Zach nervously fidgeted with his fingers against the seat, slightly uncomfortable. With two chairs in front of him, but nobody sat there. He'd been used to the feeling of being watched, but not like this. He was being used to show proof of his old masters works and deals.

And honestly with the way the room looked, made him feel more uneasy. It was quite empty,  except for the chair in front of him and the security camera on the ceiling. Reminding him so much of Caera, or what had been a planet once.

All of his fears had heightened, endless possibilities that could lead to all painful outcomes. Becoming incoherent puddles of words that never formed. They were shortly extinguished when he noticed two people enter the room.

He was so unbelievably skittish.

"Hello?" Zach asked.

He wanted to hit himself so bad after saying that. He'd been made already to greet any person he hadn't met or been introduced to. But Arik was gone, he shouldn't be doing every little detail he'd been instructed to execute.

His once solitude area was now an area with three people. Until some of the light from the box above, signaled another person had come to watch. He looked up for a split second to catarrh a glimpse of the person, seeing it was Brystal.

"Hello, Zach, I'm Ms. Uhura and this is Mr. Spock. We are being assigned to divulge everything about your enhanced brain to get a grip of what Arik was experimenting with," The woman told him, giving him a soft smile. It was a good reassurance that relaxed the tensed nerves. 

"I think I understand. It's for the better," Zach answered with.

He inhaled a deep breath that swallowed up every fear he obtained throughout his life. Knowing his knowledge was extensive from all sorts of topics. Giving him history, science, and math, he'd probably know the answer.

Verbally and mathematically, his brain was charged like a lightning bolt. He could fire away any question and know thousands of smart answers. He was trained to be that way, making him unsure if he'd ever be different.

As soon as the two sat down, Zach straightened himself up in his seat. Preparing himself for any question that was about to be thrown at his way. Just to prove some parts of his enhanced brain were actually were just as smart as they'd been told.

"What is the square root of 2,396,304?" Spock asked Zach.

"One thousand.....five hundred fourty eight," Zach answered.

The Vulcan looked up from the questions, his face looking pleased, hiding his slight shock at his answer. Though, Uhura showed her own shock and surprise at him being correct. Knowing nobody exactly could remember square roots right off the top of their head. But the Vulcan continued on.

There was still a plethora of questions to ask.

"What is the central assumption of Quantum Cosmology?"

"Everything that can happen does happen, in equal and parallel universes," Zach replied.

"What is the meaning behind E=mc2?"

"That energy equals mass times the speed of light squared."

"Who created the three laws of gravity?"

"Sir Issac Newton."

"The definition of PTSD?"

"It stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A mental illness triggered by awful memories a person has of horrific or terrifying experiences the person had. Symptoms of flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety could mean a person has the disorder.

"Correct," The Vulcan told him, "How many elements are in the periodic table?"

"118," Zach said without hesitation.

"Who wrote the term, 'To be or not to be: that is the question?"

"William Shakespeare."

"Medical terms for a heart attack?"

"Myocardial infarction."

"Definition of cognizant?"

"Having knowledge or being aware of."

"What does the law of conservation state?"

"Matter can't be created or destroyed."

Spock looked over to Uhura, signaling it was her turn to try and test Zach's knowledge. To see if he knew any other languages despite already proving Elsa and Brystal's point in court. He was enhanced against his will even before he was born.

No record of parents, only when the day of his birth and records of being enhanced. He was like every single kid in Project Z. Their memories and knowledge fused together to cause a tight hound of knowledge to only flow.

"tlhIngan Hol DajatlhlaH'a' (can you speak Klingon)?" Uhura fluently spoke in another language.

"HIja'. Huch law' vIleghlaHbe' 'e' vIHarqang. qaStaHvIS poH'a' (yes. I can speak a few other languages. Is that good enough)?" Zach returned with.

Uhura couldn't help the smile that creased her lips. He was showing he'd mastered a language not many took up at the academy, but she'd been different. She learned how to speak 37 languages over the course of her years of training.

"A rhirh ueiik'h'unhr rihanha (a sentence in romulan)?" Uhura then asked.

"Hveolhaonn tae etreimnai tae myself d'sora iudaiht eirai lloannen'galae (i find myself coming to admire Starfleet)," Zach responded with.

"What's the highest rate on any of these?" Elsa looked up to meet the eyes of the bartender. After having scanned through the dark red menu a few times, wanting to find something to make her feel alive. Or at least serve her craving for a high level drink.

With Recreations, they were able to stomach so much more alcohol than any species could. Their lungs were able to regenerate as well as their blood. Something's that made them feel like they weren't ever human.

And over the years, she'd wasted herself on these things. She may look like a teenager for the rest of her life, but that wouldn't stop herself from the privileges of her age. Years ago, she wouldn't have dared to smoke, but found it as the only way to calm her nerves these days. It wouldn't hurt her as much it did to humans.

She still felt human though. She forced laughs, faked smiles, bleed at harsh words, and she broke down from emotions. Shouldn't that still qualify her to be human?

"The Saurian Brandy mixed with Romulan ale shots," The bartender answered.

"I'll have four of them," Elsa answered with, eyeing the packet of cigarettes in her pocket.

She found herself needing them a bit more than she should've. But when she always felt so inferior compared to others or take scissors to her image. She had found new ways to cope, maybe even ones that wouldn't be approved by her old therapist. 

Aera Callius was always trying to keep positive for others. Though, she could imagine the therapist was wondering if she went wrong with Amaya. But if only she knew that wasn't true that she did 't fail at all.

Unlike Elsa, she would never know what she could've done to help save her family. Know if they were lost or if she disappointed them with her disappearance. She could only imagine the worst possibilities.

"That's a lot of shots," Another's voice said behind her.

"Oh, trust me, Blondie. I can handle them," Elsa had recognized his voice so quickly that she turned to give him a smile. Seeing he was wearing leather jacket and comfortable clothes instead of his Starfleet captain outfit.

With all the time she'd been gone, she knew just the big information planted everywhere she went. The now famous Enterprise were now the amazing heroes across the galaxy. The khan incident had been a terrifying accident that caused other planets to fear.

But Elsa could only remember the man very little. She'd seen him a few times with Ava Pike and the others in the eugenics war group. Though, she had helped Ava keep her secret for years just to keep her safe from being seen as a fraud.

"I know you can. You already beat like a thousand asses in front of me," Jim joked, causing Elsa to chuckle as the bartender carried the fleet of four shots on a small board. Laying them out on the wooden table behind Elsa's now turned back.

"Plus ordered such a high alcohol drink in front of you," Elsa added.

"True," Jim nodded, "And probably a lot of other events that I don't even know of."

"Definitely," Elsa answered with, noticing a flash of something else danced in his eyes.

He was purposely trying to make small talk with her. Distracting himself from a current issued that plagued and poisoned his mind. Not very good at hide the conflicted truth underneath the smiles and laughing.

Vulnerability was a scary feeling that couldn't be contained. Maybe that was what was being hidden from her with their conversation so far. Prices that a single being felt was too high to pay for and ask for help.

Having lived over three hundred years, she found similarities in thousands of people. She could see the same eyes of friends in other people now. Could see the love look in anybody's eyes and the wars being fought in someone's head.

Elsa grabbed one of the shot glasses off for herself and him. Catching him a little surprised, but he kindly didn't turn her down. Gently taking one glass from her hand, the other for herself to drain the glass of the dark maroon mixture.

"You know something?" Elsa started the next topic.

"Hm?" Jim managed to utter.

"Over the hundreds of years I've lived, I've watched friends grow old and have family's. But what hasn't changed is one thing. I can still see the look in their eyes in other people, an easy way for me to notice when something's up," Elsa explained, Jim realized he'd been caught.

The bar was left in silence, the only sound of the bartender cleaning the glasses from other costumers. It was awkward and uncomfortable silence that was caused by her words. But she wasn't going to allow herself to just listen and not ask anything about how he was holding up.

Hanging high and dry up in the alcohol stained air. The lights glinted like containments keeping stars and worries bottled up. The streaks and brushes of the light pastel sky streaked in a window down from them.

But the silence was soon ended, "It's about how the debate went."

"Oh! This is about Brystal isn't it?" Elsa asked, realizing that may have been were the conversation would've gone anyway

"She'd thrown herself into the work of trying to prove herself worthy as speaker. And I just fear she's just going to not allow herself to recollect every insult that was thrown at her instead of trying to build a wall to block them. I'm worried their words may have gotten to her head," Jim admitted.

"Everyone needs to throw themselves into some sort of work to avoid feeling useless," Elsa told him, "I've seen her write non-stop to avoid a lot of trauma and pain built up in her systems. But who doesn't throw themselves into something to distract their self from the truth."

"That's just facts......I just don't want her to close herself off from me or anybody else.....I need........" Jim looked away before staring back, "I need advice."

Elsa had been mid-sip from drinking from her glass, almost spitting it right back in. She recovered quickly after trying to figure out what she should say. Never having really pictured herself on a person who gives good advice.

A person who had war with her own trauma and pain, and running straight into battle.

"Why ask me first off?!? A considered gothic, lesbian, metal-head punk about helping with your relationship with Brystal?"

"She works too hard sometimes and I still want to be by her side. I don't want Viper and Darya's act of being a bitch towards you two, feed off her and forget about-" Jim was interrupted by Elsa.

"Okay! Okay! I get it! Since I've been gone for several years and it feels like a million.........you probably have said you love her, right?"

"Well, yes," Jim answered immediately, no hesitation.

"Have you ever doubted she loved you or supported you in return?" She watched Jim shook his head, "Then state the real problem."

"It just........I'm worried she may forget that I'm there for her and about. That I want to help her," Jim answered, searching Elsa for an answer.

"Well, that's  pretty good relationship. It seems stable enough."

"Yeah, I hope it still will be."

"Perhaps," Elsa set down her glass, "And this is just a guess, but maybe she's trying to protect everyone that she loves. Knowing her, that's her top priority to help anybody even if that means till her last breath."

"She knows more than anything we'd do the reckless thing for any member of our crew!" Jim responded.

She knew he was struggling and just wanted to help. So instead of trying to sound super smart, maybe it was time to out it into her own words.

"It can be immensely difficult to try and open up about things that are pounding you in the back and threatening your very idea. Especially, if you don't want them to affect the ones you love. She's fucked up? Yes! She's flawed, more than anything, but then again.....who the fuck isn't? So for all of the three hundred years that I've lived and learned is that words are cheaper than shit......but actions.......even the simplest, they always speak the truth."

"So?" Brystal stood up from her seat in the booth after seeing the three enter the room. She'd been so fixated on proof to the brink of writing out speech ideas. With new plans and intentions coming to shape for the next debate.

She knew every ambassador that would be there, even if Alejandro would stick to her side whatever the matter was. She'd need to please other ambassadors and not just only a few. To make a compelling argument that could avert gaze from Viper and Darya.

Knowing already there was the heavy weight of criticism and angst left hanging in the air. Every word spoke to her shouldn't matter right now. All that mattered right now was for Spock and Uhura to give her Zach's knowledge rate.

"He has the average amount of knowledge is of a 12 year old Vulcan," Spock informed Brystal, "An IQ of 145, counting every equation, definition, and language that he could perceive."

"They were relatively simple," Zach tried to defend himself, "It's what I've been taught my whole life. To blinded to knowledge and focus on every single detail given out."

That was true, but at least they had proof to the council. They wouldn't be shut down as easily by Darya and Viper, but listened to. That would leave them without a way to say otherwise about Arik's various crimes about experimenting.

But for now, the terrors of Project Z and enhancing children's brains.

"That is a very high rate for a six year old," Brystal responded with, "What languages did you give him?"

"Klingon, Romulan, a bit of Italian,  and Andorian," Uhura told her, "He knew straight off the bat, and some exemplary sentences that I think you'd like."

Zach looked up to meet Brystal's gaze, unwavering wondering about his life. She actually took some care with him as did most people here. But she'd been the first to have just not seen him as Arik's little creation.

She saw something else in him, but what? He knew very well she wans't just searching for proof to prove Arik's villainy and to allow Elsa her colony. Something was buried deep down in a crypt that the officer was trying to pry open.

There were words he could describe her with.

Like a hurricane, she had calm center that she shined before him. But the outside was all the trauma, angst, grief, anxiety, and happiness that swirled around her. Forming her into a brilliant officer.

"May I ask a question?"

"Of course," Brystal responded, quickly.

"I'd like to explore this place of a building. To explores what it likes to explore a new planet," Zach explained to her.

"I think that could be a splendid idea," Uhura spoke up to convince her friend, "It should clear your two's minds from the events for today."

"I still need to work on-" Brystal tried to retaliate.

"Ms. Uhura is right. A break is what you deserve and need for the coming second debate."

Brystal couldn't argue anymore, "Fine. If you insist. Come, Zach."

The little boy would've cheered, but held back on that. He quickly dashed to her side, keeping his pace the same as hers. His eyes launching and scanning over every little detail carved into the room.

With the booths doors closing behind them, a mountain of stain glass windows sparkled around an overlook to outside. All the crystals and neon lifeforms that danced before them. The pastel streaked sky now shining even brighter.

Brystal felt her mood lighten at the sight of the wholesome fever of wonderment climbed up his face. Leaning against the railing to catch more of a glimpse outside. Seeing all of the wonders that was etched and traced into the planet.

It wasn't at all like Caera.

A waste of metals and advantages used only for Arik's cause. Arid dry surface and fake oxygen air. This planet beat the original planet he'd lived most of his life on.

"You've faced a lot in these past few hours," Brystal commented.

"Yeah, I definitely have," Zach answered.

"Anything still in your mind?"

Zach paused rethinking over everything that had happened. His eyes catching below to see some of Arik's followers below. He wanted to scrunch up in absolute disgust, but that's when a memory hit him hard.

Barrett was never coming back.

"I still feel as though.............I don't understand death," Zach expressed, "and seen it many times of my short years that I've lived. But I just didn't not understand what I should feel."

"Deaths a complicated thing," Brystal rested her shoulder, looking out the glass, "We loss a lot of people, everyone's afraid of it because they don't know if they'll be remembered,  and we all know it's coming.........but it's hard to watch a  loved one go. Hurt to let them go in peace."

"You've felt those feeling before?" Zach inquired.

"Yeah, many times," Brystal nodded, slowly, "It's not a pretty thing. I've lost by parents and some friends. But I know they cared about me taught me to be strong enough to carry on for them. I think that's what Barrett may have wanted from you."

Zach mulled over the information he'd just perceived. So it wasn't just him conflicted by the matter of a death of a friend? One who was probably pictured to be just as bad as his old leader, but really he was so different.

A hero behind the fabric of lies.

Hearing that someone else had encountered these feelings made him relax. His admiration for the Starfleet officer only growing, maybe it was even praise and appreciation. She just seemed like a picture perfect woman to help him.

He'd never had such kindness growing up or the chance to live outside the walls. He and several other children were ensnared by the cages of Caera. And now that they were free, he felt like he owed Brystal something.

His eyes spotted out Viper and Darya, the emotion of anger pumped in his veins. They'd allowed Arik to continue his experiment even if they went through the same pain. It was heartbreaking to be manipulated to the point of loyalty.

"I wish they'd apologize," Zach bitterly muttered.

"Then, demand one. There has to be a person who can give you one. Even at the debate," Brystal told him.

His interests were piqued to high rates, but he settled on one thing. He couldn't just let the loyal followers trample over every idea like it was nothing, but junk. He'd put up a fight and showed them what new stuff he'd learned.

"Hey, Darya!" Zach shouted at Viper and Adria discussing with some other people about rebuttals and counters.

The two looked up to see the two figures lounging in the railings of the out look. Deprived of their conversation by the sound of his voice. Recognizing that he looked very much like the kids Arik had held captive on Caera.

Brystal looked at the little boy in surprise. Truly, she hand's been accepting the boy to abruptly call out the two during the recess. She was hoping to get him to demand one once the debate sided with her and Elsa.

"Fuck you! You old horny bitch!" Zach shouted, surprising Brystal. She immediately grabbed him by the shoulders and steered him away from the ground before things could get worse. His unknown knowledge of curse words was now knowledge he knew how to use.

That must've been his plan in those few seconds. Or caused quite a stirring in Vioer and Darya once vapid gaze that turned to offense.

"Okay!" Brystal nervously muttered under her breath, "That was not what I expected when you said you wanted to say something to Ardya that would make her give you an apology."

"No. I'm sorry, Brystal. What I meant was an omission," Zach explained to her.

A/N: I wanted to give y'all a little less tension before the debates will begin again. Spock's dad is obviously coming back, and don't worry! Him and Alejandro actually get along quite well. Jim and Elsa's advice moment is crying moment. But Zach and Brystal🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 (being mother and son for like the last few moments). Also, wonder where Zach got this new knowledge of curse words 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

Obviously from Issac, Brystal, and Elsa!!!!