DISCLAIMER: You all know the drill - Paramount is God. All hail Paramount. They own everything in the Star Trek Universe - I'm just using my overactive imagination to take their characters where they refuse to go. All in the name of fun, not profit (I wish).
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story begins right near the end of "Unimatrix Zero". If you haven't seen the episode…WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU THINKING?!?! (Ahem) I mean, I highly recommend it. IMHO, one of the best Voyager eps ever put together.
ORDER AND CHAOS
CHAPTER ONE: THE BEST LAID PLANS…
The Borg Queen's agitation began to show as she observed the various displays on the monitors in front of her. She watched as the shields began to fail on the cube, then went down. Voyager would be able to rescue their away team. The away team that had disrupted her Collective.
She smiled demonically, then cocked her head to the side as she conveyed her orders to the drones on the cube.
*
Chakotay could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he watched the Borg cube that was under attack. "Harry?"
"I've got them!" he announced triumphantly. "Energizing!"
*
Captain Janeway closed her eyes with relief as she felt the transporter beam engulf her.
The relief did not last long.
She felt a change in the beam, and when she opened her eyes she discovered that she was still on the Borg cube. Or at least, she was mostly on the Borg cube -- everything in her field of vision was shadowy and distorted, like she was halfway through transport.
*
Harry's console beeped at him, and he frowned. "Something's wrong."
Chakotay moved quickly over to Ops. "What is it?"
"I've got Tuvok and B'Elanna, but something's blocking the Captain's transport."
His blood ran cold. "Can you compensate?"
"I'm trying." He worked furiously as the tension on the bridge mounted. "I'm losing her pattern!"
*
The Captain looked on in horror as B'Elanna dematerialized in front of her. She reached over, but her hand grasped only air as the transporter beam faded. After a few seconds, her surroundings cleared and she felt herself materialize completely on the Borg cube.
"No!" she yelled.
*
Chakotay's knuckles turned white as he gripped the edge of the Ops station. "Transporter room, do you have them?"
We've got Lieutenant Torres and Commander Tuvok, sir.
He turned back to Harry. "The Captain?"
Harry worked frantically for a few seconds before he looked up. "I can't get a lock on her."
*
Captain Janeway tried to subdue her panic and think clearly. She had to get to the shield controls. Or the transporter. There had to be some way of getting off the cube.
You underestimate me, Captain. I don't intend to let you get away that easily.
The voice of the Borg Queen in her mind made her blood run cold.
The neural suppressant, she thought, her mind racing. It's wearing off.
*
The Borg Queen smiled, feeling her horror. "We have adapted."
*
Korok ducked as a nearby station exploded, sending two of his men flying across the room.
Voyager to Korok. Captain Janeway is still aboard the cube. We can't get a lock on her.
"I'll see what I can do." He grunted at one of his men as another console exploded.
"They are remodulating their shields around that section," he reported. "Our sensors can't penetrate it."
Another explosion ripped through the room.
"Shields are failing!" yelled a woman next to Korok.
"The power matrix is destabilizing!" yelled one of the ex-drones.
"Prepare to -- "
Korok never got a chance to finish his sentence as the cube's next shot penetrated to the heart of the sphere. The massive explosion ripped the ship apart as it expanded and the sphere exploded in a ball of fire, sending debris everywhere.
*
Satisfaction radiating from her face, the Borg Queen watched the remnants of the sphere disperse. She turned to one of the other monitors.
"Bring her to me."
*
The entire bridge crew looked on in mute horror at the remains of the Borg sphere. Voyager rocked slightly from the shockwave, then jolted as the Borg cube fired on them.
"Shields at 32 percent!" yelled Lieutenant Ayala at Tactical.
"Harry!"
"I'm trying! They've erected some kind of dampening field."
One of the EPS conduits at the back of the bridge exploded, and smoke poured from one of the vents hanging from the ceiling.
"Forward shields are down!" shouted Ayala. "I'm rerouting power!"
"We can't stay here!" yelled Tom from the helm.
"There's a transwarp corridor opening directly in front of the cube," reported Ayala.
Before Chakotay had a chance to react, the cube entered the corridor and disappeared.
*
Captain Janeway felt the cube accelerate to transwarp, and she leaned back against the wall in despair.
She could feel the nanoprobes moving through her system, slowly assimilating her tissues…and her thoughts. She looked around sharply for the source of the faint whispers she could hear before she realized with horror that she was hearing the thoughts of other drones.
She leaned forward with her hands on her knees, feeling physically sick. The whispers gradually grew louder, more confused.
One voice cut through them all. Do not fear perfection, Captain.
She gasped, putting her hands to her head in an effort to shut the voices out.
*
The Borg Queen smiled demonically, relishing the moment. "Resistance," she cooed, "Is futile."
*
The voices grew exponentially. They became thunderous, chaotic.
She could feel herself slipping away. She was losing control.
"I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager!" she yelled to the corridors of the cube.
We are the Borg, responded the voices.
"No!" she screamed in anguish.
Resistance is futile. Your biological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Our minds will become one.
"No," she said, her voice fading. "I am Captain…Captain…"
She slowly slid down the wall and slumped to the floor.
"Chakotay," she whispered hoarsely. "Help me."
Slowly, the emotion in her eyes faded and she stared blankly ahead at the wall.
* * *
Chakotay paced furiously back and forth at the head of the conference room table. "Seven, is there any way we can track the cube?"
"Not with our present resources."
He moved back to the table and leaned forward. "What do we need?"
"A transwarp coil…or direct access to a Borg cube. One that is still under the control of the hive mind."
The entire senior staff looked even more despondent at these seemingly impossible options.
"We've infiltrated Borg cubes before," insisted Tom. "We can do it again."
"That would be unwise," said Seven. "We have just dealt the Collective a crippling blow. It seems likely the Queen would be even more vigilant than usual where Voyager is concerned. She will be looking for revenge."
"Don't you think she'll have more important things to worry about right now?" asked Harry. "There are thousands of drones no longer under her control."
"I disagree. We were unable to get a lock on the Captain because of a dampening field the Borg erected."
"So?" said Chakotay, not seeing the connection.
"It was erected only around the Captain. The Queen made sure she remained on the cube. She will expect a rescue attempt."
"You're not suggesting we do nothing?" demanded Tom incredulously.
Seven's expression softened slightly. "I have no intention of abandoning the Captain. But unless we proceed with caution we could all be assimilated."
"What about contacting other members of the resistance?" suggested Neelix. "They might be able to track her down."
"Since Unimatrix Zero was destroyed, I have no way of communicating with the rest of the resistance."
"Harry, you and Seven get to work and see if you can find some way of tracking her. Or at the very least, see if you can contact her. Tell her we're looking for her."
Seven nodded her acceptance, and Chakotay looked slowly around the half-empty table. The absence of B'Elanna, Tuvok, and especially the Captain was keenly felt.
"I'm sure the Captain would have something inspirational to say to you," he began. "But I don't even know where to start. She has faith in each and every one of you, and so do I. We're not going to quit until we get her back."
They looked back at him with determination in their eyes, and somehow he knew they would succeed.
"Dismissed."
* * *
The turbolift doors opened, and Chakotay stepped out and walked down the corridor to Sickbay.
The Doctor was running a scan of Tuvok, but he stopped when he saw Chakotay.
"How are they doing?"
"Not bad, considering they let themselves be assimilated." His surly demeanor evaporated when he saw Chakotay's serious expression. "Lieutenant Torres is recovering, but Commander Tuvok will need more time."
Chakotay looked at B'Elanna's sleeping form. "How long until she can return to duty?"
"I'd like her to remain in Sickbay for at least another two weeks." He sighed. "But I imagine she'll be back on duty by well before then."
"We need all the help we can get."
The Doctor set down his PADD, his expression grim. "Have you had any luck in tracking down the Captain?"
"I'm afraid not."
He was silent for a moment, then walked over to a table and picked up a Borg implant. "I may be able to recover information from the implants I extracted from Lieutenant Torres and Tuvok. It might give us a clue to the Captain's whereabouts."
"Good work, Doctor. Keep me informed."
* * *
The Borg Queen observed the activity of the Collective on the monitor.
"Spatial grid 447. Sphere 137. I can no longer hear their thoughts." She thought for only a fraction of a second. "Initiate self-destruct."
She frowned when nothing happened, then turned to another monitor.
"Spatial grid 434. Cube 589. Alter course to intercept." Her eyes blazed. "Destroy them."
Her attention was drawn from those concerns when the doors at the other end of the room opened and three drones walked in. They approached her, then waited patiently. She nodded for the two flanking drones to step back, then moved closer to the center drone.
"Captain. How nice of you to join us."
Captain Janeway stared blankly ahead.
The Queen traced her finger along the Captain's cheek. "How does if feel to be a part of perfection?"
She made no response.
This made the Queen smile as she stepped back and circled the Captain. "What is your designation?"
"Four of Seven, secondary adjunct of Unimatrix 425."
"What was your former designation?"
The Captain blinked once as she processed the query. "Former designations are irrelevant."
The Queen continued circling and brought up an image of Voyager on the viewscreen. "Voyager is looking for you," she hissed. "It won't be long before they determine your cortical implant frequency and begin scanning for it. How should we adapt?"
"Establish a modulating dampening field to mask the frequency," responded the Captain neutrally.
The Queen smiled. "Voyager could still pose a significant tactical threat. What should we do with them?"
The Captain coldly observed her ship on the monitor in front of her. "Federation vessel. Intrepid class. USS Voyager," she stated mechanically. "One hundred and forty-one life forms. Their biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own."
"And what if they resist assimilation?"
"Resistance is futile."
The smile widened as she stepped back. "I think I'm going to enjoy having you here, Captain."