Title: The Truth Will Set You Free

Author: Zappy Zaps

Category: Drama/Action/Adventure

Summary: After four years in the DQ the crew of Voyager makes it home but the homecoming doesn't go as smoothly as they would have hoped. The Alpha Quadrant is in a state of unrest and the Maquis contingent of the crew face jail time unless….

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: P, All

Disclaimer: All the Star Trek characters are Paramount's. I don't own them (yet). ;)

Archiving: Please do, but tell me! note: Meh….

June03

Chapter 2 Memoirs

No replicator rations. That seemed to be the only good thing about getting back to the Alpha Quadrant. Torres requested some chocolates and smiled delightfully. It was one of the few comforts that getting home provided. They hadn't received any responses from the messages they had sent to their loved ones and friends. It had been four days since they had returned and they still hadn't been allowed to leave the ship. It was difficult for those who had been hopeful to see their families but just being close enough to contact them was enough, for now.

She seated herself on her couch and picked through her favourites. She thought about what being home meant for her as she seemed to do daily. She had another chance to set things straight with her parents, assuming her mother would talk to her and that she could find her father. That didn't seem so hard compared to what she had been through in the Delta Quadrant. She smiled to herself and chose another chocolate from her selection. Things would be good, she thought in an uncharacteristically optimistic manner.

She had been in a generally good mood since they had made it back. She didn't realized what home meant to her until the relief that they had made it back washed over her. Over the years in the DQ, the Alpha Quadrant was just a distant goal that she thought she would never see in her lifetime. The only thing waiting for her was the conflict with the Cardassians and the life she had been trying to outrun but now she could see past all that. She could finally see what she had lost when they had been lost in the Delta Quadrant and what they had gained now that they were back. Of course not everybody was excited about being home.

Her smile faltered but remained faintly over her features. She had seen Tom at the Senior Staff briefing once they had arrived at Starbase 621, and he was the only one of them not smiling, other than Tuvok. She talked to him soon after that but he was reluctant to tell her anything, afraid of ruining her good mood. She had then gone to Harry to see if her knew what was wrong and the most peculiar expression of guilt and embarrassment crept over his face and he wouldn't say anything. She guessed that Tom and Harry had a bit of a falling out but she was hopeful that they would sort it out before events surrounding their return spun out of control.

It had been four days but they still were not as close as they had been. They were barely friends. Harry wanted apologize but didn't know how to. Tom was being so neutral towards him. When they ate together in the mess hall Tom made polite conversation with him but it never went beyond that. Questions regarding his well being went unanswered as though Tom didn't think it mattered any more. And what would it. They were home now. Nobody needed him. Those he had considered his friends had family and homes to go to. He had none of the above.

Torres had finally managed to get a spark of happiness into Tom during one of the parties after shift but she could see it fade as he stepped out of the holodeck and into the reality of Voyager. She hoped that things would turn out well for him and for all of them. She had no idea how difficult things were about to get.

Janeway read over the new orders that had been sent to her by Starfleet command. She shook her head. How could they do this? This had to be some cruel joke. She slammed the padd on her desk and looked away. She had sent her logs and the mission logs of the last four years to Starfleet Command and this is what she gets back in return. Did they just skip over the parts where the Maquis half of the crew were integral in their success especially the first officer? She picked up the padd again. Yet here was Starfleet calling for the arrest of all the Maquis. They had given her a brief outline of what had happened during their absence, in an attempt to explain their view of the situation.

The Cardassians and the Breen joined forces with the Dominion and earlier this month there had been an attack on Earth. Significant damage had been done to San Francisco and Starfleet Headquarters. Starfleet and the Fedaration were now on high alert and anything or anyone that could be a threat to their war efforts were to be taken care of –that included the Maquis. It was the Captain's sad duty to inform Chakotay and the other Maquis that most of their comrades in arms were dead or imprisoned. And now Starfleet wanted the rest of the Maquis behind bars where they could not cause any trouble.

"Janeway to Chakotay. Please report to my ready room." She heard him acknowledge her request and gave a quiet sigh. It was going to be difficult but she couldn't put it off. This was too important.

An announcement was made to the crew about the status of the Dominion War and the impending arrests. As was expected, the Maquis and they entire crew were indignant. How could Starfleet do this? It was hard to tell who was Maquis and who was Starfleet anymore and yet their loyalty to Starfleet and the Federation was under question with half the crew about to be placed under arrest. After the commotion settled down there was more quiet contemplation and worrying. They had been informed by the officials on Starbase 621 that the Maquis needed to be transported off Voyager as soon as possible but the Captain refused. Nobody was taking her crew without a fight and those on the Starbase were unwilling to get into an unnecessary firefight with one of their own ships so they held off but reminded Captain Janeway daily that they would have to take the Maquis into custody sooner or later. Until then they were all confined to the ship and no transmissions were allowed to Voyager. The crew was left with only their thoughts and worries to entertain them and it was disturbing entertainment at best.

The mood of the mess hall was low. Conversations went on quietly and few smiled. There wasn't much to smile about. The quadrant was at war. Many had already died and their friends were about to be imprisoned. Chakotay and Kathryn had fielded many questions from the crew, both Starfleet and Maquis, wondering if there was anyway they could get Starfleet to change their mind. They wanted to call in favours from people with influence who owed them but who could influence one of the most powerful military forces in the Quadrant?

"So, this is it," he sighed. "After fighting for freedom in the DMZ, then fighting for survival in the Delta Quadrant, it's going to end with us sitting on our hands, waiting for Starfleet to come and arrest us."

Tom huffed. "No one can ever accuse you of being overly optimistic, Ken."

"Well war can do that," he mumbled. Tom put a hand on his shoulder.

"The Captain's doing everything she can. She'll figure something out."

Ken nodded trying to bring himself out of his sullen state. Across the table Gerron and Chakotay sympathised with the man. The situation wasn't looking very good. Kathryn kept Chakotay apprised of the situation and so he knew the details and it wasn't looking good. Captain Janeway was under increasing pressure by her superiors and her colleagues to give up the Maquis and none of her connections provided anything useful to their case. Tom had suggested that Janeway contact Admiral Paris but the Admiral was not on the board that decided the fate of the Maquis as it was deemed that he was too close to the situation with his son, who was also a former Maquis, being on board the ship. Tom could have told them that it wouldn't mean anything to his father whether he was on the ship or not but Janeway and the elder Paris had been friends of sort. Maybe he'd be willing to giver he his support. Unfortunately they weren't even allowed to contact him.

"Tom," Gerron said quietly. "What's…." he looked down at the table top before leaning a little closer to try asking again. He cleared his throat and Tom was dreading the question. "What is it like in prison?" He knew Tom didn't talk about his time there but he needed to prepare himself. He had lived on Bajor during the Cardassian occupation. He hoped that if he could get through that then he could make it through prison.

Tom leaned forward. "You are not going to prison," he said determinedly as if the very words alone could change reality.

"We don't have a choice. We have no friends in the federation," Gerron stated and it was true. They couldn't hide out on Voyager forever and they had no other options available to them. His homeworld was also in great jeopardy and that only worsened his outlook on the situation. Bajor, being just the next system over to Cardassia, had been one of the first to be annexed when the war escalated and as of early 2374 Bajor was under Cardassian rule. "We have no one to turn to." His voice was hopeless. Chakotay gave the young man words of comfort but to Gerron's ears the words were empty.

Tom was lost in thought and barely registered that the conversation at the small table had continued without him. 'When you have no one to turn to, look to me.' He remembered somebody saying that and then giving him a small satchel. He didn't know who had said it, he didn't know when in his life it had been said but he knew that this person would help. Tom knew he could trust him.

Now where was that little bag? He always took it with him. He hadn't remembered when he had gotten it until today but he had always carried it with him even though he had never opened it. All of a sudden Tom stood up from the table and headed towards the exit. "Tom, where are you going?" Chakotay called after him and standing to follow when Tom didn't break his stride.

"There's someone who might be able to help us," Tom said heading towards the turbolift Chakotay in hot pursuit.

"Who?"

"Well, I don't actually know who it is, but I trust him." Chakotay eyed him carefully. You can't trust somebody if you don't know who they are.

They arrived at the lift and Tom pushed the button to call it. "Are you sure about this?" What if they're no more sympathetic to the Maquis than Starfleet is? What if they don't want to help?"

Tom shook his head and looked at Chakotay. "He'll help. He told me that if ever I was on my own, needing help, with nobody to turn to, look to him."

"And you've never used it?" It sounded like a get out of jail free card to Chakotay and he could think of many times that Paris could have used the help.

Tom shrugged and looked impatiently at the lift doors that were still closed. "I guess I forgot about it but it would have been a waste to use it back then."

"If it works," Chakotay said unsurely. The lift arrived and Tom stepped in. "Are you sure about this?"

He turned to face the former Maquis Captain and gave him a smirk. "Have a little faith, Commander." The doors slid shut. Chakotay stood there for several seconds more before heading back to the messhall. He didn't dare hope that Paris's plan would work. What if the deal was non-transferable? What if it was only meant to help save one person? What if there was nothing at all?

His quarters, once clean, were now a mess. Every drawer had been dumped. Every piece of clothing had been removed from his closet. He'd removed the cushions to his couch thinking that his small prize may had fallen between. He even shifted the mattress off his bed –yet still it was nowhere to be found. He searched through the objects on the floor and still didn't find it. Leaning against the now cushion-less sofa he visually scanned the room, or what remained of it. Where had he stuck it? Stuck! That was it! Getting up from the floor he dashed to the small desk in his quarters that was now sans drawers.

He crawled underneath it and looked up at the bottom of the writing surface. That's were he had stuck it. Using an adhesive tape he had secured it to the under side of the desk so that it wouldn't get thrown around when the ship was in a battle. He smiled and plucked it off. With a long cracking sound the object was dislodged. Tom carefully crawled out from under the desk and then sat on a clear area of the floor. He leaned back against the sturdy desk and turned the satchel over in his hands. This might be their last chance, he thought to himself. This could give his friends their freedom. He promised himself that he would make it work.

Opening it he found two small objects inside. The first was a datachip and the second was a gold piece shaped into a symbol that he didn't recognize and engraved in a language he didn't know. He placed the gold piece in his pocket as he stood and placed the datachip into his console. It beeped to life and on the display was a symbol similar to the one Tom now had in his pocket. The screen changed and showed him a subspace transmission route. He needed to send a message but to do that he would need the Captain's permission and Seven's help. He wouldn't do anything in this matter without her consent. It was after all her crew.

Tom had explained everything that he knew of the datachip's origins to her and how he thought the man at the other end of the subspace transmission would be able to help them and now she stood looking at the starbase looming in front of them while contemplating her answer.

"What do we have left to loose?" Tom asked softly. Janeway leaned her head to one side and brought a hand up to massage the back of her neck. Finally she turned to him. Her eyes were cautiously hopeful. This was a long shot but Tom was right. What did they have left to loose?

"Get Seven to help you and send the message," she said told him in a voice that was unusually strained. Seven would be able to send a message around the interference that the Starbase had aimed at them to prevent all but a few Starfleet transmissions in. He nodded. "Be careful what you tell them. This isn't supposed to be a public affair," Janeway warned. Not that the public would care much. Right now their attention was focussed on the Dominion War.

Two days later the situation wasn't getting any better. Starfleet was threatening to send vessels out to get them. They were reluctant to do so though since every ship was needed to defend Federation space but the threat was enough to jar the nerves of those on board. When people had a bad case of nerves, they went to Sandrine's. The atmosphere was so homey and nonchalant that they could try to forget their troubles in a game of pool or drown them in synthahol.

Tonight Tom and B'Elanna chose the latter. They were seated alone in a booth near the back of the bar nursing their beverages. Tom stared at the beer in front of him and didn't feel much like drinking it. In fact Sandrine's just didn't feel right tonight. Maybe it was because the real Sandrine's was just over eighty light years away and he was stuck in this bad replica. Okay, it's not a bad replica but when the real thing was so close, this felt so fake –at least to Tom.

He sat back with a sigh and contemplated what had gone wrong recently. Starfleet was getting impatient, the crew was getting edgy, and his contact had not replied. Nothing was going right. He had been so sure that his message to…whoever, would be of some good, but here they were no better off than they were two days ago. His right hand balled into a fist as the anger and disappointment took hold of him. A hand on his fist brought him from his churning thoughts.

"You tried Tom," B'Elann told him. She knew of Tom's attempt to help them and for a while she had been hopeful but hope was in short supply these days. Tom relaxed his hand and turned it over so that he could hold B'Elanna's smaller one in his. They were both silent.

"All Senior Staff report to the bridge," Chakotay's voice called and after giving Tom's hand one quick squeeze B'Elanna got up pulling a forlorn Tom with her. Halfway to the bridge Tom and B'Elanna met up with Harry in the turbolift but Tom didn't pay him any mind. It had been a week since they last spoke like real friends, a week that was getting worse by the second especially now that they could both use another friend to lean on.

The bridge was quiet when they arrived. Only Chakotay and Celes were there. They moved to their positions, the Captain and Lt. Commander Tuvok arriving a few seconds later.

"What's going on?" Janeway asked her second in command.

Chakotay stood in the middle of the bridge where Janeway joined him. "We received message saying that they're aware of our predicament and that they're responding to a request made by the chief helmsman," Chakotay said and they looked at Tom who swivelled around in his chair to look at the Commander. Chakotay smiled at him his own hopes rising a little. "The message also came with an image." He gestured to Celes who was at the science station to put the image on the view screen.

A gold symbol with alternating straight and curved edges around the side and markings in the middle appeared on the screen with a black background. They all studied it. Tom's eyes widened. He fished in his pocket for the small object and was relieved to see that he hadn't lost it. He had taken to bringing it with him everywhere, just for good luck. Tom looked between the image and object.

"Tom?" Janeway walked to him at the helm. He held up the object and rotated it until it matched the symbol on the screen. "They're the same," Janeway said.

"It's him," Tom said softly.

So entranced by the drama playing out on the bridge, it took Kim a few moments to notice the signal on his console. "Captain, we're being hailed. Audio only."

"Put it through." There was a soft beep as Kim did just that. "This is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager. To whom am I speaking?" They waited for a response.

A few seconds later a voice responded. "I'm Tate, Captain of the Halo. Welcome home." Kathryn and Chakotay glanced at each other. The voice was strangely familiar.

"Thank you, but we aren't feeling very welcome."

"Yeah, Starfleet's being paranoid." There was a pause. "Is Lieutenant Paris with you?"

"Yes. He's at the helm," Janeway informed dubiously. Who exactly was this person?

"We'll transport over to discuss your options. Halo out."

Those on the bridge were silent for a few moments. Janeway went to Tom who was staring at the small emblem in his hand. She laid a hand on his shoulder to gain his attention. When he looked at her, she asked quietly, "Do you know who that was?"

He shook his head. "He's not the man who gave me this but he's connected to him and to me…but I don't know how…"

Further conversation was interrupted by the sound of two people materializing on the bridge. When the green light cleared two men stood at the front left corner of the bridge, just meters from the helm. Both of them appeared to be human. The shorter of the two had dark hair and green eyes. His skin tone was olive and he had a lean frame. The second man bore a striking resemblance to Voyager's chief helmsman. Tall, blue eyes, his hair was a little darker, he had a slightly large build but his facial features were nearly identical to Tom's just a little more broad. They were both dressed in charcoal pants and shirts with a navy jacket with a gold commbadge in the shape of the image they had seen earlier.

"I'm Tate and this is my friend, Emilio" the man who looked like Tom spoke. The Voyager officers were speechless. They looked back and forth between Tate and Tom. What the hell is going on? Tate looked at the officers assembled and his eyes came to rest on Tom. He smiled broadly and stepped towards Tom, ignoring the Captain who stood next to him. "Tom, it's so good to see you." He enveloped Tom in a hug.

Tom patted the other man's back awkwardly before removing himself from the embrace. "Do I know you?" He asked cautiously and watched as the face of his…twin fell.

Tate looked down briefly before looking back at Tom. "Right, you don't remember." He looked back at Emilio who stood behind him. The other man shrugged sympathetically and Tate turned back to Tom. They locked eyes and time was non-existent for those few moments.

For Tom it was like looking into a living mirror, except that the version of himself before him looked to be younger than he. "Tom, I'm your brother," Tate told him gently and just as he expected Tom denied it. Of course, he didn't know any better.

"I don't have any brothers," Tom told him. His voice was light and easy but Tate thought heard a note of tension in his voice.

Looking at the rest of the people on the bridge Tate decided that they would need the whole story before they could make a decision –a decision that was ultimately Tom's. Tate looked sadly at the man the boy he had known grew up to be. "You have five brothers, Tom. None of which you remember."

"That's impossible," Tom said assuredly but Tate just shook his head.

"I think that we should take this somewhere private," Janeway said. She ushered their guests into the conference room and left Tuvok in command of the bridge. The chairs around the briefing table went unoccupied as all assembled preferred to stand. Harry and B'Elanna eyed Tate and Emilio with great distrust. None of what Tate had told Tom made any sense and hearing it, whether true or not, was cruel. As Tom's friends it was their duty to protect and support him.

"Now, Tate," Kathryn began, "how exactly are you related to Mr. Paris?" Her voice was placating –she obviously didn't believe the Captain of the Halo- and the tone grated on Tate's nerves.

"That's not his name," he snapped. After taking a deep breath he apologized. Emilio had warned him that this would not be easy on him but as hard as it was for Tate, he knew that his would many times worse for Tom. "Your name," he addressed Lt. Paris, "is 'Thomas'. That's it. Not 'Thomas Eugene Paris'. That name was given to you after you were severed from the program."

"I know my own name," Tom stated. "And what program?" His eyes narrowed.

"You only know what you've been told Tom." Tate stepped closer to his brother hoping that Tom would be able to see the truth in his eyes. A hand on his shoulder stopped his advance.

"Maybe….maybe you should start at the beginning," Emilio said and gave Tate a comforting pat on the shoulder. Tate swallowed. "You might want to sit down for this," Emilio suggested to Tom. "It won't be easy. For either of you." He looked between the two men before giving them both some room.

Tom shook his head and raised his hands to stall any long story that would be coming his way. "We can talk about this later. Right now the we need to keep our friends out of prison."

Emilio shook his head. "Tom you don't know what you're getting into." For a human his voice sounded strangely even and controlled, Vulcan like. "The past that has been hidden from you is very important."

"How so?" Tom crossed his arms across his chest. Harry noticed the defensive stance and knew that these people were starting to unnerve his friend.

Tate intervened here. "The subspace co-ordinates that you were given had been part of Nathaniel Teller's personal communications. He was the one you were supposed to turn to when you needed help, providing that you remembered what he had said. Unfortunately Teller was killed many years ago so he can't help you. We can help you, but the terms of the agreement have changed." Tate sounded as though he did not agree morally with the new terms.

This discussion was raising to many questions, the most prevalent one being, "What terms?" Janeway asked quickly. She had a bad feeling about this agreement but it was too late to turn back now.

"Teller gave Tom the datachip and symbol so that when he asked for it, Teller could help him. No strings attached."

"Why would he do that?" Chakotay questioned.

Emilio was about to answer but Tate shook his head. "It's not important. The thing is, that agreement has changed due to the circumstances we now find ourselves in." He turned his gaze from the Commander back to the Chief Helmsman. "In exchange for your friends' freedom, we…we get you, as you were when you left the program."

"Unacceptable," Janeway answered immediately.

"What do you mean you get me? And what 'program' do you keep referring to?" Tom asked in annoyance and apprehension. He felt a terrible foreboding at the core of his mind and there was a sinking feeling in his gut. Emilio's next words would not help him feel any better.

"You might want to sit down."

Tom looked between the two strangers and saw the apprehension in their expressions as well. "Shit. This is going to bad," he whispered to himself but was easily overheard. He looked away briefly, composing himself and preparing himself for what was to come. "Let's get this over with," Tom said looking back to Emilio and Tate.

"Tom, you're not who you think you are." Emilio said softly. "You're not the son of Owen and Marleen Paris. You were adopted by them when you were the physical equivalent of ten years old."

"Then who am I? Where do I come from?" Tom asked cautiously.

Tate thought that it would be best if the next part of the history lesson came from him. He stepped a little closer to Tom and willed his voice to be as gentle as possible in hopes of taking away the shock of what he was about to say next. "You were part of a project. Nathaniel Teller was a geneticist. With some back door help from the Federation, he created us." He watched Tom carefully for a reaction and was dismayed to see nothing but distrust. Please, Tom don't make this harder than it already is, Tate pleaded mentally. "You are number four of six from the T-Series project. Genetically engineered to be faster than a Ktarrian, as smart as a Vulcan and as strong as a Klingon." Tate waited for a response from Tom. Around them Kathryn Janeway was claiming how preposterous this was, Harry Kim was claiming that it was untrue, B'Elanna Torres was threatening them and Commander Chakotay accused them of making all this up. Emilio ran interference but Tom and Tate were silent and still, eyes locked. Eventually the commotion around them settled and attention was turned back to the two similar-looking, -sounding, and –acting men.

Tom's soft words broke the spell of quiet. "I don't believe you."

Tate didn't back down. "I didn't think you would, but I had hoped." He pulled a computer memory unit from his pocket and showed it to Tom. "I can prove it." Tom stared at the CMU. Was it really all on that? Was the truth so simple that it could be contained on a few quads of memory? "I can show you."

"Fine. Prove it," Tom said stubbornly and found the knot is his stomach growing larger and the foreboding, more intense.

Breaking the stare Tate looked at the others. "On this are holographic recordings taken from The Institute. It proves true, everything that I've told you." He looked back to Tom. "Are you sure you want to see this?"

"Its pretty bad, huh?" Tate nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I'm sure."

"And them?" Emilio gestured to the rest of the assembled Senior Staff.

Tom glanced at his fellow officers and friends he gave them a weak smile. "It's their choice to come or not, but I have a feeling that I'm going to need some help getting through this."

A few minutes later the entire Senior Staff of Voyager, except the Doctor were present outside of holodeck one. Captain Janeway had asked Tuvok to join them since as a security officer he would be able to verify whether what they were about to see was real or fraudulent. With Tom's permission she had briefed him on what had happened during the meeting. Tuvok was sceptical but kept his mind open.

"Prepare yourselves," Emilio cautioned as he loaded the information in to a temporary directory in the ship's computer. He pressed a few keys and the doors slid open. They proceeded in. Tom hesitated at the juncture of the holodeck. Too many questions starting with 'what if' raced through his mind and the hand placed on his shoulder startled him.

"You okay?" Chakotay asked.

Tom shook his head. "Ask me that when we leave the holodeck."

Chakotay leaned closer to the pilot. "We're all here for you Tom. You're not alone in this."

Tom didn't expect the sense of relief that flowed through him from hearing that but accepted it freely and without question. While his past was being torn apart at least he was sure that the people he had come to trust would still be there when this was done with. He wasn't alone.

"This is the institute," Tate said as they walked into the foyer of the building from the Voyager's corridor. "This, Tom, is where you spent every moment of your life up until you were removed." Tom didn't respond. He looked around the foyer but nothing was familiar. It was a fairly unspectacular room. No paintings, no carpet, not even a chair to sit on. It lacked the welcoming feeling that foyers were supposed to provide. People were not supposed to be welcomed here. Most people did not even know of the existence of this place. "I know you don't remember this place. I'll explain that too," Tate said and guided them into a different room thinking that he had a whole lot of explaining to do.

"This is where it began." He waved a hand to the six incubation chamber in the plain room. They were arranged one next to the other and inside each was a baby. Also in the room were some holographic people. They looked to be doctors and nurses just going about their business to take care of the 'unborn' infants. Tate walked to the fourth chamber from the entrance. "Tom, this is you."

From the entrance Tom regarded at the chamber and after rustling up the courage he moved to take a closer look. He glanced at Tate before looking through the transparent barrier. The baby was suspended in an orange solution and there was a cord from its stomach to the machine. It was so cold and disconcerting. Tom was ready to leave but the urge to know the truth was too strong to ignore. He was about to reach out and touch the machine but a few centimetres before he did Tate's voice drew him back. "There's more." He told them and after allowing Tuvok a moment to confirm that this was not a programmed scenario but rather a recorded one, he change the time index and moved them to another room.

This room was also bare of furniture except for the six desks lined up from one end to the other. Six children sat at the desks working diligently over their padds and being monitored by two adults, one man and one woman. It was not an unusual sight except that all the children (all boys) looked strikingly similar. They all had blonde hair that over the years would darken to golden and brown colours. They either had blue or green eyes giving evidence that their genes were not totally identical but the facial features were nearly identical between them all, showing just how close their genes were.

"This is the T-Series," Tate introduced He walked over to one of the boys. He placed a hand on top of the young boys head. "This is Thomas, four of six in the T-Series."

"That's me?" Tom said moving closer and crouching down to get a better look at the child. It could be him but it could be a lot of other people too.

"What does 'four of six' mean?" B'Elanna asked.

Emilio answered. "Thomas was the fourth child to be removed from the incubation chambers out of the six, hence four of six."

"And the others?" Tom said standing to look at the other five boys. "They're my brothers?" He was desperately hoping that this was a lie. He didn't want this to be his life.

"Yes." Tate said.

"What are their names?"

Tate gestured to the boy at the far end of the room. "Tanner," he pointed to the next one, "Tate," and then the next one, "Terrence," and so on, "Thomas, Trevor and Tyson." Tom looked at all of them. His brothers. "Our names are alphabetical by our order of 'birth'. Tanner was first, then me, then Terrence and so on. There's only about half an hour between each of us but," Tate smiled slightly, "it was a serious issue when we were younger."

"How old are they?" Tom asked and Tate was depressed to hear that Tom didn't believe what he was being shown. 'How old are they?' not 'How old are we?' or 'How old am I?"

"Physically, we're all about five here."

"Physically?" Harry questioned.

"How much time had passed since the last scene?" Tom asked suspiciously.

Tate sighed. Things were about to get more complicated. "Nine years."

"Nine years? If they're only the physical equivalent of five years old how could nine years have passed?" Janeway inquired. Not only did she not believe what was shown but common sense was being contradicted.

"I'm not sure of the exact process that they used but by infusing our bodies with chronotons set to a specific temporal frequency they were able to slow our aging process."

"Why?" Tom asked heatedly. "Why do any of this?"

"'To maintain piece you must prepare for war'. We're weapons." Tate stated so indifferently that Tom wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him. Weapons! So that makes it all okay? "They designed us, made us and trained us, hard. So that one day we might be able to protect the Federation, to establish peace and, if necessary, force it."

"When did this training begin?" Tuvok asked.

"Since the moment they were born." Emilio looked to the six boys that were still working and recalled similar memories.

"Are you part of the T-Series?" Tuvok asked.

Emilio shook his head. "No. I'm two of four in the-"

"E-Series," Tom interjected and Emilio nodded. "Inventive," Tom said as he rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Who named them?"

Tate was getting increasingly disturbed that Tom didn't believe him. Sure he was trained to handle difficult people but in those instances he could keep an emotional detachment that was lacking in this situation. "Each series is designated by the person who is chiefly responsible for their creation. For the T-Series it was Nathaniel Teller. Each one is then name alphabetically using the first letter of their last name."

"So," Tom said crossing his arms defiantly, "What went wrong with me that I had to leave this lovely place."

"You, Tom, were the rogue of our series," Tate said smiling. "You didn't do it on purpose but you naturally questioned everything. You always needed a reason why. And when the answers given weren't enough, you found your own." Tate looked around the familiar room. "Try to understand that until I was twelve I never left this building. I never left the planet until I was seventeen. The Insitute was our world and anything beyond, what we call the 'outside', was known to us only through what we were taught. Nobody knows how you managed to do it, but you, Tom, brought in media from the outside. Vids, music, pictures, stories," Tate's tale was interrupted as the woman called to the six boys that work time was over and led them to the exit. The recording had been playing out while they had talked.

The boys quickly left their work and scurried to the door. Tate gestured for them to follow. They'd walk and talk. "They trained us to be independent, totally self reliant. We were only supposed to look out for number one but you were different." He looked at Tom who walked next to him. His gaze was focussed ahead, on the group they followed. "In the simulations you preferred to negotiate rather that harm someone, you tried to save everybody even if it put yourself in danger and you united the six of us."

"So what was the problem?" Harry asked.

"That's not what we were supposed to do. That's not what they taught us. Tom continually defied them. Of course we didn't see what the problem was but that was all they saw, a problem. They tried to correct that too. They weren't easy on you, Tom. You were too important an asset to loose. We all were and they tried everything to get you to behave as they wanted." Tate changed the time index on the recording and group of children with the woman disappeared. Silently Tate led them to what appeared to be a holodeck.

Before they could identify what the simulation was it ended and a child the looked to be maybe seven or eight years old was revealed. A door to the adjacent room opened and a man walked briskly over to the child. "What the hell was that?" the man asked.

"I was going to help them fix it," the child responded. His blue eyes staring up at the much larger man. Without warning the man slapped the child sending him to the floor.

"That was not your objective," he told the child harshly.

A woman walked into the holodeck from the adjacent room and the other five boys crowded to the doorway to see what was going on but knew better than to interfere. "James, that's enough." The woman scolded. She went to the child and helped him up. The man pushed her away.

"There's something wrong with this one. He doesn't follow orders."

"There is nothing wrong with him," she countered vehemently. "He didn't overlook the people that he could help. It's called compassion and there's nothing wrong with it."

"What if his 'compassion' gets him killed? Then what?" The man started to pace. "He has to learn that nothing else matters except the mission."

"What about integrity?" the child asked. The man glared at him. "Isn't the purpose of the mission to help people?"

"You're twisting this." The man ran his hands through his curly hair. "Get them back to their bunks." He pointed to the other five boys watching the spectacle with interest but fearing for their brother.

"What are you going to do, James?" she asked fearfully.

He turned angry eyes on her. "I'm going to teach Thomas a lesson." The woman stood there but knew that she could not dissuade him. With steps heavy with guilt, she went back to the rest of the group. The door closed behind her sealing Thomas in the holodeck with the angry man but she had seen the regret and sadness in his eyes he tried to hide from her and from all of them. "Let's see if you can get it right this time."

Before anything else could happen Tate changed the time index again. "Wait what happened to him?" Harry asked sounding distressed.

"I don't know the details but they ran the drills over for eight more hours. By the time Tom came back to his bunk that night, he could hardly walk. And that's just the beginning."

"Let me guess," Tom said, "it gets worse."

"You have no idea." Tate walked them to a room and paused before triggering the door. "I hope you're ready. All of you." He said to the group. They walked in and the first thing to greet them was the sound of a whip cracking. The man holding the whip was near them but he was not the same one who had punished young Thomas for not doing well in the simulation in the previous scene. This man was totally bald and smaller than the one last time. "It's been about a year," Tate narrated.

There was a boy standing with his back to the adult near the wall. It was plain to see that he was the intended target for the whip. There were slashes across his back already indicating that this session had not just begun even though it would be a while before it ended. The man raised his arm and expertly brought the whip across the child's back. The yelp of pain didn't seem to disturb him. He did it again, and again, and again. With each blow Tom winced and staggered as though he had been struck. An unfamiliar memory assaulted him with each lash. He was standing there, being whipped and asking himself why he didn't fight back. He wasn't restrained in anyway, yet he didn't resist his punishment. He knew he deserved it. They had told him so. There was something wrong with him.

"Stop it," Tom said in a harsh voice. Tate paused the holographic playback. "I can't watch this anymore."

"You lived it Tom." Tate told his brother even as he turned away. "That's you over there and this is not the first or last time that you'll be punished like this. Until you're released the punishments only get worse -until they decide that enough is enough." Tom shook his head trying not to believe it. Tate changed the time index so that a few hours had passed.

The lights in the room were turned low and other than the small form lying on the floor, the room was empty of holograms. They all watched as the boy picked himself painfully off the ground. His shirt lay in tatters on the floor, having been picked apart by the whip and whatever was done after they had stopped watching. Making it to his feet he unsteadily walked out of the room. He continued down the hallways that he knew so well, stumbling to the ground often. The pain over his body was so intense it was almost blinding, nevertheless he carried on and through almost sheer determination he made it to the room with the bunks. He collapsed for the last time just before he could make it to his bed. He lay there on his front not moving except for the rhythm of his breathing.

The room remained still and silent for several more seconds until one of the other boys sat up in his bed and looked around. Seeing that the coast was clear he gave a low whistle and the other boys got up as well. They all moved swiftly to the side of the one that lay on the floor seemingly unaware of who was around him. Without words being spoken they helped him to his bed. They did what they could to make him comfortable and stayed by his side as he gazed unseeingly at the ceiling.

The Voyager officers moved closer but Tom remained were he was not wanting or needing to see what he was reliving in his forgotten memories. One of the boys sat on the bed next to the injured boy and pulled him into his arms. At first there was no response but the arms of the previously unresponsive child wrapped securely around one of his brothers. His body shook as he began to cry the soul twisting sobs of pain and fear. They all want to know why but the answer was never given to them. All they could do was endure. So they tried.

His face could not be seen but the child's body shook with heavy sobs. In the eyes of the other boys tears collected and eventually fell. They cried silently for the one of them who had been so badly injured. It was the same every night, only that it seemed to be getting worse. They all moved closer to offer some comfort and soon all six were squeezed onto the small bed. Tanner, Tate, Terrence, Trevor and Tyson crying silently while Thomas's sobs pierced the night.

"It was always like this. It went on for years… until one night you didn't come back," Tate said. His voice was tight with emotions that he held back. He could see the moisture collecting in the eyes of the others except for Tuvok and Tom. Tuvok looked disturbed, the last scenes pressing hard on his Vulcan discipline. Tom was reliving the event in his memories but it was too much for him to take so there was nothing.

"They told us that you were taken away and that you wouldn't be coming back….and that was it. From then on you were just a memory but we would never forget you. Even though they made you forget us." Tom didn't respond. His eyes were still transfixed by the group of six on the bed. Even when the program was ended and the hologrid returned Tom didn't move, barely breathed.

"Tom?" Harry approached but Tom stepped back from him shaking his head.

"I…I…This isn't real."

"Tuvok checked, Tom. It's real," Tate told him forcefully. He sympathized with Tom, he really did, but he need to get it through to him that this his past, his life.

"No. I don't believe you." Tom's voice wavered and he continued to stare at the space where a moment ago the six boys had been.

Tate advanced on him "Yes you do."

"You're making this up." His voice was strong again and he looked directly into the eyes of his so-called brother.

"Damn it, Tom. What more do you want?" Tate's frustration was evident and Tuvok watched him carefully for any signs that he might turn violent.

"You make me sound ungrateful," Tom scoffed. His demeanour returning as he denied to himself what he had just seen and felt. "I didn't ask for any of this."

Tate shook his head. "You have a tracking device," he told Tom who was still sceptical. "I'll show you." In a quick motion, Tate took out a blade. Tuvok was ready to stop him but suddenly there was a phaser aimed at the group.

Emilio had taken out his weapon and trained it on the group of Voyager officers. "Don't move," he told them.

"Janeway to transporter room," Kathryn said tapping her commbadge. There was not response.

"I have a scattering device with me. No communications can leave within a ten meter radius of it," Emilio stated. They watched helplessly, knowing that they could no longer call for a beam out.

Tom defended himself well; almost knowing the movements Tate would make before they happened but eventually he lost to the more highly trained man and found himself with both arms pinned behind him and Tate's weight forcing him into the wall. Before Tom could break free he felt a sharp pain in upper arm and knew that Tate had cut him. Making good use of Tom's momentary shock he reached into the wound ignoring Tom's strangled cry at the pain he caused him. He heard Tom's friends yelling at him to stop and he heard Emilio fire warning shots but he did not let his concentration stray. He felt the thin object he had been searching for and with a quick motion he grabbed it and pulled it out. Tom bit back a yell of agony. Finally Tate let him go and Tom immediately turned to face his attacker. He brought a hand up to the wound. The blood oozed out and over his fingers as he stared at Tate with wide eyes.

Between his fingers he held what looked to be a metal wire with a small lobe in the middle of its length. It was about six inches long. "This is what they used to track you. They always knew where you were, except when you were in the Delta Quadrant."

Tom shook his head dazedly. "No," he whispered.

"Think about it, Tom!" Tate's voice was harsh. He pushed his personal feelings away. He had to do this and it would not be easy. He'd deal with the emotions later. "You don't have any memories before the age of eleven. When you left the program they wiped your memory of the institute and changed your ageing speed back to normal. That's why I look younger than you."

"I had an accident…."

"No you didn't! They spoon fed you lie after lie until you believed them!"

Harry couldn't stand to hear anymore of this. "Leave him alone!" He yelled and moved towards Tom, only to have Emilio aim the phaser at him. He would have continued forward but Captain Janeway took a firm grip on his arm.

"Think about the Paris family Tom. Did they ever treat you like you belonged with them? They could only try to be your friend even if they weren't your family."

Tom closed his eyes. "No…they…." He swallowed. Please don't let him be right, Tom begged. He felt a pair of hands on either side of his head and warily he opened his eyes. Tate stared back at him.

"And your father Tom," Tate let Tom recall the memories of his father. He let him question them before telling him, "He couldn't even pretend to love you."

That was it. That's what it had taken to break him. Tom pulled away from Tate and leaned against the wall. His eyes, glistening with tears, stared ahead seeing nothing. His face was pale and he trembled. Soon his legs could no longer support him as his mind locked him in what he thought was his own, personal hell. He slid to the floor his eyes still barren.

Tate watched with an aching heart. He had done this. He had meant to do this. Still, knowing this didn't make him feel any better. He looked back to Tom's friends who had been silent for the last few moments. No doubt they had heard what he said. He looked at their eyes and he saw hatred directed at him and Emilio but compassion for Tom. At least they would help him through this, Tate thought. He looked back to his brother who had not spoken or moved since he collapsed to the floor.

He crouched down just to the side of Tom and spoke softly to him. Tom didn't respond. Tom hadn't heard him at all. "Tom," Tate said putting a hand gently to either side of Tom's head. "I'm sorry it had to be like this," he apologized. "I know you hate me, you have every right to, but know this. I never stopped caring for you even when you were taken away. I still love you and now more than ever I need you." Tom closed his eyes and lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Tom," Tate whispered brokenly. He kissed him on the top of the head and stood up hardly noticing the smears of blood that he left on Tom's face.

"Emilio," Tate called, his voice low with emotions he barely concealed. "Let's get give him some time." He turned to Voyager's senior staff. "I'll contact you in twenty-four hours if you're still interested in helping the Maquis on your crew."

"Not with your help," Janeway said harshly.

"Can you help them?" Tom asked. His head was still down. He refused to look up at them, fearing what he would see. "Can you give them their freedom?"

"It'll take some work, but yes, we can help them." Emilio answered. He still lowered his weapon but kept it at his side. "Think about it, Tom. It's your choice. You can give them the freedom to live their lives, or keep the freedom to live a lie."

"I don't need to think about it," Tom said. Though his voice could barely be heard it was sure. Emilio shook his head

Tapping their commbadges twice, Tate and Emilio vanished in a glow of green light after giving Tom a compassionate glance that he did not see. "I'm sorry." Tate said just before he vanished. As soon as they were gone Harry was at Tom's side in an instant.

"Tom?" Harry said softly. Tom didn't look at him.

"It's all a lie," Tom murmured.

"Don't believe him. He's the one lying," B'Elanna said coming to his side. Tom gave no response. He was thinking about what he remembered of his life and questioning each moment he spent with his family, or the people he was told were his family.

"Tom," B'Elanna called but he didn't say anything.

"I think he's in shock," Janeway said. She called to have Tom and Harry beamed to Sickbay. They vanished soon after and only a small stain of blood and what Tate said was a tracking device, were left on the floor. Kathryn picked up the small device. She planned on scanning this device and determining for herself if it was what Tate said it was.

"Damn them," Torres cursed vehemently. A sentiment echoed by all. "This isn't fair to him." She looked at the superior officers that were still in the holodeck. "He'll do it too. He'll agree to their terms if it means he can get our freedom."

"I won't let him," Janeway said in her command tone.

Tuvok interrupted. "They told us that the decision was Lt. Paris' alone,"

"I don't care," Janeway said. She glared at the small piece in her hands. "B'Elanna, take this to engineering and run a full spectral analysis on it. I want to know everything about this." She handed the device to the young woman who nodded. "Commander, you and I are going to do some research into this 'Institute' and Nathaniel Teller. Tuvok, you're in command; keep a look out for the Halo. I don't want them sneaking on board, or sneaking Tom off."

"Aye Captain," Tuvok responded.

They left the holodeck taking the images they had seen would be with them. Tuvok went to the bridge to assume command and Torres headed to her domain to run some scans. Chakotay and Kathryn walked in silence towards the lift to take them to deck seven. The main computer was located there and they could search for the information the needed. They were in the turbolift both occupied with their own thoughts about everything they had seen and heard from Tate and Emilio when something occurred to Chakotay.

"The agreement," he said gaining Kathyrn's attention. She looked up at him wondering what revelation he had come to. "They said that in exchange for helping the Maquis, they would get Tom back as he was when he left the institute. What did they mean by that?" he asked knowing that Kathyrn wouldn't have the answer but needing to ask anyway.

"I don't know, but their not getting anyone from this crew if I have anything to say about it."

They stepped out onto deck seven and proceeded down the corridor. Hoping to find the information that would straighten all this out.

End Memoirs

So sorry for the long time between updates. I completely forgot about posting this story. It's been sitting on my hard drive for so long it just slipped my mind. Oops!

Zaps