'Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven' - Chapter 13

[nikki4noo]

Jim and Scotty rounded the corner and looked down the corridor toward the main entrance to Engineering. Standing outside the door were Spock and Burly, talking quietly with each other while the other Security members hung back.

“Gentleman,” Jim said as he got closer. “Care to update me?”

“Captain. Mr. Scott,” Spock said.

“Nice to see you back, Scotty,” Burly said.

“Khan and his people have secured themselves inside Engineering,” Spock said.

“The secondary control room?” Jim asked.

“It is likely that was their aim, Captain.”

“My people?” Scotty asked.

“All out and accounted for, Mr. Scott,” Spock replied.

Jim noted the look Scotty was sending in the direction of the door. The man was very protective of his area and woe betide anyone who got in his way, even Jim.

“Lt. Uhura has reported that the other Augments, who were a diversionary tactic, have retreated to the Jeffries tubes. They are being tracked and Security teams are keeping them in the tubes for the moment. I understand Khan was in Sickbay?” Spock asked.

“Trashed Bones’ office but we have no idea why. Bones doesn’t know either. He said he would let us know if anything turned up missing, but nothing so far,” Jim replied.

Jim’s communicator beeped and he picked it up off his belt and flipped it open.

“Kirk here,” he said.

“Sir,” Uhura greeted him. “They have accessed the secondary control room and are endeavoring to block the communications systems. We are working on it, but I recommend the secondary option as we discussed.” Uhura was smart, knowing that Khan and his people could be listening in.

“Do it. I’ll be back shortly. Anything in my way?” he asked.

“Negative, Captain. They are confined to the lower desks, specifically those areas around Engineering,” Uhura reported.

“Okay, Chekov back yet?”

“No, sir.”

“I’ll collect him on the way. Kirk out.” He flipped the communicator shut.

“Get communicators for each team. Word of mouth initially. Radio silence except where needed,” Jim ordered.

“I’ll get my team and get my ship back,” Scotty said.

Jim let the ‘my ship’ slide. “What’s the plan?” he asked Scotty.

“I know some back ways into the Jeffries tubes and there are access points in six areas where we can make life difficult for those trying to control things.”

Jim looked at Spock to see his reaction to Scotty’s statement, it was news to him and the look on Spock’s face said it wasn’t something that Spock knew about either.

“Do it,” Jim said. “Keep me updated, Spock.” With that, Jim left them to harass the Augments while he went back to the Transporter Room, to get Chekov.

oOo

Jim had his communicator open, listening to the updated report from Uhura. He was lucky to be on Deck Seven, he knew. The turbolift had shuddered to a halt somewhere just below Deck Nine. Uhura and the two technicians had battled, trying to get it restored, and for a moment they had, letting him off on Deck Seven. He feared that he may have gotten trapped in for the remainder of this battle. He wanted and needed to be back on his Bridge and now the only likely way could be for Chekov to beam him in there, if they still had control of the transporters.

Intermittent reports had been coming in. From Scotty there had been some choice words as he battled with the Augments in the Jeffries tubes. Firing a weapon in there wasn’t a great option, as there was a huge risk of ricochets turning back on themselves and also damaging some very delicate systems. Scotty said he thought that the Augments were aware of this as well, which had resulted in some hand to hand fighting inside the Jeffries tubes. Jim could imagine how tight and close it would be and while the Engineering staff weren’t as trained as the Security staff, they were, to a man, woman, and being, as protective of the ship as Scotty was. The Augments might have some idea of the way around the ship, but that was nothing in comparison to the knowledge that Engineering had.

Spock and Burly were working with other technicians trying to get into the main Engineering room. They were both coordinating as best as they could with Uhura, who with Sulu, was keeping the rest of the ship informed. Jim hadn’t heard from Bones about what was going on in Sickbay, but he trusted the man to be doing his best to keep his people alive and well. Jim had made the mistake a few times in the past of checking up on Bones while things were getting hectic and nearly had his head bitten off for doing so.

Uhura was at the thick of it, Jim gathered. Trying to keep the communication lines open on the ship, updating everyone as needed, all the while physically trying to re-route systems. Sulu had let it slip that Uhura had been stuck permanently under her console as she battled against the Augments’ hacking. At least Sulu had Spinelli, helping him at the helm, while Chekov was still in the Transporter room. Spinelli was a good man and a very competent helmsman, and other ship captains had been trying to get their hands on him.

Jim wondered why Chekov was still in the Transporter room and hadn’t returned to the Bridge. As the door to the Transporter room opened, he figured it out.

“No, Marla. I can’t beam you there,” Chekov was saying as he physically stood in the entrance to the console area.

McGivers was standing with her hands on her hips in front of him, leaning forward slightly. Jim got the impression that the argument had been going on for a while.

Chekov looked up when he heard the door open and his face registered shock and then relief at seeing Jim.

“Captain! Please explain to Lt. McGivers, that I can’t beam her into the Engineering room,” Chekov said as he pointed a finger in McGivers’ direction.

“What?” Jim asked, walking forward briskly, angry that McGivers seemed to want to join the Augments.

“Captain, please, I know I can talk to him,” she pleaded.

“Lieutenant, you are skating seriously close to a court-martial,” Jim warned.

“I know, sir. I should be court marshaled for my stupidity already. I think he will listen to me though. I might be able to get a truce or something. He said you were going to kill his people,” Marla said, hanging her head down as she spoke.

Chekov threw his hands up in the air before crossing them over his chest.

“The Captain would never do something like that! Khan lied to you,” Chekov protested.

“I have no idea where he got that idea,” Jim said. “Shouldn’t you be back in Sickbay?”

“I’m fine,” McGivers said. “Let me speak to him, I can tell him he was mistaken about it. I know he still believes that I listen to him.”

“I don’t trust you,” Jim stated flat out. It was no time to be politic or diplomatic or any of that other bullshit that he sometimes had to trot out in order to ensure that a mission was completed successfully. His ship was under the control of a group of power hungry super-humans and here was this young woman, under the thrall of one of them, trying to get back with them.

McGivers stepped back in shock, a hand going up to cover her mouth while she gaped at Jim.

“There it is,” Jim said. “You have shown a lack of judgement in taking the word of a prisoner over your oath as a Starfleet officer.”

“Yes, sir. I agree,” McGivers said, dropping her hand down as she raised her chin up a little. There were tears welling in her eyes and Jim had a small amount of sympathy as she admitted her mistakes.

“This is why I would like to try and fix it. Khan wants to believe that I will be on his side. He still--” she hesitated, taking a deep breath before continuing. “He still finds me attractive, sir, and if I can use that to let you know what is going on in that room, I can be of some small assistance. Please let me help.”

“Is the Transporter online?” Jim asked Chekov.

Jim kept his arms crossed while he watched Chekov check the transporter console. He wasn’t interested in letting McGivers put herself back into Khan’s clutches, but the possibility of transporting into a room on the Enterprise had a tactical advantage he might be able to use.

“Please let me,” McGivers implored again.

“Lieutenant, I am not inclined to put you into the same room with a man that I know you have shown a partiality for. If we can beam into the room, then I would send in those that are likely to overpower the Augments and grant us control of the ship back,” Jim explained. He knew he was being a little curt with her, but it was the only possibility he was going to consider.

“Sir! If you send in Security or anyone else, Khan and his people will kill them on sight. He stopped any of his people from hurting me. I know he will still not let them do it. I can be of help. Please, please let me. I have experience with people like him. I know what he wants and I can get him to listen to me.”

“Captain, they haven’t touched the Transporter system and I don’t think they understand it. They had to use one of our Transporter chiefs when beaming people over,” Chekov reported.

“True, Captain. Khan needed me to do the initial transport over,” McGivers backed up Chekov’s statement.

Jim didn’t want to send her, but her earnestness was not faked, he was sure. She wanted to atone for her mistakes and if Khan was distracted by her, it might help them out. He flipped open his communicator to speak to Uhura.

“Captain Kirk, I hope you are enjoying the lack of air,” Khan’s voice came through over the comm unit on the wall.

Jim looked at the wall unit in shock. Khan’s statement didn’t make sense.

“Spock, your Captain and the rest of the Bridge crew are currently experiencing a lack of air. You will surrender to my people,” Khan announced.

Before Jim could connect his communicator and check on the Bridge crew, Spock had beaten him to it.

“Nyota? Nyota?” Spock put out a general hail.

Jim, McGivers, and Chekov all crowded around Jim’s communicator, waiting to hear a response.

There was none. Even when Spock called again, no answer was forthcoming from the Bridge.

McGivers moved over to the wall unit and started pulling up details on the screen there. Chekov was looking over her shoulder and pointing at various things as they scrolled by on the screen.

Jim stood behind them, noting Chekov bouncing on the balls of his feet, obviously not comfortable with McGivers being in control of the computer.

“What has happened?” Jim asked, impatient for news.

“He has used a narcotic on the Bridge crew, they are alive, just knocked out,” Chekov said.

“Captain, please let me reason with him, I can use the communicator and leave the line open. You can hear everything that is going on, but let me try,” McGivers pleaded.

“I don’t like it, but do it, Chekov. Send her in there and you keep that line open. I want one of my people flying my ship and I want it to happen as soon as possible.” Jim held out his communicator to McGivers.

“What about you, sir?” McGivers asked.

Jim walked over to the storage unit on the far side of the room. He opened it up and got a spare communicator out. He tossed it to Chekov, who looked at him quizzically.

“Call Spock, tell him there will be an open communication shortly and to be prepared. Don’t say anything about me, in case they are listening.”

“Aye, Captain,” Chekov said, flipping it open and following Jim’s instructions.

Jim walked back over to McGivers so that he could speak to her quietly.

“I don’t want to do this, but my crew and our ship are in danger. I’m willing to give you a chance to prove your worth as a Starfleet officer. The control of the ship is now in the hands of people who don’t understand the technology they have. Good luck, Lieutenant,” Jim told her.

“Yes, sir. I will do my best not to fail you and the crew,” McGivers said before turning and walking over to the transporter pad, flipping open the communicator and putting in a link to an open line. She slipped it back onto the belt at her waist, keeping it open but turned inwards to hide that it was on. “I’m ready,” she said and her voice could be heard over the other communicator that was sitting open on the console.

Jim could see the fear lurking in her eyes, masked by bravery. It was the best way to be, he knew. If you didn’t have the fear lurking there, then you made stupid decisions that hurt many others and not just yourself. He nodded at her.

“Good luck, Marla,” Chekov said. “Energizing.”

With that word, Jim watched as the beam swirled around her and her atoms were scattered, hopefully to appear within the main Engineering control room.

oOo

Marla took courage from the look on Captain Kirk’s face and the little smile Pavel gave her, before they disappeared from her sight to be replaced with the larger space of the Engineering main control room. There were a few phasers pointed in her direction as she materialized.

“Don’t shoot,” she said, lifting her hands up in the air, scared that her mission would end before she could even speak to Khan, where ever he was.

“Lower your weapons,” she heard Khan order from behind her.

She turned slowly as she lowered her hands. Khan was standing with his arms crossed in front of him, a phaser tucked into his pants. He was still in the clothing that had been lent to him from the quartermaster, a pale blue top and black pants, similar to what all the medical orderlies wore. A thought flickered across her mind if he had noticed that he had been put in clothing that he might consider beneath him. Her main thoughts though, were wrapped up in the displeasure she saw on his face.

“Marla,” he said, stepping closer to her. She stood her ground and tried not to flinch or show how scared she was.

As she stood silent under his perusal, she tried to memorize as much around her as she saw, how many people were in the room, where they were standing. But she didn’t want to look away from Khan, for fear that he would take it as disinterest. She needed to try and reason with him and show him how eager she was for him to help the Enterprise crew as well as his own. They could learn from each other.

“I see you managed to find us,” he said.

“Yes, sir. I needed to speak with you,” she replied.

“Need? Yes, a woman like you would need,” he said as he started to walk around her.

It was too much and as he moved, she turned so that she was always facing him. He smirked at her when he noticed.

He stopped when one of his people swore and thumped on the console they were standing in front of.

“Report,” Khan said shortly.

The man who had swore was looking at the console still.

“Report,“ Khan snarled out, obviously not happy about being ignored. It made everyone else in the room stop and watch the by-play.

The man turned, he was wearing one of the gold mesh type outfits, so he wasn’t one of those who had originally beamed back with Marla and Khan.

“Apologies, Great Khan. The system is no longer responding.” The man stood with his head slightly bowed as he spoke.

Khan stalked over to him and pushed him out of the way. He tried to press some buttons but then he too turned around, physically growling and then he pointed at Marla.

“Marla, fix this,” he ordered.

“I--,” she started to say.

“Fix it,” Khan said imperviously.

She nodded and slowly walked over to the console, her heart beating so loudly she was sure that everyone in the room would be able to hear it. Khan didn’t move out of the way, just turned sideways so she was almost touching him as she looked over the system. It was the navigational system. She wasn’t as up to speed on it, but she knew the basics.

Marla leaned forward a little so she could scroll through the system and try and get it to respond to basic commands, but nothing happened. There was no control from this console on the system without an override.

“Well?” Khan asked, his breath strong over her skin, making her shiver.

“He was correct, sir. There is no control for the system here. It has been overridden,” Marla said, turning her head slightly so she could look at Khan.

“I told you to fix it,” Khan said, lifting a hand up and touching Marla gently on the back of her neck. He drew little circles on the sensitive skin just at the base of her hairline. “I also told you to not wear your hair like this. Why do you try and vex me so?”

“I don’t mean to, but I can’t fix this. I can fix systems that are here, but this system’s access has been removed. I need my hair up to work,” she told him.

“No, you don’t,” Khan replied. He moved his hand slowly up her scalp until he reached the tie to her pony tail.

She hadn’t had a chance that morning to put it up properly, as he was rushing her to get dressed. She blushed as she remembered his hands touching her and the flashes of skin she tried to hide from him as she changed.

Khan slowly started tugging on the tie, pulling her ponytail loose. Some hairs caught around the tie and his fingers but he just he pulled them out. Marla hid the little flash of pain that it caused.

“Great Khan, I think the Enterprise crew have gotten control,” one of Khan’s men said.

Khan didn’t turn to the person that spoke until he had pulled her hair free and ran his hands through it, rubbing gently on her scalp to loosen the hair around her face.

“There, better,” he said before he stood up straighter and turned away from her. Marla slowly stood up straight herself as Khan started to speak. She didn’t turn around as of yet, she was steeling herself for speaking with Khan once he had finished with his people.

“Their Bridge is out of their control, their captain and crew fast asleep at the wheel,” Khan said.

“We have lost contact with some of our people in the tubing system. What if they have access points in there?” the man who had spoken before, replied to Khan.

Marla turned her head to look at Khan. He had narrowed his eyes as he considered the information. He saw her looking at him and turned back to face her.

“Is this true, Marla?” he asked.

“I don’t know. It could be,” Marla replied. “Some of the engineering people are often working on systems in the Jeffries Tubes.”

“Where are they?” Khan asked.

“Here, here, and here, we have lost people it seems,” the man said.

Khan had walked away from her and over to the man to see the where he was pointing.

“Otto, Jochim, take four others and get those areas back,” Khan ordered.

Marla looked around the room and the number of people in it. If six left that still meant there were over ten others in the room.

“Are you sure that will be enough?” Marla asked.

Khan stared at her.

“If it’s three areas and they have already dispatched your other people, will six be enough?”

“You dare question my people’s superiority?” Khan asked, walking back over to her.

“No, of course not. You are stronger than us, but those areas are small and tricky and the Engineering people know them like the back of their hands. Wouldn’t it be better to attack them from both directions?” she asked.

“You are on our side now?” Khan asked.

“I don’t want anyone to be hurt, either you or my crew mates, but this needs to end soon.” Marla tried to offer an explanation he would believe. “Also, Spock and the Security forces are out by that door.” She pointed at the main door. “Open the doors and people will start firing straight away. There is another access point,” she said.

“I’m listening,” Khan said.

“There is a back door to the Dilithium chamber, so that it can be accessed in an emergency. If they go out that then it takes them out a corridor that I imagine the security team are not monitoring.”

“Khan, she is one of them. It would be a trap,” the only other woman in the room spoke up.

Marla held her breath as Khan lifted a hand up to her face, but he just ran the back of his hand down the side of it.

“Marla, does not lie. Otto, Jochim, take ten instead. Two will come at them for each section in opposite directions as she suggested. Marla, show us on the plan where this access out is,” Khan ordered.

“Okay,” she said, walking over to the man who was obviously called Jochim. She recognized Otto from the Botany Bay, as the man who had originally captured her with the other woman.

Jochim moved aside to allow her access to the screen. She pulled up the map of the room they were in, and at the same time sent a link to the transporter console. She hoped that the Augments would not notice the extra link.

“We are here,” she said, putting an indicator mark on the spot where she was standing. “If you go out here, and along here it will take you past the Dilithium Chamber. The Emergency access is here and you come out into this corridor.” The whole time she had been tracking the path to be taken with her finger, knowing that it would show up on a screen where anyone else was viewing.

“You have that?” Khan asked Jochim, who was peering over her shoulder.

“Yes, Khan,” he replied.

“Go, and report back in when you have control of those areas again,” Khan dismissed him.

Marla flicked the screen back onto the map of the Engineering main control room. She waited until the selected people had started to file out the back of the room before she spoke again. Khan had moved to stand in the middle of the room and she checked to see where the remaining four people were located. She turned back to the screen and quickly pressed her finger over each of their placements within the room, hoping that it worked and the Captain and the security people were seeing it.

“Are you sure that four people are enough to protect you?” she asked.

Khan flashed a look of anger her way before he laughed.

“I need no one to protect me Marla, but four of my people are more than a match for twenty of yours. You have over eight hundred people on this ship and I had sixty. We have control of the ship. Who is the greater?” Khan asked. “Now, come here.”

She walked toward him, where he stood with his arms opened out wide. When she reached him, he gently took her upper arms in his hands and then turned her around so she was looking at the main doors.

“What do you see?” he asked as he held her gently by her arms. He was standing so close to her that she could feel all of him pressed up against her.

“Doors,” she said. A little unsure exactly what he meant by this.

“Beyond those doors, are all your crew. Yet in here, I have the control. I am the one in charge. They can’t get to us,” Khan said. “Who is superior?”

“I don’t want anyone hurt. I don’t like it when you hurt people. Why won’t you talk to the Captain?” Marla asked, trying to see if the man she first thought she had met was still there in this ruthless, hard, general.

“Why should I speak to someone so beneath me? Besides, he cannot talk to anyone at the moment, he is taking a nap with the rest of the people on his Bridge. I have read up on your captain, a young fool who got lucky. Promoted beyond his abilities because people died. I worked my way up. Fought with my bare hands and used my intelligence and my right.” Khan shook her slightly as he spoke.

“You cared so much for your people. You didn’t want them hurt. Can’t you see that we care for each other here too? I am sure if you talked to them like you talked to me, they would help you,” Marla implored, looking up at Khan.

“Marla, Marla, Marla,” Khan said as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the spot where her neck and shoulder met, the part of her skin that was just being revealed above the top of her uniform. She closed her eyes when she felt the touch of his lips on her skin.

He was such a contradiction, so gentle with her at times, yet he seemed not to think twice when he would hit or hurt someone.

“Khan! Khan! It’s a trap,” a voice came over the comm unit. Then there was the sound of phaser fire.

The woman in the room was hailing the person back, “Jedda, this is Kati, report!”

Khan’s hands on Marla tightened painfully, making her tense up her shoulders. She tried to hide her fear, push it down so that Khan wouldn’t suspect her.

“You set this up,” he hissed in her ear.

“No! I didn’t know,” Marla tried to reason with him. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes.

“I thought better of you Marla,” he whispered into her ear. “I was going to make you my Queen. All would bow before you. You would love and worship me. But you are not worthy. I was mistaken. You are inferior like the others here.”

While Khan had been speaking, Kati was still trying to hail Jedda back. Marla heard the sound of more phaser fire and then a cry before the sound cut out.

“It doesn’t have to be like this. Please, Khan, please,” Marla cried out, tears literally streaking down her face as the fear overwhelmed her.

Khan had moved one of his hands to lift her chin up, his fingers spread across her neck. He leaned down to her while she brought up both her hands to grab at his arm and try and make him let her go. She couldn’t stop him as he pressed a kiss to her lips.

“No,” she protested.

“You are not worthy,” Khan whispered as he stared down at her.

Gone was the man who had gently held her, listened to her talk of the past and her passions. Gone was the man who she thought had cared for her. A mirage like all the others.

He started to squeeze on her throat, a smile on his face as he did so. She pulled at his arm with her hands, trying desperately to release his grip. He squeezed harder, making her gurgle as she tried to cry out.

“Shh, it will all be over soon,” Khan told her.

She tried to scream. She tried to kick at him, but found her legs felt like they were moving through water, slow and gentle and heavy. She felt all of her body grow weak, her head was heavy and she clawed at his face. He only leaned back out of her way and laughed at how pitiful and weak she seemed to him.

She closed her eyes, she couldn’t bear looking at him and his mockery of her weakness. So stupid to be gulled again by a man. The counsellor was wrong, no one cared enough for her and never would. They were only interested in using her. She felt again like the time she fainted after the first beating. When she woke she knew she would ask for a discharge, if they didn’t kick her out already. She needed to be alone. Her tongue felt swollen and she was drooling down her chin as he kept squeezing and squeezing, taking the breath from her as he took her hope. She felt the moisture as his fingers slipped a little on her skin. She tasted the bitter salt of her tears. She felt...

oOo

Chapter 14 this way