Title: The Boy and the Sea Dragon (14/14)
Author: klmeri
Fandom: Star Trek AOS
Characters: Kirk, Spock, McCoy
Summary: On an away mission, Captain Kirk encounters an old friend he hasn’t thought of in years. Unfortunately, their meeting is less than fortuitous and bodes ill for the rest of Jim’s crew.
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Part Fourteen

Jim wakes up from his doze to the echoing memory of Bones’ scream, reliving that moment again with his heart in his throat. Running fingers through his short hair, not willing to lift his head from the edge of the bed, Jim strives to put reality on hold. At a light, hesitant touch against his back, between his shoulder blades, he gives in and looks up.

“Captain, please use the other bed. You know how Doctor McCoy—”

Here Nurse Chapel breaks off and glances away. After a deep breath, she turns back to Jim. Her words are resolute, if a bit forced. “Doctor McCoy would list ten different conditions that result from bad posture because of falling asleep in a chair.”

Kirk’s chuckle is quiet and pained. “Then he’d bully me until I was exactly where he thought I should be.”

Christine’s smile is small but genuine. “Oh yes. So… which will it be, then? The easy way, or do I need to put my McCoy-training to use?”

He decides that the woman is serious. As he stands, back protesting from the movement, Jim looks over at the other biobed. “Is it possible to…”

“We’ll move it closer, Captain.” With a comforting pat, she walks away.

Kirk limps across the short distance and sits down. He doesn’t need a mirror to know how awful he must appear—cuts from shards of sharp rock; rumpled, dust-caked uniform and skin; and prominently, the bruised look in his eyes. He hasn’t changed clothes since beaming down to the planet, hasn’t spared a thought for anything other than ignoring his own pain and praying.

Eyes closed against the bright sterile room and hearing dulled to the soft beeps of an assorted array of medical equipment, Jim drops his head to his chest.

They couldn’t save Bones.

The Captain dropped to his knees beside his First Officer, staring for what seemed to be a suspended amount of time at McCoy, the doctor’s body having been treated no better than a carelessly discarded rag doll thrown among the rocks. The Vulcan pulled back Jim’s white reaching hand, long fingers wrapped tightly around the man’s wrist. Kirk, at the time, spared no thought for how his own emotions must be battering at the touch-telepath in vicious waves.

The communicator crackled with a Scottish brogue and static. “—Capt’n—repeat—cannae—blockin’ the signal—Capt’n!“

He couldn’t save Bones and he almost couldn’t save Spock.

Kirk stared at the communicator before coming to his feet in a flash. His team of security was already divided between forming a wall around the Captain and hunting out the enemy. Jim took two steps back, breaking from the circle of men, and shouted, “Why! Damn you, why him!”

Jem-me.

Bones is going to die.

“No! STOP!”

Kirk fists the sheets in his hands, dredging up the will not to display the emotions which run rampant within him.

He’d been prepared for a trap. He’d been prepared to fight, to kill—if he’s honest with himself—in order to free his ship and his friends from the sea dragon. Instead, the trap had proved more swift and deadly that he had anticipated.

“Spock!”

By this time, Jim would have willing opened his own veins if it meant the ship could transport them out of Hell. Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw the devil hovering nearby and made a deal with him instead.

“Captain?”

Kirk lets out a breath, locks eyes with Christine and tries to smile. His mouth won’t cooperate.

Her look is full of compassion. “Mr. Spock is comfortable, Sir. Dr. M’Benga estimates that he will come out the healing trance in another two days.”

He nods his understanding. “Bones?” Quiet but meaningful.

“No change. I’m sorry.”

What happens if McCoy never recovers?

Jim knows that he won’t be around to find out. Allowing two maintenance crewmen to carefully ease past him, he watches passively as they unhook and move the biobed at the nurse’s instruction. Once everyone has left him alone again, he eases down on to the bed.

There will be no sleep.

It’s his last night on the Enterprise. The sea dragon’s words come back to him in the silence of the medical bay.

I will release all but you.

Knowing that his men wouldn’t leave if he did not, Jim said as much.

Then you must return.

“If I don’t?”

Jem-me will.

So it had let them go.

Scotty was swearing up a storm once Jim and the last standing men had beamed aboard. The Captain wasted no time in catching up with the trauma units rushing Spock, McCoy, and three security officers to Sickbay.

He leaves before Spock wakes up. Nurse Chapel is startled when Captain Kirk hands her a sealed message for the Vulcan.

“Sir?”

“Please give this to Mr. Spock when you feel that he is well enough.”

“But Captain, I don’t—”

“Don’t worry.” He flashes her a wane version of his normally charming smile. “It’s just something I want him to see.”

He then spends a few hours in his quarters encrypting a message to be sent to New Vulcan. If Bones lives, Jim has set the wheels in motion to find the cure for xenopolycythemia. In his brief (somewhat sorrowful) message to the older Spock, Jim asks for help on Bones’ behalf; in his handwritten letter to his Spock, Jim simply says Help Bones.

Jim refuses to think of a future where Bones dies.

His last destination, one that does not arouse suspicion, is to Doctor McCoy’s isolation unit. Jim ignores the medical console which indicates that Leonard may not be able to hear him. Warming his hands first against his regulation trousers, the Captain takes the doctor’s slack hand between his own.

He leans over to say quietly, “Bones?” Jim swallows hard against the swelling of his throat. “If you can hear me, Bones, I just want you to know that… I am sorry.” He chokes for a minute. “You’ve made it great, you and Spock; I always thought that we would have more time—shit—I thought that we’d at least make it through another five years in space. … Guess not. Nevermind.” He squeezes the cold hand. “Keep an eye on Spock. He’ll need you.”

Jem-me.

Kirk straightens and carefully replaces McCoy’s hand on the bed. The creature is waiting when he turns around.

“Okay.”

The sea dragon, a monster with the face of an old friend, extends one hand to the Captain of the Enterprise. Jim, in a mimic of a childish curiosity from years ago, reaches out. When their fingertips touch, a sensation akin to an exploding sun bursts and consumes everything.

In truth, standing at Doctor Leonard McCoy’s bedside, James T. Kirk—Jem-me—vanishes into thin air.

It changes as it must, thrives in the shift of joints, elongation of bones, and growth of features like a nose to smell with, ears to hear, and hair (it is unsure of the purpose of hair except for aesthetic pleasure). Scales and ridges recede, hard becoming soft and vulnerable. Human.

The last piece falls into the place, the color of the eyes (black shrinking to pupil-size, an iris forming in a bright shade of blue). It stands at full height, James Tiberius Kirk—and Other.

Despite the strange feeling of stretching new muscles, it smiles. As an adult, it is more experienced than a hatchling and understands that patience leads to the prize. Jem-me’s destiny will be good, so full of potential. Tasty, more than a snack but a delicious meal to enjoy until the last morsel is gone.

Yes, worth the long waiting and watching; worth all the mess caused by a troublesome young one and Jem-me’s suspicious friends.

It savors the moment that the change is complete, then sets to planning.

“Oh! Excuse me, Captain. I’m sorry to disturb you.” Chapel is not surprised when she finds Jim Kirk watching over McCoy. She, however, suddenly feels unsettled when Kirk turns to her with a smile.

Her own soft smile wavers and is lost under the bright-eyed beaming of Captain Kirk.

“Hello.” A clearing of the throat. “Nurse Chapel.” The Hello comes out grated, but her title sounds normal enough.

Christine holds up a PADD and kit of medical supplies. “This won’t take long. I need to check Doctor McCoy’s vitals.”

The Captain nods once and walks to the door. He turns back at the last moment to ask, “Nurse, my men attacked by the sea dragon…” Sea dragon? “How are they?”

“Status unchanged, Sir.” Dr. M’Benga admits that Medical cannot keep the unusual condition of the men (those poor, blank-eyed men) from Starfleet much longer; families need to be notified, arrangements made for their care.

“Mm. I must be notified immediately once they recover. I want to take the Enterprise out of orbit and into space. We have other places to be.”

For a minute, she is at a loss for words. “But Captain…”

“Given time, even the gravest of illnesses may heal.” The Captain keeps smiling, no longer pale, drawn or troubled in appearance. He emphasizes, “When they awaken and not a second later!” His confidence of their imminent improvement astounds her.

Christine shivers. In a way that is neither explainable by nor comforting to all future visitors of McCoy’s room, it is noted that the lingering aftertaste in the air is simple, pure and frightening amusement.

-Fini

Sequel?

Related Posts:

• The Boy and the Sea Dragon (13/14) – from December 6, 2010
• The Boy and the Sea Dragon (12/14) – from December 2, 2010
• The Boy and the Sea Dragon (11/?) – from November 27, 2010
• The Boy and the Sea Dragon (10/?) – from November 25, 2010
• The Boy and the Sea Dragon (9/?) – from November 20, 2010