6. The Raven
The Doctor was having an all-too-busy day, and it was entirely Seven's fault.
" … and then she said, 'you will be assimilated', knocked me down and stormed out of the room!" Neelix concluded plaintively from his prone position on the biobed.
"I see."
"It couldn't have been the meal I served. That recipe has been in my family for generations!"
"Was it the yellow stuff that gave Ensign Kim heartburn the other day?"
"But that was stir-fried. This was steamed!"
"Never mind. You're good to go, Mr. Neelix."
Instead of going, however, the Talaxian remained, sitting up and shaking his bewhiskered head.
"I thought she was actually starting to like it here," he said. "You know … in her own Seven-esque sort of way. I was just teaching her how to chew and swallow. She held that fork like a hypospanner," with a sad little chuckle.
"Poor Captain Janeway will be so disappointed. She's practically adopted the girl, hasn't she?"
"That may be a little extreme," the Doctor warned, rolling his eyes at Neelix's rose-colored view of the world.
"I don't understand it," said Neelix. "I do not understand it."
Neither do I, thought the Doctor.
Out loud, all he said was: "Repeating yourself won't help, Mr. Neelix. Now, if you would kindly vacate the bio-bed? I have more patients coming in."
The patients in question were two security officers, one of whom was unconscious and being dragged with one arm over his fellow's shoulders. Tuvok followed, looking grim, even by Vulcan standards.
"Seven of Nine, eh?" the Doctor guessed.
"She's got Borg shields," the young ensign explained breathlessly. "They've adapted to our phasers. We couldn't touch her. She was headed for the shuttle bay."
"That woman!" the Doctor exploded, managing to work on his patients and give vent to his frustration and anger at the same time in his multitasking hologram fashion. "If she must go off the rails and run amok through the ship – again – couldn't she at least do it when we're not negotiating with a bunch of obnoxious aliens for safe passage through their space?"
"The Bomar intend to kill her if they can find her," Tuvok chimed in. "She will attempt to cloak her shuttle – however, we must track her down before they do."
His junior officer let out a yelp of outrage.
"But sir - she attacked us!"
"She is a logical being, Ensign. For her to behave in this erratic manner suggests the possibility of outside interference, perhaps a signal from the Borg. As you would say, she is not herself."
"Well, of course, the Borg! She is one, darn it! She's going back to them, that's all – and if the Bomar shoot her, they'd just be doing what we do all the time – stopping a threat."
The Doctor and Tuvok levelled a combined glare on the Ensign which made him shrink in his polished boots.
"Seven of Nine," said the Doctor,"Is the Captain's protegée and a member of our crew."
"We will protect her," added Tuvok.
Nothing more needed to be said.