The Man Out of Time

Chapter 14

Natasha:

"You want me to do what?" Scotty yells into the comm to make sure he's hearing us correctly.

"We're coming over there." I reiterate as Jim, Khan, and I are walking through the bright white-and-light-blue corridors. "Sulu is maneuvering the Enterprise as we speak."

"This ship? How?" Scotty says.

"There's a cargo door-hanger seven, access port 101A. You need to find the manual override to open that airlock."

"Are ya crazy?!" Scotty says. "Whoever you are." He adds a second later.

"Just listen to him Scotty, it's gonna be alright."

"No it's not gonna be alright! You want me to open an airlock into space, whereupon I will freeze, die, and explode!"

As the three of us get ready to launch ourselves out of the Enterprise, Khan is the last one to climb down into the chamber.

"Scotty, how we doing over there?" Jim asks.

"Captain, I wish I had better news, they've blocked our access to the ship's computer. They'll have full weapons in...three minutes. That means next time, I won't be able to stop them destroying the Enterprise, standby."

"Captains, the ships are aligned." Spock informs us.

"Copy that. Scotty!" Jim says.

"I'm in the hanger, give me a minute." Scotty says. "I'm running, standby."

Khan leans over to me. "I heard what you said to Marcus."

I look at him. "And?"

"That was brave."

"Why does that matter to you?"

"Because I know you, and I was...proud."

Jim looks at me and Khan and gives us a questioning look.

"Nothing." I say, looking at Jim, then back at Khan. "I probably reminded him of someone he knew 300 years ago."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I dunno Captains, this door is very wee...I mean, you know, small. It's four-square meters tops. It's gonna be like jumping out of a movin car, off a bridge, and into a shot glass."

"It's okay, I've done it before." Jim says.

Khan looks at him, then raises an eyebrow at me.

"Believe it or not, he's done it." I say to him.

"Yeah, it was vertical. We jumped onto a...uh..." Jim starts to explain. "It doesn't matter. Scotty-"

"Did you find the manual override?" Khan says.

"The manual override, Scotty?" Jim says at the same time.

"Not yet! Not yet!"

"Captains before you launch, you should be aware there is a considerable debris field between our ships."

"Spock, not now. Scotty, are you good?" Jim says.

"It's not easy! Just give me two seconds you mad bastard!"

"Come on, come on, come on. Yes! Okay, okay, I've sent it to open the door." Scotty informs us.

Jim:

At the same time (and in perfect syncronization as if it were rehearsed) Khan and Natasha kneel down on the floor, preparing to be launched out of the ship.

I kneel down next to them.

"You ready?" I ask them.

"Are you?" Khan answers.