Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: 30 Mar 2004 19:14:39 -0800 In: alt.startrek.creative From: djinn@djinnslair.com (Djinn) TITLE: The Lost Years: Chaos (Slayer Series) AUTHOR: Djinn CONTACT: djinn@djinnslair.com http://www.djinnslair.com SERIES: TOS RATING: PG-13 CODES: Ch, K, U, Others PART: 3/7 SUMMARY: The seventh in the Lost Years series. Christine was about to leave on patrol when her chime rang. She smiled. Only one person could get through the security screener at the front door on his own. She opened her door and laughed when she saw the violin case Jim was carrying. "Taking up music in your spare time?" "Funny." He set the case and another bag down and pulled her into a hug. She let herself relax against him. "Not that I don't love this, but what's the occasion?" He kissed her neck, then pulled away. "I still feel bad about that damn spell." She shrugged. "Did it work?" He nodded, patted his pocket. "One orb ready for action." "Then it's all right." She smiled, nodded at the case. "Is that our baby?" "It is. It cut a hole this big in some Starfleet body armor." He illustrated the size of the rip with his hands. "But it's got a kick like you wouldn't believe." He rubbed his shoulder. She opened the case, pulled out the weapon. "How does it work?" He ran her through the steps and she listened to the hum change tone, turn into a whine that meant it was ready. She switched the thing off, put it back in the case. Turning, she walked into her kitchen and stared out the small window that looked out on nothing but another building. "You don't want to have to use it on him, do you?" She shook her head, felt his arms come around her. "What if he threatens Emma, Chris?" "I didn't say I wouldn't use it on him. Just that I don't want to. He's fought with me." She leaned against him; the solid warmth of him was such a comfort. "He looks out for me." He let go of her. "I know he does." She could hear him pacing behind her. "He told me to take you away from here." "You can't. Not unless we take Emma, and she'd never go." She turned to look at him. "It'll be soon." He nodded. "Maybe tonight?" "Maybe." She exhaled slowly, trying to find some measure of calm. "He's going to have a surprise for us. It's his nature." "Do you know what the watchers have planned?" She shook her head. "Emma's intent on keeping me out of this." "She should know better." "Yes, she should." She walked toward him. "I think it's time we started shadowing her." He frowned. "Even if that means that David is following us right to her." "He already knows where she is. And if we don't follow her or Silver, then we'll miss the fight. I'd rather follow Silver, but he's keeping a low profile." She was embarrassed to admit she had no idea where Silver was staying. "You want to start tonight?" She nodded. "Okay. Let's go." He grabbed the violin case and took a few extra rockets out of the bag, shoving them into his inside pocket. She grabbed her crossbow and the container of extra bolts, then jammed a few stakes into various pockets. The phaser went into another pocket. She followed Jim out the door, then she ran back into the room and grabbed more stakes, pushing them up her sleeve. "Premonition?" She nodded, her face grim. She didn't know why she felt safer with more stakes. How many vampires did she think they might find? It was just David, wasn't it? She followed Jim out; they walked quickly to Emma's townhouse. The lights were on low in the front room and they could see her moving, her shadow occasionally crossing the blinds. Christine led him down the street, to a spot hidden by the bushes of the neighboring yard, secluded enough to watch. "This could get old." He smiled at her. "Still beats the desk job." She shook her head. "Find something else to do, Jim. Get back into space." "Too late for that." She studied him. The set jaw, the shuttered expression. "I don't have to go." "Yes, you do. But life sure will be dull without you." He made a face. "Weasel will just have to come up with more challenges for me." "I guess so." She sighed. "I didn't like him at first." "He grows on you. Give him a chance." She nodded, then looked down for a moment. "This is dumb, isn't it? Just lurking like this. What if nothing happens?" He smiled. "You have a feeling about tonight, don't you?" She met his eyes. Every slayer sense she had was going off full force. And it wasn't because David was around. For once, she didn't think he was following her. Maybe that was what was setting her off--not having him around? He looked down the street. "I think it'll be tonight too." She sighed. "Why can't he just go away?" "He's as stubborn as they are. Why can't any of them walk away?" "He's a vampire. I keep having to remind myself of that. He nearly killed Emma once already, he tried to turn me--not very hard, but he still bit me--and he killed the watcher that was following me. He may be charming, and he may make sense. But he's not a good man." Kirk just watched her. "Jump in at any time." He smiled, indicating she had the floor. She rolled her eyes. "It's just that the watchers aren't good men either. Emma's different. And Peter. But the rest of them." She shook her head. "Lesser of two evils then?" "Maybe." There was a long silence then he turned suddenly, looking down the street the way they'd come. "Chris? Did someone order an army?" She looked out and felt her stomach heave, was afraid for a moment she'd be sick. Silver and three other watchers were in fact leading an army. An army of slayers. "She lied." She started to move, toward Emma's townhouse. Kirk caught her arm. "You don't know that." "He told me, and I didn't believe him." She wrenched her arm out of his grasp, and strode angrily down the street. She was just in time to see Emma come out of her house, an expression that looked much like the one Christine thought she must be wearing on her face. She turned, saw Christine walking toward her. "I had no idea," she said, as she walked toward her. Silver stepped closer. One of the slayers shadowed him. It was the girl from the cemetery. The one who'd dumped the dead flowers. "Now I know why you said I was a freak. It takes one to know one," Christine said. The girl ignored her. "Kevin, what the hell is this?" Emma was as angry as Christine had ever seen her. "We're going to go deal with our little problem." Silver turned to look at Christine. "You are not welcome here." "Tough. This is my city, she's my watcher, and like it or not, David's my responsibility." Silver moved closer. So did his slayer. Christine looked at the girl. "Don't even think of it." The girl smiled. The expression was mocking. "Think you can take me, grandma?" "She doesn't like cracks about her age," a familiar voice called from above them. David stood on the rooftop of Emma's townhouse. Grinning. "David," Emma said, the word barely more than a breath. "Hello, lover." He shook his head. "We aren't going to brawl in the street like common hooligans, are we, Kevin?" "You know a better place, David?" Silver's voice was devoid of emotion. "Why the cemetery of course. It's tradition." David winked at Christine. "Hello, darling." "David." "And you too, dear heart," David said with a laugh, blowing Kirk a kiss. "Wharton." He didn't smile. "You're on good terms with the vampire, grandma." Christine resisted the urge to beat the cocky youngster's face in. She turned away, then lost her balance as the girl's foot kicked her legs out from each other. She fell to the pavement, the skin on her hand scraping as she caught herself and felt her wrist wrench. She ignored the pain, twisted and moved toward rather than away from the girl. She kicked out with one foot, then turned it into vicious scissor kick, knocking the girl's knee sideways. The other slayer fell hard. Tried to get up and fell back. Christine pushed herself up, walked over and dragged the girl up by her collar. "Only a coward attacks someone when her back is turned." She looked up at David, remembering how she had thrown the stake at his back. He laughed, as if thinking of the same thing. The girl started to kick out and Christine threw her back, into the other watchers. "Nice children you're raising, Silver. With friends like that, who needs enemies?" "We're not your friends." The girl got up slowly. She stepped gingerly down, made a face but managed to walk on a knee that would have been broken had she been a normal person. "Lynda, that's enough fraternizing." Silver waved her off. She kept walking toward Christine. "I said, that's enough." He stepped in front of her, stared at her until the girl backed off. Then he turned to Christine. "We don't need your help with this." He looked at Emma. "Are you coming?" He didn't wait for her answer, just walked off, his army behind him. "Emma. Don't go." Christine tried to block Emma's path. "He's lied to you. Let him fight this war. You stay here." Emma touched her face, smiled tenderly. "You don't understand him, Christine. You never have." "I don't want to." Emma nodded. "I know you don't." She started after Silver. "I have to fight. This is where it ends." Christine closed her eyes. Then she looked over at Kirk. "I guess we fight." He touched the violin case. "I guess so." He fell into step beside her as they hurried to shadow Emma. "Although for the record, that many slayers seems like overkill." "I agree." She wasn't sure body armor would save David when he was facing so many slayers. They followed the grim and silent parade to the cemetery. As they walked away from the bustle of the main street, Kirk stopped. She followed his gaze and stopped walking too. "Maybe it's not overkill," Kirk said softly. An army of vampires waited for the slayers. David was nowhere to be seen. "Damn him." Emma turned to Christine. "Keep an eye out." "One step ahead of you," Christine said as she loaded her crossbow. "Let the junior league fight the newborns. I'm sticking close to you, Emma." The slayers charged the vampires. Emma turned and looked out over the melee. "You've already fought one Gotterdammerung. You don't need another." Christine shook her head. "This isn't even close, Emma." She looked back at Kirk. He was kneeling down and loading the weapon with one of the rockets, starting it up to charge. She could barely hear the hum with all the grunting of slayers versus vampires. He looked up at her. "I can't really say. I was a little distracted through most of the fighting. Almost being turned and all." "Right." Silver walked over to her. Christine moved away from him a bit. "Still just watching, Kevin? Don't you ever _do_ anything?" His face was grim. "Chapel, we don't need you here." "I beg to differ." Emma stepped between them. "Leave her alone, Kevin." His expression became softer as he looked at Emma, then he turned to Christine. "Go away." "No." One of the other watchers came up and handed him a crossbow. He turned and began to fire into the fighting, taking out several vampires. "So you can fight." "Yes, I can. Why aren't you doing the same?" "Because she's smarter than you are, Kevin," David said from behind them. They all turned. He wasn't there. "What's the matter, your eyes going bad?" The sound came from the other direction now. Kirk walked to a bench near where the sound was coming from. He bent down, dug around under the bench and came out with a small amplifier. "Oh, very good, my friend." David laughed. "I'm afraid that's as close as any of you will get to me tonight. Have fun with your little war." The sound of his cheery goodbye was nearly drowned out by the fighting going on around them. --------------------------- "I heard there was a major skirmish in the cemetery last night?" Lori smiled at Kirk as she walked into his office. "You and your slayer have anything to do with that?" "We were there. In a strictly non-combatant role." He studied Lori. Chris had said she wasn't the enemy. Why was his skin still crawling? Was he just allergic to werewolves? Or could Chris be wrong? Lori was staring back at him, an amused look on her face. "You don't trust me. I can smell it." She leaned in. "But you aren't afraid of me. I like that so much. She's not afraid of me either." "Chris isn't afraid of anything." Except sewers, he amended silently. "I know. I saw that firsthand. I think she was willing to do something rather foolish for me and mine." Lori made a warning face at him. He nodded. "She thought it best I not know the details." "You being so gallant." Lori shook her head. "I can't wait forever for her to make up her mind." "I'm afraid she's a little busy." Lori made an impatient face. "It's not like this Wharton guy is an impending apocalypse. That I can see taking precedence. But one vampire?" She leaned in. "I could take him out, you know. With a little help." Kirk met her stare. "Then do it." She leaned back, blinked. "I'm constrained. If I could be sure of her willingness to share..." He shook his head. "I can't push her." "You mean you won't push her." Lori sighed. Then she suddenly tensed, her nostrils flared and she looked at him in something like panic. Nogura poked his head in. "Ah, there you are, Lori." He walked over to her chair, put his hands on her shoulders. "You weren't hiding, were you?" She laughed, looked up at him with a sweet smile. "Of course not, sir." Nogura smiled, the look seemed proprietary. He squeezed her shoulders. Kirk felt his skin crawl. Nogura looked over at him. He smiled, then let go of Lori. "Don't let me interrupt your conversation." She smiled again. "We were just talking about the vampire-slayer rumble last night." Nogura sat in the chair next to her. "There was a day when we wouldn't have seen such public brawling in our fair city. I expected better of the watchers." He looked over at Kirk. "I suppose Doctor Chapel was involved in some way?" "It's complicated." "Yes. Everything about her seems to be complicated to you." Nogura shook his head. "I've never met a more stubborn man than you, Jim. You want this woman." He looked over at Lori. "You've seen them together. What do you think?" "Oh, they've got a thing." "See. A thing. So simple." Nogura smiled. "Keep her here with you, Jim. It's such an easy concept for us to grasp, isn't it, my dear?" Lori smiled at him easily. "Oh, yes." Kirk watched her, surprised she could hide her fear, her hatred so well. But years lived under the man's thumb must have taught her to dissemble. "Decker needs a CMO, Jim." Kirk turned back to him, startled at the abrupt shift in the conversation. Nogura laughed. "It's obvious you're determined to be noble and let her go. If that's the case, wouldn't you like to see her in a position of more authority?" "CMO?" "You don't think she's capable? As head nurse, she had a large part in running your sickbay. And she's a slayer. She's more than capable of leading others--we know she had a significant role in that dreadful battle on Vega Hydra." He leaned back. "Wouldn't you like to see her rewarded for all her hard work?" Kirk was unsure what to say. "I realize she may not be able to deliver Kirsu to me. But she knows enough about it to help lead the search for it. On the Enterprise. Decker won't question her, not if he knows she has my full support." "You think she'll help you?" Nogura nodded. "I do. But you have to help me persuade her that it's for a good cause." Lori smiled. "It's a good offer. She languished as an ensign for so long. I've seen her credentials. They're impressive. This isn't that much of a stretch." She looked over at Nogura. "I can see Decker trusting her. He seems more comfortable with women then men." Nogura nodded. "Matt's legacy." Kirk felt his jaw tighten. "I know, Jim. It's harsh, but I'm not wrong. I know people and Decker's an open book. You know it too. He's looking for meaning. He wants to find truth at the end of the journey. Truth, and light, and answers. He's not like us." Or like you, Kirk wanted to say but bit his tongue. "Chris would be good for him." Kirk bristled at the way her name sounded coming out of Nogura's mouth. Nogura got up abruptly. "Lunch, Lori?" She stood up, smiled again. The expression again perfectly open. "I'm starved." He laughed. "You always are, my dear." He looked at Kirk. "Join us?" "I think Jim's lost his appetite, Hei." Nogura grinned. "You need to grow a tougher skin, my friend. You make it so easy for me to play you." He turned and walked out. Lori looked at him and mouthed, "Sorry." Then she followed him out. Kirk closed his eyes, tried to roll out the tension in his shoulders. He hadn't slept well last night. Had been too keyed up after watching the slayers fight the vampires, after not joining in. He'd been surprised Chris could stand there and not dive in. But other than handing out a few fresh stakes, she'd stayed out of the fight. Just kept looking back and around them. As if David would jump out at them, try to hurt Emma. And maybe she'd been right. She knew him better than any of them possibly. The slayers had taken most of the vampires out. But not without casualties of their own. He'd seen three girls fall, one of them had laid on the ground, her head at an odd angle. "Neck's broken," Chris had whispered to him. She'd looked away. It was just one of her possible fates. To die like that. He hated that he thought about it. Her dying. She'd already died once. McCoy had brought her back. And if he hadn't, LaVelle and her slayers would have. Nobody would bring back the slayers who had fallen last night. His comm unit buzzed. "Yes." "Sir, there's a Mister Silver here to see you." Kirk laughed softly. "Show him in, Commander." Kevin Silver? To see him? Could his day get any weirder? Kirk laughed. Of course, it could. Every Starfleet cadet knew the saying. Weird was part of the job...and his life was even weirder since he'd dived into the wonderland behind the magic mirror. He didn't stand when Silver walked in. Silver walked around the office, looking over the framed commendations, the medals. "Quite impressive, Admiral." He turned to look at Kirk. He shrugged. "If you've seen one medal..." Silver smiled. "There are some who say that about slayers. Yet I find each girl unique." Kirk's expression was steely. "They stop being girls eventually, Mister Silver." "Please call me Kevin." "I'd rather not." Silver sat down. He smiled. "You're very protective of Chapel, aren't you? I noticed that last night." Kirk leaned forward, gave Silver his best dangerous smile. "I've heard Wharton's message. I've taken it in. I know about the Cruciamentum. I know that you've abused your powers with these _girls_." Silver's face tightened. "We have traditions. They've held up for centuries because they work." "Work? At what? Murdering innocent women?" Silver shook his head. "I don't expect you to understand. You're not part of this. And you've had only her side of the story." "Not true. She didn't tell me about your barbaric little test. Wharton did." "He's hardly the voice of reason." "Interestingly enough, I think he is." Kirk sighed. "His methods leave something to be desired. But his message is damned powerful." Silver smiled, the expression was so clearly dismissive of anything Kirk might think. "I assume you came here for a reason?" Kirk asked. "I did. I want you to keep Chapel away from us." "Me? Keep Chris away from you?" Kirk laughed loud. He imagined Commander Hall could hear him from the other room. "I don't tell her what to do." "She is in the way." "How so?" Silver didn't answer, just rose and turned away. "That's it? Keep her away. One silly order and you're gone?" Kirk laughed. "It's no wonder you're losing your grasp on the council." Silver turned to look at him. "I will not lose my grasp on anything. But your slayer"--he put a dark emphasis on the word 'your'--"may make a very valuable colleague lose her grasp on reason." "What?" Silver sat back down. He seemed to deflate as he stared at the floor. "Emma." "I don't understand." "She was supposed to stay inside last night. I was going to leave a slayer with her. But she came out because of Chapel. As long as that slayer is out, Emma won't stay in." Kirk sat silently, unsure what to say. "Don't you see? She's what David wants most. His former ally--now his greatest enemy. After me." Silver looked up at him. "He nearly ripped her apart the last time. In front of me. Why do you think he did that?" When Kirk didn't answer, Silver slammed his hand down on Kirk's desk. Kirk jumped in surprise. "Why do you think he did that?" Silver stood up, began to pace. "Chapel could keep her in, but she won't. She's too damned impulsive. She'll try to save David, and Emma will follow her because she loves them both." Kirk sighed. "Does Emma know you love her?" Silver glanced at him, shrugged. He suddenly looked very old. "I've never known." "And you never wanted to tell her?" "I'm the head of the council. I have duties and obligations. How I feel about Emma is irrelevant." Kirk looked down. "In any case, she loves David. She's never stopped loving him." Silver shook his head. "She's just wise enough to put it aside. She's a skilled counselor after all." "I can't keep Chris away. She loves Emma. She'd feel she was letting her down to not be there...to protect her." Silver got up slowly. "I'd hoped you might have some influence over her." He smiled softly. "She appears to listen to you. Lord knows, she never has to me." "If you're looking for sympathy, you're looking in the wrong place. I'm solidly in her court." Silver's smile faded. "Then stay the hell out of our way from here on out. If I see the two of you, it won't be just one slayer I send after you." Silver leaned in, put his hand on Kirk's arm. "I'm not someone you want to antagonize." Kirk looked at Silver's hand. "I think, Mister Silver, that you'll find that I'm not a man you want to antagonize either." He closed his eyes, channeled fire the way Weasel had taught him. He couldn't manage a burst of energy much past a centimeter. In this case, that should do just fine. He slammed his other hand down on Silver's arm and let the energy, which he'd coiled up like a spring, go. It leapt out of his hand, covering the small distance to touch Silver's skin. Hot energy, burning hot. Fire. Silver yelped. Kirk let go of him, giving him a tight smile. "Just a small demonstration of what I'm capable of." He tried to keep a straight face. Silver didn't need to know that he'd seen one of his few tricks. The watcher's eyes narrowed as he jerked away from Kirk, cradling his arm, which was unmarked, but completely free of hair. "Magic. I don't hold with it." "Spoken like one who could never manage to get it to work." Silver turned on his heel and marched out. Hall came in. "Sir? What is that smell?" "Smell?" He smiled. For some reason, the odor of singed hair and sulphur didn't bother him at all. End part 3 of 7 -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Awards Tech Support http://www.trekiverse.us/ASCAwards/commenting/ No Tribbles were harmed in the running of these Awards ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek .creative or directly to the author. Yahoo! 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