A Universe Painted Gray

Disclaimer: Paramount owns the Voyager people, I don't (unfortunately). Get it? Megan and the turtle pjs are all mine, though.

Summary: Megan wakes up to find herself on our favorite starship. Unfortunately, she's stuck there. The perks and drawbacks of universe hopping.

Rating: PG for minor language.

The Misadventures of Megan Quincy
Chapter 2: A Universe Painted Gray

by galadriel

So where was I? Ah, yes, I was staring in complete and utter disbelief, ready to pass out. I tried closing my eyes again, hoping to wake up in my bed, all of this a faint dream.

It didn't work.

I glanced around timidly at my surroundings. My heart pounded as I surveyed the extremely familiar tan biobeds, gray walls in various shades of gray, and gray consoles, tinted by blue, white, and yellow lighting. But it wasn't the colorful blinking panels or the high tech medical equipment that made my head spin. No, it was the figure standing in front of me that induced astonishment in my mind.

The red and black uniform. The crossed arms. The hair that had caused hysteria among people everywhere. The eyes that could bore holes through titanium, currently regarding me with concern.

Standing next to me, with an air of both compassion and absolute power, was Captain Kathryn Janeway herself.

"Please tell me you're Kate Mulgrew," I murmured hoarsely.

"Excuse me?" Kathryn Janeway asked, confusion on her face.

"Um.... It's complicated," I responded, trying to piece together the events of the past half-hour in my head. Roschland... the red gem.... Roschland had told me the replicating goo wasn't from our universe.... So it was from another universe, I realized, an epiphany of the sickeningly obvious. And now our good buddies at the government had sent me to the said alternate universe... maybe to make sure there were no terrible side effects of universe hopping. I was the perfect candidate: was young, gullible, and versed in Trek.

No, that made way too much sense. I was dreaming. I *had* to be dreaming. Please God, let this be a dream. I tried the closing-eye thingy again, then pinched myself a couple of times. My arm hurt, but I was still here.

Janeway was still staring at me, most likely wondering what the hell was going on.

"I'm Captain Kathryn Janeway. And you?" she prompted. As she spoke, the Doctor popped out of his lab, holding a PADD and looking perplexed. I had never noticed quite how shiny his head was until now. "It seems that our visitor is from somewhere more distant than we thought," he said. "My scans show that she's from¾ "

"An alternate universe," I interrupted, feeling obligated to explain my own situation. "And about four hundred years in the past. In my universe, this is all a television show and you're characters. This is completely impossible."

"Television show?" Janeway exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips. "Are you telling me that we're some sort of entertainment on your world?" I couldn't tell if she was amazed or just appalled.

I nodded humbly, feeling like a voyeur. My mind strayed to my fan fiction, making me feel even worse, then to my suitcase, then back to Roschland's red gem....

"How did I get here anyway?" I asked suddenly. "I think that the government sent me as some kind of test to make sure travel between universes is safe¾ who knows how they got that technology-- but how did I actually get *here*?"

"You materialized, unconscious, on the bridge this morning, along with this." She motioned to my black suitcase, which was on the floor beside my biobed.

I sat up, ran my hands through my now-disheveled hair, and set the small rectangular suitcase next to me on the biobed.

Janeway examined the nametag hanging from the handle of the suitcase. "Megan Quincy," she read aloud. "Welcome to Voyager, Miss Quincy," she greeted with a firm handshake.

"Thank you, Captain," I answered, still unable to comprehend that I was addressing a Starfleet captain. "How am I, Doctor?" I asked, wondering if Roschland's gem had any lasting effects.

The Doctor looked rather disconcerted, since I'd identified him without being introduced, but whipped out a medical tricorder and started scanning anyway. "All readings normal, Miss Quincy," he announced. "Unless the Captain has any objections, you're free to go."

"Sounds fine. I'll show you to your quarters." I stood up and grabbed my suitcase.

"Thank you, Doctor," I told him as I left.

"You're welcome." He put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "And for what it's worth, good luck."

*******

"So you're saying that the United States government has the power to travel between universes at the turn of the millenium?" Janeway asked incredulously as we walked down the corridor.

I shrugged. "I'm just as surprised as you are. I mean, Voyager doesn't even have that power. And why they chose me to test it out on me is beyond me. It's sort of disgusting, that they'll send a kid but won't go themselves." I sighed angrily as I confronted my predicament. "I'm not going to get home, am I?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, but unless your people bring you back with their own technology, I don't see how that's possible. But I promise we'll try to make you as happy here as possible." She paused reflectively. "How much do you know about us from this television show"

I couldn't help but smile. "A lot. I'm a big fan. It's so amazing, to actually be here, to walk down these corridors. I can't believe it's real."

Janeway smiled. "I'm flattered. It's hard to believe that our lives are interesting enough to be a source of entertainment."

"One of the best shows on TV," I assured her. Then, after a pause. "I wonder if by coming here, I've changed the future of your universe? Since my presence is obviously not going to be on the show back home.... Weird."

"If there's anything that gives me a headache, it's alternate universes," Janeway confided.

"Almost as much as time travel?" I asked.

"How...." Her astonishment disappeared as realization washed over her. "I have a feeling that's not all you know about me," she said, amused. We walked down the corridor in silence for a while. Finally, she spoke again. "We'll have to make some decisions about your future on Voyager."

"Like what?" I asked, with a sense of foreboding.

"Well, for one thing," she started, "who's going to take care of you? How old are you, Megan?"

"Fifteen," I answered, a bit sullenly. And for a moment I realized how alone I was, the only human teenage girl in the entire Delta Quadrant... besides the '37s colony, I reminded myself, perhaps trying to hide from the truth. Still, I was like an orphan, except that my parents were in another universe, and technically not dead.... They weren't really anything. I wanted to throw something. Right in Roschland's face.

"I can take care of myself. No one has to adopt me," I stated before Janeway had a chance to say anything.

"For now, I'd say that's fine. We have two other children on board, as I'm sure you know. The Doctor and Seven of Nine can teach you like they instruct Naomi and Icheb. But," she added, "Voyager's heading for Earth. When we get there, you'll need somewhere to stay."

"By the time you get home, I might be an adult," I speculated, although I knew it was a lie. If this Voyager had the same future as the show back home, they were definitely getting home within the next year.

We suddenly stopped at quarters that I supposed were mine. I gazed at the cold gray doors. Why are the insides of starships always so boring?

"These are your quarters," Janeway confirmed, opening the door with a touch of the panel beside the door. She paused for a moment. "We don't have to decide anything right now. I'll come tomorrow morning and show you to the mess hall." She gave me a comforting smile. "Sleep well, Megan."

"Thank you," I said appreciatively. I entered the quarters, the doors closing behind me.

They were gray and lonely and oppressive, like every other room on this ship. Like my insides. Only one thing comforted and astonished me: the beautiful view of stars zooming past my window, small, glittering fireflies soaring across an inky sky. I was transfixed by them, bright and glorious, on the edge of reality.

After gaping out the window for a few minutes, I put my suitcase down and opened it. On the top were my favorite pajamas, green with a goofy turtle print. The sheer contrast to the rest of this crazy day almost made me laugh¾ almost.

I put on my pjs, then brushed my teeth: an activity that seemed completely necessary. It made me feel a little safer and saner; as long as I could brush my teeth and taste that strong mint flavor on my breath, all was right with the world.

Then I got into bed: a gray bed with strangely textured sheets, a bed that was not my own. A universe that was not my own.

I clenched my teeth and counted to ten, promising myself I would not cry.

Before five, tears were streaming down my cheeks.

So what'd you think? PLEASE REVIEW! Please? Pretty please? With a cherry on top? With-- okay, I'll shut up now.