The Best of Both Worlds
The Untold Story
Part one
By Serendipity
Authors note: Jean Luc Picard, The Borg and all characters identifiable with Star Trek, TNG are the property of Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Pictures. Kathy is my creation. This story is inspired by the film Jumping Jack Flash, but Kathy is not Whoopi Goldberg. I am not a technical genius so you will have to accept that the things I describe might just be possible and excuse my lack of techno-speak..
Authors note 2: Thanks to the reader who pointed out Seven of Nine couldn't have been on the Borg ship at the time I describe in the story. I have altered it to suit. However, I disagree that the Borg Queen did not want physical love. Whether she was capable is one thing, but whether she craved sexual human contact is another. I believed her character to be very sensual in First Contact.
*****************
August 2005
It was a stifling hot summer as Kathy made her way through the London crowds. They were mainly tourists, as the majority of Londoners escaped to the country or their holiday homes in the South of France. Kathy was one of those unlucky Londoners who, not being born into money, lived in relatively low rent accommodation in the sticks, and had to commute into the City to her job as a temporary secretary in an I.T. company.
"You're late!" Barbara snapped as Kathy entered the office. Kathy muttered excuse about the tube being late along with an apology. She didn't want to upset Barbara. She hoped there would be a permanent job at the end of her temporary contract.
"I don't care if the tube was late." Barbara said in a dangerously mild voice. "I managed to get in on time. I expect my staff to do the same."
"I don't know why she doesn't just call us drones and be honest about it." Ginny hissed across the desk as Kathy sat at her station. Kathy grinned at her friend. She and the black woman had become close in the past few weeks.
"Fancy going for a drink after work?" Ginny suggested.
"I hope that neither of you are thinking of coming in tomorrow under the influence of alcohol." Barbara had overheard them. "You know the rules. You cannot have alcohol in your blood stream when you come into the office."
"Yes miss." Kathy said before she could stop herself. Ginny stifled her laughter.
"How did such a beautiful woman get to be so cold?" Kathy asked Ginny when Barbara had finally disappeared into her office.
"Too much time around computers." Ginny replied.
"I know how she feels." Kathy said, "Whatever happened to human contact? I telephoned Samaritans last night and was put on hold….with music! Good job I wasn't thinking of killing myself. A few choruses of Uptown Girl would have cinched it!"
"You called Samaritans?" Ginny asked, only half-smiling at the joke.
"Mmm, I do occasionally. When I'm feeling overwhelmed by life…or in my case, the lack of it." Kathy said more seriously. "I keep feeling that my life should be exciting…that I've somehow swapped places with someone else and they're having all the fun and romance I should be having."
"I know what you mean." Ginny nodded. "Watch out, Queen B is coming back."
****************
Centuries Later
The Borg Ship
"Do you have good news for me?" The Borg Queen was not happy to be awoken. She had been dreaming of Locutus again. His strong arms had encircled her, exciting a warmth she had not felt for a long time. She would try him again tonight. What a pity he still had enough of Jean Luc Picard in him to resist her. She would change that eventually. At the moment it suited her to leave just enough of his memories intact. She wanted him to be aware of the pain he had inflicted on his own. Only then would she free him from his torture and make him like the rest of the Borg. Her servant.
The drone waited until the Borg Queen was assembled.
"We are nearer to our goal, Your Majesty. We have not succeeded in opening a time portal…"
"Then you do not have good news for me!" the Borg Queen said quietly, but with a sharp edge to her metallic voice.
"We are able to pick up transmissions from that century." The drone carried on regardless. "We believe that this is because there is a time portal in place. It is too small for us to travel through but we can send radio transmissions."
"Perfect." The Borg Queen nodded. "Then it begins…."
***********************
"You coming?" Ginny asked Kathy at around five-thirty that evening. "We could get an early drink. Then drink lots of black coffee. You know what would be great? Synthetic alcohol. It gets you drunk but doesn't leave any evidence…" Ginny quipped.
"Ugh! Sounds like a waste of time to me." Kathy smiled back. "I like to know I've had a drink. The hangover is all part of the fun." She winked at Ginny. "You go ahead, I've got this letter to finish. Get us a bottle of something French. We can pretend we're drinking it on some vineyard and not a poky little pub near Blackfriars Bridge. I'll settle up with you when I get there."
"Okay. Don't work too late. Don't want Queen B thinking you're keen."
"There's no chance of that." Kathy grimaced, looking towards Barbara's office. Barbara had her head down, reading intently from some blueprints.
***************
The Borg Ship
He was dreaming again. In his dreams he was aware of everything. Who he had been and what he was now. His family's vineyard was as clear to him as if he was there already. The scene changed to the devastation of the Federation Fleet after the Borg had annihilated it. A tear collected in the corner of his eye. What had he done? Death would be preferable to this.
"Please help me." The thought popped into his head unbidden. Who was there to help him?
**************
Kathy had an email to send to one of the clients. She logged onto MSN. Straight away MSN messenger started up. She hoped Barbara hadn't seen. She shouldn't really be sending instant messages to her friends, but had done so to counteract the boredom of inputting interminable facts and figures that meant nothing to her. Words appeared in the applet.
"Please help me."
Kathy jumped. She hadn't been expecting any of her friends to be online. There was no name attached to the message, which was unusual.
"Who is it?" Kathy typed.
**************
Jean Luc was aware of the words appearing in his head as though printed onto a screen. This wasn't possible. Was it?
"My name is Jean Luc Picard. I am the captain of the USS Enterprise. I am held captive on the Borg ship." He concentrated hard on the words.
"Oh very funny Ginny." Kathy typed back. "Where are you? In a cybercafe?"
"I assure you it is not a joke." Jean Luc was exhausted with concentrating. Somehow his words were getting through to someone. He accessed his Borg memory and found the answer. They had been experimenting with time travel and had succeeded in accessing radio waves from centuries before. A portal had opened up just large enough for his appeal for help to get through. His Borg components must be acting as a digital transmitter for his thoughts.
"Please. I am not lying. My name is Jean Luc Picard."
What was the point? If this person was centuries into the past they could not help him.Kathy stared at the screen dumbly. What was Ginny trying to do to her?
"Why are you still here?" Barbara called across the office.
Kathy switched off the screen quickly.
"No. Please don't go!" Jean Luc entreated, but the screen in his head had gone blank.
"Leave now. I'm expecting a client and I wish to be alone with him." Barbara ordered.
Honestly, thought Kathy. Some people were never grateful….
End of part one