Fic: "Crossfire" (6/19)
Nov. 5th, 2010 04:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mijanTitle: "Crossfire, Part 6"
Author: Mijan
Series: ST: XI
Character/Pairing(s): Kirk&McCoy, Pike, Scotty
Rating: PG-13
Author’s Notes: This story is part of the Academy-era story arc, which includes “Convergence” and “And All the King’s Men.” “Crossfire” is a direct sequel. Several things in this story will not make sense unless you’ve read AAtKM first.
Summary: Jim Kirk and Leonard McCoy are on top of the world at the academy until it all comes crashing down around them. Trapped in their own mystery of politics, sabotage, and possible murder, it quickly becomes impossible to know who to trust. Worse, Jim might still be a target. With a dangerous criminal on the loose and Academy leadership not doing enough, Jim and Bones have to get their lives back together and find out what happened... before it happens again.
*********
CROSSFIRE, Part Six
Leonard hoisted Jim’s bag higher on his shoulder as he hurried down the hallway of the ICU, his thoughts still spinning with the events of the previous few hours, and his heart beating just a bit too fast.
No, Lieutenant Scott was absolutely certain that they couldn’t get into the hangar. They’d made a try for the laboratory building, but although Scott could get past the East Campus gate, the guard hadn’t been impressed with his attempt to bring one of his students along. Not even a student who really needed help studying for an exam.
However, there was a chance that the Practical Engineering labs might open before the rest of the hangar complex, so maybe they’d get in soon. And even if they didn’t, Scott still had access to those labs, if not the hangar itself. He was supposed to be researching the crash from a theoretical standpoint anyway. Nobody had to know that he had additional information supplementing his research... just like nobody else needed to know that one Doctor Leonard McCoy was almost desperate to know what he’d find.
They’d parted ways at the gate, with Scott promising to send him notes on the class material, and Leonard promising in turn that he’d study hard for the test. The guise of a tutoring session would be sufficient to cover any future meetings.
Leonard’s rational side kept telling him that this whole venture should make him nervous, but he wasn’t. Maybe he just trusted his gut instinct about Lieutenant Scott enough. Maybe he was so low on the totem poll that nobody would notice his snooping. Or maybe, where Jim was involved, his other considerations seemed insignificant.
That was enough for him.
After leaving Lieutenant Scott behind, he’d decided that he needed to actually take care of a few things that had fallen by the wayside since Wednesday. He’d stopped by the cell bio lab to check his samples, only to find half of them dead because he’d missed Wednesday’s afternoon lab session and had forgotten to check in. He’d reluctantly gone to his own research lab – the crowded room where he and his small team had spent months developing his neurovascular regen units. At least, in that lab, the med student and tech working with him had kept an eye on their tissue specimens. Then he’d spent a nerve-wracking hour in that room, dictating his observations and results from the only in-vivo test to which his devices had ever been subjected, and trying not to think about what would happen when the medical board inevitably began their review of the incident.
Finally, he’d stopped by Jim’s room to pack a few of the kid’s personal belongings in a bag. If Leonard knew Jim, and he was pretty sure he did, the kid was already going stir-crazy, and the better he felt, the worse that would get. So, grateful that Jim had given him access to his dorm room the previous year, Leonard had let himself in, and had filled a duffel with some of Jim’s clothes, his PADD, and even a couple of those beat-up paper books he seemed to love. He’d thought Jim might like that.
That was when his comm had beeped. The message had been simple enough – Jim was out of surgery, and, as the message read, “could use some company.” The simplicity was odd enough, but much more bizarre was the fact that the text message hadn’t been signed. The comm system automatically tagged messages with the sender. Leonard had no idea what the lack of identification meant, but he didn’t much like it, and his instict was telling him that something wasn’t quite right. It was enough to set him running back to the transport shuttle across the bay.
He nodded to the woman sitting at the Duty Nurse’s station without breaking stride, and was almost to Jim’s door when he heard her call to him.
“Wait, Doctor McCoy -”
He glanced back over his shoulder as he walked through the doorway. “Just a minute – I need to check on -” And Leonard stopped cold. The room was empty.
He spun around to see the duty nurse just catching up to him. “I was trying to tell you, Doctor, that they -”
“They moved Jim without notifying me?” He glared at her, and was oddly satisfied to see her flinch briefly before she regained her composure.
“You didn’t answer your comm, and his primary doctor authorized it.” She said, not backing down. “He was progressing ahead of schedule, and all his scans today came back so much improved that they decided he’d be more comfortable in a regular room after surgery. Maybe his other friends could come see him tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” Leonard growled. “They would think that.” He sighed and shook his head. He figured Jim’s flight squad would want to see him eventually, and he’d figured on contacting them tomorrow, when Jim was out of the ICU. Well, maybe a visit would help him start healing the things that doctors couldn’t help. But Jim was feeling vulnerable, and for good reason, and he’d assured Jim that nobody could enter his room without authorization while he was in the ICU. Of course, he couldn’t imagine them letting anyone hassle Jim right now anyway, so it would probably be fine. “Okay, where is he?”
The nurse’s shoulders relaxed just a bit. “Sixth floor, patient room 627.”
With as cordial of a nod as he could manage, Leonard turned and hurried back down the hall to the turbolift, which quickly deposited him on the sixth floor. He strolled down the hall, reassuring himself with the fact that if Jim had been removed from the ICU, it could only mean he’d made excellent progress. However, when he saw a uniformed officer - a familiar uniformed officer - standing in the hall outside one of the patient doors, Leonard’s feet started moving faster.
He didn’t even bother to check the numbered placards outside each of the rooms. That was Jim’s room... and if his gut instinct served him as well as he hoped, that one officer outside meant there were more of the soul-sucking leeches inside, probably hassling Jim when he should be recovering quietly. Leonard could make out voices coming from the room now, including Jim’s voice, which sounded noticeably flustered. His pace picked up even more, and he didn’t slow down until he was nose to nose with -
“Commander Toland,” he bit out, not really caring that his manner was blatantly at the edge of propriety. He was at Starfleet Medical. Toland outranked him, but he was still a Staff Physician until they pulled that from him. This was his turf, and she was blocking the door. “If you’ll excuse me.”
“I’m sorry, McCoy, but there’s an official investigation going on right now, and the Admiral is questioning a key witness.” Despite the cold and distinctly formal tone of voice, there was something almost indiscernible in Toland’s eyes that looked like an apology, and Leonard suddenly remembered her bizarre comment from the other day.
Oh, is that the deal, he thought cynically. He didn’t care about procedures and protocols - Jim was on the other side of that door, and he was going in there, whether some self-absorbed bits of Starfleet brass liked it or not.
“Your key witness is still recovering from brain surgery, Commander. I don’t know what goes on in the fantasy world of Starfleet’s JAG office, but in the real world, we understand that interrogating someone in Cadet Kirk’s condition is just plain stupid. You could traumatize him even worse, and his memory may be compromised.”
“Doctor McCoy,” she began, with an odd strain in her voice. “Now that Kirk is out of the ICU, he’s open to visitors. Any visitor. I’m sure his friends will want to see him as soon as they find out.” Her voice dropped in pitch. “If there’s any chance that his testimony is corrupted, whether by friends or the media, it won’t hold up as well in the investigation.”
Sure, it made sense, Leonard knew, but he doubted that Jim’s worried and frantic friends would cause more corruption in his testimony than a bunch of belligerent officers hassling him in a hospital room. Not wanting to explain himself, or even give room for an argument, Leonard stepped into her personal space. “Understood. However, Commander, I’m a Staff doctor, and that’s my patient in there. Until I think he’s fit to be interrogated, with all due respect, screw your investigation. I’m going in.”
To Leonard’s shock, she stepped aside. He raised an eyebrow in query.
Toland met his eyes without flinching. “You’re a staff doctor, and you are listed on Kirk’s roster of attending physicians. You know your Starfleet Medical regulations, McCoy, and the rules are the rules.” Somehow, she didn’t seem angry at him, or even irritated; her voice was carefully neutral. “So go ahead. Also... what took you so long to get here?”
Leonard’s head spun with something that he should be putting together but couldn’t, and he felt his mouth drop slightly with surprise and twist of gratitude as he suddenly remembered the anonymous message. He was just about to step forward when a red light flashed over the door of Jim’s room. That was the alarm indicating that the patient’s vital signs had taken an unexpected turn. “Shit!”
The door slid open, and it only took Leonard a heartbeat to take in the whole scene. An Admiral was leaning back against the arm of the visitor’s chair on the far side of Jim’s bed while a stern-looking Captain hovered too close to Jim with what looked like an audio-recorder. And there was Jim, in the middle, looking pale and sweaty and frantic and -
“Bones!” His voice was weak and desperate, something that seemed like a hundred types of wrong on Jim Kirk, and only spurred Leonard’s building fury even more.
The Captain turned towards him, quickly looking him over and scowling. “Cadet, what is the meaning -”
“Out of my way,” he barked, not caring to explaining himself, and wishing he wasn’t wearing his cadet reds. He crossed quickly to Jim’s bedside, practically elbowing the Captain out of the way as he punched the biobed controls, bringing up a more detailed scan. He felt a wave of relief to find that the alarm was only caused by elevated stress levels - increased heart rate, respiration, adrenaline levels - but that was followed by another surge of anger at the obvious cause of that stress. He turned his back to the biobed, almost feeling like he was setting himself as a barrier between the two officers and Jim.
“Get out of the room.” Leonard’s voice was even louder than he was expecting from himself, and he was more than a little bit pleased with the startled looks on the faces of the two piece-of-shit officers who had invaded his friend’s recovery room. “I said,” he repeated angrily, “clear out of the room, sirs.”
The Captain, who had initially backed away from the bed, took a step forward with the obvious intent of confronting him, but the Admiral was already on his feet. “Cadet, I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but you can talk to your friend later. We’re in the middle of -”
“Cadet-nothing, Admiral. In here, my title is Doctor McCoy.” He jerked a thumb towards the biobed monitor on the wall. “And whatever you’re in the middle of doing, you’ve caused my patient’s vital signs to trigger an alarm. So unless one of you has an M.D. to go along with your shiny rank, get out of the room.”
On the surface, Leonard was sure that his face was a steel mask; cold, hard, and impervious to the vicious glare being leveled at him by a goddamned Admiral. On the inside, Leonard’s mind was spinning with a dozen variations of oh shit. Yes, he was a staff doctor, but he was also a cadet – a rare combination, and in these tense circumstances, a difficult balance. This was his career, and his chance at a future, and it could all be walking out the door with the two furious senior officers. However, as the door slid shut behind them and Leonard turned back to Jim, he saw the look of stark relief and beads of sweat rolling off his friend’s pale forehead, he knew he’d made the right call.
Breathing an unsteady sigh, Leonard made a quick check of Jim’s vital signs on the display above the bed, which revealed that Jim’s heart rate had already started to slow from the frantic pace it had set when Leonard had first come into the room. Nothing more horrible than a bit of stress. Jim was fine, physically. At least, no worse than he should be, considering his injuries. But something had shaken him terribly. Leonard grabbed a tissue from a box on the table and leaned against the side of Jim’s biobed, reaching over to mop off the kid’s forehead. He began worrying even more when Jim didn’t pull away.
“Jim?”
No response. Jim was staring blankly across the room. If anything, he just barely leaned his forehead into the tissue in Leonard’s hand. Frowning, Leonard reached down and pressed his fingers against the pulse in Jim’s wrist, wondering if the physical contact might help. The pulse was thready and a bit too fast beneath Leonard’s fingers, and Jim shivered slightly. “Jim?” he said again. “Come on, kid, talk to me.”
“You said nobody was going to come in without permission,” Jim said, his voice hoarse and just above a whisper.
“I know, Jim,” Leonard breathed. “You were doing so well, they moved you out of ICU. Regular patient rooms don’t have the same restrictions. But they still shouldn’t have let those people in... not like that.”
Jim’s head shook, just slightly. “You said that nobody would come in,” he said again, with an angrier tone this time, then glanced up, and his eyes were pinched with undefined emotions. “Where the hell were you?”
“I was...” There was no adequate answer that could possibly make this right. Leonard sighed heavily and gave Jim the most apologetic look he could muster. “I had that appointment with my instructor. And then I had to do some research, and take care of something in one of the labs. I knew they’d be busy with you most of the day. But I had no idea they’d do something like this, Jim. You’ve got to believe that.”
After a second, Jim seemed to accept that with a tight nod. “Who else can get in?”
Leonard felt his jaw clench. “After I’m done ripping apart a few idiots with no concern for patient well-being? Nobody who doesn’t have my goddamned permission or your informed consent.” He shook his head in disgust. “What the hell did they say to you?”
“Nothing.”
Leonard scowled and placed his face directly in Jim’s line of sight. “And I’ll believe that like I’ll believe you’re ready for a game of Parisi Squares tonight. Spill it, Jim.”
Jim blinked slowly, and seemed to struggle to take a deep breath. “They just asked me what I remembered from the crash.”
He’d figured as much, but he wasn’t going to say so to Jim. “Did you have a flashback?”
“No, Bones. I’m fine.” Jim glanced away, staring at the far wall.
“Stop that, Jim.” He leaned over, his arms straddling Jim’s legs, forcing Jim to face him. “What happened?”
“I just...” He blew out an unsteady breath. “I figured it out, Bones. I wish I hadn’t, but it makes too much sense.”
“What does, kid?”
“Terra Prime.”
Leonard didn’t think any other two words from Jim’s mouth would have made his blood run cold like that. Sure, he’d thought about it himself, but he’d tried to dismiss the idea. It was too far-fetched. The terrorists didn’t even know who they’d kidnapped last year. Had no idea it was Jim Kirk who had blown up their bunker. And nobody who had seen him had survived, except one man who was still in maximum security lockdown. There was no way they could be targeting Jim... Leonard hoped.
But if Jim had come to that conclusion, he was afraid there would be no way to get it out of the kid’s head. “Jim, there are so many possibilities right now. We can’t assume -”
“Can’t assume what?” Jim looked just a bit too wide-eyed, and it made Leonard’s gut twist. “Can’t assume that the terrorist organization that was skilled enough to blow up the Parisian Embassy and knock a Starfleet Satellite out of orbit wouldn’t use those same skills to track down some Starfleet brat who ruined their latest bomb plot and then blew up their main headquarters?”
“I didn’t say it was impossible. I just don’t want to jump to conclusions and rule out everything else when we might miss the real answer.” It was placating, he knew, because at the moment, it was the best answer he could come up with, too. But still... “Jim, it might have been coincidence. Hell, the person who did it might not have even known you were going to be in the shuttle. A simple coincidence.”
Jim’s face was pinched with emotion and strain, and he was staring at Leonard, teeth almost bared in effort. “Coincidence, Bones? Really? A year ago, I might have believed you, but at this point, I believe in coincidences as much as I believe in no-win scenarios. How many times can shit happen to a guy before he’s got to conclude that there’s something going on? I think I’ve had enough shit piled on my plate to know that I’m a target.”
And maybe that’s what Jim needed to believe. Maybe he couldn’t handle the idea that Tambe had died, and he had come come that close to dying, all because of a damned coincidence. Maybe, if Jim thought he was a target, at least it would make some sort of sick sense to him. Personally, Leonard would have found some comfort in the idea of it all being coincidence. That would mean that Jim wasn’t a target. That would mean that it wasn’t malicious - at least, not against Jim personally. Really, there were a million other reasons why that shuttlecraft that Jim just happened to be piloting that day had suffered a catastrophic engine failure.
Leonard just couldn’t think of any at the moment.
Jim nodded slowly. “Yeah, Bones. Just like that.” His eyes narrowed. Then, as if struck by another realization, Jim’s expression morphed from angry to shocked to scared in the span of a heartbeat. “Bones...” He shook his head nervously. “You got that comm from your instructor... which class was it for?
“I... my Engineering and Flight class.”
“Engineering,” Jim said with a heavy finality that landed like a punch to the gut. Leonard shook his head to himself. No. But Jim kept speaking, saying exactly the things that Leonard didn’t want to let himself believe. “Bones... what if they pulled you away on purpose? I mean... you were gone, and they showed up. What if someone... in Starfleet - shit. That would explain how -”
“No, Jim. I had the appointment already,” he lied, cutting Jim off quickly. “I was late, and it was a reminder note. That’s all.”
“And maybe someone else knew you had the appointment,” Jim said in a rush. There was an unnerving edge of hysterics in his voice.
Leonard gave Jim a sharp look, hoping to cut through the paranoia, despite the fact that he was feeling a bit paranoid himself. “Maybe. Okay? There’s a chance. But my appointment was early, and those officers only showed up a little while ago, right? I was done with my appointment by the time they got here.”
Jim merely looked back at him cynically.
“Just don’t let yourself start seeing ghosts, kid. You’re looking for boogeymen. They pulled you out of the ICU because you were doing so well, and it was the first chance that you could be legally questioned about the crash. I had a tutoring appointment for my Engineering class because the class was canceled yesterday. That's all.”
Leonard wanted to believe his own words. He didn’t want to even let himself start to believe that Jim's conspiracy theory was correct, but it did look a little bit suspicious. He trusted Lieutenant Scott... right? But the guy was in the engineering department, and the admiral who’d just left Jim’s room had been wearing a small Engineer emblem on his dress uniform. It was possible. Anything was possible. There were too many variables, too many possibilities. Coincidence... not coincidence... obvious answers... or something else altogether? His gut instinct usually gave him a clue, but today, it was just as confused as his head was.
He shook his head, wishing he could dislodge some of the information that was spinning around in there like useless debris, then leaned back, away from Jim.
“Bones?”
“Listen, let me go talk to the duty physician and security staff. First step first - let’s make sure nobody hassles you until you’re ready to deal with them.” He stood up and walked to the bag he’d dropped by the door. “And in the meantime, I brought you some of your things.” He placed it on the table by Jim’s bed. “Some books, your PADD, and some of your own clothes.” He finally cracked a smile. “By tomorrow, that hip immobilizer should come off and you might be able to change into something that makes you feel a bit more human.”
A weak smile etched itself onto Jim’s face. “Thanks, Bones.” Then he frowned. “Will you come back?”
Confused, Leonard returned the frown. “You mean after I talk to the powers that be about the security for your room?”
“Well... yeah, but...” Jim looked away. “You took off, and it was... just out of control. Nobody asked... or warned me... they just...” He shuddered. “I still don’t like being sedated. And I woke up from...” He ran a hand over the back of his head. “It’s gone now, by the way. But I woke up, and those two officers were already in here.”
“They came in while you were still sedated?” Leonard felt a hot and bitter flash of anger.
Jim nodded. “I don’t like this, Bones. Not being able to get up and walk away from this. From people or situations. I’ve just got to get back on my feet again. But... until I do, I... could you... uh...”
A thin, sharp ache lodged itself in Leonard’s throat, and it swallowed it down. Humoring Jim with the best grumble he could muster, he rolled his eyes. “I guess that means I’m gonna wake up with a sore neck again because of you.” He reached over and ruffed Jim’s hair.
“Hey! Hands off! That’s a delicate piece of work up there,” Jim fussed, ducking lightly out of the way. “And it’s bald.”
Leonard snorted. “They only shaved two centimeters.”
“Still, they shaved my head. That might be a felony on some planets.” He got a thoughtful look on his face, a sly grin of pure trouble that almost looked like the old Jim. “Hey, what species prefer bald men? Deltans are bald, and I’ve heard some incredible things about them.”
Jim's sudden shift in mood was a welcome relief – it was the kind of thing he always did when he was ready to move on to something else. It was familiar and right and Jim. With a groan to hide his smile, Leonard reached over and mussed Jim’s hair again. “Any Deltan you meet will have probably taken an oath of chastity – and no, Jim, you won't be the first human to make one of them break that oath, so forget about it. Besides, with a case of bed-head like that, I doubt any of them would care.”
“Sure, take all the fun out of it.”
He was already walking towards the door to hide his grin. “That’s my job, you infantile troublemaker.”
“How about a spongebath from the PT nurse instead?”
Leonard waved a careless hand at Jim as he quickly escaped out the door before the kid saw the uncontrollable smile that had blossomed across his face, or the tears that had just started to blur his vision.
Damn, he’d missed Jim.
*********
“So, how’s it feel to be back on your feet?” Bones asked as he helped Jim settle back onto the biobed.
Jim gave a grunt as he levered himself into a comfortable position. “I’d hardly call being allowed to hobble around the room with support for a measly five minutes ‘back on my feet,’ but it felt pretty good. Just glad you finally removed that immobilizer.”
“Any pain?” Bones asked as he pulled out a tricorder for a closer scan.
“No, just a bit of stiffness,” Jim replied lightly, before winking at the PT nurse who’d been helping them.
That earned a scowl from Bones. “Incorrigible.” He put down the tricorder and went to reconnect the IV line.
“You bet - hey!” Jim pulled his hand back. “I’m back on my feet, so isn’t it time to get rid of this thing and go for some Chinese takeout?”
“You have the patience of a seven-year-old on Christmas morning,” Bones scolded, ignoring Jim’s protests and grabbing his hand. “One more day for your fractures to be solid enough to stop the osteoblast treatment, and with the amount of inflammation in your soft tissues, you still need pain meds.” He face softened into a hint of sympathy once he’d finished snapping the line back into place. “But if your liver function is steady by tonight, maybe I’ll bring you some lo mein.”
“Don’t need pain meds,” Jim grumbled.
“Trust me, you do not want to test that theory right now, kid.” Bones turned his back for a moment, grabbed the PADD the nurse had brought, tapped in a few comments, and handed it over to the nurse who thanked him and hurried out the door. Jim was slightly disappointed that she hadn’t winked back, but was quickly distracted by Bones speaking again. “Besides, tell me how much you love hyposprays again?”
“Sadist.”
“Because I care enough to inflict the very best,” he retorted. “And you’re almost ready to get out of here, Jim. This is amazing.” Bones’ voice held a note of awe, and Jim blinked.
“Really?” He couldn’t quash the flash of hope he felt. Maybe they’d let him out of there tonight. Or tomorrow morning. Maybe he’d make it to classes tomorrow. He couldn’t let himself fall behind in his classes. Maybe he’d have to skip live simulations for a couple of weeks – they'd probably put him on limited duty – but he could make those up.
Bones gave him a look of sheer incredulity. “Yes, really, you crazy space cowboy. Four days ago, I thought you were going to die on the table! I thought you’d be here for a month, at least. Now... good God, Jim, you’ve had no complications, no major setbacks. Three more days, four tops.”
And in a heartbeat, Jim felt his hopes sinking again. “Three more days?”
The eyebrow of doom burned at him. “That’s nothing, Jim. It’ll be over before you know it. A bit of physical therapy, some work to finish stabilizing your neck and spine, and hell, you might only miss a week of classes. You’ll only need to come in as an outpatient for follow-up PT. After something like this, even with modern medicine, it’s nothing short of a miracle.”
Jim didn’t bother to hold back a sigh. “That’s me - never doing anything the normal way.”
“Jim,” Bones said, using that tone of voice he had which bore no argument, “We almost lost you. I don’t want you to leave too soon and re-fracture your pelvis because you bump into a table too hard or snap your clavicle if you put a heavy bag on your shoulder. You’re alive and recovering. Please, just let that be enough.”
No matter how strongly Jim wanted to meet Bones’ heartfelt plea with a wise-crack or some sort of banter to break the tension, he couldn’t. Finally, gritting his teeth, he nodded. “Okay. Fine. I’m just... bored.”
At that, Bones actually grinned and stepped back. “Well, that’s a great reason for some visitors.”
Jim balked. “What? Visitors? Why the hell would I want anyone to see me like this? And besides, who the hell would want to see me?”
The smile disappeared from Bones’ face, immediately replaced with a stung expression. “Lots of people, Jim,” he said in a tone that Jim couldn’t interpret. “More than you think. Especially your flight squad.”
Jim realized the shock and guilt must have showed on his face when Bones nodded solemnly.
“Yeah, Jim, I got a request from your squad leader, asking if they could come see you.”
A cold numbness hit Jim’s gut. “Tambe was our squad leader, Bones.”
The hiss of breath was audible. “I... I’m sorry, Jim. Your new squad leader. Cadet Okoru.” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “They’re upset, too, Jim. They could have lost both of you, but you made it. So let them have that.”
Deep guilt welled up inside him. He hadn’t even stopped to consider how the rest of the flight squad was handling this. Tambe was their squad leader, too. Granted, he’d been preoccupied, but still, he should have thought of them. He’d been transmitting on all frequencies; they must have heard his calls for help. They must have watched his shuttle go down. They were his teammates. If he’d been in their shoes, watching one of the other shuttles going down... it must have been horrifying. Slowly, Jim felt himself nodding. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
Bones gave an encouraging smile. “I’m glad, Jim. It’ll be good for you, whether you think so or not.” Then he glanced back over his shoulder at the door. “Actually, Jim, I’ve got to go.”
Jim sat a bit more upright. “Wait, why?”
Bones’ shoulders slumped a bit, and he closed his eyes for a moment. He looked tired, and Jim vaguely realized he was at least partially responsible for his friend’s exhaustion. “Jim, I can’t stay here all day. You’re awake and alert, and I’ve talked with Security to make sure nobody hassles you if you don’t want them here. And I need to go do a few things.”
“Like what?” It sounded petulant to his own ears, but he didn’t care at the moment. Hospitals were, as a rule, generally kinda creepy. Having Bones around made it… tolerable.
“I need to go back to my dorm room, for one. I’ve been wearing my cadet reds all weekend because I haven’t had a chance to go back to my own room. Cleaned them in the staff locker room refresher last night, but still. I went to your room instead to get your clothes, and had figured I’d go back to my own room to change last night, but I stayed here.”
“Oh.” He couldn’t help but feel a little bit guilty.
“It’s okay, Jim. But I’ve also need to stop by the lab for my Cellular Biology course and transfer a set of Tellarite epithelial cells for this week’s experiment. The last set died because I forgot about them last week, and I restarted them yesterday. And eventually, I’m going to have to start seeing my regular patients again. I’ve got clinic tomorrow night.” His mouth twisted into a self-deprecating smirk. “I’m a goddamned staff physician at Starfleet Medical, and I’m still a cadet. Will the world ever stop mocking me?”
Jim tried for a smirk of his own. “If it does, I’ll pinch-hit.”
Bones rolled his eyes skyward. “Great. Just what I need - the universe and Jim Kirk, tag-teaming to torment me." He sighed at Jim's self-satisfied grin. "And on that note, don’t give any of the nurses or doctors any trouble while I’m gone. You’re not scheduled for anything they’d knock you out for, so don’t worry. Some physical therapy late afternoon, and possibly some neurostim. You’ll like it - feels a bit tingly. I’ll send a message to Cadet Okoru that the squad can stop by later. And here -” He reached into the duffel bag on the table and pulled out a PADD. “- is your PADD.” He dropped it on Jim’s lap. “Catch up on classes if you want, watch the news, read a novel. I’m sure there are more entertaining things in the world, but for now, relax and stay out of trouble.”
Jim found himself unable to keep from smiling at the way Bones bustled around, rattling off information and instructions like a grocery list. “Sure thing, Bones.”
“Good. I’ll stop by later tonight.”
And with a wave and a smile, Bones was gone.
Jim stared at the door for a few minutes before sinking back against his pillows. With Bones around, it was easy to be distracted from his incessant itch to get the hell out of there. Part of him wanted to formulate an escape plan, but he knew that rationally, it wasn’t the best of ideas. Stupid, actually. Okay, so maybe bordering on completely insane. He almost cringed at the mental image of himself trying to escape out the back door of Starfleet Medical, wearing the stupid patient tunic, with his ass showing to the whole world. Yeah, that image smacked of sheer insanity.
But really, he didn’t see why another three days was necessary. He was feeling pretty good. Sure, his head felt weird and a bit foggy, like he was just outside of being able to think clearly, but that was probably due to being stuck in a damned bed for several days. He was just out of the loop. Needed to get back in the game as soon as possible.
With the course load he was taking, he was sure there was a stack of assignments and reading material piling up in his task queue. Despite the fact that he tried to make it look like he didn’t work too hard, his big secret was that he actually studied his ass off. His bigger secret was that he liked it. And the only people who really knew that were Bones, Pike... and his flight team.
Damn it, his flight team.
His first-year squad for training sims had been fun to work with, but he hadn’t gotten close with them. They'd studied together, practiced basic drills, and even gone drinking together when they'd taken the top honors in the field battle drills competition at the end of the year, but that was it. Buddies, but not real friends.
Flight training, he’d discovered, was different. He was one of only two second-year cadets on the squad, and Thaleb was specifically training to be a pilot. After some skepticism from Tambe, which had happily evolved into good-natured ribbing, he'd been taken into the squad like family. They worked on the shuttles together, learning every system. They'd done atmospheric maneuvers for the first month, had progressed to orbital maneuvers by the end of September, and now, mid-October, they had already advanced to doing trans-orbital flight. Ahead of schedule. They were good. Really good. And they were good together.
They'd decided to keep their squad together. They'd all take Advanced Shuttle Maneuvers in the spring, and begin training in single-pilot shuttles. Maybe they'd compete for the Rigel Cup. Despite the fact that Jim wasn't planning to become a pilot, he'd found he really loved it. Elite flight squads were normally for people in the pilot program, but as always, Jim liked being an exception to the rule. Nova Squadron wasn't an elite flight squad by design, but as a team, they'd decided they wanted to burn the name Nova Squadron into the Academy's history.
Now, they were one down. Flight teams were six cadets. And Jim didn't want to replace Tambe.
He clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to clear that from his mind. There was nothing he could do about it now. He'd get back in a shuttle soon enough. For now, he needed to get back on target with his classwork. They'd told him his course load was too much to handle, but his record been perfect all semester. Same as last year. Now... he couldn't let anything slow him down.
He looked at the PADD in his lap and sighed.
On the other hand, he really just wanted to know what the hell was going on outside the damned hospital. The ICU hadn’t been equipped with a holovid screen, but this room was. Assignments could wait another thirty minutes.
“Computer - activate holovid, access Federation News Network, stream two.”
The holovid screen on the wall activated instantly. There were several major news streams, each one catering to a different focus. The FNN’s secondary news stream was what Jim listened to most mornings while he cleaned up and got ready for the day. It was just a summarized loop of the most recent Federation and Terran global news blurbs. Nothing local. It always managed to get him thinking in terms of the bigger picture before heading to classes. And here people think I only watch porn, he thought with some amusement. There was certainly one great thing about not doing anything the normal way: he was never quite what people expected. He liked it that way. It had been even more fun when the class standings were announced at the end of last year. Oh yes, nobody had been expecting that.
“... for the arrival of the Kasheeta Ambassador at the Interplanetary Cultural Center in Cairo. The festival is planned to be an open cultural exchange, spanning the first week of November."
Jim took a slow breath and relaxed against his pillows. This was good and familiar.
"Earth's Central Congress will be sending delegates to the trade conference at in the Ardana system. This delegation will be acting independently of Federation delegates, as certain Terran populations have unilateral interest in acquiring zenite for new Terran agricultural colonies. Federation representatives have taken an official hands-off stance in regards to this political faux-pas."
Jim smirked to himself as the newscaster passed the screen off to an on-site reporter standing out in front of the Central Congress headquarters, who proceeded to ramble on about trade contracts and Terran/Federation government dynamics. Same shit, different day. Annoyingly reassuring. He reached over and grabbed the glass of juice Bones had left for him and took a slow sip, enjoying the privacy, and grateful that he'd at least convinced Bones to turn off the audio on the cardiac sensor. The beeping was really annoying. Aside from the holovid, it was actually quiet and oddly peaceful.
"... but it appears they won't reach a consensus this year. Back to you, Audrey."
"Thank you, Ye-jun. In other trade and business news, Starfleet officials will meet tomorrow with representatives from the research groups vying for propulsion systems contracts. The talks had been previously suspended due to the horrific shuttlecraft accident that has claimed the life of one cadet and left another cadet seriously injured."
Jim blinked at the screen a couple of times before leaning his head back against the pillows and groaning. "You've got to be kidding me. Computer –"
The computer chirped its readiness for the command phrase, and Jim was just about to tell it to switch to another news feed, when he froze. No, if he was going to catch up on current events, that meant all of them, even if was unpleasant. Even if it involved him. And for that matter, he should pay attention especially if it involved him.
“Computer, cancel.”
Steeling himself, he leaned slightly forward and forced himself to pay attention.
"The official statement from Academy officials is that an engine malfunction caused the crash –"
"Malfunction, my ass," Jim mumbled irritably.
“– but the results of their investigation have not been released. Speculation has run rampant, and security has been significantly increased around Academy grounds."
"Too little, too late, bastards."
"In the meantime, we at the Federation News Network wish to extend our sympathies to the cadets and faculty of Starfleet Academy, and to the family of the cadet who was killed, as the memorial service will be held tonight."
"Thanks for your support," Jim said dryly to the empty room, but he felt his throat tighten up a bit.
"And now, we bring you to Starfleet Command with field correspondent, Maria."
The holovid switched to the familiar front of the main Starfleet Command admin building, and a petite woman standing on the terrace in front of the steps.
"Thank you, Audrey," she acknowledge the camera. "Eight months ago, Starfleet Engineering leaders put out a call for new impulse engine designs, and the four remaining research groups had their designs selected as final candidates. Two Terran groups, a Vulcan team, and a Betelgeusian team are the finalists. With the prestige of designing the next generation of Starfleet impulse engines, the winning team will earn a research grant of fifty-thousand Federation credits, and a research placement within Starfleet.
"There has been almost complete silence from the research teams regarding the shuttlecraft accident, although a spokesperson from the Vulcan Science Academy released a statement today. Paraphrased, she stated that it is illogical to delay the progress of Starfleet's propulsion research and development, and that it would pay the greatest tribute to the individuals who had crashed to ensure that future cadets and members of Starfleet had the best possible technology available to them."
Logical though it was, Jim wondered if all Vulcans were so heartless, and hoped he would never have to work with one closely.
"Analysts anticipate that the final propulsion tests and trials for the competing systems will take place at the end of this Terran year. We're hoping for comment from Starfleet Command within twenty-four hours regarding the progress of the new propulsion project.
"Back to you, Audrey."
The view of the Starfleet Command building disappeared, and holovid once again displayed the newsroom. Jim closed his eyes and sighed deeply, feeling an odd sense of deja-vu. Less than a year ago, he'd been sitting in a room in this same goddamned building, watching a newscast where the reporter had been talking about him, but not by name, and he'd almost been killed, and –
Shit, why is it always me? The bleak thought embedded itself in his mind, spinning around as the reporter droned on, this time about some academic symposium on particle physics. He vaguely paid attention as they started talking about a new human colony being established on some damned planet in some damned sector. He listened a bit more closely as the news shifted to Federation security, and recent activity along the neutral zone. Fucking Romulans. And then, to Terran security issues, and...
"We have some breaking news. Terra Prime has issued a statement condemning the new trade alliance with Betazed, claiming that the presence of another race of telepaths on Earth poses a threat to Terrans. Federation and Terran security officials do not feel that Terra Prime is currently a threat, but the Betazoid-Terran talks have been moved to a new location."
"Not a threat?" Jim fumed aloud. They'd be stupid enough to dismiss Terra Prime? After everything else those bastards had done? Jim felt a pang of sympathy for the Betazoid delegates, and hoped they would manage to avoid any entanglements. He'd met a couple of Betazoids once. Nice people. Really nice people. But if Terra Prime had it out for someone, the threat was real. He was sure of that.
Maybe the terrorists were even trying to derail the impulse engine research teams, too. Anything that helped humans explore further into the galaxy, anything that brought more non-humans to Earth... it was all a target for them. Maybe they'd broken into Academy grounds to get information about Starfleet's engine capabilities with the pending engineering competition. Maybe someone had somehow managed to recognize him in the hangar. Maybe that's how –
"Kirk?"
Jim almost sent his PADD flying off the bed, he startled so hard. If nothing else, he turned towards the door so fast that he wrenched his neck, sending a flash of pain through his head. Eyes watering, he blinked a few times, and finally recognized Cadet Okoru, standing in the door. Behind her stood Thaleb, d'Eon, and Freeman.
Okoru took a tentative step into the room, almost looking like she'd seen a ghost. "If now is a bad time, we can come back."
Jim forced the thoughts of Terra Prime to the back of his mind, and actually found himself grateful for the sight of his team. Eyes still watering, but now from a bit of emotion, Jim brushed the back of his hand across his eyes and gave them what he hoped was an encouraging smile. "It's okay, Okoru. You just surprised me." He looked back at the holovid screen. "Computer – turn off the holovid." With the screen dark and silent, Jim inclined his head, inviting the team into the room. "Come on in, guys. It's good to see you."
The four of them filed into the room, which suddenly seemed much smaller, especially with Thaleb, who was shockingly tall, even for an Andorian. He stepped to the forefront, and gave an abbreviated but solemn bow. "Kirk, it is good that you are recovering. We know that this was not an accident, and we are prepared to assist you in avenging this disgraceful and cowardly act of malice against you and Tambe."
Jim couldn't help but smile a bit, but d'Eon batted Thaleb's arm lightly, chastising. "Give him a minute before you start plotting revenge, Thaleb!" She turned back to Jim, and then hesitated, before she finally spoke. "How are you feeling, Kirk?"
"I'm fine, really." He gave her what he hoped was an encouraging look. "They've been taking good care of me, and I'll be out of here, soon. And I can't wait – the food here is terrible. Anyone care to smuggle me in a pizza?"
That earned him a little bit of a laugh, and the nervous edge in the room seemed to dull a bit. Okoru gave a smile that only seemed slightly forced and leaned on the arm of the chair, making her seem comically short compared to Thaleb. "Actually, your doctor friend, McCoy, warned us that if anyone smuggled you food before your doctors cleared it, he'd conduct our yearly physicals himself. I don't think he meant it as a favor."
"The doctor is an honorable and loyal friend, and a deceptively fierce man," Thaleb said solemnly.
"And a sadist who won't let me have a pizza," Jim grumbled, then shrugged, noting with pleasure that it didn't hurt too much to move his shoulder today. "So, how have you guys been? What's been going on out there?"
The squad exchanged nervous looks. Finally, Okoru spoke up. "It's been weird, Kirk. I mean, we've been worried sick about you. McCoy told us that you were doing well, but that we couldn't see you because you were in ICU, so we didn't know what to think."
"They worry too much. I was fine. But what else?"
She glanced up at Thaleb before continuing. "Well, the hangar was put on security lockdown. We haven't been in there since. All shuttle and flight training on the campus has been suspended until further notice. Random cadets have been pulled out of classes, and we think people are being interrogated. But nobody's saying much."
The feeling was uneasy and undefinable, and it settled into Jim's chest, making him feel like something in the room was pressing him back. "Have they called any of you in for questioning? About what you saw?"
"We all submitted our reports," Freeman said, speaking up for the first time. "They demanded the reports immediately. Wouldn't even let us talk to each other first." He shifted his weight from foot to foot, then folded his arms across his chest as he shook his head. "But no, none of us has been questioned in person."
"And they haven't told us a damned thing," d'Eon added. "Kirk... what do you think is going on? What did you see?"
Jim sucked in a sharp breath. He really didn't want to talk about this. Didn't want to hash it over again. But for his squadmates – the only other people on campus who really deserved to hear this – he could. Leaning forward, he looked across all their faces, all as serious as he felt. "Okay, but this is between us."
*********
(To Part Seven...)
Author: Mijan
Series: ST: XI
Character/Pairing(s): Kirk&McCoy, Pike, Scotty
Rating: PG-13
Author’s Notes: This story is part of the Academy-era story arc, which includes “Convergence” and “And All the King’s Men.” “Crossfire” is a direct sequel. Several things in this story will not make sense unless you’ve read AAtKM first.
Summary: Jim Kirk and Leonard McCoy are on top of the world at the academy until it all comes crashing down around them. Trapped in their own mystery of politics, sabotage, and possible murder, it quickly becomes impossible to know who to trust. Worse, Jim might still be a target. With a dangerous criminal on the loose and Academy leadership not doing enough, Jim and Bones have to get their lives back together and find out what happened... before it happens again.
Leonard hoisted Jim’s bag higher on his shoulder as he hurried down the hallway of the ICU, his thoughts still spinning with the events of the previous few hours, and his heart beating just a bit too fast.
No, Lieutenant Scott was absolutely certain that they couldn’t get into the hangar. They’d made a try for the laboratory building, but although Scott could get past the East Campus gate, the guard hadn’t been impressed with his attempt to bring one of his students along. Not even a student who really needed help studying for an exam.
However, there was a chance that the Practical Engineering labs might open before the rest of the hangar complex, so maybe they’d get in soon. And even if they didn’t, Scott still had access to those labs, if not the hangar itself. He was supposed to be researching the crash from a theoretical standpoint anyway. Nobody had to know that he had additional information supplementing his research... just like nobody else needed to know that one Doctor Leonard McCoy was almost desperate to know what he’d find.
They’d parted ways at the gate, with Scott promising to send him notes on the class material, and Leonard promising in turn that he’d study hard for the test. The guise of a tutoring session would be sufficient to cover any future meetings.
Leonard’s rational side kept telling him that this whole venture should make him nervous, but he wasn’t. Maybe he just trusted his gut instinct about Lieutenant Scott enough. Maybe he was so low on the totem poll that nobody would notice his snooping. Or maybe, where Jim was involved, his other considerations seemed insignificant.
That was enough for him.
After leaving Lieutenant Scott behind, he’d decided that he needed to actually take care of a few things that had fallen by the wayside since Wednesday. He’d stopped by the cell bio lab to check his samples, only to find half of them dead because he’d missed Wednesday’s afternoon lab session and had forgotten to check in. He’d reluctantly gone to his own research lab – the crowded room where he and his small team had spent months developing his neurovascular regen units. At least, in that lab, the med student and tech working with him had kept an eye on their tissue specimens. Then he’d spent a nerve-wracking hour in that room, dictating his observations and results from the only in-vivo test to which his devices had ever been subjected, and trying not to think about what would happen when the medical board inevitably began their review of the incident.
Finally, he’d stopped by Jim’s room to pack a few of the kid’s personal belongings in a bag. If Leonard knew Jim, and he was pretty sure he did, the kid was already going stir-crazy, and the better he felt, the worse that would get. So, grateful that Jim had given him access to his dorm room the previous year, Leonard had let himself in, and had filled a duffel with some of Jim’s clothes, his PADD, and even a couple of those beat-up paper books he seemed to love. He’d thought Jim might like that.
That was when his comm had beeped. The message had been simple enough – Jim was out of surgery, and, as the message read, “could use some company.” The simplicity was odd enough, but much more bizarre was the fact that the text message hadn’t been signed. The comm system automatically tagged messages with the sender. Leonard had no idea what the lack of identification meant, but he didn’t much like it, and his instict was telling him that something wasn’t quite right. It was enough to set him running back to the transport shuttle across the bay.
He nodded to the woman sitting at the Duty Nurse’s station without breaking stride, and was almost to Jim’s door when he heard her call to him.
“Wait, Doctor McCoy -”
He glanced back over his shoulder as he walked through the doorway. “Just a minute – I need to check on -” And Leonard stopped cold. The room was empty.
He spun around to see the duty nurse just catching up to him. “I was trying to tell you, Doctor, that they -”
“They moved Jim without notifying me?” He glared at her, and was oddly satisfied to see her flinch briefly before she regained her composure.
“You didn’t answer your comm, and his primary doctor authorized it.” She said, not backing down. “He was progressing ahead of schedule, and all his scans today came back so much improved that they decided he’d be more comfortable in a regular room after surgery. Maybe his other friends could come see him tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” Leonard growled. “They would think that.” He sighed and shook his head. He figured Jim’s flight squad would want to see him eventually, and he’d figured on contacting them tomorrow, when Jim was out of the ICU. Well, maybe a visit would help him start healing the things that doctors couldn’t help. But Jim was feeling vulnerable, and for good reason, and he’d assured Jim that nobody could enter his room without authorization while he was in the ICU. Of course, he couldn’t imagine them letting anyone hassle Jim right now anyway, so it would probably be fine. “Okay, where is he?”
The nurse’s shoulders relaxed just a bit. “Sixth floor, patient room 627.”
With as cordial of a nod as he could manage, Leonard turned and hurried back down the hall to the turbolift, which quickly deposited him on the sixth floor. He strolled down the hall, reassuring himself with the fact that if Jim had been removed from the ICU, it could only mean he’d made excellent progress. However, when he saw a uniformed officer - a familiar uniformed officer - standing in the hall outside one of the patient doors, Leonard’s feet started moving faster.
He didn’t even bother to check the numbered placards outside each of the rooms. That was Jim’s room... and if his gut instinct served him as well as he hoped, that one officer outside meant there were more of the soul-sucking leeches inside, probably hassling Jim when he should be recovering quietly. Leonard could make out voices coming from the room now, including Jim’s voice, which sounded noticeably flustered. His pace picked up even more, and he didn’t slow down until he was nose to nose with -
“Commander Toland,” he bit out, not really caring that his manner was blatantly at the edge of propriety. He was at Starfleet Medical. Toland outranked him, but he was still a Staff Physician until they pulled that from him. This was his turf, and she was blocking the door. “If you’ll excuse me.”
“I’m sorry, McCoy, but there’s an official investigation going on right now, and the Admiral is questioning a key witness.” Despite the cold and distinctly formal tone of voice, there was something almost indiscernible in Toland’s eyes that looked like an apology, and Leonard suddenly remembered her bizarre comment from the other day.
Oh, is that the deal, he thought cynically. He didn’t care about procedures and protocols - Jim was on the other side of that door, and he was going in there, whether some self-absorbed bits of Starfleet brass liked it or not.
“Your key witness is still recovering from brain surgery, Commander. I don’t know what goes on in the fantasy world of Starfleet’s JAG office, but in the real world, we understand that interrogating someone in Cadet Kirk’s condition is just plain stupid. You could traumatize him even worse, and his memory may be compromised.”
“Doctor McCoy,” she began, with an odd strain in her voice. “Now that Kirk is out of the ICU, he’s open to visitors. Any visitor. I’m sure his friends will want to see him as soon as they find out.” Her voice dropped in pitch. “If there’s any chance that his testimony is corrupted, whether by friends or the media, it won’t hold up as well in the investigation.”
Sure, it made sense, Leonard knew, but he doubted that Jim’s worried and frantic friends would cause more corruption in his testimony than a bunch of belligerent officers hassling him in a hospital room. Not wanting to explain himself, or even give room for an argument, Leonard stepped into her personal space. “Understood. However, Commander, I’m a Staff doctor, and that’s my patient in there. Until I think he’s fit to be interrogated, with all due respect, screw your investigation. I’m going in.”
To Leonard’s shock, she stepped aside. He raised an eyebrow in query.
Toland met his eyes without flinching. “You’re a staff doctor, and you are listed on Kirk’s roster of attending physicians. You know your Starfleet Medical regulations, McCoy, and the rules are the rules.” Somehow, she didn’t seem angry at him, or even irritated; her voice was carefully neutral. “So go ahead. Also... what took you so long to get here?”
Leonard’s head spun with something that he should be putting together but couldn’t, and he felt his mouth drop slightly with surprise and twist of gratitude as he suddenly remembered the anonymous message. He was just about to step forward when a red light flashed over the door of Jim’s room. That was the alarm indicating that the patient’s vital signs had taken an unexpected turn. “Shit!”
The door slid open, and it only took Leonard a heartbeat to take in the whole scene. An Admiral was leaning back against the arm of the visitor’s chair on the far side of Jim’s bed while a stern-looking Captain hovered too close to Jim with what looked like an audio-recorder. And there was Jim, in the middle, looking pale and sweaty and frantic and -
“Bones!” His voice was weak and desperate, something that seemed like a hundred types of wrong on Jim Kirk, and only spurred Leonard’s building fury even more.
The Captain turned towards him, quickly looking him over and scowling. “Cadet, what is the meaning -”
“Out of my way,” he barked, not caring to explaining himself, and wishing he wasn’t wearing his cadet reds. He crossed quickly to Jim’s bedside, practically elbowing the Captain out of the way as he punched the biobed controls, bringing up a more detailed scan. He felt a wave of relief to find that the alarm was only caused by elevated stress levels - increased heart rate, respiration, adrenaline levels - but that was followed by another surge of anger at the obvious cause of that stress. He turned his back to the biobed, almost feeling like he was setting himself as a barrier between the two officers and Jim.
“Get out of the room.” Leonard’s voice was even louder than he was expecting from himself, and he was more than a little bit pleased with the startled looks on the faces of the two piece-of-shit officers who had invaded his friend’s recovery room. “I said,” he repeated angrily, “clear out of the room, sirs.”
The Captain, who had initially backed away from the bed, took a step forward with the obvious intent of confronting him, but the Admiral was already on his feet. “Cadet, I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but you can talk to your friend later. We’re in the middle of -”
“Cadet-nothing, Admiral. In here, my title is Doctor McCoy.” He jerked a thumb towards the biobed monitor on the wall. “And whatever you’re in the middle of doing, you’ve caused my patient’s vital signs to trigger an alarm. So unless one of you has an M.D. to go along with your shiny rank, get out of the room.”
On the surface, Leonard was sure that his face was a steel mask; cold, hard, and impervious to the vicious glare being leveled at him by a goddamned Admiral. On the inside, Leonard’s mind was spinning with a dozen variations of oh shit. Yes, he was a staff doctor, but he was also a cadet – a rare combination, and in these tense circumstances, a difficult balance. This was his career, and his chance at a future, and it could all be walking out the door with the two furious senior officers. However, as the door slid shut behind them and Leonard turned back to Jim, he saw the look of stark relief and beads of sweat rolling off his friend’s pale forehead, he knew he’d made the right call.
Breathing an unsteady sigh, Leonard made a quick check of Jim’s vital signs on the display above the bed, which revealed that Jim’s heart rate had already started to slow from the frantic pace it had set when Leonard had first come into the room. Nothing more horrible than a bit of stress. Jim was fine, physically. At least, no worse than he should be, considering his injuries. But something had shaken him terribly. Leonard grabbed a tissue from a box on the table and leaned against the side of Jim’s biobed, reaching over to mop off the kid’s forehead. He began worrying even more when Jim didn’t pull away.
“Jim?”
No response. Jim was staring blankly across the room. If anything, he just barely leaned his forehead into the tissue in Leonard’s hand. Frowning, Leonard reached down and pressed his fingers against the pulse in Jim’s wrist, wondering if the physical contact might help. The pulse was thready and a bit too fast beneath Leonard’s fingers, and Jim shivered slightly. “Jim?” he said again. “Come on, kid, talk to me.”
“You said nobody was going to come in without permission,” Jim said, his voice hoarse and just above a whisper.
“I know, Jim,” Leonard breathed. “You were doing so well, they moved you out of ICU. Regular patient rooms don’t have the same restrictions. But they still shouldn’t have let those people in... not like that.”
Jim’s head shook, just slightly. “You said that nobody would come in,” he said again, with an angrier tone this time, then glanced up, and his eyes were pinched with undefined emotions. “Where the hell were you?”
“I was...” There was no adequate answer that could possibly make this right. Leonard sighed heavily and gave Jim the most apologetic look he could muster. “I had that appointment with my instructor. And then I had to do some research, and take care of something in one of the labs. I knew they’d be busy with you most of the day. But I had no idea they’d do something like this, Jim. You’ve got to believe that.”
After a second, Jim seemed to accept that with a tight nod. “Who else can get in?”
Leonard felt his jaw clench. “After I’m done ripping apart a few idiots with no concern for patient well-being? Nobody who doesn’t have my goddamned permission or your informed consent.” He shook his head in disgust. “What the hell did they say to you?”
“Nothing.”
Leonard scowled and placed his face directly in Jim’s line of sight. “And I’ll believe that like I’ll believe you’re ready for a game of Parisi Squares tonight. Spill it, Jim.”
Jim blinked slowly, and seemed to struggle to take a deep breath. “They just asked me what I remembered from the crash.”
He’d figured as much, but he wasn’t going to say so to Jim. “Did you have a flashback?”
“No, Bones. I’m fine.” Jim glanced away, staring at the far wall.
“Stop that, Jim.” He leaned over, his arms straddling Jim’s legs, forcing Jim to face him. “What happened?”
“I just...” He blew out an unsteady breath. “I figured it out, Bones. I wish I hadn’t, but it makes too much sense.”
“What does, kid?”
“Terra Prime.”
Leonard didn’t think any other two words from Jim’s mouth would have made his blood run cold like that. Sure, he’d thought about it himself, but he’d tried to dismiss the idea. It was too far-fetched. The terrorists didn’t even know who they’d kidnapped last year. Had no idea it was Jim Kirk who had blown up their bunker. And nobody who had seen him had survived, except one man who was still in maximum security lockdown. There was no way they could be targeting Jim... Leonard hoped.
But if Jim had come to that conclusion, he was afraid there would be no way to get it out of the kid’s head. “Jim, there are so many possibilities right now. We can’t assume -”
“Can’t assume what?” Jim looked just a bit too wide-eyed, and it made Leonard’s gut twist. “Can’t assume that the terrorist organization that was skilled enough to blow up the Parisian Embassy and knock a Starfleet Satellite out of orbit wouldn’t use those same skills to track down some Starfleet brat who ruined their latest bomb plot and then blew up their main headquarters?”
“I didn’t say it was impossible. I just don’t want to jump to conclusions and rule out everything else when we might miss the real answer.” It was placating, he knew, because at the moment, it was the best answer he could come up with, too. But still... “Jim, it might have been coincidence. Hell, the person who did it might not have even known you were going to be in the shuttle. A simple coincidence.”
Jim’s face was pinched with emotion and strain, and he was staring at Leonard, teeth almost bared in effort. “Coincidence, Bones? Really? A year ago, I might have believed you, but at this point, I believe in coincidences as much as I believe in no-win scenarios. How many times can shit happen to a guy before he’s got to conclude that there’s something going on? I think I’ve had enough shit piled on my plate to know that I’m a target.”
And maybe that’s what Jim needed to believe. Maybe he couldn’t handle the idea that Tambe had died, and he had come come that close to dying, all because of a damned coincidence. Maybe, if Jim thought he was a target, at least it would make some sort of sick sense to him. Personally, Leonard would have found some comfort in the idea of it all being coincidence. That would mean that Jim wasn’t a target. That would mean that it wasn’t malicious - at least, not against Jim personally. Really, there were a million other reasons why that shuttlecraft that Jim just happened to be piloting that day had suffered a catastrophic engine failure.
Leonard just couldn’t think of any at the moment.
Jim nodded slowly. “Yeah, Bones. Just like that.” His eyes narrowed. Then, as if struck by another realization, Jim’s expression morphed from angry to shocked to scared in the span of a heartbeat. “Bones...” He shook his head nervously. “You got that comm from your instructor... which class was it for?
“I... my Engineering and Flight class.”
“Engineering,” Jim said with a heavy finality that landed like a punch to the gut. Leonard shook his head to himself. No. But Jim kept speaking, saying exactly the things that Leonard didn’t want to let himself believe. “Bones... what if they pulled you away on purpose? I mean... you were gone, and they showed up. What if someone... in Starfleet - shit. That would explain how -”
“No, Jim. I had the appointment already,” he lied, cutting Jim off quickly. “I was late, and it was a reminder note. That’s all.”
“And maybe someone else knew you had the appointment,” Jim said in a rush. There was an unnerving edge of hysterics in his voice.
Leonard gave Jim a sharp look, hoping to cut through the paranoia, despite the fact that he was feeling a bit paranoid himself. “Maybe. Okay? There’s a chance. But my appointment was early, and those officers only showed up a little while ago, right? I was done with my appointment by the time they got here.”
Jim merely looked back at him cynically.
“Just don’t let yourself start seeing ghosts, kid. You’re looking for boogeymen. They pulled you out of the ICU because you were doing so well, and it was the first chance that you could be legally questioned about the crash. I had a tutoring appointment for my Engineering class because the class was canceled yesterday. That's all.”
Leonard wanted to believe his own words. He didn’t want to even let himself start to believe that Jim's conspiracy theory was correct, but it did look a little bit suspicious. He trusted Lieutenant Scott... right? But the guy was in the engineering department, and the admiral who’d just left Jim’s room had been wearing a small Engineer emblem on his dress uniform. It was possible. Anything was possible. There were too many variables, too many possibilities. Coincidence... not coincidence... obvious answers... or something else altogether? His gut instinct usually gave him a clue, but today, it was just as confused as his head was.
He shook his head, wishing he could dislodge some of the information that was spinning around in there like useless debris, then leaned back, away from Jim.
“Bones?”
“Listen, let me go talk to the duty physician and security staff. First step first - let’s make sure nobody hassles you until you’re ready to deal with them.” He stood up and walked to the bag he’d dropped by the door. “And in the meantime, I brought you some of your things.” He placed it on the table by Jim’s bed. “Some books, your PADD, and some of your own clothes.” He finally cracked a smile. “By tomorrow, that hip immobilizer should come off and you might be able to change into something that makes you feel a bit more human.”
A weak smile etched itself onto Jim’s face. “Thanks, Bones.” Then he frowned. “Will you come back?”
Confused, Leonard returned the frown. “You mean after I talk to the powers that be about the security for your room?”
“Well... yeah, but...” Jim looked away. “You took off, and it was... just out of control. Nobody asked... or warned me... they just...” He shuddered. “I still don’t like being sedated. And I woke up from...” He ran a hand over the back of his head. “It’s gone now, by the way. But I woke up, and those two officers were already in here.”
“They came in while you were still sedated?” Leonard felt a hot and bitter flash of anger.
Jim nodded. “I don’t like this, Bones. Not being able to get up and walk away from this. From people or situations. I’ve just got to get back on my feet again. But... until I do, I... could you... uh...”
A thin, sharp ache lodged itself in Leonard’s throat, and it swallowed it down. Humoring Jim with the best grumble he could muster, he rolled his eyes. “I guess that means I’m gonna wake up with a sore neck again because of you.” He reached over and ruffed Jim’s hair.
“Hey! Hands off! That’s a delicate piece of work up there,” Jim fussed, ducking lightly out of the way. “And it’s bald.”
Leonard snorted. “They only shaved two centimeters.”
“Still, they shaved my head. That might be a felony on some planets.” He got a thoughtful look on his face, a sly grin of pure trouble that almost looked like the old Jim. “Hey, what species prefer bald men? Deltans are bald, and I’ve heard some incredible things about them.”
Jim's sudden shift in mood was a welcome relief – it was the kind of thing he always did when he was ready to move on to something else. It was familiar and right and Jim. With a groan to hide his smile, Leonard reached over and mussed Jim’s hair again. “Any Deltan you meet will have probably taken an oath of chastity – and no, Jim, you won't be the first human to make one of them break that oath, so forget about it. Besides, with a case of bed-head like that, I doubt any of them would care.”
“Sure, take all the fun out of it.”
He was already walking towards the door to hide his grin. “That’s my job, you infantile troublemaker.”
“How about a spongebath from the PT nurse instead?”
Leonard waved a careless hand at Jim as he quickly escaped out the door before the kid saw the uncontrollable smile that had blossomed across his face, or the tears that had just started to blur his vision.
Damn, he’d missed Jim.
“So, how’s it feel to be back on your feet?” Bones asked as he helped Jim settle back onto the biobed.
Jim gave a grunt as he levered himself into a comfortable position. “I’d hardly call being allowed to hobble around the room with support for a measly five minutes ‘back on my feet,’ but it felt pretty good. Just glad you finally removed that immobilizer.”
“Any pain?” Bones asked as he pulled out a tricorder for a closer scan.
“No, just a bit of stiffness,” Jim replied lightly, before winking at the PT nurse who’d been helping them.
That earned a scowl from Bones. “Incorrigible.” He put down the tricorder and went to reconnect the IV line.
“You bet - hey!” Jim pulled his hand back. “I’m back on my feet, so isn’t it time to get rid of this thing and go for some Chinese takeout?”
“You have the patience of a seven-year-old on Christmas morning,” Bones scolded, ignoring Jim’s protests and grabbing his hand. “One more day for your fractures to be solid enough to stop the osteoblast treatment, and with the amount of inflammation in your soft tissues, you still need pain meds.” He face softened into a hint of sympathy once he’d finished snapping the line back into place. “But if your liver function is steady by tonight, maybe I’ll bring you some lo mein.”
“Don’t need pain meds,” Jim grumbled.
“Trust me, you do not want to test that theory right now, kid.” Bones turned his back for a moment, grabbed the PADD the nurse had brought, tapped in a few comments, and handed it over to the nurse who thanked him and hurried out the door. Jim was slightly disappointed that she hadn’t winked back, but was quickly distracted by Bones speaking again. “Besides, tell me how much you love hyposprays again?”
“Sadist.”
“Because I care enough to inflict the very best,” he retorted. “And you’re almost ready to get out of here, Jim. This is amazing.” Bones’ voice held a note of awe, and Jim blinked.
“Really?” He couldn’t quash the flash of hope he felt. Maybe they’d let him out of there tonight. Or tomorrow morning. Maybe he’d make it to classes tomorrow. He couldn’t let himself fall behind in his classes. Maybe he’d have to skip live simulations for a couple of weeks – they'd probably put him on limited duty – but he could make those up.
Bones gave him a look of sheer incredulity. “Yes, really, you crazy space cowboy. Four days ago, I thought you were going to die on the table! I thought you’d be here for a month, at least. Now... good God, Jim, you’ve had no complications, no major setbacks. Three more days, four tops.”
And in a heartbeat, Jim felt his hopes sinking again. “Three more days?”
The eyebrow of doom burned at him. “That’s nothing, Jim. It’ll be over before you know it. A bit of physical therapy, some work to finish stabilizing your neck and spine, and hell, you might only miss a week of classes. You’ll only need to come in as an outpatient for follow-up PT. After something like this, even with modern medicine, it’s nothing short of a miracle.”
Jim didn’t bother to hold back a sigh. “That’s me - never doing anything the normal way.”
“Jim,” Bones said, using that tone of voice he had which bore no argument, “We almost lost you. I don’t want you to leave too soon and re-fracture your pelvis because you bump into a table too hard or snap your clavicle if you put a heavy bag on your shoulder. You’re alive and recovering. Please, just let that be enough.”
No matter how strongly Jim wanted to meet Bones’ heartfelt plea with a wise-crack or some sort of banter to break the tension, he couldn’t. Finally, gritting his teeth, he nodded. “Okay. Fine. I’m just... bored.”
At that, Bones actually grinned and stepped back. “Well, that’s a great reason for some visitors.”
Jim balked. “What? Visitors? Why the hell would I want anyone to see me like this? And besides, who the hell would want to see me?”
The smile disappeared from Bones’ face, immediately replaced with a stung expression. “Lots of people, Jim,” he said in a tone that Jim couldn’t interpret. “More than you think. Especially your flight squad.”
Jim realized the shock and guilt must have showed on his face when Bones nodded solemnly.
“Yeah, Jim, I got a request from your squad leader, asking if they could come see you.”
A cold numbness hit Jim’s gut. “Tambe was our squad leader, Bones.”
The hiss of breath was audible. “I... I’m sorry, Jim. Your new squad leader. Cadet Okoru.” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “They’re upset, too, Jim. They could have lost both of you, but you made it. So let them have that.”
Deep guilt welled up inside him. He hadn’t even stopped to consider how the rest of the flight squad was handling this. Tambe was their squad leader, too. Granted, he’d been preoccupied, but still, he should have thought of them. He’d been transmitting on all frequencies; they must have heard his calls for help. They must have watched his shuttle go down. They were his teammates. If he’d been in their shoes, watching one of the other shuttles going down... it must have been horrifying. Slowly, Jim felt himself nodding. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
Bones gave an encouraging smile. “I’m glad, Jim. It’ll be good for you, whether you think so or not.” Then he glanced back over his shoulder at the door. “Actually, Jim, I’ve got to go.”
Jim sat a bit more upright. “Wait, why?”
Bones’ shoulders slumped a bit, and he closed his eyes for a moment. He looked tired, and Jim vaguely realized he was at least partially responsible for his friend’s exhaustion. “Jim, I can’t stay here all day. You’re awake and alert, and I’ve talked with Security to make sure nobody hassles you if you don’t want them here. And I need to go do a few things.”
“Like what?” It sounded petulant to his own ears, but he didn’t care at the moment. Hospitals were, as a rule, generally kinda creepy. Having Bones around made it… tolerable.
“I need to go back to my dorm room, for one. I’ve been wearing my cadet reds all weekend because I haven’t had a chance to go back to my own room. Cleaned them in the staff locker room refresher last night, but still. I went to your room instead to get your clothes, and had figured I’d go back to my own room to change last night, but I stayed here.”
“Oh.” He couldn’t help but feel a little bit guilty.
“It’s okay, Jim. But I’ve also need to stop by the lab for my Cellular Biology course and transfer a set of Tellarite epithelial cells for this week’s experiment. The last set died because I forgot about them last week, and I restarted them yesterday. And eventually, I’m going to have to start seeing my regular patients again. I’ve got clinic tomorrow night.” His mouth twisted into a self-deprecating smirk. “I’m a goddamned staff physician at Starfleet Medical, and I’m still a cadet. Will the world ever stop mocking me?”
Jim tried for a smirk of his own. “If it does, I’ll pinch-hit.”
Bones rolled his eyes skyward. “Great. Just what I need - the universe and Jim Kirk, tag-teaming to torment me." He sighed at Jim's self-satisfied grin. "And on that note, don’t give any of the nurses or doctors any trouble while I’m gone. You’re not scheduled for anything they’d knock you out for, so don’t worry. Some physical therapy late afternoon, and possibly some neurostim. You’ll like it - feels a bit tingly. I’ll send a message to Cadet Okoru that the squad can stop by later. And here -” He reached into the duffel bag on the table and pulled out a PADD. “- is your PADD.” He dropped it on Jim’s lap. “Catch up on classes if you want, watch the news, read a novel. I’m sure there are more entertaining things in the world, but for now, relax and stay out of trouble.”
Jim found himself unable to keep from smiling at the way Bones bustled around, rattling off information and instructions like a grocery list. “Sure thing, Bones.”
“Good. I’ll stop by later tonight.”
And with a wave and a smile, Bones was gone.
Jim stared at the door for a few minutes before sinking back against his pillows. With Bones around, it was easy to be distracted from his incessant itch to get the hell out of there. Part of him wanted to formulate an escape plan, but he knew that rationally, it wasn’t the best of ideas. Stupid, actually. Okay, so maybe bordering on completely insane. He almost cringed at the mental image of himself trying to escape out the back door of Starfleet Medical, wearing the stupid patient tunic, with his ass showing to the whole world. Yeah, that image smacked of sheer insanity.
But really, he didn’t see why another three days was necessary. He was feeling pretty good. Sure, his head felt weird and a bit foggy, like he was just outside of being able to think clearly, but that was probably due to being stuck in a damned bed for several days. He was just out of the loop. Needed to get back in the game as soon as possible.
With the course load he was taking, he was sure there was a stack of assignments and reading material piling up in his task queue. Despite the fact that he tried to make it look like he didn’t work too hard, his big secret was that he actually studied his ass off. His bigger secret was that he liked it. And the only people who really knew that were Bones, Pike... and his flight team.
Damn it, his flight team.
His first-year squad for training sims had been fun to work with, but he hadn’t gotten close with them. They'd studied together, practiced basic drills, and even gone drinking together when they'd taken the top honors in the field battle drills competition at the end of the year, but that was it. Buddies, but not real friends.
Flight training, he’d discovered, was different. He was one of only two second-year cadets on the squad, and Thaleb was specifically training to be a pilot. After some skepticism from Tambe, which had happily evolved into good-natured ribbing, he'd been taken into the squad like family. They worked on the shuttles together, learning every system. They'd done atmospheric maneuvers for the first month, had progressed to orbital maneuvers by the end of September, and now, mid-October, they had already advanced to doing trans-orbital flight. Ahead of schedule. They were good. Really good. And they were good together.
They'd decided to keep their squad together. They'd all take Advanced Shuttle Maneuvers in the spring, and begin training in single-pilot shuttles. Maybe they'd compete for the Rigel Cup. Despite the fact that Jim wasn't planning to become a pilot, he'd found he really loved it. Elite flight squads were normally for people in the pilot program, but as always, Jim liked being an exception to the rule. Nova Squadron wasn't an elite flight squad by design, but as a team, they'd decided they wanted to burn the name Nova Squadron into the Academy's history.
Now, they were one down. Flight teams were six cadets. And Jim didn't want to replace Tambe.
He clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to clear that from his mind. There was nothing he could do about it now. He'd get back in a shuttle soon enough. For now, he needed to get back on target with his classwork. They'd told him his course load was too much to handle, but his record been perfect all semester. Same as last year. Now... he couldn't let anything slow him down.
He looked at the PADD in his lap and sighed.
On the other hand, he really just wanted to know what the hell was going on outside the damned hospital. The ICU hadn’t been equipped with a holovid screen, but this room was. Assignments could wait another thirty minutes.
“Computer - activate holovid, access Federation News Network, stream two.”
The holovid screen on the wall activated instantly. There were several major news streams, each one catering to a different focus. The FNN’s secondary news stream was what Jim listened to most mornings while he cleaned up and got ready for the day. It was just a summarized loop of the most recent Federation and Terran global news blurbs. Nothing local. It always managed to get him thinking in terms of the bigger picture before heading to classes. And here people think I only watch porn, he thought with some amusement. There was certainly one great thing about not doing anything the normal way: he was never quite what people expected. He liked it that way. It had been even more fun when the class standings were announced at the end of last year. Oh yes, nobody had been expecting that.
“... for the arrival of the Kasheeta Ambassador at the Interplanetary Cultural Center in Cairo. The festival is planned to be an open cultural exchange, spanning the first week of November."
Jim took a slow breath and relaxed against his pillows. This was good and familiar.
"Earth's Central Congress will be sending delegates to the trade conference at in the Ardana system. This delegation will be acting independently of Federation delegates, as certain Terran populations have unilateral interest in acquiring zenite for new Terran agricultural colonies. Federation representatives have taken an official hands-off stance in regards to this political faux-pas."
Jim smirked to himself as the newscaster passed the screen off to an on-site reporter standing out in front of the Central Congress headquarters, who proceeded to ramble on about trade contracts and Terran/Federation government dynamics. Same shit, different day. Annoyingly reassuring. He reached over and grabbed the glass of juice Bones had left for him and took a slow sip, enjoying the privacy, and grateful that he'd at least convinced Bones to turn off the audio on the cardiac sensor. The beeping was really annoying. Aside from the holovid, it was actually quiet and oddly peaceful.
"... but it appears they won't reach a consensus this year. Back to you, Audrey."
"Thank you, Ye-jun. In other trade and business news, Starfleet officials will meet tomorrow with representatives from the research groups vying for propulsion systems contracts. The talks had been previously suspended due to the horrific shuttlecraft accident that has claimed the life of one cadet and left another cadet seriously injured."
Jim blinked at the screen a couple of times before leaning his head back against the pillows and groaning. "You've got to be kidding me. Computer –"
The computer chirped its readiness for the command phrase, and Jim was just about to tell it to switch to another news feed, when he froze. No, if he was going to catch up on current events, that meant all of them, even if was unpleasant. Even if it involved him. And for that matter, he should pay attention especially if it involved him.
“Computer, cancel.”
Steeling himself, he leaned slightly forward and forced himself to pay attention.
"The official statement from Academy officials is that an engine malfunction caused the crash –"
"Malfunction, my ass," Jim mumbled irritably.
“– but the results of their investigation have not been released. Speculation has run rampant, and security has been significantly increased around Academy grounds."
"Too little, too late, bastards."
"In the meantime, we at the Federation News Network wish to extend our sympathies to the cadets and faculty of Starfleet Academy, and to the family of the cadet who was killed, as the memorial service will be held tonight."
"Thanks for your support," Jim said dryly to the empty room, but he felt his throat tighten up a bit.
"And now, we bring you to Starfleet Command with field correspondent, Maria."
The holovid switched to the familiar front of the main Starfleet Command admin building, and a petite woman standing on the terrace in front of the steps.
"Thank you, Audrey," she acknowledge the camera. "Eight months ago, Starfleet Engineering leaders put out a call for new impulse engine designs, and the four remaining research groups had their designs selected as final candidates. Two Terran groups, a Vulcan team, and a Betelgeusian team are the finalists. With the prestige of designing the next generation of Starfleet impulse engines, the winning team will earn a research grant of fifty-thousand Federation credits, and a research placement within Starfleet.
"There has been almost complete silence from the research teams regarding the shuttlecraft accident, although a spokesperson from the Vulcan Science Academy released a statement today. Paraphrased, she stated that it is illogical to delay the progress of Starfleet's propulsion research and development, and that it would pay the greatest tribute to the individuals who had crashed to ensure that future cadets and members of Starfleet had the best possible technology available to them."
Logical though it was, Jim wondered if all Vulcans were so heartless, and hoped he would never have to work with one closely.
"Analysts anticipate that the final propulsion tests and trials for the competing systems will take place at the end of this Terran year. We're hoping for comment from Starfleet Command within twenty-four hours regarding the progress of the new propulsion project.
"Back to you, Audrey."
The view of the Starfleet Command building disappeared, and holovid once again displayed the newsroom. Jim closed his eyes and sighed deeply, feeling an odd sense of deja-vu. Less than a year ago, he'd been sitting in a room in this same goddamned building, watching a newscast where the reporter had been talking about him, but not by name, and he'd almost been killed, and –
Shit, why is it always me? The bleak thought embedded itself in his mind, spinning around as the reporter droned on, this time about some academic symposium on particle physics. He vaguely paid attention as they started talking about a new human colony being established on some damned planet in some damned sector. He listened a bit more closely as the news shifted to Federation security, and recent activity along the neutral zone. Fucking Romulans. And then, to Terran security issues, and...
"We have some breaking news. Terra Prime has issued a statement condemning the new trade alliance with Betazed, claiming that the presence of another race of telepaths on Earth poses a threat to Terrans. Federation and Terran security officials do not feel that Terra Prime is currently a threat, but the Betazoid-Terran talks have been moved to a new location."
"Not a threat?" Jim fumed aloud. They'd be stupid enough to dismiss Terra Prime? After everything else those bastards had done? Jim felt a pang of sympathy for the Betazoid delegates, and hoped they would manage to avoid any entanglements. He'd met a couple of Betazoids once. Nice people. Really nice people. But if Terra Prime had it out for someone, the threat was real. He was sure of that.
Maybe the terrorists were even trying to derail the impulse engine research teams, too. Anything that helped humans explore further into the galaxy, anything that brought more non-humans to Earth... it was all a target for them. Maybe they'd broken into Academy grounds to get information about Starfleet's engine capabilities with the pending engineering competition. Maybe someone had somehow managed to recognize him in the hangar. Maybe that's how –
"Kirk?"
Jim almost sent his PADD flying off the bed, he startled so hard. If nothing else, he turned towards the door so fast that he wrenched his neck, sending a flash of pain through his head. Eyes watering, he blinked a few times, and finally recognized Cadet Okoru, standing in the door. Behind her stood Thaleb, d'Eon, and Freeman.
Okoru took a tentative step into the room, almost looking like she'd seen a ghost. "If now is a bad time, we can come back."
Jim forced the thoughts of Terra Prime to the back of his mind, and actually found himself grateful for the sight of his team. Eyes still watering, but now from a bit of emotion, Jim brushed the back of his hand across his eyes and gave them what he hoped was an encouraging smile. "It's okay, Okoru. You just surprised me." He looked back at the holovid screen. "Computer – turn off the holovid." With the screen dark and silent, Jim inclined his head, inviting the team into the room. "Come on in, guys. It's good to see you."
The four of them filed into the room, which suddenly seemed much smaller, especially with Thaleb, who was shockingly tall, even for an Andorian. He stepped to the forefront, and gave an abbreviated but solemn bow. "Kirk, it is good that you are recovering. We know that this was not an accident, and we are prepared to assist you in avenging this disgraceful and cowardly act of malice against you and Tambe."
Jim couldn't help but smile a bit, but d'Eon batted Thaleb's arm lightly, chastising. "Give him a minute before you start plotting revenge, Thaleb!" She turned back to Jim, and then hesitated, before she finally spoke. "How are you feeling, Kirk?"
"I'm fine, really." He gave her what he hoped was an encouraging look. "They've been taking good care of me, and I'll be out of here, soon. And I can't wait – the food here is terrible. Anyone care to smuggle me in a pizza?"
That earned him a little bit of a laugh, and the nervous edge in the room seemed to dull a bit. Okoru gave a smile that only seemed slightly forced and leaned on the arm of the chair, making her seem comically short compared to Thaleb. "Actually, your doctor friend, McCoy, warned us that if anyone smuggled you food before your doctors cleared it, he'd conduct our yearly physicals himself. I don't think he meant it as a favor."
"The doctor is an honorable and loyal friend, and a deceptively fierce man," Thaleb said solemnly.
"And a sadist who won't let me have a pizza," Jim grumbled, then shrugged, noting with pleasure that it didn't hurt too much to move his shoulder today. "So, how have you guys been? What's been going on out there?"
The squad exchanged nervous looks. Finally, Okoru spoke up. "It's been weird, Kirk. I mean, we've been worried sick about you. McCoy told us that you were doing well, but that we couldn't see you because you were in ICU, so we didn't know what to think."
"They worry too much. I was fine. But what else?"
She glanced up at Thaleb before continuing. "Well, the hangar was put on security lockdown. We haven't been in there since. All shuttle and flight training on the campus has been suspended until further notice. Random cadets have been pulled out of classes, and we think people are being interrogated. But nobody's saying much."
The feeling was uneasy and undefinable, and it settled into Jim's chest, making him feel like something in the room was pressing him back. "Have they called any of you in for questioning? About what you saw?"
"We all submitted our reports," Freeman said, speaking up for the first time. "They demanded the reports immediately. Wouldn't even let us talk to each other first." He shifted his weight from foot to foot, then folded his arms across his chest as he shook his head. "But no, none of us has been questioned in person."
"And they haven't told us a damned thing," d'Eon added. "Kirk... what do you think is going on? What did you see?"
Jim sucked in a sharp breath. He really didn't want to talk about this. Didn't want to hash it over again. But for his squadmates – the only other people on campus who really deserved to hear this – he could. Leaning forward, he looked across all their faces, all as serious as he felt. "Okay, but this is between us."
(To Part Seven...)
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Date: 2010-11-06 11:06 pm (UTC)Also? I ♥ it when Bones is fierce. :)
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Date: 2010-11-07 02:16 am (UTC)I also adore it when Bones is a fierce MF.