The Vulcan Changeling Project

Death Meld

"Captain, you must let me administer the antidote," Commander Talerth growled, as he approached Kirk with a wicked looking hypo-spray.

Scotty whistled and then whispered, or what he thought was whispering over to Uhura, "Now, that's a wicked looking instrument. Looks like an ancient, Scottish, dis-emboweling tool from the early..."

"Scotty, I'm right here. Please, after this is all over report to sick-bay to get your ears checked," Kirk gasped as Commander Talerth raised an all too familiar eyebrow.

"Captain, shall I proceed?" Commander Talerth asked, as irritation crossed his placid features.

"Fascinating," Kirk thought as he observed an array of unprotected emotions that flitted across the Romulan's face.  He then began to feel his arm swell.

"Enough of this nonsense," Commander Talerth said as he stepped forward. "Kirk, life or death, the choice is yours."

Kirk sighed, "Well, if you put it that way..." He barely had time to blink as Commander Talerth hovered over him, ripped off the sleeve of Kirk's shirt and jabbed the hypo-spray into Kirk's swollen arm.

As Kirk blacked out, he noticed the look of satisfaction on Commander Talerth's face as he said aloud, "By all the gods, that felt good," and then Kirk fell limply at his feet.

Kirk felt a rush of air and then a warm sensation spread through his body. He smiled as loving voices from his past caressed his sub-conscious senses.

"Captain Kirk, can you hear me?" A voice shouted in his ear.

Kirk wanted to answer, but couldn't. "Captain?"

Kirk's eyes suddenly flew open when he felt a stinging slap across his face. Commander Talerth smiled into Kirk's angry eyes. "It appears that you are going to live, Captain Kirk. Now, on your feet we have things to discuss." Commander Talerth ordered.

Kirk rubbed his jaw and snapped, "No one orders me around on my own ship, mister."

Commander Talerth stared at Kirk, much like Spock did right before a sigh and said, "If that's your way of saying, 'thank you", I accept and reply with the human response of, 'you're welcome'."

___________

As Spock ran along the smoke, filled corridors of the Enterprise, he felt that he was making good time and that McCoy would have said something illogical like, "Spock, you are lucky."

The whine of a nearby phaser brought Spock's thoughts into focus. From his vantage point, Spock could see that the Romulan forces were weakening. However, they still blocked his way to sick-bay. Muriah moaned and twisted in Spock's arms. Gently, Spock put his fingers to her temples and telepathically exuded nothing but peace and calm. For no matter what humans thought, peace and calm were two different entities to Vulcans and if humans were logical they would have to admit the same.

Muriah's eyelids fluttered open, "Spock?" She whispered.

Spock shifted Muriah to a more comfortable position, "Hush, do not try to speak."

Muriah smiled and said drowsily, "Spock, I have much to tell you."

Spock put his fingers to Muriah's lips and said, "Hush, do not speak now, it will only weaken you."

Spock stiffened as the phaser fire drew closer to them. Looking down at Muriah Spock mentally reached out to her, "Muriah, I am going to attempt to get you to sick-bay. However, as Captain Kirk would say, 'we are going to have to make a run for it.'"

Muriah nodded at Spock and gritted her teeth as Spock hoisted her over his shoulder and began to run. Spock's heart began to race faster as they neared sick-bay and they were almost there when he felt the burn of a phaser strike pulse through his leg. Everything seemed to tilt out of focus in slow motion as Spock fell to the ground. For a few seconds Spock lay on the ground un-moving and then adrenaline kicked in and he sat up to observe the damage to his leg. It was a mass of shattered bone and greyish-green blood. As Spock looked at the injury, he drew in a long breath, there was no time for contemplation, for a group of Romulan soldiers were heading his way. Quietly, Spock reached for Muriah's temples and as he contacted her mind they both agreed on what should be done.

By the time the Romulan soldiers approached, Spock and Muriah's hearts beat as one. A Centurion reached out and touched Spock's temples. He drew his hand back as he glanced up at his Commander. "These two are useless. They are not even worth killing, for their minds are locked in a death meld. Technically their lives have already ceased to exist."

Spock heard the words but could not comprehend their meaning. Every sound was fading away into a meaningless garble of noise. Spock's last conscious thoughts were of the Enterprise, her crew and Kirk. "Would Kirk ever be able to forgive him, for leaving the Enterprise-his duty? But most of all would Kirk-Jim be able to forgive him for leaving Kirk-his Captain-his best friend?"