hypnotize their victims .. . and apparently need physical contact to
complete the transference."
"Is the captain all right?"
Spock nodded. "As far as I know. But it is imperative that as few as
possible know of his whereabouts."
"I understand, sir."
"We're going to have to leave the ship, Lieutenant. I regret that you
cannot come with us."
She looked up at him, stricken.
"We're going someplace far more dangerous than the Enterprise. I
cannot ask you to risk that. But you can return with me to auxiliary
control. It's been rigged so that Scott and the others can't break in.
You'll be safe there until we return."
"Thank you, Mr. Spock. Anything I can do to help--"
Spock paused. "I'm sure we'll think of something, Lieutenant."
There came the sounds of stirring and shadows moved in the inner room.
No, McCoy screamed silently, mentally projecting with all his might.
Don't come out. Don't.. .
But Anitra either did not perceive his message or did not care. She
shuffled into the outer room, half staggering from the effects of the
sedative, and leaned
against the console heavily. Her hair was tangled, and she frowned at
Kirk with the petulant expression of a child wakened from a deep
sleep.
"Leave him alone," she said. "He's of no use to you. I'm the one you
need."
Kirk's voice was gravelly. "If we need to take someone, we take her.
If we don't need to take someone, we can still use him ... for other
purposes." He smiled menacingly at McCoy, who quickly lowered his
eyes. "We don't just.. . leave him alone."
The door slid open behind him and Kirk turned. At the same time,
Anitra fired behind him. Less than a second afterward, Spock fired
from the doorway, and for an instant, the captain's body was suspended
in the air, held upright by the sheer force of the opposing beams. The
whine ceased and the body collapsed.
Uhura peeked tentatively around the door as both Spock and Anitra ran
to Kirk's side; McCoy, stunned himself, took longer to get there.
"He'll be all right," Spock was saying by the time McCoy had his
scanner out.
"How in God's name did you know to come?" McCoy marveled.
"A mental link," Spock said. "Dr. Lanter and 1 have found it to be
invaluable. I only regret that I did not link with the captain as
well. It would have warned me sooner of this."
"But the door was locked," McCoy said. "How the devil did you get in
without buzzing us?"
Spock nodded at Anitra.
"Mental link again," she said. "I knew he was at the door. But I
can't believe you didn't notice either. I thought I was so obvious at
the console." She looked
uncertainly over at Uhura, who had silently entered and stood looking
down at Kirk.
"Lieutenant Uhura," Spock said, "will be remaining here."
McCoy smiled at her. "You don't know how good it is to see a friendly
face again, Uhura."
She returned the smile. "You want to make a bet, Doctor? I'm just
sorry about what's happened to the captain."
"We all are."
"It's time we got to the shuttlecraft," Spock said.
"Spock," McCoy began, "your mother--"
Spock straightened. "I cannot ask anyone else to take further
responsibility for her. I'll sabotage the sensors while the two of you
get to the shuttlecraft. I'll come back for her, but the instant you
sense danger --"
"Spock," McCoy interrupted gently, "she came to."
Spock's eyes widened almost imperceptibly.
McCoy's tone was sympathetic. "They still have her, Spock. Somehow,
they were able to control her bodily functions so that she appeared to
be dead. That way she could get to Anitra without anyone suspecting.
I've got her heavily sedated right now, but--"
Spock cut him off. "Then she stays on the Enterprise."
McCoy watched his face intently for a shift in expression, but Spock
was unflinching, steady. So it's just that simple, McCoy thought, but
he could say nothing. Taking her with them now would be insanity; even
he could not argue in favor of it.
Spock turned to Anitra. "The ship will begin to drift shortly I
believe we'll have enough time before that happens to make it to the
hangar deck. And we'll need to remove the captain and my mother from
this room, for the lieutenant's sake."
"I'll take care of that," Uhura said. "You go on." The excitement had
gone a long way toward neutralizing the effects of the sedative; Anitra
put her hands on her hips. "Well, what are we waiting for?"
Spock stopped in front of the circuitry panel near the entrance to the
hangar deck. Anitra and McCoy hovered behind him, and he spoke to them
over his shoulder. "Get into the shuttle and prepare for launch, but
don't open the docking doors or move the craft until I've signaled that
the sensors have been disengaged. Anitra gave him a reluctant backward
glance and headed for the hangar deck, where the Galileo stood ready
for launch. McCoy did not follow, but planted himself firmly behind
the Vulcan.
Spock frowned. "Go with Dr. Lanter, please. I can manage things
here."
"I'll stay," McCoy insisted. "Maybe I can help."
Spock lifted a brow. "I seriously doubt it."
"I may not be much help as a technician, but I can serve as a
lookout."
"I am perfectly capable of serving as my own lookout," Spock said,
removing the first layer of paneling. "Interesting."
McCoy looked over the Vulcan's shoulder. "What's that?"
"This paneling has apparently been cut through before. Perhaps the
captain completed his task--" He broke off suddenly and frowned.
"What is it, Spock?"
"The circuits have been polarized. It seems someone suspected we might
attempt this and wanted to slow our escape. I'll have to recalibrate
my instrument." He glanced back at the doctor. "This will take some
time, Dr. McCoy. Please get on the shuttlecraft." "If you can't cut
the circuit in time, what's the point?"
Spock worked rapidly as he spoke. "You could attempt escape--"
"They'll blow the shuttlecraft to bits if they can track it."
"At least your chances would be better than if you remained on board,"
Spock said, exasperated. "I fail to see the logic of remaining here.
You're providing me with no useful service--"
"I've got a phaser, dammit. I'm covering you."
Spock sighed and concentrated fully on the work at hand once it was
quite clear that arguing would not change McCoy's mind. Despite his
gloomy predictions, it took him no more than three full minutes to
disengage the sensors.
"Good work, Spock," McCoy said approvingly.
"Good work, Spock," a rasping voice echoed. They turned to see Kirk
behind them.
Spock made a subtle movement for his communicator, but Kirk's tightened
grip on the phaser made him abandon the gesture. It would have been an
altogether
unnecessary one; the hangar doors parted slowly, and the three of them
watched
as the Galileo rose silently and sailed through the open
portal.
Kirk found the nearest intercom and, without compromising his weapon's
aim, hit the toggle with his fist. "Kirk to bridge. Lanter has the
shuttlecraft--the sensors have been knocked out. Track her for now.
I'm on my way."
He turned to his prisoners. "After you, gentlemen."
The bridge was eerie in the artificial evening's half light; the
dimness left faces half in shadow. It was bad enough, thought McCoy,
without the darkness. The faces of his friends wore expressions that
were parodies of those the real owners would have worn.
Scott's eyes glittered palely as he rose from the con.
"View screen on," Kirk said and took his seat; for want of a better
place, his prisoners stood alongside in their usual places, staring
glassily ahead as the Galileo attempted to make its escape. "Helmsman.
Approximate range."
"Three hundred kilometers, sir."
"Phasers ready," Kirk said.
"No," McCoy whispered urgently. Kirk swiveled in his chair to smile at
him.
"Fire," he said, his eyes on McCoy. The doctor looked down, unable to
bear what was happening on the screen.
"A direct hit," Sulu gloated.
McCoy looked sideways and caught a glimpse of Spock's face, illumined
for an instant by the brilliant orange glow as the Galileo flared and
burst into bits of
wreckage, and then went dim again. Throughout, the Vulcan stared
impassively ahead.
"What are you?" McCoy wheeled to face Kirk, his voice shaking with
rage. "What kind of thing are you, that you could do that to someone
like her--" He moved threateningly toward the captain.
Spock stepped in front of him before anyone else had a chance to stop
him. "Doctor," he said softly, "there is no logic in making our
situation any worse than it already is."
McCoy felt as though he were breaking into small pieces. "Our
situation? Who gives a damn about our situation? You cold-hearted son
of a bitch!" His voice rose until it cracked. "How could you just
stand there and watch?"
Spock said nothing.
"How could you!" McCoy spat vehemently, but the Vulcan remained
silent.
"Gentlemen," Kirk's tone was mocking, "she had it easy. You, on the
other hand, will not." He nodded at Scott. "Mr. Scott, escort these
pr isoners to the brig." He leered at them. "I want you to
think--really think about what happened to people on this ship who were
uncooperative."
"Such as al-Baslama," said Spock coldly, "and Liu .. ."
The remark seemed to please rather than anger him. "To mention only
two. We don't need you, gentlemen. But we can use you ... at our
leisure, and for our own pleasure."
His chilling smile was the last thing McCoy saw as they left the
bridge.
McCoy had not actually seen the shuttlecraft be destroyed, but he had
seen the glow of the flames on Spock's face, could even now see the
death scene played back in Spock's eyes--the metal hull ripped,
twisted, hurtling in a thousand directions as the initial burst of
flame was extinguished rapidly in the oxygen less reaches of space.
Spock sat on the floor of the brig, his back straight against the wall,
morose, untouchable. McCoy sat in the opposite corner. From where he
was, he could just see the guard's back on the other side of the force
field.
McCoy was hurting too badly at the moment to keep his feelings to
himself any longer. He thought of Anitra, so beautiful, so ...
alive--and found himself trying not to weep in front of Spock. He
surreptitiously wiped his eyes on the corner of his sleeve.
"How long do you think we have?" he asked when he could speak again.
"Impossible to estimate." Spock's voice had no inflection; his eyes
were focused on a far-distant point.
"I wasn't really asking for an estimate," McCoy said in his best
conciliatory manner. "I guess ... I was just trying to make
conversation."
As soon as he said it, it struck him as a stupid thing to say; Spock,
of course, would be in no mood for idle conversation. He sat, a wooden
Vulcan deity, showing no signs of having heard. There was probably no
logical reply, McCoy guessed, to such a statement.
He came to the point. "Dammit, Spock, I was trying to apologize for
"I have come to expect such outbursts, Doctor."
"It's just that .. . she's dead." McCoy blinked
rapidly at the sound of the words. "How can you not react to that?"
Spock's eyes were on him, and so cold that they seemed to burn right
through him. "I need not account for my behavior to you."
"You're right," McCoy sighed.
It took Spock a full minute to register what he had just heard. He
turned to McCoy, both eyebrows raised in an expression of honest
amazement. "That is the first time," he said slowly, "that you have
ever said those words to me."
McCoy said nothing.
"Your normal reaction at this point is to argue even more
strenuously."
McCoy shook his head and rested his chin on his knees. "What's the
point? They're going to torture us . then kill us, if we're lucky."
Spock nodded in somber agreement.
"Why make it any worse for you? It wasn't anyone's fault. We're both
sorry she's dead. It's just that I" McCoy broke off.
"You are ... fond of her," Spock said gently, almost kindly.
"I didn't think you were one to notice that sort of thing," McCoy said,
blinking rapidly. There was no longer any reason not to admit
it--there would be no further arguments where Spock could use such
knowledge as ammunition.
"You give me little credit, Doctor," Spock said in the same soft tone.
It was one that McCoy had not heard before--Spock with his defenses
down. "I've been observing humans for many years now. It's a
phenomenon I've had the opportunity to see numerous times. How else
would you explain your reaction on Vulcan when you saw me emerge from
her bedroom?"
"It's just a damn shame--all of it." McCoy was beginning to feel
downright tearful. "We were so close to succeeding, and she was our
only hope. I wish now I had gone on that shuttlecraft with her."
"There's still a chance," Spock said softly. He seemed to be studying
the doctor with a curious look of pity.
"What chance?" McCoy laughed hollowly. "It's all over, Spock. They've
got Jim, they've got the ship and probably most of Vulcan by now.
Anitra was Star Fleet's great hope and now ..."
He looked over at Spock, but the Vulcan was no longer listening to
him--he was looking over at the door to the brig, where the security
guard lay sprawled on the floor. There was a small crackle as the
force field in front of them melted away.
McCoy looked up and grinned so hard it hurt.
"Just sitting around doing nothing?" Anitra teased. "Come on." McCoy
made a move to hug her, but she sidestepped it and thrust him forward.
"There isn't time. The hangar deck."
"She's
alive," McCoy said, beaming stupidly and moving it.
"Obviously," Spock said, and for a moment McCoy feared the Vulcan might
actually smile.
"Wait a minute. Now wait just a minute!" Outrage crept into McCoy's
voice, and he vacillated between the ridiculous urge to kiss the Vulcan
or kill him. "You
knew. Damn you, you pointy-eared bastard, you knew."
"Dr. McCoy, I have tolerated enough remarks concerning my legitimacy
for one day--"
McCoy laughed. "She's alive." "Not for long, if you don't shut up,"
Anitra said, feigning irritation, but nonetheless pleased by McCoy's
reception.
"But how--?"
"I put Galileo on autopilot and hoped they'd assume I was on it. The
sensors are still out on the hangar deck, and I've got another
shuttlecraft all set up to go-"
"Then let's get the hell out of here," McCoy said and grinned.
Chapter Eight