This is a bit of a deviation from my usual fanfiction world. For this story, Voyager passes by the Borg transwarp hub from "Endgame," and Admiral Janeway never came back in time to turn them around. Voyager is now in its eighth year of travel through the Delta Quadrant. Jaffen stayed on Quarra, like in the original "Workforce," and Seven and Chakotay are a couple.

Usual Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek Voyager or anything associated with it, Paramount does!

Trust Me

Chapter 1

Seven was running through the corridors of Voyager. A red alert had been maintained since the beginning of this crisis. It defied all logic, but Seven felt she absolutely had to reach the bridge. The sharp clicks of her heels against the metal floor mixed with the alarm in a chaotic rhythm pounding through her head. She dove into a nearby Jeffries tube, her mind trying to analyze the past ten minutes.

Seven rushed from Engineering, her body still protesting against the pain from the console explosion. Voyager rumbled and shook as she forced open the doors to Astrometrics. The lights in Astrometrics flashed, and consoles sparked as Seven tried to plot an escape route. She could hear shouted orders from the Bridge and Engineering through her combadge. She registered the important parts of the conversation as she added her own input.

"I've lost Warp drive and impulse. Thrusters, too."

"Shields down."

"Seven?"

"We are surrounded, Captain. I am attempting to cloak us."

"Acknowledged."

"They've engaged a tractor beam."

Chakotay's voice asked, "Belanna, what are you doing up here? Ensign Waters, stand down!"

A shout and cry of pain. Seven flinched involuntarily.

Her captain's slightly panicked but still authoritative voice rang out over the comm line: "We've been boarded by shape-shifters. Trust no one…"

That was all Janeway had been able to say before she had been cut off.

Seven heard the erratic thumping of her heart in her ears as she swung onto the ladder and began to climb. Fo-cus, Fo-cus, Fo-cus. She hated these emotions. Fear and anxiety only distracted her from her goals. She finally traversed the last short tube distance and opened the hatch to the bridge.

It was deathly quiet save for the constant alarm. There was no debris littering the bridge or smoke filling the air. It looked as if everyone had simply vanished.

"Captain? Chakotay?" Seven whispered. She didn't dare exit the hatch until she assessed the situation fully. She surveyed her limited view of the bridge. It was empty as far as she could tell. Why did I come here?

Cautiously, she emerged and glanced around again. Her heart caught in her throat, and her body went cold.

Voyager's captain was lying motionless on the floor near the helm, a phaser on the floor near her. Seven hurried over and shook her. "Captain," she whispered softly. No response. "Please," Seven pleaded. She felt like crying as she noticed there was no breath escaping her mentor's lips. "No…"

Seven stood and backed numbly away. She fled toward the turbolift, the tears determinedly stinging her eyes despite her efforts to fight them. They blurred her vision as she called out for Deck 6.

I was too late. I couldn't save Voyager. I couldn't save her.

Janeway paced the length of Sickbay, back and forth. "There's got to be some way to bring her out of it!"

Tuvok stepped forward slightly into her path. "A bridging of minds would allow us to communicate with her," he suggested.

"That's extremely dangerous!" the Doctor exclaimed. "The limited data we collected the last time is entirely insufficient for what you're proposing. We have almost no idea what we are dealing with, let alone the consequences of a mind meld when she's in this condition. The risks are too great, both to Seven and yourselves!"

"As you have exhausted all available medical options, Doctor, logic dictates that we have no choice if we wish to save her," Tuvok said calmly, tipping his head slightly to emphasize his point.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Tuvok," the Captain said. "You said if we do nothing, she'll die."

"I'll do it," Chakotay said solemnly.

Janeway shook her head. "No," she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I've been linked with her before, and if the Doctor's right…if this is the same entity that tried to kill me six years ago, it's going to want to twist what happened and make her believe something else. I was there during the accident. When our minds are linked, I might be able to connect with her somehow and help her remember."

"Kathryn," Chakotay protested.

The Captain took him aside and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'll do everything in my power to help her, Chakotay. You have my word. Besides," she finished, "if Tuvok and I fail, you're probably the only one who could bring her back from out here."

"I don't want to put you at risk," he responded.

"I'll try to be careful," she half smiled. They both knew things rarely seemed to work out as planned with Kathryn Janeway, but as their eyes met each other, a silent agreement passed quickly between them. Chakotay finally relented.

"Do you need time to prepare?" Janeway asked Tuvok.

"We can begin immediately," he answered.

The Captain found herself in an unmarked corridor of Voyager. A red alert was flashing and sounding, but the hallway was eerily empty. She felt Tuvok's steady mental presence in the back of her mind. "Seven?" she called.

"Stay where you are!" The familiar, cool voice came from behind her, and on instinct, the Captain whirled around.

Seven of Nine was aiming a phaser at her.

It was set to kill.