General Disclaimer: I wish I owned Voyagers as an entity. Sadly, I do not. I will, however, play in their sandbox and screw with things. I'm not making any dosh over this so I'd really like it if no one would sue me.
Author's Note: This is the second half of what I've got written on this narrative so far. It's just coming to me in such odd ways that I hope it all makes sense.
Bogg emerged from a dressing room wearing an official uniform. Jeff started to question it when he explained that Voyagers have ranks just like other military divisions but that owing to their unique branch, they only wore the uniform and were addressed by rank while staying at home. He explained that his official rank was Voyager First Class. The boy peppered him with questions until Bogg thought his ears might fall off. After they had a full dinner at the Officer's dining room and got back to their quarters, he sent the young boy off to get a bath.
"Bogg?" Jeff began as he sat on his bed in the room that they would share while they were at headquarters. He'd changed into the pajamas Bogg bought for him at the HQ Exchange since he was starting to grow out of everything he owned. They were exhausted from their travels and the events of the day still weighed heavily on both their minds.
"What?" Bogg replied as he motioned for the boy to put his feet under the covers as he tucked him in. It wasn't something that happened very often in the field but being in a place with real beds offered some little luxuries. Besides, he wanted to get the kid to sleep. He wasn't sure how many more questions he could take in one night.
"How come you never told me you had a kid? I mean, you always said you didn't like kids but that I was special. Why don't you like your daughter?" Jeffery asked as Bogg reached to turn out the light.
"She hates me so I hate her to even the score," Bogg said. "Thinks she knows everything and isn't afraid to try and show it off. She's got a mean streak a mile long. She's sneaky and manipulative. I don't like those kind of people, you know that. Now it's time for bed. Good night."
"She seemed really scared," Jeff observed. "Did you know about her before you became a Voyager?"
"Nope," Bogg replied.
"Are you going to go back and see her when she wakes up?" Jeff continued.
"I dunno, Kid. Go to sleep. No more questions, I mean it," Bogg warned.
Bogg slid the light into the off position and closed the bedroom door. Professor Garth's word had come back to him unbidden, '...brought back with injuries and wounds so severe and depraved that no one of any age should suffer, least of all a child'.
He read the confession and knew what that meant. He could not fathom for the life of him how anyone could be expected to return to any semblance of sanity. The only thing he thought they could do for her would be to wipe her memory and put her back in time. He ran his fingers through his hair and went into the galley style kitchen for a glass of water. It was times like these that he regretted that he no longer drank. A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
He checked the security camera and saw Susan standing outside. He opened the door quickly with a smile. "I didn't expect a visitor so late, but you're a welcome sight. Come on in."
"It's nice to see you too, Phineas," she said with a warm smile for him. "Professor Garth told me that you arrived this afternoon. I'm glad you and Jeffrey are safe. I wish the same could be said for Emilia. I understand you saw her this afternoon."
"Yeah, she was pretty violent and aggressive," Bogg replied. "They got her sedated though."
"I saw her this evening when I stopped by to visit," Susan said. "Poor thing's very confused but I think I was able to find the device that was used to alter her perceptions. Her workspace is a nightmare to navigate. The R&D department is trying to reverse the machine so that she will at least understand that no one here is trying to hurt her."
"How did you get pulled into all of this?" Bogg asked. "Did you keep in touch after graduation?"
"Not really," Susan answered. "She was always shut up in her office and I was always busy with a case. Kind of wish I'd taken the time now. Professor Garth has me looking into the legal ramifications of what was done to her since at the present she is in no condition to care for herself properly. While he's opened his own quarters to assist in an emergency, he's too old to take on the responsibilities of raising a fourteen year old; especially one that has no memories of this place and thinks everyone is trying to kill her."
"I still don't understand why Drake chose to go after her. His explanation didn't make sense. He could have used anyone to practice on. He, of all people, knows how much we despise one another," Bogg mused, sitting next to Susan on the sofa.
"And you don't think he had any small part in that either?" Susan suggested.
"I'm not sure I follow," Bogg replied. "From the very beginning she was trying to show me up, waving her grades in my face. He had nothing to do with that."
"Oh, Phineas, she wasn't trying to show you up. Emilia was trying to impress you; to show off to you so you would be proud of having such a smart daughter," Susan said with a small chuckle. "We all saw how she followed you around like a little duckling. Most of us thought it was cute. Don't you remember when it changed?"
"Yeah, she finally stopped badgering me after the end of first term. That's when the nasty pranks started," Phineas recalled.
"Right after you confronted Drake about cheating," Susan offered.
"He might be an evil son of a dung herder but you can't blame her natural nastiness on him," Bogg said. "Putting a full dozen rats in my bed... purple dye in my shampoo... glue on the tongue of my shoes so that my socks would stick to them, changing every third word in my second semester paper on the Russian Revolution to buttocks. It never ended."
"Most of those were childish little pranks that a father could have dealt with but instead you ignored her. That's when Drake started whispering in her ear how much you hated her," Susan explained. "It didn't take much persuading when you ignored her so much. She's a young girl."
"See, this is the thing. I don't remember her being that young," Bogg told her. "I remember a much more grown up person than the child in that room. And even if she was that young, it seems like years and years have gone by and yet she's only slightly older than Jeffrey. She should be at least twenty or more by now."
"It's only been two years since you left this time stream, Phineas," Susan said. "You know the different time streams make keeping track a nightmare but it really hasn't been that long."
"So tell me how Drake managed to get such a stronghold in the council in so short a time?" Bogg asked.
"His rhetoric pleased people and he was good at getting them to do exactly what he wanted. He had a great deal of help in setting up those Voyagers that he wanted rid of. The militia didn't just move in to keep you and Jeff safe from harm, you know. There are a lot of tribunals being held at the moment. This thing has rocked VHQ to its core," Susan explained. "Anyway, I am glad you and Jeff are not in the streams right now. Drake can't easily get to you here and there is a hit squad out looking for him. I doubt he can hide too much longer."
"I think I need to see Emilia," Bogg said, "but I can't leave Jeff. It's too dangerous. There's got to be more than what we know as to why he brutalized her that way and I think she knows, even if she doesn't know that she does."
"I can stay until you get back," Susan offered. She showed him a small pulse weapon she pulled from her purse. "We're all armed these days, just in case. He'll be safe."
"Thanks," Bogg said. "He should be asleep by now. I won't be too long and there's a guard in the hall."
Bogg left the quarters and stepped out into the crisp night air. They were only a short distance from the main building which resembled a sprawling old mansion and for all he knew, it once might have been. Professor Garth's private residence was attached to the building but had its own exterior door onto the grounds. There was a light on in the study so he hoped that his visit would not be too disturbing to his mentor.
The door opened before he could knock as the nurse was leaving. "Oh, good evening Voyager Bogg. The professor is in his study. Let me show you in."
"That's all right, Mrs. Bedford. I can see myself around. How is Emilia?" he asked.
"The surgeon came and stimulated the new teeth for her while she was sedated. Once the nerves attach properly, they'll feel as natural as her own and with the added benefit that she won't now need braces. As for anything else, only time will tell," the nurse said with a very formal politeness. Bogg wasn't sure but he didn't think she cared for him much. "Good night, Voyager."
"Good night, Mrs. Bedford," he replied as he went into the house. The study door opened up and Garth stood there with a glass of wine in his hand.
"I thought I heard you out here, my boy. Come in," Garth said. "I know you don't indulge any longer but perhaps a cup of coffee or tea?"
"After the day I've had, I wouldn't mind a small glass but that won't help with what I have to do," Bogg mused. "Perhaps just a glass of water."
Garth went to the sideboard and obliged the younger man's request. "I didn't expect to see you tonight."
"In all honesty, I wasn't sure I was going to come back at all," Bogg said. "I really only want to take care of Jeffrey and keep him safe. He needs me as his dad and I need him as my son."
"She needs you too, Phineas," Professor Garth told him. "Perhaps more so than ever before in her life."
"She kicked me in the groin, Albert," Bogg replied. He was always careful to use the professor's given name only when they were alone. Phineas hadn't wanted anyone to think he received special attention from his mentor.
"Em is confused. In her mind there are nothing but monsters around looking to hurt her," Garth explained. "Would you have done any less if you were trapped by enemies? Her memories of everyone she knew are quite damaged. I don't know that the madness will ever be completely cured."
"I want to talk to her," Bogg decided. "She had presence enough of mind to ask Jeff to help her. I think she can be brought to reason, even if it takes a good swift boot to the backside. Figuratively speaking, of course. She's too injured for the real thing."
"Be kind, Phineas. She's been through enough and her mind is fragile at the moment," Garth said. "You aren't well known for being a patient man."
"I will be calm, Albert," Phineas promised. "And I'm better than I used to be."
After he was handed the room key, Phineas went up the stairs and stood at the door to the room. Did he really want to do this? He really didn't like her very much. He stopped for a moment. Was that the truth? He didn't like her when they were at the Academy but he was so different a person then and Jeffrey had done so much in teaching him patience. Perhaps there was a chance that he could, at the very least, manage some civility between them once she was back to normal. Even he knew that friendly would never happen but he was willing to try some small compromise.
He unlocked the door and saw that the bed was empty and Emilia was standing in the furthest corner of the room with her back to the wall. She stared at him distrusting.
"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Bogg observed to her as he stepped in.
"Shouldn't you be somewhere nursing your bruised balls?" she shot back. "Who are you?"
"I know it's been a while but don't you recognize me?" he asked.
"Why should I?" she returned.
"Tell me, do you know what a Voyager is?" he asked.
"Of all the stupid questions," she sighed and shook her head. "Of course I do."
"Good. That's a start," he said. "You're back at Voyager Headquarters, Emilia. You know that, don't you?"
"Yeah, right. You guys tried that one before. It won't work again, Jackass," she spat.
"Watch the mouth, Girl," Bogg snapped. He then took a deep breath and continued. He promised patience, he reminded himself. He noticed the untouched food tray sitting on a removable stand next to the bed. "Why haven't you eaten?"
"I don't eat poisoned food," she answered.
"It's not poisoned, Emilia," Bogg told her. "You need to eat."
"You first," she suggested. "If you don't die, then I'll try it."
Bogg picked up the spoon and lifted the lid from the tray. Scrambled eggs and porridge were good choices considering she'd just had dental implants put in. He took a bite of eggs and then the porridge. "Satisfied? Now eat."
"Back away," she ordered. Bogg obliged and stepped back toward the door and she moved forward. She started to eat, carefully at first, then once she got a few bites in, she finished every drop on the plate and in the bowl. She could barely recall the last time she'd eaten where some cruel trick hadn't been played on her yet the man stayed away the entire time. Who was he, she wondered.
Once she'd finished eating, he made a few steps forward which cause her to jump away and rush back to her corner of safety.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he promised. "I came here to talk to you. You said you don't know me. Are you sure?"
"I don't know you. I've never seen your face before today," she confirmed. "You kind of sound like someone though."
There was a glimmer of hope in Bogg's chest. She might start to remember yet. "Who, Emilia?"
"My..." she started and then shook herself. "It's not important. You're trying to trick me."
"Say it," he ordered. "Who do I sound like?"
"Phineas Bogg," she said, scowling. "But there's no way he'd be here or anywhere I am so it's just a trick. You can't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining."
"I said to watch your mouth," Bogg scolded. "I promised Professor Garth that I would be patient with you but I only have so much left tonight."
"Phineas Bogg wouldn't come to see me if you pointed a disintegration beam at his head," she said. She then cleared her throat. "I have to say, you're a lot better than the other delusions, at least. This little trip into the ether of my own mind isn't getting me anywhere but its been a pleasant way to spend an evening."
"This is reality, Emilia. It's Phineas. I am real and you have to accept that," Bogg insisted.
"You're not my father!" she shouted. "He got himself some better kid. A boy. He doesn't need me and I don't need him!"
Phineas closed the distance between them, grabbed her and gave her a shake. "It is me, Emilia Marie Bogg. You recognize my voice; I know you do. If you can't place the face, close your eyes and tell me that you don't know that it's me. Go on, close your eyes."
She closed her eyes and waited for him to speak.
"Emilia, you know in your heart that you are free of Drake. He can't get to you again," Bogg said and he watched her whole body began trembling. After a moment, she pushed him away.
"I'm going to vomit," she announced. She raced to the sink and proceeded to forfeit everything she'd just eaten while Bogg went to retrieve the night nurse.
"You need to leave, Sir," the nurse instructed. "My patient needs seeing to and your presence is too upsetting."
Bogg left and stumbled out into the night air. There was so much for him to take in and understand that it was impossible to absorb it all at once. He looked up at the full moon in the night sky and realized that he needed to get home to Jeff and let Susan be on her way. She was probably bored stiff with sitting there.
