[He pet Spock's psyche, wanting him to be at peace. Jim held him close, drawing him into the sun. He knows this has to be mind-altering to Spock and he regrets everything he's going through. He wishes he could keep Spock pure...
But seriously? Vulcans died from things like this?]
It's alright, that was the last one...it's gonna be ok.
Jim jolted awake to the sound of metal being cut. He flinched, panic rose in him as he saw people surrounding the vehicle. He was wanton to scream but his voice failed him. The people around him were dressed in Federation uniforms. They were clearly First Responders, some tapped the glass, offering comforting messages that it would be over soon and to hold still. Jim wasn't ready, he was a mess... they could see the state he was in, they had to know... or did they? Did anyone know what these markings on him meant? There were sparks flying as they cut the door off the car, Jim closed his eyes and just waited for it to be over.
It didn't come up. They said it was over, Kodos was dead and the rescue effort was taking care of everything. Jim was in quiet shock at the news. Could that man really be... gone? The boy felt a iny bit vulnerable at the thought. The rescuers were gentle with him, carrying him to the response station which was bustling with more people than Jim remembered living in this district. Massive pavilions filled with responders, nurses, and cots upon cots of people being fed intravenously. Entire blocks of tables arranged with neat piles of medicine, food, and IV tubing that almost betrayed the frenzied atmosphere. People were lined up to receive triage. The better off ones were allowed to shower and change clothes, then given a place at a tent farther in the distance where Jim could see people eating. The others in this pavilion were gaunt and yellow. Nurses led them gently to lay down on clean cotton cots and hooked them up to a bag. He didn't want to lay among them, he didn't want to be out in the open and he shifted a bit, the man carrying him seemed to understand.
“You're not going to be there with the others. You need special attention, I have a private station for you.”
Jim felt relieved... but then concerned about the vulnerability that privacy allowed. Would this man follow in Kodos' footsteps?
“I...”
“Shh shh, it's alright. You're safe now. I'm taking you to a doctor. She's really nice.”
“I don't... no. I..”
“No one's gonna hurt you now. My name is Tom.”
“...I'm Jim.”
“Nice to meet you, Jim.” Tom was hiding emotions, perhaps anguish, perhaps anger. Maybe even disgust. Jim looked away, ashamed. Tom held him tighter against his chest.
“What happened wasn't your fault.”
“You don't know what happened.”
“I've seen it before.”
“Stop.”
“Jim, it's alright, you weren't--”
“Leave me alone!” he shouted, suddenly drawing far too much attention though Tom nodded to the others and they resumed their tasks. Jim felt powerless. He didn't want anyone to know but they all knew. He didn't want to be seen but he was in broad daylight like a spectacle. He wanted to run but he knew he couldn't even walk. Tom had him secured too tight in his arms for him to flounder away.
“I'm sorry.”
“...”
“We're almost there now.”
“I'm sorry too... I shouldn't have yelled.”
“You can scream if you want. A lot of other people have already.” he smiled wanly. “We had one guy go into a paranoid rage and ran around the whole camp naked this morning.”
Jim smiled but didn't quite laugh. “Is he okay?”
“He was just scared, I'm sure he's plenty embarrassed now but he's fine.”
“Good...” Tom continued to talk with Jim the whole way to the surgical tents. They clashed starkly with the bustling noisy recovery pavilions by being not only silent but sparsely populated. The few patients he saw were sleeping or sitting silently, looking outward at nothing. A man eyed him from a bench, his face had been clawed away and was masked in bandages. One unobscured eye gazed outwards as if looking into an abyss. He looked ethereal, wise, and strangely hollow as if he had seen a hidden truth of mankind. Jim maintained eye contact as Tom passed him. He recognized the glance and he knew that he was among familiars here. The patients were silent, there was nothing to say, no words that could adequately express what they'd faced.
Tom called for a doctor named Lisa. She was a petite woman with tightly bunned brown hair and the moment she laid eyes on Jim her face changed. She grew stony and clenched, as though she were wearing a mask or covering something up.
“Put him in 3. I'll be right there.”
Tom carried Jim into a small medical tent and gently laid him in the exam bed. “I can stay if you want.”
Jim wasn't sure what he wanted anymore. He shrugged “I'm alright. You have other people to find.”
Lisa came to him then, carrying a medical bag and a camera. She remained professional in every aspect but her eyes. They gave away that she felt sorry for Jim. Jim was rubbing his wrists when she walked in but once he saw the camera, his eyes didn't leave it.
“Hello Jim.”
“...”
“My name is Dr. Gray... I'm going to help you.”
“...”
“Do you know who did this, Jim?”
“Hm?”
“Who hurt you?”
“...he never said his name...”
“I see...”
“But I know who he is.”
Lisa fingered the camera nervously.
“He's the man who's been killing everyone.”
“.....Kodos?” he nodded.
Lisa paused but a moment before she adjusted the camera controls. Jim sighed, lowering his head and looking away.
“You still have to make a file about it, don't you?”
“...It's the law. I have to report child abuse, Jim.”
“Even when the person who did it is dead?”
She seemed to be thinking about it. Jim would comply with her if she made him but he knew she brought that camera to photograph his wounds. She was only doing it because she had to, she maybe even thought she was helping but Jim didn't think he could stomach another humiliating moment like that. To be a spectacle to anyone who saw that file...
There was a heavy drop as Lisa set the camera down.
“No. I don't have to do that.” Jim breathed a sigh of relief. “But you have to promise me you'll get help when you go home.”
“I-I will.... my mom knows a lot of doctors... she's in Starfleet.”
“Good.” that seemed to satisfy the doctor and she went about the next task. The boy said nothing as she dressed his superficial wounds. She healed his bruises, cuts, then carefully she numbed him and tended to the lacerations inside him. She gave him pain medicine that helped him sleep until it was time to go home.
XD
But seriously? Vulcans died from things like this?]
It's alright, that was the last one...it's gonna be ok.
Jim jolted awake to the sound of metal being cut. He flinched, panic rose in him as he saw people surrounding the vehicle. He was wanton to scream but his voice failed him. The people around him were dressed in Federation uniforms. They were clearly First Responders, some tapped the glass, offering comforting messages that it would be over soon and to hold still. Jim wasn't ready, he was a mess... they could see the state he was in, they had to know... or did they? Did anyone know what these markings on him meant? There were sparks flying as they cut the door off the car, Jim closed his eyes and just waited for it to be over.
It didn't come up. They said it was over, Kodos was dead and the rescue effort was taking care of everything. Jim was in quiet shock at the news. Could that man really be... gone? The boy felt a iny bit vulnerable at the thought. The rescuers were gentle with him, carrying him to the response station which was bustling with more people than Jim remembered living in this district. Massive pavilions filled with responders, nurses, and cots upon cots of people being fed intravenously. Entire blocks of tables arranged with neat piles of medicine, food, and IV tubing that almost betrayed the frenzied atmosphere. People were lined up to receive triage. The better off ones were allowed to shower and change clothes, then given a place at a tent farther in the distance where Jim could see people eating. The others in this pavilion were gaunt and yellow. Nurses led them gently to lay down on clean cotton cots and hooked them up to a bag. He didn't want to lay among them, he didn't want to be out in the open and he shifted a bit, the man carrying him seemed to understand.
“You're not going to be there with the others. You need special attention, I have a private station for you.”
Jim felt relieved... but then concerned about the vulnerability that privacy allowed. Would this man follow in Kodos' footsteps?
“I...”
“Shh shh, it's alright. You're safe now. I'm taking you to a doctor. She's really nice.”
“I don't... no. I..”
“No one's gonna hurt you now. My name is Tom.”
“...I'm Jim.”
“Nice to meet you, Jim.” Tom was hiding emotions, perhaps anguish, perhaps anger. Maybe even disgust. Jim looked away, ashamed. Tom held him tighter against his chest.
“What happened wasn't your fault.”
“You don't know what happened.”
“I've seen it before.”
“Stop.”
“Jim, it's alright, you weren't--”
“Leave me alone!” he shouted, suddenly drawing far too much attention though Tom nodded to the others and they resumed their tasks. Jim felt powerless. He didn't want anyone to know but they all knew. He didn't want to be seen but he was in broad daylight like a spectacle. He wanted to run but he knew he couldn't even walk. Tom had him secured too tight in his arms for him to flounder away.
“I'm sorry.”
“...”
“We're almost there now.”
“I'm sorry too... I shouldn't have yelled.”
“You can scream if you want. A lot of other people have already.” he smiled wanly. “We had one guy go into a paranoid rage and ran around the whole camp naked this morning.”
Jim smiled but didn't quite laugh. “Is he okay?”
“He was just scared, I'm sure he's plenty embarrassed now but he's fine.”
“Good...” Tom continued to talk with Jim the whole way to the surgical tents. They clashed starkly with the bustling noisy recovery pavilions by being not only silent but sparsely populated. The few patients he saw were sleeping or sitting silently, looking outward at nothing. A man eyed him from a bench, his face had been clawed away and was masked in bandages. One unobscured eye gazed outwards as if looking into an abyss. He looked ethereal, wise, and strangely hollow as if he had seen a hidden truth of mankind. Jim maintained eye contact as Tom passed him. He recognized the glance and he knew that he was among familiars here. The patients were silent, there was nothing to say, no words that could adequately express what they'd faced.
Tom called for a doctor named Lisa. She was a petite woman with tightly bunned brown hair and the moment she laid eyes on Jim her face changed. She grew stony and clenched, as though she were wearing a mask or covering something up.
“Put him in 3. I'll be right there.”
Tom carried Jim into a small medical tent and gently laid him in the exam bed. “I can stay if you want.”
Jim wasn't sure what he wanted anymore. He shrugged “I'm alright. You have other people to find.”
Lisa came to him then, carrying a medical bag and a camera. She remained professional in every aspect but her eyes. They gave away that she felt sorry for Jim. Jim was rubbing his wrists when she walked in but once he saw the camera, his eyes didn't leave it.
“Hello Jim.”
“...”
“My name is Dr. Gray... I'm going to help you.”
“...”
“Do you know who did this, Jim?”
“Hm?”
“Who hurt you?”
“...he never said his name...”
“I see...”
“But I know who he is.”
Lisa fingered the camera nervously.
“He's the man who's been killing everyone.”
“.....Kodos?” he nodded.
Lisa paused but a moment before she adjusted the camera controls. Jim sighed, lowering his head and looking away.
“You still have to make a file about it, don't you?”
“...It's the law. I have to report child abuse, Jim.”
“Even when the person who did it is dead?”
She seemed to be thinking about it. Jim would comply with her if she made him but he knew she brought that camera to photograph his wounds. She was only doing it because she had to, she maybe even thought she was helping but Jim didn't think he could stomach another humiliating moment like that. To be a spectacle to anyone who saw that file...
There was a heavy drop as Lisa set the camera down.
“No. I don't have to do that.” Jim breathed a sigh of relief. “But you have to promise me you'll get help when you go home.”
“I-I will.... my mom knows a lot of doctors... she's in Starfleet.”
“Good.” that seemed to satisfy the doctor and she went about the next task. The boy said nothing as she dressed his superficial wounds. She healed his bruises, cuts, then carefully she numbed him and tended to the lacerations inside him. She gave him pain medicine that helped him sleep until it was time to go home.