Based on "First Contact". I don't own anything except Melina, Rex and the other OC's.
The Enterprise NCC-1701-E was amazing. It wasn't quite as familiar as the old D-model yet, but it would seem like home eventually.
One thing that irked Melina no end was the constant stares she was getting. Obviously the whole Federation knew that she was an Augment. Data was as supportive as ever, and Rex glared at people who made his mother uncomfortable, but the fact was Melina did not feel welcome aboard the Enterprise.
A fact that weighed heavily on her mind as she stood in the Holodeck with most of the crew. They were all in late 20th century attire, in a large ballroom. Data stood beaming proudly beside the Captain, who was giving a long speech.
Melina only half-listened, until she heard the word...
"As you know, we have an Augment on board. No one was supposed to know about her condition, and she was to be treated as the average human being, until Admirals Maddox and Kerrn opened their big traps to the media.
"This young lady has proven her worth to the crew of the Enterprise D time and time again. She has gone above and beyond what is to be expected of her, and has in my opinion, gone where no one has dared go before. Therefore, seeing as we have no Security Officer, I would like to call up Lieutenant Commander Melina Soong!" Picard finished.
There was no thunderous applause, except from Data and a few others. Melina slowly got up, and walked towards the stage. She tried to ignore the stares, glares and smirks as she went. It felt like forever before she finally got to the stage, where Data pinned her promotion to her collar.
"We were going to do it traditionally, but Worf would have been most affronted if he had been upstaged by his student." Data whispered to her, making her smile. "Not to mention I think you prefer the 20th century better."
"Thank you Data." Melina said, voice heavy with emotion. "Thank you for everything."
All at once her old confidence returned. She guessed it was her Augment side shining through and for the first time, she was proud of it. If being an Augment meant she was better able to protect those dear to her, then she would cop the stares, glares and smirks, and cop them with pride and dignity.
–
"You know, when the most exciting part of your day is finding another bit of rock in space, there is something seriously wrong." Melina groaned as the Enterprise patrolled the Romulan Neutral Zone.
"Wow! A rock! I'm terrified." Riker smirked back.
Melina looked at the scanners again. "Why aren't we out there fighting the Borg?" She asked.
"No idea." Riker replied. "I'm about to go and find that out myself."
"Good luck." Melina smiled. Riker grinned back. He was one of the few who didn't try to avoid her like she was about to take over the ship at any moment.
Although given that she was a distant relation to Khan Noonien Singh, the idea didn't seem half-bad.
–
Melina watched in horror as the planet in front of them changed to a Borg-infested cesspool. It was then she thanked her lucky stars that Rex had agreed to come aboard the Enterprise with them.
She sat in the quarters with the boy, stroking his hair while Data was on the surface. Her arm tingled, which worried her.
"Rexie, I want you to stay on the Bridge. Something seems wrong." She took him to the Bridge, wary.
"Mum, won't the Captain have something to say about that?" Rex asked as they took the turbolift.
"Stay in your father's chair." Melina commanded. Just then, Picard and Data walked back onto the Bridge. Picard shot a glance at Melina, who understood and nodded.
Data quickly locked out the Main Computer with one of Melinas tried and true encryption codes (Riker's STILL trying to get back into his old love letters from Deanna), and then he, Melina, Worf, Picard and a security team headed down to face their foes.
–
Melina led a team around the back of Engineering. If the two main teams of Picard and Worf couldn't get in, then Melina was to sneak in via the Jefferies tubes. She was the only one whose weapon couldn't be adapted to by the Borg,
"In position Captain!" She reported, arm twitching with power.
Nothing to do now but wait until...
Two of the Borg who had sat silently up until then turned to face the team!
"Commander Soong, you might find the Borg to be a little less welcoming...we failed to breach Engineering." Picard said over the communicator.
"They task me, they task me and I shall have them!" Melina muttered with a grin. She shot the two Borg down with her arm, while the other officers fled. More and more Borg marched towards her, and again and again she smote them down.
She almost lost herself in the battle, in her own strength. She thought of what she had been once upon a time. A miserable young girl who loved science, now a powerful Augment in charge of Security, second to her beloved Data, how she wished he were fighting beside her! He alone could understand the great change she felt within herself, from a prejudiced Cadet to a respected Lieutenant Commander.
She flung another of the wretched beasts away, and shot down the Jefferies tube.
–
"Believing oneself to be perfect is often the sign of a delusional mind."
For a second, Melina thought her husband was addressing her. He had said the same thing to her so many times.
But how could he have seen her? She was hidden in Engineering, and the Borg hadn't found her yet.
Then she saw the Queen. Watched as she flirted with Data. Melina's Augment pride was pushed to breaking point.
Then she saw her chance, as Data escaped his binds. She knocked out two of the Borg on the higher deck before landing beside her husband.
"It is indeed agreeable to see you my dear." Data smirked as the pair stood back to back, ready to fight off the Borg together.
"As it is to see you my love." Melina flicked her arm, and the electricity shone bright blue as the Brog surrounded.
The Borg Queen looked carefully at Melina. "A genetically modified human. So much stronger, faster and smarter than the rest. I see you are part synthetic too."
"I do not define myself by my biological and physcial make up. I define myself by my actions, and I'm about to take you out!" Melina cried.
She shot forward, taking out two of the Borg with her arm. She shot up the wall, leaving a trail of melted metal behind her. On the upper decks her arm sliced Borg Drones in two.
"So...pathetic." The Borg Queen smiled.
Melina didn't realise what had happened until it was too late, and she'd smacked hard into the electrified force-field. She dropped two decks and hit the floor hard.
"Interesting. The 'Augment' is still alive after that fall." The Borg Queen walked over to inspect the fallen woman.
Data rushed to his wifes aid, but was stopped when a drone sliced his new organic arm.
–
He watched with a detached interest as they bound her. They were going to use her for their experiments after the ship had been assimilated.
He couldn't forgive himself. For a brief second, he had considered leaving her behind. To accept the Borg Queens offers of humanity.
He knew now. He knew what had drawn him to choose her as his student, to sit with her in Ten Forward all those evenings, to marry her and create a son.
He loved her. He always had. He simply hadn't been able to recognise the emotion. It had stopped him from killing her at Lores command, and had been worried about her when her family abandoned her.
She would never believe it of course. It was too illogical.
"She has been beautifully crafted." Data was shaken from his thoughts by the Borg Queen commenting on Melina. "She has all the qualities that we need. Strong, determined, intelligent beyond anything we have ever seen in an organic being."
"She is amazing." Data agreed wholeheartedly. She had to be, how else could she have awakened emotions in a machine? "You know she'll be furious when she wakes up. Those bonds will be useless."
"Is she really that powerful?" The Queen laughed.
What she didn't realise, and which Data found extrodinary, is that Melina WAS awake, and had been for a while. Watching, waiting, for the opportune moment to strike. Resting, allowing her body to recover in order to destroy the Borg and retrieve her husband.
An extrodinary woman, and Data was proud of her.
He watched as his Captain walked in. He obeyed the Queen's commands to deactivate the self-destruct sequence, and gave her control of the ship.
Melina watched through slitted eyes. She heard everything. She trusted Data.
She knew that he would want her to save the Captain above himself. When the moment came, she would. She watched the Captain like a hawk, readying herself.
Then she heard the Queen's cry of anguish, and knew it was time.
"Resistance is futile!" Data sneered before smashing open the coolant tank.
Melina smashed her binds open and grabbed the Captain before the coolant could harm him.
"Commander Soong!" He cried.
She shot up the wall, but her earlier fall exhausted her, and she dropped the Captain. He grabbed a pipe as Melina grabbed onto a piece of wall and pulled herself up.
"I'm sorry!" She cried. The Borg Queen grabbed on to the Captain, both suspended above the coolant that would kill them both.
"No!" Melina stood up. She watched as Data rose up and grabbed the Queen, trying to pull her back down.
Melina knew what she had to do. Aiming her good left arm, she shot a ball of electrical might at the Queen, who fell, taking Data with her. Using her powerful magnetism, she pulled the pipe towards her, and grabbed the Captain. Together, they jumped on to one of the decks as the Borg died around them.
Then, once the coolant had cleared, as Picard destroyed the Borg Queen for good, Melina helped her poor boy up.
"The look becomes you." She grinned at his now visible positronics.
"Thank you my dear." Data replied with a small smile.
"How the HELL are you still standing Soong?" Picard asked. "You jumped down here like you were jumping down a step!"
"I have five times your strength Captain." Melina told him, eeriely reminiscent of the late Singh. "It's only natural that I have five times your stamina."
"You're scaring me." The Captain replied with a smile. They heard a voice from above.
"MUM! DAD! You two okay?" Rex jumped down and hugged his parents. The Captain fumed.
"I told you to get into the escape pod!" He thundered.
"We couldn't." He heard Dr. Crusher above him. He looked up to see her and Worf smiling down at them.
"What a troupe we make." Melina smiled at Data, wrapping her arms around him.
"Indeed." He returned the hug. Rex wrapped his arms around both of them, and laid his cheek on his mothers back.
