I STILL don't own Star Trek.
This chapter introduces an OC who belongs to me and the RL friend I'm having read this for me. She also made that cover that you see on this.
Hugh felt a little better the next day, though not much. He was able to sit up on his own to take his pills, though he still made a face at the chalky taste. He downed the rest of the water to wash it away, knowing his body would use every bit of the water. I had read Crusher's notes on Borg physiology while Hugh was asleep and learned that he had the perfect digestive system. No matter what came in, his organic body would take what it needed, and the rest would fuel his mechanical part. I didn't know the physics of it all, but it was pretty amazing to read. It was basically a backup survival mechanism if for some reason the drone had no access to energy. I hoped Hugh would never have to use it, but it was good to know he had it.
He was still bedridden, still spending most of his time laying down, but his fever was a tiny bit better. Enough to where he could open his eye all the way.
"You don't have to stay with me." he said softly.
"I know," I replied as I sat down beside him, "But I want to." He smiled at this, and I knew it made him feel better to have me there.
A couple hours later, my combadge pinged, followed by Riker's voice.
"I hate to do this, sir, but I have a situation on the bridge. You'd better come see this." I mentally swore and looked down at Hugh.
"Go." he said, "Riker wouldn't say that if it weren't important." I hated it, but Hugh was right. If Riker was calling me and telling me to come, then it was probably very important. I sighed and pressed the badge.
"On my way." I said. I stood up and kissed Hugh's forehead.
"i won't be long." I said. He nodded and lay back down. Reluctantly, I left and went to the bridge.
I could feel the tension as soon as I left the turbolift. Then I saw the main viewscreen. And on it, the ominous, unmistakable shape of a Borg Cube.
"Cooperative?" I asked. Riker shook his head.
"No running lights." he said, "And the Cooperative would've hailed us and identified themselves by now."
"Damn!" I swore. That meant we were dealing with the Collective.
"At least it's just the on-"
"Captain! Five more cubes just dropped out of warp!" cried the ensign at the helm. I slammed a fist down on the red alert button and heard the alarms blaring. Already, I saw Borg materializing on the bridge. Everyone quickly gathered behind the communications console for cover, firing phasers at them as they appeared. But they began to appear faster than we could eliminate them. Suddenly, one grabbed my arm and I felt the pull of a transporter beam. But the only thing I could think of was poor little Hugh, crying and screaming for me in fear as he was taken and reassimilated. And I couldn't help him.
I'm so sorry, Hugh.
Hugh's POV
Not long after Picard left, the alarm blared to life, sounding a red alert. I felt the ship rock. We were under attack! But by who? In the hallway, I could hear people screaming and running. Had we been boarded? Did the bridge know? I dragged myself out of bed and stood leaning on the wall, my whole body protesting. But I was a Starfleet officer, a senior officer. I had to help, even if I was sick. This was obviously an emergency. I used the walls and furniture to drag myself to the door. It slid open and I stumbled out into the hallway, immediately swept into the crowd of running people as they scrambled toward the lifts. And then I saw the boarding parties amongst them.
Borg.
My scream was soon added to the sea of others, until I stumbled and fell. Before I even had a chance to look up I felt metal hands grab me. I looked up to see two huge tactical drones with their weapons pressed to my head. I tried to fight them, but they were far stronger than me as they beamed out with me and rematerialized onboard a Collective vessel. I could hear people screaming and crying from every direction. I tried to fight again, but the drones' grip was too strong, and my illness had weakened me more than I had thought.
The drones took me into a small side room, where a scanner ran over me.
"Inconclusive." the computer said, "Further analysis required." I was dragged further back into the room, where the drones threw me onto a table and strapped me down. Another scanner ran over me, and at the same time I felt something clamp around my head.
"Unit is defective. Extract all useful data, then purge and prepare for reabsorption." I started to panic. That meant I was going to die! No, no, I couldn't. Not yet! Not like this! As hard as I tried, the straps holding me down seemed to only get tighter the more I struggled. I cried out Jean-Luc's name, wishing he were with me. He would know what to do. He would help me.
Dimly, I heard weapon fire. The next thing I knew, I was being hauled up as someone shoved a phaser into my hand. It was Riker. He was talking, and my audial implants strained to understand him.
"...on this ship. We'll take care of the drones. Do you understand, Hugh? Go find the captain." Picard was here? Oh no. Riker continued,
"If anyone can find him on this ship, it's you, Hugh...Picard needs you. Got it?" I slowly nodded.
"Yes sir." I said softly. I took the phaser and exited the room.
I didn't tell them I had no idea where Picard was.
I had to use the alcoves and railings along the walkways to keep from falling down again. My nightmare had basically come true, and I couldn't even begin to help Jean-Luc. It was then that I peered into a room and saw an archivist drone analyzing and organizing information gathered from assimilations. There! His name appeared, listed as "reassimilation in progress" I also noticed my designation listed as "failed reassimilation. Drone disposed of." I memorized the location of Jean-Luc. He was down a few levels. But I didn't have time to find a lift. I slowly hauled myself over the railing and let myself drop. I made sure to count the levels as i fell, until I saw the one I wanted rushing up below me. I stuck out my arms and grabbed the railing as I fell past it, my arms jerking me to a stop. Unfortunately, there were more drones there, who immediately hauled me over the rail. Two of them held me, one pulling my head back to expose my neck. I knew what would come next. Two sharp pricks in my neck, like little needles, or teeth, or...
Jean-Luc's scream tore through my thoughts. And suddenly, my illness no longer hindered me, even as I finished the thought about the pricks being...like a claw.
Like lightning, my own assimilation tubules extended as I swung my hand upward and two dark red gashes appeared on one drone's face, one going through his eye. He immediately released me, which allowed me to knock the other one in the side of the head with my phaser, rendering him unconscious. Hy senses on hyper alert, I bolted into the room to save Jean-Luc. Only one more big tactical drone stood between us.
Picard's POV
It was happening all over again. I was going to be assimilated. I was sure of it. As soon as they finished analyzing me, it would begin. Most of my body would be replaced with implants, like Hugh's. Where was Hugh? I could only hope he was all right. I was scared for him in this awful place. They would reassimilate him or reabsorb him. Either way, my sweet little Borg was gone. Just like the first time, I cried. But this time, I cried for Hugh.
"Please let him be spared." I whispered. The big tactical drone standing beside me stiffened.
"That is irrelevant." he stated, "You will now be assimilated. Resis-" The drone never finished his sentence. I heard a phaser fire and the drone crumpled, stunned, to the floor.
And standing over him, holding the freshly fired phaser, was Hugh.
"Resistance is NOT futile." Hugh finished for him. He stepped over the fallen drone and quickly undid my restraints, helping me to my feet. "We have to get out of here." he said.
"There's a lift at the back of this room." I said, "It'll take us up to where we beamed in." I could hear footsteps outside the door. The drone must've sounded an alarm when Hugh stunned him. Quickly, the two of us piled into the lift and started up.
We came out in a room filled with maturation chambers...and Enterprise crew fighting the drones. I saw riker amongst them, and a second later, he spotted us and yelled "DUCK!" Hugh pulled me down with him as a blast from a drone's weapon went over our heads and right into a maturation chamber, which broke open, spilling fluid everywhere. The tiny Borg child that had been inside it slid over to Hugh and I as we scrambled to our feet. The tiny creature lay motionless as the fighting continued. Looking at it, I was reminded of Hugh, helpless and innocent in the midst of a bar fight, no one to help him. I knew the child would die, likely by being trampled to death, if it was left there. I quickly bent down and swept it into my arms as Hugh and I ran toward where I could see crewmen being transported out. I smacked my combadge as I yelled "Picard to Enterprise!"
"Three to beam out! NOW!" Hugh added. I was never so relieved to feel the pull of a transporter beam.
Once back on the Enterprise, we made a beeline for the bridge. Hugh in the lead with the phaser, and then me with the child. Drones tried to block us in, but the Enterprise crew had begun to gain the upper hand. When we reached the bridge, Hugh took the captain's chair.
And then the strangest thing happened.
Hugh's tubules stabbed into the controls on the chair and he closed his eye, as if concentrating hard on something. To the amazement of myself and the bridge crew, the ship itself seemed to come to life. Perfectly aimed weapons fired all on their own, wave after wave, pummeling each Borg cube and crippling it before it had the chance to adapt. I heard a call from the transporter rom saying everyone was back on board. As if it had been waiting for this, the ship suddenly jumped into maximum warp, knocking everyone off their feet. Almost immediately it slowed back to cruising speed.
Only then did Hugh, who was still in the captain's chair, retract his tubules and open his eye.
"What the hell just happened?" Riker said.
"Hugh just saved the entire ship, that's what." I answered and turned to Hugh, "How did you do it, though?"
"When we assimilate technology, we connect with it in its entirety. Meaning we can control every part of it. It temporarily becomes a part of us, and we a part of it.."
"So basically what you're saying is that you BECAME the Enterprise itself?" Riker asked. Hugh nodded.
"I didn't have time to explain and ask permission, or I would have. I'm sorry."
"Don't be, Hugh." I told him, "By doing what you did, you saved hundreds of lives. Thousands if you count those cubes that the Cooperative will no doubt pick up now. Saving lives is never something you should apologize for. I for one am very impressed."
"Me too." said Riker, "That was weird as heck, but it worked."
"So what are we going to do with him?" Worf pointed to the Borg child on the floor.
"Take him to Sickbay." I said, "Once we know his condition, then we'll decide what to do." The Klingon nodded and carefully picked up the child and left for Sickbay. I went to sit next to Hugh, who slumped into my arms, exhausted, still sick I could tell.
"You saved my life, Hugh." I told him as I gently lifted him up, his head against my shoulder, and carried him back to his quarters. I laid him in bed and attached his regeneration line before pulling the covers over him. Then I slid in beside him and held him protectively against my chest.
"Thank you, Hugh."