Chapter 2
"Man, the Doc is seriously screwed," whistled Harry. This was an understatement. Seven again wondered why Humans where so fascinated by stating the blatantly obvious.
They had been working at the console for nearly four hours, and still had no idea on how to unravel the cryptic code that covered the Doctors program. It was the most annoying task Seven - and probably Kim -had ever undertaken. And to think he had made the code in 2 minutes.
Tom was working hard at a PADD in the Doctors office, feet up on the desk. The Doctor would have no doubt objected, if he were there, which he wasn't. He had been giving updates on the Borg's progress every hour in the conference room. Seven had revealed her findings to the Captain, which had revealed some of the mystery of his functions. This had been revealed earlier in the Conference room.
"I have discovered in the Nanoprobe tubules four different types of nanoprobes," Tom said with swarm. "One type is organic, designed to assimilate, or repair, organic tissue. The second is technological; designed to assimilate any technology it encounters. The third - which I personally find worrying - is the airborne type." Silence had greeted this statement. The senior officers contemplated this fact. Airborne nanoprobes. They could get everywhere on the ship.
"Has he released any?" asked the Captain, leaning forward.
"Not yet, but I have established a force field just in case he leaks any."
"Why has he not regained consciousness yet?" Asked B'leanna. "As
Seven can tell us, the Borg are very resilient." She smiled nastily at her.
"Lieutenant Torres is correct. He should have regained consciousness by now."
"Well, we'll let Tom tell us why that is," Janeway said hastily, and glanced quickly at B'leanna. She motioned for Tom to continue.
"Well, at the moment his nanoprobes -the organic nanoprobes- are
fighting the technological nanoprobes, which are trying to cover the brain with the technological components that would have been there if Tuvok hadn't disintegrated it." Tuvok nodded at Tom's statement. "The organic nanoprobes were there first, as the organ would have needed replacement first." He punched up a diagram of the Borgs brain. The organic nanoprobes were red, the technological nanoprobes blue. It was indeed true that the two were fighting, but the organic was winning. As the technological parts were created, the organ was destroying it with its organic nanoprobes.
The meeting ended with the question of what to do if he wanted to rejoin the Collective. The same question as when Seven had been separated. They all knew they wouldn't be able to stop him, seeing what he could do. They just hoped he wouldn't want to.
"I want diagnostics every hour, on the hour. Dismissed." Janeway had sat back and sighed as Seven was leaving.
Now, Seven looked back towards the motionless body on the diagnostic table. It was more powerful than even the 29^th century Borg that had been created from her nanoprobes and the Doctors mobile emitter, which was now lying, without its user, on the tool table. That kind of power could stop A starship by itself. A disturbing thought.
An alarm sounded in the Doctors office. All three hurried to the table immediately. They all knew that alarm. The ensign had tested it, then had activated it. It was to alert them if the Borg awoke. A message was already on its way to Captain Janeway.
Tom reached the table first, and immediately scanned the occupant with a tricorder.
"He's coming round, but he'll be groggy when he does. Seven, you know Borg-speak, talk to him. I've got a hypospray full of anaesthetic in case he's in a bad mood."
Before Seven could ask him what "Borg-speak" was, the Borg opened his eyes. He looked around, getting his bearings.
"That would be ineffective. It would be analyzed then assimilated before it could reach my brain. However, I do not wish to harm you. At the moment." His voice was flat, like Sevens had when she had been separated from the Collective, but he had a deep American accent, much like Chakotays.
He sat up, and looked towards the door. "This is not a Borg cube, neither is it Deep Space 12."
Seven vaguely remembered from her research of finding the closest starbase when they returned to the Alpha Quadrant (from boredom, of course) that Deep Space 12 would not be built for another eighteen years. If they returned.
"What is your name?" Kim asked while Tom scanned him again.
The Borg frowned, then said to Paris, "I have run a self-diagnostic, and I appear to be in working order, except for gaps in my memory." To Kim, he said "My designation is Ten of Two, Tertiary adjunct of Unimatrix four, but most of my files are inaccessible."
He swung his legs off the table, and stepped onto the floor.
He cocked his head at Seven. "I will need food supplement, and I will need instructions. Please supply them within 24 hours, or this unit will cease to function."
"Friendly, ain't he?" said Tom.
"Wait a minute." Harry Kim looked troubled. "Borg don't eat.... Do they?"
"They do not need external nutrition. The alcove supplies them with enough supplement to continue for their cycle," Seven reminded Harry. "But, this drone may need external supplement. Logical, if the drones would be separated from their alcove for extended periods."
"It pains me to do this," Tom said as he punched his Comm-badge. "Tom Paris to Neelix."
"Yes, lieutenant?" The voice warbled with enthusiasm, and the sound of cooking onions and simmering vegetables filled the room.
"We need some nutritional supplement for the drone. I personally favor supplement 22," Seven cut in before Tom could ask for a pizza.
"On my way. Neelix out," he replied, but it didn't stop them from hearing him start to sing before the communication was cut.
"Talk about small favors," muttered Tom.
"Mr. Paris?" Seven queried.
"Hmm? Nothing." Tom was now occupied with something else, almost like B'leanna, his wife, who couldn't keep her mind set for two minutes. Maybe he was picking up bad habits from her.
Kim shrugged and turned back to working on the Doctors program. Seven also turned to help him, but kept an eye on the Borg, now pacing next to the table.
Captain Janeway walked through the door with Neelix a few minutes later. Neelix was carrying a metal dish with a steaming mass of worm-like vegetables, (which looked like had just stopped moving) a salad, a drink made up from who-knows-what and chocolate cake as dessert. Neelix had often forced Seven to eat such meals, much to her displeasure.
"How is he?" Janeway asked as soon as she was near the table Tom was working on.
"He's stable, and he ain't causing any problems."
Janeway looked at Neelix who looked at the food on the plate. She looked at the vegetables and wrinkled her nose. Neelix didn't notice.
"What's that for, Neelix? Someone get hungry?" From the look on Janeways face, it looked as if she wouldn't eat it if even if she was force-fed it.
"It's for... what's his name?"
"Two of Ten," supplied Kim from beside her.
The Borg had noticed Neelix and the plate, and Neelix gave it to him after they had deactivated the force field. He ate quickly, then looked around the room at everyone.
As his gaze fell on Seven, he tilted his head, as if remembering something, then his eyes narrowed.
"You! You're the one!" he shouted.
He stepped toward her, the forcefield flickering as he passed through it, and before anyone could stop him, grabbed Seven by the throat.
"Gurgh..." gasped Seven as she was lifted off the ground. She kicked him, and Kim fired his phaser at him, but he ignored them both as his shield absorbed the impact. He looked into Sevens eyes, and she looked in his. He looked uncertain, then moved his arm toward her neck...
Then stopped.
"Must assimilate her.... The voices....Must be stopped...." He looked at his hand, then back at Seven. He suddenly dropped Seven, and backed away. He stepped forward again, then back again. He seemed to be struggling with himself, Seven noticed from her position on the floor.
He looked down at her and pulled back his foot, aimed at her lungs. Seven waited for the killing blow. It never came.
"I'm sorry," he choked out before he collapsed.
"Man, the Doc is seriously screwed," whistled Harry. This was an understatement. Seven again wondered why Humans where so fascinated by stating the blatantly obvious.
They had been working at the console for nearly four hours, and still had no idea on how to unravel the cryptic code that covered the Doctors program. It was the most annoying task Seven - and probably Kim -had ever undertaken. And to think he had made the code in 2 minutes.
Tom was working hard at a PADD in the Doctors office, feet up on the desk. The Doctor would have no doubt objected, if he were there, which he wasn't. He had been giving updates on the Borg's progress every hour in the conference room. Seven had revealed her findings to the Captain, which had revealed some of the mystery of his functions. This had been revealed earlier in the Conference room.
"I have discovered in the Nanoprobe tubules four different types of nanoprobes," Tom said with swarm. "One type is organic, designed to assimilate, or repair, organic tissue. The second is technological; designed to assimilate any technology it encounters. The third - which I personally find worrying - is the airborne type." Silence had greeted this statement. The senior officers contemplated this fact. Airborne nanoprobes. They could get everywhere on the ship.
"Has he released any?" asked the Captain, leaning forward.
"Not yet, but I have established a force field just in case he leaks any."
"Why has he not regained consciousness yet?" Asked B'leanna. "As
Seven can tell us, the Borg are very resilient." She smiled nastily at her.
"Lieutenant Torres is correct. He should have regained consciousness by now."
"Well, we'll let Tom tell us why that is," Janeway said hastily, and glanced quickly at B'leanna. She motioned for Tom to continue.
"Well, at the moment his nanoprobes -the organic nanoprobes- are
fighting the technological nanoprobes, which are trying to cover the brain with the technological components that would have been there if Tuvok hadn't disintegrated it." Tuvok nodded at Tom's statement. "The organic nanoprobes were there first, as the organ would have needed replacement first." He punched up a diagram of the Borgs brain. The organic nanoprobes were red, the technological nanoprobes blue. It was indeed true that the two were fighting, but the organic was winning. As the technological parts were created, the organ was destroying it with its organic nanoprobes.
The meeting ended with the question of what to do if he wanted to rejoin the Collective. The same question as when Seven had been separated. They all knew they wouldn't be able to stop him, seeing what he could do. They just hoped he wouldn't want to.
"I want diagnostics every hour, on the hour. Dismissed." Janeway had sat back and sighed as Seven was leaving.
Now, Seven looked back towards the motionless body on the diagnostic table. It was more powerful than even the 29^th century Borg that had been created from her nanoprobes and the Doctors mobile emitter, which was now lying, without its user, on the tool table. That kind of power could stop A starship by itself. A disturbing thought.
An alarm sounded in the Doctors office. All three hurried to the table immediately. They all knew that alarm. The ensign had tested it, then had activated it. It was to alert them if the Borg awoke. A message was already on its way to Captain Janeway.
Tom reached the table first, and immediately scanned the occupant with a tricorder.
"He's coming round, but he'll be groggy when he does. Seven, you know Borg-speak, talk to him. I've got a hypospray full of anaesthetic in case he's in a bad mood."
Before Seven could ask him what "Borg-speak" was, the Borg opened his eyes. He looked around, getting his bearings.
"That would be ineffective. It would be analyzed then assimilated before it could reach my brain. However, I do not wish to harm you. At the moment." His voice was flat, like Sevens had when she had been separated from the Collective, but he had a deep American accent, much like Chakotays.
He sat up, and looked towards the door. "This is not a Borg cube, neither is it Deep Space 12."
Seven vaguely remembered from her research of finding the closest starbase when they returned to the Alpha Quadrant (from boredom, of course) that Deep Space 12 would not be built for another eighteen years. If they returned.
"What is your name?" Kim asked while Tom scanned him again.
The Borg frowned, then said to Paris, "I have run a self-diagnostic, and I appear to be in working order, except for gaps in my memory." To Kim, he said "My designation is Ten of Two, Tertiary adjunct of Unimatrix four, but most of my files are inaccessible."
He swung his legs off the table, and stepped onto the floor.
He cocked his head at Seven. "I will need food supplement, and I will need instructions. Please supply them within 24 hours, or this unit will cease to function."
"Friendly, ain't he?" said Tom.
"Wait a minute." Harry Kim looked troubled. "Borg don't eat.... Do they?"
"They do not need external nutrition. The alcove supplies them with enough supplement to continue for their cycle," Seven reminded Harry. "But, this drone may need external supplement. Logical, if the drones would be separated from their alcove for extended periods."
"It pains me to do this," Tom said as he punched his Comm-badge. "Tom Paris to Neelix."
"Yes, lieutenant?" The voice warbled with enthusiasm, and the sound of cooking onions and simmering vegetables filled the room.
"We need some nutritional supplement for the drone. I personally favor supplement 22," Seven cut in before Tom could ask for a pizza.
"On my way. Neelix out," he replied, but it didn't stop them from hearing him start to sing before the communication was cut.
"Talk about small favors," muttered Tom.
"Mr. Paris?" Seven queried.
"Hmm? Nothing." Tom was now occupied with something else, almost like B'leanna, his wife, who couldn't keep her mind set for two minutes. Maybe he was picking up bad habits from her.
Kim shrugged and turned back to working on the Doctors program. Seven also turned to help him, but kept an eye on the Borg, now pacing next to the table.
Captain Janeway walked through the door with Neelix a few minutes later. Neelix was carrying a metal dish with a steaming mass of worm-like vegetables, (which looked like had just stopped moving) a salad, a drink made up from who-knows-what and chocolate cake as dessert. Neelix had often forced Seven to eat such meals, much to her displeasure.
"How is he?" Janeway asked as soon as she was near the table Tom was working on.
"He's stable, and he ain't causing any problems."
Janeway looked at Neelix who looked at the food on the plate. She looked at the vegetables and wrinkled her nose. Neelix didn't notice.
"What's that for, Neelix? Someone get hungry?" From the look on Janeways face, it looked as if she wouldn't eat it if even if she was force-fed it.
"It's for... what's his name?"
"Two of Ten," supplied Kim from beside her.
The Borg had noticed Neelix and the plate, and Neelix gave it to him after they had deactivated the force field. He ate quickly, then looked around the room at everyone.
As his gaze fell on Seven, he tilted his head, as if remembering something, then his eyes narrowed.
"You! You're the one!" he shouted.
He stepped toward her, the forcefield flickering as he passed through it, and before anyone could stop him, grabbed Seven by the throat.
"Gurgh..." gasped Seven as she was lifted off the ground. She kicked him, and Kim fired his phaser at him, but he ignored them both as his shield absorbed the impact. He looked into Sevens eyes, and she looked in his. He looked uncertain, then moved his arm toward her neck...
Then stopped.
"Must assimilate her.... The voices....Must be stopped...." He looked at his hand, then back at Seven. He suddenly dropped Seven, and backed away. He stepped forward again, then back again. He seemed to be struggling with himself, Seven noticed from her position on the floor.
He looked down at her and pulled back his foot, aimed at her lungs. Seven waited for the killing blow. It never came.
"I'm sorry," he choked out before he collapsed.