Chapter Text
James Tiberius Kirk hated the traces of weakness from his death, which currently manifested as slight tremors in his hands. The serum from Khan's blood had restored him to health, but slowly and not without pain. A process which was not helped by the endless rounds of meetings and official hearings with Starfleet Command, not to mention hounding by the media.
After Marcus attacked the Enterprise and Khan destroyed a large chunk of San Francisco, Starfleet Command took a long, hard look internally and all hell broke loose. Marcus' roots went deep. Multiple admirals. Even more captains and commanders. Section 31. The incidents that started with 'John Harrison' blowing up the Kelvin Archive ended in the utter destruction of everything Marcus had been trying to create, but it gutted a Starfleet already decimated by Nero, the destruction of the Enterprise and the Vengeance's fiery crash into a city full of Fleet personnel.
On top of that, there was the issue of Khan Noonien Singh and his family, augmented humans all. They had committed terrible crimes in the past. Khan had committed terrible crimes in the present. And Khan had terrible crimes committed on him. It was enough to make the Brass, already strained the brink, want to forget the whole thing, stuff Khan back in his cryotube and hide them all away for eternity.
But Jim wouldn't let them. He'd made a promise and even if the bastard Khan had gone back on his end, he would keep his word. Khan had accompanied him, and they'd stopped Marcus. The rest, in terms of the promise, were details. He'd sworn to look after Khan's crew and locking them away for eternity didn't cut it.
Cue another round of endless meetings with the top Brass, this time in the bizarre position of arguing against his own instincts. He'd called in every favor and used his own position as the savior of the world and the one who brought to light (however accidentally) the corruption of Starfleet to work out a reasonable solution.
But after all of that, he was weary, hands trembling and knees honestly a little weak, and all he wanted was a year in bed. To fucking sleep. And instead, he was here, at a maximum security prison (which still didn't give him that much confidence), preparing himself to face a man who had crushed a person's skull with his bare hands at their last meeting. And he'd argued against freezing Khan forever.
It was perhaps debatable which one of them was the crazier...
Squaring his shoulders, he strolled across the bland gray floor and gazed through the clear partition between himself and the prisoner. "Well, this seems familiar," Jim drawled in his most obnoxious voice. He smiled winningly at the other man. "Hey there, Khan. How's it hanging?"
Singled out from the rest of the criminals modern society deemed dangerous, Khan was simply in a class of his own. No one else shared his hallway, and after learning the hard way, human guards were no longer used to bring him food or monitor him in person. Everything was pulled back, and Khan was handled with great care and distance between himself and the human lives he so easily broke. The room had been recently modified to accommodate him, a buzzing field of electricity kept him from breaking the wall of glass that made up the front of his cage. And all amenities had been stripped, so that nothing, absolutely nothing, not even a blanket, could be used as a weapon. Not that he was interested in sleeping. Or eating. But it was beginning to show.
Wearing shackles that bound his arms to his sides, Khan had only the use of his arm from the elbow to his wrist. Allowing him the free use of his arms and hands had proven dangerous. Within the first few hours of his capture, he had no reason to abide by the laws imposed upon him and fought back. Angry and vicious, Khan had paralyzed two men, and seriously maimed three others before excessive force was authorized, and he was brought down. Ever since, he was treated like the intelligent, wild animal he was. Caged, that seething rage rested just behind his eyes, awaiting the opportunity for his revenge.
His people were gone. Killed, murdered before his eyes. And it ate away at him, knowing he would never be able to reach down, pull them out of their sleep and hear their voices again. To embrace them, like brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. His beloved, loyal crew, his beautiful family. Instead, he held onto them with his perfect memory, muttering their names to himself some nights, keeping them close to his heart, never to be forgotten.
"Captain," Khan snarled. It was not said with respect, but mockingly. But the title was used just the same. "Have you come here, to end me?" He smirked, remembering his turn of the phrase. It was not an easy thing to do, but Khan would like to see him try.
"Nah, I've given up the executioner business. It wasn't really my style," Jim said and looked over the augment with as quick a glance from head-to-toe as possible. He didn't want to be caught lingering over certain well-developed parts of a madman. He wasn't really suicidal anymore.
"I wanted to let you know what was going on in the larger world. I've heard you managed to lose all of your privileges in here, which is quite a feat. I'd congratulate you, but I'm sure you'd just proclaim yourself better and be annoying about it." He flashed his most winning smile. "Still, being a murderous ass has kind of put you in a bad way. And didn't exactly make my task of getting you and your family forgiven eternal popsicle status any easier."
Shoulders slowly shifting, Khan looked much like one of the great cats, settling himself before the kill. "How. Dare. You." Khan growled, his upper lip twitching as if he couldn't wait to tear out Kirk's throat himself. "I did not expect such macabre humor from you, Captain. How DARE you use my crew against me, even now." He approached the glass, behaving as though it weren't even there, ignoring the threatening buzz of electricity that would repel him should he choose to move another inch. He gave Kirk a look of utter disgust. "What is it you want, atrocious child?" That's all Kirk was after all, a bratty kid with a starship. "Or is mocking my pain truly fulfilling enough for you?"
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Jim said. "You don't even know?!" He shook his head a little at the utter contemptibleness of other people and then faced Khan. "Spock had your people removed from their torpedoes before he allowed you to beam them to the Vengeance. They’re safe and sound in a Starfleet storage facility. All seventy-two of them." He paused to let that sink in, expecting more disbelief and anger.
Khan stared at Kirk quietly, reading the truth in his face. This was not another deception. This was not getting shot while on the same side. This was not another betrayal. This was a peace offering. At least Khan took it as such. "I was not aware. No,” he said, all too calmly. But in his heart, there was once again hope. He could save them. Even from behind these walls, trapped and caged. He could save them. He had to save them.
"What does your Starfleet intend to do with my people?" he asked, prepared to read any lie in Kirk. He did not praise the elaborate deception; the fact that it had fooled him was enough and did not requite any further acknowledgement.
Jim should have known Khan wouldn't even bother to thank him for the information. The man was good at showing arrogance, rage and haughty disdain, but a failure at managing anything else. Definitely not better at all things.
"Well, that's the thing," Jim said and scowled at Khan. "I keep my promises, even if you don't. I said I would see to their safety. I've just spent the last week of my life fighting to make sure you all don't end up sleeping for eternity, and in return, Starfleet Command has decided that I'm the one who is going to be responsible for them...and you. They've left the decision as to what exactly to do with you to my discretion...and your good behavior."
"I see," Khan said quietly, taking a step back. He had been in this position before. For the Admiral, he had to behave, give him what he wanted, for the sake of keeping his people safe. It seemed he would have to do so, again. Khan paced in the small room, his stride unnatural with his arms bound to his side. After a few moments he stopped and closed his eyes. "And what is your decision, Captain?" he asked, his tone calm. "If you alone have been found worthy to judge me and my people, what is your decision?"
Jim watched him with narrowed eyes and said, "That's not what I said. I said they left the ultimate discretion up to me. But how about we turn this around? What do you think would be fair?" He wondered what Khan thought being good meant. Did he believe Jim would use him like Marcus? Exploit his intellect and strength? Maybe demand other things? Jim felt ill.
Or maybe that was just the long-term results of being dead and resurrected using Khan's blood? And oh great, Khan didn't know about that yet. Later. One thing at a time.
"You might also want to take into account your behavior. Especially since your backstabbing nearly resulted in the death of all these people you hold so dear."
"Backstabbing? Tell me, Captain, who was it that alerted you to the treachery of your Starfleet? That the weapons you were meant to use, to start a war, were in fact the lives of my people? Who provided with you intelligence and safe passage onto the Vengeance? The backstabbing I recall, Captain, was your attempt to neutralize me in the middle of our mission." Had Kirk shown faith in Khan, would it have played out differently? Well, they would never know. But clearly Khan considered himself an honorable man, and the backstabbing comment did not sit well with him.
"Now, you chastise me for not showing loyalty towards you? Or Starfleet? Cannot you see why? I have been on the leash before, Captain. It did not end well for Admiral Marcus," he reminded him, testing Kirk's resolve to indeed go down this path with him. "You want me to behave, I shall behave. You want to see me submit, to see how far I will go for my people, I will submit. But do not treat me as the enemy, and I shall not regard you as such, either." Kirk had come in with the peace offering in the form of his beloved crew, so Khan set the terms of their peace.
"All of those things suited your purpose," Jim said, "and not a one was done without serious calculation on your part. Yeah, I had Scotty stun you- stun you, by the way- but only because I'd seen firsthand evidence of how you treat people. Your family means something to you, but the rest of us are as expendable as any other insect who happens to annoy you." He ran a hand through his hair and blew out a harsh breath.
"I don't want false loyalty or anything else you're not inclined to give. I just want you not to go around crushing people's skulls or shooting them down in cold blood. My definition of good behavior from you is pretty damned low. But it's about all I think you can manage. And I'm not even sure about that."
"That still doesn't answer the question of what to do with all of you," Jim said. "Were you anyone else, I might think of trying to reintroduce you to society. You certainly have the ability to learn and catch up with the time you have missed. But actually coexist...survey says no."
"No, I agree with you Captain." Khan admitted easily. "As you have read in your history books, and as you can see in me, my people no longer have a place here. We were bred for a single purpose, one that is no longer relevant. We are an endangered species, and integration would kill us." Khan drew in a deep breath, then let out a slow sigh, but still faced Kirk head on for this talk.
"I was not so poorly regarded before," Khan began, his tone much calmer, almost gentle as he remembered the past. "I had an extensive reach across most of Asia, and the people under me- humans," Khan clarified, "were taken care of. Protected." What had once been some of the poorest, most destitute countries, had found new life under Khan's rule. "But at the height of the Eugenics Wars, I saw where it was headed. So I made plans. I took my people and we left Earth. I stand by that decision. We are no longer meant for Earth." There was much history there, but Khan reined in the conversation to be more direct. "Let me take my people into deep space, to find our place once more, on our own terms."
"Ha, ha, not a chance," Jim said. "I enjoyed your sanitized version of history, though. I'd say you tell it to make it easier to sleep at night, except I don't think you give a flying fuck about the blood you spilled to earn your extensive reach and 'take care' of us poor little non-augments." He made some exaggerated air quotes around the words 'take care.' "Still, regardless of our pathetic little minds, we're not so inclined to just let you loose in deep space without any means of keep an eye on you and give you access to modern technology."
He made his own series of pacing steps around the room and then turned back. "I've got a list of about ten M class planets, all of them safe for human habitation and without any sentient or soon-to-be sentient lifeforms. My proposal is to find the one best suited to your needs, beam the cryotubes of your folks, you and the fundamentals you need to build a civilization and leave you be. We'll check in now and then to make sure you haven't reduced yourselves to scorched earth, but otherwise, have no contact between us."
They were stubborn, the both of them. Khan smirked in place of being annoyed with the other man. Kirk was comfortable with the biased storytelling of the history books, where as Khan was confident in his version, having lived it first hand. "Have a care with your words, Captain. I agree with you, that Earth and its people no longer need us; no longer need wolves to protect them from the other scary creatures in the night. But you did, once." Khan kept his eyes on Kirk, watching for any hint of understanding.
"You should feel relieved, that I have no desire to reclaim Earth." With seventy-two of his people, and himself as their leader, they could easily rain down fire and destruction upon Earth, and bask in its wastelands if they so wished. But that was not what Khan wanted, for himself or his people. He was not like the other 'augments' who were driven to extinction. There was a reason why he survived the war and the others did not. "But a home- a planet of our own." Khan let his gaze finally drift away in thought. "Yes. Yes, that would be good."
"No, Khan, what we needed was an enemy to focus on to finally unite us as one people, instead of thousands of different peoples," Jim said. "And you augments managed to fit that bill beautifully, didn't you? Thousands of years of us being at constant war and internal strife with ourselves, and after a few years of you all, we threw it all away for good. United as a planet. You must be so proud." He scoffed at the other words and tossed an annoyed hand at him. "We're not alone anymore. There are hundreds of other planets and other races now who align with humans."
A shiver overtook him for a second, and he took a deep breath, mustering strength again. "Fuck, right, enough of this. You're good with the planet. I'm good with the idea of a planet. Excellent."
Khan however was not fond of the continued use of the term, augments. It was a derogatory term to his ears and continued to rub him the wrong way. But he needed to play nice. He let Kirk's further comments on the issue roll off him to be ignored. Diplomacy was required. Patience. "Thank you, Captain," he said at last, now that it had been properly earned.
"I would like to review the selected planets as soon as possible. Geography. Natural resources. Proximity to other inhabited planets." Khan remained tireless in his efforts, prepared to move forward then to bask in this small accomplishment. "When may I be allowed these?"
"No time soon," Jim said. "As you may remember, you've had a few issues with your guards since you got here. Which is why you're in the modern version of solitary confinement, a punishment we don't really like to inflict on anyone. So, for the foreseeable future, you're going to be alone in here, without any kind of information. I might be able to get you a few books..."
Meantime, Jim had to work out a 'safe' way to move Khan and his people to a new planet, without giving him the opportunity to break free and try anything. Which Jim had no doubt he would, no matter what he swore. The Enterprise had several more months of repair ahead of her, as did Jim himself, if he were honest about his current health, so at least he would have time. He and Spock and maybe the old Spock, too, would have to design and run as many simulations of various scenarios as they could devise for this. Khan would try anyway, but at least the odds could be turned more in their favor.
"The issues I had," Khan said smoothly, "were because I thought myself alone. My people, gone. And Starfleet, my enemy." But he could temper his rage now and not despair in failing his people. "That has changed." Therefore, Khan would change his behavior. He would endure being left here alone and had a reason to play by the rules. A proper 'augment' would cut that weakness out of his life, be purely autonomous. But not Khan. His family were embedded well in his heart and his mind; everything he did, he did for them. It was love and it was loyalty, and Khan had no desire to be rid of it.
"Will you visit me, Captain?" Khan asked abruptly. "When you deliver your books? Or will our encounters remain sterile?" It was perhaps the safe way about things, but Khan was curious nevertheless.
Sterile. That reminds Jim.
"There's one other thing you should know," Jim said. "Not that I'm sure you'll care, but you might, so-" He paused and took a moment to try and find the words, but frankly, they would not come in any kind of smooth manner.
"Right. So, when you decided to destroy the Enterprise, you managed to kill me. Knocked the warp core out of alignment. I had to get it back so that the engines would work and the Enterprise wouldn’t burn up in the atmosphere. Exposed myself to massive radiation. Blah. Blah." He gestured in the same way he had when he'd dismissed the whole story about skydiving on to the Romulan's mining platform. "Anyway, Bones- Dr. McCoy, he managed to revive me with a serum made of your blood, which has also helped me heal the damage. So, yeah, that happened."
Khan did not mind that Kirk had not answered his question. His attention had been claimed by something much more intriguing. Khan tilted his head slightly, regarding Kirk with new eyes. "You." He seemed to both laugh shortly and scoff in one breath. They were quite alike, and now, they shared the same blood. But instead of being threatened by this, Khan seemed to draw comfort from it.
"You live and die, for them," Khan said, tone expressing that he held respect for this. "Now that you have my blood, I wonder, what will you do with it?" There were many moral implications to using his blood, but for now, they were left unaddressed. Khan licked his lips. "How does it feel, to have something of me, bring you to life?"
"Do with it? Nothing." Jim's voice was firm and strong on that one. Bones had nearly lost everything in his somewhat questionable decision to use Khan's blood, even if he had only taken enough of a sample to make a serum out of it. And it was very close to the same kind of human augmentation that had long been outlawed anyway. Extraordinary circumstances, but Jim knew the potential implications. Another mess they were trying to clean up. That and Spock going feral on the augment's ass. Jesus.
"I feel like they should have left me dead," Jim said, the weariness now in his tone. "But they didn't, so I just have deal with it and all the complications. However, I guess I figure it's fair that your blood saved me, after your actions killed me. Otherwise, I haven't really had time to dwell on it."
He already had a mass of mental and emotional issues, what was one more on top of the Kelvin, Tarsus IV, his step-father's abuse, the Narada, etc., ad naseum? Though dying and coming back to life... that was something he'd need to think on when he had a moment. Which wasn't going to be anytime soon.
"Sure, I'll bring the books. Any requests?"
"I find it fair as well," Khan said, expressing no displeasure that his blood had been taken from him without consent, only to be used to save Kirk's life. His approval was not required of course, but it helped, if there was indeed to be peace between them. Khan gave Kirk one last parting glance before he turned his back and retreated to the far end of his cage. With his back against the wall, Khan sank down to the floor to sit, in place of having a chair or bed to rest on. "I have missed over three-hundred years of literature. I must defer to your judgment, Captain." In the meantime, Khan would need to rest, and perhaps eat, now that he had a reason to.
And just like that, Jim was dismissed from Khan's presence. He took a moment to silently marvel at the way the other man could just do that and wondered if he would offer lessons. That made him snicker a little to himself.
"Not a lot of the last three hundred years of literature exists in paper format," Jim said. "I'll see what there is." He turned away from Khan and made for the door, mind already turned to his bed and sleep. The next day's calendar was free, and Jim's only plan was to turn off all electrical equipment (especially communicators) and spend all day between his very comfortable sheets.
* * *
The weeks passed by swiftly, full of both pleasant (watching the Enterprise be refit) and unpleasant (personally contacting the families of every crew member lost) duties. Almost everyone got some sort of commendation for their actions to stop Khan and Marcus, but Bones and Spock ended up with official demerits, too, for the events that occurred after Jim's death. But they were still his CMO and First Officer, so nobody got too upset about it all. And the information on how Bones used Khan's blood mysteriously vanished from Starfleet databases.
Jim wasn't the only genius level offender from Iowa for nothing.
His own health situation had improved, as he managed to get some rest and eat the disgustingly healthy diet Bones recommended. He'd begun to notice a few odd things, in fact, about himself now that he was back in tip-top shape. Tip-top seemed to be a bit (fuck it all) better than before. Not that he'd told anybody yet. He wasn't a damned augment, thank you!
Speaking of augments, Jim hadn't checked on Khan since their first meeting, except for a brief visit to drop off five books he'd scraped together for the man. This time, he had a free afternoon, another set of books and a PADD full of information that he figured Khan would appreciate. He strolled in to the augment's cell area and noticed that he had been granted a few sticks of furniture (including a bed, chair and table), but otherwise appeared the same. "Hey ho, mighty Khan. How is life?"
Reclining on his bed, Khan was no longer bound by his arm restraints either. He glanced up from the book Kirk had previously supplied him, reading it for the third time that afternoon. The 22nd time in total. The history of Vulcan was perhaps intended as a small jab, but Khan had devoured it nevertheless. "You seem well, Captain." Khan said coolly, finishing off the paragraph he had been reading before setting it aside and standing.
Khan had taken to eating and sleeping again and looked better for it. Though with Kirk as his only visitor, there was no one to notice the change. Looking Kirk over, picking out the small changes, Khan noticed that he carried himself differently, ever so slightly. But with the glass and electric barrier between them, it was difficult to get the read on Kirk that he wanted.
No matter the tone, Jim always heard the word 'captain' from Khan's mouth the same way the word 'son' had sounded like 'fuck-up' when his step-father said it. Still, he flashed his best shit-eating grin and said, "Sure am. Lots of rest and good food-" his insides twisted on the remains of salad and more salad Spock and Bones foisted on him for lunch "-make a new man out of me."
He noted the book in Khan's hands and said, "Brought you a few more books. I'm sure you've long since run through those. You could ask the guards for some more, you know. You might be allowed by now." He opened the small portal in the middle of the electric barrier and placed the new books and the PADD inside, before closing it just as quickly. "And I brought something else you might like."
Khan waited patiently as the books were delivered and retrieved them once they were on his side of the barrier. "You do realize, there is no one to ask. You are the only human face I see," he said as a matter of fact; it sounded relaxed, but there was something there, just under the surface that did wish for some contact. Even just to antagonize a guard or two. But then again, that was probably why none were permitted to have contact with him. "Thank you for these," he said, accepting the books and shuffling them in his hands to read each title one by one. It would help to pass the time.
"I could always ask Commander Spock to visit you," Jim said sweetly and without any remorse. He grabbed the chair that'd been left for visitors (once he'd made clear to Command that he intended to visit) and pulled it up in front of the barrier. Sitting down comfortably, he said, "The PADD's what you really want to look at. Call it a reward for good behavior."
Khan glanced back at Kirk with the smallest of glares. But he slipped the handheld display to the top of the pile and sat on the edge of his bed. It allowed the two men to sit together, with a respectable amount of distance between them, but also set an informal platform. "What is this?" he asked carefully, powering on the device. At first, he frowned, deep and concerned. Then with the pad of his thumb, he began to scroll through the information, the images, the faces... Kirk had given him what he desired most. His family. Right at his fingertips. The hardened heart of the monster everyone else condemned was visible just then. Slowly, he examined the information before him, taking his time with each.
"Bones has been monitoring their status and making sure all of them are as healthy as you can be when you're frozen," Jim said. "Whatever else Marcus did, he doesn't seem to have sabotaged any of the remaining cryotubes." He watched as Khan scanned through the PADD and marveled at the expressiveness of his face. Other than rage, Jim wasn't used to seeing anything except the mask Khan normally showed the world. He settled down to wait out Khan's absorbance with the information Jim had provided.
The information was very detailed. Khan could even read when some were having nightmares and others were in a peaceful resting state. It was information worth more to him then he would ever be able to express. It took some time before Khan spoke up again, as he gave each and every one of the seventy-two crew members before him equal amounts of his attention. "You have given me quite a gift," he said, not looking up quite yet, not until his features were properly neutral. "What do I owe you for it?" he asked, taking a breath and meeting Kirk's eyes.
Jim made a face at Khan and said, "You don't owe me anything. You really do think we're all a bunch of lowlife jackasses, don't you?" He sighed and folded his arms across his chest. "I'll try to bring you updates on a more regular basis. Things are calming down, so I should be able to visit weekly, if you want. I could send the reports through other methods, too. Dr. McCoy will continue to do regular checks on their status until we're ready to start our mission on the Enterprise."
Lowlife jackasses? Yes. At a bare minimum. But then again, Khan's first introduction to the future, to humanity, to Starfleet had been Admiral Marcus, who was not exactly a poster child for his generation or the people of Earth. The kindness was unexpected, and Khan believed there would still be some cost to it in the end. But he was willing to pay for it, also, so the cost was of little consequence. "You're care in his matter is appreciated, Captain," Khan said kindly. "I will not forget it." And that was perhaps a good thing.
"You're creeping me the fuck out," Jim muttered. He raised his voice to continue, "So, the Enterprise will be done with repairs in another few months. Apparently, we're putting in a few of the improvements you designed for the Vengeance. Sans the terrifying militarization aspect, of course. We're having a memorial service for everyone killed in the events starting from your bombing of the Kelvin Archive." He paused and mused on the jokes life enjoyed playing on him. "Once the ship is ready, we'll have to finish outfitting and manning her, which will take another month. We lost a lot of good people and a lot more cannot go on a five year mission, so getting the crew together is taking some time."
Though he was still listening, Khan scrolled back through a few of the images, focusing in on several crewmembers. He wondered what they would say, what counsel they would give for being in this position. He sighed deeply, believing for the most part, they would not approve. They were good, honorable and loyal to him; they would rather die themselves then see Khan diminish himself for them. But would they accept resettlement? Would that be enough to satisfy them? Would they feel Khan had kept their promise to him, or feel let down? "Five years is a very short commitment," Khan said absently, pressing two fingers to lips as he thought quietly to himself. "What is the problem?" After all, Khan was accustomed to the all or nothing philosophy.
Jim watched Khan the whole time he was speaking and then snorted at himself for rambling. Khan could give a rat's ass about any of it, couldn't he? It made Jim even less confident about this entire endeavor, and he vowed to review again the list of materials they were leaving the augments to start their own colony. Anything with even a hint of technology was out. And no easily mineable materials that could be used to manufacture anything, either.
Nothing. Nada.
"Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you'll be stuck in here for a few more months," Jim said. "We haven't worked out all the details of your transfer to the Enterprise. I'd like to be able to trust you enough not to just keep you locked in the brig the whole time, but right now, I don't really see any other options."
Khan however frowned at the dismissive snort. It was enough for him to put down the PADD and look at Kirk properly. "What crewmen do you need, Captain?" The question was direct, and most worrying of all, it was sincere. He stood and approached the glass, his stance solid and firm, just as he was on the issue. "I know you will not risk awakening any more of my crew. But I can do the job of twenty Starfleet officers. If you do not intend to put me under for the journey, then let me be of some use. What jobs do you need filled, Captain?"
"You expected to be put to sleep for the journey?" Jim asked. He considered that option with something near pleasure, but shook it off as impracticable. Khan would need to look over the planets and give them his opinion before they settled his family there. That was only fair to them, and he was still determined to do right by them.
He turned his mind to Khan's questions and then said, "I know you didn't hear the last thing I said, Khan. I can't trust you to do the job of one of my crew, let alone the twenty you claim to be able to fill the shoes of. And frankly, saying crap like that won't get you anywhere with me. I don't give a damn even if it's true."
"As a safety measure to yourself and the Enterprise, I did in fact expect you to put me under for the journey, yes. But you seem to wish for another option. As do I." Khan frowned at this, uncomprehending on Kirk's attitude. "I was attempting to offer it to you, in the form of my assistance." Khan looked down to his own hand, fingers slowly curling into a fist, then relaxing, only to repeat this exercise several more times. "Which you know is useful, but for the sake of your own pride, you seem unwilling to accept."
"Yes, you need to be awake to look over the planets and make sure that we settle you on a planet that you approve of," Jim said. "And that would ensure you can wake your crew properly and safely." He stood slowly, looking at the way Khan tensed and relaxed.
“You thought I was what, going to just pick the most convenient place, maybe some barely inhabitable rock, and dump you all there?" He scoffed and shook his head. "Of course you did. I'm a Starfleet officer and one of the scum you used to so caringly rule over. What else would I do? In fact, maybe I'm just going to blast all of your cryotubes into the first star we get to and watch them all burn up, cause that would be a satisfying way to get revenge, wouldn't it?"
Khan did not bother to correct Kirk on his slightly incorrect history, because right now his brain had focused in on one thing, only. Eyes locked on Kirk, there was an intense silence as Khan lifted his head, shoulders squared perfectly with his back. "Are you threatening me, Captain?" If it was intended as humor or irony, Khan did not appreciate it as such. A sickeningly cold shiver climbed up his back and Khan stood there tensely, both hands curled into fists, his rage building, just under the surface.
Jim stared at him for a long moment and then said, "You're an idiot." He turned away and headed for the door. "I'll bring you an update on your very alive and well crew next week."
It was a difficult comment to let pass, the threat had put a crack in the trust Khan had begun to hold for Kirk. His chest rose and fell several times quite dramatically, as if preparing to break through the barrier from a dead standstill. "Your word, Captain." Khan demanded as Kirk headed for the door. Without it, Khan's anxiety would build and bad things would more then likely come of it.
Jim whirled back around and stalked back to the cell, now in full high dudgeon. "I started this entire unhealthy endeavor by not taking you out with the torpedoes that held your crew. And despite everything that's occurred since then, I and my crew have protected them from harm. Including when it wasn't to our benefit. And after you smashed a starship into San Francisco and killed half my crew, along with myself, your crew was still left unharmed. So, you fucking son-of-a-bitch, I don't owe you my word for anything. Not that you'd believe it anyway."
The words barely registered with Khan. The evidence of the past hardly mattered, when the present was in question. His anger continued to quietly fester and seethe as the two men stared each other down. The trouble was, whether he knew it or not, Kirk had all the cards. He could, at any time, upon a whim, decide if they all lived or died. To make Khan suffer, to make him watch, or worse, not even tell him at all, but instead never return and leave him there to rot for the rest of his unnatural life, waiting for eternity with the smallest hope that his people were still alive. It was an imbalance of power, which did not sit well with Khan. "Give it to me, anyway. Give me your word."
"Fucking hell. Fine. You have my word. Again. I will do everything in my power to make sure your family is treated well and unharmed." Jim rolled his eyes. "And in return, I'll expect you to do everything in your power to escape and make off with them for your own purposes, meanwhile killing everyone who even inadvertently gets in your way."
"Stop." Khan frowned and held up a single hand as if to keep an overzealous dog from jumping up. "Use of such language holds different meaning for me, then it does for you." There was after all, over three hundred years difference, and in a way, it was like speaking a different language altogether. "Do not speak with such double meaning." It was the closest Khan would admit to finding their interactions confusing. "I have your word, that you will protect my people. You will not threaten to harm them, in truth or in a joking manner. Therefore, I will have no cause to retaliate. Is this understood?"
"You are un-fucking-believable," Jim said, completely unimpressed by the entire speech. "It's as if you can't get over the fact that you don't actually rule part of the world anymore. But fine, I won't threaten your crew in any manner whatsoever anymore in your presence, your majesty. Is there anything else I should or shouldn't be doing when I'm allowed the magnificence of your company?"
The frown lingered. Khan was indeed having difficultly understanding this man. He was much easier to read in rage and anger. "You joke, in place of having a real conversation. You are dismissive with your words, which is a pity...perhaps you are unaware of the power they hold." Khan folded his hands lightly behind his back. "It is a strange sort of mask. It makes me curious about what truth you are hiding."
"Really? I thought I was making my dislike of you perfectly clear," Jim said and then turned half away from Khan. He'd never really believed in words, thinking actions were a much more powerful form of communication. After all, actions were why he knew that Khan could not be trusted. And mask wearing? Seriously. Khan really was the king of that.
"Fine, then I'll be clear in a way even you can understand. Despite the fact that I know you are untrustworthy and plotting to escape and kill anyone who gets in the way of freeing your crew, I and my crew will do our best to safely relocate your family to a new planet to start a new life. And when you inevitably betray us, if and when we manage to defeat you, we will still make sure your crew is safely relocated to a planet to start a new life." His blue eyes blazed at Khan the whole way through the speech, as he stared directly at him, challenging him to find any lies in his words.
Khan tilted his head slightly. Kirk was still doing it. Was he incapable of speaking any other way? "And when I surprise you, by keeping to our truce? When I hold the advantage of your ship, or your crew, but do not take it? What then, Captain? Will you continue to put words in my mouth? Or actions in my hands, which I do not intend to take?" Khan drew in a light breath, which ended up being a soft sigh. "I do hope, with all sincerity, that we are able to see each other clearly, just once, before we part ways."
Jim had seen Khan with great clarity, despite the blood in his eyes at the time, as he'd used his bare hands to crush a man's skull. That was a very clear image that he'd never be able to burn from his brain. And he'd been played by Khan before, by tortured words and tears and regrets. There would be no slipping up that way again.
"If you continue with the good behavior," he said neutrally, "I'll bring you a list of the staple crops we'll be bringing along for your use. Along with some domesticated animals. Numbers, species, the general facts. Do you need any information about farming or is that also something you're already better at?"
"Horticultural techniques are unnecessary information." Khan answered directly now that they were back on topic. "Though, it may be unwise to introduce animals native to earth to an alien environment. Or is this perhaps one of the great leaps mankind has taken?" It was not exactly an area of history that Khan had focused in on during his time with Admiral Marcus. "However, I look forward to the information you have gathered and will weigh their function accordingly."
"Yeah, we're not exactly novices at colonizing new planets, thanks," Jim said coldly, tired of the augment's continuing theme of the inability of humans to manage anything for themselves. Not that there hadn't been failures...he felt a cold chill down his spine as the image of Tarsus IV briefly flashed into his mind. "Great. I'll bring you the information along with your crew update next week. Or maybe I'll send Spock. He can deal with you."
"No. Spreading your seed is what you do best," Khan said with some distaste for it, but did not instigate Kirk further for it. Khan shifted his gaze from Kirk to the barrier between them. Yes, escape was manageable. It would be instantly gratifying, rather then remaining in place, waiting. Day after week after month. It was an annoyance, to be held back, but the slow path was necessary. And he would be patient. "Then I shall wait, respectfully, for either."
"Respectfully," Jim said. "Yeah, right." He turned on his heel and walked out, wondering why he bothered with this. He should just send the information to Khan without putting himself through the aggravation of visiting. It would be so much easier.