Ice Bound (Star Trek Spock)

[mystic-chibi]

Hello! Huge Trekkie here. The lovely @Aliena H. told me that if I had another idea for a Star Trek story I shouldn’t hesitate…so I’m running with that and using it as permission to get a little carried away with plot. Fetishy content won’t appear until part 3. Sorry! Hope you enjoy the set up!  

Fandom: Star Trek 

Character: Spock

Note: I did my best to incorporate aspects of both the original TV series and the 2009 reboot. I’d love to hear which version of the character or actor you envision while reading!   

 

Part I

Captain’s Log, Stardate 5823.927: We have made a brief stop at Delta V to take on additional supplies and crew. Among them is a Lt.Hardy, who will begin his second posting on the Enterprise. 

 

“Lt.Hardy.”

“Captain.”   

“I hear this will not be your first time aboard the Enterprise.”

“No, sir. I served under Captain Pike before the accident.”

“Then I believe you are already acquainted with Commander Spock.” Kirk gestured toward his First Office who nodded in Hardy’s direction.

“Lieutenant.”  

Hardy stood straighter at attention, eyes forward. “Commander.”

Spock continued. “You will no doubt be a valuable asset to us once again.”

Hardy fixed him with a stare that could have frozen fire. “Sir.”

Kirk looked uncertainly between the two men.  

“Captain,” Uhura’s voice brought an end to their discussion.

Kirk excused himself, Spock following right behind. Kirk watched Hardy head in the direction of the shuttle hanger as he pulled out his communicator. “Yes, Lieutenant. Go ahead.”

“Dr.McCoy reports he has completed the new crew physicals. Shuttle crafts one through eleven have successfully launched and will be docking with the ship shortly. Waiting on you, sir.”

“Acknowledged. Kirk out.” He turned to Spock, “Gotta go find Bones.”

As they walked toward the main building, he came around to the subject of Lt.Hardy.

“You two, uh, not get along?”

“The Lieutenant was passed over for a promotion when I became First Officer. He has been completely unreceptive ever since.” 

“He blames you?”

“It would appear so.”

Kirk frowned. He didn’t like when personal matters interfered with the running of his ship. He hoped this wouldn’t become an issue.  

“Jim.”

It appeared McCoy had received a similar departure message from Lt.Uhura. The ship’s chief medical officer met them at the base of the stairs near the entryway.  

Kirk extended a hand in the direction of the shuttle hanger. “Our chariot awaits.”

McCoy made a face as they changed course.    

“So how are they, Bones?”

“The new assignments? Oh, all in tip top shape. Bursting with youthful energy -no apparent concern for deep space viruses and anomalies that can wipe us out in a second.”

Kirk smiled. “Wonderful.”

***

***

Kirk and McCoy both shifted in their seats attempting to adjust their harnesses. Exit from the atmosphere had been a little bumpy. Spock, at the helm next to Hardy, glanced at the man’s control panel.  

“Lieutenant, it is standard procedure to disengage the thrusters immediately after venting the engines.”  

 “Well aware of that, sir.” Hardy uncapped and pushed the offending button harder than necessary.

Spock noticed Kirk watching and they shared a look before he returned to his own controls.

Kirk looked over his shoulder at the new ensign who was making a valiant effort not to be intimidated by the cumulative rank of the shuttle craft occupants.

“Alright there, Ensign? Thompson, isn’t it?”

“Yes thank you Captain sir,” he replied a little too quickly.

“Leave the kid alone, Jim,” came a chiding voice to his right. Kirk smiled before turning back around in his seat to face a scowling McCoy. “Gonna make him have a nervous breakdown before we even get to the ship.”

“Oh, I think he’s tougher than that…Aren’t you, Thompson?” he called over his shoulder.

The boy jumped. “Sorry, sir. I-I didn’t quite catch-.”

McCoy turned around with an exasperated sigh. “Just ign-”

The shuttle craft shuddered suddenly.

“Warning: Destabilization Alert. Destabilization Alert.” The calm voice of the computer contrasted sharply with the escalating vibrations.    

The men clutched their seats as they were rocked by a violent wave; the control panel ablaze with activity.

“Running diagnostics. Is the dampener off, Lieutenant?” 

“Affirmative.”

“Unidentified readings, Captain. We’ve encountered a massive wave of energy.”

“Source?”

“Unknown.”

A deafening roar caused the men to cover their ears as they squinted against a brilliant explosion of white light.

Then as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped.

The men blinked, sharing a moment of relief before their harnesses locked against their chests, the shuttle craft plummeting back towards the planet.

“Altitude dropping.”

“Enable thrusters, Lieutenant.”

Hardy flipped the corresponding switches. “…Thrusters inoperative.”

“Warning: Entering planet atmosphere.”  

“Helmets on!” ordered Kirk.  

“Engage manual override.”

“Engaged.”

“Pull up!”

“Warning: Impact detected. Landing trajectory off course.”

“Pull up! Pull up!”

“Warning: Entry angle exceeding parameters.”

“Correcting!”

“Warning: Entry angle exceeding parameters. Warning: Impact imminent.”

Kirk had one glimpse of jagged mountain peaks as the shuttle craft hurtled downward, spiraling out of control.

“Brace for impact!”

Rock met metal with an ear-splitting screech. The harnesses dug into their chests, the force of impact practically ripping them from their seats.

Cargo containers flew free of their restraints hurtling passed them from all directions.

Kirk let out a cry a particularly large supply crate made contact with his leg, pinning it in place as the craft came to an abrupt stop, snapping them forward in their seats.   

Kirk released his harness breathing heavily. “Sound off!”

“Spock accounted for.”

“Hardy accounted for.”

“McCoy accounted for.”

“Ensign? Ensign?...Thompson, are you alright?” Kirk jerked his body around to see the back of the shuttle craft. The ensign’s body hung limp in its harness.

McCoy scrambled over the back of his seat towards the boy. 

A deep rumble filled their ears and the ship groaned.

“Warning: Landing surface unstable.”

“Evacuate!” Kirk strained against the crate trapping his leg, barely managing to move it more than an inch.

“MedKit and supplies!” McCoy called as he dragged Thompson from the ship, snow flurries fluttering about the shuttle blown in through the open hatch.  

“Already on it.” Hardy’s arms were almost full.  

“Captain?” Kirk looked around to see Spock, a trickle of green oozing down his temple, kneeling beside him. 

“It’s my leg…It’s stuck.”

Spock shimmied the crate just enough for Kirk to lift his leg out. He attempted to stand and barely managed to stifle a cry of pain as he fell back into his chair.

“Warning: Landing surface unstable.”

Leaning heavily on Spock for support they made their way toward the hatch.  

“Doctor!”

McCoy was bent over Thompson, tricorder in hand. At the sight of the Captain, he hastened to help Spock.

“I must assist Lt.Hardy.” Spock shifted Kirk’s weight over to the doctor and this time Kirk couldn’t stifle his cry as pain shot up his leg.

“Here, sit down.” Firm hands guided him into a sitting position against a rock.

He looked over at the ensign’s still motionless body. “Is he alive?”

“He won’t be for long if I can’t stop the bleeding.” McCoy turned back to the boy, picking up the tricorder again and running it along his abdomen. “Medkit!”

Kirk leaned over, straining to reach the pack when he saw the shuttle craft for the first time. He heard his own sharp intake of breath, immediately understanding the full extent of “landing surface unstable:” They were perched atop a glacier. The ship’s weight being supported by ice.  

“Medkit!” The voice more demanding this time. Kirk swung the pack open and held it out to Bones. 

Spock set down another load of supplies near Hardy’s with a grunt. Panting slightly, he turned back toward the shuttle for another. Suddenly he stumbled, thrusting his hands out for balance as the ice shifted beneath them. The ship buckled. 

All four men locked eyes on the ship as the ice beneath began to crack.

“No, no, no,” McCoy was on his feet next to Kirk staring in disbelief.

Horrified and helpless to stop it, all four men watched as the ice gave way, the ship groaning one final time before slipping under the water, swallowed by the glacier.    

 

tbc... 

[caramelfuzz]

Gasp!!! I'm so excited for this!!! I'm absolutely in love with Spock and this is shaping up to be an awesome story! I can't wait!! 

[ellwren]

13 hours ago, mystic-chibi said:

The lovely @Aliena H. told me that if I had another idea for a Star Trek story I shouldn’t hesitate

Sounds like some excellent advice!

 

Thank you for posting; can't wait to see where this goes.

[mystic-chibi]

@caramelfuzz, @ellwren, Awww thank you!  I'm also a huge Spock fan, so I'll do my best to keep true to the character while having a bit of fun.  I've never really written anything with plot until this year, so this is all uncharted territory for me.    

Part II

“Kirk to Enterprise.”

Nothing but static.  

“Kirk to Enterprise. Do you copy?”

Hardy approached the water’s edge, looking down some 20 meters to the shuttlecraft’s final resting place, warning lights lending the water a reddish hue as they continued flashing.

Kirk tapped the suit’s communication panel on his wrist. “Enterprise, come in.”

Spock picked up the discarded tricorder from beside McCoy, squinting up at the sun and jagged cliffs around them.

McCoy, having stabilized Thompson, leaned back on his heels turning toward the sound of Kirk’s sigh.

Kirk met his friend’s eyes as he terminated the broadcast. “Nothing.”

“Jim, what are we gonna do? We’ve got no way outta here -no communications.”

Kirk looked around at what was looking to be the start of their makeshift camp. With a sly smile he grasped the sides of his helmet and looked at Bones.

“We look on the bright side.”

“Jim, have you lost your mind?!”  

All the men stepped forward as the latches of Kirk’s helmet clicked open with a hiss.

“Captain! We have yet to run atmospheric readings for thi-”

But Kirk was already lifting the helmet off, fixing them each with a triumphant smile in turn.

McCoy was dumbfounded. “How did you..?”

“Your suit.”

Kirk pointed to a tear about an inch and a half in length on McCoy’s leg. “If the atmosphere were harmful, you’d already be dead.”

Kirk ran both his hands every which way through his hair taking a deep breath of the icy air as the others began following his lead and removing their helmets.

McCoy, thankful for the chance to free himself of the bulky suit, swapped it for a parka from one of the cargo boxes before carefully unlatching the ensign’s helmet. Spock followed suit.   

Kirk attempted to take his suit off as well, the color draining from his face as he pushed himself off the ground.

“Argh!”

He slumped back down unsuccessfully with a grunt.

“Ah!”

McCoy put a hand on his chest, telling him to stay put with a look. Gently, the doctor forced Kirk to lay back before turning his attention to his friend’s leg. 

“Who the hell stole my tricorder?!”

 McCoy fixed Spock with a look as he stepped forward.

The tricorder’s soft whirling was presently drowned out by a rumble of thunder, but McCoy seemed not to notice. Eyes focused on the readings he placed a hand on Kirk’s leg, provoking a sharp hiss from between clenched teeth as the man went a shade paler.   

“Your leg’s hard as a rock.”

He moved his hands lower down Kirk’s shin, eyebrows knitting together as he mapped the damage in his mind’s eye.

“Compartment syndrome.”

Kirk looked at him questioningly.

“The bleeding caused swelling. The swelling is causing a buildup of pressure.” He fixed his friend with a calm stare. “Jim, I can stop the hemorrhaging without surgery, but to relieve the pressure-”

Another rumble of thunder, louder this time, sent all their eyes to the sky. Ominously dark storm clouds could be seen gathering in the distance.

“Hardy! Set up those tents!” McCoy barked. “Jim,” he held up a hypo, “this’ll knock you out.”

“I don’t wanna be awake for this, I take it?”

“What do you think?”

“Captain, according to-”

“Not now, Spock!” McCoy slammed down the medkit beside him and pulled out a pair of scissors. “Without the ship’s computers I have to do this myself. And I have to do it now!”

 He began cutting up the leg of Kirk’s suit exposing his swollen deeply bruised skin to the icy air.

“Bones, w-wait.” Kirk pushed himself up with his elbows grimacing and faced his First Officer. “What is it Spock?”

“Once the water freezes, the shuttlecraft will be locked under 20 meters of solid ice.”

“How long do we have?” Kirk panted.

“Not long.”

“Don’t give me that. Argh!” He shifted his weight breathing heavily. “I know you’ve already d-done the calculations.”

“Water salinity, the amount of water displacement, and hull thermodynamics are all unknown. There are too many variables for a precise estimation.”

“Then why are we talking about this?” McCoy was busy unfolding gauze, laying scalpels on the sheets.    

“According to my calculations, the sun will set in approximately 5.3 hours and given our relative latitude and our altitude, I estimate that the temperature will fall to 120 below zero-”

“Nowhere on Delta V gets that cold,” interjected Hardy.

“This, Lieutenant, is not Delta V, not even the same galaxy.”

Oblivious to the blow he’d just dealt the team, the Commander continued. “As you are well aware, Captain, exposure to such extreme temperatures for any extended period will render our power cells inactive-”

“-and we die,” concluded McCoy gravely.

“Wha-What do you propose Spock?”

“We descend the glacier.”

Hardy and McCoy looked at him in surprise.

“It will be warmer -but time is imperative, we must depart immediately while we have the visibility to move quickly.

“Dammit, Spock. His leg can’t wait five hours!”

“Do you see an alternative, Doctor?”

“-There are batteries in the shuttlecraft,” Hardy interjected. “To recharge the suits.”

“The ship is 20 meters below the water’s surface. You will not make it.”

“You’d rather see the Captain die than take advice from me?”

“Lieutenant, are you suggesting-”

“Gentlemen.” The bickering ceased and all eyes fell on Kirk. “Prepare…to descend.”

Hardy, tight lipped, turned away wordlessly walking towards the crates.   

“Jim!” Every line of McCoy’s face was etched with angry and worry.  

“You heard Spock. What else can we do?” He took a shuddering breath then fell back against the rock with a groan.  

“Jim!? Jim!?” McCoy grasped for the tricorder. “His vitals are dropping!”

Rapid footfalls caused Spock and McCoy to turn just in time to see Hardy, fully suited, charging toward the water. “Be back in a minute.”

“Hardy, no!”

He disappeared with a splash, ice chunks bobbing violently.    

McCoy looked up at Spock who was rushing toward the water’s edge. Then down at Kirk whose vitals were continuing to drop. Once more up at Spock.

“He’s gonna kill us if we live through this,” and with that, he emptied the hypospray into Kirk’s neck picking up a scalpel.  

Spock skidded to a stop and stared down at Hardy’s inky figure as he opened his communicator. “Lieutenant, return to the surface immediately.”     

“Once a get a battery.”

“Lieutenant, that is an order.”

 “I can get it.”

“The supply crates shifted on impact. You cannot be certain of their current location or accessibility.”

“I guess you’d better stop talking and let me focus then.” 

Spock looked over his shoulder at McCoy. The doctor was engrossed in making the second of four muscle-deep incisions down the length of Kirk’s leg.  

 Hardy’s voice crackled through. “Airshaft door’s locked.”

“Can you open the bulkhead manually?”  

“Negative. It’s jammed.”

Spock took another look back at McCoy. He was wrapping the Captain’s leg in gauze and medical tape. “Status, Doctor?”

“Stable.”     

Spock turned back to the water, no sign of Hardy.

“What is the delay, Lieutenant?”

“Grabbing an ion lithium cell now.” 

Spock froze. “Are you on the lower deck?”

“Returning now.”

“Spock, look!”

Spock followed McCoy’s gaze to the ice crystals rapidly forming around the edge of the water.

“Swim faster, Lieutenant.”

“Heading for the surface now.”

The ice was rapidly closing inward, shrinking the hole though which Spock and McCoy, who had joined him, were staring. 

McCoy shook his head in horror. “He’s not gonna make it.”     

“Lieutenant, drop the battery.”

“No, I can see you. Almost there.”

Spock could also make out Hardy’s figure. The light from his helmet blinked in and out of view as the man pushed himself upward through the water with his left hand. His right hand firmly clasping the battery to his side.

“You will not make it at your current speed. Drop the battery.”

Spock watched the battery sink back toward the ship, the lieutenant kicking frantically toward the surface. 

“Spock!” The water’s surface was clouding over as it froze.

“Take my hand!” Spock dropped to his stomach plunging both arms into the water. McCoy watched horrified as the ice began to creep over Spock’s arms.

Spock flung all his weight backward pulling Hardy with him. McCoy grabbed one of Hardy’s legs, wrenching it from the water just as the ice crystals locked, forming a solid barrier.

Spock and Hardy lay on their backs panting heavily. “Thank you, Commander,” Hardy puffed.

“I do not require your gratitude. I simply acted to ensure a trained lieutenant would be able to stay with the crew.”

McCoy silently shook his head. Spock would never learn.

Understandably less winded, Spock was the first of the two to stand turning his attention to McCoy as he brushed the icy slush from his jacket. “Has the Captain regained consciousness?”

“He’ll be out for another couple of hours.”

“Descending the glacier with two of our party fully incapacitated would restrict our supply load and our chance of survival considerably.

“I guess we’re camping here after all.” Hardy made for the tent McCoy had indicated earlier.

“In the meantime,” Spock continued, “we continue to think of an alternative.”

“I thought you said there were no alternatives,” said Hardy.  

Spock took hold of the other end of the tent Hardy was dragging and together they lifted it.

“Lieutenant, there are always alternatives.”  

 

tbc... 

[ellwren]

Can't wait to see where this goes!

[Shamaël]

I am speechless because STAR TREK!!! ANd with a PLOT! And even better: SPOCK!!!!! I'm so excited! (Happy dance)

I'm going on holidays, so if I don't comment, it's not because I don't like what you're reading, but because I probably won't have the Internet for a while... But I can't wait to read what comes next!

On 7/10/2019 at 3:36 PM, mystic-chibi said:

McCoy silently shook his head. Spock would never learn.

And as for the version I'd pick for that story, well, in my opinion the characters are more 2009-like, but as I prefer TOS, I think I'd go with Nimoy and the other "old" actors...

Thank you so much for that new story! 

[mystic-chibi]

@Aliena H., yaaaaaaaaaay! I hope you have (had) a nice holiday!  

Yeah, I think this time around I had the 2009 reboot characters in my head more than TOS even though I started with a very TOS style opening. 

Part III

McCoy took one last look around the tent which had quickly grown to resemble SickBay what with its two unconscious inhabitants lying side by side and portable medlab computer recording vital signs.

After double and triple checking the computer, McCoy turned to leave the tent. No sooner had he stepping back out into the frigid air than he flung his arms out to stabilize himself as the ground trembled again.

“I’m getting real tired of this.”

Moments later an explosion sounded in the not too far distance sent him ducking, hands protectively raised over his head.

When no debris fell, he opened his eyes and looked around slightly abashed to find that Spock was still standing fully upright, looking intently in the direction of the noise.

The Vulcan caught his eye as he righted himself. “Hardly close enough to warrant running for cover, Doctor.”

“It was a reflex. Reflex is what’s kept me alive as you and Jim go gallivanting across the galaxy.

“huH’RHFFSCHuhh!”

Spock seemed completely caught off guard by the sneeze, barely managing to raise a gloved hand in time to contain it. He blinked rapidly several times as he recovered.

“Like that: a reflex!” McCoy looked toward the smoke again. “Think that’s another of the shuttlecrafts?”

“Look at the color, Doctor. An explosion caused by rocket fuel…” Spock unconsciously took a step forward, eyes fixed on the site, “…would be blue.”     

McCoy looked again; the flames and smoke were orange-yellow.

“Natural gas?” suggested Hardy setting down one of the boxes close to the tent entrance. “Displaced by our crash?”

Spock sniffed gently against the back of his hand. “It is very possible.”  

“Phosphorus burns yellow.”

“Doctor, your tricorder...There do indeed appear to be black phosphorus deposits in the surrounding rock. It is logical to conclude we are witnessing the combustion of a more volatile form, perhaps white.”    

“White phosphorus doesn’t spontaneously ignite until the air reaches 30 degrees.”

Both Spock and McCoy looked at the Lieutenant in surprise.

“I like geology.”

“Doctor, is it safe to assume your phaser is in working order?”

McCoy placed a hand over the weapon through his parka. “Yes, why?” 

“It may be possible to boost the function of our power cells by augmenting our phaser batteries with a substitute fuel supply.

“What substitute fuel supply?”

“Phosphorus.”

As if that settled the matter, Spock began to fill a nearby pack with sample containers.

“Spock, you’re not seriously thinking to scale the glacier alone, are you?”

“Not at all, Doctor.”

McCoy breathed a sigh of relief.

“Lt. Hardy will accompany me. His geological knowledge will undoubtably prove most useful.”

***

*** 

The snow crunched softly as it compacted under their boots. The two men made good time as they followed the snowy ridge to their destination.

The sky, a deep blue reminiscent of Earth’s made Hardy feel slightly more at ease. Adjusting his pack, he trotted to catch up with the Vulcan who had begun to ascend the snowbank rising gently before them.     

Reaching the summit, they were rewarded with a breathtaking view, the sparkling white landscape sprawling out before them. Both men came to a stop.      

“Beautiful isn’t it?” said Hardy. “I mean, it would be nicer if the planet wasn’t trying to kill us every hour so we could actually enjoy it, but, you know?”

Hardy looked over at Spock, curious if the Vulcan felt anything. One look at his face told him the Commander did, but it was not what he had been expecting.

Spock’s mouth was open, eyes closed, clearly anticipating the sneeze which came moments later as he brought a gloved hand to his face turning his body slightly away from the lieutenant.

“huH’MHFFuh!” 

For as muffled as it was, it was strong, bending him nearly to the waist. He gave a little shake of his head as he straitened with a sniff.

“Excuse me.”

 His nose allowing him to place his attention elsewhere for the time being, he surveyed the scene. “I fail to see what blaming the topography of the planet can accomplish.”    

Hardy seemed intent on keeping the conversation going. “At least this is your big chance.”

“My big chance?” said Spock sniffing again and consulting the tricorder. “For what, Lieutenant?”

“Command.”

 Spock gave him a look but said nothing, resuming his previous pace as he began his descent. 

“Oh, I know you,” Hardy continued, falling back into step behind the First Officer. “Ever since we served under Captain Pike -you’ve never voiced it, but-”

Spock extended an arm indicating for him to stop. The only sound to be heard was Hardy’s labored breathing, but then they began to hear something else: the low hiss of gas. “That way.” 

They soon stood before a rock outcropping; an opening just big enough for a man was visible to their left. Spock consulted the tricorder again before squeezing between the rocks and down into the hole.

“You’ve always wanted to build a command based on logic,” Hardy panted as he struggled to follow, soon joining Spock in a large cavernous hall.

Both men pulled their flashlights taking in the walls and high ceiling.     

“I know of no better way than logic to begin. I realize command does have its fascinations, even under circumstances such as these.”

Spock approached a steaming rock, pale orange tendrils of vapor twisting upward. “But I neither enjoy the idea of command, nor am I frightened of it. It simply exists. And I will do whatever logically needs to be done.”

He turned to face Hardy who was scrutinizing the wall. Hardy rubbed a gloved hand across the rock, rolling the powder like residue between his fingers.  

“I wanna get a sample of this.”

Spock provided the light as Hardy scraped the rock, carefully catching the shavings in a sample dish.

“It’s not phosphorus…” he mused, careful not to send the powder everywhere as he breathed heavily. “But…that is.” He nodded toward the rock Spock had been inspecting earlier.

They took out their sample containers and got down to work. 

***

***

Donning their noticeably heavier packs, they made their way back to the cave entrance. 

Hardy stopped just short of the pool of light leaning his hands on his knees panting heavily.

“Ah!”    

“Are you all right, Lieutenant?”

“Affir-affirmative,” he puffed. “Just..outta shape I guess.”

“HuH’MHFF-MHFFuh!”

Spock stood rooted to the spot, gloved hand fitted over the lower half of his face as the sneezes tumbled out one on top of the next.

He lowered his hand slightly leaving it to hover uncertainly, his breathing ragged. After a few agonizing seconds he clamped it firmly over his face as his breath caught again.   

“Hh’huRHMHFF!”

He leaned back on his heels slightly dazed.

“I could ask the same…about you.”  

Spock sniffed sharply ignoring him. “The journey back will take approximately 98 minutes.”

“Right..behind you.”

Spock, exiting first, scrunched his nose and looked at the sky. The storm clouds from earlier had shifted slightly but were still a while out.

Hardy gave a rasping cough from behind him and Spock turned in time to see the man drop to his knees, hands instinctively clawing at his chest.

“Lieutenant!” 

***

***

McCoy rubbed his hands together anxiously and looked up at the gray sky for the fifth time in as many minutes, reassuring himself that the sun was by no means setting. It wasn’t…yet. But he did note its unrelenting progress toward the horizon.

There was only so much he could do while he waited. He had set their SOS to continuously broadcast from Thompson’s suit communicator. He’d set up the second tent and locked them together -not that it was necessary, given that each tent had two chambers and there were only five of them. He’d taken stock of all the supplies they salvaged and put most of them in said second tent, more to justify its use than anything.

The thunder they had all warily noted earlier suddenly made its reappearance with a vengeance as the sky opened releasing its payload. McCoy bolted for the tent. 

“How the hell can it be raining?!”    

tbc...

[mystic-chibi]

Thank you so much for sticking with it! This next part finally gets a bit sneezy. 👆

On 7/11/2019 at 7:16 AM, ellwren said:

Can't wait to see where this goes!

[Jelloicious]

I love me some classic Trek!  Your characterizations are very nice,  and I love the way you are building the plot here!  Enjoying your story very much!

[ellwren]

Loving this so much!

[AngelEyes]

Exciting! Love the plot! Can't wait to see where it goes!

[mystic-chibi]

@Jelloicious, aw thank you! Star Trek is one of my all time favorite story worlds and I love Kirk, Bones, and Spock just so much. I'm really happy you like the characterizations.

@ellwren,  Thank youuuuuuuuu

@AngelEyes, I"m so relieved to hear that you like the plot. It's one of my weaknesses, so the confidence boost is greatly appreciated!   💙

 

PART IV

“Argh!”

McCoy’s head jerked around at the sound. He looked out through the deluge from the safety of the tent, but the path Spock and Hardy had taken remained, disappointingly, empty.

‘That hadn’t sounded like Spock anyway,’ he thought, ‘that sounded like…’

McCoy popped his head into the back chamber of the tent where James Kirk was pushing himself into a sitting position.   

“Jim!” McCoy was crouching beside his friend in seconds.

Kirk flashed him something between a smile and a grimace. “Missed me that much, huh?”

“Well, now that you’re awake. Tell me…” he applied slight pressure to Kirk’s shin, “how does that feel?”

“Gah-!”

“Okay. And here?”

“Ow! Isn’t there a way to check without doing that?!”

“There is; but you’ll have to take that up with Spock seeing as he took the tricorder.”

“’Took?’ And what is he doing now exactly? -Ah!”

“Collecting rocks with his new friend Lt.Hardy.”

“Okay…I think, I may be hallucinating.”

“No, no. You’re fully cognizant-which is good because I need you awake before I can do the final part of the procedure.”

Kirk looked at him pathetically. “There’s more?”

“Unless you enjoy not having full use of your leg.”

“No, no. I’m -uh, I’m good. Proceed, Doctor.”       

“This should heal the incisions and tissue damage.”

McCoy made quick work of it. His eyes moved to the tent roof as he finished, closing the medkit with a soft click.

“Would you look at that, the rain has finally stopped.”

“Doctor McCoy!”

McCoy was out of the tent in a flash, Kirk right on his heels.

“Spock?...Hardy!?”

McCoy raced to catch the unconscious lieutenant who Spock was slowly sliding from his back.  

Together McCoy and Kirk carried him into the tent and lay him where Kirk had been moments before.

“What happened!?”

“He has become host to an unknown life form which is targeting his respiratory system.”

He handed McCoy the tricorder, the doctor combing intently over the readings Spock had taken. 

“It appears to thrive on the oxygen in the blood stream, making it difficult for the host to intake enough.” 

“You weren’t affected by this…thing?”

“No, it-.” Spock sniffed against a soaked glove before continuing. “It would appear it is not adapted for Vulcan physiology.”

Kirk looked the Science Officer over. The journey clearly hadn’t been easy, but apart from flushed cheeks and a runny nose -both of which were easily understandable given the biting rain, he did seem fine. 

As if triggered by the latter, Spock’s face suddenly crumpled.

“hh’ghISSCHH’uh!”

He just barely had time to bring his hands to his face, catching the sneeze in steepled hands.

“Bless you.”

The look on Spock’s face told him he could have done with a drier outburst.

“You okay?”  

Spock gave his head a slight shake as if to clear it before replying. “Vulcan’s are not well suited for the climate of this particular planet.”

“I don’t think humans are either -and therein lines our problem.” Kirk grabbed up the two packs by Spock’s feet and headed outside. “Tell me about these rocks.”

“Technically, phosphorus is a not a rock but a-” he stopped when he saw Kirk’s face. “You did ask, Captain.”

***                                                                  

***

McCoy, having taken the liberty of relieving Thompson and Hardy of their phasers set them down before Spock, bringing the grand total to five. 

McCoy made to turn back to the tent but stopped. “You sure we shouldn’t keep one for protection?”

“Protection will be of no use to us if we are dead, Doctor.”

Spock carefully eased another of the phaser plasma compartments open devoting all his concentration to the task at hand. McCoy made no further attempts at conversation, returning to the tent with a shake of his head.

Several minutes of silence followed, broken only by the soft clinking of their tools and the occasional sniff from Spock.

“What next?” Kirk asked.  

“We wait for the phaser charges to transfer to the power cell.”

“So…any idea what happened to us?”         

“I can’t be sure, but I’d say that the magnetic potential of the phenomenon was such th-that huh-”

Kirk looked up as the Vulcan’s speech faltered. As he watched, Spock raised a hand to his nose pressing a finger to firmly to its underside. Willing it into submission he lowered his hand, his shoulders relaxing. He gave a sharp sniff and continued.

“As we gathered speed, the magnetic potential was multiplied geometrically. And we were simply shot into the center of the effect.”

“Like a projectile.”

“A reasonable a-approximation, Captain.” He rubbed a finger under his still ticklish nose. 

Kirk caught sight of a purple flash out of the corner of his eye.

“Spock lookou-! Woah…!”

Beams of purple light seemed to erupt from the rock all around them. Kirk squinted at the closest pillar as it climbed upward. It seemed to be made of hundreds of spherical lights about the size of his fist, all spiraling upward into the sky.

Both men were rendered speechless as they watched the pillars of light swell to the size of tree trunks before suddenly abandoning their tightly held formations and beginning to float gently back to earth.

It was only as Kirk noted that they appeared able to steer themselves that he saw their tiny tentacles.

“…jellyfish…alien…space jellyfish.”    

Kirk blinked as three or so of them gently lighted on Spock’s hood and jacket. Within seconds the Vulcan was covered in glowing purple orbs.

“Wha-what are they doing?” Kirk lowered his voice as one came to rest on his hand but resumed flight almost instantly. The jellyfish on Spock by contrast, seemed perfectly content.

“Why do they like you so much?”

“The rain, Captain.” Spock slowly raised his arm where three of the jellies had perched. “They appear to be drinking the rainwater absorbed by my jacket.” 

“It was raining earlier…why didn’t they just come out then?”

“Perhaps they are wary of light…ning huh!”

Kirk looked away from the glowing jellies and over at Spock. Eyes closed, hand warily hovering before his face, he was clearly losing his grip of the sneeze from earlier.    

“Hah-nGHT!”

He pinched his nose shut, suppressing the sneeze to a mere shudder of his shoulders managing to keep his arm and the jellies steady.

He released his nose with a sigh only to have his breath catch again moments later.

“Hh’GNTcht!”

Unable to keep as tight a hold the second time around, his head bobbed forward and the jellies sitting aloft his hood fluttered off startled.

“Jim! Spock! Thompson’s awake and-what are those?!” Kirk turned to see McCoy’s panic-stricken face appear from inside the now jellyfish-covered tent.

“The inhabitants of this planet, Doctor.”

“They aren’t gonna damage the tent, are they?” He ducked as one floated overhead. “Or us? -Fuel consuming? Flesh eating?”

Kirk smiled. “Relax, Bones. They’re harmless.”

 

tbc...

 

[ellwren]

Very intriguing!

[caramelfuzz]

I love this so much!!!! Great job!! You captured Spock so well.

[mystic-chibi]

@ellwren  @caramelfuzz Thank you both for the words of encouragement!!  

 

PARTV

 

The jellies stuck around after sunset proving to be effective night lights, filling the tent with a soft purple glow as they continued to form a living skeleton around it. 

Kirk and Spock stayed outside as long as the temperature permitted watching the jellies float lazily across the sky. Kirk could see hundreds of thousands of stars. He wondered which one of them was Earth’s or Delta V’s. He didn’t think they were in a position to be picky.

When it finally became too cold to bare and he was sniffling from the cold as much as Spock, they decided to call it a night.

Watching the Vulcan coax the jellies from this hood with firm yet surprisingly gentle hands, Kirk had a hunch his First Officer had developed something of a soft spot for the squishy little guys, not that Spock would ever admit it.

With more than a little prompting, Spock finally managed to persuade the last of the jellies to leave his jacket, and the two officers reentered the tent to find McCoy sitting beside Hardy head lolling on his chest as he slept.

“Bones…” Kirk roused him gently.

“Wha-?”

Kirk put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “At this point there’s not much we can do until morning. Go get some rest.”

“Hardy needs another hypo in t-two hours.” He poorly stifled a yawn.

“If that is all the Lieutenant should require, I am fully capable of administering any subsequent doses in your stead, Doctor. Vulcans do not require the same amount of sleep as humans.”

Kirk looked suspiciously at his First Officer. He wanted to point out that Spock had had the most taxing day of the three of them, but Spock was Vulcan: if he said he was fine, then Kirk believed him.  

***

***

Kirk rolled over and opened his eyes, something pulling him from sleep. Thompson and McCoy, apparently unbothered, slept on, the former’s mouth slightly open, their chests rising and falling softly.

‘Must have been from the other room then.’

Tiptoeing around the ensign, Kirk entered the SickBay chamber. The computer showed weak but steady vitals for Hardy who was still unresponsive. Where was Spock?   

“hh’ghISSCHH’uh!”

Kirk poked his head into the next chamber locating his friend and the source of the commotion.  

“Spock?”

Spock jumped, lowering his steepled hands from his face with a sniff.  

“Jim. I did not realize you were awake.”

Kirk could hear a fatigued undertone in his voice which hadn’t been there before. He sat beside his friend.

“Want me to switch out with you? I was out for most of the day -I don’t mind.”

“While I appreciate the offer Captain, sleep would p-prove to be quite im-impossi-” Kirk watched as his friend, no longer able to summon breath for any other purpose, sneezed harshly into steepled hands.

“huH’ghISSCHH! Huh!”

“Again?”

Spock merely nodded; mouth already half-open.

“Hh’GHTcht!”

Crushing the sneeze into a tightly contained stifle seemed to bring an end to the fit for now. Spock let his hand linger and when he finally did lower it, there was a hazy distant look on his face that Kirk was not used to seeing.     

“Egcuse be.”

The green flush Kirk had noted earlier was still there, a tinge darker if anything. Kirk was beginning to feel doubt creep into his earlier evaluation.   

“Are you alright?”

Spock sniffed sharply holding his chest but nodding as he did so.

Kirk frowned. “I’m going to get Bones.”

Another softer sniff. “That is not necessary.”

“If whatever infected Hardy infected you, too-”

“My symptoms were present before our expedition to the cave.”

“But the chest pain-”

“The result of the shuttlecraft harness during impact, for which I am most grateful.”

Kirk paused. He hadn’t noticed any chest pain. Surly he should be feeling the effects of the crash too, shouldn’t he?   

As if reading his thoughts, Spock explained. “Given the severity of your injuries, Dr. McCoy no doubt administered some form of pain suppressant. Until its effects wear off, it is understandable that you would feel only minimal d-discomfort.”

He leaned away, his breath becoming erratic. Kirk watched him succumb to another powerful sneeze, head snapping down into his hands.   

 “Huh! Hh’iSSCHH!”

 “Bless you. Bones, could probably give you something to make you more comfortable.”

Spock sniffed lowering his hands. “The viral infection is mild, and my injuries are minor. Besides, our medical supplies are finite. We must conserv-”

“Jim!” McCoy burst into the room. “Jim, the ship!”

Kirk and Spock raced after McCoy to where Thompson sat wrist communicator raised, Scotty’s voice filling the tent.

“-received your SOS transmission and are currently orbiting-”

“Mister Scott!” Kirk shouted happily.

“It’s a recording, Captain.”

They all quieted.  

 “- due to the extent of the ionization damage, the ship’s scanners are currently inoperative-”

The men shared a look. That ruled out search by life sign or heat signature.

Kirk watched as Spock stepped back from the group. Turning away he raised a hand to his still ticklish nose pinching it shut, head bobbing violently with the force of the suppression. 

“Hh’ngxt!” 

“-combined with damage to communications we are being forced to rely on visual confirmation-”

McCoy shot Kirk a worried look. “Jim, there’s no way they’ll see us on a fly by.”

Kirk’s brow furrowed as he nodded. “A submerged seven-and-a-half meter shuttlecraft…finding a needle in a haystack would be child’s play.”   

“Hngx’tch!”

Kirk’s eyes drifted to back to Spock. Apparently done for now, he straightened and returned to the group, although with each new set of sneezes his nose was taking on an increasingly green tinge.

 “-possibility that we will have to retreat to make repairs to the engines before returning to resume our search-”

McCoy’s frown deepened. “We can’t research whatever it is that’s infecting Hardy from down here -and we’ve only got so many hypos left. He won’t survive without the ship’s computers.” 

“Dr. McCoy is right, Captain. Time is a luxury we do not have. We must avoid extending our stay on this planet at all costs.”

“-Repeat-”

The men sat listening to the communique in full, devoting it to memory, until on its third repetition it devolved into static and they were left in silence once more.

“What happened?!” McCoy asked leaning forward towards Thompson and the communicator.

“Their orbit must have taken them out of range.”

Spock checked the time. “Assuming they are moving at the minimal speed required to maintain orbit, I should be able to calculate when they will next be within visual range again.”      

“Until then, we’ve just gotta figure out a way to signal them.”

“Correct, Captain. We have…9.82 hours.”

“So…any ideas?”

 

tbc... 

[ellwren]

14 hours ago, mystic-chibi said:

“While I appreciate the offer Captain, sleep would p-prove to be quite im-impossi-” Kirk watched as his friend, no longer able to summon breath for any other purpose, sneezed harshly into steepled hands.

“huH’ghISSCHH! Huh!”

❤️ Spock, such a gift for understatement

[March Hare]

Hey, this is awesome I was actually so intrigued by the story, the sneezing almost didn't matter... almost, because grmfzjkgl, Spock. Methinks I have a new favourite, yes yes...

But seriously! I love your dialogue-heavy style, your pace, your vivid imagination and your subtle humour! And those spellings... ho hum.

Thank you for sharing ❤️

[Shamaël]

Hello!

I've been away from the Internet and the forum for a month and... and I don't have words to thank you for that fic! I could quote the whole thing...

On 8/7/2019 at 4:40 AM, mystic-chibi said:

“While I appreciate the offer Captain, sleep would p-prove to be quite im-impossi-” Kirk watched as his friend, no longer able to summon breath for any other purpose, sneezed harshly into steepled hands.

“huH’ghISSCHH! Huh!”

“Again?”

Spock merely nodded; mouth already half-open.

“Hh’GHTcht!”

... But I think that part won.

As I'm always craving for heavy H/C and even angst, I really hope Spock's condition will take a turn for the worst, and I can't wait to read the next part!

[mystic-chibi]

@ellwren and @Aliena H., it's funny you both chose the same snippet to quote. I can never guess what is going to be popular, but I did quite enjoy writing that part myself. Poor Spock, there's something about him being unable to even speak that is just so.....💚  

@March Hare,   your comment made me so ridiculously happy. You have no idea!  

Part VI

“Spock, how long until the Enterprise is within range?”

“5.42 hours.” 

Dawn having arrived, bringing with it an end to the dark and life-threatening cold, the four men stood outside the tent. Kirk noted sadly that the jellies had disappeared at some point during the night. He was sure Thompson would have liked them.    

“Alright, gentlemen. Let’s hear some ideas.”   

Spock stepped forward.

“The most effective means of producing a signal which can be seen in the upper atmosphere is smoke-”   

 “-made from the abundant flammable resources the environment has to offer,” McCoy quipped, arm sweeping over the ice and snow.

Kirk shot him a look. “Not helping, Bones.”

“Dr.McCoy’s point is valid, Captain. We are unlikely to be able to produce such a signal without another expedition to the cave.” At the group’s collective look of abject horror, he continued quickly.

“Given the volatile state of the compounds of this planet, there is a chance that a smoke signal would be mistaken for natural occurring phenomena. I therefore, suggest we focus our efforts on the second most effective means of signal production: light.” 

“Couldn’t we use the fuel oxidizer in the power cell lines?” suggested Thompson. “Rig it to blow a stream of burning gas?”

“We do not have enough power reserves to maintain a signal of that magnitude for more than five minutes. The odds of the Enterprise seeing it are one million two hundred and eighty-.”

“-we get it, Spock.”

 “The jellyfish!” McCoy exclaimed. “One thing we’ve got -and got a lot of- is ice! We melt it and create an upward jet steam -attracting them and focusing their glow into a beacon.”

Silence filled the camp as each man mentally ran the scenario.

Spock was the first to comment. “Quite sound, Doctor. Although we will need to build a structure to angle the water skyward.”

Kirk clapped his hands. “Alright, let’s get to work. Thompson, you’re with me. Let’s grab those tubes.”

“Yes, sir!” 

McCoy followed Spock around the back of the tent.

“Quite sound,” he mused. “You might even say quite logical.”

Spock gave him a look as he lifted the power cell. “Doctor, if I were able to show emotion, your new infatuation with that term would begin to annoy me.”

“Logic?”

Spock stumbled, footing unsure in the snow and McCoy grabbed the other end of the power cell. Together they hauled it around the front of the tent.

“Medical men are trained in logic, Spock.”

“Really, Doctor. Watching you, I assumed it was trial and error.”

Thompson looked uncertainly between the two officers before leaning to Kirk. “Are they enemies, sir?”

Kirk watched as they set the cell down on the count of three.

“I’m not sure they’re sure.” 

***

***

“That looks good. Thank you, Thompson.”

Patting the ensign on the shoulder, Kirk left him in McCoy’s capable hands and crossed the camp towards Spock whose attention was still occupied by the coupling wires they had elected to adjust after their third unsuccessful attempt at a jet stream.

“How’re things looking on your end?”

Spock appeared not to have heard him. As Kirk grew nearer, he saw his friend’s shoulders stiffen as he turned sharply, directing a sneeze into his shoulder, hands busy with the wires.

“Hh’huRHSSCH!”

His whole body shook with the force.

“Bless you.”

Spock leaned back on his heels with an audible sigh; Kirk couldn’t be sure if it was because of the strength of the sneeze or not, but the Vulcan’s eyes had a distinctly glassy look when he turned to face him.  

Kirk crossed his arms over his chest and took a step closer lowering his voice.

“This is gonna work, right?”

They both turned to watch McCoy order Thompson around; the boy frantically trying to position the tubes on their makeshift support tower as McCoy instructed. It reminded Kirk of an old Earth-style oil rig. 

“We’ve gotta maintain the signal for -what?- 20 minutes?”

“23 minutes. The power cell will hold for that duration; however, we will not have enough power for a second attempt should we be unsuccessful.”  

“Meaning we won’t have enough power to survive another night here.”

“Lt. Hardy will not survive another night here either way, Captain.”

“Hey, I think we got it! Spock, you finished with that wiring?”

“Presently, Doctor.”

“OK, let’s give it another go!”

They took up their positions.

“Thompson, a bit to your left.”

Kirk shot the ensign an encouraging smile as the youth shuffled closer crouching beside him down to hold one of the tubes in place.

Spock, having calibrated the power cell, took his place by McCoy wearing a similarly tense expression.

“Let ‘er rip!”

The men waited with bated breath, then whoosh! The water rocketed upwards.

“Yes!” 

Not even the fine mist which rained down on them could damped Kirk’s spirits. The ensign was equally jovial.

“Whoo!”

Then the ground rumbled and shook beneath them.

“Another gas displacement, Captain!”

“Watch out!”

The rocky peak behind McCoy and Spock, its base compromised, began to crumble sending rocks crashing down around them.

“The power cell!”

Kirk ran for it, yanking out the tubes as quickly as he could without damaging anything. None of them noticed when the mist which had been falling overhead stopped.

McCoy groaned as the tower was knocked sideways with an unpleasantly familiar crash of rock on metal.

“No!”

“Doctor!”

Spock half tackled, half pushed McCoy towards the rock face. They landed in a snowy tangle of limbs as a particularly large boulder smashed apart where they had been standing moments before, fragments of it pelting their coats.  

They scrambled to their feet keeping their backs tightly pressed to the rock, searching for signs of the captain and ensign.

“I see them!”

Kirk and Thompson had taken cover with the power cell on the opposite side of the camp. A rocky outcropping high above them was blocking most of the rubble, but Kirk didn’t seem to be taking any chances, his body wrapped around the power cell like a mother protecting her child.  

“Sir, over there! The Commander and Doctor McCoy!”

Kirk scanned the wall finding them quickly and, with what felt like a punch to the gut, watched at his best friends sank out of view as the ground gave way beneath them.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    tbc...

 

[Shamaël]

OH NO you... cannot leave us just like that. That's not possible!!!

I love how you inserted "Bread and circuses"'s discussion between Spock and McCoy (maybe my favorite part in all Star Trek is the dialogue when they are in the cell) - "trial and error"...  When Saavik says to Kirk in The wrath of Khan that Vulcans don't understand the concept of humour and sarcasm, I can't understand why Kirk didn't start laughing because Spock is a master at sarcasm.

4 hours ago, mystic-chibi said:

“The most effective means of producing a signal which can be seen in the upper atmosphere is smoke-”   

 “-made from the abundant flammable resources the environment has to offer,” McCoy quipped, arm sweeping over the ice and snow.

... That was funny, too, and very in-character for reboot-Bones.

Anyway, great update and I really can't wait for the next part!

[ellwren]

oh no!

[mystic-chibi]

@Aliena H. and @ellwren, sorry for going MIA! I haven't abandoned our heroes or this fic.  

 

Part VII

“Spock!”

“Over here, Doctor.”

“Where?”

Spock looked in the direction of McCoy’s voice, equally unable to locate him.

“We appear to have been separated…Are you injured?”

McCoy got to his feet gingerly.

“No…miraculously.”   

The two stood separately taking in their new surroundings. Despite being unable to see the surface as they were completely surrounded by ice and rock, there was light enough to see by reflecting down through the ice.

“Cave in?”

Spock lowered his hood to get a better look around.  

“It would appear we have fallen into a crevasse created by the gas displacement. These walls…” he inspected the ice, so smooth it appeared to have been carved. “They were not formed recently. This was most likely a gas pocket for hundreds of thousands of years until our ship altered the weight distribution of the glacier.”

McCoy reached out to touch the wall with a gloved hand, banging his fist against it merely demonstrated Spock’s next point:

“The ice is too thick to even attempt digging through. It would simply be a w-waste of… energy. Huh!” Leaning on the wall for support, he raised a hand to his face as he inhaled shakily.

“Hh’MMFF-uh!”

He sniffed against his hand, allowing a shiver to run through him before continuing. “Energy which I presume neither of us have much of at the present time.”

“Hang on, this looks recent…” McCoy approached a barricade of rocks and snow starting at his feet and reaching all the way to the top of the narrow chamber. “You seeing this?”

“Affirmative.” Spock crouched by the wall and inspected a smaller piece of rock. “Some pieces do appear to be from the surface.”

They began probing it for weakness, the next few minutes were filled with silence, punctuated only by their grunts and the clacking of rocks as they tossed any that were movable aside.

“…Think we’re gonna get outta here?”

No response from the other side of the wall.  

“Spock, I know we’ve had our disagreements. Maybe they’re jokes….I don’t know -as Jim says we’re not often sure ourselves, but…” he sighed, “what I’m trying to say is-”

“Doctor.”

McCoy could have sworn he heard the Vulcan sigh.

“I am seeking a means by which to escape. Will you please be brief?”

“Spock, you…you saved my life up there.”

“Yes.” The clacking of rocks from Spock’s side of the wall resumed. “That’s quite true.”

McCoy felt he was going to blow a gasket. “I-I’m trying to thank you, you pointy eared bastard!”

“Oh yes, I experienced this with Lt.Hardy. You humans have an emotional need to express gratitude.”

“You’re welcome is the correct response.”    

“My choice was a logical one, arrived at through logical means.”

“Life and death are seldom logical.”

McCoy looked up the wall of snowy rock toward what he assumed was the surface.

“Jim will be looking for us, right?”

“If I were him, Doctor, I would not.”

“Wha-”

“I would be focused on repairing our signal tower which, as it is our only chance to get off this planet, is top priority.”

 ***

***

“Sir…”

Thompson, returning from checking on Lt.Hardy, jogged over to the Captain, slowing as he approached. Kirk was kneeling before the pile of rubble where he’d last seen his friends.

“S-Sir, what do we do?”

Kirk stood slowly looking at the youth’s expectant face. His eyes wandered from the ensign to the tangle of metal that had been their signal tower.

“We have…3.12 hours before the Enterprise is in range. We have to get that signal up and working again.”

“But Commander Spock and Dr.McCoy are-”

“-two of the most capable and stubborn officers you’ll ever work with. They’ll be fine.”

Willing himself to believe his own words he took a deep breath and headed for the tower.     

“OK, we’re gonna pull it upright on the count of three!”

***

***

Spock and McCoy had relapsed into silence. 

“Huh! Hh’ngIISSCHuhh!”

Well, almost.

“How you doing over there?”

“Given the relative depth of our fall, our current pace would appear to be sufficient to-

“You smell that!?”

Spock paused. Odor could be an indication of a number of things, good or bad, but…

“Hh’IISSSCH!”

He sniffed against his wrist before reaching for another rock.

“Negative. Or rather, I am unable to at the present time.”

“Smells like the hanger deck on Gamma 4, -that stuff they use in those little one-man flyers.      

“Rayon? We must move quickly, Doctor.”

“Don’t need to tell me twice.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      tbc...

[caramelfuzz]

Oooo how ominous!!!! I love it! You're doing such a great job!

[Shamaël]

References to "Bread and circuses" again... YES!!!

I like the fact that Spock predicts that Jim isn't going to search for them (very logical!).

On 9/10/2019 at 6:27 AM, mystic-chibi said:

“You smell that!?”

Spock paused. Odor could be an indication of a number of things, good or bad, but…

“Hh’IISSSCH!”

He sniffed against his wrist before reaching for another rock.

“Negative. Or rather, I am unable to at the present time.”

That's great! Next part please? 

[ellwren]

On 9/10/2019 at 12:27 AM, mystic-chibi said:

“You smell that!?”

Spock paused. Odor could be an indication of a number of things, good or bad, but…

“Hh’IISSSCH!”

He sniffed against his wrist before reaching for another rock.

“Negative. Or rather, I am unable to at the present time.”

Aw, Spock. 💕

So glad you're back, mystic-chibi!😊