full_of_wrath | captivity

He has some idea of what Khan might do to Marcus when they get to the bridge. He still hasn't decided what he's going to do about that, either--and right now making sure the Enterprise is safe is more important than whatever ethical dilemma Marcus's death will cause.

The bridge closes in on them, though, and he has to admit that he has no leash on Khan at all.

"On three," he whispers, hoping Khan will at least obey that much.

"Wait."

He whispers back, now that Scotty is behind him, out of earshot. He grabs Kirk's arm.

"Spare my crew and I'll spare him. Promise me, Kirk."

"I won't hurt your crew. I won't let anyone else hurt them, either."

Kirk whispers back, because he's never once planned on harming them, but this is a good compromise anyway.

"I swear."

Khan finds he doesn't quite believe him. But pulls him, all the same, into a frantic, bloody kiss. He's bitten his lip to bleeding.

In the first split second it startles him. And then he tastes blood and understands, and he kisses him back desperately, sucking as hard as he can, biting to keep the wound flowing. He'll need this.

Khan whines, in the back of his throat, then breaks off fast, hands resting on Kirk's hips.

Scotty has come up behind him, and gives Kirk a strangled 'so not stunning him?' face and squeak, when Khan turns away.

He licks the remaining streak of blood off his lower lip and shakes his head at Scotty.

"Ready?"

He lifts his phaser again, and takes a step toward the bridge.

They storm the bridge. Khan has half the command staff incapacitated in a heartbeat, stunned or unconscious, but much more judiciously alive, out of respect for their little truce.

For good measure, he goes straight to the weapons console, and his fingers fly over the keys.

Kirk trusts that Khan isn't about to blow up the Enterprise, not with his own crew frozen on board. So he helps keep the bridge crew under control, and he orders Scotty to do what he can to seal off the remaining staffed areas so they won't be interrupted.

"We need to be able to beam back over."

"Weapons control is now locked to the bridge, and to your command codes, Kirk."

He says, quietly. They'll still have access to them, but only with their express permission. (He has Kirk's command codes, which is another issue, but.)

"I want to eject the warp core, but it'll take six minutes."

Marcus starts to talk, and Khan's hackles raise visibly. He steadfastly doesn't look up, but is suddenly ready to spit.

"We have four." Kirk says, typical of him to give less time than he's asked for.

He rounds on Marcus, who has been secured to a post above the command chair.

"I think I've heard everything you have to say."

He gets Marcus's belt, and gags him with it.

"It's an override countdown, Kirk."

Khan gripes back at him, but drops a panel and dives into a console to see if he can override that override.

The whole ship lurches as the core goes.

Kirk gets them back to the Enterprise, fast as he can, with no idea if he should lock Khan up or not. He doesn't get to decide--not after he finds out how bad off the Enterprise is, what he has to do to save it.

The funny thing is, he doesn't quite die. Not with his body as primed as it is. Not with someone there a few steps behind him to drag him out of the chamber, without fear of a little radiation dosage of his own.

He'll be sick as hell, and they'll need to do transfusions anyway, but at the end of the day Kirk and Khan are on opposite sickbay beds from one another.

It doesn't take long for Kirk to figure out what happened. He remembers a few little blurs, being dragged and carried to safety. He remembers whose shoulder he was on.

And he's out of it, thanks to medication, dazed enough that he doesn't feel weird about lying there staring at Khan.

McCoy comes in now and again, drawing more blood from an increasingly drowsy looking Khan, arriving with serum to give to Jim. Khan stays restrained to the sickbed (Spock's orders) but seems pliant and content enough, lying there and watching Jim in return.

"What happened to Marcus?"

Is his first question, when he can finally speak again. It comes out as a croak. Even with Khan's blood, with Khan's healing, his body is having a hell of a time sorting itself back out.

"He's on Earth."

Khan murmurs, his own voice ragged with disuse.

"He keeps asking for me. Spock has us on the ground of New Vulcan, until a decision comes down. They won't make one until they hear your testimony. But you'll have some damage to undo. He's had a long time to come up with a story."

"New Vulcan. ...I thought the air was a little thin."

Vulcans and their thin, dry air.

Kirk closes his eyes tight, willing himself to be strong enough to stand. He tries it, and finds that he isn't. He tries it again, to see if he can at least sit up. Instead he ends up toppling off the cot, and a pair of medical officers rush over to hoist him back up.

"I'm afraid you're dependent on me, for the time being. It's another reason they haven't stormed the ship for me."

Explaining, once Kirk is back down.

"Gotta admit..."

Groaning, hurting.

"Surprised to see you here."

Khan could have unfrozen his crewmates in the chaos and perhaps taken on the ship. He could have unfrozen them and fled.

He did, in a way.

"It's just me. The rest are gone."

Stretching out a little more, to relieve sore muscles.

"Joaquim took the Vengeance. It's the fastest in the fleet. No one will catch them."

He lifts his head, because that's about all he can do right now to express his surprise.

"Why didn't you go with them?"

Kirk would have, he's pretty damn sure.

"It's important that they feel as though the threat has passed. They'll hang me, and they won't go looking."

And he seems quietly at peace with that.

"And besides, I was needed here, and they couldn't risk waiting a second more."

It's that second sentence that makes Kirk swallow and lay his head back down.

"They won't hang you."

That gritty, stubborn tone again. Khan will pay for what he did to Pike, Kirk will see to it, but he won't pay for Marcus's actions.

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