Title: Tom's Nightmare
Author: Twiki99
Date Posted: July, 2011
Rating: K
Codes: T. Paris
Archive: Here anywhere else. Please ask first
Disclaimer: Paramount and Viacom own Star Trek and all Characters of Star Trek. The story is mine. I am not making a dime on this. I am doing this and other stories for purely mine and others enjoyment.

Summary: Ten days after Tom Paris disappears on an away mission, the delta flyer is found drifting in space. What Voyager finds is not what they expected. Will they be able to help Tom back to his life or is it too late? Feedback is welcome.

Chapter 1

The Delta Flyer had just vanished before their eyes. The bridge was suddenly silent, and you could hear the sound of the different consoles as they lit up and functioned as they normally did. Harry was just staring at the view screen as if he could still see the Flyer and just shuttered. His best friend had just disappeared, and was gone. Where, he didn't know.

Tom had been sent out to check on a disturbance that they had encountered, and it had been decided that he would go alone, with Voyager close by. He had been taking readings when suddenly, the Flyer had just winked out. He was gone. Now Captain Janeway said

"What happened? Where did the Flyer go?"

Harry began scanning and said

"Sorry Captain, there is no sign of the shuttle or Tom..."

He trailed off, as B'Elanna was on the bridge, and her face showed shock. She had just seen her husband disappear, and didn't know what to think.

"Any sign of debris from the Flyer?"

Chakotay was now looking at the screen next to his command chair, but could not pick anything up...no debris or any indication that the shuttle had blown, or broke up. Harry was busy looking at the screen on his console, reading the information that was coming across his screen. After a moment, he looked up and said

"No sir, no debris or anything that would suggest that there was an explosion...but I have found a trail of sorts..."

He paused and both the captain and commander looked at him. He had a frown on his face as he continued

"It seems to be similar to that displacement wave that brought us to the DQ, but..."

Now Chacotay said

"We didn't pick up anything on long range sensors did we?"

"No, but what if that disturbance we picked up was a displacement wave?"

"And why didn't it take us too?"

Wondered B'Elanna, as she moved towards the helm, a thoughtful look on her face. She looked up at Harry as he looked back at her and saw the look of hope on her face. She was clinging to the hope that Tom was out there somewhere alive.

Harry began checking his readings again and the captain had come over to watch him.

"Look, see that?"

He said as he pointed to the screen

"It seems as if the wave was concentrated directly at the shuttle, that may be why we were spared. I think I can trace it so we should be able to follow the Flyer to wherever it was taken."

He began sending the coordinates to the helm...Tom's place. He shook his head to get that thought out of his head.

The captain nodded and said to Ensign Baytart

"Mr. Baytart, set course for the coordinates to follow the shuttle...warp six."

"Aye captain."

Baytart set course and thought that it was not the same without the chief pilot on board. Tom had become a intricate part of the crew and had in the last six years been accepted by the whole crew. All of the pilots under him looked up to and admired him. He always had time for them, if they had any problems, he'd be the first to help. And he was always challenging them with new and harder flight sims. As he sat there now, he saw the looks of worry on the bridge crew's faces, and he knew that they would do anything to get the pilot back. He just hoped it wouldn't take too long.

It had been ten days, and they had follow the trail of the wave. They had been able to trace it back to a planet that was off the beaten track and several light years off there current path to the AQ. So far, they had come up with no trace of the shuttle or Tom. The senior staff was beginning to assemble for the morning meeting. Harry and B'Elanna were the last to enter, and it was obvious they had been having a heated conversation. B'Elanna was angry and Harry seemed a little sober. Now they took their seats, and B'Elanna refused to look at Harry.

The Captain began the meeting as she said

"Mr. Kim, are there any changes in the sensor readings?"

"No, captain, we are still following the trail, but it's fading. The only thing I can determine is that it did come from the planet...but there is no sign of the flyer or Tom."

He looked at B'Elanna and she just looked at the captain. He knew that look though, she was frustrated they had made no progress to finding any trace of her husband. And being three months pregnant didn't help her mood. Her engineering staff could vouch for that. They were all walking on egg shells around her these past two weeks. Now Tuvok spoke up

"Captain, we have scanned the planet and found an advanced civilization but no answers to our hails. They seem to be on the same level as us in technology though. They have scanned us, but have shown no hostile intent. I would surmise that they are as curious about us as we are about them. I haven't detected any ships in orbit, or any evidence of any warp technology, so they may not have inter stellar travel."

"But they seem to have the ability to project that wave."

This came from Chakotay. Harry picked it up

"The wave did come from that planet. They may not have space travel, but that wave is astonishing."

He paused for a moment before he continued his thought

"Maybe, they use that wave to bring people to them?"

The people around the table looked at Harry and thought about his question. After a moment, B'Elanna said quietly

"Maybe they wanted to study the shuttle and learn about out flight technology and about..."

She trailed off and couldn't or wouldn't finish her thought. They all knew what she was thinking though, that they had taken the shuttle with Tom and were doing god knows what to the pilot.

"Well, since they haven't shown any hostility to us so far, I suggest we continue on our course and try and make contact with them..."

Before the captain could finish, they were interrupted by Ensign Baytart

"Captain, long range sensors have picked up the Flyer. It's approximately three parsecs off our bow."

Before anyone could react, B'Elanna said

"Pablo, are there any life sign readings?"

"One, appears to be human, but we've been unable to raise the shuttle. The channels are open, but no response to our hails."

Now the captain said, as they all rose to enter the bridge

"Set course in intercept, as soon as we are in transported range beam the occupant directly to sickbay."

They entered the bridge and she continued

"Harry, you have the Conn, Tuvok, Chakotay, you're with me. Once we reach the Flyer, tow it into cargo bay two, and hold position."

She turned to take the turbolift to sickbay. B'Elanna said

"I'm coming too."

The look on her face told them that they would not be able to stop her. Chakotay just smiled and Janeway nodded. The turbolift came, and they all piled in to make the trip to sickbay. Harry took the big seat, but his mind was elsewhere. He hoped his best friend would be okay.

They entered sickbay and saw that the Doc was hovering over the person that now lay on the bio bed. Tom...he looked so...still. His eyes were open but he seemed so quite. What was wrong? B'Elanna's first impulse was to rush over to Tom, but something held her back. Something was terribly wrong and she wasn't able to put her finger on it. Then she realized it...Tom was completely silent and didn't seem to be moving.

The Doc looked up as he heard the doors open, and the look on his face was not encouraging. B'Elanna felt the tight feeling in her heart get tighter and she walked over to her husband. His blue eyes were open, but there was a blank stare...it was as if he wasn't seeing them. She turned to the Doc and said

"What's wrong Doctor? Why is he just lying there?"

The others had joined her and they also noticed the blank stare. Chakotay laid his hand on B'Elanna's shoulder, but she didn't take her eyes off of Tom's face. The Doc turned to the captain and said

"Physically, the Lt. is in perfect health."

He paused for a moment and looked at their faces. How would he tell them what he had discovered? How could he tell them he wasn't sure if he could help Mr. Paris. He didn't know if he could be helped. He now looked at B'Elanna, and his face fell. How would he tell her that her husband was...

"Doctor, what has happened to Lt. Paris? What's wrong?"

The captain looked concerned as she watched the Lt as he just laid there. She was getting worried also. She looked at the Doctor. He seemed more human than he had ever seemed before. It was obvious that he cared a great deal for his assistant, and that he was worried about him. He took a deep breath, which he didn't need and said as he looked back at the vacant blue eyes that were staring at the ceiling

"Someone or something had tampered with his being. Its as if he has been wiped of all that was him. His memories, his abilities, everything. His mind is blank, and I don't know if we will ever be able to get him back."

The silence was deafening, and after a few moments, B'Elanna began to crumple. Chakotay caught her before she could fall, and he and Tuvok helped her onto the other bio bed. The Doc gave her a sedative, and she drifted off to asleep. She had not really slept since Tom had disappeared, and the Doc had been trying to get her to rest for three days now. The captain now said

"Doctor, what do you mean that his mind is a blank? How can that be possible?"

He turned back to them and said

"It's as if somehow, he has had all his 'soul' erased. He has no upper brain activity. I have no idea if he has any motor skills,or if he hear us, but what made him a living person is gone. How that was achieved, I don't know. Maybe the inhabitants of the planet know, but until I can run more extensive tests, I have no way of knowing if the person we know as Tom Paris is still in there somewhere."

"Doctor, may I suggest a mind meld? If Mr. Paris is still with us, I may be able to touch his essence. "

The Doctor frowned. He was not in favor of a mind meld, but he did need to know if the Lt. was indeed there.

"Mr. Tuvok, although I don't sanction a mind meld, it may be the only way to see if Mr. Paris is indeed still with us, and it may help to bring him back to normal."

Tuvok looked at them and said

"I will only be able to determine if the Lt is still there, to do anything further... to bring him back would entail meditation first."

He moved in closer the the pilot, and saw the complete blank stare. It unnerved him a little. It reminded him of the look of a Vulcan who had died and his katra had been taken to the great hall where they all were kept...no soul left in the body. He hoped he would find something there. He reached out and placed his fingers on the pressure points and began

"My mind to your mind...your thoughts to my thoughts..."

He stayed in the meld for fifteen minutes and finally he withdrew, a look of utter shock on his face. He began to collapse, but the Doctor and Chakotay caught him. They guided him to the chair and sat him down. For several moments he didn't speak but then he said quietly

"Mr Paris is...there. It is a very weak and frighten presence but he is there. It was like a small child lost in his own mind, but I believe we will, in time be able to get him back."

Tuvok closed his eyes and just sat there. He had never encountered this type of regression. It was as if Mr. Paris had withdrawn to a small corner of his psyche and was afraid to emerge. Somehow they would need to get his trust and draw him back out. Tuvok was sure that they could, but it would take some time. The same strengths that made Tom able to cope with his past, was also what probably saved him from what ever had happened. Tuvok knew that it was going to be a long and hard procedure to bring him back, and it may be that all of his friends would need to help. He hoped that they would be able to help him. He had to admit to himself that the illogical human was an intricate part of the Voyager family and one they didn't need to lose, himself included. He sighed and began planning the next move.

TBC