It had all started very innocently and with the best of intentions.

They had been working for weeks on a project to enhance the dilithium conversion matrix to try to up the efficiency output, attempting to shunt the runoff power to life-support, and create a nie-on totally renewable power source. If it was successful, it would radically overhaul the way they used and needed power on Voyager. B'Elanna had worked through the night to get the first full run-through of the process ready to be tested, and she was inputting data manically when the Captain's urgent voice broke through the buzz of engineering.

"Janeway to Engineering. B'Elanna - how close are we to being ready to bring this online?"

"I'm ready, Captain" B'Elanna replied as she wove her way through panels and workstations. "I've run every simulation sequence I can think of through the main core, and everything looks spot on. I can give you power to the conversion matrix on your mark".

"Standby, Lieutenant" and the comm channel clicked shut.

B'Elanna resumed her frantic input, searching for more simulation data to run through the main computer. She was overwhelmingly confident that her design would be successful - but extra data was never a bad thing.

"Janeway to Torres - we're ready here. Bring the conversion matrix online. Harry will monitor main life-support from his end. You worry about the matrix stability down from engineering".

"Yes, Captain. Bringing the conversion matrix online….. Now. "

B'Elanna punched the start sequence into the console and tried to keep up with the stream of readings coming from the main core. Power levels were steady, efficiency percentages were nearing 95%, no magnetic resonance detected in the dilithium chamber. Her heart beat a little faster as the adrenaline rush of success threatened to overtake her focus. Steeling her brain forward, she said,

"Harry, I'm seeing good output on my end. Bring the main life support up to 50% power and take the secondary power couplings offline".

B'Elanna saw the change happen before her in changing sequences of numbers and readings. Main life support dipped momentarily, and then started climbing steadily in the opposite direction. She felt her heart skip yet another beat faster.

"It's working, Captain! I'm bringing the remainder of the power runoff online in the secondary life-support systems".

All of a sudden there was chaos. Numbers crashed, energy and temperature readings were spiking uncontrollably. B'Elanna's hands and fingers ran across two consoles, instinctively and desperately seeking an answer for the sudden catastrophe.

"Janeway to Engineering - shut it down, B'Elanna. We're reading massive spikes in the life support power couplings - we're going to breach the tolerance of the system in less than 30 seconds".

"Standby, Captain. I'm tracking down the problem as we speak"

In the back of her mind, B'Elanna heard the steel edge of frustration and unquestionable command in the Captain's next words.

"You can't solve it quickly enough to save the couplings, Ms. Torres. Shut it down so we can find the faulty linkage".

B'Elanna's brain heard the warning - her adrenaline didn't. Closing the link with a definitive button punch, B'Elanna continued pouring through data sequences. Almost immediately, she found the faulty equation she was looking for. She could fix this! Glancing at the ever-rising readings in the dilithium matrix, B'Elanna confidently started re-writing the equation and feeding it back into the computer. Just as she could feel victory on her fingertips, the entire ship shuddered, and she noticed the assaultingly familiar smell of overloaded warp plasma. Simultaneously, the sirens of Yellow-Alert rang out in the engine room.

"Janeway to Torres - what's going on down there lieutenant? We're reading a plasma leak in the main core". The glaring urgency in the Captain's voice cracked the engineer's brain out of her problem-solving haze, and she quickly typed in the abort sequence to shut down the converter. There was no response from the system.

B'Elanna knew that the queasiness she felt as she ran across the engine room to the warp core console was made of both fear and adrenaline, but she couldn't stop to regret her actions now.

"The converter is fused, Captain. I'm trying to contain the breach!"

B'Elanna began barking out orders to her engine room, grabbing a coupling wrench and sliding underneath the console railing to try to manually de-couple the matrix from the core. As the seconds slipped by into minutes, and the numbers refused to fall, B'Elanna started calculating the amount of time she had before she would need to dump the imploding warp core. Just as she was beginning to note the increasing whine of the warp core slowly move itself to a breach, the doors to engineering slid open and the Captain strode over to the main console.

"I told you to shut it down!" she yelled over the whine of the engine, fingers already flying across the console. Kathryn Janeway was an unmatched commanding officer, but she was also a formidable engineer.

B'Elanna didn't - couldn't - acknowledge the Captain's reprimand - that would have to wait until after they weren't in danger of a core breach at any second. As the seconds ticked by, B'Elanna saw that the Captain had managed to stabilize the internal core temperature by bleeding the manifolds into the secondary systems for the main deflector.

"I've got enough control to try the shut down sequence again. Bring the couplings over to the - wait. No, there are surges all over the place. B'Elanna, get away from the main lines."

B'Elanna saw the stabilization and knew she was only going to have one chance to save the core from breach.

"I can do it from here, Captain. I'm watching the levels. Let me just…"

The Captain's voice inched towards panic but conveyed only stern command - "B'Elanna! Move….."

And then B'Elanna saw only black.