"Ah, good. You're awake!" the Doctor chirped when he saw his bewildered patient sitting up on the bio-bed. "I trust you've had a good night's sleep."
But, Annika didn't seem to notice him. She was fixated, instead, on her hand- her Borg hand- as if noticing it for the first time. Given the turmoil she had experienced the day before, that would have been no surprise.
"Fascinating piece on technology, wouldn't you agree?" he said in an attempt to put a positive spin on her otherwise grim discovery.
But, again, she did not acknowledge him. She just sat there, staring at her hand, turning it in front of her face. The Doctor watched, hoping her taut expression was that of fascination and not of dismay. Given the fact that she had watched her parents study the Borg for three years, she had to have been aware that this was Borg technology she was looking at.
She began to examine the metal with her other hand; touching it. Tracing it. Then, she pushed up the sleeve of her hospital gown to see where the metal was going. What she saw made the color drain from her face. The metal was embedded in scarred and calloused skin just past her wrist. It looked as if her hand had been cut off, fitted with this metal, and re-attached. She then ran her hand up her arm to her shoulder, and then her chest; then, grabbed her wrist with a sharp gasp. She looked up at the Doctor in disbelief. "My hand?"
Clearly, she was looking to him to confirm that it was, in fact, her own hand that had been so mercilessly violated. "Yes," he answered, sympathetically, "your hand."
She examined it for a few more seconds before making another discovery when her eyes wandered down to her chest. Not a Borg implant this time, but rather, the result of growing into womanhood. Two perfect orbs, protruding from her chest. Her hands quickly flew to them to check and see if they were really there and began to caress them, purely out of curiosity and bewilderment. Her hands then moved up to her collar and pulled it forward to take a peek. Then, she quickly closed it again, looking straight ahead, gasping, eyes bugging. Then, took another peek, resulting in the same, shocked response. Then, took a slightly longer look. Then, looked up bashfully at the Doctor, who at this point was desperately trying to keep his composure, utterly amused by her behavior. "Yes," he said in answer to her unspoken question in a tone somewhat higher than he had intended, "them, too."
As he turned to pick up his medical tricorder, Annika looked over the edge of her bio-bed, wanting to get down so she could see what the Doctor was doing. The floor looked very far down. So, she inched her way off with caution. As the Doctor was observing her, he noticed her landing in a lunged position as if trying to cushion herself. Then, she straightened her legs and leaned momentarily on the bio-bed before standing to her full height, looking around, clearly surprised at how tall she was.
Annika walked up to the Doctor as he approached her. "What's that?" she asked, referring to the device he was holding.
"It's a medical tricorder," he answered. "I'm going to use it to examine you."
"Is something wrong with me?" she asked as the Doctor scanned her.
But, he held off answering her until his scans were completed. "You appear to be physically fit," he replied.
"Was I in a maturation chamber?" Annika asked as she looked once again at her hands and body. "Was I assimilated? What's happened to me?"
"You don't remember?" the Doctor asked as he put away his tricorder.
She shook her head. "No."
"Can you tell me what you do remember?" he asked, hoping to get an idea of how extensive her memory loss was. But, when she averted her eyes and began to squirm, the Doctor decided not to pursue the matter just yet. "That's okay," he assured her. "You can talk about it when you're ready."
Annika saw Chakotay walk in just then and quickly tucked her cybernetic hand under her right arm, not looking the Commander in the eye. "Good morning, Doctor. Annika," Chakotay greeted, cheerfully. "And, how's our patient this morning?"
"Well as could be expected under the circumstances, Commander," the Doctor answered before Chakotay turned his attention to the patient in question.
"Hope you've got an appetite this morning. I thought I'd take you to the mess-hall for some breakfast, and then give you a tour of the ship. Sound good?" But she only gave him a week nod, still clearly trying to hid her disfigurement.
The Doctor noticed her withdrawn posture and tried to offer her some encouragement. "It's alright, Annika. You're among friends here. There's no need to hide it."
Chakotay offered her a warm smile, hoping to put her at ease. Then, she slowly, painfully, withdrew her hand and hesitantly lifted it up for Chakotay to see. "I have a Borg hand," she said in a soft, shaky voice.
Chakotay stepped closer to her and took her hand in between his hands, giving hers an affectionate squeeze. "I know," he said gently. "It's alright. We're family here. No one will judge you." Annika exhaled in relief before he continued. "Now, I need to speak with the Doctor for a minute. Stay here and wait for me, okay?"
She nodded. "Alright." The two men then retreated to the Doctor's office to talk- hopefully- out of earshot.
"So, how is she so far?" Chakotay asked.
"She's beginning to notice the changes in her physical appearance, from her height difference to her fully-formed figure. And, as you just saw, also noticed the technology in her hand. I consider that to be a good sign."
"You think she's ready for me to bring her up to speed?"
"She has been inquisitive this morning. Try to answer her questions as simply and as briefly as you can. And, try not to overwhelm her with too much information."
Chakotay nodded. "I understand."
"And, Commander," the Doctor continued, looking him square in the eye, "bare in mind that we're still dealing with a confused and grief-stricken child here, so be prepared for some emotional volatility: crying; fits of rage; insistence of having her way; even violent behavior. This isn't going to be easy, Commander. So, if you need any help at all..."
"I'll contact you."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
"And I would like her to come back here when you're done. I'll let you know then if I'm ready to release her."
"I hope so."
The Doctor then gave Chakotay a familial slap on the shoulder and wished him luck.
Annika was standing next to the bio-bed, holding the blanket Chakotay replicated for her the night before when he approached her. "Ready?" he asked. She nodded, but seemed indecisive about whether or not to take her blanket with her.
"Mama and Papa said blankies were only for sleepy-time," she explained.
"That's alright," Chakotay assured her. "We'll come back here and get in when we're through. The Doctor wants you back here anyway." Annika nodded again, put her blanket down on the bio-bed, and followed Chakotay out of sickbay.
"Mister Chakody," she began as they walked the corridor to the turbo-lift, "was I assimilated?"
Chakotay spun to face her, surprised that she had broached the question so soon. He knew, though, that he had to be honest with her for her to heal. "Yes, Annika," he said, remorsefully. "You were."
"Then, why don't I remember? When did it happen?"
Chakotay fumbled through his mind, trying to think of a way to explain what had happened to her. "That's... complicated. I'm not sure you'll understand if I explain it to you; but, I'll try." He took a deep breath and- unsure how to break the news to her gently- decided to get to the point. "Annika, you were assimilated over twenty years ago."
Annika stared at him for a moment in disbelief before speaking. "No," she responded, shaking her head. "No. We were on the cube yesterday."
"It may seem like that to you," Chakotay explained. "But, there's a reason for that."
"What?" she asked.
"Well, you know that when someone is assimilated, they have technology put into their bodies, right?"
She nodded.
"Well, some of that technology helps the brain to remember things in detail that a normal brain would not."
"A... cor-da-gal array?" Annika sounded out as best she could.
Chakotay chuckled before answering. "Cortical array. Yes." He took another deep breath and motioned her to move forward- not wanting to stand still anymore himself. "The shuttle you were on yesterday encountered something that erased all of its files." He paused to see if she understood what he was getting at. But, she clearly wasn't making the connection. So, he continued. "The same thing happened to your cortical array. The memories stored in it were deleted as well. It made you forget everything that happened to you from the time you were assimilated."
Chakotay pushed the button to summon the turbo-lift as Annika tried to make sense of what he had just told her. "I have... aaaam-nesia?" she asked, trying to sound out amnesia as they stepped inside.
"Deck two. Mess-hall," he commanded the lift before answering. "I guess you could say that."
Annika stood there, trying to process this information as best she could. She still couldn't understand how it was possible for someone to forget over twenty years of their life. She had heard her parents talk about how assimilation affects the memory and how it makes people forgot who they are, and how they had compared it to amnesia. But, most of it was jargon she couldn't understand. As she thought about all this, she looked once again at herself, reminded of how different her body was. If this was- in fact- her body, then it had changed, considerably. And if what this nice officer had told her was true...
Annika gasped, wide-eyed, as the realization hit her. "I'm a drone!"
"Annika..."
"I'm a drone!"
"Annika!" Chakotay put his hands on her shoulders to get her attention and help her calm down. "You were a drone, but you're not one any more. You're human again. As human as the rest of us."
Annika looked up at him, anxiously. "Did... did I assimilate the ship?"
"You tried, But, we stopped you."
Mercifully, curiosity got the better of her again. "How?" she asked as the turbo-lift doors opened.
"With a power surge," Chakotay answered as they exited and made their way to the mess-hall. "It's how you were severed from the Collective. You've been a member of our crew ever since."
"This crew?"
"Yes, this crew."
"When," she asked as they entered the mess-hall and made their way to the replicator.
"About six years ago."
"This doesn't look like the one we had on the Raven," Annika commented, referring to the replicator.
"Well, technology has changed over the years," Chakotay said before offering, "What would you like for breakfast?"
Annika thought about it for a moment. But, not in the way Chakotay was used to Seven pondering anything. Annika stood there, literally scrunching her eyes shut, trying to think very hard about what she wanted. Chakotay couldn't help but chuckle in amusement. Then, her face lit up as she made her decision.
"Can that thing make Belgium waffles with strawberries and cream? My auntie made them for me before we left Earth."
"Well," Chakotay smiled, "I can't promise it will be as good as your aunt's; but, I'll try." Chakotay then punched in the commands for her order, along with a stack of pancakes for himself. Annika bounced on her feet, clapping gleefully, as the two plates materialized. She then thanked Chakotay as he handed her her plate, and then sat down with him in a near-by booth.
"Mama and Papa always replicated cereal for breakfast," Annika recalled as she fiddled with her waffle. "Sometimes, bacon and eggs. Healthy stuff. Said auntie Rene spoiled me."
"Good morning, Commander. Seven," called a female voice next to their booth. The two looked up to see Crewman Tal Celes, who worked part-time in the mess-hall, greeting them. "Glad to see you up and around, Seven. Can I get anything for you two?"
Chakotay noticed Annika's confused expression before answering. "I'll have coffee with cream and two sugars, please." Then, he turned to his companion. "Annika, what would you like?"
Celes gasped, covering her mouth in embarrassment. "Oops, forgot." Then, whispered in Chakotay's direction, "Sorry, Commander."
"I would like some milk, please," Annika ordered. Celes then left to get them their drinks.
"That's what your Captain called me, yesterday," Annika recalled.
"What? 'Seven?'"
"Yes. Was it my... designation?"
"Yes. Seven of Nine." Annika look hard at him, clearly expecting more. Chakotay smiled before obliging her. "Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero-One."
Annika's eyes widened. Her mouth, agape in utter surprise. "Unimatrix one?"
"Yes," Chakotay answered as Celes brought them their drinks.
"Papa tagged Drones from unimatrix one. Said they were special. He said they worked with the Borg Queen."
"Well then, I guess that makes you pretty special," Chakotay teased.
Annika picked up her glass of milk and proceeded to drink it. Then, spit out her mouthful, put the milk back down and pushed it away. "Yucky!"
Chakotay picked up the glass and noticed that it had a slight orange tint to it. The odor that emanated from it confirmed that it was some sort of spiced Bajoran dairy concoction. "Celes," Chakotay called. Mercifully enough, Celes was still within earshot.
"Yes Commander?"
"Bovine milk, please."
"Oh, I am so sorry, Commander," Celes apologized, characteristically mortified. "I'll take care of that for you right away," she said as she took the glass and went over to the replicator to correct their order. Annika watched closely, making sure she got her the milk she wanted. Celes then returned with a tall glass of the familiar white liquid and gave it to Annika, who then tasted it and looked up at the Bajoran, quite pleased.
"Thank you," she said, gratefully.
"You're welcome, Sev... uh... I mean- Annika " Celes then excused herself and left them to their breakfast.
Annika looked again at Chakotay. "If I'm human again, why do I have a Borg hand?"
Chakotay saw this one coming. Thankfully, the answer was simple. "Your body became too dependent on some of your implants, so the Doctor couldn't remove them all. You wouldn't be able to use that hand without those implants."
Annika looked once again, curiously, at her hand. The technology- in fact- was helping it to function. Then she looked at her other hand. Then, saw something she hadn't noticed before. A ring. A gleaming band of gold on the ring finger of her right hand. She fiddled with it for a moment. Then looked curiously at Chakotay's hands and- sure enough- saw an identical ring on his left hand. As Annika held her hand next to his to compare them, Chakotay could feel his heart pulsing in his throat.
She smiled as she pulled her hand away. "We have matching rings. Mama and papa had matching rings, too. They said they were wedding rings." Then, she made that now familiar expression of realization and asked the one question Chakotay wasn't yet ready to answer. "Are we married?"
Chakotay was already hoping he hadn't given her too much information about herself, though he had answered her questions as best he could. He had told her about her assimilation. About her memory loss. Her being freed from the Borg and becoming a member of their crew. But, how do you tell the woman you love who thinks she's only a child of six years that she's your wife!
Chakotay took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. She did ask. He had to answer her as honestly as he could. "Well... I guess you know now why I was assigned to help you."