Voices in the Dark

By: Jennica Williams

This one is dedicated to Robert Beltran. Though I didn't get it out on his birthday, that was the orginal intent. Happy Birthday RB!

DISCLAIMER: I am not using Star Trek for profit. Paramount owns the characters, the ships, the uniforms, the biogel packs, even Neelix's food, I'm just here playing around with the ideas running through my head. No copyright infringement is intended.

"Shh!"

Three heads instantly swiveled towards the door of the mess hall as they opened. Seven rose an eyebrow at them as she entered and found two lieutenants and an ensign watching her cautiously.

"Lieutenants Torres and Paris. Ensign Kim." She glanced around the table, curiosity eating at her though she'd never admit it.

"Have a seat." Tom kicked a chair out for her and then turned back to his partners in crime. "I still say-"

"It's a stupid idea, Tom." B'Elanna interrupted.

"No it's not, B'Elanna. It's so obvious, it might work." Tom pushed the plate with half of his dinner still on it away from him.

"And if it doesn't, we'll be short one helm officer."

"There's got to be an easier way." Harry mashed the squishy blue substance through his fork. "This shouldn't be so hard. Everyone knows they're in love; it's just a matter of convincing them."

"Excuse me."

B'Elanna's eyebrows shot up. Maybe there was hope for Seven integrating manners into her behaviors. "Yes?"

"What are you conspiring?"

Harry glanced around the mess hall before leaning into the conversation and dropping his voice. "It's the commander's birthday in a few days. We've already decided to throw him a surprise party, but the gift is a little harder. We know what gift he needs., we just have to convince both parties."

Seven raised her eyebrows in amusement. "Ensign,...." She made a few quick motions with her hands indicating that Harry was to look down.

"Darn." He muttered straightening up so his chest wasn't in the blue mush. Grabbing a napkin, he furiously began wiping at his front.

"A birthday is the day of one's birth, correct? What is the point of celebrating it?"

"Humans-" Tom caught B'Elanna's glare and quickly amended his words. "Some cultures celebrate it. For fun. To lighten up the daily routine."

"And a 'surprise party' is how they celebrate? If a person is expecting the party, does it not defeat the name of the event?"

"Well, we don't use surprise parties all the time. And other cultures celebrate it other ways." Tom's eyes held an odd glint as he continued. "Klingons, for example, allow the man to choose a- OW!"

B'Elanna endured Tom's glare. "We're not doing it."

"Why not?" Tom rubbed his shin where a booted Klingon foot had kicked him. Hard. "You know it'd work."

"Because Janeway would kill you."

"If the Commander didn't beat her to it for embarrassing them." Harry added.

Tom started to roll his eyes, but was cut short by the captain over the comm systems.

"Red alert. All hands to battle stations."

Captain Kathryn Janeway stood, hands on both hips, and glared at the Borg sphere in front of her ship.

"What are they doing?" she asked turning to Ops where Harry was just taking over for Lt. Brackwell.

"Hailing us." He glanced up for her signal.

Giving it, she turned back to the screen and raised her chin slightly.

"I'm Captain Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager. State your purpose for being in our sector."

Chakotay, knowing he was well out of sight, hid a smile behind his hand. Not many Federation captains would have dared to address the Borg as she did. Then again, Kathryn could be as gentle as a kitten when with Naomi, but she was as protective as a lioness if anyone dared to hurt her cubs.

"Your designation is insignificant. Your ship is irrelevant. We will take the drone from your ship." The thousands of voices comprising a single one that addressed them made Chakotay's skin shiver. They were cold. Lifeless.

"I'm afraid that's not possible." Kathryn turned and waved a hand around her bridge. "He's not here."

"He survived the destruction of sphere A-283-BQ-2839. You will surrender the drone."

Janeway hid a chuckle as she glanced down at her feet. When she glanced back up, there was still a small smile playing on her lips. "He's dead." She answered frankly. "One executed his auto-destrut sequence after refusing treatment from our medical doctor."

It was over before anything could be done. Kathryn was aware of the green glow illuminated to her left. Turning, she stared in horror as her first officer's eyes grew wide and he disappeared into the nothing.

"How did they get through our shields?!" she demanded turning around and glaring hotly at Tuvok. "See if you can get a lock on him and beam him back!" she shouted at Harry already half way to his console.

"I...I can't." Harry stuttered as Janeway pushed him out of the way.

Chakotay felt himself materialize on a metal, swinging cat walk. Trying to calm the queasiness in his stomach, he looked around. Cat walks like the one he was precariously balanced on seemed to line the entire interior section of the ship. In the middle was a massive knot of wires and other metal parts seeming to control the entire ship. Looking over the edge of his cat walk, he could see dozens upon dozens of drones scurrying around to do the bidding of the voices that ordered them.

"First officer, Chakotay, of the Federation Starship Voyager, registration number seven four six five six. Rank. Commander. Service number four seven alpha six one two."

Chakotay unconsciously turned toward the center mass of cables. Adopting Kathryn's air of confidence and praying it could get him out of this situation without being assimilated, he clasped his hands together and lifted his chin slightly. "Return me to my ship."

"What has Voyager done with the drone?"

"Captain Janeway told you. He died. Now, return me to my ship!"

"You will comply and answer the questions or the information will be assimilated from you."

"I told you! He's dead. He erected a personal force field around himself and initiated a self destruct sequence in his blood stream." Chakotay nervously took a step backwards. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see two drones- one on either side of him. And both were advancing.

"Unacceptable." The thousands of voices stated before beginning the mantra that announced a fate worse than death. "Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. Your biological and tech-"

Blocking the words from entering his mind, Chakotay smacked his comm badge as he saw two drones the drones approaching him. "Voyager! Emergency beam-" His sentence was cut off as the two drones who approached him from different angles grabbed both of his arms. It was a futile struggle. With nothing but his bare hands to protect himself, the first officer of Voyager presented no challenge for the Borg.

As the nanoprobes entered his bloodstream, Chakotay saw Kathryn's face flash in his memory. Two blue eyes wet with tears. "I'm so sorry, Kathryn." He whispered unashamedly as tears filled his own eyes. "I'm so sorry I never told you how much I love you." They had shared something, he knew. More than friendship, though she had never admitted to it. His assimilation would cause her grief and pain. Tears squeezed out of his eyes and wet the Borg implant that sprung from his cheek.

He could hear them now. Stronger than the last time he had been linked to the collective through Riley. That had been a frightening time for him, but it was nothing compared to this. They were stronger. And louder. More demanding. He could feel others probing his thoughts for clues about One. They would gain knowledge about Voyager's systems. He must not allow that! He tried to push them away, but he was too weak. Only one against an entire civilization.

Gasping, he felt them find the memories of Kathryn. He saw an evil smile flit across a Borg drone's face in the on the edge of the Delta Quadrant. Another drone in the Alpha Quadrant paused her work to view this new information. A female queen in the Gamma quadrant held an odd glint in her eyes.

"Nooo..." he moaned. "Please, no!" He grasped his head, but was horrified to find that another implant had sprung from the side of his scull. "Kaaaathryyyynnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!" He shouted one last time. The sound of his own voice echoed through the sphere and resounded in his ears just before the blackness overtook him.

"Emergency beam-"

"What happened?" Janeway spun to face Kim. "I want him out of there now!"

"I can't, Captain." Harry's hands danced over the keys of his console as he rapidly extracted data.

"What do you mean you can't?" Janeway turned to glare at Kim. "If they could transport, then their shields are down."

"Captain...I don't know how they did it..but they transported through the shields. I can't establish a lock on the commander. Or even get a bioreading on him."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

"Captain, the sphere is moving out of visual range." Tuvok announced from his station.

Janeway turned to the screen just in time to see the globe ship jump to warp.

Kathryn's eyes grew wide as the severity of the situation dawned on her. They took everyday they didn't have a problem for granted- and now, faced with a problem the magnitude of the new Borg sphere, she didn't know how to respond. "Follow them. And keep scanning. I'll be in my ready room. The instant anything comes through, I want to know."

"Aye."

There was a soft murmuring in the room. He was flat on his back. Something was moving over him. Opening his eyes, Chakotay saw two drones leaning over him, large silver instruments in their hands.

Instantly, he tried to lift his hands to defend himself, but found they were weighted down with large pieces of metal and tubes poking out in every direction.

"Why am I still here?" he demanded of the drone as he struggled against the confinements. "Why didn't you assimilate me?"

The drone refused to answer.

"I demand to be returned to my vessel!"

"Resistance is futile. You will comply." The murmur raised its voice. Thousands of voices. Millions. They floated in his head.

"I will not comply!" Chakotay thrashed about on the bed in an effort to break free. Adrenaline gushed through his veins only enhancing the anxiety that washed over him. "Release me!"

"He will not comply." Chakotay felt his palms break out into a cold sweat as the voices filled his head again. He was connected to the Collective! Wondering how it was possible to hear them, yet still retain his memories he quickly dismissed the thoughts as the Borg drone to his right turned to a long counter with an array of metal objects scattered on it. He was going to sedate the Commander. Chakotay wasn't sure how he knew this- he simply knew it.

"All thoughts are one. Any attempt at escape will be neutralized." Shivers ran down the length of his spine as he realized they knew exactly what he was thinking. If something was done, it must not be thought of in advance.

At that moment, he didn't have time to ponder how he could think freely, yet be connected with the Collective. The drone turned from the counter, a long, silver needle in his hands.

Returning to his simplistic state of thrashing against the metal bracelets cutting into his wrists, Chakotay felt the damp sweat roll down his cheek and become rerouted at an implant on his cheek bone. As the drone approached the table which he lay on, he was reduced to a frightened child's whimpers. "Please, no." Turning away from the needle, Chakotay tried to move so he could avoid it, but the other drone caught his head and held him still. Helpless, Chakotay was forced to watch as the needle drew closer still to his neck. He could feel his heart madly tap dancing in his chest and briefly wondered if he would ever experience an emotion again. Or, would this be the last? Blood pulsated through his ears until it was all he could hear. Pounding. Rushing. Even the dull murmur of the Collective had resided. Swallowing hard, he resisted the urge to scream. Who would hear him? Not anyone on Voyager. Another drone would not save him. He was alone. The needle pricked his skin. His forehead instantly became dotted in a thin sheet of sweat. Licking his lips, he tasted the salt of his own perspiration as the needle easily slid into the tissue of his neck. Then, he knew no more.

He was vertical. That much he could comprehend. A slight movement of his eyebrow caused him to become aware of something attached to it. It was starting to itch.

Where was he? You have been assimilated. Funny, he thought assimilation was to be one of the worst fates a person could have. But, now, he could hear thousands of minds all cohesively working towards one goal- one purpose. Perfection.

Perfection. A face flitted across his memory. Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship USS Voyager. Suddenly, memories of her rush back at him in full force. He couldn't remember his designation, but suddenly that was unimportant. He remembered the woman and the feelings associated with her. She would be sad now, he knew. Sadness tugged at his own heart. He didn't want her sad. Maquis. Delta quadrant. Grasping at the frail strings his mind used to call him back, he tried valiantly to remember more. He was an officer. A Starfleet officer. In his mind's eye, he saw the Borg sphere kidnap and assimilate him. Startled, he briefly wondered why he had been allowed to retain his memories. When one joined the collective, weren't the memories assimilated? You have been allowed to retain memories in order that we might learn more information, the collective told his mind. Any attempt to become an individual will be neutralized. Awed by the flow of information into his mind, the drone carefully took in the different alien races that comprised the collective- Human, Klingon, Bajoran, Ocampan, Kazon, Bolian, Telurian, Orellgan, Hirogen, Matixiion and many more- some he knew very well and some he'd never heard of- and assimilated the knowledge. The itch was slowly festering until it grew nearly impossible to keep his hand down, the drone opened his eyes and took a step forward.

"State my designation." He requested in a monotone.

"Your designation is Four of Ten, Tertiary Adjunct of Bimartix One-One-Zero-One.

"State my task."

"Report to adjunct 0010001110 and relay the information concerning the drone on Voyager."

"Understood." With an awkward jerk and twist, Four of Ten turned and began making his way to adjunct 0010001110.

"What have you got?"

Tuvok's eyebrows rose at the captain's blunt opening to the meeting. But he said nothing.

"Not much to report." Harry answered regretfully. "I've run a dozen scans. The best I can come up with is that they've created a new shielding with slightly lower frequency bands and enhanced the ICP modulators."

"In English?" Janeway, who thought she had a decent grasp on engineering lingo, asked.

"They've created a microsporus structure and enhanced it."

Tom furrowed his eyebrows. "In English?"

"For the helm officers," Harry chuckled, "It's an energy bubble with holes for shielding."

"Isn't that impossible for defense?"

"In theory." B'Elanna nodded. "I've read some of the papers on it that Starfleet had out before we left. They managed to create it, but due to the lack of continuity there were large gaps that left a ship open to being fired on."

"I read some of those papers too." Harry jumped in. "And I managed to talk to one of the professors at the Academy who was working on it. She had a theory of how to modify the emitter so that it would produce a tighter band and, in theory, make the 'holes' much smaller, but still large enough to transport through...if the transporters were modified so that they broke a person's molecules down and sent them in a single line."

"How's it done now?" Neelix asked, eager to learn more about the equipment.

"If you were to see it," B'Elanna broke in. "It would look like a long, thin cloud.

"Ahem." Everyone immediately faced back towards Janeway who had an exasperated look on her face. "Do we know where they went?"

"I have run several tests with Seven of Nine in the Astrometrics lab." Tuvok spoke up. "Their course heading is indeterminable."

"To a Vulcan." Seven broke in. "I believe there is no need to follow them because they will come back to us."

"Why do you say that?" Janeway asked moving from her chair to the view port.

"They have no reason to want only the Commander. They should have assimilated all of us." She rose her chin. "They only want information about One from the Commander. I would suspect that they have allowed him to retain his memories in order to be certain they would have access to them. He will find us."

"Why would they let him keep his memories?" B'Elanna asked in bewilderment. "They could just assimilate them."

"Contrary." Seven informed them. "When the Borg nanoprobes enter a person's blood stream, it alters the chemical make up. A very slight percentage of the memories are lost. Forever. It is not possible retain them, nor is it possible to determine which it will erase. Therefore, in other cases, it has been necessary to allow the individual to keep their own memories."

"You really think they would let him?" Harry leaned forward.

"In any other case, no. But since the information they seek is extremely sensitive and they wish to have it- yes."

"In that case, our main goal is to be ready when they come back." Janeway looked around the table. Her gaze came to rest on Lt. Torres. "I want a plan to rescue the Commander when they get here."

"I'll see about recalibrating transporters." Harry instantly volunteered.

"And I'll work on modifying our own shields." B'Elanna added.

Four of Ten turned away from Eleven of Twenty-six and Fifteen of Forty-two.

Regenerate, the voices in his head told him. He was thankful. It had been a grueling twenty-four point seven hours since he'd begun the interrogation. He had been physically connected to Fifteen of Forty-two for over twenty of those hours. The access node embedded in his skull itched from where the wires and cables had been, but he didn't bother to scratch them. He would only damage his fingers on the other cables and filaments sticking out.

Stepping into the regeneration chamber, Four of Ten flicked his eyes shut. For now, he would rest. Without intending to, his mind called up several pictures of his home of the last five years. Voyager. The Borg were determined to discover what had happened to One, but Four knew that nothing had happened. He'd died. Self-destructed was actually a better term. Seven had been crushed. She wouldn't admit it, but she had. Four had been dealing with other problems at the same time, though. The captain.

If he'd been human still, he would have sighed. Captain Janeway had been attempting to pull herself out of her own depression and he'd lost his temper at her.

I know her.

Four of Ten's eyes snapped open. His head jerked to look down one corridor. No one. The other way. A single female stood in her chamber- eyes closed. The millions of circuitry in his brain told him that her designation was Twenty of Thirty-three.

I'm not her.

Who are you?, he asked awkwardly, still unsure of this telepathic communication.

Designation Two of Fifteen, Quaditary Junction of Bimartix One-Zero-Zero-One, The pleasant female mind answered. I was assimilated two months ago.

How do you know Captain Janeway?

A long silence followed. Four wasn't sure if Two of Fifteen was refusing to answer or pondering how to answer. Indeed, if she had been thinking about what to say, he would have heard her.

Suddenly, memories flashed in his mind. Memories, but not his. He saw a young Kathryn running through the corn fields near her home in Indiana. Her hair, long and unruly, flew through the wind as she laughed and threw a handful of grass at the person trying desperately to keep up with her. The scene changed suddenly, Kathryn was a few years older, about twelve, Four judged, she was being carried into the Janeway's home by her father while the young athlete mumbled something about solving the distance formula with the Pythagorean theorem. The eyes through which he saw changed the scene again. This time to an angry Kathryn glaring up at him with wet hair plastered against her skin. She was fighting to sit up in the middle of her bed, which was drenched with the contents that had been in the bucket now in the hands of the person's eyes through which he saw- ice water.

"Are you crazy? What are you doing?" Kathryn yelped.

How do you know her? Four again wondered.

There was silence for a moment. She's my sister.

"Okay. Try it again."

"I'm telling you. It's not going to work, B'Elanna," Harry said with a shake of his head.

B'Elanna's ridged brow popped into view from behind the console. "Just do it!"

With a slight shrug, Harry ran his hand over the controls to initialize transport. The blue mango-shaped fruit flickered, but refused to beam past the port nacelle just beyond Voyager's newly modified shields.

"I still say we need to reverse the ionic polars in the IS conduit."

Torres glared at Kim. "I'm the chief engineer here, Ensign. If and when I need your help, I'll ask for it." With that said, she ducked behind the console again. "Hand me that tricorder."

Harry flipped the object over in his hand and just looked at her out stretched palm. "Is that how you deal with it?"

She turned quickly. "Deal with what? Give me the tricorder."

Kim placed the object in her hand. "Losing Chakotay."

B'Elanna's head snapped around to face him. "Look, we haven't lost him yet. We still know where he is. That's alot more than what most can say about their loved ones abducted by the Borg. Seven says they're coming back and when they do, I'm determined to be ready for them." The look she gave him made the young ensign shiver. "We're getting him back, Harry. Even if I have to go over there myself."

Both were silent for a minute before B'Elanna resumed her task of scanning over the power relays.

"Makes me wonder how you'd react if it were Tom." Harry finally chuckled.

"What do you mean by that, Starfleet?" came the sharp retort.

"You, yourself, told us you used to have a thing for the Commander." Harry flipped open another tricorder and started scanning.

"It never amounted to anything more than a cadet's crush." She replied tightly. "I'm sure you had a few of those as well."

Harry stopped scanning as a dreamy look entered his eyes. "One. Lt. Commander Marcinea. My pre-warp Earth civilization instructor. She had the most amazing eyes." He gave a short laugh. "I was horrified to find out she was from Betazed."

B'Elanna tried to muster a smile, but she couldn't quite manage it. "The first time I met Chakotay, he saved my butt from being torn to shreds by the Cardassians." B'Elanna shrugged not knowing what to say. "I've always been grateful he didn't just leave me on that ship. He was kind of the big brother/protector I never had while growing up. I guess-"

"Anyone in here?"

"Yes, Captain." Harry turned and peeked over the console.

Janeway took in B'Elanna's relaxed pose of leaning with her back against the panel and frowned. "Are you getting any work done or just talking?" she asked stiffly.

"A little of both." Harry admitted quickly reaching for his tricorder. "I was just telling B'Elanna that if we were to reverse the Ionic polars in the IS conduit, we should be able to clear a few microporres in the shields."

"And I was just informing Harry that by reversing the polarization, we'll end up compromising shields." B'Elanna added.

The captain raised her eyebrows. "So, you were engaged in a discussion about engineering tactics? Because I'd certainly hate to think you would be holding trivial conversations while we should be working to rescue the Commander."

"Of course, Captain."

"Good." Janeway laid a hand on the console and leaned against it. "Now, can you do only a partial reversal?"

B'Elanna paused to think for a moment. "Not without weakening shields."

"Find a way." Janeway ordered. "Get Seven and her knowledge of Borg defense and weaponry on it. We're not leaving him with them."

"Aye, Captain." Both replied simultaneously.

Janeway looked around as if she wanted to say more. "Well, good." she finally muttered pushing away from the console and exiting the transporter room.

Torres and Kim looked at one another.

"And you thought I was determined." B'Elanna's mouth twitched with a slight smile.

Harry grinned in response. "I'd say the captain wants her first officer back."

"No kidding." Both knelt down to work on reversing the polarization. "We'll get your idea functioning before we bring Seven into it."

Harry only nodded as he shut down the IS ionic emitter. With a short nod from Torres, he pulled out the necessary wires and together they began to reconnect them.

"You know, I think it's great that you can see the commander as a brother. It means you've got more family out here than the rest of us."

B'Elanna stopped her work for a minute and quietly regarded the young ensign. "You're probably right."

Four carefully stepped into the regeneration chamber and allowed the implants at the base of his brain stem to attach with the rear wall of the chamber.

It had been sixty-eight point nine zero four hours since he had been taken from Voyager and forty-eight point three two of those hours had been occupied by informing the Collective of the activities of One while he had been on board his ship. The rest of the time had been a mixture of being assimilated and regenerating.

He clearly felt sorrow and regret during the time spent collaborating with other drones about the super-Borg that had been on Voyager. Therefore, his favorite part of the day was regeneration. Four found it to be a delightful state where, unlike sleeping, he was conscious of others' thoughts as they whispered past his mind.

Another mystery to Four was the lack of memories. As a former Starfleet officer, Four had been taught that drones were not allowed to experience emotions and their knowledge was stolen from them. In exchange, they were also to receive information about the lives of other members of the Collective. But for Four, this was not so.

He had expected to be overwhelmed, but instead only one drone chose to show him parts of her life. And so, that was how it came to be that Four's sleep mode continued to be filled with the visage of Captain Kathryn Janeway.

Phoebe?

Four sent the message out as he felt the light tendrils of her mind seek him out.

I am here. She replied.

I. The single letter suddenly stood out in his mind. Why do you not refer to yourself in the third person as other drones do? He questioned.

A pause. Then, Two of Fifteen continued. I, like yourself have not been designated for full assimilation at this time.

But, why not? Four wondered. I- No,this one wishes to undergo full assimilation. We wish to hear the Collective fully in our mind.

They are still gathering memories from out mind. But, our time will come. Two promised. Or so, I have been told. My own full assimilation is scheduled for tomorrow. After that, it will be much more difficult for us to communicate.

No! Four physically twitched. I wish to always be able to communicate with you.

Four of Ten, Tertiary Adjunct of Bimartix One-One-Zero-One, I have reason to believe that you will never be fully assimilated. My sister is a stubborn woman and, from your memories, I've gathered that she would lay down her life before allowing you to stay here.

I'll assimilate her.

You will be stopped. Before you are harmed or severed, I must give you something.

What?

Two proceeded as if not listening to him. Due to the myriad of emotions you have experienced with my sister, I wish to give you this....

Four felt a sudden jolt of electricity as something entered his brain. It felt as though his mind had been plugged into an old fashioned wall-outlet -- and he couldn't escape. Whatever pushed its way into his mind was menacing and agony.

Inside his mind, Four gasped in astonishment. Then, his brain, not knowing how to process the sudden flow of new stimuli, shut down. For the first time in sixty-eight point nine seven four hours, Four had no conscious thought.

"It won't work."

"We didn't ask you," Tom muttered under his breath at Seven.

"Contrary, Lieutenant." Tuvok said. "At the beginning of this meeting, Lt. Torres requested that any additional information one might have to be brought forward."

"That's two for a perfect Vulcan memory," Harry glanced up from where he, B'Elanna, and Seven were hunched over the IS regulator.

"Fine," Tom gave an exaggerated sigh. "Why won't it work, Seven?"

Crystal clear, blue eyes met his own baby blue ones. "There is too great a quantity of the isotopes entering the chamber at any given time. It must be reduced."

Torres nodded. "You know, you're right. Hand me that-" she glanced quickly to see who was closest to the tray. "-the silver spoon with a fork on two ends."

"Here you go." Neelix cheerfully dropped the tool into her hand.

Harry hid a smile. They certainly made for an interesting group to work with. While the bridge was being run by junior officers, Janeway had gradually ordered one more senior officer to the group assigned to get the transporters and shields on-line again.

"I said, try it again, Starfleet."

Kim jumped out of his thoughts and quickly initiated the transport. As the group had slowly enlarged, Harry was inclined to think that B'Elanna's temper was growing just as quickly.

Excitedly, the group watched as the compression phaser rifle, complete with it's own tiny thrusters (courtesy of Tom Paris after they'd nearly phasered a hole in the bulkhead of his quarters because it was facing the wrong direction) beamed through the shields and into open space.

"Now comes the fun part." Tom reached for the 20th century remote controls and began 'steering' the rifle so it was aimed at the shields, but it wouldn't be able to hit the ship. "Okay, got it on screen?"

"Affirmative," Seven answered from where the senior officers were huddled around the transporter console.

"Here goes nothing."

The group collectively held their breath as Tom pressed several buttons. The rifle spun and shot out a single ray of yellow energy aimed at the shields. But, victory was not to come yet. As the energy beam hit the shields it was not stopped, but only weakened.

"If that little rifle can get through, so can a powerful Borg phaser." Neelix observed.

"Back to the drawing boards." Tom shut off the phaser and allowed Harry to beam the rifle back inside the transporter room.

It was odd. One nanosecond he was unaware of his surrounds or even his own existence, the next, he was fully coherent and listening to the whispers of the Collective. Running a quick systems check, Four discovered he had been unconscious for six point two two hours.

Why? He wondered. Why had he been unaware of his own status in the Collective? Two. Remembering what had occurred just before black out, Four accessed his memory logs of the event. Slightly surprised that such a quantity of information could be passed from one drone to another in such a short period of time, he quickly scanned the files.

It was fairly easy to access the first file he came to that was newly imprinted in his memory algorithms. It was a memory. Phoebe and Kathryn running along the cliffs of Mars together. He watched as both girls dove into the crystal clear waters of the quarry and resurfaced.

"Race you!" Kathryn shouted back to her sister before her long arms stretched out in an effort to gain speed and put distance between them.

"No fair!" Phoebe laughed coming up from beneath the surface and pushing back her long, dark hair.

Four judged Kathryn to be about twenty years old, putting Phoebe at sixteen.

"Kathryn! Phoebe!" A male's voice rang out and echoed against the quarry walls.

"Hobbes!" Four felt Phoebe's face stretch out into a grin as she waved at him.

Kathryn nodded coolly at him without lifting a hand. "Oh, Phoebe. Don't call him over here." She whispered to her sister. "He's such a dweeb."

"He's a nice person." Phoebe insisted as Hobbes dove into the water and quickly shortened the distance between the three. "You be nice, Kathryn Janeway."

"I always am." She snorted back to her sister.

"Sure."

"How are you two doing?" the question was aimed at both, but Hobbes' eyes were on Kathryn.

Four felt a surge of....jealousy?...course through him. Who was this pimply faced youth? Then, without warning- the memory ended.

Four's eyes opened. What had happened? A foot step on the grate made him decide to close his eyes again. Perhaps, without being fully linked to the Collective, he could fool them into thinking he was asleep. As the seconds drew into minutes, Four decided he was safe for now. Accessing another entry, he drew the memory out and prepared to face his captain again.

This time, he saw Kathryn and another young man facing each other. The younger fellow was taller than Hobbes, had darker hair, and flecks of anger in his deep blue eyes. Cheb. Cheb Packer. Four thanked Two for having enough insight to include a name with the face. Kathryn herself looked angry too, if Four was any judge.

"I said forget about it!" Cheb threw at Kathryn. "It doesn't matter anymore! I don't care about it!"

"Yes, you do, Cheb." Kathryn insisted. "We've been planning this trip for ages. Even if you didn't get into the Academy on your first try, it's no reason to take it out on the rest of your friends!"

"Is that what you think?" Cheb glared hotly at Kathryn. "That just because I'm not good enough for Starfleet, I'm determined to take it out on you guys? Because you're wrong, Kathryn Janeway! I'm just as good as you are and I don't appreciate you and your friends reminding me of your pity!"

"My friends!?" Kathryn folded her arms across her chest. "I thought they were our friends!"

"I thought so too!" Cheb's hands clenched in anger. "But apparently, they're not."

"Well, maybe if you didn't act like a jerk all the time-"

Four's muscled body flinched where he was 50,000 light years from the Alpha Quadrant and 20 years in the future as he saw Cheb strike Kathryn. He felt Phoebe crouch down lower in fear.

Kathryn gasped and fell back away from him, half stunned and half in fear.

Cheb closed his eyes for a moment. "Kathryn, don't ever anger me."

"I'm sorry." Kathryn whimpered. "I'm so sorry. I only wanted for us to have a nice vacation together. Without Starfleet or any reminders of it."

Cheb took a deep breath. "Be at the transporter padd at 0800. We'll leave from there." Without apologizing or looking back, Cheb turned on his heel and left her standing outside in the open corn fields.

Hand still pressed against her cheek where Cheb had struck her, Kathryn hunched her shoulders over and began the trek back to her house.

I'll kill him. Four thought to himself. If I ever meet him, I'll kill the jerk!

*Beep*

Kathryn's head snapped up with a gasp. Looking around her darkened quarters, she wondered why anyone would be coming to see her. Then, as sleep left her mind, she remembered. Chakotay had been kidnapped by the Borg. They were working on a plan to get him back. She looked down at the object that had fallen to the floor as she'd cried herself to sleep. Quickly lifting it, the silver gleamed in the star light as she slid it under her couch. She couldn't let anyone know her plan until it was too late for them.

*Beep*

Hastily wiping away any stray tears, she called, "Come."

The doors slid open and B'Elanna Torres stepped inside. "Captain?" she called.

"I'm here," Kathryn's voice was a bit hoarse as she called for lights so they could see more clearly. "Can I help you, Lieutenant?"

"Actually, I just came to give you a report." Torres invited herself to sit down on the sofa. "If I can say so, you look awful."

Janeway grimaced. "Thanks, Lieutenant. I'll keep that in mind. What have you got?"

"We're still working on reconfiguring the shields. Seven's figured out the right frequencies, we're just working to implant the numbers in the right files. I left Seven in charge of them. Since it's Borg technology, she seems to be the expert in it and a better person to be in charge. I'm just getting in the way."

Kathryn smiled in amusement. "I felt the same way. But, I'm still working on tactics."

"Oh, I'm still working." B'Elanna assured the captain. "But helping is a better description. Seven thinks we can have them on-line in about two hours."

"Great." Janeway looked out the view port. "In two hours, we'll go after them, then."

"Aye, Captain." B'Elanna stood up. "If you'll excuse me now..."

"Of course."

Kathryn listened as the doors to her quarters slid shut. Pulling the small object from under her couch, she drew her knees up to her chest and caressed the smooth metal. Just how much power did it have in it anyways? No matter. It would suffice. Or, she would pretend the Borg were Toskanar dogs on Cardassia.

The Voyager is coming within sensor range. The voices in his head whispered to him. Four of Ten, Tertiary Adjunct of Bimartix One-One-Zero-One sent a quick, electronic blip of affirmative through out the Collective's mind. Taking an awkward step, he left his regeneration chamber and the dreams of Kathryn.

He knew his place in the sphere. He was to act as mediator between Borg and Star Fleet in order for the Collective to acquire the data files from Voyager. The Borg were expecting the crew of the other ship to attempt a rescue mission, but Four had already informed them of all of the normal rescue procedures. There would be no surprises.

We shall hail them in four point six seven minutes. Four continued his direct path to the command center of the cube. From there, he would have a view screen with which he could view the bridge crew, but more importantly, they would be able to see him. Arriving, he stood erect at attention and patiently waited.

Calling up another data file from Two, he decided to review it in the three point four minutes that were remaining.

It was a memory of a dinner. The dinner was over, Four saw, as Phoebe bent down to caress a dog's head. Her stomach, noticeably swollen with pups, swayed as she excitedly ambled over to her master.

Four listened as Phoebe offered one of the pups that were due soon to Kathryn and a man whom Two had tagged as Lt. Justin Tighe as a wedding gift. Kathryn gladly accepted the gift, but Justin looked a bit more hesitant.

Four watched slightly aghast as the sisters ended the meal with a dispute over whether Phoebe would apologize to Kathryn's fiancee. He'd never seen Kathryn become so emotional as to shout at another person, and wondered if it could ever happen in the Delta Quadrant. Or, was it just a 'sister thing'?

As the memory faded, he saw Kathryn huddled over her bed crying because her daddy and Justin had died in a shuttle accident. An accident that she could have saved one of them from.

Four's heart constricted. He knew that feeling. Pain. He pitied the broken woman lying on the bed with tears streaking her cheeks as she drew in deep breaths to feed her sobs. Phoebe backed up then, in her memory.

It switched again. This one, Chakotay had seen. Two hands dumped the pail of icy water over Kathryn's sleeping form. She let out a shout of astonishment and sat up in bed to glare at her sister.

Hail the Voyager. Four of Ten took a step forward and pressed several buttons instinctively.

"Captain, the Borg have just entered our sensor range. They're hailing us." Harry's voice shook slightly as he activated his console.

"Red alert!" Kathryn drew her mouth into a tight line as she stood up. "On screen."

"We are the Borg. Give us the data about One. You must comply."

Kathryn took a step back without thinking about it. She had come to expect that Chakotay would be the one they would deal with, but seeing him with the Borg armor over his face and body was still a shock to her. His face was covered in the pasty white goo that cemented the Borg appendages to him and part of his skull now sported a metal plate instead of his soft, black hair. "Oh, Chakotay..." she sighed softly gazing at him.

"You must comply." He said again.

Kathryn raised herself to her full height and lifted her chin towards him. "We will not comply. Give us this one back and we will leave."

"Captain! They're powering-"

Janeway and her crew stumbled and reached out to regain their footing as the ship endured a hit on the port side. "Report!"

"Minimal damage to deck fifteen." Harry noted quickly. "It was a weakened version of the full beam."

"B'Elanna? Have you got full shields yet?"

"Not yet, Captain. I said two hours. We've got about five more minutes of configurations."

Kathryn reached for the railing as the deck shifted under her feet again. "Step on it. I could really use those shields about now."

"We're trying!"

Janeway turned back to Chakotay ...or, the one she last remembered as her Chakotay. "You have all the information concerning the drone. Give us this one."

"Inadequate. He does not contain all of the necessary data. We wish to have all of it."

"Don't you understand?" Janeway glared at the screen. "One was an accident. We know nothing more than what he knows. Return him, and you'll still have the data."

The drone lifted a hand- a human hand still- to his chin and rubbed it thoughtfully as he processed the information. Janeway's blood ran cold. The action was so Chakotay-like, she wondered for a moment if it was possible to contact him inside the drone shell. Staring carefully at him, she didn't hesitate on the next decision.

"End transmission. I want you to keep a skeletal lock on Chakotay." She told Harry quickly. Turning to Tuvok, she eyed him carefully for a moment. "Try to negotiate with them. Get Chakotay back. If nothing happens in twenty minutes, get the ship out of here."

"Captain?"

"I'm going to help B'Elanna." Janeway smiled. "Everything will be fine. I just think she could use an extra set of hands to enter algorithms. I've been around engineering equipment. I can do it just as well as any other ensign." She lifted her chin at Tuvok. "You have your orders, Lieutenant."

The senior officers watched as Janeway stepped on the turbolift without a backwards glance. "She's not going to engineering." Tom whispered.

The drone strode past her without acknowledging her presence. Kathryn clenched her phaser in her hands as the eerie green lights caught the polished metal and cast an emerald hue over her features. She hoped she wouldn't need to use it. But just in case, she had spent the day programming a dozen more frequencies into it. If she was going to engage the Borg, she was going to be ready and make sure she stood a fighting chance.

Moving her foot slightly, Kathryn felt a warm rush of reassurance wash over her body. She still had it. It had taken two days of watching sick bay every moment, another six hours of reviewing medical logs, but she had finally managed to 'borrow' one of the silver-polished hyposprays. Her pride and joy for this excursion which she had carefully concealed in her quarters or on her person at all times. With it, she intended to render her first officer unconscious and then beam him back to Voyager.

Casting a quick glance at the clock embedded into the phaser, she made a mental note. It had take her two minutes to make her way from the bridge to the transporter room. And less than a minute later, she was standing in the Borg sphere after initiating her own transport. Seventeen minutes to find Chakotay, incapacitate the Borg, and get out of there- alive.

Click. Click. Janeway's ears pricked up at the slight sound the drone's feet made on the metal. He was coming in her direction, she gauged. Pressing herself tightly against a wall, she held her breath and waited.

The drone passed without even casting a glance at her. Carefully, Kathryn poked her head around a corner and, after seeing it was clear, began making her way deeper into the sphere.

Her nerves were on edge and every little sound made her jump. It wasn't helping that the same dark tubing and cables were hanging from the ceiling as they did in the cubes. They only enhanced the feeling that she was being watched.

Tap. Clack. Tap. Clack. Kathryn glanced around furiously as another drone began making it's way to her. There was no place to go! Trying to will herself to continue breathing normally, she made herself walk past the drone without looking at it.

It ignored her. Letting out a brief sigh, Janeway figured they would pretty much leave her alone as long as she didn't pose a threat to them. Until she tried to steal one. Then, she would have to run as fast as she could- and pray that Chakotay's unconscious form wouldn't weigh her down too much.

The light on her phaser flashed suddenly. Ten more minutes. She guessed herself to be less than half way to the command center of the sphere. Quickening her steps, Kathryn pasted a determined look on her face and clenched the phaser as she went after her first officer. The 8472 never got near his heart, but too close to his lips. Kellin had tried (according to the letters he'd written). Riley had tried to take him. He had loved Seska...for a short time. There was no way the Borg would take him from her. She would win this round. Or die trying.

"I'm reading one transport." Harry suddenly announced a few minutes after Janeway had vacated the bridge. He glanced over at Tuvok. "It's the Captain."

"Can you re-establish a lock on her and beam her back?"

"Negative, sir. She's already moving past an inner force field. We'll have to wait for her to come back."

"Talk about love." Tom muttered.

"Indeed." Tuvok turned to his console again.

"Sir, they're hailing us again."

"On screen, Ensign." Tuvok moved to the center of the bridge to face the Commander.

"Where is the Captain?" Chakotay asked instantly.

"She has been relieved from duty during the weapon exchange." Tuvok answered passively.

"She was injured?"

"She relinquished her command." Tuvok answered back. "I was ordered to negotiate terms of the return of this one which is your speaker."

Chakotay's head twitched to the side as he awaited commands from the Collective. "Give us the data which we seek. Then, we will not assimilate any more from your ship."

"This one." Tuvok's voice didn't waver as he held the gaze of the Commander.

"Unable to comply." The Collective answered. "This one remains."

"Tuvok-" Harry never finished the sentence before the Borg phaser fire penetrated their shields and hit the hull of their ship. "Darn! I thought we had that fixed! Kim to Seven."

"I'm working on it, Ensign."

"Hull breech on deck fourteen." Harry glanced up at Tuvok. "And minor injuries coming in."

Four of Ten watched from his place in the command center of the sphere. He hadn't ordered for Voyager to be disabled, that had come directly from the Queen herself- on the edges of the Beta Quadrant.

Harry was shouting something to Tuvok, but Four couldn't make it out. His audio implants were only calibrated to receive sound from the one he was communicating with.

Shut down communications. The Borg told him. We will take from them that which we seek.

Give them time. Four commented. Give them time to realize we will not harm them if they comply.

There was silence for a moment. They have ten minutes.

Four reactivated the comm link and keyed in a visible message. Harry's face paled as it danced across his console.

You have 10 minutes to comply or be destroyed.

Four stepped back from the console. Without meaning to, binary adjunct 37084 accessed the memory logs Two of Fifteen had sent to him.

Kathryn, only about five years ago, jumped off of the transporter padd and quickly composed herself before making her way to her family. Four saw three sparkling gold pips gleaming at her neckline as she proudly wore them. Giving first her mother and sister a hug, she turned to Hobbes Johnson. Mark. Mark Johnson, Two corrected him. The kiss that followed was enough to make Four's stomach turn over. Finally, Mark pulled back and smiled at her.

"It's good to have you back, Kath."

She screwed her face up at him. "I hate that name."

He simply laughed.

"I can't wait to tell you all about it!" Kathryn was nearly bouncing with excitement.

Four could see Gretchen Janeway's own eagerness to hear what her daughter had encountered while on her first deep space mission. Phoebe was stealing a quick glance at a cute ensign, but snapped her attention back to her sister at the last minute.

"Do tell." She encouraged Kathryn.

"Well," Kathryn's voice dropped in an effort to appear slightly more mature as if she were discussing important business meetings. Four could tell she was embarrassed to be so excited and a commander whom the cadets should be able to look to for guidance at the same time. "It started when we left space dock. I'm telling you, I've never experienced anything like it! To know we'd be gone...out of contact with the Federation...for over two months!"

Mark stifled a yawn. Kathryn poked him and scowled. He merely smiled back at her and dropped to follow behind the family. The hurt shone in Kathryn's eyes for a moment, but she quickly pushed her 'captain's face' back in place and ignored him.

Four felt his heart go out to the woman. Had all of her love interests been like this? None of them caring for what she loved? What kind of person she was?

I've shone you these snatches of Kathryn's life because I believe you are different. Cheb, Justin, and Mark never were good enough for my sister. I felt that from the very start and never fully approved of any of them. The only one that came close was Mark, because he wasn't a jerk. I know my approval never meant anything to Kathryn, so I kept quiet. I sense something different with you, Four of Ten. I approve of your loving my sister. Silence followed for a moment. Then, Two decided to add something to the file. Tell her,...tell my sister I love her.

The Borg are incapable of love. We are Borg. We cannot love her.

Kathryn's hands shook. The Borg at her feet was still wriggling slightly, but she edged around it and continued. Gripping the phaser more tightly, she checked the clock. Four minutes. She would have to hurry!

The sound of drones' feet thudding on the metal grates caused her to quicken her pace until she had broken into a full run. Passing regeneration chambers, she checked each one quickly to make sure Chakotay hadn't been sent back to rest.

Wait! That one right there! Craning her neck to the left, Kathryn tried to see if the drone in the last chamber was him. Missing her next step, Kathryn sprawled onto the metal floor.

Stunned for a moment, but acutely aware of the thud thud of the drones' feet, she picked herself up and searched for a phaser. A drone in the nearest chamber suddenly activated and stepped down. Panic and fear instantly clutched at her stomach as Janeway spied the phaser not two steps from the drone.

With a jerk, he turned his head towards her and eyed her carefully. "Captain Janeway, Kathryn, M." It stated. "USS Voyager. Resistance is futile."

Kathryn crouched low on the floor. The drone took a step towards her. Another. With a shout, she flung herself in a roll and came up behind the drone, beside her phaser. It was in her hands and a bright red energy beam shot out to catch the drone off guard. "Resist this!" she shouted, adrenaline still coursing through her veins.

The drone dropped to the floor, but the one stepping around the edge of the corridor was luckier. Glancing around, Kathryn broke into a run in the opposite direction. At the last regeneration chamber, she paused. It was not Chakotay. No matter, she would have to act fast to stay alive in this hornets nest.

Thud. Thunk. Thud. Thunk. Kathryn's feet pounded on the metal grates as she ran. Faster. Faster. Faster. She took in deep gulps of air as she heard the drones catching up with her. Turning another corner blindly, she skid to a halt as a set of drones entered from the opposite direction. Glancing behind her, the perusing group was closing quickly.

Wait. Her eyes spied a passage hidden on the left. It only led deeper in the ship. Perhaps she could use it to get to the command center. As she poked her head into the hatch, three more drones suddenly appeared at the end of the tunnel. She glanced back quickly. The two groups would merge to form one large ensemble of at least a dozen members. Glancing at the three again, she saw a light flicker at the end of the tunnel. Past the three drones, a face stood out. She knew that face. There was no doubt in her mind this time.

Kathryn clenched her phaser and remembered to set it on rotating frequencies. Running at the three drones in front of her, she felt a wave of light headedness wash over her as she fired at them. The first two dropped quickly to the ground- still wriggling and on opposite sides of the narrow corridor. The third still advanced.

The face behind them twitched. She could make out Chakotay's features clearly. It was defiantly him.

Forgetting any dangers, Kathryn pushed past the third drone so quickly it didn't have time to register her. Leaping over the other two, Kathryn came crashing into the center of command. Green lights flashed all around her. Red and yellow added to the symphony to create an unharmonic feel in the small area. Black cables ran the length of the ceiling and hung down to connect with power suppliers, consoles, or simply dead ended midway up the wall. In the midst of the mess, stood her first officer.

"Chakotay.." she breathed, taking a step towards him. Perhaps it had been a hoax. They could have created a computer generated picture of her Chakotay assimilated and fed that through the comm system, she figured. From this angle, her first officer looked perfectly normal. Then, he turned.

Part of his chest, face, and skull were covered with the same metal plating used with all drones. His hair was pushed back in one place as a metal star gleamed through in the emerald lighting. His face also had two more stars on it and an eyepiece over one eye.

As he looked at her, something in Kathryn broke. A tear slipped out of her eye before she could stop it. And another. And another. Before she knew it, they had created a wet path for others to follow. "What have they done to you?..." she whispered.

A tear. One, single tear formed in the brown eye that was not covered.

Kathryn drew in a shuddering breath. Reaching down into her boot, she withdrew the hypospray.

"Stop."

Her head snapped up as Chakotay uttered his first word to her.

"You will comply. We will assimilate you in order to gain more knowledge of the drone called One." Chakotay took an awkward step towards her. Kathryn quickly backed up and found herself against a wall.

Footsteps in the corridor pounded on the grated floor. They had halted for some reason. Probably because she had not advanced towards the commander right away and they were trying to decide if she was actually a threat, she mused. Well, she was. And now, she would do something about it.

"Sorry, Commander. I can't comply right now." With a quick move, she injected the hypospray into the soft skin of his still exposed neck.

The potent sedative instantly worked as Chakotay fell into her arms, Borg appendages and all. Pushing her way to a console, Kathryn quickly activated the comm signal.

"Captain."

Tuvok would only look mildly surprised to see her in the command center of the Borg sphere, Kathryn tried to hide a smile.

"If you can manage it, Ensign Kim, use that skeletal lock and beam myself and the commander out."

Harry grimaced at the panel. "I can't do that, Captain. You're in some sort of force field. If you can move about one hundred meters to your left...."

Janeway gritted her teeth. "Understood. Get us out of here as soon as you've got a lock."

"Aye, Captain."

The drones burst into the room then. Kathryn grasped the phaser still holstered to her hip and raised it. She had precisely fifteen more hits left. Refusing to use them unless absolutely necessary, she hefted Chakotay's large frame over her shoulder and turned to face them.

"So, are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?" she asked.

The drone nearest her raised it's arm. Ducking just before a green laser was fired where her head had been, Kathryn grumbled. "I guess it's the hard way." Raising her own phaser, she quickly took out the two drones nearest to her.

Acting like she was going to retreat into the same corridor she had come from, Janeway hoped to send a signal through their Collective mind that this would be her escape route. At the last minute, she changed her course and dove into another corridor.

It was darker. Slightly musty. Probably not well used, she figured running as fast as she could with her first officer weighing her down. The drones behind her had followed and were slowly diminishing the distance between them. Ahead, she could see another large group of drones coming towards her.

Freezing in place, Kathryn wondered if this was the end. The groups were closing in on her, there were no more escape routes available. Clutching Chakotay's body closer to her she stared as the two groups came closer. Twenty meters from her and closing. They raised their appendages. She knew she was doomed. Adrenaline pulsated through her veins. She couldn't die! Not yet! Not now! Not here! Not before she told her first officer.....

Fifteen meters. She could hear her own heart beat pushing blood through her arteries. It rushed and gurgled as fear clenched at her stomach. Her own nails were digging into Chakotay's flesh, she knew, but she couldn't extract them.

Ten meters. Sweat broke out over her forehead. Eight meters. Is this what it was like for him? She wondered briefly. Five. Four. Three.

Before they could reach her and inject the tubes into her soft skin, the welcome feeling of the transporter beam engulfed them.

Kathryn felt herself materialize in sick bay. She still had Chakotay's body wrapped tightly in her embrace. Her nails were still embedded into the skin on his good arm.

Looking around, she found the doctor watching her. "You're safe now, Captain." He said carefully. "You're on Voyager."

The deck under them vibrated slightly as she felt them leap to warp. With that, Kathryn Janeway sank to the floor bringing the commander with her.

Sickbay was dimly lit as biobed two let out a soft blip. The computer's thermal adapter sensed no one in the room and therefore sent a message to isolinear chip 82B20 which in turn activated the emergency medical hologram.

Due to his activation being by computer as opposed to voice command, the Doctor did not state his usual line of, "Please state the nature of the medical emergency," instead, it was over ridden by subroutine alpha-67 which inserted the message for him to look towards patient number one's condition.

The human female, tagged as patient number one, slowly opened her blue eyes and found the Doctor looking down at her. Algorithm 29-beta2 insisted he use a sedative to force her to rest, but subroutine 290-AH42 overrid it. Another command came and turned his facial features into what could only be considered a 'smile.' Auditory chip 48-AH instantly activated itself.

"Welcome back, Captain." He said as his memory chip linked patient 1 back to her name and the visual chip confirmed it. "We were able to establish a lock on you and the commander at the last minute. Or so, that's what Seven's told me."

Janeway pushed herself into a sitting position. "Chakotay?"

The Doctor grimaced. "Considering the condition he was in when you brought him to me, I'd say he's doing fair."

Kathryn swung her feet off the side of the biobed. "Where is he?" she glanced furiously around sickbay and finally saw him resting in the surgical bay. Pushing herself off of the bed, she quickly made her way to his side.

The Doctor followed after her muttering something about a captain being more concerned for her crews' health than her own.

Janeway stopped short at the side of the bed. Gone were the Borg implants. Only a Star Fleet issue monitor remained attached to the base of his skull. All of the extra appendages had been removed and were no where to be seen. But, his skin was such a ghostly white, Kathryn couldn't help but think. There was no color in his cheeks and his lips were a slight blue in color.

As she turned to open her mouth and ask the Doctor a question, Chakotay muttered something.

"What? What did he say?" she turned instantly and bent over the bed. "What is it, Chakotay?"

"Probably talking about Two."

"Two? Two what?" Kathryn looked up at the Doctor, but continued to clasp her first officer's hand in hers.

"I can only gather that Two is the name of a drone. It appears he spent quite a large amount of time in contact with her."

"Her?" Kathryn tried to force her voice to remain neutral, but she feared her eyes revealed her soul. Turning back to look down at the man lying helpless on the bed, she waited for the Doctor's response.

"Yes. He continually mentioned that he must not be severed from her. I can only imagine he was referring to this other drone."

Janeway watched as Chakotay's facial muscles twitched as if in agony. "Two...." he murmured. "Don't leave me....Please....full assimilation....."

"He looks like he's in pain? Can you give him something?"

"I'm hesitant to do so," the Doctor admitted. "That would open the door for a possible chemical reaction. The toxins the Borg introduced in his bloodstream, combined with the sedative you gave him make it a sure lethal mix for me to add something else."

"Wake him, then."

"I want for him to rest as much as possible."

Janeway drew in a deep breath. "Fine. Alert me the instant he's awake."

"Yes, Captain."

Kathryn leaned back in her chair. Usually, she could bury herself in her work and forget about things going on around the ship. But, not this time. She felt betrayed. Again. Who was this Two whom Chakotay had spent the majority of his time with? Screwing her face into a grimace, she activated her console and re-read Tuvok's report of their rescue. It had been only the chance of luck that Seven had been able to remodify the transporter beam at the very last minute in order to reach the last ten feet inside the force field and retrieve their patterns. With that chance, she had been given a new chance at life. And, a new chance for Chakotay's life.

"Doctor to Captain."

"Go ahead."

"He's awake. I've run a few scans, and other than the fact that yesterday he was part of the Collective, he's fit as can be. I'm releasing him to his quarters now if you have no objections."

"That's fine." Janeway was proud of how she steadied her voice.

"Under no circumstances is he to go anywhere near the bridge. He's to remain off-duty for at least forty-eight hours."

"Understood, Doctor." Kathryn hid a smile. If she knew her first officer, he'd be in contact with her within the next five minutes.

"Good. Doctor out."

When her door chime signaled not two minutes later, Kathryn couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

"Come in, Commander."

Chakotay stepped inside with a ghost of a smile on his face. "I see the Doctor has talked to you."

Was it just her or did his voice sound slightly rusty? Kathryn mentally shrugged it off. "He did. Just a minute ago."

Chakotay took another step inside stood at attention in front of her. "I'm surprised you're allowing me to have free roam on the ship."

Janeway took in his stance. Feet slightly apart. Hands behind his back. His spine perfectly straight. A passive look gracing his features. He was the picture of a defensive cadet, she decided. "I trust you. You'd never hurt us if it were in your power."

His eyes flit over her face and eyes quickly. Giving a short nod, he sank into the chair in front of her desk. "I guess you want a report."

She didn't say anything, but hitched a leg up on the side of her desk and settled her posterior on it so she was more comfortable.

"There isn't much to say. I wasn't fully assimilated, so I can't give you any more information than you already know."

He avoided her eyes, she noticed. There was something else beneath the surface. She would find out. As time away from the Borg drew into days and months instead of hours, he would be more willing to talk.

"Do you want to just write it up?" she offered softly.

Chakotay took a deep breath and nodded. "That would be more beneficial."

"Fine. Take as much time as you need."

Brown eyes looked up at her. "I'm not an invalid, Kathryn. I realize I need a few hours off-duty, but a few days off-duty and I'll be ready to go crazy."

Her eyes sparkled with laughter. "Understood. I'll talk to the Doctor."

He stood up. "Thanks."

"Chakotay?" She hesitated. "Can you tell me who Two was?"

Features white in the sickbay suddenly paled even more. "Two?" he choked out. "What about Two?"

"Who is she?" Kathryn asked softly. "You seemed to be quite attached. You were calling out for her while you were in sickbay."

Chakotay looked down at the floor for a moment. He knew this moment would come. Could he gain the strength to tell Kathryn that her sister had been assimilated? "Kathryn, I....- come to my quarters after your shift. I'll tell you about her then."

A brow furrowed in frustration. Janeway settled for a quick nod before allowing him to leave.

"Well, maybe if you didn't act like a jerk all the time-"

Chakotay sat up suddenly as if he had been struck and not Kathryn. Then, he remembered. He was safe on Voyager. Far away from the Collective. Far away from Cheb Packer. Close to Kat-

*Beep*

Kathryn! With a start, Chakotay realized the comm signal had woken him up the first time.

Stretching quickly, he called for her to come in.

Kathryn hesitantly stepped inside the darkened quarters. Everything was just as she would expect. Mostly in order with a few things left to float around the room. Such as the cold cup of coffee on his console. She couldn't help but smile at that. Turning her attention back to the man still half stretched on his couch she realized she had woken him up.

"Sorry." She murmured.

"I'm not." Chakotay attempted to smooth his dark hair down, but it simply refused as it sprung back up. Frowning, he tried again. "I was having a nightmare."

"Need to talk about it?" She asked easily sitting on the edge of a chair.

"Actually, yes." Chakotay sat up fully and leaned against the back of his couch. "It was....about you..... See," he hesitated unsure of how to go about explaining this to her. "Well, when I was part of the Collective, we were able to share memories. But, since I was restricted, some memories were kept from me. One person decided to share theirs with me though." He looked out the view port for strength. The stars zipped past him as they sped on at warp 7, thankfully carrying him and his captain far away from the Borg.

"One of them gave me a handful of memories of you." He whispered softly. "The dream I had, it was one of the memories."

Kathryn's lips were slightly parted in shock as she waited. Which of her friends had been assimilated? Her father, perhaps? Had the Borg managed to salvage his or Justin's body from the icy depths of that moon? Or a former crew member? Could she stand it if she were to find out that a junior member of a ship she had served on was now a member of the Borg collective?

"Cheb Packer." Chakotay's voice betrayed his feelings of intense hate, startling Kathryn slightly. "He hit you."

Kathryn exhaled slightly. Cheb Packer. She hated him too, to be honest. Handsome as they came, and as slick as the 20th century lawyers. She'd been a fool to ever date him....much less to go back to him.

Chakotay patted the seat next to himself. "Sit here." He pleaded softly.

She quickly moved to his side and slid her hand to rest on his arm. "Chakotay, Cheb Packer doesn't matter to me. His assimilation won't cause me that much grief."

Reaching around her to wrap his arm snugly around her small frame, Chakotay continued. "Kathryn, Cheb wasn't assimilated."

Her mind worked furiously. No one else had been around when he'd struck her. They'd been on a lonely Indiana road just at dusk. Wheat fields on either side of the road were waist deep, so she knew no one had been walking within two miles of her. "I...I don't understand... No one else was there."

Tears silently rolled down Chakotay's cheeks as he stumbled over the next words. "Kathryn, I'm sorry. Someone was there. Crouched down in the wheat. She saw the whole thing."

"Who?" She turned to her best friend. "Who?!"

"Your sister." He choked out tightening his grip on her.

Kathryn eyes widened as she opened her mouth and closed it again. "No." She whispered. "Please, no." First one. Then another. The tears squeezed past her barriers as Chakotay drew her into his embrace. "You lie!"

"I'm so sorry, Kay." He murmured into her hair. "So sorry."

Trying to draw in a shuddering breath, it only fed the sobs as they wracked Kathryn's body. Clasping her arms around her best friend, she buried her face in his chest and sobbed uncontrollably for her dear sister.

Holding her against him for what seemed like hours, Chakotay simply uttered soft words and stroked her back as he encouraged her to cry it out.

After a long minutes, Kathryn raised her head to look at Chakotay. "How did you find her? In a Collective with that many minds?.."

He didn't meet her eyes, but stared at her forehead. "I was thinking about you. She came to me and gave me a few memories of your life...of the men you've loved."

Kathryn paled slightly and tried to withdraw from his arms, but he only held her more firmly. "Don't, Kathryn.."

As she forced herself to relax against him, she softly asked, "Who? Who did Phoebe show to you?"

"Cheb. Justin. Mark."

"Well, she's certainly thorough." Kathryn muttered. "Why did she show you? I mean, just because you knew me...."

"Kat,...." Chakotay took a deep breath and loosened his grip on her so she could escape his arms if she deemed it necessary. "I told you how I feel about you on New Earth. Nothing has changed. Your sister heard my thoughts and opened her memories to me so I would know what you were battling inside of yourself." He lifted her chin to look at him. "With all you've endured and lost, I can fully understand your hesitancy to become involved with anyone else."

Straightening up and moving away from him, Kathryn drew in a shuddering breath. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. Her sister managed to butt into her private affairs even when they were separated more than 50,000 light years. "She had no right...."

He sighed softly. "You're right. It wasn't her place to show me, but it's helped me understand so much more."

"Like?" It came out sharp. She instantly regretted it as Chakotay flinched.

"Cheb was a jerk, Kathryn." Chakotay began softly. "I would never, never, never hit you. And I'd pound anyone who dared try it. Mark didn't seem to care one way or another about your career. Out here, or if we were to make it back to the Alpha Quadrant, we'd share a career. I can't imagine serving anywhere without you." He looked at her carefully. "I didn't see much of Justin. From what I gathered, he wasn't at your home often. What I did see was Phoebe's dislike of him. Something about a fight over a puppy...."

Kathryn's face flushed several shades of crimson. "We were younger. Much younger."

He chuckled and leaned over to wipe the tears that were quickly gathering in her eyes again. Kathryn caught his hand and held it tightly. She tried to open her mouth, but closed it again not knowing what to say.

Chakotay looked down at their entertwined hands. "She gave me her 'permission,' Kat." He shook his head slightly. "She gave her approval of me for some reason. She....she also said....to tell you...." he forced her eyes to meet his before he continued. "She loves you."

Kathryn nodded blindly through her tears. Releasing her first officer's hand, she stood up. "I think...I think I want some time to myself." She whispered hoarsely.

"Of course." He answered, his own voice thick with emotion. "If you need me..."

"I know." Her hand touched his face in a gentle caress before she stepped away. Changing her mind at the last minute, she bent down and kissed his cheek quickly. "Thank you for telling me." She whispered pressing her own wet cheek to his. Then, she was gone.