a/n: I've had a little bit of a hiatus from writing over the last few months as I sat my final exams for my degree. I am now officially a graduate, and so freaking excited! This story was a bit of a challenge, but I enjoyed writing it immensely.
Written for the JC Cutthroat Competition over on tumblr, Round 2 for Alpha Group.
I cannot thank Helen8462 enough for the help on this one; for being that nagging voice, excellent beta, keeper of all answers when it comes to temporal paradoxes, and for believing that I could do the story justice.
The Butterfly Effect
Prompt: A good old fashioned Timeloop. Bonus points if only one character remembers.
Chapter One: A Butterfly Flaps It's Wings
"Captain, move your ass!"
You're almost sure in that moment, that if she could have, the Captain would have been dishing out all kinds of reprimands at your rather unprofessioanl remark. But, with enemy fire fast raining down upon you both, you're certain she is going to let that one slide.
You stick your head out from behind the sparse trees which cover your backside, and spot the captain ducking behind a bulky rock outcrop. Her rifle is swung over behind her back and she's fumbling with a phaser in her petit hand. She looks so out of place.
But, you know why you are both here.
She looks at you, breathing heavily from the run and the adrenaline. She backs up, the phaser out in front as her eyes scan the tree line not far from your position. With agonising slowness, she is finally close enough for you to reach out and grab the thick material of her jacket. You haul her close, tucking her in front of you and behind the tree.
You risk another glance out from behind your shelter.
Where are they?
You can't see the aliens from here.
Only a former member of your crew that you thought long-dead.
Funny, Cavit looks eerily different to the picture you once looked up on the Starfleet database. You've never met him, but you never liked the sound of the man, and you certainly don't like him now. He's hovering, guarding the entrance to an alien device that you're sure is causing this entire phenomenon.
If only you can reach it…
"Fuck," you mutter. The Captain glances back at you from over her shoulder but you ignore her questioning glance. You're too wired; too hung up on the rush and the too-little sleep you've been getting since this whole thing started days – or was it weeks - ago. Polite language is the last of your concerns right now.
"What now?"
You know that she doesn't have to ask your opinion. She outranks you by a fair few years' worth of command experience and a significant pip, and you know that you would still blindly follow her to the ends of the galaxy if she asks.
Nodding and swallowing roughly, you nod in her direction.
"We need to get to that device."
Her shoulders tense, and she holsters the phaser again. The rifle is swung around, and she switches the setting to maximum capability.
"Tell me what to do."
"You know, when I said I wanted to have a bit of shore leave, this is not what I had in mind."
You supress a laugh. Even in your grim situation, she makes you smile. "No?"
She flashes you a brilliant grin, perfect teeth shining in the dim light. "I was thinking somewhere with considerably more sand, a nice ocean…"
You forget sometimes, in the mundaneness of your day-to-day job, that the Captain has a wicked sense of humour. It's sometimes so dry and sarcastic that you can just picture her being the errant teen sneaking out of her parent's house that she once alluded to.
A flash of something forbidden enters your mind, and even in the grim situation, you envisage her with a tiny bikini and the taste of salt on her flawless skin.
"Maybe," you concede in a whisper, "but, I bet the company is infinitely better right now."
You look down at her, where she is huddled close to the earth, just in time to see her roll her eyes. It makes you laugh out loud and your heart plummets with the very thought that in that moment, the enemy – some of whom were once your colleagues - might just hear.
You've spotted Stadi and the former Chief Medical Officer in the last glance.
"Maybe…but…" she stresses the word. "At least I'd be relaxing as opposed to lying on the ground with a phaser digging in somewhere unpleasant being chased by some equally unpleasant people!"
That, you have to agree with. The phaser has been digging uncomfortably into your hip for the better part of the last hour.
"Can you see the device?"
"I'm looking at the ground, Commander."
"Yes, but – "
She growls. "I can't see a damn thing."
"I was afraid you'd say that. We'll have to get closer."
She is exhausted, after running her ass off earlier. She isn't used to the physical exertion, and fortunately, boxing has left you in better shape.
The lighting is a little better as you get closer to the device. You can see now that there are a few armed former crew members guarding it, but mostly they are distracted and if you had to guess, a little disorientated. Coming back from the dead is said to have that effect.
Agonisingly, you still haven't figured out why deceased members of Voyager's crew appear with each passing loop. The downside is that the longer it takes for you to get to the device, the more former Maquis and Starfleet crew you're going to have to deal with.
"Fuck," you mutter again for the second time in the past hour. You're running out of time.
The Captain turns, intent on reprimanding you for this one, only you hear it first and your hand clamps down over her mouth.
Her eyes open wildly, instantly panicked. Her hand reaches up to encircle your wrist, trying without much success to pull it away from her mouth. You move your face closer to hers, meeting her eyes and raising a finger to your lips. She needs to be quiet.
She marginally relaxes and your hand falls from her mouth.
Her head snaps up and that's when you hear it; the faint snap of a twig with the distinct sound of footsteps, and the whisper of hushed voices as the patrol comes nearer. It also means that the device is mostly unguarded.
You have to move now or you're going to have to start again. And if you start over, there will be more to watch out for. Somehow, each time the loop resets, more of Voyager's former crew appear. It's like they're coming back from the dead, and they're hunting for you both.
The element of surprise is in your favour. Whatever they are, they don't know that you are trapped by their device, or that you know what it does. They aren't taking the precaution of being quiet, and there are now three distinct voices.
Leaning in close, you whisper to her. "When I move, run to the device. We only have one shot here."
"No way," she hisses instantly. "We are not separating, Chakotay."
You cut her words off with your mouth, slanting it down over hers, hard and fast. Her hair is gripped tightly in one hand, anchoring her body to your own. She resists at first, trying to pull back but you hold tight and a split second later she is gripping your uniform with both hands.
A breath, a moment's pause, and you pull back leaving her gasping as you move to engage the enemy.
"Run, Kathryn."
You run as fast as you can, willing your legs to propel you forward and into the enemy camp and straight toward the device, taking out as many as you can. You don't even hesitate – you can't – as you aim your phaser right at Lyndsay Ballard. The Captain is a little bit behind and to your left.
You don't hear her shout, it comes a second too late as the force of enemy fire slams into you, propelling you forward and head-first into the dirt.
Weapons fire continues above but you struggle to move. Breathing is difficult, your muscles are weakening from fatigue and now injury. Rolling over, your back hits the ground as you move finally, eyes opening just in time to see orange phaser fire explode into Cavit as he is running toward you, weapons ready.
You supress the urge to smirk triumphantly. You really don't like the guy.
The Captain is stumbling toward you, the weight of her rifle and her exhaustion slowing her down. She drops to her knees beside you, hands reaching out to help you sit up. The sleeves of the red and black uniform are torn, cuts and scrapes visible underneath.
But, she's not looking at that. Her hands are tearing at the uniform jacket, ripping it further and off your shoulders before you realise that the foreign weapon has grazed your side and there is a fair amount of blood. She wipes at it with the jacket and fortunately the wound is small.
Her head falls forward, briefly resting against your shoulder.
"Move your ass, Commander," she hisses, her lips right against your ear. "So I can put you in the brig for disobeying an order from your captain."
Just then, rapid fire breaks out again and you can hear more of your former crew coming at you from all sides. The device hovers just out of reach, still active and shimmering. The odds are against you both now.
The captain draws her weapon once more, swinging the rifle around and climbing up on one knee. You fumble for your own phaser. The monitor you're carrying suddenly lets out a shrill alarm. Sixty seconds and the loop is going to reset.
She looks back, just for a second, and her eyes are suddenly hard. "In case I never get a chance to pay you back."
The rifle is dropped, and she grabs at your shirt - with the same forceful grip you once had on her – and captures your lips hungrily against your own. The kiss is bruising, frenzied and a tangle of teeth and tongues.
She pulls back, reaching down to pick up the discarded rifle as you reach for a phaser.
A bright flash tells you that you're too late.
You've run out of time.
Time to start over.
