Chapter Two: Red Alert! Headache Incoming!

Captain Janeway sat in her ready room drinking her coffee. She had been trying to go over departmental reports but every time she settled in to read them, images of Seven sprang unbidden into her head.

This is crazy! She's been on board for two years. Why would I feel this way now?

But if she was honest with herself, she had to admit that these feelings were not all that new. She had just kept them buried beneath so many layers of denial that they hadn't surfaced until Seven had started discussing the possibility of being attracted to a female. And if her pointed remarks were any indication, there was at least one specific female she was considering for her affections.

She sighed when her door chimed.

"Come in."

Chakotay entered, handing her a PADD. "B'Elanna finished the inspection on the plasma injectors. She's given the engines a clean bill of health."

"Thank you." She set the PADD aside absently.

"Kathryn?"

"Hmm?"

"If I may, you seem a little distracted today. Is everything all right?"

She looked up at his concerned face and forced a smile. "Everything's fine. I think I'm just a bit bored."

"Oh," He sat down. "Well, if you're looking for something to do, Tom, Harry, Neelix and I are going to be playing poker later. You're welcome to join us."

Janeway hesitated. She knew she had a game of Velocity scheduled with Seven at 1700. This might be just what she needed to get out of it. "I think I'd like that. What time?"

"1700 in the Mess Hall. Bring your ration slips."

"You know, as Captain, I can't condone gambling for actual stakes, Chakotay."

"Then leave your pips at the door." He grinned. "Because I intend to clean you out."

"You're on!"

The rest of the day progressed rapidly. She had just begun shutting down her desk PADD when she was hailed.

"Seven of Nine to Captain Janeway."

"Go ahead, Seven."

"Captain, I would like to inquire if we could continue our conversation tonight after our Velocity match."

Janeway swallowed, trying to interject embarrassment into her voice.

"Oh, Seven! I'm sorry. I forgot I had a previous engagement tonight. I promised Chakotay I would join his poker game."

There was a pause. "I see." Her voice definitely carried a hint of disappointment. "What about after?"

"I think it's going to be a late night with the guys, Seven. Again, I apologize."

"Very well. Good night, Captain."

Janeway told herself it wasn't exactly a lie. It almost made her feel better. She headed to her quarters where she changed into comfortable clothes before contacting Chakotay and pleading tiredness. He accepted it with good grace and she promised she would attend next time.

Then she curled up with a book of poetry and spent the evening reading.

Several hours later, her door chimed.

"Computer, state the time."

"The time is 2327 hours."

Who the hell would be calling this late? "Come in."

The door slid open and Seven of Nine walked into the room. She was not happy.

Janeway swallowed her initial pleasure at seeing the ex-drone and looked at her expectantly. "Seven. It's late. What can I do for you?"

"You can explain your deception, Captain."

"I beg your pardon?" She felt her ire rise.

"You informed me that you could not meet me for Velocity because you would be playing poker. Unless you have been playing with yourself here in your quarters, you lied."

The Captain flushed at her choice of words. "I did have plans to play poker with Tom and Chakotay, Seven. I was tired so I canceled. Sometimes I do prefer to spend time alone!"

The Borg's jaw twitched. "I see. I apologize, Captain, that my attempts to interact with you have impinged on your personal time. I assure you I will not burden you in the future." Without another word, the tall blonde turned and left.

"Seven!" Janeway called after her but the young woman did not come back. "Damn it!"

"Tuvok to Captain Janeway."

She slapped her commbadge hard in frustration. "What is it?"

"I apologize for the intrusion, Captain. But I require your presence in the shuttle bay."

Sighing, she grabbed her jacket. "On my way."

You really handled that well.

She berated herself all the way to her destination where she found her Chief of Security standing next to a shuttle, a medium sized container in his hands.

"What's all this about?"

Before he could answer, the shuttle bay doors opened and Seven walked in. She faltered slightly when she saw the Captain but then lifted her chin and joined them. "Commander." She addressed Tuvok. "You wished to see me?"

"I needed to speak with you both. I have finished my analysis of the book Tom Paris found in the databanks and I have come to the conclusion that your participation is necessary to maintain the integrity of the timeline."

"What?" Janeway stared at him. "What are you talking about, Tuvok?"

"I cannot go into much detail, as it may unduly affect the events which must transpire but I must ask that you follow my instructions, trusting that what I am going to ask you to do is in the best interest of all."

"Tuvok you know that I trust you implicitly." The Captain laid her hand on his arm. "What is it we need to do?"

He handed her the case. "It is imperative that you enter the shuttle and proceed to the coordinates programmed into the computer under flight plan Alpha Omega. Once there, you must wait."

"Wait for what?" Seven asked.

"Just wait. You will know when it happens. Once it does, you may then open the case and the rest of the instructions will be supplied to you."

"Tuvok," Janeway pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers, feeling a huge headache begin behind her eyes. "You're certain you can't give us any more information than that?"

"I am sorry, Captain. All I can tell you is that you both must go and you must go now."

"All right." Turning to Seven she looked at her apologetically. "I guess we have to go."

Seven turned and walked into the shuttle, ignoring her consolatory look.

Sighing, she addressed Tuvok again. "I trust you will make the necessary adjustments to cover our absence."

"Already handled, Captain." He then did something she had only seen him do on very few occasions previously. He laid his hand on her shoulder. "I know you dislike any activity regarding temporal inconsistencies, but this is a matter of utmost importance. Please take care to follow my instructions precisely and only access the areas the information relevant to your current situation."

"Of course." She nodded. "I'll see you soon."

She climbed inside the shuttle and closed the door, not hearing his response.

"I am hopeful that you do."

Janeway settled into the pilot's chair, glancing sideways at the woman sitting silently beside her. "Ready to go?"

"All systems are functioning normally, Captain." Came the cool reply. "Ready for launch."

The Captain guided the shuttle out of the bay and into space. Accessing the indicated flight plan, she activated the auto pilot and sat back.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Seven."

"Nonetheless, you have." The Borg refused to look at her.

"You know you are very special to me." Janeway tried again. "And I know I handled myself badly this evening. Can we agree to continue this conversation when we're back on Voyager? I would welcome the opportunity to explain myself after the mission is over. Right now I think we need to keep our minds on what lies ahead."

She could feel the uncertainty in the younger woman as she nodded slowly. "Acceptable."

They spent the rest of the trip in silence, both of them occupying their attention with the computer readouts. After they had traveled approximately two light years, the shuttle came to a stop and powered down leaving only life support operational.

"It seems we have reached our destination, Captain."

Janeway looked out the windows, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. There wasn't even a planet in view. "I wonder what's so special about these coordinates."

Fifteen minutes later, they got their answer as a small rift appeared directly off their port bow. They watched in silence as it grew. Suddenly, the shuttle lurched and they began slowly sliding towards the tear.

"Get the engines back online!" Janeway demanded quickly.

"I cannot, Captain. I am locked out."

"Raise shields!"

"Systems are not responding!"

There was another huge lurch as the shuttle slid into the rift. They were tossed about hard as the spatial anomaly tried to rip the hull apart. A bright light filled the cabin and the last thing Janeway saw was Seven being thrown forward into the instrument panel before everything went black.

"Oh my god." Janeway cracked one eye open. Her muscles screamed out in protest as she lifted herself from the floor. She moved quickly to check on her companion, relieved when the young woman opened her eyes at her touch. "Are you all right?"

"I am operating adequately." Seven mumbled. "What just occurred?"

"I'm not sure." The Captain slid into the pilot's chair and started trying to power up the shuttle but it stubbornly refused to respond to her instructions.

"Captain."

There was a breathless quality to Seven's voice that made her look at the young woman in surprise.

Seven was staring out the front window, her eyes wide. Turning to see what had captured her attention Janeway felt the air in her lungs leave her quickly.

There, hanging right in front of them, was Earth.

For a moment she could only stare. Then her wits returned and she grabbed the case Tuvok had sent along with them. "I guess this is where we find out what the hell is going on."

Inside the container, there were several items. She pulled them out one by one and set them on the console. "A medical tri-corder, a site to site transport control, several hypo-sprays, an envelope," She handed that to Seven. "And a PADD."

Accessing the PADD's controls she was relieved to see Tuvok's face staring back at her.

"Captain," he said. "At this point I am sure you are greatly confused. I will try to alleviate your apprehension. The planet you see before you is, indeed, Earth. It is not your Earth however. You have returned to the planet in the year 2005. Leave the shuttle in orbit. It is positioned so as to avoid any detection from the planet below. It is imperative that you use the site to site transporter to beam down to the planet at the exact coordinates specified. Inoculate yourself with the hypro-sprays before proceeding. Once there, you will make contact with Lauren Scott, the author of the novel. You must allow the course of that meeting to happen without the knowledge as to why or how at the moment. After the initial encounter, it will then become imperative that you acquire accommodations and funds to facilitate the rest of your mission. In the course of your activities you will gain some insight as to why you are there. Please access this PADD again once you have attained that information. Take the rest of the contents of the case with you." The screen went dark.

"That's it?" She growled in frustration. "No matter how often I swear not to get caught up in temporal messes I always seem to find myself hip deep." She turned to Seven. "What's in the envelope?"

Seven tore the container open and slid the contents into her hand. "It appears to be several forms of identification, Captain."

Janeway reached over and picked them up. "An I.D. card, a social security card, and a passport." She looked at the picture on the I.D. It was clearly Seven of Nine, but the name on it was Lauren Scott. "I will assume this will allow you to function on the planet. I wonder why there aren't any for me."

"I do not know, Captain."

Frowning, she stood up. "I guess there's no time like the present." She took each of the hyprosprays and pressed them, one after another, against the Borg's neck and then did the same to herself. "Ready to go?"

Seven nodded and stood. She swept the remainder of the contents back into the case and slung it over her shoulder.

Janeway stood next to her and held up the transport device. "Let's hope Tuvok knows how to keep us out of sight."

She pressed the control and watched the shuttle shimmer out of existence.

They reappeared in a very small space. She found herself pressed up against Seven tightly and felt her pulse quicken. Looking around, she saw a toilet behind them. "It looks like we're in a sanitary unit." Turning to the door, she pulled it open with some difficulty and they stepped out into a small bathroom complete with two sinks and an overflowing trashcan. The walls were covered in graffiti calling out the physical attributes of several differently named parties. "Well this is attractive. It's a good thing the stall was unoccupied."

Moving to the door, she cracked it open, looking out. The area outside was somewhat dark and she could hear loud music emanating back to her. There was the distinct smell of alcohol in the air. "I think we're in a bar."

Seven said nothing, merely raising an eyebrow in response.

"All right. Here we go."