Evolutions I: An Act of Betrayal
Part Eighteen
"Captain, we have outfitted your ship with its new systems. Do youreally wish to challenge us?" Callik warned.
"We can discuss it on my ship." Janeway said, trying to take control of the situation.
"Very well, Captain. But you will make sure that the drone is there." Carkonas ordered as he closed the link.
"Janeway to Seven of Nine," Janeway said with a sigh.
"Seven here."
"I need you to meet me in the ready room in ten minutes." Janeway said.
"We do not have anything to discuss." Seven responded.
"It's about the Socadan. They want to see you again." Janeway said reluctantly.
"What?" B'Elanna's voice came through Seven's comm. badge. "You actually let those monsters on the ship?" she asked incredulously.
"We don't have any choice at the moment. They are the one's who supplied the upgrades for most of Voyager's systems. If we engage them we will be at a serious disadvantage." Janeway explained.
"We will be there." Seven closed the link.
"Now comes the hard part," Chakotay said reflecting on how difficult it would be to keep B'Elanna under control, as well as Seven.
"How bad can it be?" Janeway asked optimistically. "They probably just want to give Seven another medical exam. We may even be able to find out what they did to her. Until now Seven's refused every request to submit to a medical exam."
"How could you agree to that, Seven?" B'Elanna asked. "Who knows what they are going to try this time?"
"They are here because they do not understand why Omega was able to bond with me, and not any of their people. We are also at a distinct tactical disadvantage. They know everything about Voyager's systems and we know nothing of theirs." Seven explained.
"What if we leave on Legaia? I bet the Socadan don't know anything about it. We may be able to surprise them." B'Elanna offered, not liking the situation one little bit.
"Leaving now would be unadvisable. I have no data about the Socadan and my systems are not at 100. I must concur with Seven." Legaia said.
"Perhaps you and Naomi could remain here." Seven offered. "You may be able to get enough of Legaia's systems operational so that we can run if necessary."
"No way, Seven." Naomi said, putting her foot down. "You're not as strong as you used to be. If they try anything you won't be able to defend yourself."
"Naomi's right. If we do this, we do it together." B'Elanna agreed.
"The captain is waiting for us." Seven said, relieved that she wouldn't have to do this alone.
"I will continue with minor repairs until you return." Legaia said as they left the ship.
Seven, B'Elanna, and Naomi entered the ready room to find Carkonas and Callik already seated and waiting for them.
Seven couldn't stop the feeling of panic that filled her when she saw them. It was only the comfort of B'Elanna's arms around her waist that helped her calm down. "It's going to be okay Seven." B'Elanna whispered.
"Why are you here? Your business with Voyager has already concluded." Seven said as she took the seat furthest away from the Socadans.
"There have been a few inconsistencies with the procedures we performed on you in comparison to procedures we performed on our own soldiers." Carkonas explained.
"What kind of inconsistencies?" Janeway asked curiously. She wanted to find out as much as she could about what had been done to Seven.
"None of the procedures that we performed on our own people yielded any positive results." Callik said, revealing his frustration.
"That still doesn't explain why you're here." B'Elanna said.
"We are here because we need to perform further studies on the drone. We must know why she was able to bond with Omega while our own people could not." Carkonas explained.
"OMEGA!" Janeway shouted. "Are you telling me there are Omega molecules inside Seven?"
"They are not just simply inside her. They have merged with every cell in her body. The drone is, in essence, an omega life form." Callik said, not bothering to hide his disgust of the humans he was surrounded by.
"Stop calling her 'the drone'." B'Elanna said, standing up.
"This is not the time for this." Seven said as she gently pulled B'Elanna back down into her seat.
"I'm not going to let them talk about you like that Seven." B'Elanna argued. "They act like you're some kind of object."
"To them I am an object and there is nothing that even you can do to change their minds. In the end I will go down in their medical books as test subject one." Seven said with a sigh.
"What kinds of tests do you want to do on Seven?" Janeway asked trying to take control of the meeting.
"We will also require full disclosure of the tests and procedures performed on Seven of Nine." Tuvok stated.
"Wait a minute!" B'Elanna said. "Seven hasn't agreed to anything, least of all being your guinea pig again."
"Once again you find yourself in a position where you no longer have a choice about what happens to you in your own life." Callik said with an evil smirk. "If you do not do what we say we will destroy this ship and everything on it."
"On my planet we have a theory about people. A person is only a person if they control what happens in their own life. Anyone that cannot is not a person at all, merely an animal that was pampered by its master." Carkonas said, smiling as he looked at Seven.
"Seven, I would not ask you to do this if-" Janeway began to say.
"Save it for someone that still believes your lies." B'Elanna said angrily. "What are they paying you off with this time; some more dilithium, a cloaking device?"
"You are out of line, Lieutenant." Janeway said raising her voice as well.
"I'm not part of Starfleet anymore!" B'Elanna shouted. "And if we were back in the alpha quadrant you would be in jail for what you've done."
"You will not find the information that you are looking for with your tests." Seven informed them. She was now resigned to the fact that she would have to tell all of them more about what happened to her.
"And why is that?" Carkonas sneered.
"Omega must decide if you are worthy of Evolution. Your soldiers did not evolve because Omega knew what they would do with that kind of power." Seven said.
"Wait Seven, are you saying that Omega is a sentient life form?" Janeway said, reeling from the information that she was receiving.
"You are correct." Seven said, deciding to ignore Janeway's rank.
"There must be a way to overcome this new variable." Callik said as he started making notes.
"We will just have to perform some more tests." Carkonas said. "I am sure that with time we can overcome this new problem."
"Your tests will fail. Omega is far more powerful than you can imagine. It would unwise to challenge it." Seven warned.
"We shall see." Carkonas said arrogantly. "Now, will you agree to our tests, or will we have to use force?"
"I will agree to the tests only if they are performed aboard Voyager." Seven offered.
"What are you doing, Seven?" Naomi asked.
"Yeah, you can't let those monsters hurt you again." B'Elanna added.
"We do not have a choice. There is no way for us to outrun or fight them. It is the solution with the highest probability of success." Seven said sadly.
"The only way that Seven is going to do this is if we're present while you conduct your 'test'." B'Elanna demanded.
"Your terms are acceptable." Callik agreed.
"We will begin the test immediately. You will show us where your sick bay is." Carkonas ordered.
"It is this way." Seven stood and left the ready room with B'Elanna and Naomi on either side of her, followed closely by Carkonas and Callik.
"Well, that was interesting." Paris said as he watched them leave.
"Indeed." Tuvok agreed. "If Seven has in fact merged with Omega we are under direct orders from Starfleet to destroy her."
"We can't do that!" Paris disagreed. "She is still a sentient life form. Captain, this is not right."
"If we explain the situation to Starfleet I'm sure that it won't come to that." Janeway said, not feeling completely sure about it.
"Do you think that they did anything to B'Elanna and Naomi?" Harry asked.
"I don't think so, Harry." Chakotay said. "The Socadan were only interested in Seven. Even when they first approached us they only wanted B'Elanna and Naomi in case something happened to Seven. Since the experiments they performed on Seven were a success, B'Elanna and Naomi mean nothing to them."
"I hope that you're right." Harry said. "We can't afford to lose all of them."
"This is our sick bay." Seven said as she walked through the door.
"Where is your doctor?" Carkonas asked.
"After we discovered that he selfishly influenced the minds of the crew to get his corporeal form from you, he was demoted to crewmen. A new doctor has not been appointed or trained yet." Seven explained.
"What are you going to do to Seven?" B'Elanna asked angrily, unable to contain her hostility.
"For now we will be performing a molecular scan on the drone then comparing it to those of our soldiers." Callik said.
Carkonas pulled out a scanner from his belt and began to move it up and down in front of Seven. "I don't understand." He said, clearly confused. "Our soldiers were given the inoculations in exactly the same procedure as this drone."
"What has happened to your soldiers?" Seven asked curiously.
"Omega de-stabilized in their bodies and they all returned to normal within 36 hours." Carkonas said, looking up from his scan.
"Did that not encourage your leaders to discontinue your experiments?" Seven asked.
"Normally they would have, but after we showed them your results they decided that we should continue." Callik said.
"Are you finished yet?" B'Elanna asked impatiently.
"For now, we will inform you when we need to perform more tests." Carkonas dismissed them.
"Not a moment too soon." B'Elanna muttered as they left sick bay.
"Are you okay Seven?" Naomi asked. "They didn't hurt you did they?"
"I am well Naomi. In time they will realize they will not be able to duplicate their experiments and hopefully leave." Seven said.
"Let's talk about it more on Legaia." B'Elanna said as she put her arm around Seven's waist and kissed her cheek.
"We're back, Legaia!" Naomi said as she ran into the ship.
"How was your meeting with the Socadan?" Legaia asked curiously.
"As well as could be expected, I guess." B'Elanna sighed as she sat down in one of the chairs.
"They are performing tests on me to see if they can re-create their experiment." Seven informed Legaia.
"Will they be able to succeed?" Legaia asked.
"No, their plans are doomed to failure, they just don't realize it yet." B'Elanna said.
The senior staff was at a standstill about what to do. Even under the best of circumstances it was still a lot of information to take in. Seven had merged with Omega molecules to become a new life form, the doctor had manipulated the crew into abandoning three of its own, and the Socadan knew everything about Voyager's systems, making a direct confrontation almost impossible to win.
"Did the Socadan say how long they were going to be aboard Voyager?" Janeway asked.
"They have not given us a specific time as to when they will leave the ship." Tuvok said.
"I guess we'll just have to ask them." Janeway said. "Computer, what is the location of the Socadan?"
"The Socadan are in sickbay." The computer responded.
"Chakotay, Tuvok, let's go. I want the rest of you to monitor their movements." Janeway said as she left the ready room.
When Janeway, Chakotay, and Tuvok entered sickbay they found Carkonas and Callik arguing.
"We have to take the drone back to the space station. These humans don't have the necessary equipment." Callik argued.
"The equipment here will have to do. We will not be able to bargain for the drone a second time." Carkonas said.
"Are we interrupting something?" Janeway said letting her presence become known.
"No Captain, we were just having a discussion on how to best perform our tests." Carkonas said with a fake smile.
"How long will you be aboard Voyager?" Janeway asked. "We can't wait around for too long, my crew and I are anxious to resume course for the alpha quadrant."
"We will not be much longer." Callik reassured her.
"Then I will leave you to it." Janeway said, wanting nothing more than to get the two aliens off her ship as soon as possible.
"The only choice we have left is to capture the drone?" Carkonas said to Callik when he was sure they were alone.
"It will not be easy. They will refuse to return the drone to us. If they knew that their ship was almost equal to ours in power we would not have even been allowed to board." Callik said.
"Voyager's shields are down, it is only a matter of finding the drone and transporting back to our ship. Once we reach Socadan space it will impossible for them to retrieve it." Carkonas said confidently.
"Very well," Callik agreed.
"Computer, what is the location of Seven of Nine?" Carkonas asked.
"Seven of Nine is in Cargo Bay 2" The computer responded.
"I must retrieve some of my belongings." Seven said, looking up from the console she was working at.
"I didn't know you kept anything in the cargo bay." B'Elanna said as she stood up.
"It is not much, but it has sentimental value." Seven said.
"Sure, I understand, Seven." B'Elanna said with a smile. "I'll walk down with you."
"I'm going to stay and talk to Legaia for a while." Naomi said.
"We'll be back in a little while." B'Elanna said as she and Seven left the ship.
"So, what did you keep in here anyway?" B'Elanna asked curiously.
"A picture of One, and a gift that was given to me when Chakotay and I crashed on the planet that was isolated by an alien shield." Seven said.
"Oh, I remember. That was the away mission Chakotay dragged you on and you made first contact with the natives." B'Elanna said.
As she finished speaking, two shimmers of blue light instantly caught B'Elanna's eye.
"You are not allowed to transport inside the ship unless it's an emergency."
"Oh, but this is an emergency." Carkonas said with an evil smile. "You see, we have to get the drone off this ship before anyone else figures out what we're doing."
"You're not taking Seven anywhere." B'Elanna said with a growl. "Besides if you use those weapons the ship will automatically go to red alert and security will be here in less than 30 seconds."
"Who says we need weapons." Callik said as he threw his weapon to the ground and charged at B'Elanna.
B'Elanna followed suit immediately and rushed at Callik, preparing to launch a kick to his head.
Callik surprised B'Elanna with his speed and strength, catching B'Elanna's foot in mid kick and throwing her across the cargo bay. B'Elanna crashed into a crate and was slow to stand up, favoring her left side.
"You can't expect to beat me, mongrel." Callik said with a superior tone. "I am you superior in every way." He rushed at her again.
B'Elanna was somehow able to deliver a punch to Callik's jaw that sent him sprawling. "Well, you're not so tough." B'Elanna smirked. "Down in one hit."
"Just a lucky punch," Callik said, standing up and wiping the blood off his lip. "You will not be so lucky a second time."
"Let's find out." B'Elanna said as she performed a round house kick.
Callik easily caught her foot again, but this time instead of throwing her across the room he meted out a punishing blow to her unguarded mid-section.
B'Elanna fell to her knees, coughing up blood. The punch had broken a couple of her ribs, at the very least.
"Pathetic," Callik said as he turned away from B'Elanna to face Seven. "If that is your champion, you will not last very long."
Seven was too shocked to respond. She had never seen B'Elanna lose a fight before, especially this quickly. There was also the fact that she hated violence. The atrocities that she had been forced to commit as a Borg still weighed heavily on her.
"We're not finished yet." B'Elanna said in a weak voice as she slowly got to her feet, shocking both Carkonas and Callik.
"Impossible," breathed Callik. "No one has ever gotten up from that punch before."
B'Elanna using the last of her strength to swing a punch at Callik but her weariness caused her to miss, a mistake that Callik quickly took advantage of. Callik grabbed B'Elanna's fist and spun her around. Wrapping his free hand around her neck, he gave it a sharp pull. A loud crack could be heard as B'Elanna fell lifelessly to the floor.
"B'Elanna!" Seven screamed as she rushed to her and frantically checked for a pulse. "NO! You can't leave me B'Elanna. I need you." She whispered despairingly.
Her hands began to glow softly as she lowered her hands towards B'Elanna's neck.
Callik grabbed Seven by the shoulders and pulled her up before she could touch B'Elanna. "We are going to find out everything about you, especially what that light was."
"No! Please let me go." Seven pleaded as she struggled to get out of Callik's vice like grip.
"Careful," Carkonas instructed. "We must not damage the drone, it's too valuable."
"As you wish," Callik said as he pulled the struggling, and now crying, Seven towards Carkonas.
Carkonas tapped his comm. badge and the three disappeared in a mass of blue light.
"Captain, I just detected a transport from Cargo Bay 2 to the Socadan vessel." Harry Kim announced as the Socadan vessel left at maximum warp.
"Red alert, set an intercept course. Tuvok take a security team to Cargo Bay 2 and find out what they took." Janeway ordered.
Tuvok simply nodded as he left the bridge.
"Captain, we're falling behind, and we're at maximum warp." Tom Paris said from the helm.
"How long before we lose contact with them?" Janeway asked.
"We have, at best, another ten minutes." Paris estimated.
"We won't need to see them to follow." Harry said as he looked down at his console. "What ever they're using to power their engines is leaving a pretty easy trail to follow."
"Captain, I have found B'Elanna Torres." Tuvok said over the comm.
"Does she know what was taken?" The Captain asked.
"I would assume that they have captured Seven of Nine."
"B'Elanna told you this?" Janeway wanted to be sure.
"No Captain, but the only way someone could capture Seven is if B'Elanna were dead."
To Be Continued...
Don't you just love cliff hangers? Wait you guys don't? All this time I was putting them in because I thought you liked them.
You know what you have to do if you want the next chapter any time soon.