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“Are you sure you want to do this?” Sulu asked.
“Yes… No… I don’t know,” Chekov replied with a grimace that suggested he was leaning towards 'No.'
Chekov and Sulu stood side by side, looking down at the river hundreds of meters down into the canyon from their perch on an artificial platform that jutted out over the expanse. Chekov was wearing a helmet and a harness attached to a very long, stretchy rope.
“Getting cold feet?” Sulu grinned, nudging Chekov. “Are you really considering backing out after you called everyone else lame for deciding to go on that hike instead of jumping into a canyon?”
“Don’t use my words against me,” Chekov growled through gritted teeth, not taking his eyes off the vertigo-inducing drop into the canyon.
Sulu smirked at him, clearly enjoying this. “You’ll never live it down if you don't do it after all your big talk.”
“I’m beginning to think that is the better of two evils,” Chekov admitted. “I don’t think I want to do this anymore.”
“Pssh," Sulu rolled his eyes. “Lame. Hey Pav?”
“Yeah?”
“Have a nice trip.”
“Wh-”
Sulu shoved Chekov off the platform, and his grin widened as he listened to the sound of Chekov’s terrified scream fade into the distance.
Chekov was pale and trembling when the jump-site attendant brought him back up. Sulu clapped him on the shoulder. “See, that wasn’t so bad. Now come on, we’re going to be late meeting the others for lunch.”
Poor Chekov was still just as pale and shaky when they joined the rest of their friends at a scenic picnic area.
Doctor McCoy immediately narrowed his eyes at them. “What’s wrong with him?” He asked, nodding his head toward Chekov.
Uhura looked over and gasped. “No! Did he actually do it?”
“He sure did,” Sulu said.
“Hell yeah, suck it!” Kirk punched the air and grinned at Uhura. “Pay up.”
Uhura grumbled. “I didn’t think he’d do it.”
Sulu winced. “Well, I actually had to push him. He wasn’t going to do it.”
“Ha!” Uhura lit up, and punched Kirk in the arm. “Get wrecked, Kirk.”
While the two argued over whether Chekov’s ‘jump’ counted or not, Doctor McCoy walked up to Chekov and ran a tricorder scan.
“The exact wording indicates that he had to do the jump of his own free will,” Uhura argued.
“But the end result-”
“Dammit Jim, shut up,” Doctor McCoy snapped. “Both of you, squabbling over a five dollar bet when Chekov over here is in shock.”
They all turned and looked at Chekov, who was indeed still shivering and hadn’t said a single thing. Doctor McCoy sat him down on a bench and jabbed him with a couple of hypos.
Kirk leaned over and whispered to Uhura, “I think we should leave it up to a vote.”
“Jim!”