfort as he stood in front of the cell.

"Aggie?" His voice shook as he spoke. The figure lying on the ledge shifted.

"Len?"—disbelief, then Aggie was standing—"Oh, Len!"

The tricorder and medkit hit the floor as McCoy rushed into the cell.

As McCoy's arms tightened around Aggie, his body shuddered as he drew in what felt like the first real breath since Jim had told him the news. He buried his face in her wavy hair and inhaled.

"I wasn't sure if you'd be able to come," she said. "Jim said that you would, that he was going to get you right away. I was afraid Gray would stop you."

"Let him try," McCoy said with a growl. "There wouldn't be enough left for an autopsy."

They sat on the ledge, close but angled toward each other so that their foreheads and knees were touching in an attempt to block out the harsh reality which surrounded them.

McCoy had to keep his eyes focused on her face, because he couldn't bear seeing Aggie in the ugly prisoner garb.

Damn it, Jim. Why did they have to—but the thought broke off suddenly. He knew why. Damn Gray to hell.

"Jim has an idea," McCoy began. "A plan."

"He told me," Aggie said quickly, and he could tell she was trying to sound hopeful. "I wouldn't be surprised if Scotty's already boosted the power. He's a bonnie good engineer, ye ken?"

McCoy gave her a weak smile. "And you'll be back in Engineering where all those young men follow you around with their tongues hanging out."

"And they'll all end up with dry mouths," Aggie whispered. "Because I'm already in love with someone else."

He let go of her hands and reached for her face where a tear was slowing sliding down her left cheek. A chime sounded from the security desk, and McCoy knew they didn't have much time. Aggie's face grew pinched; she had heard the chime, too.

"Len, I need you to do something for me," she said quickly.

"Anything."

"If . . . if Jim can't reach Star Fleet in time, if I have to go back in stasis, I want you to do it."

"No," McCoy said vehemently. "I won't do it! I can't! I would never do that to you."

"I need you to do it, Len," Aggie said firmly. "For both of us. I won't have Gray hurt you."

"But I'll be hurting you, Aggie." McCoy felt like he was going mad.

She shook her head vehemently. "No. It's just like going to sleep, maybe I'll feel a little cold but . . . " She shuddered then took a deep breath, continuing on in a forced light tone. "And if I have to go to Section 31, so what? They'll have gotten worked up over nothing, because all I am is Aggie, the girl from the box. But they won't find that out unless you put me back in stasis."

McCoy remained silent.

"Promise me!"

"The plan will work," McCoy said instead. "It has to."

"Len—"

The doors to the brig slid back and Kirk and Dormer walked in. They were still talking about sports, pointedly ignoring the cell.

"I'll be back soon," McCoy assured her. "Everything's going to be okay."

Aggie nodded but her lower lip trembled. She kissed him quickly and then gave him a little push. "Go on then," she said thickly. "Before we get in trouble."

Reluctantly, McCoy moved to stand outside the cell. There was a snap then a faint fizzing sound as the energy field was reactivated.

Kirk was standing next to him, holding the medical equipment he'd dropped earlier.

"Come on, Bones," he said. "We've got work to do."

Please review.

Thanks Kirklover for your reviews; I uploaded early so you'd have something in your in box. And Greyhound 005, can't wait to see what you think of the next chapter and our " friend." lol

Coop