The sky was bright blue, the temperature was moderately warm and even a bird sang in the distance. Annika Hansen took it all in but felt nothing but loss. Thanks to Kathryn's conversation with Admiral Janeway, Annika had been given permission to use the holosuite in the Janeway house for a few hours every day. With help from her mother Annika had designed the program she was currently running. In it, she stood in the middle of a grassy field under a bright yellow sun waiting. What her mother didn't know was that Annika had made one addition to the program after her first time using it. The program had been expanded to include a hologram version of her friend Kathryn. Annika had found that she desperately missed her older friend and that by interacting with the hologram of Katie the loneliness she felt without her friend was lessened. Another feature she'd added was an older version of herself, to see if she'd ever be as pretty as her friend. The holograms interacted with each other much the same as the real Annika and Kathryn did, as best friends. Annika had yet to program the simulation for nighttime. Though she knew that she would have to before Kathryn returned if she wanted to show her older friend that she was no longer afraid of outdoor overnight camping, Annika was still reluctant to change the setting from safe daytime to nighttime.
"Warning: holosuite time will expire in ten minutes." The female computerized voice reminded Annika that her time was almost up.
Since she only had ten minutes left, Annika decided to try the nighttime version.
"Computer, alter environmental parameters to match twilight." Annika instructed the computer, noticing the changes immediately as the sunlight faded to twilight. It was that time of night just after the sun sets where the darkness isn't total but is dark enough to be considered nighttime. Annika looked around and realized something was missing. "Computer, activate the Kathryn hologram."
The hologram of her friend Kathryn appeared and when their eyes met, both girls smiled. Annika always smiled when she saw Kathryn, whether it was in person or on the holosuite, the sight of her older, prettier friend always made her happy. Annika was too young to truly know what that meant but she did know that she liked the happy feeling she got when she was around her friend.
In the twilight of the simulation, Annika started to get a little scared until she looked again at the Kathryn hologram, who was smiling at her.
"Warning: holosuite time will expire in five minutes."
Annika looked around for a few minutes before she ended the program and walked out of the holosuite. Annika turned to the activation console next to the door of the holosuite and removed the memory bar from its slot. The memory bar held the program and all the additions she'd made since Kathryn left. Annika always made sure to take the memory bar with her so that no one else would know about the additions she had made to the program...mainly her Kathryn hologram and the hologram of an older version of herself. Annika had been around grown ups long enough to know that most adults would misinterpret her motives regarding the holograms so she kept them to herself.
Annika left the Janeway house and headed to her own house, knowing that her parents were still in their basement lab working on their experiments. Her parents had recently taken an intense interest in a species known as The Borg. They had gathered all the known data on The Borg and then locked themselves up in their lab to test their hypotheses. Their research was only ever interrupted by two things; Starfleet missions and dinner with Annika. But even dinner was a brief affair as each parent was eager to return to the lab.
Annika walked into her house and went to the door of the basement and opened it to greet her parents."Mama, papa, I'm home now!"
Vague replies met her announcement and Annika knew that was the best she was going to get out of them for the next four hours until dinnertime. Annika filled her time by reading the novels that Kathryn had loaned her. Kathryn had managed to replicate actual books from the 20th and 21st centuries that she thought Annika might like too. Even at six years old, Annika could read on a high school level, such was the extent of her intelligence. Annika settled on the couch in the living room and continued reading her book Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Kathryn had told her that it was the second in a series of seven books written in the 21st Century. Annika had liked the story's plot of magic and mystical happenings. She especially liked the cover art the book boasted. Kathryn had promised that once Annika had read all seven books, they would sit down and watch the seven movies that were made from them. Kathryn had explained that it was common back then to make movies out of books. Annika didn't understand why anyone would watch a movie about a book they'd already read but she wasn't going to object to watching movies with her friend. They were her favorite times. Kathryn always made her feel like she wasn't just a little kid. She made her feel like an equal and Annika really liked that a lot.
Dinnertime came just as Annika finished her book. Her parents came up from their lab and her mother replicated two large pizzas with everyone's favorite toppings and they all ate together with Annika telling her parents all about her day and trying not to notice their eyes wandering to the clock on the wall behind her. Her parents were always looking at the clock and Annika had learned young not to expect them to suddenly change.
When dinner was done, her parents kissed her goodnight and headed back to their lab. Annika now had one more hour before her bedtime and she spent that time watching television. Not that there was a lot on television in this era of interactive holoshows but there were a few channels that still broadcast old shows from the 20th and 21st centuries. Annika had really started to like certain shows that were aired after dinner.
Despite only having an hour before bedtime, her parents wouldn't know if she stayed up later. Annika usually stayed up an extra hour to see her favorite shows. Her parents never left their lab until midnight, and that gave Annika more than enough time to do whatever she wanted to.
That night, Annika stayed up an extra hour then went to bed. She placed the memory bar next to her bed on the nightstand and smiled as she thought of her best friend. Kathryn had been gone a week, which meant that she'd be back in a week. It was something for the lonely little girl to look forward to, and for now that was enough to make her smile.