Echo

Chapter 1: The Captain's Choice

Author's note: Okay, so I've wanted to write a McCoy fic for a long time. This is sort of an experiment to decide if this is a story worth pursuing. The POV's will alternate between the reader and McCoy. Reviews are greatly appreciated :)

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Leonard

"Thank you all for coming," Kirk began, rising from his seat and facing the U-shaped table with his arms clasped behind his back.

Sulu, Spock, Scotty, Uhura, and McCoy were all present, awaiting the announcement that the captain had deemed to be of great importance, summoning them all to a meeting area at the center of Starfleet. The doctor presumed it had something to do with safety regulations; after all, that was the chief concern on everyone's mind since the mutiny two weeks ago.

Apparently, there was a subversive unit within Starfleet that was seeking to take command of both the academy, as well as the program. The tensions between Starfleet and the Klingons had grown in intensity and violence over time, and apparently many of the members had determined it was best to take a different course of action than one of peace.

Of course, this had all been started by Marcus, the first to establish a plot to begin war with the alien race, and resulted in many lives lost on Starfleet's end instead of the enemy's. Personally, McCoy had qualms about being in space considering all of the tension, but they were only two years into their five-year mission, and had only come back to earth for the purpose of getting new recruits to replace the ones that had died as a result of the rebellion aboard the Enterprise.

He picked up a remote and pointed it at the screen hanging upon the wall. When it turned on, a man showed up on the screen. The camera was in close frame, which meant he was probably sitting at a laptop.

He smiled and said, "Hello everyone, my name is Adam Phillips. I apologize for not being able to come in person, but presently I'm in London on business. Captain Kirk, I am ready if you would like to proceed."

Kirk nodded at him before returning his gaze to his audience and beginning, "As you know, we have had some issues with security. For now, it appears as though the mutinous members of Starfleet have retreated from their plot to overthrow me as captain of the Enterprise, but we do not expect it to last for long. The ongoing investigation will eventually produce results, but in the meantime, the board of directors and myself decided we ought to take evasive action."

Spock leaned forward and asked, "To what sort of evasive action do you refer, captain?"

Kirk swallowed thickly and replied, "Well, since at present we cannot fully trust any of the members of Starfleet aside from each other, we came to the decision to bring in outside help. We are the six most important members of the crew. The captain, the first officer, the pilot, the translator, the engineer, and the chief medical officer. As was demonstrated before, anyone attempting to seize control of the Enterprise will target us first. So, we are each going to be assigned with specially trained body guards."

"Body guards?" Asked Uhura, arching an eyebrow, "Won't that be a little conspicuous?"

The captain looked at the screen, and said, "Mr. Phillips?"

The suited man answered Uhura's question, "On the contrary lieutenant, these people were selected specifically because they are inconspicuous. They will blend in with the rest of the crew, they look and seem completely ordinary, but all of them are extremely well trained."

"Trained in what, exactly?" Asked McCoy suspiciously.

Adam shifted his gaze to the doctor and said, "Combat, fighting, weapons, etcetera. They are master assassins."
A silence fell over the group, and McCoy exchanged a concerned glance with Montgomery.