Halfway Gone

This is my first leap into writing for the Star Trek fandom. I have been reading K/S stories for months now and now I've finally convinced myself to start writing fanfiction again. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1: Just My Luck

The Bridge of the Enterprise

I tap my fingers idly on the arm of my chair while everyone around me pretends to be diligently immersed in there work, besides Spock, of course, who is literally enthralled in his latest science project.

I feel strangely irritated, half-anticipating a sudden attack if only to break the monotony of life on the Enterprise. One could say that the beautiful, well-equipped starship had met a lull in its eventful journey. Nothing and I mean absolutely nothing had happened in almost three weeks!

I'm faintly disturbed by my silent wish for adventure because I know that most every mission thus far has resulted in a threat to my crew. I should probably be rejoicing at the idea of a break… but instead I feel unfulfilled. After all, the Enterprise is meant to "explore strange new worlds" and "seek out new life and new civilizations." We haven't done much of that lately.

Additionally, the whole "I'm bored out of my mind" thing leaves my imagination open to other, less than professional uses of my time.

Like staring at my first officer.

Speaking of which, Spock's lithe fingers halt on his console, as if sensing my gaze. I quickly divert my eyes, swearing profusely in my mind. Dammit, Jim. He'll figure you out soon if you're not careful.

I'm not entirely sure when Spock became the highlight of my day, but I'm fairly sure I won't be getting over him anytime soon. He's simply… fascinating. As a man who always seeks excitement, (you know, by driving antique cars off cliffs or by starting bar fights with men nicknamed "Cupcake") Spock is a perfect distraction. The Vulcan is a covert vault of endless mystery, emotional turmoil, and has a depth of character that seems to seep out oh so seamlessly in the slight twitch of his lips or his casually raised eyebrow.

To be honest, this crush runs a little too deep for my comfort level and thus it must be avoided like the plague until I can find a cure… a cure that doesn't endanger our already tentative friendship.

I bend my elbow and rest my cheek on my palm, forcing my eyes to stare straight ahead into the deep void of space accentuated by streaks of white stars extending as far as the eye can see. It's beautiful. Then again, so is Spock.

And there goes what little concentration I have as my eyes trail back to the silky black hair and thin frame of my favorite distraction. I really wish I could see his dark eyes right now.

Suddenly, my desire is granted as Spock turns in his chair and meets my eyes curiously. I freeze, my blood turning to ice in my veins.

He noticed.

"Captain?" I can't break eye contact, my gaze paralyzed with a mixture of fear and anticipation. Suddenly Spock's dark eyes flick downward. I follow his gaze to the blinking light on my armrest. Why do you have to look so incompetent around him? I think to myself. I quickly shake my head to clear away all my fanciful daydreams and quickly press the receiver so I can answer the communication.

"Kirk here."

"Captain Kirk, Scotty requests your presence in engine room 2." I don't recognize the ensign relaying the message, but then again, it's relatively unimportant as long as the message gets through. I still feel a little disappointed though because I like to think I know every member of this crew at least by name.

"Is there a problem?" I ask curiously.

"Unknown, sir. I was simply ordered to request your assistance." I pause, finding the request rather odd. First, Scotty normally sends all his communications himself. Second, Scotty is infinitely more specific, usually attempting to tell me every little detail of whatever he is working on. He's similar to Spock in that respect. Third, Scotty very rarely calls me down just to help him with an unknown project. Sure, if he recruits me when I'm down in engineering, that's one thing, but he never requests that I leave the bridge in order to assist him.

"Unusual." I comment quietly. I see Spock raise his eyebrow out of the corner of my eye. I have no idea how I can focus on Scotty's message while still managing to stare at Spock through my peripheral vision. This fascination is starting to get out of hand. "Acknowledged, ensign." I finish before standing up and making my way to the turbo lift. "Spock, you have the conn," I order, trying my best not to make eye contact with my first officer as he moves gracefully towards the Captain's chair.

Yup, I definitely have to do something about this.

~ // ~

Engine Room 2 on the Enterprise

I enter the engine room with a newfound resolve in my every step. I've finally made a decision about my Spock problem.

I'm going to talk to him.

Revolutionary, right?

But see, I have an actual plan. I'm going to broach the subject ever so subtly (maybe throw in some human idioms to confuse the Vulcan a little) and then somehow ascertain what Spock thinks of me. Sure, the plan's not exactly foolproof or fully constructed by any means, but it's a start.

And that's when I notice the sudden absence of motion. "Hello?" It's really unsettling when the echo of my voice is the only sound that returns to me. "Scotty?" Just as I suspected, I'm alone.

My first instinct is to be mad that Scotty tricked me into coming down here for no apparent reason. This instinct quickly morphs into anxiety when I notice a light beginning to flash on the nearest console.

"Scotty?" I call out hopefully, a foreboding feeling settling into my gut. Something is definitely not right here.

And like clockwork, the computer confirms my fears.

"WARNING. Reactor malfunction." I pause, my face paling in shock.

"That doesn't sound good," I remark as an array of warning lights accompanied by a whining siren bring the room to life. It takes me a brief moment to process what is happening before I rush to the console and attempt to override whatever error has been set in the programming.

"Command input disabled," the computer explains. That is the last thing I want to hear. "Implosion imminent. Evacuate all personnel in the area and proceed until a safe distance has been reached." No, actually that is the last thing I want to hear.

"Shit," I curse angrily and slam my hand on the top of the console when I realize that whatever programming has corrupted the reactor has been rerouted and cannot be accessed from within this room.

Just my luck, I think to myself; although, I know that this situation has nothing to do with me being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Someone wants me to be here.

My heart is racing as adrenaline rushes through every fiber of my being. Thankfully, my mind jumps into captain mode as the glass wall encasing the reactor begins to shake violently.

I accept that I cannot stop the inevitable explosion and decide that I will have to settle for running for it and evacuating the rest of the hall.

I race towards the doors, but find that they don't open for me.

"What the-?" I utter bemusedly. "Computer! Open the door."

"Doors sealed to contain explosion." My eyes widen perceptibly.

"No! I'm in here! Open the door." I demand, but the order falls on deft ears.

I then try to override the doors instead. I have a Captain's override code for a reason. I move to the keypad and type in the code as fast as my fingers will allow. All the while, the warning sirens seem to get even louder.

"This code is not recognized."

"Like hell it isn't! Open the door now!" I order. The computer ignores me. I finally decide that my next action should be to call for help. "The captain is in here! Help!" I yell as I pound my fist against the door, hoping the sound will alert someone in the hall… but no one comes. The hall has probably already been evacuated. I then try to pry the doors open with my fingers, but quickly find I am not strong enough.

"Shit, shit, shit." I mutter as I turn my back to the door and search the room for any means of escape. That's when my blue eyes fall on the COM pad. "Com," I comment hopefully, inwardly curious as to why I hadn't thought of it before. I dash towards the console in hopes of calling Spock for help.

I press down the button. "Spock, help-"

The computer's informative voice cuts me off.

"Communications are inoperable, Captain." I can't help my childish reflex as I violently kick the console to release my frustration. Someone did a really good job of trapping me in here and I walked right into it!

"WARNING. Evacuate all personnel in the area."

"Spock! Scotty! Somebody!" I yell as loud as physically possible, my voice echoing around me and barely heard above the siren.

That's when it hits me that I am probably going to die here… in the engine room of my own ship!

It's unacceptable. I'm a Captain for only six months before my own ship turns on me.

I scan the edges of the room for any vents, even though I know the concentrated radiation from the reactor will kill me anyways. I'm not going to go down without a fight. With that in mind, my gaze falls on exactly what I'm looking for. There's a vent… the only problem is it's on the ceiling.

I take a deep calming breath before searching the room for some means of getting up there. Unfortunately I don't have a chance to enact my plan as a tremor erupts through the room. The glass shielding the reactor shatters beside me and one of the tall power turbines shakes and suddenly comes tumbling down… on me.

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