1. The Very Start

**Disclaimer: I don't own star trek. Sadly. Because then I'd be rich.**

**The Very Start**

She had been there for him from the start. The very start.

From the moment they opened their eyes for the first time (already in adult bodies with extreme intelligence) right to when they were forced to flee, locking themselves in cryogenic pods with the other crew members. 74 altogether. By the time the pods reached the _Enterprise _there was only 72.

They were meant to sleep for another 200 years. 500, not 300.

oooo0000oooo

When she first awoke, when her eyes picking up nothing but the colour white, she thought time was up and the pod had automatically opened, just like it was designed to. She thought she was looking at the roof of her own ship.

But as her vision cleared, she saw she was mistaken.

Medical officers (judging by their attire and face masks) crowded around her. She could hear nothing. As she thought things over, everything seemed to freeze.

She was not on her ship. There was no familiar faces peering at her over the face masks. No one from her crew.

An uneasy feeling washed over her.

Suddenly, she could hear everything. The beep of many machines, some steady, some racing like Phar lap*. She could hear someone calling "She's awake!". The clatter of metal, the scuffing of shoes agents the floor, the _whoosh _of an automatic door opening. It was all too much for her sensitive ears. She began to panic.

She heard one of the machines begin to beep furiously. The commotion around a round her escalated, causing her to panic even more. Her instincts finally kicked in.

She sat bolt upright, landing a few punches on the people around her upper body. Everyone in the room backed up a few steps. She was about to jump of the bed to make her escape when a loud, female voice sounded above the existing racket in the room.

"EVERYONE OUT RIGHT NOW!"

Everyone, including her, became silent. After a few moments, all of the medical offices scurried towards the door, until only she and a woman (who she guessed was the owner of the voice) remain. She studied the woman. She was young. She had soft ginger hair tied back into a loose bun and warm, kind brown eyes. She wore a (rather short)blue dress, with a name tag reading 'Nurse Susan Taylor'. 'Nurse Taylor' took a small step forward, causing the woman on the bed to pull her leg back onto the bed and lean back slightly. Nurse paused, before smiling kindly at her.

"It's alright. I'm a nurse. I'm not going to hurt you" her voice was much quieter and softer than it was before. Slowly, the woman leaned back into an upright position. The nurse walked forward slowly again, stoping just before the bed. The _floating _bed.

_Ok _thought the woman on said object thought _that is _defiantly _different._

The nurse reached for a small, wheelie metal trolley with various objects on it.

"I'm just going to check your vitals. Then you can go and shower." She wasn't going to lie, the promise of a shower was fantastic, marvellous even. So she sat there and let the kind Nurse Taylor place the strange black disk thingy on her cheek, checks her heart beat and scan her with a glowing, pen like contraption. To be honest, she found the whole thing rather fascinating. To see the way the medical world had evolved and become almost unrecognizable. She had always a curiosity for new things. That curiosity sometimes led to trouble. But her… warmness towards new thing didn't mean she was any less comforted by the fact that they still used a stethoscope to check the heartbeat. When the 'check-up' was over, the Nurse back up a few steps, the warm smile still on her face. After a moment she spoke.

"What's your name?" the nurse asked.

There was a pause before the other woman opened her mouth to speak, but what left her mouth could not be called words. A series of high and low croaks escaped her lips. She snapped her mouth shut and covered it with both her hands, a small bit of pink tinging her cheeks. The nurse sighed and reached for a glass of water on a nearby table.

"I thought this would happen" the nurse said, handing the nameless (for now) woman the glass of water. She didn't wait for her to drink it as she went to retrieve the clothes that where on her desk. Upon returning, she smiled to find that the glass was empty and had been placed on the small table beside the bed.

"Here you go" the nurse said, holding out the clothes for the woman to take. The woman looked at them for a short moment before taking them.

"The bathroom is there" the nurse continued pointing to a door on the far wall "Quickly have a shower and get dressed. The Admiral will be here soon."

_Admiral? _The woman on the bed thought. She pushed that thought aside. She had a much more important task at hand; have a nice, war- no, scratch that, hot shower. She gently lowered herself from the bed, letting her feet merely touch the ground. When she did put weight on her legs, she almost collapsed. The nurse shot forward like a bullet, carefully righting her.

"You should have expected this." She heard the nurse mutter oh so quietly to herself (She was only able to hear it due to her advanced hearing) "she's been asleep for 300 years. Of cause she is going to have trouble walking."

The unsteady woman paused, shocked for two reasons. 1. Even though she had expected to sleep longer than that, the fact she had been sleeping for 300 years still shook her. 2. She was supposed to sleep longer. The pods weren't support to open unless the time was up or the occupants where… forcefully… awoken. Her blood seemed to freeze the longer and harder she thought about it.

She had been awoken on purpose.

The thought sent and tidal wave of concern running straight through her. One question- one large question bounced around in her over-intelligent brain. _Why?_

"Do you need help?" she was pulled out of her thoughts (more like her worries) by the nurse's voice. The woman looked at her and shook her head.

"No" she managed to croak out, sounding more like a raspy breathe than a word. But the nurse seemed to understand, because she smiled a small smile and carefully let go. The smile grew larger and brighter with every step the strange woman took across the room. The steps started small and she was hunched over in a shape much resembling a dog's leg. But by the time she reached the bathroom door her back was dead straight, her head was held high and her steps large and confident.

She stood in front of the door, not quite sure what to think. There was no switch, no button and no rope that could have been used as a way of opening the door. It was just an indent in the wall. She took a step closer to examine it, and suddenly _WHOOSH! _

She jumped back in surprise as the door opened suddenly with such a loud sound. After a few moments it _whoosh_ed close again. More curious now, she tilted her head to the side and step forward again. This time when the door opened, it stayed open. _Why isn't it closing, like last time? _

Then suddenly memorise.

She could remember everything now. The technology, the sensors, the gears that went into making and working such a contraption. She giggled at her own stupidity. She was supposed to be a technological _genius _for god's sake!

_Must have been the sleeping _she thought to herself. She shook herself.

_No! _She screamed internally _It's this silly door that is standing in between you and a hot shower. Do not let the door conquer! _ And as she marched into that bathroom, she began to question her own mental satiability.

As the door shut behind her, she took in her surroundings. It was a fair sized bathroom, with a toilet, a sink and a bunch of holes in the wall with a panel of buttons near it in the far corner. She guessed it was the shower. She striped as she walked purposefully (the fancy term for strutting) across the bathroom, throwing the clothes carelessly to the ground. When she reached the control panel, it took but a moment to locate the big, green button with the word ON in capital letters. As soon as she pressed the button, hot water burst out of the holes in the wall. Shocked by the sudden liquid attack, she stumbled back slightly, only to find the water followed her.

_Sensors to track the person within the shower. Clever. _ She began to talk and squeak and basically any sound that may help with the return of her voice. Once she was happy her level of verbal communication, she let herself relax in the water. The hot water help clear her head, once again heightening her intellect and allowing her to gain her bearings. By the time she was out of the shower, dried and dressed (In the usual 'prisoner' outfit of a black fitted shirt and pants and, in her case, black flats), she had a list of thing she did and didn't know.

What she knew:

She was awoken before the pod's time was up, meaning she was awaken by another intelligent life form.

That life form was most likely human.

She had bad feeling about all this

There is some sort of 'Admiral'. Going to assume that he/she runs the place. Whatever this place _is._

Nurse Susan Taylor was a kind woman. Could be trust that. No. _Most likely _trusted.

What she didn't know:

Where exactly she was.

Who exactly this 'Admiral' was.

If she is in any danger (but judging her gut feeling, she was)

If the rest of the crew are safe

If the rest of the crew are here

If the rest on the crew had been woken

_If Khan had been woken_. The thought hit her so suddenly it caused her to freeze. _Khan._

Panic began to creep up on her. Was he ok? Had they hurt him? She forced herself to take a calming breath. _Of course he's alright. He's bloody Khan Noonien Singh! _Although the thought calmed her down, she still felt worried.

She distracted herself by looking in the mirror.

Her waist length hair was probably blackest hair known to mankind (the whole universe perhaps) and probably also the curliest. She had pale blue/green eyes, high cheekbones and a small button nose. She looked at herself, carefully tossing hair this way and that in attempt to improve her appearance before giving up and letting it be. She didn't even bother picking up her used clothes from the floor as she strode to the door.

When she re-entered the sickbay, the first thing she noticed was the presence of the kind Nurse Taylor was replaced with that of an older man, late 40s early 50s area, in a strange, grey uniform. She felt uneasy just looking at him.

_Must be our 'Admiral' then_.

She couldn't help but feel the sense of impending doom.

**Sorry if the fact I didn't state the lady's name was annoying or confusing, I just want it to be a surprise.**

***For those who don't know who Phar lap is, he was a famous Australian race horse in the late 20s early 30s. **

**Here's the Wikipedia description of him:**

**'Phar Lap (4 October 1926 – 5 April 1932) was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse whose achievements captured the public's imagination during the early years of the Great Depression. Foaled in New Zealandhe was trained and raced in Australia by Harry Telford. Phar Lap dominated Australian racing during a distinguished career, winning a Melbourne Cup, two Cox Plates, an AJC Derby, and 19 other weight for age races. He then won the Agua Caliente Handicap in Tijuana, Mexico in track-record time in his final race. After a sudden and mysterious illness, Phar Lap died in 1932. At the time, he was the third highest stakes-winner in the world.**

**His mounted hide is displayed at the Melbourne Museum, his skeleton at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and his heart at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.'**

**The reason I added him in is because I am obsessed with horses. Also, his Jockey was called Jim Pike. Jim. Pike. Captain Kirk and Admiral Pike!**


	2. Questions and Answers

**CHAPTER 2**

**Questions and Answers**

She walked forward slowly. She wasn't going to lie, she was afraid.

This man's stance just bellowed power and rank. His brown/blonde hair(which had receded slightly, mind you) was combed back neatly, His grey uniform with the white chest and shoulders and strange emblem had not a speck of dust on it and, finally, his back was dead straight, as if the idea of slouching was foreign to him. Add the menacing look his grey eyes were dispatching, she would be surprised if anybody didn't find him at least a little bit frightening.

She made sure she was concealing her fear as she moved forward, halting a few feet in front of him. After a moment of silence and intense staring, he spoke with a smug tone.

"Nice to see you awake Miss…" he looked down to a strange, clear sheet of glass with writing on it in his hands. She quickly began to analyse it. _Electronic devise, much like a computer, but much smaller and hand held. Judging by the lack of buttons, most likely touch-screen. _The man continued talking.

"… Hilaria Saritua Dulcina." She felt like she had suddenly been dropped off at Antarctica. _How the hell does he know my name! My full name at that! _She made sure to hide the shock was bound to be on her face as he lifted his eyes to meet hers again. This time they were vicious.

She had seen those eyes many times before. She was an intelligent being. She had many less intelligent life forms attempt to gain some of it. She had been interrogated and tortured on multiple occasions and each time, they had that same look in her captor's eyes. That same, vicious look.

In situations like these, a list of options tend come to one's mind. This time was no exception. A list of ideas and options in the form of dot points appeared in front of her eyes. She thought for a moment before opting for one that always served her well in the past. Playing dumb.

Just as Hilaria was about to start the act with a confused face and a ditzy voice, the man spoke again.

"Most of the members of your crew have strange names. I guess you're no exception." _How does he know all this?! _She searched her brain for any answer to this question. What she found was the design to the cryogenic pods. On the right side of the head there was a little screen. The screen displayed the temperature inside of the pod, the heath of the occupant and… and the details of the occupant.

_Shit._

She knew right then and there that playing dumb was not just pointless, but incredibly stupid. So she decided to go for the next option that was most likely to give the least away. Also most likely to piss him off. Double bonus.

"Well" she said; making her voice posh and polite "you know my name. I think it's only fair I learn yours". There was a flash of anger in the man's eyes before it dissolved to annoyance to the fact that she was not showing signs of panic like he wanted. _Has a quick temper._

"Admiral Marcus." he answered short and sharply. _So this is our admiral then._ He began to speak again, this time with his smug tone back.

"I'm sure you are wondering why you where woken." She was glad he seemed willing, if not eager to answer the question she had not yet asked, though it did send a feeling of uncertainty through her.

"I am." She replied, tilting her chin down before lifting it again (a gesture she did often, though even she didn't know why). The annoyance returned to the admiral's eyes before he pushed it back down again. But this time he came back a little less smug.

"Well, you see I-we have… kindly asked one of your crew members to design some… things for us." He said, keeping full eye contact, waiting to see if she flinched at all. _So at least one of them is awake_. He began to pace slowly back and forth.

"But you see" he continued "the designs are a little complicated. They would take a large amount time to make, time we simply don't want to waste." He paused and slowly turned to face her again. "That is why we woke you." Hilaria pushed down the cold feeling of fear that was crawling up her spine like a spider on a wall.

"After all. You are, or were, the head engineer on your ship. We figured you were most qualified." He smiled as he spoke the last sentence. She looked down, nodding, before making eye contact again.

"And if I refuse?" she asked. A haunting smile rather an angry glade only proved her fear. _He was expecting that._

"Do you really want to put the life of your whole crew at risk, Hilaria?" the use of her name scared her almost as much as the threat itself. He smiled when he saw her shiver and shake her head oh so slightly. "I'll take that as a no then?"

She bowed her head in defeat.

"Good" he said smugly. The door opened and six men in red shirts (with the same emblem on them that was on the admiral's uniform) with gun-looking objects marched in, surrounding her.

"Your work starts immediately. You will be brought up-to-date with all the modern day electronics and engineering. Have a nice stay." He said the last part sarcastically. Just as he turned to leave, she stopped him.

"Wait!" she cried. He turned back to face her. She quickly gained control be for calmly asking "Can I at least know who else you awoke?" He looked at her a moment before giving a single laugh and answering.

"Your captain, of course" before he turned and left.

As Hilaria was marched out that door and though the many halls, the dread caused by that statement took full effect.

'Your captain, of course'.

_Khan._

oooo0000oooo

It had only been a week since then and already she hated it. She had been shown all the modern technology as promised, and was already way ahead of it all. She also knew many things, Mostly thanks to nurse Susan Taylor (who was agents the whole section 31 thing altogether), most of which bad.

She was, along with Khan, where being held in a place called 'Section 31', though she had no idea where it was actually located.

Khan was being forced to design weapons and war ships.

He had been smart. He tried to make them too complicated and confusing for the Admiral and his 'team; to understand, but instead of caving in, they woke her up instead.

Khan didn't know she was awake (The nurse asked if Hilaria wanted her to tell him, but she had said it was safer if he didn't know).

She was not just here to make weapons and help build war ships. From the moment she had woken up, she had become Starfleet's ( the organisation who was running this whole thing) test subject. In some ways more literal than others.

**oooo0000oooo**

**INPORTANT!: because I am totally new to this website, can someone please tell me how to edit chapters. The first person to tell me will… Get a credit at the start of my next chapter?**

**Hilaria: A medieval name apparently meaning 'joyful'.**

**Saritua: the Basque word for 'graceful'.**

**Dulcina: A medieval name apparently meaning 'rose'.**

**The meanings of the word have nothing to do with the story itself (I chose them simply because I thought they sounded nice and sounded strange enough), I just thought you'd like to know.**

**As I'm sure you're aware, this chapter is a little shorter than the last chapter (actually more like half the size) and that is because the first chapter wasn't supposed to be that long, I just go a little carried away.**

**Whoops.**

**For an Idea of what Hilaria looks like, click on the cover at the top of the page for a close look.**

**P.S**

**The 'clear sheet of glass with writing on it at the start of the chapter was PADD and the 'gun-like objects' where phasers. She just woke up after 300 years of sleeping so she didn't know this.**


	3. Volcanic hazard

**Chapter 3**

**Volcanic hazard**

**_*1 year later…*_**

Hilaria waited for the Captain of the _USS Enterprise_ with a Mr Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott to return to the ship, which was now hidden at the bottom of the ocean of the Class M planet, Nibiru.

Had you told she would be in this situation 6 months ago- heck, had you told her this a week ago-, she wouldn't have believed you, thinking she would be stuck in the hell that was Section 31 forever. But a large distraction, a forever kind nurse and a false identity can work wonders.

It was six days ago that everyone that was in the underground warehouse cleared out for some unknown reason, only receiving some smirks from the workers that hated her the most( only Susan, or Susie as she like to call her, really liked her. They had grown close over the course of the year). That was the first missed sign. Then, 5 minutes later, Susan came rushing over, hurriedly entering the security code into the door (Hilaria was always kept in a section of the warehouse blocked off by a thick, wall-to-wall and floor-to-roof glass wall for the safety of the other workers). As soon as the door was opened Susan grabbed her hand and began to pull her towards the exit.

"Come on!" the nurse said, fear clear in her voice " They'll be coming for you soon"

At those words, Hilaria followed without hesitation. They had somehow managed to escape and spent the night in an abandoned building, Susan keeping watch while Hilaria created fake identities for them(Hilaria Saritua Dulcina becoming Hillary Sophie Jones, engineer and Susan Grace Taylor becoming Anne Jane Tyson, nurse) and fake 'passed applications' for the 12 day journey on the _USS Enterprise_. Only a day later, when they were safely in space, did Susan tell her why they left in such a hurry.

Khan had refused.

Admiral Marcus had asked (more like demanded) to Khan design a powerful missile. Khan had refused.

The Admiral had apparently given him three chances over three day to say yes. When the three days where up, he did the unthinkable.

She believed it was just the convenience rather than the knowledge of just how close she and Khan actually where. She believed he was saving the big guns, the _actual _crew for when Khan really screwed up.

Everyone had left the warehouse because they wanted to see his reaction. 'To what?' you may ask?

Because they had taken her empty pod, lead Khan to believe she was still sleeping peacefully inside, sat him down and made him watched as they burned it in an incinerator. To him, she had died.

To him, she was dead. Her hand rapped around the silver, heart shaped locket that hung from her neck for comfit, the object inside rattling.

So now here she stood in a short, red Starfleet dress, the tall black heel boots and her hair tied into a high ponytail with a red hair tie( Though it still reached her waist), posing as a Starfleet engineer.

There was a honk to signify that the air-lock was about to open. She quickly shoved the necklace back inside her dress (since it was not part of the uniform) and hurried to catch up with Monty (what she liked to call Mr Scott apart from Scotty. They had become rather close over the last 5 days, so she used both nick names.) who was already waiting at the door. As soon as the door opened, revelling Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy, his complaints started.

"Do you have any idea how ridiculous it is to hide a Star ship on the bottom of the ocean!" the thickness of his accent displayed how truly pissed he was.

"We've down here since last night" Hilaria picked up "The salt water is going to ruin the-"

"Lieutenant Jones" The captain barked to grab her attention. She immediately shut up. The captain continued "Where's Spock?"

She hesitated before answering "Still in the volcano, Sir" He stared at her a moment before running in the direction of the bridge. The rest of them followed closely behind. They were there in a matter of minutes.

"Captain on the bridge" the voice of Pavel Chekov called out. Hillaria smiled subconsciously. She admired Pavel for, not just being on a Starfleet ship, but being the ship's navigator at such a young age. Also, his sometimes adorable kid-like behaviour (like when tapped the captain on the shoulder to gain his attention) made her laugh. Something she was grateful for.

"Lieutenant, do we still have an open channel on Mister Spock?" Kirk asked looked her way, but since Hilaria had no bloody clue whether they did or they didn't, he was addressing the woman who had magically appeared out of nowhere and was standing next to her.

"The heat's frying his com" said the woman next to her (Lieutenant something Uhura. She knew it started with n) with teary eyes "But we still have contact." _Of course the heat's frying his communicator _Hilaria thought _He's in a volcano in a metal suit. He may as well be a fish in a frying pan!_

Captain Kirk looked at her a moment, nodding before slamming his hand on the connection button "Spock!" he called.

"I have activated the devise captain" The Vulcan's emotionless voice sounded slightly static due to the damaged communicator "When the countdown is complete, the reaction should render the volcano inert"

"Yeah, but it's going to render him inert!' Doctor McCoy piped up

"Do we have use of the transporters?' the captain asked "No" was Sulu's simple reply. Pavel went into more detail with "Not at this time"

As continued talking, Hillaria looked to the diagram of the volcano just in time to see an absolutely gigantic fish-like thing swim past. Monty, who also saw the fish, looked around for some sort of confirmation that what he saw was real. His eyes landed on her awestruck face as she nodded dumbly.

"Ahh…" she finally reregistered to what was going on around her as Pavel began talking " Maybe if we get a direct line of site, th-" He was interrupted rudely by Scotty " Hold wee man, you're talking about an active volcano!" he looked to the captain "Sir, if that thing erupts, I can't even guaranty we can with stand the heat!" As Sulu began to talk, Hilaria looked to the woman beside her. Tears where welling in her eyes and she was biting her bottom lip. Hilaria felt there was a connection between this woman and Spock, so she put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Nyota Uhura felt the hand on her shoulder. She turned expecting to see someone she knew well, like Bones or Scotty, but instead she saw a complete stranger. The woman had long, incredibly curly black hair and pale blue/green eyes. She was about to tell her to step out of her personal space bubble when she saw the look in her eyes. They held compassion, sympathy, kindness and understanding. But not pity. Uhura felt the hope rise up within her. That hope was smothered when she heard Spock's communicator drop out. She gasped, her hand covering her mouth as those tears became dangerously close to spilling. The captain turned to her "Try to get him back online" he said. She didn't need telling twice.

Hilaria watched the woman run to the control desk and start flipping switches in a panic.

"Hilary, lass" she heard scotty address the fake her "You specialize in that stuff, help U-"he stopped when Hillaria turned to leave "Wha- Where are you going to lass?!" she turned back to him and looked him straight in the eyes.

"To the transporter room. I work the computer there the best" it was true. She could lock on to any target in a matter of seconds.

"Yeah" Scotty replied "But _why _are you going there?!" At his reply she turned to face the captain.

"In all respect, Sir" she said, dropping her stance to a less defensive one "I think we all know what you are going to do" with that, she turned around quickly, hair trailing the action, and ran full-out to the transporter room.

As soon as she got there, she felt the ship start to move. There was the shrill sound of her communicator. She flipped it open and listened.

" Beam him up" the Captain said.

"Aye, sir" she said, and then snapped the lid shut.

_Good on ya, Kirk. _ She plonked down on one of the seats and got to work on beaming the Vulcan up. She zoned in on the volcano, peeling back the layers until she found the pointy eared alien she was looking for. She locked onto him but UNABLE TO BEAM appeared in large, red letters on the screen. She cursed under her breath and waited for the text to green.

The millisecond the words changed to ABLE TO BEAM she slammed her fist down on the go button. Small gold particles appeared above the pad, swirling around and growing in numbers. She felt the _Enterprise _shoot forward as the gold particles moulded into the shape of a certain Vulcan.

The doors slid open with a distinct _whoosh _and the captain and doctor McCoy come running. "SPOCK!" the captain called "Are you alright he asked, concern lacing his words.

"Captain, you let them see our ship." Spock said, looking at the captain with the closest disapproving expression a Vulcan could muster.

The doctor gave an annoyed sigh " Ahh he's fine". It was then Hilaria heard the whispers. " He's crazy", "he feels nothing", "Of course he's suicidal, he almost let himself die!". She looked over to the Valcan. Though she was sure he could hear them, he didn't seem at all effected by it. Suddenly she had an urge to get inside his head, to know what he was thinking. Her curiosity needed to be put to rest. She knew it was crazy, he wasn't going to tell her anything, but she made a plan of how to get him alone to ask anyway. As the captain go distracted by a voice from the intercom (she thought it might have been the woman from before) she made her move.

"I'll take Commander Spock to the sick bay, doctor. He's bound to go into shock or something" She addressed Doctor McCoy formally, standing from her chair and straightening her dress. He looked at her a moment, eye brow raised, before speaking back to her.

"I don't think he needs to go, but I'll take him".

She knew he would be like this. She had planned ahead.

"Your wet suit is still drenched and it's freezing in here" on cue, he shivered. It was ridiculously cold on the ship. "Also, your dripping water on the floors" The doctor looked down, only now noticing the water puddle that had gathered at his feet " Mr Scott won't be happy."

"So?" the doctor asked. Hilaria looked hard at him a moment.

"Have you ever seen an angry Scotsman?" she asked. He shook his head, confused look on his face "You don't want to. Go get changed before he finds out its you." She said genuinely. He did not want see Scotty angry. The doctor looked at her suspiciously a moment before sighing and turning and leaving.

"Well, Commander Spock" she said turning to said person. She took note of the almost look of curiosity on his face. Key word being almost." Let's get you to the sick bay"

She didn't wait for his response; she just made her may towards the turbo lift. She heard his soft footfall behind her. As soon as they were both inside the lift and on their way to sick bay, she turned to him. She stared at him hard look for a few moments (Which caused him to raise an eyebrow) before speaking.

"Permission to speak freely?" her question made his eyebrow rise even further. She knew it was strange to ask a commander permission to speak freely, but she wanted to be sure. "Permission granted" he said as tonelessly as ever. No sooner had the words left his mouth did she start speaking.

"You just totally switched of" she stated, crossing her arms and looking up at him (he was taller that her, after all) in disbelief "You were about to die and you didn't feel anything" He opened his mouth to respond, but she didn't let him "You know, some people in that room were calling you crazy. Some were calling you suicidal. Does that not affect you in any way?" she asked looking at him almost accusingly. There was a long pause.

"Isn't it you humans that say" he finally picked up "'Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me'?" the lift came to a halt and the door opened. She was frozen, not quite sure what to say. Then, just as he was stepping out, her voice found her again.

"We both know that's not true." She was sure he heard her, but he didn't stop. The doors slid close, and she was alone.

**oooo0000ooo**

**Ok, so not a lot happened in this chapter, but I consider this the start of the actual story. I hope you enjoy future chapters.**

**Also thanks to 'I khant' (awesome name) for telling me how to update chapters. Thank-you!**


	4. Just around the corner

**Chapter 4**

**Just around the corner**

_I, ohh the door  
Silent call for you  
what have I done to you?  
Kill and run  
Kill and run I'm one of the dirty guns_

_Sia- Kill and run_

_oooo0000oooo_

***2 weeks later…***

The reporters voice droned the story out but Hilaria only heard mumbling as she looked at the footage of the 'Kelvin Memorial Archive' of Starfleet in London(or what was left of it). She wasn't sure if she should be happy or sad about the explosion. The reason for that was she knew it wasn't just an archive. She knew it wasn't just holding the information of past captains, commanders and lieutenants as well as historical events. No. She knew that that 'Kelvin Memorial Archive' was one of two locations of the area 31 program. In fact, that was the exact building she escaped from.

She was happy that the wretched place had been blown to smithereens. What she wasn't happy about was the 42 that had died in the explosion.

_Who would want to blow up the archive? The only valuable thing at that dumb is section 31 and most of Starfleet doesn't even know it's there, let alone the civilian population!_ Her mind flashed to the only logical explanation. She suddenly felt sick. _No… no that's not possible. He's trapped in a little prison cell under the archive._ She looked back to the tv screen, the footage of the explosion replaying. _Well, not anymore._

That's when the possibility of Khan doing this became very, very real. She knew the stunt Marcus pulled with her pod would trigger Khan to do something she just… wasn't expecting him to blow up the archive. _You don't know it's him_ she scolded herself for getting so ahead of herself. _You have to be sure_.

It was procedure that after a major attach on Starfleet, that the senior command of all the vessels of the region would hold a meeting to discuss the next move. She knew this time would be no exception. _I could sneak in and see what's going on._

But it was extremely risky. She had no time to go to London to secretly witness the meeting there, which meant she would have to sneak into the San Francisco HQ to learn just what was going on. But Marcus, being an admiral, would be there, and if she was caught there was no doubt he would recognize her.

The list of the dead began appearing on the screen. _But it's worth the risk._

oooo0000oooo

She pulled down the ugly grey uniform dress (that she nicked) again nervously. She had left a note for Susan of the table of their tiny, hidden apartment saying that she was 'Going out for a coffee', when in reality she was sneaking into Starfleet HQ. The fact that they were on the run from said organisation, she knew Susan wouldn't approve.

The elevator gave a quiet ding as it stopped on her floor. She slowly crept through to corridor and halted just at the door way to the meeting room. The meeting had just begun.

"Thank-you for coming on such short notice" she shivered as she heard Marcus's voice. Oh how she hated him "Be seated." There was the squeak of wheelie chairs as they were pulled in.

"By now, some of you have heard what happened in London" The admiral continued "The target was a Starfleet data archive, now it's a damn hole in the ground and 42 men and women are dead." There was no sympathy (or even a sad tone for that matter) in his voice. "One hour ago I received a message from a Starfleet officer who confessed to carrying out this attack, but he was forced to do it by this man. Commander John Harrison" Hilaria looked to one of the closest screens to her.

Her breath caught in her throat and she was paralysed. There, on the screen with the name 'John Harrison' and other small bits of information next to it, was a picture of Khan Noonien Singh.

Since it was a year (of being awake, that is) since she had even seen a photo of him, she took him in. He looked almost the same with his ridiculously high cheek bones, his greenish blue eyes and straight black hair (it was longer now, she noted). But he looked cold, tired and… well… dead. She realised she was slowly leaning forward and further into the room. She quickly pulled back but kept her eyes on the picture of Khan. Admiral Marcus began talking again.

"He is one of our own" _Yeahright _"He is the man responsible for this act of savagery" her stomach clenched and her anger flared _he is only 'savage' because of you, you swine! _"For unknown reasons, this man has just started a one-man war against Starfleet." Hilaria had to pinch her nose with her hands to stop herself from snorting _'unknown reasons' my augment ass._

The admiral leaned forward in his seat "And under no circumstances are we to allow this man to escape federation space. You here tonight represent the senior command of all the vessels in the region, and in the name of those we lost, we'll run this bastard down. This is a man hunt pure and simple so let's get to work."

Hilaria, not at all intimidated or frightened by his little speech, looked around the room at all the captains and first officers. As she expected, she saw Captain Kirk there. But what she didn't expect was that he was not sitting next to Spock (who was on the other side of the room), but an older man she vaguely recognized. She searched her brain for answers. _Admiral Christopher Pike. _She remembered the secret files at section 31, which contained which officers had knowledge of the place _He is unaware of section 31. _This earned him a certain amount of trust. But not much.

He and Kirk began to whisper quietly to each other but, of course, Marcus noticed.

"Chris." He said, grabbing their attention "Is everything ok there?"

"Yes, sir." he said, bowing his head slightly "Mr Kirk is just activating to his new position as first officer." _First officer? Well, that explains the change of seating. Must have been due to the volcano incident._

"If you've got something to say kirk, say it. Tomorrow's too late." Marcus stated. Kirk hesitated before responding "I'm fine sir, my apologies."

"Spit it out son. Don't be shy." The admiral replied. Kirk once again hesitated.

"Why the archive? All that information is public record. If he really wanted to damage Starfleet… this could just be the beginning."

"Beginning of what, Mr Kirk?" Admiral Marcus's voice had a hint of concern.

"Sir, in the event of an attack, protocol mandates that senior command gather captains and first officers at Starfleet HQ right here…" his eyes widened "in this room."

Spock began to talk, but Hilaria was distracted by the red light that was sweeping the room. All talking stopped as a buzzing/ humming sound filled the room. Everyone turned to the red light that was coming from the large windows, a few even standing. Hilaria saw a small aircraft hovering just outside. The realisation of what was happening hit her suddenly.

"CLEAR THE ROOM!" she heard Kirk shout just before an explosion and loud pops and whizzing sounds filled the room. Hilaria hid behind the wall just as a laser bullet hit the edge of it. _Starfleet is being attacked _was the only thought running through her head; she had no doubt who it was. Officers ran straight past her into the room, carrying large guns, never noticing her. She saw Kirk rush past her, also holding a gun, running around the corner. She followed him, but stopping a good distance away, hiding just out of view behind the corner.

She watched as he shot at the small airship. He realised pretty quickly that it was pointless, instead staring at the ship intently. He turned and pulled the panel that was concealing the emergency station off the wall. _What's he doing?_

Kirk pulled out the hose and wound it around the gun a few times, securing it. He then threw it into the engine of the ship. _Ohhh-oooh, he's clever. _As more of the hose was pulled out of the station, it was obvious it had no effect on the ship. Suddenly, the emergency station was pulled from the wall by the hose, Kirk ducking just in time for it to fly over his head, out the window and into the engine of the aircraft, blocking it.

As the ship began to spin out of control, she saw him in the cabin of the ship.

Khan.

Gold particles swirled around him, rapidly growing in numbers. Realising what was happening, she leapt forwards in hope he would see her, but it was too late. He was already gone. She didn't wait to watch the air craft fall to the ground as she made her escape.

oooo0000oooo

Hilaria's feet dragged across the floor as she entered her small apartment. Susan was in the living room, watching the events at Starfleet HQ on the news.

Susan looked to her, noting the grey uniform but saying nothing as Hilaria plonked down on the couch.

Hilaria ran a hand over face, letting her usually perfect posture slip as she folded over.

"He's responsible, Susie" she said quietly into her knees.

"Who was?" Susan asked just as quietly. Hilaria looked up at her.

"Khan. He was responsible for both attacks." The words shattered her very soul. This was most defiantly not the usual thing for Khan to do. She stared off into space. _He almost saw me. _ _I was just around that corner…_

The images of police aircrafts surrounding the now destroyed Starfleet HQ appeared on the screen, followed closely by footage of the attack, then finally the flawless face of the reporter. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Susan opening and closing her mouth. She stood abruptly.

"I'm going to bed." She swiftly walked out of the room, avoiding Susan's questions.

Once inside the room, she carefully pulled out her hair tie holding her perfect bun in place, letting her hair fall in a cascade down to her waist. She then kicked off her shoes and threw off her cap.

She flopped on her bed with one large, sluggish movement and fell asleep.

**oooo0000oooo**

**Khan has made an appearance! The story has begun!**

**Also, now and in future, if there is a song at the start of the chapter, I suggest listening to it while reading.**

**Also(again) , if there are any mistakes or parts that don't make sense, please tell me so I can change them! That goes for all chapters.**

**P.s (see, I didn't use also) Sorry this took so long, let's just say that the internet connection at my house is… insufficient. **


End file.
