OneWord: Towed

[no_ordinarylife]

There was no way he was leaving her behind.

Comments

[kosu]

"It is imperative you return to the ship, Captain." And Spock was injured, and there was only so much running through enemy territory she could manage. (She figured another twenty point four minutes before blood loss meant her coordination went, even with attempting to exert a certain amount of control over the situation.) "You will have a greater chance of doing so if you will leave me here."

She knew Jim well enough that saying something like "leave me behind" would not go over well, so trying to skirt around it was the best option.

[no_ordinarylife]

"We stay together," he ordered, his chest heaving from exertion. When she couldn't run any farther, he'd pick her up and do the running for both of them. They had less than 4 kilometers to go.

[kosu]

"Jim, remaining together is ill-" she stumbled over a rock in her path, a rare occurrence for the normally graceful Spock, and she was somewhat slow to regain her footing. "Not worth the energy you will expend. Once you hail the ship and are safe, it is possible for a security team to come back for me."

[no_ordinarylife]

He's there immediately to help, a strong hand at her arm. Fierce determination radiates from every fiber of his being. "I'm not leaving you behind, Spock. If you stop, I stop."

[kosu]

There still might be some friction between them, but Spock understands his determination, at least, and mostly finds it irritating when he decides to apply it to illogical situations. "Jim, you will not be leaving me behind. You can come back."

But she continues forward, somewhat slower than her normal pace and leaning into him slightly, because if he is going to argue with her, then she might as well get him as close to the border as possible.

[no_ordinarylife]

She's moving. That's all that matters at the moment and if the arguing spurs her to continue, he can keep it up until he physically crashes. "And leave you here by yourself? Yeah, not happening."

[kosu]

"I am capable of defending myself," she grits out, even though he is aware of that and it will not dissuade him. Their pace has significantly slowed, thanks to her wound.

[no_ordinarylife]

"Right up until you pass out."

Which will happen sooner rather than later if she keeps bleeding. Which is being exacerbated by the running. He stops abruptly, nearly sending both of them to the ground. He pulls her arm tightly across his shoulders and sweeps down to break her stance at the knees. Up she goes.

[kosu]

Spock's protest about passing out is cut off the moment Jim stopped and picked her up. The motion exacerbates the pain she felt from the wound in her side, but it is no worse than running, and pain is a thing of the mind, which she could at least fight down. It took her a moment, but she finds her breath again, and with it her voice.

"There is no need to carry me, Captain," she protests, though it lacks the normal firmness of her voice. "You will travel faster on your own."

[no_ordinarylife]

That lack of firmness tells him plenty. He knows he's made the right decision and continues to run with her in his arms. Soon he's breathing harder than he was earlier, her added weight making the task more difficult. He manages though, sure of himself and focused on reaching his goal.

His communicator begins to crackle.

[kosu]

Being carried is far more galling than she expects, because Spock has always been fiercely independent and while she understands reliance on another in a theoretical, actually relying on others is not something that comes easy to her. But it is Jim, and he is one of the more trustworthy individuals she knows. And stubborn.

When his communicator crackles, she reaches for it, knowing his hands are occupied. "Spock here," she says, unsure if it will actually reach anyone.

[no_ordinarylife]

The crackling continues but intermittently a voice breaks through with half formed words, some recognizable. Most are not, drowned out in sea of static. The voice belongs unmistakably to Sulu.

They're still too far from the edge of the interference to be heard. Jim runs with everything he has and digs deep for more, knowing her life may very well depend on it.

[kosu]

There is not much Spock can do, and knowing that talking will only exacerbate the situation, remains silent, though she holds on to the communicator, keeping it open on the chance they will be able to hear Sulu clearly.

She did slip her hand beneath the collar of his shirt, projecting energy through the simple touch; though it was unlikely to help physically, the brain was capable of many surprising feats.

[no_ordinarylife]

"-- prise to ---- rk. ----- ou read?"

He thinks nothing of the placement of her hand as it slides beneath the fabric, attributing it to a simple shifting of her hold as he carries her. The extra energy he suddenly fells however doesn't go unnoticed. It has to be the sound of Sulu's message growing clearer with every step. His brain pushes him forward, ignoring a growing number of signals from his body.

[kosu]

"Spock here," she says in response. "Lieutenant Sulu, do you read?" She waits for the response, though it isn't immediately returned.

"Captain," Spock says, her voice rather urgent. "You must put me down. I can manage the remaining distance." Even without reading his emotions, Spock can pick up the tremble of his arms and his heavy breathing. They aren't far now, she knows, and she will make it to the beam up point.

[no_ordinarylife]

"When," he wheezes, "we get there."

He doesn't realize he's in very real danger of dropping her. Once he's set his mind to something, there's very little that will deter him. And thanks go Spock's projection, he believes he has the reserves to follow through.

[kosu]

"Jim, stop." She put as much force as she could muster into her voice, turning it into an order, something she rarely did. If he continued much further, she would nerve pinch him and carry his weight. Hastily, she removed her hand and gripped his arm, urging him to listen to her. "Allow me to walk."

[no_ordinarylife]

The order definitely gets his attention. His gaze turns from scanning the area out in front of him to her face just as she severs contact. The results are almost disastrous. The energy there one second is gone the next and he stumbles over his own feet as he's running. He goes down hard on one knee but somehow manages to keep the momentum from propelling him completely to the ground. The arm under Spock's knees slides away and her feet have nowhere to go but under her.

His chest hurts like a son of a bitch as he struggles to breathe. The rest of his body hasn't caught up.

[kosu]

Next time such a situation happens, Spock vows to make sure she is left behind, at least so the captain can get to safety. With both of them injured, the last meters will be difficult. But the Vulcan way is not one of ease and she has dealt with worse, before; thanks to Jim's carrying of her, she can make it past the border.

When her feet hit ground, she stumbles for a moment, shifting away from Jim, but quickly rights herself. The bleeding in her side has stopped, and if she focuses for a moment, the pain is easy to ignore. "Allow me to assist you, Captain," she says, slipping an arm under his now, so she can help him straighten.

[no_ordinarylife]

Next time such a situation happens, she can count on him to be just as doggedly stubborn and put up just as fierce a fight.

He rises with her help, careful not to put too much weight on the knee too soon, but doesn't completely straighten. A stitch in his side catches him unaware and he gasps. With his free hand, he jams a fist into the spot and begins to fall forward. It's the awkward first step in the rest of their journey. He limps forward heavily, both supporting Spock and being supported simultaneously.

"What did you do?" he grinds out, his breathing still labored.

[kosu]

"Nothing I will attempt again," she assures him, not actually answering the question. At the rate they are going, she estimates they will manage to clear the area of interference within three minutes, an amount of time Spock knows she can survive.

One day, she will lecture him about risking his life in situations such as this. After examining her own reactions, of course, because none of her behavior has been logical so far. She continues forward, picking up her pace as much as she dares, and the communicator in her hand crackles to life.

"Sulu to Captain Kirk-" comes from it, Sulu's voice much clearer, until it breaks into static again. But that amount of clarity shows they are reaching the edge of the disruption field.

[no_ordinarylife]

Her answer isn't really an answer at all, evasive at best. Right now though he can't bring himself to care. The conversation will come up again. When they're safe and no longer struggling with only their last reserves to draw upon.

So close.

They're so close.

Just as they reach their mark, Jim's injured knee collapses underneath him.

[kosu]

Spock slumps under his weight, as she attempts to prevent him from falling to the ground. It sends her staggering though, as she fumbles with the communicator. She manages to get through to Sulu, who beams them abroad instantly.

[no_ordinarylife]

They materialize as an undignified, tangled mess in Transporter Room One. Damn, he's come out of bar fights feeling better than he does right now. "Oh that was fun," he mutters, heavy on the sarcasm. "Let's do it again. Spock?"

[kosu]

"Negative, Captain. I do not intend to participate in a situation like that again, though I suspect this there will be such incidents in the future." Spock is careful to moderate both her breathing and her voice as she untangles herself from Jim, but can't refrain from wincing as it pulls at the injury in her side.

[no_ordinarylife]

Their conversation is cut short when the transporter room doors open and Bones rushes in with a medtech on his heels.