A/N: I don't own "Star Trek: Voyager"
No Borg vessels were found within range of Voyager's scans. If everything Icheb was being told was true, he was being contacted from a far distance. Ultimately, Chakotay couldn't decide anything before speaking to these "freedom fighters" himself. And as far as anyone could figure, there was only one way that was going to be possible.
Chakotay wasn't comfortable with the idea of a mind-meld. As far as he could remember, Tuvok had performed mind-melds with three crewmembers, and it had only gone smoothly the first time (when he melded with Tom, to relieve him of murder charges). The second time, when he'd done it with Lon Suder, Tuvok had become homicidally insane for a time. The third time he'd mind-melded with Captain Janeway, and it had almost ended in disaster for both of them. Chakotay was not eager to be candidate number four, and was even less enthusiastic about putting young Icheb in the same position. But the boy was adamant that Chakotay at least speak to "the woman" in Unimatrix Zero, as was Chakotay's conscience. Since the Year of Hell, Chakotay had avoided hostile confrontations at all costs, gladly extending their journey by years or decades, but one thing he could never resist stopping for was someone in need.
Icheb stood in his regeneration alcove, with Chakotay a few feet away. Both wore cortical monitors. Tuvok placed a hand on each of their foreheads, and began the traditional Vulcan chants. The Doctor and two security guards stood in the cargo bay, in case the worst should happen. Despite an expressed desire to be present, Naomi and Mezoti had not been allowed to watch. Chakotay was uneasy enough about risking a teenage boy's safety, and under no circumstances would he allow a preteen and a little girl in the room, however minuscule and unlikely the danger might be.
The sensation was felt like some mid-ground between entering a Vision Quest, and the neural link he'd shared with the Cooperative years ago. Chakotay opened his eyes in a gold-tinted forest, seeing plants and skies exactly as Mezoti and Icheb had described. Everything was so sharp and clear. Chakotay's dreams and Vision Quests usually had a hazy feel to them; the only time he'd dreamed this realistically was a few years back, when aliens had attacked the crew through induced dreams. He saw Icheb standing beside him, with a look on his face that asked testily, Do you believe me now? Chakotay repaid the look with a grimace.
"So how do we find your friend?" Chakotay asked. "Did she give you a place to meet her, or—"
"Right here." A low feminine voice interrupted.
They turned to see the woman emerging from the thicket behind them. When Icheb and Mezoti had described her to Chakotay, he'd privately thought she sounded rather good-looking; now he saw they hardly did her justice. Her age was difficult to place. She might've been anywhere in her twenties or early thirties. She had strong, pale features, that made Chakotay think of some kind of Nordic valkyrie. Her serious demeanor clashed with her casual attire. Gold locks sat around her shoulders, and she was dressed in civilian clothes that flattered her figure. She regarded Chakotay with ice-blue eyes, and then smiled softly.
"Captain Chakotay, I presume."
"Guilty as charged," he replied. "And you would be?"
"Annika Hanson." She nodded behind her. "Come on, I'll show you to the others."
Chakotay stared at her, hands on his hips. "Other…?"
"I'm sorry." She tucked a gold lock behind her ear. "The other leaders of the Resistance. Other drones are everywhere of course."
Chakotay followed her through the thicket with ease, but Icheb was having some trouble. He kept stumbling over roots, and taking smacks in the face from thin branches. Eventually Chakotay had to stop and help Icheb untangle himself. Sensing Icheb's embarrassment, Chakotay decided to strike the conversation back up, so Annika's attention wouldn't be on the boy.
"You're the one who contacted Icheb, and Mezoti?"
"That's right." Annika moved to help free Icheb from the branches and vines, giving him an apologetic look. "I'm often the one to welcome the younger newcomers to Unimatrix Zero, since I was assimilated as a child myself. I've spent most of my life here."
Chakotay stopped, and gave her an odd look. "How old are you?"
Annika sighed, more with frustration than anything else. "Measuring time has been difficult for us here. But I'm probably around twenty-eight or twenty-nine. My parents and I were among the first humans to run into the Borg. My parents were…unconventional scientists. They operated outside of the Federation, and chased rumors about the Borg. And they wanted to have their little girl with them." She offered a one-shouldered shrug. "I suppose it seemed like a good idea at the time."
Chakotay gaped at her. He glanced at Icheb, who had finally pulled himself free of the thicket. He seemed as shocked and disturbed by Annika's story as Chakotay. Her casual black-humor about the entire situation was almost as chilling as the idea itself.
"Sorry," she said wearily, and resumed her walk. "You'll have to get used to stories like mine. We've all had to maintain a pretty macabre sense of humor in here, to keep our sanity intact."
"We understand more than you might realize," Chakotay replied.
The ground began to grow steeper, and it soon became clear that they were traveling down a hill.
"Captain," Annika said, without looking back at him. "I understand that your ship is alone in the Delta Quadrant. Incidentally, that's where I am. I know your crew must've been through all kinds of hell already, so please believe me when I say that I would not be asking for your help if there was anyone else that we could—"
Icheb cut her off. "There must be other drones separated from the Collective, who are adolescents, with brain chemistry like mine and Mezoti's."
"But none aboard a functioning starship," Annika said, glancing back at him. "With a Starfleet trained crew. I realize the irony of me begging for help from a Federation captain," she locked eyes with Chakotay. "But I don't share my parents' distain for the Federation."
"Even if you did," Chakotay said, stepping carefully around a tree, "That wouldn't necessarily count against you. Until seven years ago, I was a member of the Maquis."
Annika's eyes left Chakotay, becoming vacant. "The Maquis…an uprising of defective Federation officers, organized in response to the treaty with Cardassia in 2370. Obliterated by the Dominion in 2373."
Chakotay swallowed. "That's correct."
Annika blinked out of her trance. "Excuse me." Now it was her turn to swallow uncomfortably. "Old habits die hard." A weak smile flashed on her lips, and she turned.
Chakotay saw an opportunity to change the subject, and took it. "You know about the Maquis, even though the movement wasn't formed until years after you were assimilated. I take you can remember your life in the waking world, as a drone?"
"Fragments of it," Annika said. "Unfortunately, not enough to be terribly helpful. And none of us has any memory of Unimatrix Zero or our individuality when we wake from our regeneration cycles," she finally came to a stop at the bottom of the hill. "Hard part's over. It's not much farther from here."
Now they were walking through a vast field. Two children were playing a variation of tag in the tall grass, one Cardassian, and one from a violet-skinned species Chakotay couldn't identify. Not far off, a barely humanoid reptilian sat conversing with a Talaxian woman. Chakotay wondered if there were any insects or animals in this forest. If there was plant life here, then there was really no reason—
Chakotay stopped dead, and watched a familiar set of red, gold and black bands slither through the grass. Icheb came up next to him and stared down at the snake curiously. Annika realized they were no longer following her, and marched back irritably.
"Sorry," Chakotay breathed, "No one told us you had milk snakes in this place."
What the hell was his animal guide doing in Unimatrix Zero? It couldn't just be some kind of cosmic coincidence…
Working one eyebrow, Annika replied with a teasing smile, "What's really going to break your brain later on is, would you still've seen that snake if you hadn't been thinking about it?"
Chakotay watched his animal guide vanish into the grass, then tapped Icheb, urging him to continue onward.
"The Queen's found out about us." Annika said. "She's located our interlink frequency. Since then she's been sending drones in to assimilate us."
Chakotay almost stopped again, but Icheb nudged him along. "And that erases what individuality you have left?" the captain asked, horrified.
"Not right away," Annika said. "Being 'assimilated' in here merely pulls us out of our regeneration cycles. The Queen's basically splashing random drones with water to wake them up. But once they're back in the real world, the Queen knows who they are, and can correct the 'mutation,' as she sees it…or simply dismantle the 'defective drone.' No one who's been assimilated in here has been back."
"Why doesn't she simply destroy the entire 'malfunction,' for lack of a better word?" Chakotay asked.
"Apparently she can't. And assimilating us all one by one isn't going to work well for her. This forest, this realm, is indefinite. There may be millions of drones in here, and it might take her centuries to catch us all. Still, we have to be cautious. There are drones somewhere in Unimatrix Zero as I speak. On the bright side, their scanning equipment is useless in a dream realm, so they can't find us unless they actually see or hear us."
"Then shouldn't we be whispering?" Chakotay hissed.
"You can if you want," Annika sighed. "I gave up on that weeks ago. The Borg aren't experienced in stealth. It's pretty obvious when they're nearby."
They were approaching a stone pavilion, with a shape and designs that didn't seem to fit any particular culture. Underneath was a medley of species from all over the galaxy. Chakotay spotted a Vulcan, two Hirogen, a Klingon, and several others he couldn't identify. Their frantic conversations hushed as soon as Annika and her two companions drew near.
"Captain Chakotay and Icheb, of the Federation Starship Voyager." Annika introduced her companions. "Captain Chakotay, meet the…unofficial leaders of Unimatrix Zero." She shrugged. "Forgive us Captain. We're…not very organized at the moment. The man who put this resistance together is…is no longer with us."
"Axum was a fool," a wild-eyed Klingon snarled. "It was courageous of him to begin this movement, but he knew nothing about battle tactics, and wouldn't listen to—"
"That'll do Korok!" Annika snapped.
"He was killed?" Chakotay asked. "Or just re-assimilated?"
"A bit of both." Annika was staring at a stone pillar with clenched fists, refusing to look Chakotay in the eye.
"It might be important," Chakotay said irritably. "If the Queen is able to—"
"It's not important!" she fired back.
"Annika!" a new voice snapped.
A slightly older woman pushed her way to the front of the crowd. "Excuse me." She stopped in front of Chakotay and Icheb, regarding them with small hazel eyes. She was human. Her pale skin and thick brunette hair reminded Chakotay painfully of B'Elanna. "It's a painful subject for Annika, you'll have to forgive her." She glanced briefly at Annika, then asked, "What did she tell you two?"
Chakotay opened his mouth to reply, but Icheb beat him to it, providing the perfect summary of what Annika had explained to them.
"Alright, then she didn't get to the nanovirus." The woman placed a hand on her hip, and pondered how to continue. "Alright, so you know the Queen's tracking us down. Axum had an idea, a nanovirus. The plan was to infect the Collective with this virus, which would make it impossible for the Queen to detect the Unimatrix Zero mutation in her drones, keeping us all hidden from her. The only problem is,"
Icheb finished for her, "None of you has any memory of yourselves once you awake from regeneration. You are all trapped in Unimatrix Zero, with no outlet to the real world."
"Bingo. Now, before anyone thought of looking for outside help, Axum thought he'd figured out a way to send a message to himself, in the waking world. He tried sabotaging his own mind, using the same techniques that Annika would later use to contact Icheb and Mezoti—"
"Which was what?" Chakotay asked quickly. "How did you get into Icheb and Mezoti's heads while they were asleep? Some kind of telepathy?"
The woman held up her hands, as if to explain, then dropped them to her sides. "Someone help me out here."
A humanoid with glossy, dark blue skin decided to volunteer. He or she was certainly one of the more…alien looking aliens. Its head was lumpy and almost insectiod looking, with six black eyes and a mouth covered by what looked like quivering antennae. It spoke with enthusiastic hand gestures, which revealed an extra pair of miniature arms jetting out from under the two main ones. Its voice sounded like the rapid clicks of some giant bug, but somehow Icheb and Chakotay could understand its words; probably through the power of the joined dream.
"Similar to telepathy, but not. A signal, sent from Annika's cortical implant, while she regenerated. The human mind used the Borg brain's implants, while the drone slept. Much effort taken, to do this. Difficult to find a comparison, to make more clear…"
A Hirogen hunter leaning against a pillar said, "We're all liked together in here with Borg technology."
"Mutated Borg technology," the brunette woman added.
"And although we're 'asleep' so to speak, we can still, with effort, have some effect on our bodies back in the real world. One might compare it to sleep walking."
"Or lucid dreaming," Chakotay said, beginning to catch on.
The human woman finished, "Axum tried a few experiments on his own brain, in an attempt to give himself the power to retain his memories of Unimatrix Zero while he was awake." She refrained from looking at Annika again. "It didn't go well. His mind wound up…crumbling. The Collective declared 'Five of Twelve' malfunctioning beyond repair, and dismantled."
Annika had her back to everyone, hugging herself.
Chakotay began, "How do you know…?" then stopped, remembering.
Though it was unnecessary, Icheb answered. "They know what the Collective knows. They retain their memories of the real world while in this one. Or at least some of them."
Chakotay looked once more at Annika. She was leaning against a pillar, not looking ready to reenter the conversation. He decided to leave her be for the time being, and turned back to the brunette woman.
"So you need our help to administer this nanovirus, Miss…?"
"Oh, I'm sorry." The woman shook her head. "I'm Laura. That's General Korok," she gestured to the Klingon; "Nezmin," the Hirogen; "Sh'Mi," a white-haired Orian woman; "Deshmil," the blue insectoid; "And…well maybe we can do the icebreakers later."
Chakotay and Icheb couldn't help but stare at the rainbow of aliens under the gazebo.
Korok growled, "Everyone you see in Unimatrix Zero knows of the resistance. But few have the courage to fight for their individuality, and fewer still have the training needed to lead it."
"But I thought you all shared the knowledge of the Collective," Chakotay said. "Isn't that worth all the tactical training in the galaxy? What about Annika? She was assimilated as a child. She can't have had a lot of—"
"I got involved through Axum." Annika snapped. "I don't have any particular military or espionage training. I'm just…very dedicated to this cause." She moved away from the pillar. "My regeneration cycle's almost over. Laura can brief you on the rest."
She cut between Icheb and Chakotay, and walked briskly back into the field. Icheb watched her curiously. Chakotay found himself unable to take his eyes off her. A few meters from the pavilion, she faded away in mid-walk, as if being transported.
Chakotay blew though his mouth and turned to Laura. "You have a last name Laura?"
"And a rank. Ensign Kovacs, U.S.S. Firebrand."
"Firebrand," Chakotay repeated.
The name sounded familiar.
Icheb realized, "You were assimilated at Wolf 359."
Laura Kovacs smiled tightly, swinging her arms. "On to happier subjects. We called you here, Captain, to help us with that nanovirus. You're the only ones who can administer it for us."
Chakotay looked at her suspiciously. "And how, exactly, would we do that."
Laura Kovacs exchanged some uncomfortable looks with the others. The Hirogen stared at Laura expectantly, almost daring her to answer Chakotay's question. The insect-man was clicking softly to himself. The white-haired Orion woman was staring at Chakotay, as if she feared the answer would dissuade them from helping the movement.
Korok finally replied, "It could only be done from the inside of a Borg cube."
A/N: I could find no information on how Axum was able to first contact Seven of Nine in "Unimatrix Zero," so I was forced to make crap up. As for how "aware" the residents are of what their bodies are up to in the waking world, that isn't clear either. The episode implies that they don't know where their bodies are or what kind of ship they're on, until they escape the Hive Mind. But they must retain a bit of their waking lives in Unimatrix Zero, to know as much as they do about their situation.
Laura, Korak and Axum are canon characters from the episode "Unimatrix Zero." Lara's last name, rank, starship and ethnicity are not revealed, so I'll be making them up. I assume I don't have to explain why I killed Axum; I will beam myself into space if even one person thinks he was an interesting character and wanted to see more of him.
I wasn't sure how to write Annika's voice and mannerisms for this story. Since she's been "human" all along in this universe, she won't speak the way the Seven of Nine we know would. I finally decided to go for a personality along the lines of Trinity from "The Matrix."
