Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek
Chapter 12: Working with Khan (Part 2)
Leila's POV
After the communication with Spock Prime we sat around for a long time waiting for word from Jim. Spock had ordered to me assemble all of the senior medical staff in the weapons bay but had not told me why. Bones left not long after as well.
Suddenly a transmition came through and Khan appeared on the screen at gun point.
"JIM!" I screamed in fear.
"I'm going to make this very easy for you, your crew for my crew" Khan said.
"You betrayed us" Spock said.
"Oh you are smart Mister Spock" Khan replied.
"Spock don't d-" Jim started to say before Khan knocked me down.
The tears were now streaming down my face and I could feel the baby getting agitated.
"Mister Spock give me my crew"
"What will you do when you get them?"
"Continue the weaponry before we were banished"
"Which is I understand involves the mass genocide of anything being you find to be less than superior"
"Shall I destroy you Spock or will you give me what I want?"
"We have no transporter capabilities"
"Fortunately mine are fully functional, drop your shields"
"If I do so I have no guarantee you will not destroy the Enterprise"
"Let's play this out logically then Mister Spock. Firstly I will kill your Captain to demonstrate my resolve then if yours holds I will have no choice but to kill you and your entire crew"
"If you destroy ship you will also destroy your own people"
"Your crew requires Oxygen to survive, mine does not. I will target your life support systems and after every single person aboard your ship suffocates I will walk over your cold corpses to recovery my people. I may even remove your unborn child from its dead mother's body; it would make a fine addition to my crew. Now shall we begin?"
I saw Spock turn around for just a moment to glance at me before ordering the shields to be lowered.
"A wise choice Mister Spock" Khan replied, "I see your 72 torpedoes are still in their chambers. If they're not mine Commander I will know it"
"Vulcan's do not lie, the torpedoes are yours"
"Thank you Mister Spock"
"I have fulfilled your terms now fulfil mine"
"Well it seems I should return Kirk to you. After all, no ship should go down without her Captain"
Suddenly the alarms went off and immediately we knew Khan was up to something.
"He's locked all phasers on us" Sulu said and seconds later they started.
"The torpedoes, how much time Lieutenant?"
"12 seconds sir" a yellow shirt replied.
"Enterprise prepare for immanent proximity detonation"
"Sir their weapons have been knocked out" Sulu announced, "Not bad Commander"
"Thank you Lieutenant"
Seconds later the power went out.
"Switch to the backup power" Spock ordered.
"Backup power failing" a blue shirt replied.
"Commander our ship's caught in the Earth's gravity" Sulu announced.
"Can we stop?"
"I can't do anything"
"Sound evacuation of all decks, as acting Captain I order you to abandon ship. I will remain behind and divert all remaining power to the evacuation bays" he ordered and repeated when none of us moved, "I order you to abandon ship!"
"With all due respect Commander but we're not going anywhere" Sulu said as he and the other crew strapped themselves in.
"Leila, please" Spock pleaded with me turning around in his chair as far as he could.
"I'm sorry, but I can't go through that again" I replied and secured my own safety restraint.
As our gravity systems started to fail I could hear Spock ushering everyone to hold on. My contractions were a lot closer together now and I was terrified that the baby would be born in the mist of all this.
"Emergency power at 15%" a yellow shirt announced.
"Mr Sulu divert all remaining power into the stabilizers" Spock ordered.
"I'm doing what I can sir" Sulu replied, "If we don't get power to the shield back online we are going to be incinerated on re-entry"
At was at that moment we knew that there was no hope for the Enterprise. Quickly I undid my restraints and stumbled over to Spock. Neither of us said anything only holding on to the other tightly as the ship continued to fall rapidly. Closing my eyes I pushed my head into his neck not wanting to witness the Enterprise ripping apart piece by piece.
"The warp core is back online" Sulu suddenly shouted.
"Maximum thrusters Mr Sulu"
"Thrusters are maximum, standby"
We all waited patiently for what felt like a life time until eventually the ship stopped falling and started rising up through the clouds. Everyone started cheering out of happiness and relief.
"Engineering to Bridge, Mr Spock you and Commander Kirk better get down here fast"
"You go on ahead" I told Spock, "I'll catch up with you down there"
Not needing to be told twice he took off running towards engineering.
***
Spock's POV
When I reached the Engineering deck one of the first things that I saw was the Captain behind the door that led to the Warp Core. He was so pale that it was evident that he was dying.
"Open the door" I ordered Mr Scott.
"I can't sir, the decontamination process isn't complete. It would flood the whole compartment. The door's locked sir" he replied.
Instead I dropped down next to Jim and tried to get his attention.
"How's our ship?" he asked his voice tired and weak.
"Out of danger, you saved the crew"
"You used what he wanted against him; that was a nice move"
I knew that he was referring to the 72 men and women of Khan's crew safely still in their Cyro-tubes in the Med Bay.
"It is what you would have done"
"Unless this is what you would have done, it was only logical. I'm scared Spock, help me not be. How do you choose not feel?"
"I do not know, but right now I am failing"
"I want you to know why I couldn't let you die, why I went back for you"
"Because you are my friend"
"Also I did not want you to suffer the same fate that my father did. Leila and the baby need you more than anyone else, I didn't want them to grow Leila, my mother and I did all over again"
By now the tears were running down my face and I didn't make any effort to stop them. I watched as Jim placed his hand on the glass in the Vulcan gesture using all the energy that he had. I copied the action placing my hand next to his. Behind me I could hear Leila practically screaming was Jim passed on. Glancing over my shoulder I could see that Mr Scott was holding her up preventing her from falling. Taking a moment to collect my thoughts I realised who was responsible for the death of my friend.
Leila's POV
I am very concerned about Spock right now. In the space of 5 minutes he has been crying and screaming his anger at Khan. I know that Jim has just died but Spock is Vulcan which is why these sudden bursts of emotion are making me worry about him. We made our way back up to the Bridge and arrived just in time to witness Khan's ship fly by narrowly missing us.
"It's heading straight for the city, it's going to crash" I pointed out.
Only seconds later we watched helplessly as buildings were destroyed as the ship skidded to a halt.
"Scan the enemy ship for signs of life" Spock ordered.
"Sir no one could have survived that" Sulu replied.
"He could"
We kept our eyes glued to the screen and watched as Khan's signal appeared.
"Whoa he just jumped 30 metres" Sulu said.
"Can we beam him up?" Spock asked.
"There is too much damage I have no incoming signal but it is possible to beam you down Sir" Chekov replied.
Spock turned to me as if asking for my permission.
"Go get the bastard who killed my brother" I replied before he smashed his lips onto mine. The kiss only last seconds then he took off running towards the transporter room. I waited until he was safely out of ear shot before addressing the crew.
"You have the Com Mr Sulu" I announced.
"Is everything alright Commander?" he asked as the bridge crew turned to stare at me.
"Yes, be careful when you are walking. My waters just broke" I replied and stepped into the Turbo-lift.
***
As I stepped into the Med Bay I went to call out for Bones until I saw what or rather whom everyone was standing around. I stood frozen staring at the corpse of my twin brother.
"Leila, I thought you were on the bridge" Bones said after realising that I was there.
"I was but my waters broke" I informed him.
"Come on lass, let's get you comfortable" Scotty said and I allowed him to lead me away from the group, "You don't need to see that"
He took me into a private room that Bones must have set up earlier in the day and helped me get comfortable on the bed. There was practically every piece of medical equipment relating to pregnancy known to man in the room.
"Bones really went all out didn't he" I commented.
"Well you and Jim are the only family he has; he treats the two of you as if you were his own siblings"
"He did treat the both us like siblings" I corrected him.
"I'm so sorry Leila; I wish the outcome could have been better"
"If it wasn't Jim who sacrificed himself it would have been Spock; either way I would have lost a man I love"
Outside of the room we could hear a lot of commotion going on but did not know what. Eventually Bones came into the room to check on me and I started throwing questions at him.
"What's with all the noise Bones? Did something happen?"
"We found a way to save Jim, but we need Khan alive"
For the first time today I smiled knowing that there was a glimmer of hope that my brother could be saved.
***
Bones left the room again not long after informing us what was happening with Jim. I had taken to phasing up and down the room.
"You're going to leave a tread in the floor" Scotty chuckled.
"I couldn't care less right now; it's helping with the pain"
I was in the middle of a contraction when Bones came back with Spock right behind him. Immediately he rushed to my side, our forehands resting against each other until my contraction eased.
"Are you alright? Did you catch Khan?" I asked.
"Shh don't worry yourself, I am fine and Khan is safely locked away where he can never hurt anyone ever again"
"Alright Leila get on the bed, I want to examine you again" Bones said.
"Ah Bones I just got comfortable" I moaned.
"Fine, sit down on the chair then" he replied rolling his eyes. While he got his gloves on Spock helped me to sit down. It was then that I realised that Scotty was missing. Looking over my shoulder I spotted him with his back to me.
"Are you okay Scotty?" I asked.
"I'm alright, don't worry about me" he replied raising one hand up which caused me to start giggling.
"You're in a funny mood today Leila" Bones commented.
"I just lost my brother Bones; I'm trying really hard not to break down right now"
Bones paused for a second to give me a sympathetic smile. Out the corner of my eye I could see a hand reach forward and pat Spock on the shoulder.
"We're all here for you Leila" Scotty, the owner of the hand said. I watched as Spock raised an eyebrow and I started laughing again.
"Alright Leila you're 10 centimetres, time to start pushing. Do you want to get on the bed?"
"Are really going to make me move again?"
"I'll take that as no then. Mr Scott I need you to go out and ask one of the nurse to get me a towel, a pair of scissors and a pair of ties"
As Scotty ran out of the room Spock knelt down on the floor next to me and grabbed my hands.
"Alright Leila you can start pushing" Bones said.
Gripping onto Spock's hands tightly I pushed as hard as I could.
"Keep going Leila" he encouraged me. After 10 minutes of pushing there was still no progress.
"What's wrong Bones? Why isn't anything happening?" I panted.
"I don't know, just give me a sec" he replied.
I started to panic and Spock could sense it. His grip on my hands tightened and he moved his head closer to mine.
"It's going to be okay Leila" he whispered in my ear.
"But the baby!"
"Whatever happens we'll get through it Leila, we always do"
I was about to reply when Bones interrupted me.
"Leila this is very important I need you to listen to me very carefully"
"Bones what's wrong? You're scaring me"
"The baby is breach; you need to stand up in order to allow gravity to assist the baby's delivery"
Carefully Spock helped me to stand up and I gripped onto his shoulders.
"Alright Leila you can start pushing again" Bones ordered me. I did as I was told and within a few minutes I could feel things starting to happen.
"Hurry up Mr Scott, where are you?!" Bones shouted.
"I'm here" Scotty replied as he ran into the room with his arms full. Bones grabbed the towel and wrapped it around the baby's body.
"Come on Leila, just the head to deliver now"
It took a lot more effort but eventually I felt relief as the baby slid out of me. It didn't cry as I expected and within seconds Bones had whisked it away.
"Go with Bones, make sure the baby is alright" I told Spock and he ran after Bones.
Spock's POV
I followed Dr McCoy back out into the main Med Bay and over to an empty bed.
"Dr McCoy what is happening?"
"She can't breathe; her airways are blocked"
"Well can't you do something?"
"I am, just give me a second to get the right equipment"
He reached over and grabbed a suction cup. Babies are nose breathers so I wasn't surprised when he put the tiny nozzle into my daughter's nose. After a few splutters she started crying and breathing on her own. This caused everyone other person in the room to start clapping and cheering.
"Well she certainly has a pair of lungs on her" Dr McCoy chuckled and handed her to me. She felt so tiny in my arms, like she could break any second even though I knew that it was highly illogical.
I was so focused on my daughter that I wasn't aware of Mr Scott rushing towards us.
"Dr McCoy come quickly; something is wrong with Leila"
Holding my daughter tightly I rushed back to the room that Leila was in with Dr McCoy and Mr Scott. When we got there the first thing I saw was Leila lying on the floor in a pool of blood.
"You both need to leave, now!" Dr McCoy ordered us.
"Dr McCoy you need to help her!" I shouted.
"Come on Commander, we need to get out" Mr Scott said and I allowed him to pull me out of the room. Walking over to an empty bed I sat down and began crying. I was grateful to Mr Scott for shutting the curtains so that no one can see me in my moment of weakness. I had already lost my friend and now possibly my wife. My daughter asleep in my arms may be the only thing left that I have of the Kirk twins.
*2 weeks later*
Jim's POV
When I woke up I had a pounding headache. Looking to my left I could see Bones fiddling with the machines that I was hooked up to.
"Oh don't be so melodramatic, you were barely dead" Bones said rolling his eyes, "It was the transfusion that really took its toll; you were out cold for 2 weeks"
"Transfusion?" I questioned.
"Your cells were heavily irradiated, we had no choice"
"Khan" I replied remembering Bones telling me about the regenerative properties in Khan's blood.
"Once we caught him I synthesised a serum from his super blood, tell me are you feeling homicidal, power mad?"
"No more than usual, how'd you catch him?"
"I didn't" Bones replied before moving to the other side of the bed. For the first time I noticed Spock standing at the other side of the room.
"You saved my life" I told him.
"I had something to do with it to you know" Bones muttered.
"You saved my life Captain and the lives of the entire crew"
"Thank you Spock"
"You are welcome Jim" he replied and I smiled since that was the first time that he had called me y my first name.
"How is Leila? Did she have the baby?" I asked.
"Why don't you ask us for yourself Jim?" I heard a voice say and my eyes shot over to Leila who was just walking through the doorway with a bundle of blankets in her arms.
"Jim, meet your niece Amanda" she said and carefully handed her over to me. I could help but stare at how beautiful she was. Even while she was sleeping I could see that she had the same facial features as Leila but Spock's hair colour and ears.
"She's beautiful guys, congratulations" I smiled at them, "When was she born?"
"About 5 minutes after Khan was brought back aboard the Enterprise" Spock replied.
"We have come to the conclusion that she has your impatience Jim" Leila chuckled.
"Kind of ironic considering we were born on an evacuation shuttle" I said, "Did everything go alright?"
"Not exactly, I did have a lot of bleeding and also needed a transfusion but as no one else on board the ship had the same blood type as me I was also given Khan's blood"
Spock and Leila stayed with me for the rest of the day and the whole time I was holding Amanda, well except when she needed to be fed and changed. One thought that was constantly going through my mind was how easily the Enterprises' fate could have been the same as the USS Kelvin but it didn't. And I am relieved that all my family, Spock included, are safe and well.
Aw, that was the last chapter. Only the Epilogue left now!