Hey,

This part is pivotal to the whole story and I'm completely unnerved at the thought of posting it. It took alot of strength to write and it's major R for major things that you will soon discover...Don't hate me - just judge this fairly... Any comment is a good comment lol

*deep seeded sigh* here goes nothing...

~Gimpy~

****

Part 6

An animalistic panic gripped her soul, churning her stomach and causing bile to rise up. She registered the look in his eyes, saw the undaunted maliciousness he portrayed without recourse. His overbearing form moved closer and instinctively she jumped out of her seat and raised her hand towards him, a failed attempt to halt his advances.

"Stay back or I'll scream." The futile words dripped from her quivering lips.

His smirk grew, baring his unsightly teeth. "Do it. Scream," he crowed, advancing even further into the room. "Show me your fear."

Her breath caught involuntarily and her strength dwindled. Anxiety took over and she scampered to the other side of the room. Tears started to blur her frightened eyes but she never blinked them back, just watched as he flexed his muscles in a vain attempt to intimidate her.

Her body started to twitch, her knees going weak from trepidation. Her back pressed into the wall so hard she could feel bruises start to form on the delicate skin lying there. The overbearing Hirogan basked in the way his prey fell apart before him. His fingers itched to touch her, desire for the vixen had been growing for far too long. She was an acceptable prey gone to waste in this idiotic venture his commanding officer was forcing him and his men to endure.

What could it hurt to indulge himself just a little? The petite form before him was frail but easily mended. The Commandant didn't even have to know. It was that thought that made him grin even more. The thought of gaining what he'd wanted for so long, and getting away with it, was too much temptation to ignore. With eager need, he allowed his eyes to travel along her slender body. She was far too thin but her skin was smooth, a more then appealing aspect to a man with rough rigid skin of his own. The paleness of the half bared leg that slipped from her revealing gown irked him and he wondered what it would feel like under his callused hands.

A shudder of disgust withered through her as he took his precious time taking her in. If his intent hadn't been absolutely clear before, it was now and before she even had a chance to think about it, her lips parted, her lungs filled with tainted air and a loud ear piercing scream forced its way from her tiny body.

Squeezing her eyes closed, she screamed as loud as she could until her lungs burned desperately for air and she swore she was going to pass out. What met her ears next would haunt her for as long as she would remember. Along with her intrepid scream, a deep, all-encompassing laughter mingled in the void of blackness behind her closed lids. The scream faded and her eyes peeked open. In the middle of the room, the Hirogan stood, laughing buoyantly at her.

The sound rammed into her body and she felt her resolve once again dissipate with each chuckle that rolled from his mouth. This was a joke to him, a game and she knew now that she was going to lose.

Without warning, the Hirogan stopped mid-laugh and his arm shot out, his fingers wrapping firmly around her throat. He enjoyed the whimper that followed and jerked her closer to him. With his free hand he brushed at her hair almost charmingly. "Stupid woman... Did you think that was really going to work?"

Seven tried to speak but his large fingers prevented anything but a pathetic whimper from escaping her lips. Struggling, she linked her own fingers around his wrist and tried to pull him away as a single fresh tear broke down her cheek.

He watched the tear with a psychotic admiration before pulling her up off the ground. Dipping his head, he darted out his tongue and licked at the salty water droplet. A groan vibrated through him at the taste and he quickly grabbed her around the waist. Brash hardened lips descended on softer gentler protesting ones. Seven somehow managed to shove her arms between their bodies but it didn't matter. She was no match for the overly muscular monster.

Without conscious thought, she shot one hand up, curled her fingers and clawed at his face. She felt the skin break beneath her nails, heard him cry out and rejoiced when his hold loosened. Quickly that feeling flew away when she realized it wasn't enough. His hands tightened around her neck, constricting her ability to breathe. The corners of her eyes darkened as a lack of oxygen took hold of her mind and body.

She was losing the battle for consciousness and tried to fight it, knowing exactly what would happen if she passed out. In a fit of panic, she clawed again, over and over at his face, breaking and peeling at his skin. Finding his eyes she gouged, ripping at the soft flesh. He cried out once more and propelled her back, slamming her into the wall.

Her limp form hit the ground hard, hacking coughs tearing through her shoulders and chest as she tried to regain her breath. The Hirogan cradled his wounded appendage, blood dripping down his cheek and cascading to the carpeted floor. The thought of escape was fleeting to Seven as she was hit with the reality that her legs wouldn't respond to her mind. Trapped and incapacitated, she laid there, silently weeping like a traumatized child. Wisps of air tried desperately to reach her starved lungs as she gasped repeatedly.

****

"Damn it!" Chakotay cursed beneath his breath as he tried once more to break down the door before him. He'd seen the Nazi Commander enter, had listened with growing dread as a struggle could be heard seeping from the cracks of the offending piece of wood along with a heart stopping scream. Her scream.

Balling his fists, he slammed them into the door, envisioning it as the masochistic monster that could be brutalizing Seven right now. All of a sudden things went quiet inside the room and he stopped mid hit. His heart dropped the last few feet straight into his stomach. Silence could only mean one thing. He didn't understand how the hell he'd been pulled into Seven's vision quest, but he had become a part of this which meant he was going to do whatever it took to save her. In the back of his mind there was a fleeting thought that all of this was real, that this had all happened those few weeks ago.

No one had saved her then and he wasn't about to let it happen again. Grabbing hold of the doorknob, he stepped back, prepared himself, then rammed his shoulder straight into the door.

****

Through her whimpering cries, Seven heard a crack emanating from the door. Her heart pounded in her chest and ears. Someone was there, trying to get in. Sniffling back her tears, she moved quickly, swinging out her leg and colliding with her attacker's. It was unexpected and the large man stumbled to the ground beside her. It became a battle of strength as both Seven and the Hirogan fought for dominance.

His weight and power were too much for her and she soon found herself beneath his heavy, prone body. He pushed into her, slamming her shoulders into the ground with one arm. With the other, he backhanded her. Her neck snapped to the side with the force, her cheek brushing painfully with the floor. Once again, her vision swarmed and she cringed at the feel of the blood pouring from her bitten tongue.

Pushing down on her windpipe with his forearm, the Hirogan tore at her clothes with the other, peeling back the silvery dress from her shaking form. She wanted to stop him, push him away with her arms but they wouldn't respond to her commands. The only thing she could do was allow the tears to pour and struggle to breathe as he groped at her now exposed torso.

Turning her head to the door, she watched, tormented, as it seemed to bulge from his hinges every few seconds. Ignoring the man atop her, attempting to ravage her, she concentrated on the person trying to get in. She cursed the door as it continued to stand up to the beating it was receiving. A gasp fluttered from her lips as the Hirogan's cold hands made contact with her hip and began to pull at the garment.

'Oh god, please...Oh god...' She silently begged her savior to barge in and kill the monster that was on the verge of violating her in a way no man had ever done before. Taking from her the first sexual experience of her life.

A booming crack rebounded off the walls of the tiny space and a bright light from outside blinded her. She felt the man atop her freeze and turn to the door. What happened next she would never be able to tell you, except for that the weight atop her vanished and a few seconds later she was being covered in a blanket by the most beautiful man she'd ever seen.

****

When he finally managed to break in, the sight that greeted him caused bile to rise up into his throat. The Hirogan had Seven pinned beneath him, half-naked and trembling. Hatred boiled through his blood and he swiftly grabbed the Hirogan by his collar and tossed him across the room. The two men were both equally surprised at the strength Chakotay exuded.

The shock quickly passed and the two men were at each other's throats, throwing in punches. The Hirogan, already wounded by Seven, went down easily and, like magic, vanished into thin air. Breathless, Chakotay turned his attention back to the overly exposed woman lying unmoving on the bloodied ground. Making his way to her, he grabbed a blanket off a nearby chair and dropped to his knees beside her.

With tenderness he didn't know he possessed, he wrapped her up in the blanket and pulled her to his chest. Brushing at her hair, he called to her to open her eyes, whispering it was okay now, that he was gone.

Uncertainly, Seven did as the familiar voice asked and forced her eyes open. When she caught sight of his face, she lunged into his arms, the tears coming full force, racking through her whole body. He pulled her even closer, holding her as she trembled in his arms. She buried herself into his chest, her tears soaking his clothes.

Both were so intent on the other that neither of them noticed when, in a bright light, the dream world vanished much like the Hirogan had. In a crumpled heap on the floor in Cargo Bay 2, they continued to hold each other as Seven's tortured sobs filled the room.

A piece of Chakotay's heart broke off with each sob that emanated from the torn woman in his arms. The realism in this one earnest moment tore at him. What hurt more was the knowledge that what had happened was only slightly real. That in the real world no one had been there to save her. In all the time she was on this ship, this home, she'd spent it on her own, locked away in her Cargo Bay or in Astrometrics. She did it because she never needed companionship, it was obsolete, but the one time she desperately needed someone, there was nothing but her empty screams.

A scream so tortured, so primal it still hummed through his mind, shook him to his core. Peering down at the crown of blonde hair resting atop his chest, his soul withered for the pain she was feeling. Suddenly, Seven stiffened and her sobs became timid sniffles. Reluctantly, he let her go as she tried to sit up on her own.

He watched as she stared down at the floor, her cheeks flushing. With tentative hands, he leaned and lifted her chin. She adverted her gaze from his causing him to frown, though it didn't divert him from the task of gently brushing at the tears that now marred her pale cheeks.

A shudder rippled through her body at the all-empowering comfort he seemed to be able to exude with just one simple action. Turning, she connected her gaze with his and held it, trying to portray her gratefulness through that one look. He seemed to understand, offering a warm embrace for her to hide in. She declined, sliding back on the floor until her back rested against one of the cargo containers that riddled the room.

A groan slipped from her tensely pinched lips. An odd, sharp pain reverberated at the center of her legs and spread through out her entire body. It was new to her, something she'd never felt before.

"What is it?" Chakotay whispered softly, following her to lean against the container.

She couldn't look at him, an overbearing self-consciousness controlling her. "I am experiencing some pain."

"Where?" When she flushed at his question it dawned on him. The way she moved slowly, protective of her pelvis and stomach. A lump formed in his throat, one that he couldn't swallow and he wished he'd swallowed his question.

Still trembling uncontrollably, Seven racked over the events that had been shown in the vision. Analyzing and trying to bring logic to it all was a protective device she'd come accustomed to doing. A human habit that irked her but it was something she did without thought.

Chakotay kept his eyes on her, unable to look away. He knew he was being intrusive, just staring at her as she struggled for some semblance of normality. Dropping his gaze to her white clenched hands, he knew she was doing it just to keep them from shaking, unsuccessfully. Hesitating, he reached for them and peeled them apart. Entwining their hands, he cringed at how cold she was. She didn't seem to mind when he took one hand away, wrapped his arm around her shoulder and intertwined his fingers with her again; in fact she moved closer to him.

His own body heat vibrated off of him in waves, warmth she needed more then anything. He tried to be endearing, a solid stone of strength for her to lean on. A strange sensation flooded his being when she broke down again. Pride and something else he couldn't quite decipher. It was a profound feeling of being somehow honored that she allowed herself to be vulnerable in front of him. All her well garnered walls evaporated and she was simply Seven.

A broken, desolate and irreversibly tainted Seven. From now on nothing would ever be the same for her.

"How?" Her tiny devastated voice shocked him and he was at a loss for words. She didn't seem to mind as she continued. "How could that have happened without my knowing it?"

He closed his eyes at her question and sighed. "None of us know exactly what happened." The words were meaningless to her.

"No," she refused, unable to believe what he knew was true. "I would have been informed." Her eyes brimmed with tears, her pupils so dilated she looked insane with grief. "The Doctor would have repaired me... He would have found a way to tell me. He did not, thus it could not have happened."

"Seven..." He wanted to stop her from going down this path. "I wish so badly that it hadn't, but it did..."

Snapping her head up, she glared at him. "How can you be so sure? You said yourself that the Akoonah is a process and it's visions need to be analyzed after many sessions so one can fully understand what they are trying to say." He could tell she was becoming livid, unable to see reason where she normally would have found an overabundance of it.

"That's true, but this was different, you know that. I was pulled in, I saw it for myself. In all the vision quests I've been in, none of them were ever as clear as that was. You have to deal with this." He hated the words coming from his mouth almost as much as she did.

Disgusted with him, she sprung to her knees two feet away from him. Turning her angered glare to him, she spat, "Why? Why can't it be a lie?" She knew she sounded unstable, clinging to something that had no bearing. It was illogical, to her.

Tentatively, Chakotay moved onto his knees and inched slightly closer to her. "Because," he murmured, "You know better. You're a reasonable person Seven but if you need proof then I'll get it for you."

Puzzled, Seven followed his form as he stood and moved to the console situated in the center of the Cargo Bay. An inkling to follow pricked in the back of her mind but she couldn't trust her legs to carry her the distance. She resigned herself to sitting there in anticipation for the trick that he had up his sleeve.

Something Seven had said earlier prompted him as his nimble fingers flashed over the screen like lightning. In a matter of seconds, he found what he was looking for and frowned. To be right meant breaking the remnants of her soul but either way that was bound to happen.

Hanging his head he called to her, "There, come look for yourself."

A flustered heat brushed against her cheeks. "I don't think I can..." she admitted solemnly.

Without thought he crossed the room and bent down. Wrapping his arms around her torso he gently pulled her off the ground, catching her when she stumbled. Together they made their way to the console. With each step, Seven's heart picked up speed. Her ocular implant swiftly landed on the screen and divulged itself to the information it contained. The Doctor's memory banks sat plainly and boldly before her. Random squares of stored memories were gone, black voids taking their place. She lost herself in them, unable to see past them as she realized exactly why the Doctor had said nothing.

Self-hatred cornered Chakotay's already rampaging emotions and it grew as he watched her unfold even further. Without warning, she crumpled under her own weight, bringing the two of them down.

"I'm sorry... God I am so sorry," he knew he didn't have to apologize but he did, he couldn't help it.

Her breathing became labored as she attempted to regain a single molecule of composure. Convulsing in his arms, he felt her stomach churn and quickly leaned her over as bile rose in her throat, spewing from her quivering lips. He felt himself getting sick just watching her. Running his hand up and down her back, he tried to ease the pain as she continued to throw up until all she could do was dry heave.

Her throat burned so intensely it felt as if it was on fire, her chest felt hollow, the feeling spreading through her shoulders. Concentrating on Chakotay's warming ministrations, she managed to calm the upheaval in her stomach. She leaned into his hand and groaned from pleasure and pain.

Tears pricked at the back of Chakotay's own eyes but he managed to hold them back, for her own sake, not his. It was getting far later then he ever thought it would. With his determination set in stone, nothing was going to shake it from him. Pulling her closer to his body, he spoke crisply into the stale air. "Computer, lock onto mine and Seven of Nine's comm signals and perform a sit to sit transport to my quarters."

If the woman in his arms had heard his commands, she never showed it, never even lifted her head when they were locked onto and transported onto the floor of Chakotay's dark quarters. Her silence was beginning to frighten him. She'd always been a silent person but it meant more now then just a characteristic. Her eyes never left the floor, wide and shrink-wrapped in tears that refused to fall and he was positive she'd fallen into the grasp of shocks frozen hands.

Doing the only thing he could, he slipped his arm under her knees and cautiously lifted her. It took major effort on his part just to stand but he won out. Through the dimly light room he knew by heart, he weaved his way deeper into the expanse.

Shifting a heavy foot around, he connected with the edge of his bed and gingerly knelt down onto it. With the weight of her prone form in his arms, he was forced to practically crawl to the head of the bed. Reaching his destination, he mindfully lowered Seven down. Intuitively she curled in on herself, like a cascading effect, her whole body shutting down.

To him she looked like a statue created to represent pure and utter sorrow. Forlorn, withdrawn, unmoving, she lay there peering at nothing. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. Being forced to watch with every passing second as she remained stoic, a blank canvas with a lack of color so violent it was disturbing. Heaving a heavily burdened breath, he did the only thing he could think off. Lowering himself next to her shivering form, he wrapped a loose arm around her side and held her ever so slightly that he could barely feel her but he knew that was the way it had to be. An inch closer, a tad tighter and she'd awake in a panic, kicking and screaming, believing she'd returned to the hell he'd accompanied her to not so long ago.

His body ached for sleep, even if for only a moment but he couldn't. Couldn't risk not being coherent if she snapped out of the spell she was under. It was a losing battle as his own body disobeyed him. He slipped into an uneasy slumber, tortured by his memories of the vision quest, of her screams and sobs.

It wasn't until he awoke that he realized he had fallen asleep against his own will. Staring up at ceiling of his quarters, the memories bombarded him. Grief clutched at his throat, weaving itself into a tiny ball of anguish. Rolling over, his heart jumped out his chest. She was gone, her form no longer taking up the space next to him.

"Computer, locate Seven of Nine!" he cried out, becoming anxious at the time it took for the computer to respond. A matter of seconds turned into a lifetime.

"Seven of Nine is in Commander Chakotay's quarters."

Dumbfounded, Chakotay scampered out of his bed and canvassed the room for her comm badge. Hoping beyond all hope that she hadn't left it here so she could disappear, he was relieved when it was nowhere in sight. It was a fleeting feeling when he realized there was the other room. Rounding the bed. he marched on heated feet to the entrance. Blonde hair radiated in the semi-darkened room, hunched undauntedly over a small computer screen on his lone coffee table.

Thanking god for small miracles, he inched his way into the room. Coming to a stand a few feet away from her, he cleared his throat. Her feverish hands stilled for a moment then returned to their task, flying across the keys speedily.

"Seven? What are you doing?" He didn't want to break the silence but his curiosity got the better of him.

She seemed to stiffen at his question before completely ignoring his presence. Moving closer, Chakotay stared down at the same screen her own eyes had been intent on for the last few hours. A sinking feeling hit him full force at what he saw. On one side of the screen were the Doctor's memory logs, its missing pieces still boldly staring back at him. On the other, some kind of algorithmic program designed to rebuild lost information.

As soon as her companion had succumbed to sleep, Seven had tried herself to follow. Unsuccessful, she found her way to this small computer, determined to disprove what she knew was truth. It had been hours now and what she'd found had the potential to send her even further into the spiral of depression she was already knee deep in.

Absentmindedly, she listened as Chakotay made his way to the couch beside her and sat down slowly. He remained quiet but she felt his eyes on her trying to gauge the thoughts rampaging through her head. Up until he'd awakened she'd felt almost sure of herself, confident in her ability to stay strong and in control. Now, with his eyes trained on her, obvious concern littered in the dark pools, she felt that confidence falter just enough for one single tear to break through and trickle down her pale, sallow cheek.

No words came from him, not even a sigh of pity for that lone tear and its hallowed path. She despised it, wanted to rip the isolated feelings to shreds and spread them along the floor so she could trample on them.

"I...Had to know for sure." She didn't intend to say the words but they came anyway.

Chakotay said nothing, waiting for her to continue, knowing she'd have to. The normally reserved woman seemed to be starved for some kind of voice. If he responded, she'd lose her own nerve to express herself. The concept was not an easy one to realize about her. Now that he knew he was going to use it to his advantage.

It worked.

"I was able to retrieve most of the deleted files. They were damaged but... the meaning is intact..." A slight quiver in her voice, another tempered tear, she was past the point of caring. "They confir... confirm," the sentence stayed unfinished as her sobs thrashed her slender frame.

His own unsolicited tears made themselves known and he couldn't hold back any longer. Dropping to the floor next to her, he pulled her to him. He hated himself for being true, hated that she had to find out like this, hell he hated that it happened. Anger surged through him at the perverted actions of a pitiful excuse of an alien race.

There were no words to ease the sobs of this woman, no action that could mend what had been broken. Forced to sit there and do nothing went completely against his nature. He needed to take action, form a plan, aid in some way that would have results. He wished he could put her heart together again, seal it with a band-aid and kiss it better.

What shocked him the most was that she didn't want anything else but to be held as she cried. The gentle swirling circles he drew on her back with his hand seemed almost enough to calm her. It wasn't but it seemed it. When she did manage to calm herself, what she revealed to him next would haunt him for days on end.

"I wish to exact revenge."

TBC