I walked behind James, Uhura and Spock as John was surrounded by Starfleet soldiers and James opens the comm and speaks to McCoy.

“Bones, meet me on the bridge.”

“I’ll be right there.” McCoy replies and I look at James, he had slight cuts on his face, but I was bruised on both arms, small cuts on my face and that gash on my head, which I had a small headache, from the knock down I endured. Damn men and their tough skins. I sigh quietly and close my eyes quickly.

“Lieutenant, contact Starfleet, let ‘em know we have Harrison in custody. And we’ll be on our way once the warp core is repaired.” James ordered to Uhura who nods.

“Yes, sir.”

James walks away and I quietly walk after him. When we got to the Bridge we quickly change back into our Starfleet clothing and I walk quickly behind James and McCoy.

“Why the hell did he surrender?” He questions James as we rounded the corner and I shrug.

“I don’t know, but he just took out a squadron of Klingons single handedly. I wanna know how.” James replies and I look ahead.

“We might have a Superman on board.” I mutter under my breath and James snorts.

“You tell me.” We rounded another corner to walk in front of John’s prison, McCoy grabs the mechanical hole and makes it slightly bigger and takes out something.

“Put your arm through the hole.” McCoy says. “I’m gonna take a blood sample.”

John walks up to him lifting his sleeve, and McCoy begins talking a blood sample. John looks at James. “Why aren’t we moving, Captain?” questions John. “An unexpected malfunction perhaps in your warp core, conveniently stranding you on the edge of the Klingon space?”

“How the hell did you know that?” McCoy asks him in shock.

“Bones.” James stops him and McCoy turn around and looks at James.

“I think you'd find my insight valuable, Captain.” John reminds him making me look at James.

“Are we good?” James questions McCoy and he nods. “Let me know what you find.”

We begin walking off when John calmly stated to James. “Ignore me, and you will get everyone on this ship killed!”

We stop and look at James. “Captain, I believe he will only attempt to manipulate you. I would not recommend engaging the prisoner further.”

“I agree with Spock, Captain.” It took a lot of strength to say Captain because it was so. . . foreign to me still, especially after Pike’s death.

“Give me a minute.” James said to both of us, we nod and we leave, but I stop before Spock could see me and I see James head back to John’s cell and I make sure I could hear them. “Let me explain what’s happening here.” James began speaking to John, and I was almost in shock, he has never been this mad before. “You are a criminal, I watched you murder innocent men and women. I was authorized to end you! And the only reason why you are still alive is because I am allowing it. So shut your mouth!”

I take in a deep breath and watch him, I could see how tense he was. “Oh, Captain, you can punch me again, over and over, until your arm weakens. Clearly you want to. So, tell me, why did you allow me to live?” John replies in question.

I was actually wondering the same thing. Why was he keeping John alive?

“We all make mistakes.”

John stares at him and says; “No. I surrendered to you because despite your attempt to convince me otherwise, you seem to have a conscience, Mr. Kirk. If you did not, then it would be impossible for me to convince you of the truth. 2-3-1-7-4-6-1-1. Coordinates not far from Earth. If you want to know why I did what I did, go and take a look.”

‘2-3-1-7-4-6-1-1. . . they sound familiar. . .’ I began thinking and quickly walked off.

“Give me one reason on why I should listen to you?” James questioned him as soon I as was out of ear range.

“I can give you seventy-two.” John replied to him. “And they’re on board your ship, Captain. They have been, all along. I suggest you open one up.”

~*Edge of Glory*~

“Are you out of your corn fed mind? You’re not gonna actually listen to this guy. He killed Pike, he almost killed you and Aria, and now you think it’s a good idea to pop open a torpedo because he dared you to?” McCoy was whispering and yelling at James as we stood on the bridge.

“I agree with McCoy, Captain,” I nod my head. My wounds were treated and the headache was gone, but I still have little cuts here and there.

“Why did he save our lives, Bones?” James asks and looks at me. “Ms. Hale.”

“The Doctor and Ms. Hale do have a point, Captain.”

“Don’t agree with us, Spock!” McCoy yells at him. “Makes me very uncomfortable.”

“Perhaps you too should learn to govern your emotions, Doctor. In this situation, logic dictates that we have. . .” Spock told him.

“Logic! My God! There's a maniac trying to make us blow up our own damn ship, and you’re talking about. . .”

“Okay, stop it guys!” I call out to them. “We don’t know why he surrendered, but that’s not it. So, if we’re gonna open a torpedo, the question is how?”

“But, Aria, without Mr. Scott on board, who exactly is qualified to just pop open a four ton stick of dynamite?” McCoy questions me.

“The Admiral’s daughter appeared to be have interest in the torpedoes and she is a weapons specialist. Perhaps she could be of some use.”

We all looked at Spock confused. Admiral’s Daughter? Carol. . . Oh, my god. How did I seriously miss this. . .

“What Admiral’s daughter?” James asks Spock, you can tell he's clearly confused.

“Carol Marcus. Your new Science Officer concealed her identity to board the ship.”

“And when were you going to tell me this?” questions James almost annoyed at Spock for not telling him.

“When it became relevant.” Spock told him. “As it just did.”

~*Edge of Glory*~

“Mommy, when you coming home?”

“Soon baby, I promise.” I smile to Chasity who was on the comm with me, the Daycare called telling me she wanted to talk.

“Where’s daddy. . .?”

“He’s busy right now baby, I’m sorry.” I say sadly. “We’ve been busy honey, but I promise we’ll be home and you’ll come with us next time okay. . .?”

“Okay. . .”

“Mommy has to go right now, she has to help daddy before he goes crazy.”

“Okay, I love you mommy!”

I smile sadly and reply. “I love you too baby, later.”

“Later!”

I hung up the comm and looked outside into Space, how much I miss her and I try to regain myself, I have to be strong. I took a deep breath and walk out of my room to see no one there. I then walk to the bridge to see people there of course.

“Mr. Sulu, have Doctors Marcus and McCoy landed on the planetoid yet?” James questions Sulu, I blink, the torpedo?

“Yes, sir.” Sulu replies. “They’re moving the torpedo in position right now.”

I was in shock, something was wrong! “Captain, I don’t think-” I began speaking but he cut me off by saying. “Good! Any activity from the Klingon’s?”

Sulu shakes his head. “Not yet, but if we’re stuck here much longer, they will find us.”

“Lieutenant Uhura, did you let Starfleet know we have Harrison in custody?” James questions Uhura who nods her head.

“Yes, sir.”

“Captain-” I began again but was cut off again.

“Hello, Captain, can you hear me?”

“Mr. Chekov, give me some good news.” James asks.

“We found the leak, sir, but the damage is substantial! We are working on it.” Chekov replies to James making me sigh harshly.

“Any idea what caused it?”

“No, sir. But I accept full responsibility.”

“Something tells me it isn’t your fault.” James said to him. “Stay on it” and then he ends the call when Sulu says to the Captain.

“Shuttle is standing by, Captain.”

“Bones, thanks for helping out. Dr. Marcus asked for the steadiest hands on the ship.” James thanks McCoy.

“You know, when I dreamed about being stuck on a deserted planet with a gorgeous woman, there was no torpedo.” McCoy said to the Captain and I chuckle quietly.

“McCoy may we remind you that you’re not there to flirt!” I call out to him in a laugh.

“So, how can these legendary hands help you Dr. Marcus?” McCoy questions Carol making me laugh once more.

“Bones!”

~*Edge of Glory*~

“To understand how powerful these weapons are we need to open the warhead. To do that, we need to access the fuel compartment. Unfortunately for us, the warheads on these weapons are live.” Carol tells McCoy as she prepares the torpedo.

“Sweetheart, I once a performed an emergency C-section on a pregnant Gorn. Octuplets. Let me tell you, those little bastards bite. I think I can work some magic on your missile.” McCoy says to Carol.

“Dr. McCoy, there’s a bundle of fiber optic-cables against the inner casing. You’ll need to cut the twenty-third wire down. Whatever you do, do not touch anything else. Do you understand?”

“Right. The thought never crossed my mind.” McCoy replies to her and gets ready to cut the wire on the torpedo.

“Dr. McCoy, wait for my word. I'm re-routing the detonation processor. Are you ready?” questions Carol and McCoy nods.

“And raring.”

“Good luck.”

When he goes to cut it and it slammed on his arm.

~*Edge of Glory*~

I gasp when I heard McCoy yell out in pain.

“Sir, the torpedo armed itself.”

“The warhead's gonna detonate in thirty seconds!” A voice said and I was in shock when I heard McCoy ask.

“What the hell happened? I can’t get my arm out!”

“Get their signal, beam them back right now!” James calls out.

“Transporter cannot differentiate between Dr. McCoy and the torpedo. We cannot beam back one without the other.” Spock replies to James.

“Dammit. . .” I curse under my breath. “Can you disarm it?”

“I’m trying!” Carol calls out. “I’m trying!”

“Jim, get her the hell out of here!” McCoy called out to James.

“No. If you beam me back, he dies! Just let me do it!” Carol intervenes with this, and continues trying to disarm the torpedo.

“Ten, nine, eight. . .”

“McCoy you’re not helping her!” I yell out to him, heart thumping against my chest. We couldn’t lose him!

“Standing by to transport Dr. Marcus on your command, sir.” Sulu tells James.

“Four, three. . .” McCoy continues counting down and I gasp not looking.

“SHIT” I hear Carol say and heard rip something out, I look and hear no explosion. I let out a deep breath.

“Deactivation successful, Captain.” Sulu sighs in relief.

“Dr. McCoy you alright?”

When we heard nothing on the other end, something didn’t feel right. And my feeling. . . was normally right.

“Bones?”

“Jim, you’re gonna wanna see this.”

There was someone in the torpedo.

~*Edge of Glory*~

I walk behind James and we see the torpedo.

“What have we got?” questions James as stop to look at it.

“It’s quite clever, actually. This fuel container’s been removed from the torpedo and retro fitted to hide this cryo-tube.” Carol answers him walking off with a piece of torpedo.

“Is he alive?” I ask McCoy looking at the man.

McCoy nods. “He’s alive, but if we try to revive him with out the proper sequencing, it could kill him. This technology is beyond on me.”

“How advanced, Doctor?” Spock asks him looking up at him.

“It’s not advanced.” Carol corrected McCoy walking back to us. “That cryo-tube is ancient.”

“We haven’t needed to freeze anyone since we develop warp capability. Which explains the most interesting thing about our friend here.” McCoy said. “He’s three hundred years old.”

‘THREE HUNDRED YEARS OLD!’ I thought in shock!

~*Edge of Glory*~

I was walking fast behind James as we stopped in front John’s cell and James stood there in silence as John sat there, breathing. He knew the question that was coming.

“Why is there a man in that torpedo?” James questions him.

John looked at him slowly and began is response. “There are men and women in all those torpedoes, Captain. I put them there.”

Spock, James and I look at one another, wondering. I then looked at John and asked him one important question that was on everyone’s mind.

“Who the hell are you?”

“A remnant of a time long past. Genetically engineered to be superior, so as to lead others to peace in a world at war. But we were condemned as criminals, forced into exile.” John was replying. “For centuries we slept, hoping when we awoke things would be different. But as a result of the destruction of Vulcan, your Starfleet began to aggressively search distant quadrants of space. My ship was found adrift, I alone was revived.”

“I looked up John Harrison.” James told him. “Until about a year ago he didn’t exist.”

“John Harrison was a fiction created the moment I was awoken by your admiral Marcus to help him advance his cause, a smokescreen to conceal my true identity.” John got up and walked towards us and I stood quickly next to James, I knew he couldn’t hurt us, but he was sending chills down my spine, my arms had goosebumps all over the place. “My name is. . . Khan.”

“Why would a Starfleet Admiral ask a three hundred year old frozen man for help?” I ask him quickly.

“Because I am better.” Khan replies.

I look at James who asked him one question. “At what?”

“Everything.” Khan replies to him and continues. “Alexander Marcus needed to respond to an uncivilized threat in a civilized time, but for that he needed a warriors mind, my mind, to design weapons and warships.”

“You are suggesting the Admiral violated every regulation he vow to uphold simply because he wanted to exploit your intellect.” inquired Spock.

“He wanted to exploit my savagery. Intellect alone is useless in a fight, Mr. Spock. You...you can’t even break a rule, how would you be excepted to break bone?” Khan challenged. “Marcus used me to design weapons, to help him realize his vision of a militarized Starfleet.”

Khan turns to James and me while he continues. “He sent you to use those weapons, to fire my torpedoes on an unsuspecting planet. And then he purposely crippled your ship in enemy space, leading to one inevitable outcome.” I take a deep breath. “The Klingons will come searching for whomever was responsible, and you would have no chance of escape. Marcus would finally have the war, he talked about the war, he always wanted.”

“No. No. I watched you open fire in a room full of unarmed Starfleet officers. You killed them in cold blood!” James called out

“Marcus took my crew from me!”

“You are a murderer!” James retaliates.

“He used my friends to control me. I tried to smuggle them to safety by concealing them in the very weapons I had designed. But I was discovered, I had no choice but to escape alone. And when I did, I had every reason to suspect that Marcus had killed every single one of the people I hold most dear.” Khan replies sadly as a tear roll down his face. “So I responded in kind. My crew is my family, Kirk. Is there anything you would not do for your family?”

I look at James in wonderment, wondering thing same thing. Would he do everything to protect his family. . . this family?

“Proximity alert, sir. There’s a ship at warp heading right for us.” Sulu’s voice said over the comm.

“Is it Klingon’s, Sulu?” I question him.

“At warp? No.” Khan hints to him. “Kirk, we both know who it is?”

I stare at James in shock, it couldn’t be. “I don’t think so, it’s not coming at us from Kronos.”

“James. . .” I look at him in question. He knew. I’m sure he did.

We all run off quickly to the bridge as James commands a Lieutenant. “Lieutenant, move Khan to medbay, post six security officers on him.”

“Yes, sir!”

~*Edge of Glory*~

“Captain on the bridge!” Sulu announces

“ETA on the ship.” James questions him.

“Three seconds, sir.” Sulu answers as James takes a seat in his chair and I stood next to him.

“Shields.”

“Aye, Captain.”

I took a huge breath when I saw a huge ship in front of us, I was in shock on how huge it was, what was it called? Was that the ship that was for Khan, I had to guess. This whole thing didn’t make sense to me, but – I had to do what I can to think about it. Hard.

“They’re hailing us, sir.” Uhura warned us.

“On screen. Broadcast ship wide for the record.” James told Uhura who nods and does so, we then see Marcus on the screen and I instantly froze. My heart thumped through my chest, I could hear it, and I could feel the sweat building on my head and I began to shake in fear. “Admiral Marcus, I wasn’t excepting you. It’s a hell of a ship you got there.”

“And I wasn’t expecting to get word that you'd taken Harrison into custody in violation of your orders.” Marcus had rudely said.

“Well, we uh...we had to improvise when our warp core unexpectedly malfunctioned. But you already knew that, didn’t you, sir?” James responded to him.

“I don’t take your meaning.”

I intervened in question before James could reply. “Well, that’s why you're here, isn’t it? To assist with our repairs? Why else would the head of Starfleet personally come to the edge of the Neutral Zone?”

“Captain, their scanning our ship.” Sulu said quietly to us as he noticed the scan.

“Is there something we can help you find, sir?” James questions him.

“Where is your prisoner, Kirk?”

“Per Starfleet regulation, I’m planning on returning Khan to Earth to stand trial.” James counters to Marcus.

“Well, shit. You talked to him. It’s exactly what I was hoping to spare you from. I took a tactical risk and I woke that bastard up, believing that his superior intelligence could help us protect ourself from whatever came at us next.” Marcus snides to James. “But I made a mistake. And now the blood of everybody he’s killed is on my hands. So, I’m asking you, give him to me, so that I can end what I started.”

“And what exactly would you like us to do with the rest of his crew, sir?” I interjected quickly with a question again. “Fire them at the Klingons, end seventy-two lives? Start a war in the process?”

“He put those people in those torpedoes. And I simply didn’t want to burden you with knowing what was inside of them. You saw what this man can do all by himself. Can you imagine what would happen if we woke up the rest of his crew. What else did he tell you?” Marcus asks us straight. “That he's a peace keeper? He's playing you, son. Don’t you see that? Khan and his crew were condemned to death as war criminals. And now it is our duty to carry out that sentence before anybody else dies because of him.”

There was a moment of silence and I touch the back of James’ chair almost in fear. This didn’t go unnoticed by James, of course. He wished he could comfort me but we had to keep this professional. It was hard.

“I’m gonna ask you again! One last time, son. Lowers your shields, tell me where he is.”

James replies to him quickly. “He’s in Engineering, sir. But I’ll have him moved to the transporter room right away.”

Marcus nods; “I’ll take it from here.”

Marcus signs out and James got up and told Sulu. “Do not drop those shields, Mr. Sulu.”

“Aye, Captain.”

“What is your plan, Captain?” I ask him around the same time Spock questions him.

“Captain, given your awareness of Khan’s true location in the medbay, may I know the details of your plan?”

James pauses for a moment. “I told Marcus we were bringing a fugitive back to Earth. That’s what we're gonna do.”

I take a deep breath and open the comm to ask for James who looked at me. “Chekov can we warp?”

“Ma’am, if we go to warp, we run the risk of seriously damaging the core!”

“Can we do it?”

“Technically, yes. But I would not advise it, Ari.”

“Noted.” James said signing off. “Mr. Sulu, set course for Earth.”

“Yes, sir.”

He punches in the coordinates quickly and James orders to. “Punch it.”

The ship quickly disappears from the giant one, heading for Earth.