Home Free

McCoy was pacing, “He should have been here by now” Scott sighed from where he was leaning against the bio-bed, “The Captain knows what he’s doing, he’ll be here soon.”

McCoy looked up to the doors as Kirk stepped in, he opened his mouth to yell that it was about time when he saw Sulu and a guard trail in after. McCoy couldn’t help running a Doctors eye over the Captain, Jim did have a habit of getting injured but on seeing this Kirk half smiled to show he was ok.

Sulu pushed Kirk towards the others, “So, the whole landing party is in on this?” it seemed a rhetorical question.

Kirk felt McCoy draw nearer to his left side as he asked, “So, what happens now?”

The doors on the other side of Sickbay opened allowing Gary to enter, “Now Jim, we put an end to this charade.”  Behind him came two guards dragging an unconscious Spock by his arms, they dropped him with little care to the floor, he moaned and his head shifted sideways but other than that he didn’t react. Kirk saw Uhura put her hand to her mouth but Scotty placed a restraining hand on her arm to stop her moving. McCoy swore under his breath and Kirk could see why. The right side of Spock’s face was swollen, his eye showing predominant green bruising, his lip was split leaving a small green trail of blood, the green mottled bruising and electrical burns on his torso showed he’d had rough time.

Kirk raised his gaze from Spock’s prone form to Gary, “What did you do?”

Gary smirked stepping over Spock and removing a phaser from his belt, the two guards flanked him also drew their weapons.

“It’s no worse than you’ve done to him over the years. He just doesn’t learn his place no matter how hard I try“

Kirk couldn’t help but smirk “He didn’t tell you anything did he?” Gary scowled “He told me you’d be here but little else, so I thought I’d come get answers myself…” He gestured to Sulu with his phaser “with my new First Officer of course” Sulu smiled.

Kirk looked between them then turned to Sulu, “Whatever he’s offered you I can beat it, you can be my First Officer” Sulu actually looked a little taken back by this but then allowed his gaze to roam over Uhura “I don’t think you can match his terms” Kirk felt a little sick at the implied cost for his allegiance, this world was so different. His response was halted when Gary gave a strangled gasp. Spock had stood un-noticed from the floor and wrapped the chain tightly around Gary’s neck, pulling him backwards using him as a shield against the guards. Gary scraped at the chain cutting off his air supply but kept a tight hold of his phaser.

“Gentleman, I would suggest dropping your weapons unless you wish your ‘leaders’ neck to be broken” The two guards briefly looked at each other before dropping their phasers. Spock shifted his gaze to Sulu, “You as well, Mr Sulu.” Sulu didn’t move, he had a calculating look on his face, “I don’t think so Spock, it’s tragic really, the Captain and First Officer killed while trying to prevent your escape, leaving me as the Captain of the Enterprise” He smiled. Gary gave a strangled noise of anger at the betrayal and before he could be stopped shot Sulu in the chest. Sulu slumped backwards not moving, McCoy didn’t need the smell of burnt flesh to tell him the wound had been fatal. There was a brief stunned silence then Spock tightened the chain so much that Gary dropped the phaser and began madly clawing at his throat. Kirk tackled the guard that had been with Sulu while McCoy and Scott went for the other two, it was pandemonium, Kirk took down his guard with relative ease knocking him out with a powerful punch to the jaw, Scotty was holding his own, it didn’t seem to be regulation self-defence, more like brawling. McCoy looked like he was being strangled by his guard but Uhura put a stop to it but smashing a nearby ornamental skull over his head. Kirk went to help Scott finish up.

Spock watched as the Captain took advantage of the distraction but was put off balance as Gary pushed hard against him forcing them both back onto the wall, as his back hit he couldn’t help releasing the chain slightly, Gary began to pull at the chain and in the small reprieve it gave him elbowed Spock hard on the right side of his ribs then began grabbling blindly for the knife at his waist.

Spock felt the breath leave him for a moment, Gary would get free if this went on much longer, he could have finished this quickly had he been at optimum health but they had always kept him weak as possible though. There was blinding pain in his left side as Gary forced his dagger in between Spock’s ribs, he had to end it. He pulled the chain as hard as he could until there was a crack then Gary’s dead weight pulled them both down to the ground. He sat slumped looking to the dagger but couldn’t get his hands free to do anything, his vision was beginning to blur at the edges. “Spock!” He slowly raised his eyes to see McCoy hurrying over with a medical tricorder. Kirk and Scott began to untangle and remove Gary’s body so McCoy could get closer. McCoy began scanning him muttering to himself “you’re just as bad wherever I am?” There didn’t seem to be any real anger in the tone, it was more worry than anything else. Kirk knelt down beside them “Will he be ok Bones?” McCoy looked at the tricorder, there was no way anything short of 3 hours surgery would fix this, the dagger had pierced straight into one of the arteries leading to the heart, it was acting as a plug at the moment but when removed, he would bleed internally. He was about to voice this when Spock gently gripped the scanner in his right hand, pushing it down, he glanced up, Spock knew this was fatal he could see it in his face but Spock gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. “Yeah, luckily it missed everything vital, thanks to all that extra shielding” he motioned to the ribs that extended lower on a Vulcan than they do on a human.

Kirk looked like he was about to question when Spock broke in “Captain, by my calculations you barely have fifteen minutes before the field density between the two universes permanently closes.”

McCoy pushed Kirk back slightly, “Go on Jim I’ll make sure he doesn’t bleed out and be right there.” Kirk nodded then signalled to Uhura and Scott, “Let’s pave the way to the transporter room”

McCoy watched them go before turning back to Spock, “You know I can’t fix this” Spock nodded then tried to stand “I am aware” McCoy quickly helped him to his feet and to a nearby bed, Spock grunted in pain but continued “I will be executed for my part in this” His gaze roamed over the bodies of Mitchell, Sulu and the guards then back to McCoy “This is preferable” McCoy huffed in annoyance but set to work quickly binding to wound.

Kirk entered the transporter room, luckily they had met no-one, apparently when there was a suspected plot to assassinate the Captain, people avoided the area until they could see which side they needed to support next. Scott made his way to the desk and swore, “They’ve cut the power” Kirk moved to look at the console “Is auxiliary available?”

Scott moved to the panel below “I can get the power, but the automatic setting is linked to the main power. If we bypass, that means that someone has got to operate the controls manually.”

Kirk nodded “Do it” he desperately wanted to go home, to leave this place…he shut down that thought. It was the Captains job to go down with the ship, he would stay if it meant getting the others home.

McCoy entered supporting Spock, he had his left arm over the Doctor’s shoulders and was pressing a silver dressing to his side with his right hand, there was already a green stain showing through.

Spock leant heavily against the console as McCoy stepped away. “I will operate the controls”

McCoy shook his head “Damn fool wouldn’t stay put, said he needed to do it since Mitchell had shut it down.” Kirk smiled “You’re a life saver Spock”

The board came to life and Scott stood “That’s it, we should really be getting outta here” he looked at Spock and nodded thanks before heading to the pad. Uhura lightly patted Spock’s arm before placing a chased kiss on his cheek, she smiled then headed to the pad. Kirk fought not to chuckle at the green blush that had graced the tips of Spock ears.

There was sudden pounding on the doors and angry shouts from outside the room, security had found them.

Spock straightened “It is time to go Captain” Kirk looked to the phaser he held and placed it on the console by Spock’s hand, he knew Spock couldn’t use it, the chains on his wrist were too short to allow him to aim at the door and use the transporter controls at the same time but Kirk didn’t want to leave him with nothing. Kirk and McCoy made their way to the pad, Spock pressed a command then began to slide the manual control lever up, Kirk felt himself held in place as the confinement beam locked on, he could still see the transporter room but was unable to do anything as the doors were forced partially open and a red sleeve appeared firing a phaser in Spock’s direction, it hit the console creating a few sparks, Spock flinched then returned fire before quickly returning his attention to the controls. He had just finished the sequence when another beam hit him straight over the bandage on his side, Spock slide sideways landing heavily on the floor. The last image Kirk had as the room faded was Spock’s vacant gaze staring at him from the floor.