We're Only Human, Except When We're Not

Spock's laughter.

It made the hair on the back of Kirk's neck stand on end.

They had been assigned to this planet- although maybe assigned wasn't the word. They had been forced to this planet. By designs other than their own, coordinates had been locked onto the Enterprise's system and the ship had been forced into Warp Three. They had had no choice in the matter. Starfleet Command could do nothing about it as the intentions were not hostile as of yet and the planet that they were travelling to was under close wraps by the inhabitants. This was the only way that they would get to the planet, so stay alert, Kirk, but deal with it.

They had stayed alert. He and Spock and Bones, all the time that they had been on the planet's surface. And staying alert had brought one conclusion to mind: that these inhabitants were not good and they possessed a power that could very well kill.

Psychokinesis. The ability to do anything with ones mind, or, at least that's what it seemed like to Kirk. Because this wasn't just the making books float around shit, this was the Platonians reaching their kinetic fingers into their minds and making them do things that they would never do.

Like making Spock laugh.

Kirk uneasily shared a glance with Bones. A cold chill had settled into his veins and he couldn't shake it, just like Spock couldn't shake the Platonians' power.

Spock was slumped against the wall, one arm curled around his stomach and the other against the wall for support. His laughter was something that Kirk couldn't really put a pin on, but it was something that he never wanted to hear again. It was melodious, almost infectious, if this had been a laughing matter. But it set Kirk's hair on end, turned his veins to ice, and left trepidation filling the air. Spock was not supposed to laugh. Spock was... Spock. Laughing was illogical but now Spock could barely breathe for his illogicality.

Bones looked livid. His eyes were locked on the laughing Spock, but his nostrils were flaring and there was fire in his eyes.

Silence was upon the room asides from Spock's laughter, Spock's gasping for breath. The Vulcan, still giggling, slid down the wall until he was in a crumpled sitting position, his fingers clutching his uniform and his shoulders shaking.

One wrong word could kill Spock. The Platonians were just making him laugh- which was no good for an unemotional being, sure- but they could make Spock pick up a knife and stab himself in the heart if they wished. They couldn't argue, not while Spock was in their clutches, no matter how much Kirk wanted to-

"You can't force emotion from him! You'll kill him!" Bones exploded, making both Kirk and the Plutonian king flinch.

"Oh, well..." the Plutonian king, Parmen, said thoughtfully. "I wouldn't want our dear Vulcan to die laughing."

Spock's laughter broke off so suddenly that it sounded like he was choking. Kirk's gaze snapped back to him, terror settling into his stomach. It was only placated when he didn't find his first officer writhing in pain... but he found tears travelling down Spock's cheeks as he looked back at him.

Kirk wasn't really sentimental, not more than anyone else, but his stomach dropped out when he found Spock crying. It was worse than the laughter.

He clenched his teeth, trying to shift his position. Still locked in place, frozen by an invisible, unbreakable force field. A mental force field, both he and Bones, doomed to watch their best friend emotionally collapse to pieces in front of them.

"What... do you want?" Kirk said, swivelling his gaze to look at Parmen again.

Parmen raised his eyebrow in response, his gaze locked on Spock.

"Captain... Jim..." Kirk immediately looked back at Spock, mentally wincing as Spock crawled closer. "Jim... Forgive..."

"Spock. Spock. Fight them! You-"

"Half breed..." Spock muttered thickly, curling up at Kirk's feet. Grovelling.

"You son of a bitch-" Kirk started, but stopped abruptly when a spasm of pain shot straight through his body. He had no recollection of pain so intense, so debilitating, that it numbed his mind and body momentarily, made him forget all about Spock.

His legs seemed suddenly to not be there. He crashed to his knees, catching himself on his hands and barely avoiding bumping into Spock.

"Do you forgive your meddling half-breed officer, Captain Kirk?" Parmen said pleasantly.

"Jim- Jim! Dammit, leave them alone!"

"Spock..." Kirk ground out, squinting in pain. "Spock... fight..."

Spock raised his head, staring at Kirk through red eyes. His cheeks were stained with tears, flushed with green. The infinitely worst part was the look in Spock's eyes was pure fear.

Kirk never wanted to see the look on Spock's face again. He was going to kill these people, he was going to kill them-

His hands reached out of their own accord, finding their place against either side of Spock's face. His fingers dug into the tear-stained flesh lightly, holding him in place even though neither of them could move.

Kirk stared at Spock, teeth clenched. All he could think was no, please, no over and over again. Begging as a Captain, how degrading. The life of his first officer was infinitely more important than any captaincy. All he could think was pleading thoughts because, right now, he was at the perfect place to simply snap Spock's neck.

McCoy was saying something, but Kirk couldn't hold onto the words. He felt like he could vomit, if he didn't have other things to worry about.

Suddenly, his limbs were his own. His body felt tired and heavy, laced with worry and exhaustion. The fight had gone out of him, but so had the psychokinesis. His hands fell away from Spock's face just a half second before Spock fell forward. Kirk caught him reflexively. McCoy was crouched next to him in the next second, his fingers pressing against a point on Spock's neck and his tricorder whistling in his hand.

"That's enough for now," Parmen said shortly. "Return to your room."

Kirk did not comment. "Bones, help me," he murmured, throwing one of Spock's arms around his neck. "Get that side..."

Step by painful step, they returned to their room. The metallic click of a lock behind him signalled their entrapment, as though they could have left if they wanted when these people were psychokinesis-wielding bastards.

"Is he alright, Bones?" They placed Spock on one of the lounges, Kirk taking a step back to let Bones work.

"It's his damn Vulcan physiology. Emotions will kill him, Jim; I don't know what this'll do to him. He has to sort through it himself. His human side has been forced to the surface. He has to compensate for it." McCoy took a step back. "I can't help him, Jim."

Kirk stared down at Spock, his lips drawn into a permanent frown. "How long is it going to take?" He looked at Bones. "For him to recover?"

"I can't tell you that, either."

Kirk sat on the end of the lounge, sighing heavily.

"How are you, Jim? Are you feel any adverse side-effects?" Bones asked, flopping down next to him.

"I'm just tired, Bones..."

"Your blood pressure's up."

"Well, isn't yours?" Kirk snapped, before recoiling. "Sorry. Worked up."

McCoy sighed as well. "Yeah... I know. Dammit, Jim, they haven't even said that they want anything besides to torment the shit out of us."

"Yeah, well... We're going to figure it out. I'm gonna... gonna do something..." Kirk muttered, rubbing his eyes. "Something."

In a situation like this, however, Kirk knew it was easier said than done.

Plato's Stepchildren. And it's one of those things that I can't help but wonder what would have been like in Reboot, so Reboot!Plato's Stepchildren. Obviously, there's some similarities (names and species), and some differences (no Alexander), AND

You do not have to have any knowledge of The Original Series or the episode Plato's Stepchildren to understand this story.

Everything will be explained. Like said, this is a Reboot of Plato's Stepchildren, though, so if it seems similar, that's why.

I do not own Star Trek, The Original Series or the 2009 movie. Thank you!