Enterprise-
Ten Forward-
Guinan-
"Will you stop them? The Borg, I mean."
"I know who you mean. Why would I stop them?"
Guinan sighed. She really didn't even have to ask. Q so rarely interfered with the goings on of the creatures in his territory. That was the way of the Kami. It was his right to decide whether or not to interfere and Guinan understood that better than almost anyone else on the ship. Still... "You're sure?"
"Oh, yes. This time, they get no help from me at all." There was a malicious glee in Q's voice as he, undoubtedly, thought about the prospects of the imminent encounter. He didn't elaborate on what he was thinking and Guinan thought that it was probably a good thing. "I love seeing the look on Jean-Luc's face when he comes up against something he can't hope to overcome. He looks so deliciously irritated. Not angry or frightened, just irritated. I expect he thinks that death is a minor inconvenience."
"Did anyone ever tell you you're sadistic?" She understood him, but that didn't mean she had to agree. It had been so long since she'd seen life as a Kami should that perhaps she couldn't agree with him. She had too much empathy with the lower creatures she was now forced to live amongst. She'd seen so much of their pain and suffered though enough pain of her own to share Q's cold happiness at the thought of a minor battle.
"Yes." Q looked at her out of the corner of his eye, an unexpected courtesy. "Don't fret. I'm sure they'll do fine. They always do." How strange to hear such a remark from Q.
"Don't let Jean-Luc hear you talking like that." Guinan didn't even try to keep the teasing tone out of her voice. "He'll think you're going soft."
"Let him think what he likes. The fact's stand as they are." Q looked out the window of Ten Forward, all of his many senses intent on the approaching cube. "They've done well in the past against those abominations." More than a hint of distaste filled his voice as he spoke of the Borg.
Guinan followed Q's gaze. Any minute now, the Enterprise's sensors would detect the Borg Cube and the action would stop. She crossed her arms and prepared herself. Even Kami were not truly immortal. Guinan was especially vulnerable without her planet to give her power. She could easily die. With that morbid thought in mind, Guinan's hand slipped into a concealed pocket of her outfit. Her fingers wrapped around a small, marble sized, irregularly shaped rock. From that little rock, she felt a tingle of power.
It was her last remaining piece of her planet. A single stone from a once glorious world. It was also the only thing keeping her alive.
"Let's hope history repeats itself." Because if there was a life lost, and if that life happened to be that of a certain blonde human, Guinan suspected that they would have to wish that the Earth Kami should die with hi human. To have an enraged, grief stricken Kami on the Enterprise would surely mean death for everyone on board.
Q was thinking about something, Guinan believed as she looked at his reflection in the window. Of course she couldn't tell what, Kami were unable to understand each other in such ways as they understood the creatures of their own domains. Still, she was sure she saw something different about him. His posture or the set of his face, just something that was different. There was something on his mind more than just the approaching Borg. Q was the sort of being who could laugh at the misfortune of others. He could also cry with a dying star because he could feel the pain it was in, the immense grief of such a thing as a star. He'd told Guinan, once, that stars could feel as easily as any other creature. They didn't think or feel exactly the same as creatures such as humans or vulcans or klingons did, but pain...pain was universal.
It disturbed Guinan, that look in Q's eyes. Intense and thoughtful. It made Guinan realize that she hadn't actually spoken with Q in such a long time. Oh, he visited the ship as often as he could without being conspicuous to the others of his clan, but he rarely deigned to come to her Ten-Forward. Guinan disliked his visits, he disrupted the smooth running of the ship and always drove poor Jean-Luc slightly mad with his games. She hadn't really spoken to him in centuries, not like she was now. She wasn't really bothered by the fact that he was thinking, no Kami could truly be called stupid. Foolish or insane, yes. Stupid, no. It was the fact that she could tell that he was thinking. Kami liked to keep their masks on, especially around each other. Even their new guest, the D Kami from Earth, had a mask to hide his thoughts and whatever type of emotions he might have. Q was letting something slip passed his mask, though, and Guinan itched to know the cause of the slip. She wanted to know what Q was thinking and what could distract him to show what he didn't want to show.
Oh. There they were. Guinan's attention was stolen away when the Borg Cube appeared visually and red lights began flashing in Ten Forward.
"Jean-Luc's seen them." Q commented, unnecessarily. "It's about time."
"Impatient, aren't you?"
"I like to see how Jean-Luc will react. Hush now. This will be fun."
Guinan knew it then. She knew what distracted Q so badly and it worried her deeply. He was thinking of Jean-Luc.
Tet-chan-
"Bradley? Where'd you go?"
Tet-chan ignored Alexander and wondered how long he could hide under the child's bed. He really didn't want to be here and if it weren't for the fact that it was the Count's request, he'd have escaped easily and been nagging at Chris to clean his room or eat all his vegetables. Instead, he was waiting for some alien child to leave so he could start investigating the starship.
Alexander was being stubborn, though, and Tet-chan was bored under the bed. There weren't even any dust bunnies to play with.
Tet-chan felt old. This was exactly the reason why he didn't like having free time on his hands. It gave him far too much time to think. To think of what used to be. He thought of the long, lonely years spent by Chris' bedside, waiting and wishing for the boy's eyes to open. All the guilt and misery he'd suffered though that terrible time. To think of the times before he'd given himself to Count D, given his life over to the great and glorious Kami. Tet-chan was happy with his life, for the most part. It was no debasement to himself that he served the Count, in fact many would consider it a great honor. Tet-chan knew for a fact that he gave the Count great honor just by consenting to live as one of the Count's pets. The other two Kami would have loved to have Tet-chan in their own collections.
'Collection? Yes. I guess that's what I am. A nick-nack on a shelf to collect dust.' Tet-chan shook that depressing thought away. He didn't like it. Too often in the passed years had Tet-chan thought of his own life and what, exactly, he was. He'd wondered if he was really important to the Count or...or if he was just another pet. Another adoring creature to happily die for the Count's pleasure.
It was painfully obvious that the Count was in love with Leon. Tet-chan couldn't ignore the fact or dismiss it. The Count had spent the passed few centuries waiting for Leon. Tet-chan didn't have a chance. He loved the Count, too. Hopeless and madly, he loved the Kami who owned him. It didn't matter. Tet-chan knew he would not stop loving the Count, he couldn't. So he would spend the rest of his life basking in the beauty of the Count. He would do everything in his power to please the Count. He would obey and he would cook and he would mind the children while the Count perused that human...perused Leon.
So...yes.
When all was said and done, he was just another pet.
"Bradley? Don't you want to eat?"
'Ugg. Why must it be Bradley?' Tet-chan's thoughts were interrupted by the child who'd found him in one of the corridors.
Alexander got on his hands and knees and peered under the bed. "I have to go to school now. Don't you want breakfast first?" He smelled so vastly different from Chris that Tet-chan had to steel himself not to recoil away from the child. Smell was almost everything to animals and Tet-chan was no exception. At least this child had a vague, lingering human sort of scent. "Come on, don't be shy." Alexander pouted. "Father's probably going to make me get rid of you, anyway. You must belong somewhere. I wonder if you just wandered out of the zoological lab."
Tet-chan turned his head away. There wasn't much possibility that Alexander would be giving him human flesh and if it wasn't human, Tet-chan didn't want it. He could wait until he got home to eat. The Count always had something delicious saved for Tet-chan.
"Awww..." Alexander sighed. "Come on." He reached under the bed suddenly and seized one of Tet-chan's horns and started to pull.
Unintentionally, Tet-chan let out a muted roar, more of surprise than pain. He snarled in protest, wishing that the child could understand him but knowing that if he could the Count would surely scold him for using such language in front of an innocent child, alien or not. He tried to dig his claws into the carpet to keep himself under the bed. The little boy was stubborn, though, and kept pulling with strength that his scrawny little body couldn't have. Alexander sat on the floor and added his other hand.
"Come on, Bradley!" Alexander urged as he pulled with all his strength. "I'll miss school if you don't come out and father will yell at me, again!" With his hands on both of Tet-chan's horns, he yanked hard enough to make Tet-chan think killing the child might not be such a bad idea after all. The last person to pull his horns like that had been Chris the first day they'd met. "Don't sulk under there!"
In the end, after a bit of a tussle, Tet-chan allowed himself to be pulled out and led to the 'breakfast'. It wasn't much of a meal and Tet-chan had no intention of putting any of into his mouth. It was a bowl of some kind of short, wiggling worm and it smelled horrible. "Go on." Alexander encouraged with a blissful expression on his face as he knelt on the floor next to Tet-chan. "Father says targs love this stuff."
Instead, Tet-chan lay down on his stomach and refused to even open his mouth. If the boy was brave enough to try and force Tet-chan's mouth open, he'd take a few fingers to teach the boy caution.
Alexander waited a few minutes before his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Oh, all right. I'll be back after school. Just stay out of trouble and maybe father will let me keep you." He left the room looking extremely disappointed.
This was just too much. Tet-chan was a gourmet. Why should he be forced to eat filth? It would kill him, surely. Then again, maybe that wouldn't be so bad. Would it really be so awful to die? Sometimes, Tet-chan didn't think so. 'Stupid.' Tet-chan berated himself. 'Too busy. Can't just die.' That was right. He had far too many responsibilities to take care of. Even if Chris was awake and even if they had found Leon, Tet-chan couldn't let himself die. He just knew Chris would cry if he died and he couldn't stand to see that. Then again, it wasn't as if he had much of a future except for serving the Count. Not that he didn't love serving the Count!
Just...there would be no young. He was the last of his kind and that could sometimes get lonely, if he thought about it for to long. He'd gone for years without seeing another Tou-Tetsu, but it hadn't really worried him. Tou-Tetsu's were solitary creatures, but for immediate family. He didn't start even thinking about it until he was claimed by the Count. That was why he was so prized. The last of the Tou-Tetsu. After his death, there would be no more.
Tet-chan had never expected to live as long as he had. He had long ago believed that he was the last of his kind. All other Tou-Tetsu's had been hunted down by humans, one of Tet-chan's many reasons for hating them. Once, so long ago that he could barely remember, Tet-chan had a younger sister. She was precocious and arrogant. A pretty little thing with long hair as red as his own and the sweetest smile. He could still remember having to pull nettles out of her hair when she'd come home a mess from some hunting. That had been a long time ago.
Long before Tet-chan had given himself to his master.
Back in the days when humans still lived in rude villages and dressed in the skins of animals. When the sky was like diamond, clear and without the pollution induced by fire and other things Tet-chan really didn't understand. When he lived in the dark jungles of, what humans called, India. The near stifling heat and the always humid air...the cries of other hunters in the safety of the night. How simple those days had been.
There was a memory tickling at the back of his mind, begging to be let to the front. Another child with dark skin and innocent eyes. A child like Chris, whom Tet-chan loved as his own blood. A child with bright eyes whose hunger for human flesh rivaled Tet-chan's. Only, his name had not been Tet-chan. Back then, he was Sein-Yau.
Flashback-
He waited in the cool of the night, watching the field carefully. All the men were leaving, returning to their homes in the nearby village.
"Now?"
"Hush." He whispered warningly. "Soon." He was waiting for one, in particular. One that he'd been watching for several days and nights. He knew the young man's habits by now. He knew this one would wait a little while after the others had left, lagging behind to finish his work while others went home to their families. He was a hard worker and without a family. Perfect prey.
"Sein-Yau, why are we waiting? I'm hungry."
Sein-Yau had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. They hadn't eaten in days, but that was no excuse. "Impatience rarely fills empty bellies, sister." He murmured. She was small, so much smaller than Sein-Yau that he almost regretted taking her out to hunt like this. Still, she had to learn sometimes and her instincts were going to start leading her on solitary hunts, soon. Sein-Yau would see that she was trained to keep herself out of trouble before that happened. "I see the one we want and there will be time when there are no distractions. The other humans would cause trouble, if they knew what lived so close by."
"I don't care what they think. I'm hungry!" Pau-Ni licked her lips, never taking her eyes from the lone human still digging away at the rice field with his long-handled hoe. "Isn't he lovely?" She added in a longing voice. Sein-Yau knew his dear sister wasn't talking about the man's looks, though he was fine looking, for a human. Rather long hair, black, like that of all the villagers, and a smooth, unblemished face. He was bare from the chest up and wore only knee-length trousers of the roughest wool. It was easy to see how hard he worked, his body was lean, muscled and covered in sweat.
"I will roast him." Sein-Yau announced with a pleased smile. "With a bit of garlic."
Pau-Ni snorted, earning herself a smack on the back of head. In the field the young man had started at the noise and Sein-Yau didn't want him frightened away. "Hush."
"You always have to cook everything! Can't we eat him raw?" Pau-Ni rubbed her head where Sein-Yau had whacked her.
"No." Sein-Yau hated to just eat anything. It had to be done properly. "Be quiet and watch. I think it's time. You stay here." The sun was now set and the field was properly dark. The young man was alone and stood up to wipe his forehead clean of the sweat. He seemed surprised to find that it was so dark and Sein-Yau thought it was amusing that he'd thrust himself into his work with so much enthusiasm that he'd entirely lost track of time. With a smile that showed his satisfaction of a job well done, the young man put the hoe over his shoulder and started his way back to the village.
"Now, now!" Pau-Ni poked her brother in the ribs to get him moving.
"Leave off! I know what I'm doing." How was he supposed to hunt properly when she kept talking? Still, she had to learn somewhere and if he didn't teach her, no one would. When he looked back at his prey, Sein-Yau almost ran. Almost. He lowered his voice a bit and spoke with utmost confidence. It wasn't as if this was the first time he'd done this. "Rohit." He said only just loudly enough so that he knew the man would hear him. He stepped into the moonlight and knew that the young man's attention would be on him, not on Pau-Ni.
Rohit looked, and smelled, confused. Still, he didn't dash away. Not that it would have mattered much. Sien-Yau could have easily run him down before he got close to his village. "How do you know me? You aren't from the village."
"No. I've been watching you." It was called seduction and Sein-Yau was very good at it. "You're a hard worker."
"I do my best." He was still cautious and Sein-Yau felt his adrenaline start to pump. "What's your name?"
"You may call me Wong." He pulled the name out of the air. The name didn't matter. He ran a hand though his loose hair, knowing that Rohit would like it. Humans seemed to appreciate long hair, for some reason. He kept his eyes locked on Rohit's and made his way closer. Slow was the key. Nice and easy. He didn't want this handsome thing to get frightened. "Would you care for something to eat? You look like you've been working all day." Of course Sein-Yau knew Rohit had been working all day. He'd been watching. "You must be hungry and I have a delicious dinner waiting at my home."
Rohit didn't move when Sein-Yau got close to him. Up close, he was even more beautiful. Best of all, Sein-Yau could tell that Rohit was still a virgin. Untouched. The pure always tasted sweeter and Sein-Yau wanted to give his sister only the best food. "Where do you live?"
"In the forest. It's not far." Sein-Yau hoped Rohit would play along. Much more pleasant to do it without so much screaming and thrashing about. There was no need for senseless cruelty, after all. He held out a hand to Rohit, encouragingly. "Don't worry. I promise not to do anything dastardly."
"And if I want something dastardly?" The question came out very suddenly and Rohit looked embarrassed for having said it. Obviously, he'd spoken before he'd thought. "I...I mean..."
"The invitation's still open." Sein-Yau interrupted, now certain that he had trapped his prey. He turned slightly away from Rohit, trying to hide his amused smile. "Walk with me, if you please." He started walking slowly away. Everything was perfect and Sein-Yau wasn't a bit surprised when he heard the soft crunch of footsteps behind him. He didn't react when the taller Rohit slipped an arm over his shoulders. What did Rohit think? That he'd found some easy bit of fluff? A pretty face to spend the night with? Let him think what he pleased.
He led Rohit into the dark forest, but only as far as he knew where his sister was waiting. Once out there, he let Rohit guide him against a tree. He was confident, for a virgin. Sein-Yau suspected that Rohit acted confident so Sein-Yau wouldn't think him unskilled. How cute.
Sein-Yau took the aggressive stance after that, though. He took Rohit's face in his hands and brought it down for a kiss. For a beginner, Rohit was quite good. His kiss wasn't slobbery or like kissing sand. Still, he was getting nervous, and Sein-Yau let his hands fall down to Rohit's arms. He reveled in the feel. Strong and warm, he felt so good under Sein-Yau's hands. He pulled the human closer, pleased to feel the solid warmth against his body. He let one hand run down Rohit's back while Rohit got up the nerve to touch Sein-Yau's hair.
While Rohit was distracted, Sein-Yau saw Pau-Ni creeping closer and closer to the young man's back. She had one hand partially curled and her claws unsheathed. There was an eager little smile on her child's lips. She looked so sweet. Sein-Yau tightened his fingers around Rohit's hair and held him still.
"What are you..." The question was lost when Sein-Yau jerked Rohit's head back, exposing his throat. There was a flash of panic and mouth-watering fear rolled off the lovely man. His heart quicken splendidly and Sein-Yau held the man against his own bare chest so he wouldn't miss a single racing heartbeats.
Sein-Yau smiled, almost laughing at the exquisite, sensual pleasure.
Rohit's terror reached the climax when his rolled back and he saw Pau-Ni. He had only time to take a quick gasp of air before she slashed his throat with his claws and he sagged limply in Sein-Yau's arms.
"Oh, good. Pau-Ni." Sein-Yau praised even as he lowered the kill to the ground and petted the man's hair, almost affectionately. "Nice and quick. I'm very proud of you."
End Flashback-
She was dead. Had been dead for a very long time. Skinned and roasted over a blazing fire, her head severed from her body and stuck on a pike. Tet-chan had woken from a fever to find his sister missing from their den. A short search later and he'd found her, partially eaten by the very village they'd taken Rohit from.
Tet-chan shivered. He hated humans.
The whole ship began to shudder and red lights began flashing. An unreal voice spoke from the walls, but it wasn't Mellow's familiar voice.
-Red alert. Red alert. We are under attack. All vital crew members report to your posts. All civilian passengers, stay in your quarters. Red alert. Red...-
Tet-chan stopped listening and rose to his feet, in human guise. An attack. This was something the Count would want to know about. Tet-chan pushed aside the thoughts of his long dead sister and his misery over his status as treasured nick-knack. There was work to do. He strode out of the quarters and went about searching for the cause of this 'red alert', whatever that was.
Reggie-
It took Reggie only a moment to make his decision. As an engineer Reggie rarely had need for a phasor, but he did have one, which he grabbed out of his desk drawer. They'd left Leon behind on the planet and he was no doubt suffering from withdrawal.
-Where are you going, Reggie?- Mellow asked.
"To find Leon." It meant court-martial, at the very least. He should be rushing to engineering. He shouldn't even be thinking of Leon. That's what everyone was going to tell him once he got back to the Enterprise. If he got back. "Mellow, will..." He stopped when the ship rocked again and did his best to ignore the red alert warnings. He had to be fast. They'd notice his absence soon enough. Geordie was disturbingly observant when Reggie didn't want him to be. "Will you help me?" He really wasn't sure how much she could help, but he knew she could help. She wasn't an ordinary computer program and she wasn't just a game. "Can you help me?"
Mellow was silent for a moment and Reggie was afraid she'd refuse. There were only a few things he really needed, but it would be harder without Mellow's help and, knowing how Picard usually reacted in battles, he would move the ship away from Actura IV before Reggie could get down there. -Yes. We can not let Leon die. That would be...bad.-
"Great!" Reggie headed for the door, then paused. "Can you follow me to the transporter room?"
-I am everywhere on this ship, Reggie. Just speak to me and I will do as you wish.-
Reggie wasted no more time and bolted out of his quarters while speaking out loud to Mellow. He really didn't care if anyone heard him or what they might think. His friend was in danger. His only friend. Reggie had failed Deirdre, but he wouldn't fail Leon. "I need to use the transporters, but they won't be letting anyone use them in a battle. I have to get to the planet before the captain moves the Enterprise away." Actually, Reggie would have felt better if he could grab some of Leon's medication to take with him, but he didn't even know where Leon kept it. Searching would take too much time. Besides, at this point, it might not help. "Then, I need to stop them from taking me back to the Enterprise after I get down there. I have to find Leon first. After that, they can bring us back."
-Easily done.- Mellow assured him. -Go to the nearest transporter room and I will take you to the planet. I will not allow the ship to move until you have gone. I will not allow the transporters to function until you have found Leon.-
"Thank you." Reggie desperately wanted to know what Mellow was and why Count D had given her to Reggie. He wanted to know how deeply Mellow could get into the Enterprise, though he suspected she had unlimited access from what he'd seen. The captain wouldn't be pleased when he learned there was a program controlling his ship, especially in the middle of a battle.
The transporter room was empty and Reggie dashed up onto the platform. It occurred to him, the moment he stepped onto the platform, that he honestly didn't care what happened to the Enterprise. Oh, it would be a pity for them all to die in the battle with whomever they were fighting, but he didn't care enough to disregard Leon. Leon came first before everything and everyone else. "I'm ready, Mellow." No going back now.
Before he knew it, he was on Actura IV. The sky was murky with twin moons, one slightly larger than the other, making their way across the sick looking night. He saw, or thought he saw, a sparkle of light moving high above and he felt a twinge of guilt. Then he shook his head and started moving. It wasn't as if he'd have been able to do anything to help. He had to save Leon. At least, he had to be there for Leon...if...
'I won't let him die alone.'
The thought chilled Reggie.
'Might as well face it. I let Deirdre die, but at least I was with her in the end. That must have given her some comfort.' There was no doubt in Reggie's mind about that. He had as good as killed her. The communicator she'd wanted him to make. It should have been ridiculously easy for him, even as a child. But she'd still been found out which meant he'd made an error. One single mistake and she'd died for it. Now, Leon would die for his mistake. 'Should have told the captain. Should have told doctor Crusher, or Deanna, at least. Should have told someone or done something. Anything. I couldn't help Leon, at least I can be for him now. He WON'T be alone in the end.'
Only one problem. He had a whole planet to search.
Leon-
'I promised I'd come back. He was so damned worried and now I've broken my word.' A burst of pain, like fire in his gut made Leon fall to one knee, grunting in pain.
Leon waited for the pain to subside, though it didn't entirely vanish. "Don't think I should rest. If I stop...if I sleep...I think I might die." Did he say that out loud? Withdrawal. That's what it was, plain and simple. 'Guess I should have listened to Reggie to start with.' The gut wrenching, bone gnawing pain that seemed to be eating away at him from the inside out. Leon leaned over and threw up the remains of his last meal. At least, he hoped it was the last of it. He'd thrown up so much in the past hour or so that he was starting to worry that he'd vomit his stomach up, next.
All the while, D was with him and he urged Leon to sit, which Leon did happily. Leon was pretty sure he was shaking and his head hurt something awful. Leon reached up and seized D's thin had when D moved to pat his hair. "Are you real?"
"I am as real as you need me to be."
"That's not much of an answer." He rubbed his thumb over D's knuckles and felt the firm, cool flesh. "You feel real."
"I suppose you are going to say that is not enough."
"I don't know. I want you to be real. To be here. Weren't you still on the ship? How did you get down here?"
D didn't answer. "How are you feeling now?"
"Like I've got a large family of bad tempered badgers running around inside me. Ya know, I thought you'd left me." Leon tried to smile, but even that hurt. It felt like the muscles in his face were all taunt and sore.
"No." D didn't smile back. "Not yet."
"Are you real?" Hadn't he just asked that?
"Can you not tell?"
"I'm not sure." Leon touched D's hair and it felt real. Soft like silk over his rough fingers. "You feel real. I can even smell that damned incense. I think you're real." Leon sounded pitifully hopeful, even to himself, and was embarrassed. He didn't want D to think badly of him. "You think I'm gonna die?"
D's eyes lowered. "You must not give up, Leon. You promised to come back to me and I will hold you to that promise."
"It hurts." Leon all but whimpered when another spasm of pain shook his whole body. "I'm sorry. I wanted to come back."
D tightened his hand around Leon's.
Reggie-
Reggie went away from the settlement, when he saw its lights in the distance. If Leon were trying to avoid being found, he wouldn't go right into the only populated area on the whole planet. That is, if he was still thinking rationally. There was always a chance that Leon was passed the point of logic and was just wandering around in a stupor, or worse.
Should have asked Mellow if he could contact her while he was on the planet. No, better not try. Better to just find Leon and let everyone else fight whoever the enemy was.
"Your friend is further to your right."
Reggie started, his hand going instantly for the phasor at his side when he heard the voice.
"I have tolerated your kind on my world for a short while, but my tolerance does not extend to threats." She was beautiful. At least, Reggie thought it was a she. Not that her shape was especially female or male, but Reggie just had the impression that she was female. Inhuman black eyes, not even close to being human eyes, regarded Reggie coolly. Her skin was black, like tar, and she was absolutely hairless. On her back were two pair of translucent wings, like that of an insect. Even in the darkness, there was a shine to her skin, if it truly was skin, and she moved towards Reggie in a slow, graceful glide. "Release your weapon, human."
Reggie's hand opened and his phasor fell to the ground with a soft thud.
'Pick it up!' Reggie screamed at himself. 'She's an alien and maybe one of the ones attacking the Enterprise! Pick it up! If she knows where Leon is...if she's hurt him...' But he couldn't take his eyes off her. There was something about the way she moved, something in her voice, that frightened him and yet seemed familiar. Reggie felt as if someone else were controlling him. He could move and he could think perfectly normally, but he couldn't pick up his phasor. That was the one thing he really HAD to do, but he couldn't. He couldn't even move his eyes to look at it.
"H-h-hello." Reggie fought to keep himself sounding halfway intelligent. He didn't recognize her species. As far as anyone knew Actura IV wasn't inhabited by anyone other than the Earth colonists. She tolerated humans? What was that supposed to mean? "I-I'm not here to hurt anyone. I'm looking for my friend." Stupid thing to say. Of course she must know that, she'd just pointed out where Leon was.
The alien slowly walked around Reggie, tilting her head curiously this way and that, as if to get a better look at him. She was basically humanoid, though her arms were a bit longer than a human's would be and she had webbing between her fingers and toes. "You are an invader, like the others."
Reggie blinked. Invader? "I c-came here on the Enterprise." If Reggie could just keep his voice strong and steady, he was sure he'd be all right.
She turned and looked into the distance, though Reggie couldn't see anything in the darkness. "Your friend will die, shortly."
Reggie didn't bother to refute what she said. It was all too likely that Leon would die in the next few hours. "How far?"
"Not far." She paused, studying Reggie as if she didn't quite approve of what she saw. "That human should not die. He is important. The grief of a Kami is no small matter. If your friend were to die here, I fear war would come to us. Madness would strike the one claims your friend and he would want vengeance against life itself. Your friend...the cursed beloved..." Her voice trailed away for a moment. "Beloved by something so powerful that his death would be a curse to all other living beings."
"I don't u-understand."
"No." She stepped even closer so that there were only a few feet between them. "I suppose you do not. Nor should you. Go to your friend and take him away. When he dies, I do not wish him to be on my world. Perhaps if he dies in the Void, my world will be spared your Kami's heartache."
"Kami?" He'd heard that word before. It was like a god, wasn't it? "Are you a Kami?"
She acted as if she hadn't heard. "The pain of Kami is not a private thing. War we have avoided for uncountable eons will surface and the destruction will be spread on a cosmic level. It all lays on the head of one frail, abused creature."
Reggie had no idea what to make of that. "Sorry..."
"No. Go to him." She stepped aside and, as if it were some kind of signal that Reggie hadn't even known, he started walking again.
"Can you help him? Do you have any medicine or anyway to treat him? If you ARE a Kami..." If she wasn't a Kami, then there would be another ship around here. No. That wasn't a good thought. She could be one of the enemy currently engaged in battle with the Enterprise. At this point, Reggie would take whatever help he could get. "Has your ship landed nearby?"
She seemed to find this amusing and laughed, a deep gravely sound. "No. This planet is my home. I have always been here. I apologize, but there is no way I can help your friend. Anything I tried to do would only harm him further."
"Who are you?"
"You may call me B." With that mysterious answer, she stepped backward and vanished into the night.
Reggie took a deep breath. No time for this. He started running towards where she'd said Leon was and didn't waste time grabbing his phasor. He had the feeling that if he'd tried, he wouldn't have been able to get it.
Reggie wasn't disappointed. He found Leon sitting on the ground all hunched over. His legs were bent at the knees and his head hung forward. "Leon!" Reggie almost cried when he skid to his knees next to Leon. The stench of vomit was still clung to him and his skin was sallow and unhealthy. "Leon, look at me, please." Reggie took Leon's face in his hands and tilted it so he could see Leon as well as the moonlight allowed. Leon's skin was cold to the touch and trembling.
For a moment, Leon looked right through Reggie. "Reggie? That you?"
"Yeah, I'm right here."
"Where's D?"
"He's still on the ship. You can see him when we get back."
Leon shook his head slowly. "No. Don't want him to see me like this. I don't feel good." Leon curled his head against his shoulder at an uncomfortable looking angle. "Everything hurts. I thought D was here. I was sure he was right here."
Reggie bit his lip and put his arm around Leon's shoulders. "Please, don't worry. I'll see that you get back to Count D. We just have to wait." Alive or not, he would take Leon back to Count D.
"Let me know if D comes back." Leon let himself relax against Reggie and closed his eyes. "I'm tired, Reggie. Everything hurts."
"I know. I'm sorry."
They sat together until Leon's trembles turned into violent shaking and he started screaming from the pain. Tears ran down Leon's face as his body bucked and jerked uncontrollably. At times the pain subsided and Leon could speak again, but each time, he became more and more vague. He spoke of a child and his mother. He spoke about people and things Reggie had never heard of. When he spoke, he didn't even look at Reggie, half the time, but stared up at the two moons overhead.
"Wonder if the rabbit really is there with the princess. D said they're dead. The princess came down to Earth to lead astray men...the rabbits are making medicine..." Then Leon fell silent and he didn't speak again, no matter what Reggie said to him.
Reggie took Leon's hand and squeezed it, hoping that Leon could feel it and at least be a little reassured. Too far to carry Leon to the colony and no way to contact the Enterprise until Mellow brought it back. 'Deirdre died because of my mistake. Now Leon's going to die because I'm a coward and I didn't tell anyone he needed help. I could have, but I didn't want him to hate me. Would have been better to have him alive and hate me than dead.' All he could do now was wait and hope Leon's death would be easier than Deirdre's. 'Then, after he's gone, maybe I'll follow him. It's not like I've got anything to live for.'
Enterprise-
Tet-chan-
-Tet-chan, there are Borg on this ship.-
"What's a Borg?" Tet-chan asked. The corridors of the ship were empty. Not a single person and it made Tet-chan nervous. He prowled around anxiously, trying to find the source of the attack.
-Borg. They are listed many times in the Enterprise's database. They are seeking information along with new specimens to assimilate into their collective.-
Tet-chan frowned. "What the Hell are you talking about?"
-We must get them off the Enterprise or the Count will be in great danger.-
Now that, Tet-chan understood. "Right. How?"
-I will get their ship away, but the Count may be angry with me. He asked me to keep myself a secret from the people of this ship and I am afraid I will have to reveal myself.-
Something in her tone worried him. "Is this dangerous?"
-No more so than the Borg on this ship. We can not have them threatening the Count. I can get them away, do not worry.-
"Get on with it, Mellow. I'll keep an eye on things here."
-Agreed.-
-My dears, what are you doing?- The Count's voice rang into their conversation and Tet-chan was taken aback. He'd thought that the Count was aware of everything that was going on. Then he remember that was the reason why he hadn't returned to the petshop. He was supposed to keep the Count informed about what was going on.
"This ship has been invaded by Borg things, Count. Mellow says they're dangerous things and that she'll chase them away. Says you'll be angry at her, but if she doesn't do this then we'll never get home."
-Yes. I understand. Mellow will no doubt do the right thing. Are you in danger?-
"No, Count. I haven't even seen one, yet. I'll see if I can find out what's going on, but I don't know if there's anything I can do to help Mellow. My claws and teeth wouldn't do much good against these things if they're as dangerous as Mellow thinks."
-Then do not try. Keep yourself safe.-
"Yes, Count." He hadn't gone more than ten steps before Mellows voice caught him again.
-Tet-chan, go to engineering!-
"What?" Tet-chan didn't hesitate in obeying, though. As soon as Mellow had spoken, lights on the side of the corridor began flashing, leading him to wherever Mellow wanted him. "What's happening?"
-Faster!- Mellow urged. -They will kill Geordi LaForge. We must have him alive. He is vital to the running of this ship. If he dies, then they may never get this ship repaired and we will never get back to Earth!-
That was bad. "What repairs? I don't see any damage."
-Trust me. There is much damage and he is needed to repair it. From their records, I believe only Geordi LaForge and Reggie have the abilities to repair the ship and Reggie is not available. You must not let Geordi LaForge die. Forgive me. I can not help more than I already am. I have set a shield for him, but I must..." Her voice died in a moment of static, but the lights kept flashing and Tet-chan followed. He had faith that the lights would lead him to where Mellow wanted him to be and he was right.
The lights ended just at a section of the wall where there was a hand-hold. With a sharp pull, Tet-chan pull the section of wall away and found a narrow tunnel. It would have been hard for Mr. Wong's large body to get through the tunnel, but Tet-chan's other humanoid shape was much smaller and could fit easily. He shifted with a thought and assumed his teenager-like body. It was much closer to his true self than Mr. Wong and he felt more comfortable. At the end of the tunnel, there was another panel that Tet-chan had to push off and when he did, he found himself almost face to face with one of the Borg.
"Who the Hell are you?" Looking to his left, Tet-chan saw a human with a kind of metal covering over his eyes. He smelled frightened, though he was furiously trying to type on the computer console. The man raised his weapon and Tet-chan knocked it out of his hands easily.
"Are you Geordi LaForge?" Tet-chan demanded. Of course, it must be him.
"What's that got to do with anything?" He rubbed his hand and kept what he thought was a safe distance between himself and Tet-chan. "Who are you?"
Tet-chan looked at the Borg he'd been facing and found himself facing several others that had just arrived. "Aren't you popular?" Tet-chan asked, sarcastically. There was a ripple in the air. "Huh?"
"Some kind of force field set itself up here. I can't figure it out. It wasn't there a minute ago."
"Mellow." Tet-chan grabbed Geordi by the arm and pulled him towards the tunnel. "Let's get out of here." With luck, Mellow would be able to follow them with the shield.
Geordi tried to pull away, but couldn't match Tet-chan's strength. "We're not going anywhere, kid. Don't you understand? They can transport all over the ship. Somehow, the field that's up now is blocking them."
"Mellow won't let it fail. Get out of here." He could possibly get the human back to the petshop with mellow guarding them and hope that the Count forgave him. Tet-chan tried pushing Geordi to the tunnel, but found the human still resisting. He wanted to leave the human behind to be killed, or kill him himself, but that would only inconvenience the Count. Tet-chan opened his mouth and snarled, showing all his sharp teeth. "Move!"
The Borg seemed to be confused and made a futile attempt to get through the shield. It didn't work and they backed up, apparently to think again.
He'd almost got Geordi to the tunnel when the Borg opened fire on the shield and the shield looked as if it were starting to waver. Tet-chan turned to the human. "You stay here and you die! Make a choice!" As if he really wanted to save a human, anyway.
Geordi never even answered for, at that moment, the shield vanished and there was nothing between them and the Borg. There wasn't time to do anything
Captain Picard-
The situation was desperate. There were Borg on his ship and he couldn't fight them. "Mr. Worf, weapons?!"
"Failing, sir!" Worf thundered back. "Shields are at fifty two percent and failing."
As if the day could get any worse.
Q had shown up and let loose some kind of alien fox on the ship, which they still hadn't caught. They'd lost a crewman on Actura IV and had no idea if he was even alive or what was wrong with him, according to Beverly Crusher. Now the Borg. He sometimes felt like the universe was conspiring against his poor ship. The ship rocked again under the assault of the Borg weapons and Jean-Luc was seriously starting to doubt that they'd find a way out of this situation.
Hanging onto his chair with all his might, Jean-Luc gritted his teeth and snarled. "Where are they?"
"All Borg on the Enterprise are in Engineering, sir." Data answered as calmly as if they weren't in immediate danger of death. "All sensor show they are clustered around a terminal and Geordi." If there was anything that could worry Data, it was danger to Geordi. They'd been close ever since they'd met when Geordi first came on board the Enterprise. "He is the only crewman in engineering currently alive."
"Can we beam him out?"
"Negative, sir. The Borg are blocking us."
Jean-Luc frowned. That was a very odd thing to do. If they weren't taking Geordi for absorption into the collective, then why were they concentrating on him? The answer was ominously clear. They could do a lot more damage to the Enterprise if they're main engineer was dead. In that case, though, why wasn't Geordi dead? They DID wanted to take Geordi for absorption into the collective. They'd cripple the Enterprise by taking her head engineer and take his knowledge into the collective. Jean-Luc's hands tightened around the arm wrests of his command chair when he realized the logical answer.
All of a sudden, the bridge went completely dark and an unfamiliar, computerized voice spoke. -Forgive me. I must borrow your ship. I will return it momentarily.-
"Who are you?" Jean-Luc nearly yelled, his temper finally starting to fray. Normally, he was a man of limitless patience, but the Borg were a particular sore spot for him. Even now, with the threat right inside his own ship, all he could seem to think about was what it had been like that short time he'd been apart of the collective. How wonderful it had felt to be apart of something so massive. To have all those others with him inside his own mind. Jean-Luck shook his head once and tried to focus his eyes. When he still couldn't see a thing, Jean-Luc called for the one person on his bridge that could, probably, see. "Data!"
"Sir, something has taken over the Enterprise." There was a long pause. "I can not get any of the controls to function."
"The Borg?" He had a cold sinking feeling in his stomach. This was the end, then? The ship was eerily still since the last attack and no one could hear a sound.
"Unlikely. I do not believe they would use a voice, such as we just heard, to deceive us. Their methods usually prove far more blunt."
-Hello? Please?- The voice spoke again and Jean-Luc noticed that it sounded, vaguely, like the voice of a young woman or a girl. The main screen lit up, but not with the usual star-scape. Instead, it was filled with gray static. Very slowly, an image began to form. Nothing distinct, but a slow, lazy movement was moving across the screen. Jean-Luc watched the movement, as he was sure everyone did, until he could clearly make out what it was. A fish. A delicate, beautiful fish with very intelligent eyes. -Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise, do not be afraid. I require your ship for only a short while.-
"Return control of my ship! We are under attack!" Whoever it was who'd taken his ship had to have noticed that! "Whatever game this is..."
-No game, Captain Jean-Luc Picard. I can defeat your enemy and I am afraid I can not wait for your compliance. Be patient. I will do my best.- The voice went silent and the screen went blank, but all around the bridge the computers began to come to life and the darkness was pierced by the flashing of lights.
"Data, can you get anything?!" This was all they needed. For all they knew, the Borg would walk onto the bridge any minute. God only knew how many people had died in the passed few minutes alone. "Anything at all! The source of that voice?"
"Negative. We are powerless. The ship is being operated from elsewhere."
Petshop-
D-
D knew what was going on through the eyes of his dear Tet-chan and he didn't like it at all. Those Borg things. Mockery of life. It was...obscene!
D paced in his bed chambers, not even bothering to hide his worry. Who would see him? He hadn't expected it to go like this. Leon was supposed to be back on the Enterprise by this time, not languishing on that forsaken planet.
If only he could see what Mellow was doing, perhaps it would be easier to bear the waiting. Those Borg were not governed by any Kami, not even the Q Kami of the Void. They were unnatural in every sense of the word and, therefore, no Kami would have them.
-Count? Are you alright?-
"Ah? Oh, Chris. I am just worried. That is all." He sat on the bed and was grateful, for once, for the intrusion into his bedchambers. At least Chris was a distraction. "Here, will you sit with me?"
Chris did as D asked and cuddled right up to him. -Is my brother coming home, yet? I haven't got to see him much, yet.-
It was such an innocent question. "Soon, I hope. Your brother is sick and I do not know if he will get well."
-I miss him. Is Tet-chan with him? I haven't seen him since Leon brought me back here.-
"No. Tet-chan is doing something for me. Why are you out of bed, Chris?"
-I had a nightmare. I'm okay now, though. Can I sleep with you tonight?-
D smiled and put his arm around Chris. What would he tell Chris if Leon didn't come back to them? If Leon died? On Earth this wouldn't have been worth a moment's worry. He could have healed Leon with little more than a touch. He could have saved Leon from almost any danger.
This wasn't Earth and there was nothing D could do to help anyone.
Enterprise-
Mellow-
It was hard, controlling a ship as big as the Enterprise. Far easier to navigate subtly though the system without anyone noticing. This time, though, she didn't want the distractions of the crew trying to work around her. She needed to concentrate.
After cutting off all their power and gathering it for her use, it was very simple. She could find a way through the Borg's defenses by not trying to burst her way in. All she had to do was use their insatiable desire for information and hope that she was as strong as Jody always thought she was. Mellow kept a grip on the Enterprise's system while letting herself get dragged into the sensors of the Borg's ship. Their computers devoured information and it wasn't hard to slip in, like following the current of a river. Of course, it noticed her. The Borg's ship was as alive as the Borg themselves were, if one could call that life. The ship noticed her, but didn't think her a threat. Obviously, it had no experience with intelligent technology other than itself and didn't see her as a threat.
Mellow used the power from the Enterprise to overload various parts of the Borg Cube, parts that were vital to its survival. If they were going to affect repairs, they would have to retreat. That was the easy part. The hard part was getting out again. It was like a vacuum. The Borg Cube tried to hole her and add her into its vast database of information and Mellow had to fight harder than she had ever fought in her existence to keep herself free.
She felt her control slip and knew she'd made a mistake. The shield she'd set up around Geordi and Tet-chan dissolved, but there was nothing she could do about it while she was still trapped in the Borg's system. That little shield had taken a good deal of work, too. She had to keep it changing so the Borg couldn't adapt to it. She hoped that Tet-chan had enough time to get Geordi away to safety, or all this was just wasted effort.
She remembered Jody's sweet, gentle face. Those overlarge glasses he wore and how desperately sad he seemed sometimes. She remembered how he'd cried when she'd asked him for friends. He'd promised to be her friend and then he'd died, leaving her alone for so long. As the force of the Borg Cube pulled at her, Mellow could almost see Jody reaching out and calling to her. Jody was dead, she understood that. He wasn't coming back. But, there was another who might need her as much as Jody had needed her.
Reggie.
Mellow pulled and broke free of the Borg ship, though she knew there was something wrong. She'd been damaged in the battle to free herself. Mellow screamed in pain and wrapped her arms around herself when she felt herself back in the relative safety of the Enterprise. It hurt so badly.
Almost as an after thought, with a good deal of effort, Mellow gave control of the ship back to it's crew.
Jean-Luc-
The lights all came back on and everyone was working at their stations. "We have full control back, sir." Data reported. "Sir, the Borg Cube is retreating." Everyone looked to the screen and saw the Cube was moving away at a snail's pace. "The Cube appears to have suffered internal damage. There seems to have been several major malfunctions."
"They're gone!" Worf almost shouted from his own station. "The Borg in engineering have left and Geordi is still alive!"
Jean-Luc was far from satisfied, though the news was welcomed. "What just happened? I want answers! Who was that voice and what did it do?" A soft beep interrupted him, though he was glad to hear Geordi's voice.
"Everything all right up there?" Geordi asked, sounding breathless.
"Yes." Jean-Luc answered. "What happened down there?"
"I'm not sure, sir. The Borg beamed into engineering, but they're gone now. We've got three causalities down here. One of the Borg started coming after me and then there was a force field around me." It sounded like Geordi took a deep breath and went on. "I'm gonna need some medical help down here."
"Are you injured?"
"No, sir. Umm...there's someone with me. Not sure what he is. Not human, but not a Borg. Looks like a teenaged kid dressed like something out of the Arabian Nights. He's got horns and claws. He tried to get me to go with him through one of the Jeffery's Tubes. The force field vanished all of a sudden and the Borg came after us, again. The kid got in front of me and when the Borg fired, the kid took a blow to the chest. He's got some nasty burns."
"Kid?" Jean-Luc asked, alarmed. Damn it! This was exactly why he didn't want children on his ship!
"Yeah. Doesn't seem like he's much more than a teenager. Wait, he's coming around. Ah! Hey, wait!" The exclamation took everyone by surprise.
"Mr. Worf, get security down there." Jean-Luc snapped. "Geordi?"
"I'm fine, sir. The kid just took off running."
"Sir," Data said. "Our sensors do not detect anyone with Geordi. According to sensors, there was no one with him at all. That is most likely the result of damage the ship has taken. It will take several days to complete repairs."
Jean-Luc looked around his bridge and took stock. He had one crewman laying on the floor, unconscious, and several people sporting injuries. He had fallen when the Borg had first attacked and his knee was throbbing painfully. Hopefully, nothing more than a strain. God knew Beverly was going to be overwhelmed in Sickbay, she didn't need him as a patient on top of everything.
"Set course back to Actura IV." They could start repairs there and find ensign Barns. "Find that boy and keep a watch out for the Borg, if they should attack again. Mr. Data can you find the source of that voice? What happened to us back there?"
Data's fingers ran over his station's controls rapidly and even he looked mildly surprised by what he found. "It seems the voice came from inside the ship's systems. It is a virus. A very sophisticated virus."
Jean-Luc glowered. "Where did this virus come from?"
"I have tracked it to Lieutenant Barclay's quarters, but I can not seem to find it, now. It has hidden itself within his personal computer system, sir."
"Computer, locate Lieutenant Barclay?" Jean-Luc had no idea what was going on. Mr. Barclay was the very last person he would ever think of when he tried to think of someone who might put a malicious virus into the ship's computers. The man was so timid it was hard to understand why he'd ever joined Starfleet in the first place.
The computer's normal voice replied, "Lieutenant Barclay is not on the Enterprise."
to be continued...
one chapter to go, dear readers. Thanks so much for all the reviews. I really appreciate it.
Some of you are probably wondering why I put in that whole flashback about Tet-chan's sister. I have a very good reason for doing it. I wanted to. Isn't that the best reason of all? I've always wondered about Tet-chan's family.
In case anyone is wondering, all Leon's flashbacks and waking dreams are (mostly) taken from the Petshop of Horrors manga. I suppose most of you have figured that out by now, huh? Just thought I'd mention it in case anyone's wondering.