Chapter 7

Part 1

"Emergency Medical Hologram to Chakotay." The Doctor's tone was one of controlled urgency which attracted the First Officer's attention despite the ongoing mystery of the invisible star system, which still appeared on sensors as an inhabited planet and moons, an advanced civilisation with energy sources and warp signatures and life signs that were humanoid in nature and very much alive.

"Yes, Doctor, what is it?" replied the Commander.

"I need to speak with you urgently. Can you come to sick bay?"

Chakotay shrugged to himself. He was waiting for B'Elanna to complete modifications to the probe they were intending to deploy, and was for the moment unoccupied. All speculation and discussion about the anomaly had dried up, and nothing more could be done until a probe was launched. "On my way."

He made his way through the ship, meeting with other crew members only infrequently, for the night shift was a skeleton crew, keeping the ship's systems ticking over until the day shift began or was called out in the event of an emergency. The corridors were peaceful, and the few personnel he did encounter stopped their work to exchange a few words, obviously pleased at the presence of the First Officer and delighted at the opportunity for conversation. Chakotay made a mental note to review the assignments of the night crew, to recognise the essential job they do on board Voyager.

The doors to sick bay swished open, and immediately the Doctor was speaking. "The so-called food poisoning, Commander. It appears to be more serious than I first thought. Twenty-three of the thirty-six people who were ill have developed secondary symptoms, and four of them are now in a critical condition."

Chakotay didn't know what to ask first. It was usually Janeway who dealt with the Doctor when a medical emergency arose, and he struggled to find the right question. The hologram, however, took Chakotay's pause as an invitation to continue.

"The twenty-three have progressed from vomiting and diarrhoea to full-blown fever, with some swelling of the digestive organs. I have sedated them and have them on a constant supply of fluids, which is keeping them stable for now. As there is no room here, they are being treated in their quarters."

"And the critical cases?" interjected Chakotay, glancing around at the occupied biobeds. His heart skipped when he noticed Tom Paris, along with another officer and two crewmen who worked in engineering.

The Doctor turned to look at his patients, his expression more worried than Chakotay had seen in a long time. He didn't speak for almost a minute, and when he did it was in a low voice which chilled the First Officer to the bone. "They're dying, Commander. And I don't know why."

The hologram walked over to the prone form of Tom Paris and tenderly patted his arm as he checked the biobed display. "It's not a virus, bacterium or parasite, or at least not one that is anything like what we've seen before. Microscopic scans, genetic analysis, biochemical tests all show up normal apart from an elevated temperature and increased white blood cell count. All of the sick crewmembers ate the reptile eggs that Mr. Neelix brought on board, and they were the only ones to do so, with the exception of Mr. Neelix himself who remains healthy despite eating large quantities of them"

"So only people who ate the eggs are sick, but Neelix ate them and isn't sick?"

The Doctor nodded tightly. Chakotay thought for a minute, options being formed then rejected immediately. He was not a medical man, Voyager's EMH was their best hope for a solution, and every moment the Doctor spent talking to him was a moment away from studying the disease and caring for his patients. "Keep me informed. There's a…situation on the bridge, too. We've got some strange sensor readings that don't match what we can see out of the window." He glanced once again at his officers and crewmen before nodding briefly to the Chief Medical Officer and striding to the doors.

Part 2

Janeway slept again, deeply and undisturbed. Seven-of-Nine watched from the next room, seeing the regular rise and fall of her Captain's chest and the peaceful expression she wore whilst in slumber. Those thin lines around the older woman's face disappeared, leaving handsome, younger-looking features that Seven couldn't stop studying. As a Borg she had lived in a collective, with a shared consciousness and a link to all other drones on the Borg cube, yet being so close to just this one person was somehow more difficult. With reluctance, the young woman rose and closed the door which connected the two rooms, putting the sleeping Captain out of sight.

At the sound of the heavy, wooden door closing, Janeway awoke. Immediately, she sat upright, alert. "Lights," she murmured, and pulled a wry grin when there was no response. Carefully she climbed out of bed and padded across to the main door, next to which there was an archaic switch that controlled the lights. Janeway flicked it on then moved back to sit on the edge of the bed. Before she had turned the light on she had noted the tiny sliver of light shining underneath the connecting door to Seven-of-Nine's room, but though she listened intently Janeway could hear no sounds from the Borg's room. Voyager's Captain sat quietly. She felt…on edge, worried, which worried her more because there was no reason for her to feel this way. The ship was in Chakotay's capable hands, she'd been away less than twelve hours, what could possibly be wrong? Janeway forced a smile, but even as she did so she rose, approached the door to Seven's room and knocked softly.

Part 3

As Chakotay re-entered the bridge, he realised that word must have spread regarding the strange readings. He was intending to rouse the remaining senior officers anyway, but found Tuvok already at his station. As he looked around, it came to him that everyone who could be called was now on duty, given that Tom Paris was in sick bay and the Captain and Seven were on the holodeck. The First Officer turned to Tuvok, who stood in his customary position at tactical.

"Tuvok, I think it's time we called the Captain and Seven back. There is an unknown sickness hitting a number of personnel, two officers and two crewmen in a critical condition and a hell of a lot of strange sensor readings. In my opinion, Voyager needs her Captain."

The Vulcan raised an eyebrow, then nodded slowly. "I concur. However, it is not my decision to make. The Doctor must be consulted and give his permission. I do not believe he would refuse, given the seriousness of the medical emergency."

"You're right. Chakotay to the Doctor."

"Make it quick, Commander," replied the hologram, and Chakotay did just that.

"I want Janeway back on the bridge, now, and Seven-of-Nine too. Is that a problem for you?" There was a significant pause, during which Chakotay didn't move a muscle. He felt, for perhaps the first time on board Voyager, that he could not deal with the crisis alone. The seconds dragged on before the Chief Medical Officer finally answered.

"Ordinarily, the answer would be yes. Even now I have some reluctance, but you are right, we need Captain Janeway. We will deal with the consequences after we get through this…whatever it is. Call her back, Commander, you have my permission."

The First Officer exhaled slowly and refilled his lungs twice more before tapping his comm badge once again.

Part 4

Hearing no response from the ex-Borg, Janeway carefully opened the door and peeked around it, expecting Seven-of-Nine to be asleep. As the door opened wider she realised that was not the case. The slender form was sitting on one side of the bed, bent over. Seven cradled her head in her hands, through which several locks of fine, blond hair cascaded. Janeway was immediately concerned, and, all attempts at stealth abandoned and completely forgetting she wore just a thin nightgown, she quickly crossed the room.

"Seven? What's the matter, are you hurt? Seven? Talk to me?" Janeway demanded as she stood over the huddled form. A muffled sound came from behind the hands. "Seven?" she repeated more softly, sitting next to the younger woman and wrapping one arm around the trembling shoulders, pulling Seven-of-Nine into her and holding her tightly. The shaking subsided and Janeway smoothed the blonde hair with one hand, waiting. Eventually, Seven spoke, and though her voice was still a little shaky it was clear that her friend had regained her composure. Janeway let go and edged back a few inches to give the Borg some room. When the head lifted, Seven's pale features were streaked with tears, and the Captain's heart skipped a beat, so startled that she almost reached out and hugged the younger woman tightly once again.

"I'm fine, Captain. I was…I cannot explain what happened. I was feeling – different. When I sat down and attempted to compose myself, I began to…my eyes began to produce tears. It was most irritating." Seven's blue eyes flashed, daring Janeway to contradict her. The moment of tenderness had passed, and it was not without regret that Janeway nodded briskly and turned to leave.

"Glad to see that you're ok, Seven. Let's get some rest and start fresh tomorrow, agreed?"

"Agreed."

Janeway was reaching out her hand towards the door when the holodeck comm system beeped. "Chakotay to Captain Janeway, please respond." In an uncharacteristic show of irritation, the Captain lashed out forcefully at the door with her fist, a cry escaping as she struck the door with such force that the wood, and Janeway's hand, cracked on impact. Seven was next to the Captain in an instant, catching her as dizziness and intense pain caused the older woman to lose her balance. The blonde carried her Captain easily to the bed, where a groggy Janeway perched, held firmly in Seven's strong arms.

"Captain? What was that?" Chakotay's tone was more confused than concerned, indicating that he hadn't guessed the cause of the noises, and Janeway managed to shoot a warning glance at her companion who remained stony-faced.

"Nothing, Commander, everything's fine here. It's a little late for you to be on duty, is everything alright on your end?" Her hand throbbed, even the slightest movement sending searing needles of pain through her hand and wrist, and when she accidentally tried to raise her hand in an unconscious gesture, her vision went grey once more. The warmth of Seven's skin against hers felt soothing, and Janeway felt herself losing consciousness, her head falling against the younger woman's chest. The Captain did not hear her First Officer's next words.

"The Doctor has authorised me to recall you to duty, Captain. We have a medical crisis on board, Tom Paris is one of the affected personnel, and-"

"Is the Captain at risk?" demanded Seven-of-Nine, interrupting with customary bluntness.

"We don't believe so, Seven, and neither are you. It appears to be affecting only those who ate the eggs Mr. Neelix collected during the recent away mission. But there's more, Captain. I need both of you."

"Acknowledged," replied the Borg curtly, and cut the communication before the Commander had time to realise that the Captain herself had not ended the conversation. Seven cradled the limp form of her Captain, thinking. There was obviously no time to lose, and there was no question that Janeway required medical attention.

"Computer, activate site-to-site transport to sick bay for myself and Captain Janeway, authorisation Seven-of-Nine beta four. Energise."

Part 5

The pair materialised in sick bay, where a glance showed Seven that things were indeed serious. The Doctor was bending over one of several occupied biobeds, a medical tricorder in one hand, the other holding a hypo spray. He was facing away from them, and quickly Seven carried the Captain to an examination table and laid her gently down, placing a clean towel under her head as a pillow. From Janeway's lips came a soft murmur, a sign that she was regaining consciousness. Seven stroked the older woman's cheek briefly yet with a tenderness many thought she would not be capable of. The intimacy was broken spectacularly with the appearance of the Doctor at Seven's elbow.

"What happened to the Captain?" he roared, turning to Seven-of-Nine whose only reaction to the irate hologram's fury was to blink whilst she waited for the Doctor's anger to subside. As always, his priority was the patient, and so the temper was pushed aside as he turned to Janeway and scanned her quickly. When he faced the Borg again, the anger was gone.

"Fractured fourth and fifth metacarpals and a cracked radius. I'll repair the damage now and save the questions, such as how did this happen and why didn't you call me earlier, until later. You are needed on the bridge. Captain Janeway will follow shortly, after I treat her and replicate a uniform," he finished pointedly. Seven nodded, glanced at Janeway briefly, then left. The hologram turned back to Janeway and touched her uninjured arm. "I can repair the physical damage, Captain," he murmured to the inert form. "The rest is up to you."