Chapter 34

Awkward Reunion


On board Borg Cube Magellan

September 20, 2377

4pm

John Sheridan knew that this meeting had to take place, but he didn't want to face her again. His wife, Delenn, knew that it had to happen, but she, most especially, did not want the meeting to take place. But if they were to work together, they would have to face each other.

Sheridan walked into the room and Anna looked at him. She didn't hiss at him like she had when she was still controlled by the programming, but she didn't run up to him and embrace him like she would have back when they were married.

"John, it's good to see you again."

John smiled and looked at the woman he once loved, and still had a place in his heart for. "How are you feeling Anna?"

Anna smiled and said, "Like I've been reborn. Galen has worked a wonder with me, as well as the Borg."

John shuffled his feet, and Anna could tell he was very nervous, so she decided to try and help ease him. "John, I'm not the same person you once knew and loved. I'm not the same one that was twisted into a weapon for the Shadows. I'm a new person, and I am still discovering what I am."

John wanted to walk up to her and hug her, tell her that it'd be all right, but he knew that he had to take things easy with Anna. "Do you remember any of it?"

Anna smiled and said, "All of it, John. All of it. I remember everything about our marriage. I know I was lucky to have had a husband like you, but you are with Delenn now, and I accept that. You said your goodbye to the old Anna when you dove down into the abyss, and you have a new life that you must lead."

"Anna, I think I should tell you something..."

"About how you don't have that much longer to live?"

That stopped John short. "How did you know?"

Anna walked up to him and touched him on the shoulder. "Delenn came here a while ago and we talked about things. I told her that I had no attachment to you except for friendship, and that I wanted to work on becoming friends with her."

John smiled and said, "Thank you Anna."

"My pleasure, John. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to get ready for the injection of the Borg implants. According to Galen and Drusilla, it'll help me even further with controlling the Shadow implants."

John nodded and walked out of the room, looking back as the door slid shut. Anna sighed and went over to the chest-of-drawers that was in her room and put on the outfit that Seven of Nine had left with her earlier in the morning. This was not a required step in her treatment, but when presented with the choice, she leapt at it, because she knew that she had to put as much distance between herself and the old Shadow programming.

Seven of Nine came into her room and asked, "Are you ready, Anna? The others are ready and waiting."

Anna nodded and began to walk out with her, but stopped and asked her, "Seven of Nine, have you thought about changing your name?"

Seven of Nine looked at her and said, "I'm not sure. I was taken when I was just a child, so I haven't remembered much from before I was abducted."

"Have you thought about a name for yourself? Seven of Nine is kind of awkward."

Seven of Nine looked away for a moment, lost in thought, then returned to Anna. "I'm not sure. I've honestly not given it much thought."

Anna said, "When we have a chance, I want to help you choose a name for yourself."

Seven of Nine smiled briefly and said, "Thank you, Anna. I'm appreciative of the offer, and when we have the time, we'll look into it. But now we need to get to the medbay."

Anna nodded and walked out with Seven of Nine with a warm smile on her face.

From inside the observation room, Drusilla, John Sheridan and Delenn looked on. "She's changed, that's for sure. The warmth and sincerity are there, as well as other parts of her old personality, but she's clearly not the same person I was married to long ago.," Sheridan observed.

Drusilla nodded, "The revised Borg implants will help her even further develop into her new self. Meeting you and Delenn was her idea, and I think it did a lot of good for her. It'll help her move on and forward with her life."

Delenn was still a little haunted by all of this, but looked hopeful when she asked, "Will she be able to help us in the coming fight?"

Drusilla nodded and said, "She already has. Throughout the rehabilitation process, she's given us everything she learned in the Eye and it's extensive. The Ragendora are building up their forces for an all out assault on multiple universes in the near future. We have time,but not a lot of it. I've passed on what we've learned to the Legendora and they'll brief us at the next meeting in a few days.

A comm signal came in via loudspeaker. "This is Picard. All command personnel are requested to come to the bridge immediately!"

When they arrived, they were watching something terrifying. "It's from the Romulan system. The Ragendora planet killers have struck Romulus and Remus, destroying both."

"In Valen's name!", said Delenn.

Picard knew the meaning of the phrase, and nodded. He continued by saying, The Romulans did track them to another aperture, where they disappeared. They've marked it and they've moved their forces out of their system and they are headed towards Federation space.Starfleet has asked us to meet them in the Neutral Zone and Drusilla has conversed with the rest of the Borg, and they have agreed to do so. Fortunately for us, the new praetor and most of the government as well as military commanders were off world at the time, so they are on board ships that make up the surviving Romulan fleet.

John soberly nodded, then asked, "When will we meet up with them?"

"In two days time. Several Starfleet ships will meet us there, and the Romulans have been told of our circumstances, so they know that the Borg are now our allies."

Aristotle stood up from his station and looked over to Picard with a fallen look on his face. "Picard, we've just gotten a signal from Quo'nos in the Klingon Empire. They're under attack. It's the Ragendora, and according to the Klingons, they have a planet killer."

"My God!", said Sheridan.

Picard looked at him and said, "This is far worse than we imagined. I'll inform Starfleet and the rest of our allies, then try and get in touch with Chancellor Martog."

Picard left the room, while Sheridan and Delenn stayed. The image of Quo'nos under attack came onto the view screen, and both of them could not pull themselves away from the image.

"It's like deja vu.", Sheridan said.

"The fall of night has come again. I haven't felt like this since I the Shadow war.", Delenn replied.

Sheridan wanted to say that they would prevail, but he couldn't muster it at that moment. All he could think about were the billions of Romulans and Klingons who were now dead because of the attacks.