Breaking Bones

Chapter 19: A Rogue Admiral

After Leonard's near-death experience on a desert planet, Anatalia was hesitant to leave his side for even a second. From the shuttle bay, the pair made their way to the med bay to showcase the find from within the torpedo. Leonard reassured Ana quickly as they entered the med bay that he'd be back shortly after changing into fresh medical clothes and Ana could only bring herself to nod nervously in response, prompting Leonard to place a gentle kiss to her lips as an extra comfort before leaving her side for a moment. Jim, Spock, and Carol were already in the med bay surrounding the torpedo which now laid out on an exam bed. Anatalia made her way to them and found herself also in a state of shock as she looked onto a human figure in cryo within the torpedo. 

"Holy shit. Is this person alive?" 

"Yes. The cryotube is still fully functioning and operational. The understanding is that all of the torpedoes have a cryotube built into them." 

"How is that even possible? Why is it even existent to being with?" 

"An excellent question darlin." Talia's head lifted immediately at the sound of Leonard's voice and the man offered her a comforting smile as he appeared next to Dr. Marcus across the exam table. Not realizing she had been feeling anxious at all, Ana exhaled heavily and felt a significant amount of tension leave her body now that Leonard was in her sights once again. The couple tore from one another's gazes as Jim spoke up quite suddenly. 

"Can we wake him up? See what he knows?" 

"Without the proper sequencing, we could kill him. I don't even know where to begin Jim. This technology is beyond me." 

"How advanced, Bones?" 

"It's not advanced at all. This cryotube is ancient. Which brings us to the most interesting fact about our friend here. He's over three hundred years old." The only way to describe the look that appeared on Jim's face following this revelation was complete and utter fear. Talia could see the wheels turning in his mind as Jim connected all of the sporadic dots that had been involved thus far in the mission. 

"Talia, with me. Bones, I want you to study this cryotube with Dr. Marcus. Find out everything you can about it and its functions." Before anyone had a chance to respond, Jim was racing out of the med bay with Ana following hesitantly behind as she glanced back at Leonard, her fear of leaving him growing once more. Leonard gave her a nod of reassurance, telling the woman that he'd be right there in the med bay if she needed to see him. Talia kept that thought with her as she raced after Jim towards the brig. Upon entering the cell dock, Jim walked straight to John Harrison. The two men would be completely nose to nose if it weren't for the glass separating them. Evans and Johnson made moves to urge their captain back, but one shake of the head from Talia, and the pair remained still at their posts, ready to intervene as may become necessary at a moment's notice. 

"Why is there a man in that torpedo?"

"There are men and women in all of those torpedoes. I put them there." Jim seemed to hesitate upon asking his next question, as if terrified by what the answer could be. When he asked it, Talia realized that he had every right to be scared. 

"Who the hell are you?" 

"A remnant of a time long past. Genetically engineered to be superior so as to lead others to peace in a world at war. But we were condemned as criminals, forced into exile. For centuries we slept, hoping when we awoke things would be different. But as a result of the destruction of Vulcan, your Starfleet began to aggressively search distant quadrants of space. My ship was found adrift. I alone was revived."

"I looked up John Harrison. Up until a year ago, he didn't exist." 

"John Harrison was a fiction created the moment I was awoken by your Admiral Marcus to help him advance his cause. A smokescreen to conceal my true identity. My name is Khan."