Spock (vulcan_mind) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2012-05-20 23:12:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, james kirk, spock |
Who: Spock and Kirk
What: Mandate!
Where: A local laser tag arena
When: Saturday
Status: Complete
Rating: PG-13
Jim had given the location of the laser tag center to Spock, as well as instructions to wear something comfortable for strenuous activity. He himself wore a black t-shirt and flexible jeans. He leaned against the wall, mulling over the dreams he’d had last night. They’d been new, and had filled in some of the pieces. He knew more than he ever wanted to know about timelines, and certain destinies that ought to be fulfilled.
He also still had a bit of a sore spot. The pointy-eared bastard had marooned him! On an ice world! At least he knew where he’d picked up Scotty, so it had worked out.
But what if it hadn’t! Jim was starting to stew a little. He switched mental gears. They hadn’t gotten the annulment papers back yet.
Okay that mental gear wasn’t a good idea either. Where was Spock? He suddenly needed to shoot him some people between their pointy little ears.
Spock wasn't entirely sure why he was doing this. Laser tag wasn't exactly a pastime that Spock was interested in. Given the choice, it was probably one of the last things he'd do if offered. And yet Kirk had proposed the idea and Spock had agreed. Spock figured that it spoke volumes to their growing friendship.
Dressed in rather old looking jeans and a tank top, Spock arrived at the center looking almost like a normal person and not like a stuffy professor who may or may not have been an alien in a previous life.
Spock spotted Kirk in the distance and walked up. "Jim," he said in greeting.
"Spock." Jim looked him over. He actually looked like a normal person! The lack of pointy ears was very disconcerting at this point, though. It just looked wrong. Rice Picker Accident wrong.
He gestured for Spock to follow him, and walked into the center. His earlier irritation had eased slightly, and while part of him still wanted to shoot Spock between his smug eyebrows, he thought it would be better to be on the same team, "Just pretend they're all those papers you had to grade."
"The work isn't the problem. Typically, it's the students." Spock corrected his friend while looking at the gear he was meant to put on his body. Before he placed the helmet on his head, he stared at it through narrowed eyes. He glanced at Kirk, doubtful, before putting it on and strapping more sensors onto his person.
"I have two particularly difficult students who seem to not understand that they simply can't turn everything in at the last moment and expect to pass with A's."
"Then shoot the students." Jim strapped the vest on, and then everything else, "Every one of the yellow team are those two students. Let some anger out Spock. Or at least some frustration. And don't shoot me in the back."
He grinned at the other man, "Team yellow doesn't know what’s going to hit them."
"I am not going to shoot you," Spock said, almost smiling. "Probably." He didn't mention that he wasn't particularly angry or frustrated and thus didn't have much to channel. Instead, he simply nodded at Kirk, observing his competitive streak like it was a science experiment because it was interesting.
"Do you think the yellow team gets much practice?"
Jim Kirk was indeed like a science experiment gone wrong at times. He stood at the entrance, waiting for their queue to go in, "Don't know."
He turned to size up Red Team, looking them over, "Most of you won't make it." He blamed the color of their team, "But we can still win. Most points, right."
He pointed at a pudgy man, "I want you on point. They'll have trouble hitting their sensors."
There was a girl with a brace, "You double around, they won't think you're a threat. You should be able to find some cover and take some of them out."
The last member of their team was a thin boy. He had long legs, Jim nodded at him, "Use your size and speed to draw their fire. Spock, you come with me. We'll flank them on the left."
Spock watched with interest as Kirk seemed to appoint himself leader and dole out orders. Had he a notepad or recording device available, he would have found a way to record the scene for later review. It seemed a perfect display of alpha male-ness, something Spock didn't ever really need to put on such aggressive display.
"Alright," Spock said calmly. He seemed to be rallying himself silently, but couldn't get quite as excited a Kirk.
At the count of ten, the gate opened! Kirk led Spock towards the left, ducking behind a pillar or wall of some sort, "If they actually listened we might make it out of this without losing anyone."
But they were red shirts, so he had his doubts. He shifted along the wall, and then motioned for Spock to follow. He pointed at another pillar, "I'll cover you."
Spock hesitated only a second before going. There was just something about Kirk's manner that made him seem trustworthy. Or, at the very least, like he knew what he was doing.
When he made his way safely to the pillar, Spock motioned for Kirk to follow. He would return the favor and cover his friend.
Jim rolled. If he wasn't careful he'd tear his shirt. He came up and opened fire as someone tried to get behind Spock. He peeked out from the pillar, trying to see how many were there. The scoreboard indicated Team Red was down to three people and Team Yellow still had four.
"This position is no good."
Spock hadn't yet really taken things in. He knew he needed to get a better idea of his surroundings and that from there, his analytical mind would come up with useful solutions to their problems. "What would you propose we do?"
"Figure out the best place to lay out an ambush," Jim replied, ducking down and looking for an escape route. He pointed, "Can you see if there's a way out through there?"
He wanted more room, and a place where they wouldn't be caught flat footed. Maybe Spock could figure out a plan, if he could see more of the arena.
It was in a detached tone that Spock spoke next, after having glanced around the area. "To the far right. There's a pillar and a bit of a bottleneck. We could flush them out easily." A pause. "I'm not sure how to get there without being shot."
Jim looked thoughtful. He picked up a rock, and threw it to the left, then darted towards the right, firing blindly as he went. He reached cover and started firing, to give Spock covering fire!
All they needed were Romulans.
There was a moment of utter confusion. Spock might have appreciated a little warning, but didn't shout out after Kirk for fear of giving their positions away. He glanced from side to side before running off, giving Kirk one last look that said he wasn't entirely pleased, and then taking off.
Spock fired, not entirely blind, but also not the best of shots. He had an odd feeling of satisfaction when under the belief that he'd hit a target. But that had faded quickly. He relaxed only when he made it to Kirk's side. "A little more warning next time," Spock said, only slightly cross.
Vulcan Death grip look? Jim shrugged, "Sorry. Will do."
He pointed at the score display, "Looks like you hit on. Its three to two now." he frowned. He'd hoped the others would have faired better luck, but it was just a game. It still didn't sit well with the Captain part of him.
"We need to lay an ambush."
Spock's eyes remained on the periphery, watching for movement. "Tell me what to do," Spock said with certainty.
"Go around that way." Kirk pointed, "See if you can draw some fire. I'll flank around that way and catch any stragglers. Stay low, we want to shoot them not get shot."
Spock sighed. He had the feeling that he was going to be shot, but didn't voice this concern. It was just a game, after all. Taking a deep breath, Spock checked around the corner and then moved, quick and with purpose. He did his best to keep his head low, not wanting to suffer a headshot.
Noticing movement out of the corner of his eye, Spock shot, hoping that what he missed, Kirk would hit.
Jim edged around a corner. He took one guy down, and then a second. He spun to the right as he saw movement, lifted his gun and opened fire!
A buzzer rang from his gun and he realized with horror he'd just shot Spock in the head. Horror turned to amusement and he started to laugh, nearly doubling over from it.
Spock looked puzzled, but he didn't entirely stop moving until he realized that he was, indeed, listening to Kirk laugh. Turning, he opened his mouth to ask what he was doing, but then realized that he'd been hit.
"Did you..." With brows furrowed and mouth open, Spock looked rather emotional. "You shot me." He frowned deeply and shot at Kirk, hitting him once in the chest.
Still laughing, Kirk lifted his gun and shot at Spock again, "What the hell man! It was an accident!"
His aim was off, but still managed to click the sensor on Spock's arm. His gun buzzed again and that didn't help with reigning in the laughter.
Watching Kirk laugh, with a brow raised, Spock's face became a familiar cool mask. The only real indication that he might have been frustrated or annoyed was that he raised his gun and shot Kirk twice more.
The buzzer rang, indicating the match was over. Red Team had lost. Still chuckling to himself, Jim hung up the gear, and then headed to a nearby snack stand to get them something to drink, "Want anything?"
Out of his gear and suddenly not frustrated anymore, Spock was standing alongside Kirk and almost feeling jovial. His face didn't betray this fact, of course. "Just water." He waited for Kirk to order and joined him again when he'd gotten the water and something for himself. "That wasn't quite as bad as I imagined it'd be."
"It was pretty fun. Maybe we'll try paintball. Easier to see. Hurts like a bitch though." He rubbed at his arm, finding a place where they could sit in the shade, "You get some gungho people in paintball though. Thinking its a real war, and everything."
Spock drank from his bottle of water. "So you're saying that the way you behaved wasn't especially gung-ho?" He was joking, but did not smile to indicate so. With grace, Spock took a seat in a shaded spot.
Kirk grinned, "Maybe a little gung ho. It's hard to get gung ho with a team like that, and you don't know their strengths."
He paused, then added, "Shooting you was gung ho."
"Shooting me was an accident," Spock corrected.
“You deserved it,” Kirk replied, smirking.
Spock only raised a brow in response, deciding to let that slide. In a sudden shift in topic, he asked, "Have you had any new dreams lately?"
Jim hesitated, then nodded his head, "Several. Pieces of a greater whole." He took a long swig of his drink, "Old you was in one again."
"Interesting." Spock nodded. "I'd like to hear about them." Before he let Kirk go into detail, though, he shared some information. "I have had a few new dreams. Most of them about a childhood," he stopped and glanced around, "on a different planet." Slowly, Spock was getting accustomed to the whole alien thing. "And I believe I had my first dream with you in it."
"Yeah? What happened in that dream?" Jim leaned forward, keeping his voice low. Last thing either of them needed was people thinking they'd gone completely off the rails. There was a good chance they already had, but they could at least keep their looney to themselves. Either way, Jim was all ears.
Spock launched himself right into it, "We were walking with a man. Sulu was there, too, actually. He was the Captain of the ship giving us orders. It seemed as though we were under attack. Things were... tense." A pause. "He named me captain of the ship because he was leaving and you became first officer. I wasn't especially pleased by this, but there wasn't anything I could do to change it." He sighed. "It was a short dream, but it felt very... important."
Jim shook his head, "I don't remember that. I remember being in a shuttle with Sulu and two other men. I think one was that captain, he was giving us orders. We were supposed to shut down some kind of drill. He dropped us and we were skydiving from orbit. I think that's a piece of where I saved Sulu's life." Jim rubbed his own shoulder, "Next one I had, you'd knocked me out somehow and had shoved me into an escape pod. You marooned me on an ice planet! It's where I met Scotty."
He sounded irritated, "I think you broke several regulations."
Spock's lip twitched at Kirk's allegation. "I see." He didn't, though, at least he didn't have a clear enough picture of everything to really understand what had gone on. It was frustrating to get little clips and pieces, especially when it seemed like there was so much more that they weren't seeing.
"Any news from Mr. Scott? Or Gaila? Or Sulu?"
"Nothing from Sulu yet," Jim replied, thoughtfully. "Gaila wouldn't talk about anything, and Scotty seems to have more dreams than I do. He's madly working away on his engine."
He added, "Christine, she's a friend of Bones', she seems to have some of the same dreams. And there's another woman who remembers us." He glanced at Spock, "But a different us. Like she's from this other timeline that we discussed in one of my dreams." He might have brought that up in a text conversation.
"She's a wild one, when you get her to loosen up." Jim grinned.
Making mental notes of the new people who seemed involved in their dream adventures, Spock nodded. He only really frowned at Jim's last statement, not really wanting to know who was and who was not wild. "What's her name?"
"Janice Rand," Jim replied. "She dreams about us being older. But a lot of the details are wrong. Vulcan still exists. I had that dream where we discussed our past being altered. I think she's dreaming about the unaltered past."
He looked at his drink, wishing he'd gotten another flavor. The after taste wasn't sitting well with him, "The one the old you remembers." Flashes of imagery from the mind meld played in his head.
Spock remained silent for a long moment. This was, quite possibly, the strangest conversation he'd ever had. "I see," he said rather neutrally. "Perhaps I will have to reach out to her sometime to ask her questions."
He nodded his head, "I'd support that." He felt like Janice needed to talk to the whole lot of them, really, and Spock was a good first choice. He looked over at the other man, "What do you think? Now that the dreams keep coming?"
"Honestly, Jim?" Spock glanced up at Kirk. "I don't know what to think. Not one bit of this makes sense. Our dreams are connected, which is supposed to be impossible. We're dreaming of what seems to be a different reality. But by the rules of this world, that is impossible. I am not an alien. We do not have a spaceship. And yet..." He let the sentence hang, doubt in his eyes.
"Then we need to accept we're breaking the rules. Or rewriting them." Jim put down his drink, and raised a finger, "It's an accepted scientific theory that there are more than the four dimensions of space and time. No one has yet disproven this. We're talking things just barely within our own understanding. Is it so impossible that there are things beyond the edge?"
"No," Spock admitted. "But this is beyond anything I might have ever imagined. The fact of the matter is that just because we're dreaming about something doesn't mean it's coming true. We are still the people we always have been." A pause. "There's no way to know whether Vulcan even exists." He almost looked sad, a shadow quickly passing over his face.
Scotty got that engine working, maybe they could find out. Or die spectacularly. One of the two. Kirk noted the shadow, his lips turning down slightly in response, "No, it might not in..whatever this is." He gestured around.
"I used to always focus on the star Vulcan was supposed to be around. A few other stars too, but that one. Like I just knew something was important about it."
Spock looked at Kirk in mid puzzlement. There was something about Jim that was just odd. "This is reality," Spock said after a moment. "This world, this life... it means something." He supposed that he found it weird that Kirk seemed so happy to leave it behind.
"It means something for some people," Jim replied. "Scraping together a day to day existence with the occasional wild time to shake things up." He shook his head. He was certain he was meant for more, and he'd missed the boat for any opportunity here on Earth.
Spock raised a brow. "The alternative is a universe where people are capable of destroying worlds." He realized that he wasn't entirely unbiased in this opinion. He didn't hate the world they'd dreamed up, but knew that that place held loss for him that was too large to describe.
"And we're not already capable of that? At least there we could survive as a species, even without Earth. Right now?"
He punched his fist into his palm, "One big rock and its all over."
Sighing, he took his drink, aimed, and threw it in a nearby trash can, "That it took so much to get you to lose it scares the shit out of me, you know."
"A fair point, I suppose." Spock sighed. With Kirk's last statement, he leaned in closer. "Why?" He didn't seem offended in the least.
"Well, it seems inhuman." He chuckled, "And you were half-human. That you could look at that level of death without flinching.... I didn't know whether to respect you, or pity you."
Spock leaned back then, feeling the smallest rush of hurt, but not quite knowing why. He didn't know much of Vulcan culture. The bits and pieces he could put together from his dreams told him that they felt, that they cared, but that they didn't show it. Holding emotions back, Spock knew from personal experience, didn't mean they didn't exist. "I doubt I would have much cared for being pitied." A pause. "And, to be fair, we hardly knew each other well on that ship. The Vulcan people are," he stopped, correcting himself, "were not without emotions. They believe in repression." Spock didn't really know why, of course, but figured it was for a good reason.
"You know what they say about the repressed, Spock. They have the worst outbursts when things finally bubble up." He supposed that would explain a lot, but was trying to lighten the mood again, "Respect then. That transcends species."
Spock nodded, appreciating Kirk's attempt at alleviating the quiet tension of the moment. "Respect," he repeated. Of course, it was moot. Spock wasn't an alien. But he figured it best to not argue that point.