Based on a prompt by @hlabounty96
"And what exactly is it you want out of this?"
McCoy glared at his captor as the ropes surrounding him tightened. He heard the sound of something connecting behind him, but couldn't crane his neck far enough to see. He was still out of it from whatever this low-life had slipped in his drink. It wasn't even alcoholic this time! You'd think a man could have a glass of sweet tea safely!
"Why, just a bit of fun, that's all, Doctor. Oh, I know you were on shore leave, but really. A famous face like yours? I simply couldn't resist."
The man stepped back, giving him a winsome smile that just came off as creepy.
"It's a game, of course! Oh, don't give me that look. I left clues for your crew. If they really are as smart as everyone says, then you'll be just fine."
McCoy took a breath. If it was a good clue, surely Jim was already on his way. And Spock was basically Sherlock Holmes, he'd help. Not to mention Uhura, or Scotty or Sulu. Hell, Chekov was a genius, too, despite his age. Those were good odds.
At least, so he thought, until his captor stepped well away from him and the ground gave way. He wasn't even going to lie about how dignified his scream was as he plummeted, only for the chord attached to his ropes to snap back, preventing his death. The force of it made his body ache.
"You bastard!" He shouted up, unsure if he could be heard.
"It's all part of the game! If they can't find you in two hours, I'll simply cut the chord!"
Fear gripped him as he judged how far a drop that would be. Please, oh, please, let them come in time!
"Bones still isn't back yet?" Kirk asked, checking the time on the chronometer. "That's weird, isn't it?"
They'd agreed to meet back up, but he was late. It was a beautiful planet, with homes and buildings built right into imposing mountains. Shore leave came so rarely, he couldn't fault him for enjoying the scenery and losing track of time. Still, though, Bones was usually the punctual one.
"It does seem out of character," Spock agreed. Kirk watched as he typed something into his PADD. “I have found the location of his communicator. It seems it has not moved in the last one point three hours.”
“At a restaurant, Captain.”
Kirk felt himself relax at that news. Bones probably found somewhere with really good alcohol, or maybe ran into a former patient, or... No, no that wasn’t right, either. Bones still would have messaged him if he was going to be late.
“Let’s go check it out,” he said, putting on a confident grin for the crew. “Drag our doctor back by his scruff.”
Sulu laughed at that, but from the look he exchanged with Chekov, he was worried, too. Bones was the usually the mother hen.
If he was worried before, he was even more so now. They had found McCoy’s communicator at the restaurant, but not McCoy himself. According to the staff, McCoy had begun to feel ill while sipping on his drink, and one of the workers had agreed to take him back to the ship.
“Do you still have his glass?” Spock asked the waitress.
“Uh, yes, sir, our dishwasher was the one to take him back. He hasn’t returned yet, so his glass should still be--”
Spock nodded, simply walking into the back of the restaurant, tricorder in hand. Kirk wanted to follow, but trusted Spock’s analysis. He gripped McCoy’s communicator tightly.
“Didn’t you get the message he sent? He said he sent a message to his captain...” The lady looked at him as though her gut was telling her something was wrong. She’d make a good Starfleet officer.
“Message?” Kirk asked, quickly unlocking the communicator. Bones, good old Bones, always used the same pass code for everything, ever since the academy. He found his messages open, and something written there for him. He paled.
“Captain,” Spock said, returning from the kitchen. Knowing him as well as he did, he could see the concern written on the Vulcan’s face. “Doctor McCoy’s tea was drugged. I believe him to be in danger.”
“Yeah, that’s not the only thing.” He showed Spock the message, watching as he felt, acknowledged, and controlled the anger that rose in him.
“Greetings, Kirk, et al. Your doctor is with me. Let’s play a game. He will hang out with me, unless you can find him. If not, I will have to drop him off later. You have two hours.”
“He’s in danger,” Kirk said, pulling out his own communicator and calling for transport back to the ship. He was stopped by the waitress.
“Here is his address. I don’t know if he’d take him there, but it’s a start.”
“Thank you,” he said sincerely, taking the scrap of paper she offered him, and soon he and Spock were materializing on the Enterprise.
As soon as they made it to the bridge, Kirk debriefed the team as Spock and Sulu began to find the man’s address. They found it, and within minutes Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov, and Scotty were all suited up and in the Galileo, on their way.
McCoy took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. His friends would be here soon. He just knew it. A sudden whirring drew his attention, and he turned to see the Galileo on the horizon. He nearly wept with relief.
“NO!” His captor spat, angry. “They figured it out already?!”
“I told you they were geniuses, dumbass!” McCoy shouted back. “You knew they’d get here!”
“They were supposed to get here too late!”
To his horror, he watched the man pull out a knife and begin cutting at the chord holding him up. God, no! He was going to fall, after all? Strangely, he found the thought of dying didn’t bother him half as much as the thought of the others having to watch.
A phaser blast suddenly rang out, and he saw his captor crumple.
“Are you unharmed, Doctor?”
“The captain and I agreed that it would be better if the ship drew his attention. The ‘element of surprise’ was the wisest course.”
“Thank you,” he said, hanging his head, meaning it. “Can you pull me up?”
By the time Spock had him back on solid ground, Kirk and the others had arrived. Jim threw himself at McCoy, nearly knocking him over.
“Oh, my God, Bones, you could have died!”
“Yeah, I kinda got that, too.” There was no heat to his words, though, and he hugged Kirk back just as fiercely. He looked up to the assembled crowd.
“Thanks, y’all. You saved me.”
“Just returnin’ the favor,” Scotty grinned, though his relief was just as palpable as everyone else’s.
“C’mon,” Kirk said, righting himself. “Let’s get back to the ship. The authorities can deal with the rest.”
“Seconded. I don’t think I want to leave the ship again anytime soon.”
