The Best of Both Worlds
Part Six
By Serendipity
The drone heard nothing anymore, not even the low hum of the engines on the Borg ship. Two of Two made her way to the Queen's chamber. The official title for the Borg Queen was One of Two, but a part of her remembered her love of power. It was untrue to say that the Borg were a collective, all sharing minds. The Borg were many bodies and minds controlled by one strong mind and had been since their humble beginnings.
"It is done." The drone spoke as the Queen descended from her lair.
"We are pleased." The Queen almost smiled, but had forgotten how long before she became Borg. "Are we not pleased?" she raised an eyebrow in the direction of Two of Two.
"We are satisfied." Two of Two replied in her monotone voice.
"We are able to see him fail. Does that not please us?" The Queen asked again, seemingly unsatisfied with Two of Two's reply.
"It pleases us." Two of Two replied.
"Sometimes we think we see a little of the individual in you Two of Two." The Queen said dangerously. "But you are not one anymore and have not been for hundreds of years. Not since they assimilated us then dumped us in the Delta Quadrant. Do we make ourselves clear?"
"Yes Your Majesty." Two of two replied.
"That will be all…" the Queen paused. "Katherine." Immediately she read the conflict in Two of Two's mind. She had noted it for days, ever since the sub-space beacon had been sent.
Two of Two left the Queen's lair and made her monotonous way back to her station. As she did so she had to walk past his. She stopped briefly and looked at him dispassionately. Her hand reached out, weighed down by the attachments, but she gently touched his cheek. He opened his eyes and looked at her. He may have been quizzical but his face was also dispassionate.
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" Was all she said. Something flashed in his eyes, a faint memory, then it was gone.
*****************
Locutus stood looking out towards The Enterprise. Something was happening. Number One was not doing what was expected of him. What Picard would have expected of him. The thought popped into his head that once Ryker was assimilated it would not matter. But it wasn't Jean Luc's thought. It was a thought planted there.
The other drone was walking towards him. The one who had said something…poetic. Locutus could see that it had once been a woman. As she stood in the corridor leading to the viewing screen, a commotion took his attention away. It was two of his crew, Worf and Data. They had come to rescue him. Fools! As he thought it, glee filled his heart. They had come to rescue him.
"Pretend to fight." A thought jumped into his head. He knew instinctively where it had come from. The drone! She moved towards Worf with raised hand, but barely fought back when Worf raised his hand to her. She hit the ground too easily. Locutus had also raised his hand to Worf and Data, but he too was overtaken much more easily that he should have been. He just had time to look down at her and see a tear fall from the corner of her eye before blackness descended upon him.
***********
The Queen looked at her. She should cut off Two of Two's life support. She was a traitor. But something stopped her. Instead she took Two of Two with her in the escape shuttle as the Borg ship exploded. After all, the Queen had a new way to torture Two of Two now. As if Picard would ever be interested in such a cold, lifeless creature….
**************
Picard stood looking out of the window, trying to come to terms with the events of the last few days. He regretted his harshness to Kathy. He had been selfish. People were often trapped within their own lives, but he had been too engrossed in his own grief to realise it.
"Did you see her?"
He realised for the first time that Guinan stood behind him.
"Guinan?"
"Did you see Kathy?" Guinan asked.
"What do you mean?" Jean Luc asked, more confused than ever. So Guinan told him about how Kathy, and Barbara, had seemed to disappear off the face of the earth. Guinan was sacked and never allowed to enter the building again. But for the last few days, while Jean Luc was captive on the Borg ship, Guinan had sensed her friend nearby again.
"No…" Jean Luc stopped. Then he remembered. He had 'heard' the Borg Queen say the name Katherine. Remembered the hope that had flooded his heart when the female drone quoted Shakespeare, the hope that gave him the strength to repel any orders from the Borg collective. Then he remembered the tearstained face of the female drone on the floor.
"Yes. I saw her…but…"
They both stood looking out to where the destroyed ship had once stood.
"She's free now." Guinan said simply.
The end????