Chapter 33

Anna, Third Version


On board Borg Cube Magellan

September 12, 2377

11pm

Anna blinked her eyes and tried to shield her hand against the light, but found it restrained. She tried to turn her head to avoid the light,
but found that she could barely move her head.

"Dim the lights and let up on the force fields.," said a voice, and Anna felt the bonds restraining her release. A face came into view, a older woman with long red hair much like her own. "How do you feel," said the woman.

Anna tried to speak, but her throat was dry and raw. ""Weak...thirsty." Anna croaked out.

The doctor pressed a button and the head of the bed raised up, putting Anna's torso in a reclined position. Another woman brought over a glass of water for Anna to drink, and Anna sipped at it, letting the water spread down her throat. When she had finished, she held the glass out for the other woman to retrieve.

"What do you remember, Anna," asked Dr. Crusher.

"I remember being in the Eye, preparing to activate the weapons systems, when I felt like I was...dissolving. Next thing I know, I'm waking up here."

"Anything about the past,"

"Some of it, Doctor. It's still blurry, but I do remember the mission to Z'ha'dum, getting off the Icarus, and the rest of it. The details are still sketchy in my mind, but I think I remember more than I did before."

Dr. Crusher smiled and applied a sedative to help Anna sleep. From behind the one-way window, Picard, Lyta Alexander, and Dr. Franklin watched Anna fall back asleep.

"How much more can we bring out of her, Ms. Alexander," asked Picard.

"Captain, it's tricky, but I think, with patience, we can bring out some of her old personality. I felt it inside her when I did my initial scans of her mind. But it will not be easy, because I have to work around some of the Shadow programming inside her brain already. I have to try and disassociate her mind from it, and it will not be easy."

Picard nodded and left, clearly wanting things to move faster but also understanding that patience was a must right now.

Dr. Franklin sat down on a chair and looked off into space for a moment, then turned to Lyta and asked, "How are you holding up?"

Lyta shrugged and sighed, saying, "Better than I expected. I never expected to be traveling through space inside this...whatever it is."

"Borg cube. Don't ask me why they chose a cube, but ever since they began to free themselves from the programming, they have dramatically changed the inside of this place. I remember how hot and stuffy it was when we first came on board."

"Doctor, do you really think Galen can free Anna from the influence of the Shadows? I've dealt with someone who was prepped to go into a Shadow vessel, and it was hard enough to bring them into consciousness without them trying to merge with the nearest computer system. With someone who has already been inside one...it's even tougher. But the preparations that the mages have made have helped out a lot, so I think we have a chance."

Later on, Galen walked into the room where Anna was staying. Anna sat up in the bed, watched as he entered the room, and said, "I remember you! You were on Thenothk when my old ship was damaged and I had to be taken out of it. I remember reaching out to you in that room and feeling that you had been deactivated and I had to rip open a paneling to find the machine and reactivate you. Then I was coated by the machine and you went away."

Galen nodded and said, "Yes. That was a long time ago. Things have changed a lot since that time. The Shadows you were enslaved by have left the galaxy."

Anna said, "I know. Lyta told me in my therapy sessions."

"Then you know somewhat about who took over Z'ha'dum and tried to bring it into this new fight. You know who they are, and what they're up to."

Anna suddenly closed her eyes and grasped her head. "Yeah, but the programming is fighting me. They tell me you can help me. Can you?"

Galen looked through the window, and saw his love Isabelle there, his eyes being able to see through the coating that prevented Anna from seeing those that observed her. He turned back to Anna and said, "Yes, I believe I can, but you must trust me."

Anna's headache subsided, and she said, "Then do what you have to do."

Three days later, Galen walked out of the room, drenched in sweat and looking exhausted. The others gathered around him and wondered about his condition. They almost forgot about Anna until she walked out of the room in the same stained outfit that she wore inside the Eye.

Anna looked at the others and said, "I'm ready to help. Tell me what I need to do."