Title: DISPLACED (6/20)
Writers: PATTI KEIPER (Kim, Suspiria & T'Prena), NICK LEWIS (Janeway, Paris & Cavit), CHRIS DEVLIN (Rollins, Darcy, Donaldson & Gunn), SONYA BRINKMAN (Tigan)
Edited by NICK LEWIS
Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and it's associated characters are trademarks of Paramount/Viacom. This is a fan-run venture, making no money. Please leave our lawyers alone ;-)
V-Trek: The Alternate Adventures @ http://www.virtual-trek.fsnet.co.uk
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Harry slowly wakes from limbo. As his eyes adjust to the light, he finds himself in a place that's brightly lit in white; very sterile. He props himself up on the med-bed he's apparently been placed on and suddenly realises his uniform is gone. Confusion sets in as he feels the odd texture of the white robe that now adorns him. What the...? He remembers very little about what has happened to him. A blinding ellipse of light from the viewscreen, bracing himself for a collision, then...
As he moves to scratch an itch, he cries out in diguest as his fingers encounter a grotesque pustule on his skin. "What are these things?" he says out loud. He jumps down off the bed, swaying slightly in his unsteadiness, then walks over to a wide door that appears to be the only way out of this... ward. He tests the servo mechs which surprisingly open under his pressure.
A corridor lies beyond, but Harry is forced to duck back inside when he sees a moving shadow coming towards him. He looks for his commbadge hoping to contact the ship, but finds it dissected neatly on an exam tray near his pillow. Damn! I've got to get back to the Voyager.
The doors part and a slight young blonde-haired girl, exuding an aspect of dangerous agelessness enters. She moves directly to Harry and grabs his chin, peering into his eyes. "You are making progress, human bi-ped."
"Who are you?" Harry asks, feeling a crackle of power from her icy touch.
"I am Suspiria. That is all you need to know. My people are caring for you while your condition runs its course. I..." She breaks off, the first hint of warmth coming to her voice. "We are grateful to you and your home ship for falling into our displacement net. I am close to my answers... very close."
Harry chooses to avoid asking about his strange sudden illness, instead digging for orientation to his whereabouts. "Where exactly am I?"
"You are inside a subterranean city, located on a desert world in an area of space I believe you call the delta quadrant" she tells him precisely.
The delta quadrant? That could be years, if not decades away from homespace. Harry starts to panic. "Where's my ship then... the rest of the crew?"
"Most of the test subjects proved unsuitable for my purposes. They will wake soon and be allowed to transport back to their vessel of origin."
Harry pushes her prying hands away from assessing his blisters. "Test subjects? What have you been doing to them?" He can feel himself becoming agitated at the thought of what kind of tests this... girl could have been performing on himself and the others.
"You do not need to know that information. However-"
"That's where you're wrong" Harry interrupts. "You see I do need to know. I need to know what right you have to kidnap us and perform tests on us like we're lab rats." His voice gets louder.
"It was necessary" Suspiria starts, her voice becoming frosty. "Stay calm. This outburst will only serve to increase your blood pressure and aggravate your condition."
"A condition you've put me in. I demand to be released from here and returned to the Voyager."
"That is not possible."
"Make it possible!" Harry shouts.
"No!" Suspiria says simply.
Harry pounds a fist on the wall in frustration. He dares not touch this entity, so he does the next best thing. He trashes the room, spilling equipment tables and trays, smashing medical flasks and computer terminals. Suspiria gestures two masked people into the room who restrain Harry. "This will not help the cause. You will cease!" she thunders.
Harry struggles in the attendents' grasp, his growing fever making him lose rationality. He lashes out, bites and kicks the attendants. "Somebody help me!" he screams.
Suspiria turns to a medic in white. "Bring the Vulcan woman here. A companion from his own ship may placate him." The medic leaves at once and soon arrives back, wheeling in another bed with T'Prena lying on it. She too is in a white tunic and unconscious as Harry had been, but no sickening scabs or growths cover her skin.
Harry stops struggling for the moment. "Is she alright? Let me go to her." The attendants reluctantly let him go and he staggers weakly over to her bed, feeling her neck for the comforting pulse beating there. He sighs in relief. He whirls back to face Suspiria again. "You haven't infected her?"
"Of course not" the medic says quietly. "Our function is to care for all of you until the Mistress has released you. She only trials one at a time with the genetic tester virus."
"One at a time?" Harry echoes, feeling himself becoming weaker. "What happens if I fail this test?"
The medic glances unsurely at Suspiria. "You will not fail" Suspiria assures Harry.
Harry doesn't trust her though. He turns to T'Prena, but he knows little about how to awaken Vulcans out of their protective trances. He shakes her by the shoulders, but she doesn't respond. "Wake up... please." He starts to slap her face, hard. The attendants, not understanding what he's trying to do, grab him again and pull him back to his own bed. "No! I'm trying to... to..." Harry gives in to the fever and blacks out, slamming to the floor.
Unobserved, T'Prena's closed eyelids twitch as she begins to revive. They open once, shifting to observe the scene occuring in the room, before closing in the sham of coma. I am captured. One of my crewmates is injured or ill. I must wait for a better opportunity to liberate us, she mentally decides. T'Prena settles into absolute stillness while she listens to the attendants placing Harry on his bed and injecting him with something. She opens her eyes a crack once more to see Suspiria disappear in a blue fire of translocation. She quickly shuts her eyes again as the attendants turn to her, briefly scanning her condition. Her ruse works, they are unaware of her alertness. After they leave the room, T'Prena rises from the bed and moves to check on the young Ensign.
********************
Captain Janeway blinks her eyes open and realises she's lying on a grassy surface. Frowning, she gets up, wiping the blades of green from her uniform and wondering where she is? Her surroundings appear to be that of a lush Earth garden... but it can't be.
A moan from some bushes nearby garners her attention. A gold uniformed crewman slowly gets up, rubbing the back of his head. "Captain?" he asks upon seeing her.
"Lieutenant Rollins" Kathryn acknowledges. "Do you have an idea where we are?"
Jeff Rollins looks around himself carefully. "This place looks vaguely familiar, Captain, but... nothing's springing to mind." His expression is one of suspicion, fairly normal for the acting security chief. Noise from around them indicates that more people are waking up close by. Kathryn and Jeff wander around the garden, finding various Voyager crew members, but none of them with any definite recollection of what happened after the displacement wave rocked the ship.
Tom Paris wanders over, looking distant. "There was somewhere I needed to be" he murmers as he looks at his tricorder. He shakes his mind alert as he sees the Captain.
"Are we all here, Mr Paris" she asks.
"Mostly" he says darkly. "But there's still thirty-three crew members missing and I haven't seen Harry."
"Ensign Kim?" Kathryn looks perturbed. "Could he and the others be in another area?"
"I cranked this up to maximum scanning range, Captain. Nothing. I can tell you one thing though. None of this is real. We're on a hologrid."
"Computer, end program" Janeway calls, but nothing happens.
"I'm pretty sure it's not a Voyager hologrid" Tom adds, smirking. "The energy patterns are different."
Janeway gives him a look as if to say 'well, why didn't you tell me that five seconds ago?', then turns back to Jeff. "Arrange teams and sweep the area. I want to find a way off this grid or someone who can tell us how to do it."
"Aye Captain" Jeff says and moves off to his security personnel.
Kathryn taps her commbadge. "Janeway to all crew members. Until we know where we are and more importantly how to get back to our ship, everyone is to stay right here. Janeway out." She starts walking off.
"Where are you going?" Tom calls.
Janeway turns, eyebrows raised. "I don't see that it's any of your business, Mr Paris, but I'm leading one of the search parties."
"Who's in charge in the meantime?"
Kathryn glances behind Tom. Tom turns round following her gaze to see the now uninjured form of Lt Commander Cavit standing behind him. "I am" Cavit says simply.
********************
The security personnel stand to attention as Jeff approaches. He waves dismissively at them. "Relax people" he says crisply. "We have an unusual situation on our hands. The Captain wants a search of the area done and I want it done by the numbers." He faces one of his gold-uniformed crewmen. "Darcy, where are the rest of the staff?"
Darcy looks concedingly at her commanding officer. "Apart from us ten sir, I haven't seen any of the others. I assume they're scattered around the area" she tells him, her voice conveying her confusion.
"Well then, Darcy, are the communicators working?" Darcy nods. "You have a knack for logistics" Jeff says. "Start moving people into positions. Three man teams, sweeping the grounds. Tell them to look for any exits from this weird holoprison or whatever it is." Darcy pulls a PADD from her rear pocket and and taps her commbadge as she turns away and begins giving orders. "Gunn, Donaldson, you're with me. Let's go."
********************
Tom sighs and walks away as the security people pan out. He sits down on the grass, intent on enjoying this simulation while the Captain and her flunkies play adventurers. The surroundings are pleasant enough and the temperature is just right for a warm spring's day, a slight breeze blowing. Whoever created this put some thought into making it welcoming and comfortable. Still, there's a nagging doubt in his head. A feeling that he should be doing something... something important, rather than sitting here relaxing. He can't shake the feeling, so instead closes his eyes and concentrates on it, running through his memories. He hits the blank spot once again, but this times makes a real effort to push through. His temples start to throb, but he continues pushing.
Then all of a sudden, a stream of images pass like lightning through his mind, as if one brick has been taken out of the wall, allowing a thin strip of light through. He hears the monitor on a sickbay bed drone with a flatliner, sees a brilliant white light fill the viewscreen and feels the ship lurch dangerously. Words, faces - a man playing a banjo, his former Maquis comrade, B'Elanna. Then the image of a young woman settles in his mind, the sides of her face speckled like a Trill.
His eyes pop open suddenly, the pain in his head quickly subsiding. He doesn't remember the woman, but obviously he must have met her for the image to be in his head. A passing acquaintance from Earth, someone he met at the academy? Who? None of the other memories make any sense. He hasn't seen B'Elanna in months and the only time he was in sickbay on board Voyager was when reporting to Dr Fitzgerald. Instead he focuses on the mystery of this woman's identity. As he thinks, his eyes wander aimlessly over the crew milling around, then settle on one particular Ensign, her uniform displaying the blue band of science and medical. He blinks disbelievingly. The woman in his head is standing right in front of him. Getting up, he strides over to her. "Hi" he says pleasantly.
The woman turns round a little startled, but relaxes straight away and grins. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm a little nervous. I haven't a clue what we're supposed to be doing here."
"That makes two of us" Tom tells her with a small smile of his own. "Er, listen, I know this might sound like a line, but... have we met before? Because you seem familiar for some reason, but I can't think why."
Ezri frowns, studying this man's face closely. He's human, that much is certain. His blond hair is attractively dishevelled and his blue eyes are clear and bright. He's very handsome. Ezri blushes, looking down at her feet. Her mind should be set on trying to figure out what has happened to the missing Voyager crew, not sizing up the available men.
Tom sees her turn red and wonders what she's thinking about at that moment.
He probably already has a girlfriend anyway... or two, Ezri thinks. That thought sobers her up a bit and she focuses her attention back on the question. Looking back up at him, Ezri does feel like she should know him. It's a strange sensation to say the least. "I'm not sure. You do seem familiar to me..." Suddenly a name pops into her head, unbidden. Tom! Where did that come from? I don't know any Toms. On a whim she blurts it out. "Your name wouldn't be Tom by any chance, would it?" Her words are uncertain. She realizes how crazy this all sounds. Familiar faces, odd names coming out of nowhere. She's sure he'll think she's insane.
Tom's eyes widen a little. "Yeah, it is actually. Tom Paris. So we have met?" He shakes his head slightly. "Man, I'm getting deja-vu something bad. So..." He sighs. "I'm sorry, I can't recall your name."
"Ezri... Ezri Tigan" she tells him.
Tom nods approvingly and smiles. "Nice name. Or have I said that before?" He glances back at his quiet spot under one of the oak trees. "We seem to have some time on our hands. Would you care to work with me? Maybe between us we can get through this mental block and see how much we know about each other."
Ezri smiles shyly and nods. "That's probably a good idea." As she follows Tom over to a shady spot under the trees, a million thoughts are running through her mind. Why is Tom so familiar to her when she can't remember ever meeting him before? How does she know his name? Has she really met him before and just doesn't remember it? Or is something more sinister at work here? Something more deliberate than just forgetfulness on her part. And if someone is somehow tampering with their memories, how much time has she lost? Ezri shivers a little, wrapping her arms around herself protectively as she sits down. She's not really cold, just scared and disturbed. The thought of someone raking through her mind and weeding out certain memories is disconcerting at best. She feels so violated! But instinctively, something in her knows that she can trust Tom. And not just because they're both from Starfleet. She can't quite put her finger on it, but there's something about him. "I'm scared, Tom" she blurts out, managing to surprise even herself with her directness. "Has someone been changing our memories?"
Tom hesitates. "Probably" he admits. "But I'm sure it's nothing that can't be fixed. I think our memories have just been blocked rather than altered. This deja-vu we're having sounds like it's some of those memories leaking back into our conscious mind." He sees Ezri's worried expression. "Let's try and get through this one together, okay?" He gently takes her hand and squeezes it supportively. "Now, is there anything else you can remember about me, other than my name? Concentrate hard. I did it a few minutes ago and I think I got somewhere. I remembered you anyway." He smiles at her.
Ezri smiles back, trying to put on a brave front. "Okay, I'll try."
********************
Jeff and his two companions make their way through the trees, striking out away from the clearing. As they shuffle through the overgrowth, his male companion sighs. "Couldn't we have taken a path, sir" he says in a sort of quasi-whine.
Jeff sighs in desparation. "Donaldson, there are no paths. And had there been any, rest assured I would've embraced their use, if only to get you to stop whinging. Now please, show some professionalism and keep quiet."
The group keeps shuffling forward. Donaldson breaks the silence again. "So, Gunn, you're a security officer" he says cheerily.
Gunn pauses for a moment. "Well spotted. I can see why you made Ensign" she quips.
"No no no." He laughs lightly. "I mean, you're a security officer and your last name is Gunn. That's pretty funny" he sniggers. He stops when he realises no-one is joining in. "Sorry" he murmurs.
Jeff half smiles to himself. "If you think that's funny, you should hear her first name."
"Which is?" Donaldson sees Gunn suddenly focus in on the conversation.
"Oh no, don't you dare-"
"Her first name's Raye." Jeff waits for a reaction from him. Gunn just puts her head in her hands and moans.
"Raye" he says, rolling it around. "Unusual but not..." His eyes widen as the penny finally drops. "Raye Gunn? A security officer called Raye Gunn?" He shakes with laughter.
"Lieutenant junior grade Raye Gunn, Ensign" she snaps. "Now be quiet."
They trudge on in silence for a little while. "So how'd you get called Raye Gunn anyway. Didn't your parents notice?" Donaldson starts.
"They named me that on purpose so that I wouldn't join Starfleet security."
"Then why did you?"
"To annoy them" she says smiling. "And I look great in gold."
There's a rustle in the thicket ahead and the three security crew drop to the ground. Jeff hurriedly taps his commbadge. "Darcy, has anyone reported being near our current location."
There's a short pause before his answer comes through. "No sir, we're on our own."
Jeff closes the channel and watches closely. An old man appears, holding a banjo in his hand as he strides through the thick vegetation. He passes in front of them, then vanishes amongst the trees to their left. Jeff slowly gets up, followed by the two behind him. "Alright, lets go." He and Raye are over ten metres away before they realise Donaldson isn't following them. "Donaldson, that wasn't a suggestion" Jeff hisses sternly.
Donaldson shakes his head. "No way sir. I'm not following him."
Jeff rolls his eyes. "Donaldson, he's an sixty-something year old hillbilly with a musical instrument. You're a twenty-five year old Starfleet officer with combat training and a phaser. Now unless he takes you by surprise and beats you to death with his banjo, you've got nothing to worry about."
"Uh-uh. I know what'll happen, I've seen Deliverance." He crosses his arms and shakes his head again for effect. Raye strides over, grabs his arm and starts dragging him in the direction the old man went. Jeff shakes his head in despair and trails after them. They follow the old man for over five minutes before they find out where he's going. They watch as he leaves the woods and walks into a clearing towards a huddle of wooden buildings. The three officers rise partially from the overgrowth, monitoring his movements.
"I think I've got a burr in my shoe."
Donaldson gets a collective "Shhhh!" The old man crosses the clearing and goes towards the largest structure - a hay loft.
"I have. It's digging into my instep. I hate nature." Donaldson inspects his boot. "Ow! Watch it, Gunn" he cries as he rubs his shin.
"Shut up will you. He'll hear us."
The old man walks up to the loft's side and lifts a section of the timber away, revealing a small control panel. He taps a few buttons and stares intently at it. Jeff smiles and turns to his team. "Now's our chance, while he's distracted. I'll sneak up and grab him. You two wait here." He creeps silently across the grass. Twenty metres away... ten metres. He can hear the old man's laboured breathing and the hum of the panel's power source. Five metres now. He reaches for his phaser and takes one last step forward. CRACK! He hadn't even seen the twig, but it had been big enough. The old man whirls round and before Jeff can fire his phaser, something smashes into the side of his head. As he crumples to the floor he sees the old man standing over him, hefting the banjo like a sword. Jeff curses Donaldson inwardly, then passes out.
