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CHAPTER FOUR
"No," Kathryn moaned from beneath her duvet as baby Q3b hovered above her with a flashing blue ball in his hand, "no more play."
Paying no heed to her words, the baby threw the ball at her, laughing as he did so, and then clapped his little hands in joy as the bedroom doors slid open and his sister flew into the room.
"I mean it," Kathryn whined, "no more play. I need to sleep." For three days she had been looking after Q's demanding infants, and she now understood only too well why he had dumped them on her. The terrible two seemed to have the energy of a warp core and were operating continually at maximum speed with a mischievousness that would shame the cheekiest puck. It had been over thirty hours since she had last slept, and she was absolutely exhausted.
Determined to have their minder play, the babies grabbed hold of Kathryn's duvet and lifted it off the bed. Unyielding, Kathryn buried her head under her pillow, but the babies continued to pest her. To force her attention, they turned the bedroom lights on and off and made the blinds on the windows rise up and down in thundrous thumps.
"Alright," Kathryn cried, sitting up in defeat, "one more game."
The babies laughed in triumph and clapped their hands. Then they lowered themselves with the duvet to the bed and stopped the commotion in the room. Q3b picked up his precious ball and held it out to Kathryn. With blurry eyes, Kathryn took it and threw it into the air. The ball went up slowly, gracefully, and Q3b lifted himself up to catch it. Q3a watched joyfully as her brother caught it and then waited for her turn. Just as Kathryn was about to throw the ball up for a second time, a familiar figure materialized by the bed.
"Really, Kathy," he teased, "making my children fetch like a dog..."
"Q!" Kathryn exclaimed, dropping the ball and getting to her feet. "Am I glad to see you..."
"Well, that must be a first," he smiled. "How are my little darlings?"
"A chip off the old block, that's for sure."
Q feigned a frown. "You insult me. I am of witty maturity not foolish juvenility."
"That is debatable," she answered.
Suddenly, Q3a threw the ball at Kathryn and made it circle her head.
"Sorry," Kathryn informed the infant. "Game's over. Time to go home."
At that, Baby Q3a began to scream and her brother joined her in a duet. Then a tempestuous commotion filled the room as objects whizzed around and the shutters began their familiar dance.
Kathryn turned to Q. "Your call," she said to him. "I'm done."
Q clicked his fingers and instantly his delinquent darlings disappeared. As soon as they were gone, the room fell quiet again.
"I'll let the dragon deal with them," he said, "she can breathe her fire on them for a while rather than on me."
"I don't care who breathes on who," Kathryn said, climbing back into bed. "I just want to sleep."
"Poor Kathy," Q smiled, "how would you cope with a Janeway junior?"
"Perfectly well," she replied. "Human offspring aren't half as misbehaved as the Q variety." She lay back against her pillows. "Now, before I politely ask you to leave me in peace, when will you fulfill your end of the bargain?"
Q feigned ignorance. "My end? What bargain?"
"The wormhole," Kathryn impatiently reminded him.
"Only teasing, Kathy," he jested. "My memory is impeccable. Actually, it's absolute. Absolutely impeccable. Impeccably absolutely impeccable. Or one could say..."
"Spare me the tirade," Kathryn interrupted. "When will you create the wormhole?"
"When ever you want," Q replied. "When you want it, it will be there. One wormhole, two directions. Alpha and Omega. Or perhaps I should say Alpha and Delta. Just..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he disappeared. Seconds later, he reappeared.
"The dragon," he said, "must go."
With that, he disappeared again, this time not to return.
When Kathryn was sure that he was gone, she lay her head upon her pillow, and in moments was fast asleep.
"I'm just on my way to a meeting," Admiral Lorton said to Kathryn when she arrived at his office the following afternoon. "And I'm afraid I have engagements until 18:00 hours."
"This won't take a moment, Sir," she said, determined not to be brushed aside. "It's about the CBRs."
"What about them?"
"I would like some kind of time-frame as to when they will be deactivated. I'm told you will give the authorization."
"That's right," he replied. "It all depends on how long it takes our scientists to complete their investigations, but the last estimate I was given was at least six months. I don't share Admiral Maylor's views on the danger they pose to us, so I've instructed the team to take as long as they need to examine them. I'd rather they over-examine them than not examine them fully."
"Absolutely," Kathryn replied.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because I'm thinking of taking a few weeks leave," she replied vaguely, "perhaps longer. Perhaps months. But I'd like to be here when the CBRs are deactivated...not just because of their history, but for their families." She didn't want to tell Starfleet Command that she planned on returning to the Delta Quadrant to find the real McCoys. There was no way they would permit such a mission, even with the guarantee of Q's assistance, and if she brought up the matter with them, she was sure she would only succeed in having them monitor her actions. But, if she made this a personal mission, not a professional one, and returned with her lost commrades in due course, Starfleet would welcome them back, swear them to secrecy over the CBRs, and all would be well...providing she could ensure the CBRs would not be deactivated in her absence.
"Of course," the man replied. "And I think taking a few months leave is a good idea. After everything you've been though, you deserve some leisure time." He stepped away from his large desk. "Don't worry about the CBRs. I won't give the deactivation order until you're back...even if it's a year. I'll find some way of delaying it."
Kathryn smiled, hardly able to contain her relief. "Thank you, Sir."
Kathryn was just about to replicate a coffee in her office, when the door chime sounded. Regretfully, she turned away from the replicator and called out.
"Come in."
The doors slid open and B'Elanna marched in. Before Kathryn could greet her former Chief Engineer, the half-Klingon spoke.
"I want to know what's going on."
Kathryn averted her eyes, hating having to be secretive with a friend. "What do you mean?"
"I've been trying to get hold of you for days. I want to know what's going on with Chakotay. There was nothing wrong with him when I last talked to him, so how come he's so sick all of a sudden? And if he's really got a non-contagious Delta Quadrant virus, why can't I see him?"
"I'm sorry," Kathryn said, looking up sadly, "I'm not at liberty to talk about this."
"Which has to mean you're all hiding something. What is it? What's wrong with Chakotay? What have they done with him?"
"As I said," Kathryn replied, "I can't tell you any..."
"Can't or won't?" B'Elanna interrupted. "Damn it! Chakotay's my friend. I care about him. Whatever's going on, I deserve the truth."
"I know you do," Kathryn answered, "and if it was up to me, I'd tell you, but I've been sworn to secrecy. All I can say...all I can ask...is that you trust me."
"How about you trust me and tell me what's going on?"
"You know I can't do that. But I'm doing everything I can for Chakotay and the others. I want them back with us as much as you do. Just trust me, B'Elanna."
At the sincerity in her former Captain's eyes, B'Elanna's hostility ebbed. "If I can't trust you," she said quietly, "I can't trust anyone."
Kathryn reached out and put her hand on B'Elanna's shoulder. "I can't promise that I will succeed, but I won't give up on Chakotay and the others and I don't want you to either. Whatever I have to do, however long it takes, I'm going to do my utmost to..." she chose her words carefully..."to save them."
"I know you will," B'Elanna conceded. "And I'm sorry for my attitude, I just...I'm scared...for Chakotay."
"I understand," Kathryn replied. "I'm scared too. But where there's hope there's courage, and where there's courage there's hope. They're not lost to us yet...not ever if I succeed." She paused. "But I can't help them from here. I'm going to have to leave."
At this, B'Elanna flinched. "Leave? Where to?"
"I can't tell you. But I'm likely to be gone a while...months, perhaps." She paused. "And I'm afraid this will have to be goodbye. I'm leaving tonight."
"Tonight? Without telling any of us?"
"I'm telling you now. You can say goodbye to the others for me. Tell them I've...taken a vacation."
B'Elanna stepped away. "I don't like this, something doesn't feel right. Damn it, everything feels so wrong! Why can't you tell me what's going on? What's happened that's so bad? Is it something to do with the Borg?"
"No," Kathryn replied. "And if you try to guess, you'll drive yourself crazy. Just take it from me that everything's under control."
"Looks like I'm going to have too," B'Elanna conceded in frustration. "But I'm not happy about this...not one little bit."
"That makes two of us," Kathryn answered. "You just have to trust me."
B'Elanna took a deep calming breath, but her voice betrayed her agitation. "Just don't get whatever it is Chakotay and the others have got. You're my friend too, I don't want to lose you."
"Hopefully no one will be losing anyone," Kathryn said gently.
Tears unexpectedly filled B'Elanna's eyes and she embraced her former captain. "If anyone can save them, Admiral, you can. Just don't be gone too long. I'll miss you."
Kathryn hugged the half-Klingon in return and swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'll miss you too."
END OF CHAPTER FOUR