Taliesin West AU, part 1
On the morning of the fourth day since he had arrived on the island called Tabula Rasa, Spock found himself with an unexplained urge to explore. His natural curiosity was part of what had led him into the field of science in the first place, true, and while he did not doubt the efforts of the current residents to catalogue and identify the flora and fauna of the island were more than adequate, he was interested to see it for himself. He dressed and left the crash room quickly, stopping in the kitchen to eat something and to borrow one of the plastic jars he'd seen several people using for water. There were a few other residents in the kitchen at the time, and one or two gave him quizzical looks as he moved around the room.
It had already occurred to him that if the island's population was indeed made up of humans and humanoids from a variety of worlds and universes, that some-- indeed many-- might have no familiarity with his species, might even be ignorant of their existence. His eyebrows creased together as Spock realized that train of thought would quickly lead to further morose contemplation of his planet's destruction; as he stepped outside the Compound, he resolved to concentrate on the task at hand, his exploration. He was in the midst of deciding which direction to take when he heard someone coming from inside, and moved out of the way of the door just in time to avoid being hit by the person flying out of it.
-----
She looked -exactly- like Gaila. Well, minus the green skin. It wasn't his fault she was such a prude. And screw the wheelchair, girl could MOVE. "Alright, alright, no need to push, Jesus!" He slammed through the screen door backwards, arms pinwheeling to keep his balance. He spun on his heel, recovering his sense of balance and hopefully a little dignity. It was probably too late for the latter, but that was beside the point. Mostly.
He glanced at the figure by his side, brow slightly furrowed. Spock had that look on his face like he was gathering data or something; it always made Jim feel like a goddamned science experiment. "What?"
-----
One of Spock's eyebrows lifted as he regarded the captain with a blank expression. "Good morning," he said, deliberately not answering the question. It would not improve Kirk's mood to feel he was being laughed at, which he undoubtedly would if they discussed his propensity toward infuriating every woman within a ten-yard radius of him. "I take it you will be planning to spend some time outside?"
Perhaps he did take a certain enjoyment in exploiting the captain's mishaps through irony. The look on Jim's face was amusing.
-----
He rolled his shoulders, regaining his bearings as he glanced around what could conceivably be called their front yard. He nodded at the greeting, glancing back at the door before scanning his eyes up the path and into the jungle.
He nodded, swallowing with some kind of determination. He nodded, lips pursed in a -why not- expression. "Exactly." He paused, raising his eyebrows at Spock and gesturing to the path, letting the Vulcan take the lead.
-----
"Very well," Spock replied, giving a slight cant of his head that was the Vulcan equivalent of a shrug. "I am afraid you will not find my activities at all entertaining," he warned. "I plan to investigate some of the plant and animal life here, to see if any of it is alien in nature, or if the island's makeup is entirely similar to that of Earth's tropical climates." He began walking up the path that led away from the beach, deeper into the forest where there was a reduced probability of the natural environment having been upset by human habitation. "If you wish to accompany me, you are welcome to do so, but I will not be offended if you decline."
-----
Kirk paused as Spock spoke, eyebrows slightly raised and arms loose at his side. He paused for a moment before he blinked quickly, smile crooked and wry. "Whatever," he muttered, falling into step behind the science officer. "Getting the lay of the land might not be a bad idea." He paused, glancing up and around him as he trudged up the path. "Besides, it's safer to wander around in pairs." Not that his phaser worked, but still.
---
"I agree." He found as they walked that he was glad of the company. He was not averse to solitude whatsoever, being extremely familiar with it and appreciative of the benefits of all forms of meditation; but being so abruptly yanked from his own universe at the tail end of a chain of tumultuous and life-altering events would take a psychological toll on even the most stable mind, and Spock had to admit (had already admitted-- no, been forced to admit) that after the destruction of his planet, he was not entirely stable.
In short, it was good to see a familiar face, even if it belonged to a person with whom he did not, as yet, share an overly close friendship.
-----
He trudged up the hill after Spock, squinting into the jungle around him. He let his eyes roam the trees, the bushes, the bugs and birds and other random animals that caught his attention; it really didn't take much. He kept glancing up, an eye on Spock, watching what he was looking for, keeping tabs. They were in a strange and unexplained place that they knew next to nothing about. This was a time for caution. Which was exactly why he kept Spock around.
They turned a corner around a rock structure and he furrowed his brow, an easy grin on his face. "Hey, Spock-- want to go for a swim?" They were at the top of a waterfall, one that was begging for a dive. He could probably guess Spock's answer, but it couldn't hurt to ask, right?
---
Spock indulged a brief display of feeling, his lips pressing together and his eyebrows lifting as he glanced over at Jim, meeting the expectant grin with a dry tone. It had not taken long for Jim to become bored; though, to the captain's credit, longer than Spock had expected. "I do not, but as I said, I will not attempt to stop you." He peered at the cliff, adding, "I must warn you, however, that from this height and the angle of the drop, there is an eleven percent probability of your hitting the cliff face before you reach the water." He had no expectation of such a statistic stopping Kirk from attempting the dive; if anything, he suspected the warning would only fuel his desire to jump.
---
"Aw, c'mon, Spock." He paused, at the edge of the cliff, glancing down with a grin. "It's not that far. And the angle is definitely not that bad." He chewed his lower lip from the inside of his mouth, a grin breaking through. "I think I could make it." As tempting as it was, he'd let it go. This time. He turned away, finding himself faced with Spock's back, again. His head fell to the side, his shoulders dropping. "You know, you could use some loosening up." He bounded a couple steps to fall in line next to Spock, squinting out at the unknown jungle around them. The waterfall would have to wait.
---
"So I hear," Spock muttered quietly, giving in to the urge to roll his eyes, since he calculated he was far enough ahead of Jim that he would not see it. "You will forgive me, Captain," he continued aloud, "if I wish to prevent you from needlessly risking your life. We may be rescued back to the Enterprise at any moment, and I would prefer not having to endure a lecture from Dr. McCoy upon our return should you be injured in any way." He said it, but in truth Spock did not think they would be returning to the Enterprise at any point in the near future. If Jim thought otherwise, however, Spock did not want to dissuade him from having hope.
-----
"Bones would get over it. He always does." McCoy had a gritty, dark feel, but the guy understood Jim's need for speed better than most. Well. If he didn't understand it, he at least tolerated it.
He didn't think they had any chances of getting off this rock, either. He'd dug around and found out how many engineers and rocket scientists and geniuses had already tinkered their way around (and they said for, years, jesus), and hadn't gotten anywhere. Unless Scotty showed up, he figured they were here for a spell. Which was why he was bugging Spock on his little Boy Scout hike. "So, where are we going, exactly?"
----
Spock inclined his head to indicate the boardwalk ahead of them. "While the presence of a path would indicate this is hardly unknown territory, it is, for the moment, unknown to me." He hesitated a moment and then added, "I had thought perhaps there might be more of interest further into the jungle rather than toward the beach. Though I do not doubt you would claim that is a kind of sightseeing," he added, cutting a wry glance sideways at Jim as the captain caught up and fell into step beside him.
----
"Spock, never underestimate the power of a beautiful view." White sandy beaches, blue water, clear skies.... He was referring to the island itself, of course. Mostly.
"But if we're looking for something 'of interest', further into the jungle it is." He wasn't one to step down from a little unknown undergrowth; if his parents had known better, his middle name would have been Adventure, not Tiberius. Either that or Trouble.
----
Spock could have made another remark, but didn't. He humored the captain's endless heckling to a point, beyond which it was futile to continue because (and he had come to realize this about Kirk almost immediately upon meeting him) no matter how far one let him go, he always wanted to go further. It would be a good quality in a starship captain-- when tempered with a certain amount of common sense, that is. He supposed that was why Starfleet had renewed his own assignment to the Enterprise; if one sought a voice of reason even under the harshest conditions, certainly there was no better choice than a Vulcan.
He mused in silence for a few more minutes, his thoughts changing track as they passed a tree gored by the tusks of some animal. "I would be curious to know what you think of the stories the island's inhabitants tell of dinosaurs," he commented. "Myself I cannot think they would all agree to such a tale if there were not some truth behind it... but it is difficult to accept, nonetheless." The scope of the science involved in cloning the giant lizards that had roamed Earth during its infancy was daunting in and of itself; any further paradox had yet to present itself as an explanation, and while speculation was indeed useful for nothing save passing the time-- well, there were certainly less interesting topics to converse on.
----
He shook his head, brow furrowed. "If there are dinosaurs, I want to see it with my own two eyes." He nodded, a smirk spreading across his face. "Dinosaurs." His face broke into a grin. "Now that sounds like something worth seeing." He paused. "Y'think they're out here somewhere?" He glanced around, as if he'd only just missed seeing one.
----
"We are of the same mind, then," said Spock with a hint of satisfaction. "I too would be interested to discover the truth of this story." He paused for a moment and looked at Kirk again, his head canted. "So long as this venture does not end by us running for our lives, that is. I intend only to observe." His tone implied the desire for a like statement from his companion before they continued further.
-----
"Well, yeah," Kirk said, waving his hand at his companion as they walked, his head still craning, looking out into the jungle. Where Spock's tone was cautionary, Kirk's was more... laissez faire. "I mean, I don't really feel like getting eaten any time soon. At least, not by a dinosaur." He shook his head, eyebrows raised. "Those suckers have some serious teeth." He'd read his history books. Mostly.
----
"What you plan and what actually occurs do not follow each other as consistently as I believe you would like them to," Spock pointed out with a mild twist to his mouth. Before Jim could reply in protest, as he was likely to do, he added, "I believe so long as we stay close to the border of the territory the dinosaurs are said to inhabit, we will be safe. I am told there are markers to designate where the area begins, though I do not think we should expect to see them quite yet." They had only been walking for half an hour; Spock surmised from the map he'd seen that it would take them nearly twice that to reach the border.
-----
He shrugged, eyebrows hitching quickly, a well, yeah. "It helps me think on my feet." Constant failure, that is. It taught him not to get too attached to even the best laid plans. Besides, sometimes he planned for his plans to fail. No one expects that one.
Kirk nodded as Spock went on about borders and safety and markers, sometimes listening, mostly thinking about dinosaurs and the jungle. "Do we know what else besides dinosaurs there are? We're in a jungle, there must be monkeys and birds and things like that."
----
Spock privately doubted that the captain knew any other way to think. When presented with a lull in activity, he did not doubt Kirk would go out of his way to find-- or create-- a distraction. But that was not a topic that required any more consideration than he had already given it; far too much, in his opinion, than was necessary.
"If the similarity to Earth's tropics holds true, we might expect to encounter anywhere between three and six thousand separate species of amphibian, avian, mammalian, reptilian and insectile life forms, to say nothing of the thousands of plants, trees and fungi. The bookshelf in the Compound could undoubtedly provide you with comprehensive information on the subject, since I doubt it would interest you to listen to a lecture." That was said with a fractional lift to one eyebrow, the hint of a smile hovering around his mouth.
-----
Kirk's eyes grew wide, turning to look at Spock. "Three to six thousand?!" He knew it was more than monkeys, birds, and snakes, but man. He shook his head. This place was crawling with stuff. He glanced around warily, as if a couple thousand animals were about to jump out from behind the bushes. "I may not be interested in a lecture, but I'm definitely not interested in reading some encyclopedia." He paused, a slow grin spreading across his face. "I'd rather learn by doing."
----
"How is it you manage to turn even the study of biodiversity and ecology into an extreme sport?" Spock asked, bemusement now sounding clearly in his voice, though his expression remained calm. "And you wonder why Doctor McCoy fears for your life on a daily basis. If he were here I do not doubt he would want to fit you with a containment device of your own." Spock's interest in what philosophers called 'the human condition' notwithstanding, he found it especially difficult to imagine how one lived a life as reckless and self-centered as James Kirk's. It baffled him, in fact; he could not fathom approaching the world with such abandon.
Thanks to their arrival on this island, he supposed, he would have an indefinite amount of time in which to become accustomed to it.
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"I didn't say I wanted to chase a dinosaur around the island, I just said I learn by doing." He arched an eyebrow at Spock, shaking his head. "Come on, man, have a little faith." He grinned, gesturing widely with his arms. "Besides, I wouldn't get caught."
----
Spock's only response was a dubious lift to his eyebrows. There were times, rare though they were, when words truly did desert him, and he had found they seemed to occur with greater frequency around the captain than most other humans of his acquaintance. Thankfully they had reached the end of the boarded path, and now must climb a steeper embankment in order to stay on course, which necessitated less in the way of talking.
Spock had retained a vivid mental image of the map he'd seen, and trusted to his good sense of direction to keep them from straying. It would take them approximately twenty more minutes to reach the border-- without any further distractions, at least.
-----
Kirk let Spock take the lead as they left the path behind, brow slightly furrowed has he pushed up the hill, hiking his knees up and digging in his heels. His arms spread out from his sides, attempting to retain his balance, and he reached for a tree at one point, steadying himself. "Jesus, Spock, where exactly are we going?"
---
Spock paused and turned back. The climb was not taking a visible toll on his breathing; but then, all worlds felt lighter after Vulcan's high gravity. "According to the map of the island which I had the opportunity to view this morning, traveling as close to due north as possible is the most expedient way to reach the border." He glanced to the sky, where the sun stood high but still to their right, and then to Kirk's doubtful expression. "I estimate we are between seventy and eighty percent of the way between the compound and our destination."
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"The map you saw this morning?" He paused, raising his chin and narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "And where is this map now?" He had a sneaking suspicion that he knew where it was, but he was pretty sure he wasn't going to like it.
---
"The paper copy is still in the possession of the Island Police Department," Spock said evenly. "But my memory is more than adequate." He refrained from wondering aloud if Kirk even knew what eidetic memory was-- mostly because he had long since learned the captain was much, much smarter than he gave the impression of being, and challenging his knowledge generally ended in the challenger having-- to borrow a phrase-- his ass handed to him.
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Kirk raised his chin, eyes narrowed. "Still in the poss- Spock, we don't have a map?!" He looked up at him, brow furrowed. "The map is in your head?!" He shook his head, face splitting into a grin. "Oh, this is going to end well." To be honest, it probably would, but still. They didn't have a map. He couldn't let that slide.
----
"There is no reason to suppose it will end any other way," he replied tersely, knowing he was being teased yet finding he was disinclined to attempt a humorous reply of his own. "It is hardly as if we can miss the border, it is clearly marked." He resisted a perverse desire to walk faster; using his physical advantage against the Captain was not only pointless but petty, and beyond illogical. It was difficult to ignore, however, the frequency with which Kirk incited that feeling in him.
-----
Kirk's eyes slipped closed, just for a moment. Good. Lord. His jaw tightened and released, and he blinked his eyes open, shaking his head to find clarity. His voice was wry, sarcastic. "Your confidence is overwhelming, Spock." It actually was, which was the really frustrating part. He had an uncanny way of being right that irritated the hell out of him, and more often than not bailed his ass out.
---
"It is pointless to quibble," Spock said, the irritation leaving him almost as suddenly as it had appeared. In a moment of levity, he looked back at Kirk with a slight smirk and added, "If one of us is to end up being chased by a dinosaur, I would prefer the other actually be inclined to aid in the escape."
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He rolled his eyes, nodding. "Right, right, gotta keep up morale." He tossed Spock a huge, shit-eating grin, clapping him on the shoulder as he hiked up past him. "Although, a little mauling would give McCoy something to do."
----
"He does seem far more comfortable when he has, as you would put it, something to bitch about," Spock said, returning Kirk's grin with a slight smile of his own. "I must admit I would count it a stroke of luck to have him here, if only for the selfish reason that there is no other doctor at present who is familiar with Vulcan physiology."
-----
Kirk ground to a stop and glanced sideways, eyebrows sky high, at Spock's swearing. Sure, he was quoting him, but still. Swearing. His face cracked into a surprised smile. "That is awfully selfish of you, Spock." He clapped him on the shoulder and fell into step, grinning. "I'm actually kinda proud."
---
Momentarily chagrined, he pushed aside the urge to roll his eyes and said, bone-dry, "Then the day has already been a success."
Abruptly the hill dropped away before them, and Spock paused at the edge to discern the easiest way down. "That way, I think." He pointed to a rough path that cut through the rocky descent-- it was a gradual decline, at least, not steep as their ascent had been. "And from here, the map indicated it was no more than a mile to the border." He glanced at Kirk, already expecting another remark about the map in his head.
-----
Kirk had been looking back --he thought he'd seen a velociraptor, he swears-- and turns back just in time to bump into Spock's shoulder and scramble backwards from the edge, letting out a slightly less than manly whoop. "Jesus, Spock--" He released the Vulcan's shoulder, brow furrowed as he attempted to regain some semblance of composure. "Alright, okay." He glanced around, getting his bearings. "A mile up there." He raised his eyebrows at Spock, smile wry. "The map, that is back in civilization, says it's a mile. Or so you think." He shook his head, smiling. "Lead the way, Commander."
----
"I might question your categorizing this settlement as civilized," Spock returned, "but for the fact that I know what it is like in Iowa." His expression betrayed nothing, but he moved past Kirk and started down the track without another look at the captain. It would spoil the joke entirely if he actually smiled.
-----
Kirk stopped dead in his tracks, shaking his head. "Goats, man. If there are farm animals, then I call it home." Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing was something he hadn't exactly decided yet. He shrugged. "Iowa was great. Flat, boring as hell, and only entertaining when there were cadets to harass, but still." He heaved a breath, arching an eyebrow. Iowa was home. It was the place where dreams went to die, but it was home. He squinted up at Spock's back, wrinkling his nose. "Spock, you must have picked the worst trail on this entire island."
---
For a moment Spock's mind went blank and he stood in his parents' house, out on the balcony under the dusty sky, the harsh beauty of the desert all around him. Then Kirk spoke again and he was back in the heavy jungle air, narrowly avoiding tripping over a rock in the path, forcing back a wild clench of his heart at the sudden nostalgia. Stop, he told himself firmly, his eyes fixed on the path ahead of him.
"I do not think I picked it," he said mildly, after only a moment's silence. "Though when we are back in the presence of the real map you may feel free to plot a better course."
-----
He watched as Spock focused on the path ahead, unexpectedly quiet for a moment. He figured the goat comment would at least get something. His brow furrowed, then-- Vulcan. He'd been talking about his hometown.
He shook it off, pressing his lips together quickly before flashing a wide grin. "You got it. Next time, I'm picking a path." His eyes twinkled. "Hey, man, you said it, not me."
-----
"And I do not doubt your commitment to making me regret it," Spock returned, the captain's irrepressible cheer unwittingly forcing his mood to lighten. He found it easier to put aside thoughts of his lost homeworld, then, and focus once more on the point of their trek.
"What could the purpose have been, do you think," he mused, as they left the rocks behind and finally returned to flat ground, "in engineering these extinct species in this manner? If this is an entirely artificial environment, which we must not discount as a possibility, then why not recreate the biosphere as it existed during the age in which the animals thrived?" His eyebrows contracted briefly as he considered potential answers to the question.
-----
Kirk nodded, grinning. "Exactly." Kirk wouldn't even have to try to make Spock regret it. It was making him regret it without making himself regret it that would be the hard part.
Kirk shook his head. "Man, I do not even know." When he had gotten more information about this place and how it messed with people, he understood less and less about it. He just let Spock think about things and waited for answers. If he didn't know now, then he probably wouldn't know. He'd just wait for Spock to diagnose the problem and deal with it then.
----
Spock was ready to continue speaking on the subject, but just as he opened his mouth he caught sight of a tree with a sign nailed to it. //must look on wiki for what this actually says... don't mind me.// His mouth compressed in a slight smile, and he turned to Jim as he drew up alongside. "Once we pass we must be on our guard," he said, though if pressed he would have admitted he was saying it as much for his own sake as the captain's. He did have a tendency to lose himself in research and study, and to do so in such an environment could be disastrous. He glanced at the barrier and then back at Kirk, one eyebrow peaked and the hint of a smile still lingering on his face. "Shall we?"
-----
Kirk raised his eyebrows, smile crooked and small. They left a sign. How quaint. He gestured widely toward what was left of the path in front of them. "Lead the way, Commander." His interest piqued, he kept his eyes open for anything prehistoric. After all, seeing was believing.
----
Rationally, Spock knew the barrier would not have any effect on them whatsoever; nevertheless, he felt a certain apprehension as they stepped past the sign. The path continued on less than fifty meters before forking; staying close to the border seemed a reasonable choice, and so he kept to the right, keeping his senses alert for any signs of movement. It was easy to fall into his own thoughts as he walked like this, even with his eyes and ears attuned to their surroundings, and so he adjusted his pace marginally until he and Kirk were walking side by side once more. "This environment is very strange to me," he admitted, looking around them. "Though I have read about it, I have never seen a place so... wild." It was really the only word for it.
-----
Kirk glanced at the forking to the left, lips pursed for a moment as he paused only half a heartbeat before continuing on with Spock. Temptation was the mother of all evil, really. And, often, the mother of all pleasurable experiences, Kirk found.
Kirk fell into step with Spock, eyes scanning around them. "Wild?" He shrugged. He'd heard about jungles like this, but hadn't really been to one. "It does seem... untamed. Nothing like this in Iowa, I'll tell you that." He glanced around, pushing a wayward leaf from out in front of him. "But there are jungles on Earth-- the Amazon, the Congo..." He trailed off, opening his mouth to say something else, when he caught something in his far peripheral vision. He stopped dead, turning on the spot. "Did you see that?"
----
"Nor on Vulcan," Spock murmured, too soft for the captain to hear. He was well aware the level of discomfort caused by any mention of his vanished planet was high for humans, and did his best to keep such occurrences to a minimum; still, it was difficult not to draw the contrast between this lushness and the stark deserts of his arid homeworld.
At the interruption he also came to a quick stop, his eyes following where Kirk's directed, scanning the trees for signs of movement. "I am afraid I saw nothing," he admitted, peering closely to be sure. Then there was a rustle further off to his left and he turned again, now looking back in the direction from which they had come. He would not have admitted it to anyone, but his heart was beating rather quicker than usual.
---
...fade out. but there were dinosaurs.
It had already occurred to him that if the island's population was indeed made up of humans and humanoids from a variety of worlds and universes, that some-- indeed many-- might have no familiarity with his species, might even be ignorant of their existence. His eyebrows creased together as Spock realized that train of thought would quickly lead to further morose contemplation of his planet's destruction; as he stepped outside the Compound, he resolved to concentrate on the task at hand, his exploration. He was in the midst of deciding which direction to take when he heard someone coming from inside, and moved out of the way of the door just in time to avoid being hit by the person flying out of it.
-----
She looked -exactly- like Gaila. Well, minus the green skin. It wasn't his fault she was such a prude. And screw the wheelchair, girl could MOVE. "Alright, alright, no need to push, Jesus!" He slammed through the screen door backwards, arms pinwheeling to keep his balance. He spun on his heel, recovering his sense of balance and hopefully a little dignity. It was probably too late for the latter, but that was beside the point. Mostly.
He glanced at the figure by his side, brow slightly furrowed. Spock had that look on his face like he was gathering data or something; it always made Jim feel like a goddamned science experiment. "What?"
-----
One of Spock's eyebrows lifted as he regarded the captain with a blank expression. "Good morning," he said, deliberately not answering the question. It would not improve Kirk's mood to feel he was being laughed at, which he undoubtedly would if they discussed his propensity toward infuriating every woman within a ten-yard radius of him. "I take it you will be planning to spend some time outside?"
Perhaps he did take a certain enjoyment in exploiting the captain's mishaps through irony. The look on Jim's face was amusing.
-----
He rolled his shoulders, regaining his bearings as he glanced around what could conceivably be called their front yard. He nodded at the greeting, glancing back at the door before scanning his eyes up the path and into the jungle.
He nodded, swallowing with some kind of determination. He nodded, lips pursed in a -why not- expression. "Exactly." He paused, raising his eyebrows at Spock and gesturing to the path, letting the Vulcan take the lead.
-----
"Very well," Spock replied, giving a slight cant of his head that was the Vulcan equivalent of a shrug. "I am afraid you will not find my activities at all entertaining," he warned. "I plan to investigate some of the plant and animal life here, to see if any of it is alien in nature, or if the island's makeup is entirely similar to that of Earth's tropical climates." He began walking up the path that led away from the beach, deeper into the forest where there was a reduced probability of the natural environment having been upset by human habitation. "If you wish to accompany me, you are welcome to do so, but I will not be offended if you decline."
-----
Kirk paused as Spock spoke, eyebrows slightly raised and arms loose at his side. He paused for a moment before he blinked quickly, smile crooked and wry. "Whatever," he muttered, falling into step behind the science officer. "Getting the lay of the land might not be a bad idea." He paused, glancing up and around him as he trudged up the path. "Besides, it's safer to wander around in pairs." Not that his phaser worked, but still.
---
"I agree." He found as they walked that he was glad of the company. He was not averse to solitude whatsoever, being extremely familiar with it and appreciative of the benefits of all forms of meditation; but being so abruptly yanked from his own universe at the tail end of a chain of tumultuous and life-altering events would take a psychological toll on even the most stable mind, and Spock had to admit (had already admitted-- no, been forced to admit) that after the destruction of his planet, he was not entirely stable.
In short, it was good to see a familiar face, even if it belonged to a person with whom he did not, as yet, share an overly close friendship.
-----
He trudged up the hill after Spock, squinting into the jungle around him. He let his eyes roam the trees, the bushes, the bugs and birds and other random animals that caught his attention; it really didn't take much. He kept glancing up, an eye on Spock, watching what he was looking for, keeping tabs. They were in a strange and unexplained place that they knew next to nothing about. This was a time for caution. Which was exactly why he kept Spock around.
They turned a corner around a rock structure and he furrowed his brow, an easy grin on his face. "Hey, Spock-- want to go for a swim?" They were at the top of a waterfall, one that was begging for a dive. He could probably guess Spock's answer, but it couldn't hurt to ask, right?
---
Spock indulged a brief display of feeling, his lips pressing together and his eyebrows lifting as he glanced over at Jim, meeting the expectant grin with a dry tone. It had not taken long for Jim to become bored; though, to the captain's credit, longer than Spock had expected. "I do not, but as I said, I will not attempt to stop you." He peered at the cliff, adding, "I must warn you, however, that from this height and the angle of the drop, there is an eleven percent probability of your hitting the cliff face before you reach the water." He had no expectation of such a statistic stopping Kirk from attempting the dive; if anything, he suspected the warning would only fuel his desire to jump.
---
"Aw, c'mon, Spock." He paused, at the edge of the cliff, glancing down with a grin. "It's not that far. And the angle is definitely not that bad." He chewed his lower lip from the inside of his mouth, a grin breaking through. "I think I could make it." As tempting as it was, he'd let it go. This time. He turned away, finding himself faced with Spock's back, again. His head fell to the side, his shoulders dropping. "You know, you could use some loosening up." He bounded a couple steps to fall in line next to Spock, squinting out at the unknown jungle around them. The waterfall would have to wait.
---
"So I hear," Spock muttered quietly, giving in to the urge to roll his eyes, since he calculated he was far enough ahead of Jim that he would not see it. "You will forgive me, Captain," he continued aloud, "if I wish to prevent you from needlessly risking your life. We may be rescued back to the Enterprise at any moment, and I would prefer not having to endure a lecture from Dr. McCoy upon our return should you be injured in any way." He said it, but in truth Spock did not think they would be returning to the Enterprise at any point in the near future. If Jim thought otherwise, however, Spock did not want to dissuade him from having hope.
-----
"Bones would get over it. He always does." McCoy had a gritty, dark feel, but the guy understood Jim's need for speed better than most. Well. If he didn't understand it, he at least tolerated it.
He didn't think they had any chances of getting off this rock, either. He'd dug around and found out how many engineers and rocket scientists and geniuses had already tinkered their way around (and they said for, years, jesus), and hadn't gotten anywhere. Unless Scotty showed up, he figured they were here for a spell. Which was why he was bugging Spock on his little Boy Scout hike. "So, where are we going, exactly?"
----
Spock inclined his head to indicate the boardwalk ahead of them. "While the presence of a path would indicate this is hardly unknown territory, it is, for the moment, unknown to me." He hesitated a moment and then added, "I had thought perhaps there might be more of interest further into the jungle rather than toward the beach. Though I do not doubt you would claim that is a kind of sightseeing," he added, cutting a wry glance sideways at Jim as the captain caught up and fell into step beside him.
----
"Spock, never underestimate the power of a beautiful view." White sandy beaches, blue water, clear skies.... He was referring to the island itself, of course. Mostly.
"But if we're looking for something 'of interest', further into the jungle it is." He wasn't one to step down from a little unknown undergrowth; if his parents had known better, his middle name would have been Adventure, not Tiberius. Either that or Trouble.
----
Spock could have made another remark, but didn't. He humored the captain's endless heckling to a point, beyond which it was futile to continue because (and he had come to realize this about Kirk almost immediately upon meeting him) no matter how far one let him go, he always wanted to go further. It would be a good quality in a starship captain-- when tempered with a certain amount of common sense, that is. He supposed that was why Starfleet had renewed his own assignment to the Enterprise; if one sought a voice of reason even under the harshest conditions, certainly there was no better choice than a Vulcan.
He mused in silence for a few more minutes, his thoughts changing track as they passed a tree gored by the tusks of some animal. "I would be curious to know what you think of the stories the island's inhabitants tell of dinosaurs," he commented. "Myself I cannot think they would all agree to such a tale if there were not some truth behind it... but it is difficult to accept, nonetheless." The scope of the science involved in cloning the giant lizards that had roamed Earth during its infancy was daunting in and of itself; any further paradox had yet to present itself as an explanation, and while speculation was indeed useful for nothing save passing the time-- well, there were certainly less interesting topics to converse on.
----
He shook his head, brow furrowed. "If there are dinosaurs, I want to see it with my own two eyes." He nodded, a smirk spreading across his face. "Dinosaurs." His face broke into a grin. "Now that sounds like something worth seeing." He paused. "Y'think they're out here somewhere?" He glanced around, as if he'd only just missed seeing one.
----
"We are of the same mind, then," said Spock with a hint of satisfaction. "I too would be interested to discover the truth of this story." He paused for a moment and looked at Kirk again, his head canted. "So long as this venture does not end by us running for our lives, that is. I intend only to observe." His tone implied the desire for a like statement from his companion before they continued further.
-----
"Well, yeah," Kirk said, waving his hand at his companion as they walked, his head still craning, looking out into the jungle. Where Spock's tone was cautionary, Kirk's was more... laissez faire. "I mean, I don't really feel like getting eaten any time soon. At least, not by a dinosaur." He shook his head, eyebrows raised. "Those suckers have some serious teeth." He'd read his history books. Mostly.
----
"What you plan and what actually occurs do not follow each other as consistently as I believe you would like them to," Spock pointed out with a mild twist to his mouth. Before Jim could reply in protest, as he was likely to do, he added, "I believe so long as we stay close to the border of the territory the dinosaurs are said to inhabit, we will be safe. I am told there are markers to designate where the area begins, though I do not think we should expect to see them quite yet." They had only been walking for half an hour; Spock surmised from the map he'd seen that it would take them nearly twice that to reach the border.
-----
He shrugged, eyebrows hitching quickly, a well, yeah. "It helps me think on my feet." Constant failure, that is. It taught him not to get too attached to even the best laid plans. Besides, sometimes he planned for his plans to fail. No one expects that one.
Kirk nodded as Spock went on about borders and safety and markers, sometimes listening, mostly thinking about dinosaurs and the jungle. "Do we know what else besides dinosaurs there are? We're in a jungle, there must be monkeys and birds and things like that."
----
Spock privately doubted that the captain knew any other way to think. When presented with a lull in activity, he did not doubt Kirk would go out of his way to find-- or create-- a distraction. But that was not a topic that required any more consideration than he had already given it; far too much, in his opinion, than was necessary.
"If the similarity to Earth's tropics holds true, we might expect to encounter anywhere between three and six thousand separate species of amphibian, avian, mammalian, reptilian and insectile life forms, to say nothing of the thousands of plants, trees and fungi. The bookshelf in the Compound could undoubtedly provide you with comprehensive information on the subject, since I doubt it would interest you to listen to a lecture." That was said with a fractional lift to one eyebrow, the hint of a smile hovering around his mouth.
-----
Kirk's eyes grew wide, turning to look at Spock. "Three to six thousand?!" He knew it was more than monkeys, birds, and snakes, but man. He shook his head. This place was crawling with stuff. He glanced around warily, as if a couple thousand animals were about to jump out from behind the bushes. "I may not be interested in a lecture, but I'm definitely not interested in reading some encyclopedia." He paused, a slow grin spreading across his face. "I'd rather learn by doing."
----
"How is it you manage to turn even the study of biodiversity and ecology into an extreme sport?" Spock asked, bemusement now sounding clearly in his voice, though his expression remained calm. "And you wonder why Doctor McCoy fears for your life on a daily basis. If he were here I do not doubt he would want to fit you with a containment device of your own." Spock's interest in what philosophers called 'the human condition' notwithstanding, he found it especially difficult to imagine how one lived a life as reckless and self-centered as James Kirk's. It baffled him, in fact; he could not fathom approaching the world with such abandon.
Thanks to their arrival on this island, he supposed, he would have an indefinite amount of time in which to become accustomed to it.
-----
"I didn't say I wanted to chase a dinosaur around the island, I just said I learn by doing." He arched an eyebrow at Spock, shaking his head. "Come on, man, have a little faith." He grinned, gesturing widely with his arms. "Besides, I wouldn't get caught."
----
Spock's only response was a dubious lift to his eyebrows. There were times, rare though they were, when words truly did desert him, and he had found they seemed to occur with greater frequency around the captain than most other humans of his acquaintance. Thankfully they had reached the end of the boarded path, and now must climb a steeper embankment in order to stay on course, which necessitated less in the way of talking.
Spock had retained a vivid mental image of the map he'd seen, and trusted to his good sense of direction to keep them from straying. It would take them approximately twenty more minutes to reach the border-- without any further distractions, at least.
-----
Kirk let Spock take the lead as they left the path behind, brow slightly furrowed has he pushed up the hill, hiking his knees up and digging in his heels. His arms spread out from his sides, attempting to retain his balance, and he reached for a tree at one point, steadying himself. "Jesus, Spock, where exactly are we going?"
---
Spock paused and turned back. The climb was not taking a visible toll on his breathing; but then, all worlds felt lighter after Vulcan's high gravity. "According to the map of the island which I had the opportunity to view this morning, traveling as close to due north as possible is the most expedient way to reach the border." He glanced to the sky, where the sun stood high but still to their right, and then to Kirk's doubtful expression. "I estimate we are between seventy and eighty percent of the way between the compound and our destination."
-----
"The map you saw this morning?" He paused, raising his chin and narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "And where is this map now?" He had a sneaking suspicion that he knew where it was, but he was pretty sure he wasn't going to like it.
---
"The paper copy is still in the possession of the Island Police Department," Spock said evenly. "But my memory is more than adequate." He refrained from wondering aloud if Kirk even knew what eidetic memory was-- mostly because he had long since learned the captain was much, much smarter than he gave the impression of being, and challenging his knowledge generally ended in the challenger having-- to borrow a phrase-- his ass handed to him.
-----
Kirk raised his chin, eyes narrowed. "Still in the poss- Spock, we don't have a map?!" He looked up at him, brow furrowed. "The map is in your head?!" He shook his head, face splitting into a grin. "Oh, this is going to end well." To be honest, it probably would, but still. They didn't have a map. He couldn't let that slide.
----
"There is no reason to suppose it will end any other way," he replied tersely, knowing he was being teased yet finding he was disinclined to attempt a humorous reply of his own. "It is hardly as if we can miss the border, it is clearly marked." He resisted a perverse desire to walk faster; using his physical advantage against the Captain was not only pointless but petty, and beyond illogical. It was difficult to ignore, however, the frequency with which Kirk incited that feeling in him.
-----
Kirk's eyes slipped closed, just for a moment. Good. Lord. His jaw tightened and released, and he blinked his eyes open, shaking his head to find clarity. His voice was wry, sarcastic. "Your confidence is overwhelming, Spock." It actually was, which was the really frustrating part. He had an uncanny way of being right that irritated the hell out of him, and more often than not bailed his ass out.
---
"It is pointless to quibble," Spock said, the irritation leaving him almost as suddenly as it had appeared. In a moment of levity, he looked back at Kirk with a slight smirk and added, "If one of us is to end up being chased by a dinosaur, I would prefer the other actually be inclined to aid in the escape."
-----
He rolled his eyes, nodding. "Right, right, gotta keep up morale." He tossed Spock a huge, shit-eating grin, clapping him on the shoulder as he hiked up past him. "Although, a little mauling would give McCoy something to do."
----
"He does seem far more comfortable when he has, as you would put it, something to bitch about," Spock said, returning Kirk's grin with a slight smile of his own. "I must admit I would count it a stroke of luck to have him here, if only for the selfish reason that there is no other doctor at present who is familiar with Vulcan physiology."
-----
Kirk ground to a stop and glanced sideways, eyebrows sky high, at Spock's swearing. Sure, he was quoting him, but still. Swearing. His face cracked into a surprised smile. "That is awfully selfish of you, Spock." He clapped him on the shoulder and fell into step, grinning. "I'm actually kinda proud."
---
Momentarily chagrined, he pushed aside the urge to roll his eyes and said, bone-dry, "Then the day has already been a success."
Abruptly the hill dropped away before them, and Spock paused at the edge to discern the easiest way down. "That way, I think." He pointed to a rough path that cut through the rocky descent-- it was a gradual decline, at least, not steep as their ascent had been. "And from here, the map indicated it was no more than a mile to the border." He glanced at Kirk, already expecting another remark about the map in his head.
-----
Kirk had been looking back --he thought he'd seen a velociraptor, he swears-- and turns back just in time to bump into Spock's shoulder and scramble backwards from the edge, letting out a slightly less than manly whoop. "Jesus, Spock--" He released the Vulcan's shoulder, brow furrowed as he attempted to regain some semblance of composure. "Alright, okay." He glanced around, getting his bearings. "A mile up there." He raised his eyebrows at Spock, smile wry. "The map, that is back in civilization, says it's a mile. Or so you think." He shook his head, smiling. "Lead the way, Commander."
----
"I might question your categorizing this settlement as civilized," Spock returned, "but for the fact that I know what it is like in Iowa." His expression betrayed nothing, but he moved past Kirk and started down the track without another look at the captain. It would spoil the joke entirely if he actually smiled.
-----
Kirk stopped dead in his tracks, shaking his head. "Goats, man. If there are farm animals, then I call it home." Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing was something he hadn't exactly decided yet. He shrugged. "Iowa was great. Flat, boring as hell, and only entertaining when there were cadets to harass, but still." He heaved a breath, arching an eyebrow. Iowa was home. It was the place where dreams went to die, but it was home. He squinted up at Spock's back, wrinkling his nose. "Spock, you must have picked the worst trail on this entire island."
---
For a moment Spock's mind went blank and he stood in his parents' house, out on the balcony under the dusty sky, the harsh beauty of the desert all around him. Then Kirk spoke again and he was back in the heavy jungle air, narrowly avoiding tripping over a rock in the path, forcing back a wild clench of his heart at the sudden nostalgia. Stop, he told himself firmly, his eyes fixed on the path ahead of him.
"I do not think I picked it," he said mildly, after only a moment's silence. "Though when we are back in the presence of the real map you may feel free to plot a better course."
-----
He watched as Spock focused on the path ahead, unexpectedly quiet for a moment. He figured the goat comment would at least get something. His brow furrowed, then-- Vulcan. He'd been talking about his hometown.
He shook it off, pressing his lips together quickly before flashing a wide grin. "You got it. Next time, I'm picking a path." His eyes twinkled. "Hey, man, you said it, not me."
-----
"And I do not doubt your commitment to making me regret it," Spock returned, the captain's irrepressible cheer unwittingly forcing his mood to lighten. He found it easier to put aside thoughts of his lost homeworld, then, and focus once more on the point of their trek.
"What could the purpose have been, do you think," he mused, as they left the rocks behind and finally returned to flat ground, "in engineering these extinct species in this manner? If this is an entirely artificial environment, which we must not discount as a possibility, then why not recreate the biosphere as it existed during the age in which the animals thrived?" His eyebrows contracted briefly as he considered potential answers to the question.
-----
Kirk nodded, grinning. "Exactly." Kirk wouldn't even have to try to make Spock regret it. It was making him regret it without making himself regret it that would be the hard part.
Kirk shook his head. "Man, I do not even know." When he had gotten more information about this place and how it messed with people, he understood less and less about it. He just let Spock think about things and waited for answers. If he didn't know now, then he probably wouldn't know. He'd just wait for Spock to diagnose the problem and deal with it then.
----
Spock was ready to continue speaking on the subject, but just as he opened his mouth he caught sight of a tree with a sign nailed to it. //must look on wiki for what this actually says... don't mind me.// His mouth compressed in a slight smile, and he turned to Jim as he drew up alongside. "Once we pass we must be on our guard," he said, though if pressed he would have admitted he was saying it as much for his own sake as the captain's. He did have a tendency to lose himself in research and study, and to do so in such an environment could be disastrous. He glanced at the barrier and then back at Kirk, one eyebrow peaked and the hint of a smile still lingering on his face. "Shall we?"
-----
Kirk raised his eyebrows, smile crooked and small. They left a sign. How quaint. He gestured widely toward what was left of the path in front of them. "Lead the way, Commander." His interest piqued, he kept his eyes open for anything prehistoric. After all, seeing was believing.
----
Rationally, Spock knew the barrier would not have any effect on them whatsoever; nevertheless, he felt a certain apprehension as they stepped past the sign. The path continued on less than fifty meters before forking; staying close to the border seemed a reasonable choice, and so he kept to the right, keeping his senses alert for any signs of movement. It was easy to fall into his own thoughts as he walked like this, even with his eyes and ears attuned to their surroundings, and so he adjusted his pace marginally until he and Kirk were walking side by side once more. "This environment is very strange to me," he admitted, looking around them. "Though I have read about it, I have never seen a place so... wild." It was really the only word for it.
-----
Kirk glanced at the forking to the left, lips pursed for a moment as he paused only half a heartbeat before continuing on with Spock. Temptation was the mother of all evil, really. And, often, the mother of all pleasurable experiences, Kirk found.
Kirk fell into step with Spock, eyes scanning around them. "Wild?" He shrugged. He'd heard about jungles like this, but hadn't really been to one. "It does seem... untamed. Nothing like this in Iowa, I'll tell you that." He glanced around, pushing a wayward leaf from out in front of him. "But there are jungles on Earth-- the Amazon, the Congo..." He trailed off, opening his mouth to say something else, when he caught something in his far peripheral vision. He stopped dead, turning on the spot. "Did you see that?"
----
"Nor on Vulcan," Spock murmured, too soft for the captain to hear. He was well aware the level of discomfort caused by any mention of his vanished planet was high for humans, and did his best to keep such occurrences to a minimum; still, it was difficult not to draw the contrast between this lushness and the stark deserts of his arid homeworld.
At the interruption he also came to a quick stop, his eyes following where Kirk's directed, scanning the trees for signs of movement. "I am afraid I saw nothing," he admitted, peering closely to be sure. Then there was a rustle further off to his left and he turned again, now looking back in the direction from which they had come. He would not have admitted it to anyone, but his heart was beating rather quicker than usual.
---
...fade out. but there were dinosaurs.