[ When Jim finally sees the person, the child, come into view---he's struck dumb for a handful of seconds. He knows that look, at least, he can imagine it well enough. He imagines Robert April saw it when he picked him up and carried him back to safe transport coordinates. The only thing he has to go off of was looking in the mirror at the age of 13 and not recognizing the face staring back at him. The way his clothes fell off of him in all the wrong ways for months after.
He keeps his hands up, and finally brings himself back to the moment. He offers a small, barely there smile. It hurts, seeing the shovel handle in the child's hands, and remembers hitting April with a pipe he'd been using for protection. The kid is doing better than he was. Jim couldn't even stand when he was found. ]
Hey, there. No one here is going to hurt you. How about you put that down, if you feel up to it, and come over here with us?
[ The kid takes a step back when Jim steps forward, and he stops. He knows that fear. The distrust. ]
You're going to be okay, now. I promise. We're gonna take you up to my ship, the Enterprise, and help you get better. It's nice there. Warm and safe. Plenty of food and water, I bet we can find something you like.
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He keeps his hands up, and finally brings himself back to the moment. He offers a small, barely there smile. It hurts, seeing the shovel handle in the child's hands, and remembers hitting April with a pipe he'd been using for protection. The kid is doing better than he was. Jim couldn't even stand when he was found. ]
Hey, there. No one here is going to hurt you. How about you put that down, if you feel up to it, and come over here with us?
[ The kid takes a step back when Jim steps forward, and he stops. He knows that fear. The distrust. ]
You're going to be okay, now. I promise. We're gonna take you up to my ship, the Enterprise, and help you get better. It's nice there. Warm and safe. Plenty of food and water, I bet we can find something you like.