AUTHOR'S NOTE: My personal experience with coma always led me to
Wonder: where does the soul goes once the brain can't function
anymore? Well, since I was too young to remember, I'm left only
with my imagination...
Disclaimer: Here it comes, the legal stuff: Paramount owns them,
Tom Paris, the rest of Voyager's crew. we just kidnaped them for
the fun of it.
In The Dark takes place in the same universe of our previous
story
*Neoplasm*, sometime after *Vis-a-vis.* This is the 2/5 part of
this saga. The story is P/T and rated G.
SYNOPSIS: Following *He could see the Light*, Voyager encounter a
spatial anomaly whose effects put the crew to sleep and wake Tom
up.
In The Dark, Part 2: The Night Turned Cold and Frigid.
By Synbou.
Synbou@hotmail.com
B'Elanna Torres was back in Sickbay. These days, she was passing
more time there than in engineering. Thank Kahless for Captain
Janeway and Chakotay's understanding. This was hard enough as it
was. B'Elanna could not bear the thought of being kept away from
the man she loved too long.
"That's about it for what's going on in engineering. Well I could
go on, but I don't want to bore you to death. Wouldn't want that,
would we? I don't know what else I could tell you. I'm really not
up to date with the ship's gossip, since I pass most of my time
keeping you company. I'm sure you're having the time of your life
here. You have my undivided attention. I can tell you that isn't
the case for my staff. They have to cope with a half-Klingon who
misses her favorite pig." She sighed heavily. "Oh, Tom, wake up!
This is getting ridiculous. You've been sleeping for six days,
now! You're missing all the fun. Letting Baythart and Hamilton
get comfortable at the helm is not a good thing you know. And...
and I'm going out my mind. Each time I hear a door open, I hope
it's you. When people call my name, I can hear your voice. I'm
hardly concentrating . . . "
"That's because you're hardly eating, B'Elanna."
"Doctor!" she said, surprised and a little angry for being cut
off-
guard. "How long have you been here?"
"Not long," he assured her. "I see you've changed your tactic
with Mr. Paris. However, I don't think that calling him a pig
will help much."
"With Tom? You never know... and, he is being a pig for
aggravating my patience. That's what you're doing, aren't you
Paris? You're testing our patience." She shrugged, then asked,
even if she already knew the answer. "There is no change?"
"I'm afraid not."
"Well, I'll give him another day then." *You're really testing my
patience, Tom. But, I'll wait.* "Doc, I miss him. You hear me
Paris, I miss you. So do all your friends." She chuckled. "I
heard that Harry played his clarinet for him. Tom loves that.
Poor Harry, he misses him so much."
"I miss him too," admitted The Doctor.
"I know that Tom considers you a very good friend. It's
understandable that you miss him as much as we do. Especially now
that he works with you more frequently."
"He is turning out to be an excellent medical assistant. He's got
what it takes. He's calm under pressure. He's a quick learner. He
has good dexterity... He has good bedside manners. It's a shame
he hates it."
"I don't think that he hates it. It's just that it keeps him from
his first love, flying," she said her hand stroking Tom's blond
hair. "I wish his father could see him now. How much he's
changed. I know he wishes it too. For that, he'll have to wake
up. Won't you Tom? You have to stop hiding out and wake up. We
need you. *I* need you and, and I'm tired of repeating myself."
"B'Elanna, why don't you go get something to eat and a good
night's sleep?"
"Trying to get rid of me, Doctor?"
"Just looking after your best interest, and Tom's," he told her
seriously.
"Tom's," she echoed.
"When he does wake up, he'll need you and seeing you tired will
only make him worry about you. There's enough of that going
around. So, go get some rest, and come back looking your best."
B'Elanna considered what the Doctor had just prescribed for a
moment. She didn't want Tom worrying about her. So, sh turned to
him and said:
"See, you tomorrow, Helmboy. The Doc is throwing me out."
"I miss that too," he said, resting his hand on Tom's chest.
"That nickname he gave me: Doc. It's almost a name."
"It suits you. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow, B'Elanna," and the Doctor added when he saw
that she was hesitating. "I'll call you if anything happens."
She smiled a little at him and left. She needed to hear that,
even if it was for the umpteenth time.
***
The Light kept shining. It was playing trough the icy branches of
the trees, making their shadows dance over the white cloak that was
covering the pond. The light breeze was bringing clouds of snow
over the hills, stealing his thoughts as they were disappearing
over the other side. He had been there for quite sometime, now. How
long? He didn't know. Neither did he care. The peaceful atmosphere
of the Winter Garden was fulfilling as it was. He was mostly alone.
He missed her.
Sometimes, people would sit beside him on his bench. They talked to
him, but they didn't listen to what he had to say. So, he had gave
up answering back and decided to simply enjoy their company and the
one of the blue-grey cat sitting on his knees.
***
Commander Chakotay walked in his Captain's ready room, finding her
sitting at her desk. She was holding a cup in front of her with
both hands. She was tired and worried, he could tell. It had been
a long day. Voyager had encountered a new spatial anomaly and the
ship had avoided yet another disaster. Only her head moved as she
looked at him.
"Kathryn, don't tell me you're drinking coffee at this hour?" he
said with mock disbelief.
"Not anymore, this coffee is long cold."
"You should go to bed and at least rest if you can't sleep. It
won't do you any good staying here, worrying all night."
"I know, Chakotay, but I can't help it. I'm afraid if I go to sleep
that the Doctor will wake me to tell me that it's over. That Tom is
gone. We never should have stayed for so long near that spatial
anomaly . . . "
Chakotay took a step forward. "Kathryn, we couldn't have known that
the anomaly would have an effect on Tom's condition, assuming that
it's really what made it changed all the sudden."
"He was fine before," she argued. She brought one hand to her
forehead realizing the simplicity of her words. She was speaking
with her heart, not her detached scientific mind. "Well, *fine*,
might not be a good choice of word, considering that Tom has been
in a coma for a week. Whatever the anomaly did to him, his not
bouncing back from it."
"The Doctor is doing his best. Have faith, Kathryn," Chakotay told
her. "I'll bet on Tom winning this fight anytime. The guy has more
lives than a cat. He'll land on his feet." She smiled at him,
shaking her head.
"It sounds like you've given that lecture before."
"I have," he said with a grin, "and the more I tell it, the more I
believe it. So, why don't I walk you to your quarters. We can stop
by Sickbay if you wish, and I can give this lecture to B'Elanna and
Harry, *again*."
"You have a deal, Commander."
***
The wind changed direction. It was faster and colder. Soon, it
would snow. He could see dark clouds rising above the hills. He
stood up, holding his cat closely against his chest, and looked
straight ahead. The clouds and their shadows were coming toward
them. For the first time, he felt fear. He had a sense of dread,
like someone was walking over his grave. He shivered. He had the
urge to turn around and run as fast as he could. But, there was no
point in doing so, was there? He knew that ultimately, one could
not outrun death forever. So, he watched with a mixture of anxiety
and anticipation as it got darker by each passing moment, and the
shining Wither Garden slipped into a cold and frigid night.
***
Chakotay stood before his bed and shrugged. Like hell he was ever
going to sleep tonight. He had accompanied Kathryn to Sickbay, not
surprisingly found B'Elanna and Harry at Tom's bedside. The
Lieutenant was as pale as Chakotay remembered him in the Captain's
ready room a week before. He was disturbed at the fluctuations of
Tom's vital signs, everything was erratic.
Voyager had been in close range of the spatial anomaly for at least
two hours when Tom's condition started to worsen to the point where
he began suffering from repetitive seizures. It seemed after
further analysis that the anomaly was emitting a spectrum of beta
waves which interfered with the brain's delta waves of sleeping
crew members. They were now some distance from the anomaly and
everyone affected seemed to return to normal, except Tom Paris.
Chakotay sighed. He was not a close friend of the pilot, but they
had developed, in the past few years, a good working relationship
and a friendship based on mutual respect. The idea of Tom at the
brink of death once again was unsettling. He felt even more
helpless than the week before. How could something like this be
possible? Chakotay's memories brought him back to Kathryn,
B'Elanna, Harry, and the Doctor's own looks of helplessness and
anguish. A few more people had stopped by Sickbay, hoping for some
good news, while he was there. Tom had many good friends who cared
about him, and he had no doubt that it was mutual. Te Commander was
glad about that. Tom had changed a lot since his first days on
Voyager.
Chakotay sighed again. He wasn't in the mood to bring old and
difficult memories back, neither was he going to allow this musing
to keep him awake all night, but, sleep was eluding him. So, he
considered that a visit to his spirit guide or maybe a chat with
his father would do him some good. He sat comfortably on the floor
with his 'Akoona' and his medicine bundle in front on him. He
started breathing slowly, in and out, and relax . . .
***
He stood before them, staring at the Shadows. He realized with a
start that this wasn't right. This wasn't where he had intended to
be.
"Do you know who they are?" a familiar voice asked from behind him.
Chakotay turned around and saw Tom Paris sitting on a bench, a
blue-grey Himalayan cat sitting on his lap.
"Tom," he whispered surprised. The younger man eyed him blankly.
The Commander approached him carefully, almost afraid to frighten
him. "Tom, it's Chakotay," he said holding Tom's empty gaze.
A friendly smile appeared on Tom's pale figure, but otherwise, his
eyes remained empty.
"Chakotay . . ." he repeated slowly as he associated the name with
the man kneeling before him. "What are you doing in the Winter
Garden? You shouldn't be here, you know."
"The Winter Garden? Why shouldn't I be here?"
"I dunno..." Tom answered, his gaze furtively returning to the
Shadows. "It was fine... then they came, taking the light away."
Chakotay's own eyes returned to the darkness for a moment. First
the light, now the darkness, was it a sign of the sudden change in
Tom's condition? He faced Tom again. The pilot's eyes were still
locked on the horizon, on the Shadows. Gently, he put his hand on
Tom's face, forcing the blue eyes to look at him. Chakotay was
surprised by the feeling of lack of self-awareness he sensed from
the younger man.
"We're worried about you. You have been here a long time. Don't you
think it's time to go home?"
"Home?... I don't know how to go home."
"Maybe, I can help. You have to trust me, Tom. Let me help you.
Come with me."
"Help me... How? I trust you, but how."
They both stood up. This was a first for Chakotay. He never had
brought someone out of a coma before. Still, he felt confident that
he could help, somehow. It felt good to have Tom's trust. An
unconditional trust. Had their friendship grown that far?
"The wind is changing again," Tom said not as flatly as before.
There was a hint of worry that transposed itself on his features,
a sudden spark in his blue eyes. The cat struggled and jumped to
the ground. "It's too late, Chakotay. You have to go!"
"I don't understand. What's happening?!" Chakotay yelled over the
wind. *Another seizure. Tom must be having another seizure!* his
mind screamed at him. "Tom, I'm not leaving you. I'll help you,"
Chakotay said with more conviction than he felt.
"No! No, Chakotay, you leave, NOW! I can't protect you! Go!"
With a feeling of dread, Chakotay was suddenly back in the darkness
of his own quarters on Voyager. But something was not right, he
could feel it.
***
"Here we go again," the Doctor sighed. He pressed a hypospray on
Tom's neck. It barely had an effect on the erratic life signs of
his patient.
"Ensign, I need another ten ccs Denazine!" he called his eyes on
the diagnostic screen.
The vital signs changed again in an unexpected way. The Doctor's
gaze moved to his patient face seeing his blue eyes fly open.
"Mr. Paris..."
He snapped out of his momentarily surprise when he heard a crashing
sound behind him. He turned to find Ensign Wildman laying on the
floor.
"Samantha! Can you hear me?" Turning back to Paris, who was
blinking repetitively, he cautioned, "Tom, don't move. I'll be
right back. Ensign Wildman needs my help."
He picked up his medical tricorder and went to the blond woman's
side. She was unconscious, but her life signs were steady. Quickly,
he came back to Paris, who for his part, was coming out of a
week-long coma.
"Tom, it's the Doctor, can you hear me?"
Tom eyes slowly focused on him. He was disoriented.
"You're in Sickbay, on Voyager," he told his patient. Can you talk
to me?"
It took Tom some time and a lot of effort to coordinate his
thoughts and his actions. After a few unsuccessful tries, he
managed to say.
"Doc... I... Where's Chakotay?" His voice was raw and weak, a sign
that his vocal cords had not been used in a week.
"The Commander?" the Doctor asked, "in his quarters I assume,
why?"
"He was with me," Tom simply said. "What happened?"
"You were on the bridge. Do you remember?"
"The ship got hit by the wave... B'Elanna?"
"B'Elanna his fine," he told him gently. "Let me call them. They
were waiting impatiently for you to wake up and, I need help with
Ensign Wildman."
"Sam..."
"She lost consciousness a few minutes ago." The Doctor put a hand
on Tom's shoulder, seeing the worry in his eyes. "Sickbay to
bridge," he called.
There was no answer.
"That's odd. Sickbay to Captain Janeway."
There was still no answer.
"Computer, locate Captain Janeway," the EMH said.
"Captain Janeway is on the bridge," came the familiar female voice
of the ship's computer.
"Computer assess Captain Janeway's current health condition."
"Captain Janeway is unconscious. Pulse and breathing are within
normal parameters."
"This is the Doctor to any member of the crew. Can anyone hear me?"
"Seems like I'm the only one who can Doc," Tom said after a brief
moment of silence.
"Apparently so," the Doctor said with dismay.
"Help me get up, please. We need to know what's going on, now."
"Tom, you're in no condition to go anywhere right now. You have
been in a coma the last few days."
"Doc, unless you're going to tell me that I'm still in a coma,
having a very elaborate dream, I suggest you help me get up.
Something is going on and the only two senior officers, make that
the only people awake, are you and me," the lieutenant argued.
Without further protest, the EMH disengaged the medical arc,
freeing Tom of his protective alcove. Then, he helped him to sit
up.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, just dizzy. Any idea why I'm awake and everybody else is
sleeping?" he asked, trying to keep his mind focus.
The Doctor went to his console and study the readouts. "The ship is
affected by a spatial anomaly that is emitting a mixed spectrum of
beta and delta waves. We encountered a similar phenomenon earlier
today. I don't understand. You should be unconscious like the
others."
"Is the ship close to the anomaly?"
"Three thousand kilometers."
"I need to go the bridge. Whatever this thing is doing, we need to
get away from it," he said getting on his feet, holding the biobed
for support. "And I need warmer clothes than PJs. My feet are
cold."
***
Tom made his way out of Sickbay on his own, holding himself close
to the wall for support. He had replicated himself a new uniform.
The change of clothing wasn't only making him warmer, but also feel
more in control Apparently, B'Elanna had taken the Doc's emitter
down to Engineering to perform some repairs on it, keeping the EMH
in Sickbay for the time being. Obviously, he was fuming about it.
But what could he do? It had been his idea to send the Lieutenant
to engineering to make the repairs, in order to clear his Sickbay,
while treating a very ill patient.
Tom was almost to the turbolift when he saw Commander Chakotay
coming his way. Relief almost overwhelmed him.
"Commander!" he called. "I thought everyone was unconscious."
"I've been wondering around the ship. You're the only one I saw so
far. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Sickbay?"
"I woke up. Doc said I was in a coma. We tried to call everyone.
There was no answer. Why didn't you answer?"
"I never heard the call. Where's the Doctor?"
"Doc is looking after Ensign Wildman since he can't go anywhere
else. He doesn't have his emitter. The ship seems to be affected by
a spatial anomaly. I was on my way to the bridge."
"Then, lead the way Lieutenant," the Commander said. "It's good to
have you back, Tom."
"Thanks Commander."
The turbolift doors opened and the blue cat walked out. He
inspected the surprised men with a questioned expression like if he
was saying *Do I know you?*
"Where does the cat come from?" asked Tom as they entered in the
turbolift.
"Tom, tell me something," Chakotay began. "What's the last thing
you remember before walking up in Sickbay?"
Tom looked at him surprised. The last thing he remembered?
"Err... You, actually... with me, why?"
"Where?"
"Chakotay," Tom was about to protest when he saw the serious
expression on the other man's face. "I'm not sure... the Captain's
ready room ... a garden?" He said the last two words so softly, it
was almost to himself.
"Yes, The Garden," Chakotay repeated.
Confused, Tom looked away for a moment. He had those strange images
in minds. Laying on his back, Captain Janeway telling him to hold
on, sitting on a bench, in a park, on a sunny winter day facing...
facing the darkness...
Tom opened his eyes. He was disoriented. He felt the hard surface
of the deck beneath him. Slowly, he picked himself up off the floor
and looked around. He was in the corridor leading to the turbolift.
What was going on, here?
***
"Paris to Sickbay," came the Lieutenant's voice over the link.
"Mr. Paris," the EMH said relief in his voice. "Are you all right?
I've been trying to raise you. Why didn't answer my call? We're
suppose to stay in contact . . . "
"Doc, how long since I left Sickbay?" Paris interrupted.
"Almost ten minutes. Are you all right?" the Doctor asked again. He
was pacing his office, frustrated to be stranded there, while
knowing that with his holo-emitter he could've been at his
patient's side by now.
"Yeah, yeah, I am. I lost consciousness, I think."
"You should come back here. The anomaly has a different impact on
you, an impact that I've yet to be able to explain. You could get
seriously injured by slipping in and out of consciousness."
"I'm afraid it's a risk I'm going to have to take, Doc," Tom told
him, his mind set. "Doc... " he began after a while, not as sure
of himself.
"Yes."
"While I was unconscious, I had a chat with Chakotay. He was saying
that there was nobody else on the ship except me and a cat."
"The Commander you say... The Commander's ability to enter in deep
meditation state and to control his dreams might have something to
do with it. The anomaly interferes with beta and delta brain waves,
it's possible it has an effect on theta waves also, assuming the
Commander is meditating."
"Well, maybe. I'm going to his quarters right now."
"Stay in contact with me, Lieutenant," the Doctor ordered him.
***
Chakotay was shocked to see Paris disappear into thin air. He tried
his comm badge, but he wasn't surprised by the silence he received
as an answer. He knew that he was still meditating. It was the only
explanation for the empty ship and the cat. And Chakotay admitted
to himself, that his encounter with Tom had disbursed him greatly.
The doors of turbolift opened bringing Chakotay to the present. The
moment he walked onto the bridge his eyes caught the image on the
main view screen. Another anomaly had attracted the ship into its
gravitational field. Chakotay remembered that he had been
meditating in his quarters and somehow he had contacted Tom. "Until
the wind changed," he told himself grimly. So his body was in his
quarters and his soul wandering trough the ship. What about Tom?
One minute he was there, telling him that the Doctor was stuck in
Sickbay caring for an unconscious Ensign Wildman, the next, he was
gone...
Chakotay left the bridge for Sickbay. The last time he had visited
Paris there, the young man was barely holding his on. Chakotay
prayed deep down that he was still alive. He held his breath as
walked through the Sickbay doors. He stood there in the middle of
the place, not sure if he should feel worried or relieved. Sickbay
was empty.
***
Lieutenant Paris overrode Commander Chakotay's security code on his
door and entered his superior's quarters. The walk had left him
exhausted. He leaned on the door frame and let his eyes survey the
living area. He sighed with some relief. Chakotay was sitting on
the floor, his back against the sofa, and his medicine bundle
spread out in ront of him. He was meditating, not sleeping. The
Doctor had been right. Tom made his way to the Commander's side. He
pulled out his medical tricorder and began to scan. There was a lot
of brain activity.
"Doc, you're still there?" he called.
"Of course, Mr. Paris," the Doctor said, annoyed by the obvious.
"It's good to know that you're still here too."
"Well, Thanks, Doc," he said grinning. "You were right, Chakotay is
in meditation." He sighed tiredly again. "I don't know what to make
of this Doc. I only hope that if I fall unconscious again, he'll be
there."
Tom was not sure what to make of the feeling of comfort the
Commander was providing him either, but, he was glad to have it.
"You sound tired," the Doctor observed.
"I'll be fine. Doc. I'm going to the bridge."
***
"Tom!"
Paris turned on his heels when he heard Chakotay called his name.
The Commander caught up with him again in front of the turbolift
doors.
"I saw you disappear in the turbolift earlier. What happened?"
Chakotay asked.
"I woke up. Chakotay something weird is going on here. Everyone is
asleep except me and, in way, you. I just went to your quarters. It
looks like your meditating."
"I am, but I can't come out of it."
"It's a good thing, otherwise you would be asleep like the others.
Have you made it to the bridge, yet?"
"Yes, I saw the anomaly. Doesn't seem like I can do much in this...
this plane of existence."
"I think I can if I stay awake long enough."
Chakotay gave him a sympathetic smile.
"Go to the bridge, try to put some distance between us and the
anomaly. Adjust the shields on a reverse polaric frequency. It
worked before."
"Aye, aye, sir," Tom responded seriously. He sighed then grin at
him. "Any idea how I'm suppose to wake up?"
"That's a tough one. What did you do the last time?"
"I dunno know. I was in the turbolift and then I woke up in the
corridor."
"Come to the bridge with me anyway. Hopefully, you'll wake up
eventually."
"Hopefully," Tom repeated grimly.
***
Tom woke up in front of the turbolift where Chakotay had caught up
with him. He was starting to really hate this. He tried to get up
and only made it to his knees. God, he was tired. Just laying there
on the deck did not seem like a bad idea right now.
"Mr. Paris! Tom!" He heard the Doctor call. "You lost consciousness
again. Tom can you hear me?!"
"Doc, please stop screaming, please," he implored. "My ears are
ringing already. I... I met with Chakotay again. How long was I
unconscious?"
"About five minutes."
Tom sighed heavily. "Guess I better start heading for the bridge,
*again*." He crawled to the wall and held onto it for support as he
got up. He gathered his strength and walked to the turbolift. The
doors closed behind him and he instructed the computer to take him
to the bridge. With a sickening sensation, he abruptly realized
that the lift wasn't going up. It was going down, real fast!
***
"Unconscious in an unconscious state. That must be a first,"
Chakotay said grimly. "Tom, wake up!"
"...C'Kotay. Damn, it hurts." Tom eyes slowly opened as he crawled
back to awareness. "What happened?" he whispered.
"I don't know, Tom." At the obvious disorientation on the
Lieutenant's face, he said: "You're in the turbolift, at the bottom
of the shaft, in engineering."
"Chakotay. What's going on here?!" he almost yelled out of
frustration. "I just want to go to the bridge," he said more
quietly.
"It's what, the third time you tried?"
"It's like something is trying to keep me from going there," Tom
observed. "You think... You think I'm injured?"
Chakotay rolled his eyes. He wouldn't be surprised and he told Tom
so. He was getting frustrated as well. Was there really something
keeping Tom from going to the bridge? If so, what? Why?"
"Is this reality, whatever it is, like the real thing?" Tom asked.
"I mean, are things at the same place?"
"What are you getting at?"
"The Doc's holo-emitter," Tom answered. "You think you could help
me find it. I need help. If I can't go to the bridge without
getting killed in the process, maybe the Doc can."
"Good thinking, Tom," he told him trying to be as encouraging as he
could. "Come, it shouldn't be too difficult to find."
***
The Doctor was standing near the transporter console, ready to
catch Tom the moment he materialized in Sickbay. He helped the
injured man to the biobed. He didn't waste anytime, passing his
tricorder over him. He frowned at the readings.
Tom had a broken arm, three broken ribs, a sprained ankle and
another concussion for the record. It wasn't too bad considering
that the man had been in a turbolift's fourteen-deck free fall. Tom
had checked the condition of the turbolift while he was in
engineering, there seemed to be nothing wrong with it. The Doctor
had to concur with Paris, something strange was going on.
"Your emitter, Doc." Tom said as he presented the EMH with the
device.
"Thank you, Lieutenant."
"Ah, no problem Doc, I was in the neighborhood anyway," Tom
answered. "I really wonder what's keeping me from going to the
bridge. Chakotay said he didn't see anything strange except for the
anomaly on the view screen. Then again, Chakotay isn't on this
plain of existence..."
"Now, that I have my holo-emitter, I can accompany you," said the
Doctor. "With the right medication, I could at least try to prevent
you from falling into unconsciousness again."
"Yeah... We could transport over there, I don't really trust the
turbolift anymore, and I'm not up for the Jeffries tubes. Still, we
need a backup plan. I mean, I have to move Voyager away from this
thing. I would prefer to do it from the bridge. It's more
convenient. But, I could try from Engineering."
"This would be easier if I knew how to fly a starship."
"Well, I would be happy to teach you, anytime you'd like," said the
pilot, "and, right now would be as a good time to start as any."
***
Tom Paris and the Holodoc materialized on the bridge. *Good, the
stimulant Doc gave me seems to be working*, Tom thought as he
quickly gazed around them. He could see people, unconscious on the
floor, like Captain Janeway and Tuvok. Others were still sitting on
their chairs, leaning on their stations, like Kim at Ops and
Hamilton at the helm.
The Doctor didn't lose anytime and went to the Captain to make sure
she was all right, and to try a futile attempt at waking her. Tom
on his part made it more slowly to the conn. The bridge was
unusually dark. Maybe it was just the effect of the low lights of
the red alert, but it still felt creepy. He would have sworn he was
seeing shadows playing on the walls. To add to it, he had that
strange feeling of being watched. *You're too paranoid Thomas. Stop
imagining things*.
"Sleeping at the helm, Hamilton?" he asked the unconscious pilot.
"C'mon this thing can't be that boring? Why don't you let me have
a look?"
He gently rolled Hamilton's chair away and took a good look at the
readings.
"The ship was still in the gravitational field of the anomaly.
Getting away from it shouldn't be that difficult," he told the
Doctor.
"Reversing the shield's polarity and engaging the warp drive should
do it."
He had barely touched the console when he was hit in the side and
was forced to the ground. It took him a few seconds to recover. He
felt a hand on his shoulder and opened his eyes to see the
Commander looking at him concerned.
"Welcome back," Chakotay told him. "I'm glad you're here, I was
starting to feel lonely, well almost... "
Tom got to his feet, this was becoming a nasty habit. He stood
beside the Commander. They weren't alone anymore. Little shadows
were wondering around the bridge.
"I came back here when you left engineering for Sickbay, and I
found them," Chakotay explained.
"I finally made it to the bridge with Doc, and they were there too.
But, they weren't as defined, just mere shadows. What do they want?
Did they tell you?"
"No. They seem to be poking around. I can't really make out what
hey are doing."
"Well, we can't stay here forever waiting for them to go away," Tom
said getting frustrated. He could hardly wait for this day to be
over. "The Doc is still on the bridge. We agreed that if I was to
lose consciousness that he would give me a few minutes, hoping that
I would run into you. He will transport me to engineering and
transfer the helm protocols there. I should be able to get the ship
free."
"I'll get a head start, see you there. I hope this works."
"You're not the only one. I'm really *sick* of the game." *And it's
starting to spook me,* he added to himself.
***
When Commander Chakotay arrived in engineering, the place was
quiet, too quiet. Obviously, Tom hadn't made it there yet. Chakotay
wasn't sure if he wanted the young man to join him there, in his
plane of reality, anyway. Hopefully, Tom would stay awake and would
be able to fly Voyager away. Then, everyone would wake up. So, he
prepared himself for another long wait.
***
Voyager bolted forward the moment her pilot pushed the engage
button. Helplessly, he sensed the little energy he had left leave
him as quickly. Somewhat reassured, he felt the Doctor take a hold
of him before his legs gave in from under him. The world was
spinning too fast in a sickening turmoil. His blood was running
cold inside his body as he saw the familiar darkness closing over
him once again. He was barely aware of the light touch of an
hypospray on his skin.
"Tom! Lieutenant! you have to stay with me. You have to stay awake.
Try to focus," the Doctor ordered him.
Around them, the engineering crew was waking up and starting to
move around. The Doctor turned his head to see Lieutenant Joe Carey
coming to them.
"Get Lieutenant Torres," he ordered the engineer. "B'Elanna is
coming, Tom, then we will get you Sickbay."
Tom?!" was the only word B'Elanna could manage when she came to
them, near the navigation controls.
"The ship has stopped," Tom murmured and then his eyes focused into
thin air. "But, they're still here."
***
Chakotay wasn't sure if he was finally awake or not. He could see
the engineering crew, now. He could also see the Shadows coming all
around them. He realized quickly enough, by the lack of
acknowledgment of the people passing by him, that he was still
meditating. He knew that as long the Shadows were there, he just
couldn't come out of it, not just yet. Tom? Where was Tom?
He found the pilot sitting on the floor, leaning against the
navigation console. The Doctor was hovering over him, and B'Elanna
was slowly kneeling beside him. Chakotay's heart sank when he saw
Tom's pale complexion. His face was drained of all color.
By the haunted look in Tom's livid eyes, Chakotay could assess with
certainty that Tom was seeing the Shadows as well. Then, his eyes
focused on him.
"They are still here," he told the Commander.
"I know, Tom. But, can't you see that they're fading? Now, you have
to stay awake. You have to fight."
"I can't."
"You can't what, Tom?" asked B'Elanna gently.
"They're gone, Tom," Chakotay told him even knowing that the young
man's attention was no longer on him.
"I can't fight. I'm too cold and tired," he weakly whispered. "I'm
sorry, B'Elanna."
Chakotay didn't hear what B'Elanna told him when a cold strong wind
hit him and shook his body. He wasn't on Voyager anymore. He turned
his back to the wind and forced his eyes open. Darkness. He was
back in the cold night of the Winter Garden, and so was Tom. The
pilot was laying on the icy surface covering the pond a few meters
away.
"TOM!" he called over the wind.
With relief he saw Paris look back at him. Against the raging wind,
Chakotay began to make his way toward him. Tom stood up and began
walking in his direction. After what seemed a long time to him, he
almost had a hold of the young man.
"It's time, to find our way home, don't you think so?" he shouted.
"Yeah. It's time to go home," Tom echoed in agreement.
The wind hit them hard, again. Tom lost his balance and crashed
heavily on the ice. With a shocking horror, Chakotay saw the
surface break and the black crystal water swallow the pilot.
Whatever sound Tom made was never heard, it was drowned out by the
wind.
Chakotay moved as fast as he could to where Tom had been. Where
there was a big hole now. Tom was gone. Chakotay felt the black
hole singeing his soul as he woke up on the floor of his quarters.
His breath was shallow. His heart was caught in his throat. Tears
were running down his frozen cheeks.
Home. He had found his way home. Alone.
End of part 2.
Get ready. part 3 is following. Look for *He Found His Way Home*.
Feedback is always appreciated, thanks!
Isabelle S. and Louise B. (a.k.a Synbou)
Synbou@hotmail.com
Copyrights@April 1998.
Wonder: where does the soul goes once the brain can't function
anymore? Well, since I was too young to remember, I'm left only
with my imagination...
Disclaimer: Here it comes, the legal stuff: Paramount owns them,
Tom Paris, the rest of Voyager's crew. we just kidnaped them for
the fun of it.
In The Dark takes place in the same universe of our previous
story
*Neoplasm*, sometime after *Vis-a-vis.* This is the 2/5 part of
this saga. The story is P/T and rated G.
SYNOPSIS: Following *He could see the Light*, Voyager encounter a
spatial anomaly whose effects put the crew to sleep and wake Tom
up.
In The Dark, Part 2: The Night Turned Cold and Frigid.
By Synbou.
Synbou@hotmail.com
B'Elanna Torres was back in Sickbay. These days, she was passing
more time there than in engineering. Thank Kahless for Captain
Janeway and Chakotay's understanding. This was hard enough as it
was. B'Elanna could not bear the thought of being kept away from
the man she loved too long.
"That's about it for what's going on in engineering. Well I could
go on, but I don't want to bore you to death. Wouldn't want that,
would we? I don't know what else I could tell you. I'm really not
up to date with the ship's gossip, since I pass most of my time
keeping you company. I'm sure you're having the time of your life
here. You have my undivided attention. I can tell you that isn't
the case for my staff. They have to cope with a half-Klingon who
misses her favorite pig." She sighed heavily. "Oh, Tom, wake up!
This is getting ridiculous. You've been sleeping for six days,
now! You're missing all the fun. Letting Baythart and Hamilton
get comfortable at the helm is not a good thing you know. And...
and I'm going out my mind. Each time I hear a door open, I hope
it's you. When people call my name, I can hear your voice. I'm
hardly concentrating . . . "
"That's because you're hardly eating, B'Elanna."
"Doctor!" she said, surprised and a little angry for being cut
off-
guard. "How long have you been here?"
"Not long," he assured her. "I see you've changed your tactic
with Mr. Paris. However, I don't think that calling him a pig
will help much."
"With Tom? You never know... and, he is being a pig for
aggravating my patience. That's what you're doing, aren't you
Paris? You're testing our patience." She shrugged, then asked,
even if she already knew the answer. "There is no change?"
"I'm afraid not."
"Well, I'll give him another day then." *You're really testing my
patience, Tom. But, I'll wait.* "Doc, I miss him. You hear me
Paris, I miss you. So do all your friends." She chuckled. "I
heard that Harry played his clarinet for him. Tom loves that.
Poor Harry, he misses him so much."
"I miss him too," admitted The Doctor.
"I know that Tom considers you a very good friend. It's
understandable that you miss him as much as we do. Especially now
that he works with you more frequently."
"He is turning out to be an excellent medical assistant. He's got
what it takes. He's calm under pressure. He's a quick learner. He
has good dexterity... He has good bedside manners. It's a shame
he hates it."
"I don't think that he hates it. It's just that it keeps him from
his first love, flying," she said her hand stroking Tom's blond
hair. "I wish his father could see him now. How much he's
changed. I know he wishes it too. For that, he'll have to wake
up. Won't you Tom? You have to stop hiding out and wake up. We
need you. *I* need you and, and I'm tired of repeating myself."
"B'Elanna, why don't you go get something to eat and a good
night's sleep?"
"Trying to get rid of me, Doctor?"
"Just looking after your best interest, and Tom's," he told her
seriously.
"Tom's," she echoed.
"When he does wake up, he'll need you and seeing you tired will
only make him worry about you. There's enough of that going
around. So, go get some rest, and come back looking your best."
B'Elanna considered what the Doctor had just prescribed for a
moment. She didn't want Tom worrying about her. So, sh turned to
him and said:
"See, you tomorrow, Helmboy. The Doc is throwing me out."
"I miss that too," he said, resting his hand on Tom's chest.
"That nickname he gave me: Doc. It's almost a name."
"It suits you. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow, B'Elanna," and the Doctor added when he saw
that she was hesitating. "I'll call you if anything happens."
She smiled a little at him and left. She needed to hear that,
even if it was for the umpteenth time.
***
The Light kept shining. It was playing trough the icy branches of
the trees, making their shadows dance over the white cloak that was
covering the pond. The light breeze was bringing clouds of snow
over the hills, stealing his thoughts as they were disappearing
over the other side. He had been there for quite sometime, now. How
long? He didn't know. Neither did he care. The peaceful atmosphere
of the Winter Garden was fulfilling as it was. He was mostly alone.
He missed her.
Sometimes, people would sit beside him on his bench. They talked to
him, but they didn't listen to what he had to say. So, he had gave
up answering back and decided to simply enjoy their company and the
one of the blue-grey cat sitting on his knees.
***
Commander Chakotay walked in his Captain's ready room, finding her
sitting at her desk. She was holding a cup in front of her with
both hands. She was tired and worried, he could tell. It had been
a long day. Voyager had encountered a new spatial anomaly and the
ship had avoided yet another disaster. Only her head moved as she
looked at him.
"Kathryn, don't tell me you're drinking coffee at this hour?" he
said with mock disbelief.
"Not anymore, this coffee is long cold."
"You should go to bed and at least rest if you can't sleep. It
won't do you any good staying here, worrying all night."
"I know, Chakotay, but I can't help it. I'm afraid if I go to sleep
that the Doctor will wake me to tell me that it's over. That Tom is
gone. We never should have stayed for so long near that spatial
anomaly . . . "
Chakotay took a step forward. "Kathryn, we couldn't have known that
the anomaly would have an effect on Tom's condition, assuming that
it's really what made it changed all the sudden."
"He was fine before," she argued. She brought one hand to her
forehead realizing the simplicity of her words. She was speaking
with her heart, not her detached scientific mind. "Well, *fine*,
might not be a good choice of word, considering that Tom has been
in a coma for a week. Whatever the anomaly did to him, his not
bouncing back from it."
"The Doctor is doing his best. Have faith, Kathryn," Chakotay told
her. "I'll bet on Tom winning this fight anytime. The guy has more
lives than a cat. He'll land on his feet." She smiled at him,
shaking her head.
"It sounds like you've given that lecture before."
"I have," he said with a grin, "and the more I tell it, the more I
believe it. So, why don't I walk you to your quarters. We can stop
by Sickbay if you wish, and I can give this lecture to B'Elanna and
Harry, *again*."
"You have a deal, Commander."
***
The wind changed direction. It was faster and colder. Soon, it
would snow. He could see dark clouds rising above the hills. He
stood up, holding his cat closely against his chest, and looked
straight ahead. The clouds and their shadows were coming toward
them. For the first time, he felt fear. He had a sense of dread,
like someone was walking over his grave. He shivered. He had the
urge to turn around and run as fast as he could. But, there was no
point in doing so, was there? He knew that ultimately, one could
not outrun death forever. So, he watched with a mixture of anxiety
and anticipation as it got darker by each passing moment, and the
shining Wither Garden slipped into a cold and frigid night.
***
Chakotay stood before his bed and shrugged. Like hell he was ever
going to sleep tonight. He had accompanied Kathryn to Sickbay, not
surprisingly found B'Elanna and Harry at Tom's bedside. The
Lieutenant was as pale as Chakotay remembered him in the Captain's
ready room a week before. He was disturbed at the fluctuations of
Tom's vital signs, everything was erratic.
Voyager had been in close range of the spatial anomaly for at least
two hours when Tom's condition started to worsen to the point where
he began suffering from repetitive seizures. It seemed after
further analysis that the anomaly was emitting a spectrum of beta
waves which interfered with the brain's delta waves of sleeping
crew members. They were now some distance from the anomaly and
everyone affected seemed to return to normal, except Tom Paris.
Chakotay sighed. He was not a close friend of the pilot, but they
had developed, in the past few years, a good working relationship
and a friendship based on mutual respect. The idea of Tom at the
brink of death once again was unsettling. He felt even more
helpless than the week before. How could something like this be
possible? Chakotay's memories brought him back to Kathryn,
B'Elanna, Harry, and the Doctor's own looks of helplessness and
anguish. A few more people had stopped by Sickbay, hoping for some
good news, while he was there. Tom had many good friends who cared
about him, and he had no doubt that it was mutual. Te Commander was
glad about that. Tom had changed a lot since his first days on
Voyager.
Chakotay sighed again. He wasn't in the mood to bring old and
difficult memories back, neither was he going to allow this musing
to keep him awake all night, but, sleep was eluding him. So, he
considered that a visit to his spirit guide or maybe a chat with
his father would do him some good. He sat comfortably on the floor
with his 'Akoona' and his medicine bundle in front on him. He
started breathing slowly, in and out, and relax . . .
***
He stood before them, staring at the Shadows. He realized with a
start that this wasn't right. This wasn't where he had intended to
be.
"Do you know who they are?" a familiar voice asked from behind him.
Chakotay turned around and saw Tom Paris sitting on a bench, a
blue-grey Himalayan cat sitting on his lap.
"Tom," he whispered surprised. The younger man eyed him blankly.
The Commander approached him carefully, almost afraid to frighten
him. "Tom, it's Chakotay," he said holding Tom's empty gaze.
A friendly smile appeared on Tom's pale figure, but otherwise, his
eyes remained empty.
"Chakotay . . ." he repeated slowly as he associated the name with
the man kneeling before him. "What are you doing in the Winter
Garden? You shouldn't be here, you know."
"The Winter Garden? Why shouldn't I be here?"
"I dunno..." Tom answered, his gaze furtively returning to the
Shadows. "It was fine... then they came, taking the light away."
Chakotay's own eyes returned to the darkness for a moment. First
the light, now the darkness, was it a sign of the sudden change in
Tom's condition? He faced Tom again. The pilot's eyes were still
locked on the horizon, on the Shadows. Gently, he put his hand on
Tom's face, forcing the blue eyes to look at him. Chakotay was
surprised by the feeling of lack of self-awareness he sensed from
the younger man.
"We're worried about you. You have been here a long time. Don't you
think it's time to go home?"
"Home?... I don't know how to go home."
"Maybe, I can help. You have to trust me, Tom. Let me help you.
Come with me."
"Help me... How? I trust you, but how."
They both stood up. This was a first for Chakotay. He never had
brought someone out of a coma before. Still, he felt confident that
he could help, somehow. It felt good to have Tom's trust. An
unconditional trust. Had their friendship grown that far?
"The wind is changing again," Tom said not as flatly as before.
There was a hint of worry that transposed itself on his features,
a sudden spark in his blue eyes. The cat struggled and jumped to
the ground. "It's too late, Chakotay. You have to go!"
"I don't understand. What's happening?!" Chakotay yelled over the
wind. *Another seizure. Tom must be having another seizure!* his
mind screamed at him. "Tom, I'm not leaving you. I'll help you,"
Chakotay said with more conviction than he felt.
"No! No, Chakotay, you leave, NOW! I can't protect you! Go!"
With a feeling of dread, Chakotay was suddenly back in the darkness
of his own quarters on Voyager. But something was not right, he
could feel it.
***
"Here we go again," the Doctor sighed. He pressed a hypospray on
Tom's neck. It barely had an effect on the erratic life signs of
his patient.
"Ensign, I need another ten ccs Denazine!" he called his eyes on
the diagnostic screen.
The vital signs changed again in an unexpected way. The Doctor's
gaze moved to his patient face seeing his blue eyes fly open.
"Mr. Paris..."
He snapped out of his momentarily surprise when he heard a crashing
sound behind him. He turned to find Ensign Wildman laying on the
floor.
"Samantha! Can you hear me?" Turning back to Paris, who was
blinking repetitively, he cautioned, "Tom, don't move. I'll be
right back. Ensign Wildman needs my help."
He picked up his medical tricorder and went to the blond woman's
side. She was unconscious, but her life signs were steady. Quickly,
he came back to Paris, who for his part, was coming out of a
week-long coma.
"Tom, it's the Doctor, can you hear me?"
Tom eyes slowly focused on him. He was disoriented.
"You're in Sickbay, on Voyager," he told his patient. Can you talk
to me?"
It took Tom some time and a lot of effort to coordinate his
thoughts and his actions. After a few unsuccessful tries, he
managed to say.
"Doc... I... Where's Chakotay?" His voice was raw and weak, a sign
that his vocal cords had not been used in a week.
"The Commander?" the Doctor asked, "in his quarters I assume,
why?"
"He was with me," Tom simply said. "What happened?"
"You were on the bridge. Do you remember?"
"The ship got hit by the wave... B'Elanna?"
"B'Elanna his fine," he told him gently. "Let me call them. They
were waiting impatiently for you to wake up and, I need help with
Ensign Wildman."
"Sam..."
"She lost consciousness a few minutes ago." The Doctor put a hand
on Tom's shoulder, seeing the worry in his eyes. "Sickbay to
bridge," he called.
There was no answer.
"That's odd. Sickbay to Captain Janeway."
There was still no answer.
"Computer, locate Captain Janeway," the EMH said.
"Captain Janeway is on the bridge," came the familiar female voice
of the ship's computer.
"Computer assess Captain Janeway's current health condition."
"Captain Janeway is unconscious. Pulse and breathing are within
normal parameters."
"This is the Doctor to any member of the crew. Can anyone hear me?"
"Seems like I'm the only one who can Doc," Tom said after a brief
moment of silence.
"Apparently so," the Doctor said with dismay.
"Help me get up, please. We need to know what's going on, now."
"Tom, you're in no condition to go anywhere right now. You have
been in a coma the last few days."
"Doc, unless you're going to tell me that I'm still in a coma,
having a very elaborate dream, I suggest you help me get up.
Something is going on and the only two senior officers, make that
the only people awake, are you and me," the lieutenant argued.
Without further protest, the EMH disengaged the medical arc,
freeing Tom of his protective alcove. Then, he helped him to sit
up.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, just dizzy. Any idea why I'm awake and everybody else is
sleeping?" he asked, trying to keep his mind focus.
The Doctor went to his console and study the readouts. "The ship is
affected by a spatial anomaly that is emitting a mixed spectrum of
beta and delta waves. We encountered a similar phenomenon earlier
today. I don't understand. You should be unconscious like the
others."
"Is the ship close to the anomaly?"
"Three thousand kilometers."
"I need to go the bridge. Whatever this thing is doing, we need to
get away from it," he said getting on his feet, holding the biobed
for support. "And I need warmer clothes than PJs. My feet are
cold."
***
Tom made his way out of Sickbay on his own, holding himself close
to the wall for support. He had replicated himself a new uniform.
The change of clothing wasn't only making him warmer, but also feel
more in control Apparently, B'Elanna had taken the Doc's emitter
down to Engineering to perform some repairs on it, keeping the EMH
in Sickbay for the time being. Obviously, he was fuming about it.
But what could he do? It had been his idea to send the Lieutenant
to engineering to make the repairs, in order to clear his Sickbay,
while treating a very ill patient.
Tom was almost to the turbolift when he saw Commander Chakotay
coming his way. Relief almost overwhelmed him.
"Commander!" he called. "I thought everyone was unconscious."
"I've been wondering around the ship. You're the only one I saw so
far. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Sickbay?"
"I woke up. Doc said I was in a coma. We tried to call everyone.
There was no answer. Why didn't you answer?"
"I never heard the call. Where's the Doctor?"
"Doc is looking after Ensign Wildman since he can't go anywhere
else. He doesn't have his emitter. The ship seems to be affected by
a spatial anomaly. I was on my way to the bridge."
"Then, lead the way Lieutenant," the Commander said. "It's good to
have you back, Tom."
"Thanks Commander."
The turbolift doors opened and the blue cat walked out. He
inspected the surprised men with a questioned expression like if he
was saying *Do I know you?*
"Where does the cat come from?" asked Tom as they entered in the
turbolift.
"Tom, tell me something," Chakotay began. "What's the last thing
you remember before walking up in Sickbay?"
Tom looked at him surprised. The last thing he remembered?
"Err... You, actually... with me, why?"
"Where?"
"Chakotay," Tom was about to protest when he saw the serious
expression on the other man's face. "I'm not sure... the Captain's
ready room ... a garden?" He said the last two words so softly, it
was almost to himself.
"Yes, The Garden," Chakotay repeated.
Confused, Tom looked away for a moment. He had those strange images
in minds. Laying on his back, Captain Janeway telling him to hold
on, sitting on a bench, in a park, on a sunny winter day facing...
facing the darkness...
Tom opened his eyes. He was disoriented. He felt the hard surface
of the deck beneath him. Slowly, he picked himself up off the floor
and looked around. He was in the corridor leading to the turbolift.
What was going on, here?
***
"Paris to Sickbay," came the Lieutenant's voice over the link.
"Mr. Paris," the EMH said relief in his voice. "Are you all right?
I've been trying to raise you. Why didn't answer my call? We're
suppose to stay in contact . . . "
"Doc, how long since I left Sickbay?" Paris interrupted.
"Almost ten minutes. Are you all right?" the Doctor asked again. He
was pacing his office, frustrated to be stranded there, while
knowing that with his holo-emitter he could've been at his
patient's side by now.
"Yeah, yeah, I am. I lost consciousness, I think."
"You should come back here. The anomaly has a different impact on
you, an impact that I've yet to be able to explain. You could get
seriously injured by slipping in and out of consciousness."
"I'm afraid it's a risk I'm going to have to take, Doc," Tom told
him, his mind set. "Doc... " he began after a while, not as sure
of himself.
"Yes."
"While I was unconscious, I had a chat with Chakotay. He was saying
that there was nobody else on the ship except me and a cat."
"The Commander you say... The Commander's ability to enter in deep
meditation state and to control his dreams might have something to
do with it. The anomaly interferes with beta and delta brain waves,
it's possible it has an effect on theta waves also, assuming the
Commander is meditating."
"Well, maybe. I'm going to his quarters right now."
"Stay in contact with me, Lieutenant," the Doctor ordered him.
***
Chakotay was shocked to see Paris disappear into thin air. He tried
his comm badge, but he wasn't surprised by the silence he received
as an answer. He knew that he was still meditating. It was the only
explanation for the empty ship and the cat. And Chakotay admitted
to himself, that his encounter with Tom had disbursed him greatly.
The doors of turbolift opened bringing Chakotay to the present. The
moment he walked onto the bridge his eyes caught the image on the
main view screen. Another anomaly had attracted the ship into its
gravitational field. Chakotay remembered that he had been
meditating in his quarters and somehow he had contacted Tom. "Until
the wind changed," he told himself grimly. So his body was in his
quarters and his soul wandering trough the ship. What about Tom?
One minute he was there, telling him that the Doctor was stuck in
Sickbay caring for an unconscious Ensign Wildman, the next, he was
gone...
Chakotay left the bridge for Sickbay. The last time he had visited
Paris there, the young man was barely holding his on. Chakotay
prayed deep down that he was still alive. He held his breath as
walked through the Sickbay doors. He stood there in the middle of
the place, not sure if he should feel worried or relieved. Sickbay
was empty.
***
Lieutenant Paris overrode Commander Chakotay's security code on his
door and entered his superior's quarters. The walk had left him
exhausted. He leaned on the door frame and let his eyes survey the
living area. He sighed with some relief. Chakotay was sitting on
the floor, his back against the sofa, and his medicine bundle
spread out in ront of him. He was meditating, not sleeping. The
Doctor had been right. Tom made his way to the Commander's side. He
pulled out his medical tricorder and began to scan. There was a lot
of brain activity.
"Doc, you're still there?" he called.
"Of course, Mr. Paris," the Doctor said, annoyed by the obvious.
"It's good to know that you're still here too."
"Well, Thanks, Doc," he said grinning. "You were right, Chakotay is
in meditation." He sighed tiredly again. "I don't know what to make
of this Doc. I only hope that if I fall unconscious again, he'll be
there."
Tom was not sure what to make of the feeling of comfort the
Commander was providing him either, but, he was glad to have it.
"You sound tired," the Doctor observed.
"I'll be fine. Doc. I'm going to the bridge."
***
"Tom!"
Paris turned on his heels when he heard Chakotay called his name.
The Commander caught up with him again in front of the turbolift
doors.
"I saw you disappear in the turbolift earlier. What happened?"
Chakotay asked.
"I woke up. Chakotay something weird is going on here. Everyone is
asleep except me and, in way, you. I just went to your quarters. It
looks like your meditating."
"I am, but I can't come out of it."
"It's a good thing, otherwise you would be asleep like the others.
Have you made it to the bridge, yet?"
"Yes, I saw the anomaly. Doesn't seem like I can do much in this...
this plane of existence."
"I think I can if I stay awake long enough."
Chakotay gave him a sympathetic smile.
"Go to the bridge, try to put some distance between us and the
anomaly. Adjust the shields on a reverse polaric frequency. It
worked before."
"Aye, aye, sir," Tom responded seriously. He sighed then grin at
him. "Any idea how I'm suppose to wake up?"
"That's a tough one. What did you do the last time?"
"I dunno know. I was in the turbolift and then I woke up in the
corridor."
"Come to the bridge with me anyway. Hopefully, you'll wake up
eventually."
"Hopefully," Tom repeated grimly.
***
Tom woke up in front of the turbolift where Chakotay had caught up
with him. He was starting to really hate this. He tried to get up
and only made it to his knees. God, he was tired. Just laying there
on the deck did not seem like a bad idea right now.
"Mr. Paris! Tom!" He heard the Doctor call. "You lost consciousness
again. Tom can you hear me?!"
"Doc, please stop screaming, please," he implored. "My ears are
ringing already. I... I met with Chakotay again. How long was I
unconscious?"
"About five minutes."
Tom sighed heavily. "Guess I better start heading for the bridge,
*again*." He crawled to the wall and held onto it for support as he
got up. He gathered his strength and walked to the turbolift. The
doors closed behind him and he instructed the computer to take him
to the bridge. With a sickening sensation, he abruptly realized
that the lift wasn't going up. It was going down, real fast!
***
"Unconscious in an unconscious state. That must be a first,"
Chakotay said grimly. "Tom, wake up!"
"...C'Kotay. Damn, it hurts." Tom eyes slowly opened as he crawled
back to awareness. "What happened?" he whispered.
"I don't know, Tom." At the obvious disorientation on the
Lieutenant's face, he said: "You're in the turbolift, at the bottom
of the shaft, in engineering."
"Chakotay. What's going on here?!" he almost yelled out of
frustration. "I just want to go to the bridge," he said more
quietly.
"It's what, the third time you tried?"
"It's like something is trying to keep me from going there," Tom
observed. "You think... You think I'm injured?"
Chakotay rolled his eyes. He wouldn't be surprised and he told Tom
so. He was getting frustrated as well. Was there really something
keeping Tom from going to the bridge? If so, what? Why?"
"Is this reality, whatever it is, like the real thing?" Tom asked.
"I mean, are things at the same place?"
"What are you getting at?"
"The Doc's holo-emitter," Tom answered. "You think you could help
me find it. I need help. If I can't go to the bridge without
getting killed in the process, maybe the Doc can."
"Good thinking, Tom," he told him trying to be as encouraging as he
could. "Come, it shouldn't be too difficult to find."
***
The Doctor was standing near the transporter console, ready to
catch Tom the moment he materialized in Sickbay. He helped the
injured man to the biobed. He didn't waste anytime, passing his
tricorder over him. He frowned at the readings.
Tom had a broken arm, three broken ribs, a sprained ankle and
another concussion for the record. It wasn't too bad considering
that the man had been in a turbolift's fourteen-deck free fall. Tom
had checked the condition of the turbolift while he was in
engineering, there seemed to be nothing wrong with it. The Doctor
had to concur with Paris, something strange was going on.
"Your emitter, Doc." Tom said as he presented the EMH with the
device.
"Thank you, Lieutenant."
"Ah, no problem Doc, I was in the neighborhood anyway," Tom
answered. "I really wonder what's keeping me from going to the
bridge. Chakotay said he didn't see anything strange except for the
anomaly on the view screen. Then again, Chakotay isn't on this
plain of existence..."
"Now, that I have my holo-emitter, I can accompany you," said the
Doctor. "With the right medication, I could at least try to prevent
you from falling into unconsciousness again."
"Yeah... We could transport over there, I don't really trust the
turbolift anymore, and I'm not up for the Jeffries tubes. Still, we
need a backup plan. I mean, I have to move Voyager away from this
thing. I would prefer to do it from the bridge. It's more
convenient. But, I could try from Engineering."
"This would be easier if I knew how to fly a starship."
"Well, I would be happy to teach you, anytime you'd like," said the
pilot, "and, right now would be as a good time to start as any."
***
Tom Paris and the Holodoc materialized on the bridge. *Good, the
stimulant Doc gave me seems to be working*, Tom thought as he
quickly gazed around them. He could see people, unconscious on the
floor, like Captain Janeway and Tuvok. Others were still sitting on
their chairs, leaning on their stations, like Kim at Ops and
Hamilton at the helm.
The Doctor didn't lose anytime and went to the Captain to make sure
she was all right, and to try a futile attempt at waking her. Tom
on his part made it more slowly to the conn. The bridge was
unusually dark. Maybe it was just the effect of the low lights of
the red alert, but it still felt creepy. He would have sworn he was
seeing shadows playing on the walls. To add to it, he had that
strange feeling of being watched. *You're too paranoid Thomas. Stop
imagining things*.
"Sleeping at the helm, Hamilton?" he asked the unconscious pilot.
"C'mon this thing can't be that boring? Why don't you let me have
a look?"
He gently rolled Hamilton's chair away and took a good look at the
readings.
"The ship was still in the gravitational field of the anomaly.
Getting away from it shouldn't be that difficult," he told the
Doctor.
"Reversing the shield's polarity and engaging the warp drive should
do it."
He had barely touched the console when he was hit in the side and
was forced to the ground. It took him a few seconds to recover. He
felt a hand on his shoulder and opened his eyes to see the
Commander looking at him concerned.
"Welcome back," Chakotay told him. "I'm glad you're here, I was
starting to feel lonely, well almost... "
Tom got to his feet, this was becoming a nasty habit. He stood
beside the Commander. They weren't alone anymore. Little shadows
were wondering around the bridge.
"I came back here when you left engineering for Sickbay, and I
found them," Chakotay explained.
"I finally made it to the bridge with Doc, and they were there too.
But, they weren't as defined, just mere shadows. What do they want?
Did they tell you?"
"No. They seem to be poking around. I can't really make out what
hey are doing."
"Well, we can't stay here forever waiting for them to go away," Tom
said getting frustrated. He could hardly wait for this day to be
over. "The Doc is still on the bridge. We agreed that if I was to
lose consciousness that he would give me a few minutes, hoping that
I would run into you. He will transport me to engineering and
transfer the helm protocols there. I should be able to get the ship
free."
"I'll get a head start, see you there. I hope this works."
"You're not the only one. I'm really *sick* of the game." *And it's
starting to spook me,* he added to himself.
***
When Commander Chakotay arrived in engineering, the place was
quiet, too quiet. Obviously, Tom hadn't made it there yet. Chakotay
wasn't sure if he wanted the young man to join him there, in his
plane of reality, anyway. Hopefully, Tom would stay awake and would
be able to fly Voyager away. Then, everyone would wake up. So, he
prepared himself for another long wait.
***
Voyager bolted forward the moment her pilot pushed the engage
button. Helplessly, he sensed the little energy he had left leave
him as quickly. Somewhat reassured, he felt the Doctor take a hold
of him before his legs gave in from under him. The world was
spinning too fast in a sickening turmoil. His blood was running
cold inside his body as he saw the familiar darkness closing over
him once again. He was barely aware of the light touch of an
hypospray on his skin.
"Tom! Lieutenant! you have to stay with me. You have to stay awake.
Try to focus," the Doctor ordered him.
Around them, the engineering crew was waking up and starting to
move around. The Doctor turned his head to see Lieutenant Joe Carey
coming to them.
"Get Lieutenant Torres," he ordered the engineer. "B'Elanna is
coming, Tom, then we will get you Sickbay."
Tom?!" was the only word B'Elanna could manage when she came to
them, near the navigation controls.
"The ship has stopped," Tom murmured and then his eyes focused into
thin air. "But, they're still here."
***
Chakotay wasn't sure if he was finally awake or not. He could see
the engineering crew, now. He could also see the Shadows coming all
around them. He realized quickly enough, by the lack of
acknowledgment of the people passing by him, that he was still
meditating. He knew that as long the Shadows were there, he just
couldn't come out of it, not just yet. Tom? Where was Tom?
He found the pilot sitting on the floor, leaning against the
navigation console. The Doctor was hovering over him, and B'Elanna
was slowly kneeling beside him. Chakotay's heart sank when he saw
Tom's pale complexion. His face was drained of all color.
By the haunted look in Tom's livid eyes, Chakotay could assess with
certainty that Tom was seeing the Shadows as well. Then, his eyes
focused on him.
"They are still here," he told the Commander.
"I know, Tom. But, can't you see that they're fading? Now, you have
to stay awake. You have to fight."
"I can't."
"You can't what, Tom?" asked B'Elanna gently.
"They're gone, Tom," Chakotay told him even knowing that the young
man's attention was no longer on him.
"I can't fight. I'm too cold and tired," he weakly whispered. "I'm
sorry, B'Elanna."
Chakotay didn't hear what B'Elanna told him when a cold strong wind
hit him and shook his body. He wasn't on Voyager anymore. He turned
his back to the wind and forced his eyes open. Darkness. He was
back in the cold night of the Winter Garden, and so was Tom. The
pilot was laying on the icy surface covering the pond a few meters
away.
"TOM!" he called over the wind.
With relief he saw Paris look back at him. Against the raging wind,
Chakotay began to make his way toward him. Tom stood up and began
walking in his direction. After what seemed a long time to him, he
almost had a hold of the young man.
"It's time, to find our way home, don't you think so?" he shouted.
"Yeah. It's time to go home," Tom echoed in agreement.
The wind hit them hard, again. Tom lost his balance and crashed
heavily on the ice. With a shocking horror, Chakotay saw the
surface break and the black crystal water swallow the pilot.
Whatever sound Tom made was never heard, it was drowned out by the
wind.
Chakotay moved as fast as he could to where Tom had been. Where
there was a big hole now. Tom was gone. Chakotay felt the black
hole singeing his soul as he woke up on the floor of his quarters.
His breath was shallow. His heart was caught in his throat. Tears
were running down his frozen cheeks.
Home. He had found his way home. Alone.
End of part 2.
Get ready. part 3 is following. Look for *He Found His Way Home*.
Feedback is always appreciated, thanks!
Isabelle S. and Louise B. (a.k.a Synbou)
Synbou@hotmail.com
Copyrights@April 1998.