VI.

When two days had passed with no word from the away team, Tom and Harry knew something had gone wrong. "They've been captured," Tom muttered, "maybe even turned into drones. We have to do something."

"What if we blow the captain's cover and ruin her plan?" Harry asked.

"We've given them enough time," Tom said. "Something is wrong."

Harry nodded and was about to move over so Tom could take the helm when the console in front of him started flashing. "We're receiving a message from the station!"

"It's about time," Tom said. "Put it through."

"It's text only," Harry replied. "Look."

Over Harry's shoulder, Tom read the encoded message from B'Elanna.

Harry looked up at his friend. "What does it say?"

"They're in trouble," Tom replied, recognizing the code that he and his wife had agreed upon before her departure for the station. "I told you something was wrong." He sat down in his chair, plotted a course for the station and was about to engage the warp engines when Harry's voice stopped him.

"Uh oh."

"What now?"

"I'm detecting two Starfleet vessels on an intercept course."

Tom grimaced. It had to be the search party his father had sent after them. "Distance?"

"They're still an hour away at high warp. It's the Enterprise and the Gryphon."

"I'll send a transmission to them and explain what's going on. I bet they'll be as curious about a cloaked space station as Captain Janeway was. Maybe they'll be willing to help."

Harry looked out the view screen in the direction of the space station. "Let's hope they are. Somehow, I think we're going to need it."

Sitting impatiently in Dr. Zupanich's office, the Doctor emitted a loud sigh. He watched Zupanich enter yet another set of commands into his console and then groan in frustration. "It's not going to work," the EMH said. "I've had a dozen failsafes installed in my program to prevent exactly this kind of tampering."

"There must be a way to get around them," Zupanich shot back. "I could use someone with your expertise. The help I have here is sub-par." "I'm not going to help you turn people into drones against their will."

Zupanich stopped what he was doing and looked up at the Doctor. "What if it wasn't against their will? Would you help me then?"

"I don't know a single person who would rather be a drone than an individual."

"Think of how much easier their lives would be," said Zupanich. "They'd have no need to make difficult decisions or decide right from wrong. They won't waste any time deciding what to eat for breakfast or how to spend their free time."

"But isn't that what makes life interesting?" the Doctor asked. "Aren't the choices about what's right and wrong what determine an individual's character? You're stripping people of their defining characteristics. How dare you do that in the name of medicine?"

"I'm improving their lives," Zupanich replied, "making them more relaxed, more efficient, more safe."

"On the surface, maybe," the Doctor conceded, "but while you may be simplifying the lives of people you turn into drones, you're taking away the real, lasting value of human life—the individual's right to pursue his or her own happiness."

"How would you know, Doctor? You're not human. You're just a hologram."

"I may not be flesh and blood, but having the ability to choose my own path changed my life, and for the better. When I was first activated, I was very much like one of your drones, but Captain Janeway encouraged me to expand beyond my original programming."

He paused. "The choices I've been faced with have challenged me at times. They've even nearly destroyed me once or twice, but they have also enriched my life in ways I never thought possible. I couldn't have imagined, when I was first activated, the individual that I had the power to become."

Zupanich looked at the Doctor, for the first time seemingly truly listening. "Do you believe it's possible for a human being to find true happiness, Doctor? Does that exist? Or is life all pain and suffering?"

"There can't be happiness without pain, Dr. Zupanich. No one can live a life devoid of pain and suffering, but…"

"You see?" Zupanich cut him off. "That's what I'm trying to eliminate for people, pain and suffering. As long as people have to choose, they risk making the wrong choice. They risk hurting themselves or others."

"Is that what happened to you, Dr. Zupanich? Did you make a choice that hurt someone? Did someone else make a choice that hurt you?" Zupanich dropped his gaze to the floor, and the EMH knew that he had discovered part of the other doctor's motivation. "No matter what happened to you," the Doctor continued in a soothing tone, "no matter what you did, you can learn from your mistakes. You can move forward and become better. Taking away the humanity of others' isn't the answer. It won't change what happened. I've lost patients. I know how hard…"

"Shut up!" Zupanich yelled suddenly. "You're just a hologram. You have no right to question me like this. Now be quiet so I can concentrate."

"You are a disgrace to the medical profession," the Doctor replied softly. "You should be stripped of your title and your license to practice medicine."

"Why you…" Zupanich stood from his desk and started to lunge toward the Doctor, as if to strike him. "That won't do you much good," the EMH reminded him. "I am just a hologram after all."

"Fine," Zupanich muttered, falling back into his chair. "Just shut up and let me concentrate."

The Doctor did as he was told this time, relaxing back into his own chair and quietly observing Zupanich. He wondered what could happen to a man that would make him decide that such evil deeds were justified.

Kathryn stepped up into her regeneration alcove and tried not to let the distaste show on her face. She felt used and exploited. Garrett had made her, Chakotay, Seven and the other two drones run around the station for several hours, testing their ability to follow his orders. The tasks had become increasingly complex, but the drones had worked together seamlessly, solving each task in record time.

In a way, the experience had made her feel more connected to Chakotay. They moved around each other effortlessly, repairing damaged conduits and circuits and engaging in combat simulations on the holodeck. There had been moments when it was easy to forget that his personality had been almost completely erased by Garrett. But then she would look into his vacant eyes and realize that he was not the man she had known for more than seven years. She closed her eyes and settled into her alcove. She felt the touch of Seven's mind on hers.

Captain?

Yes, Seven.

Are you all right?

I'm fine, Seven. But she could feel Seven's doubt through the neural link. I feel used. What Garrett is doing disgusts me. I almost wish I could be as unaware of what's happening to us the way Chakotay is.

You don't really wish that, Captain. Then your individuality would be erased, too.

You're right. But I don't know how much longer I can stand this. We need to act, and soon.

I agree. Garrett is starting to trust us now. I believe that the next time we are sent on an assignment, I will be able to get away and send a message to Lieutenant Paris and Ensign Kim.

If you can get to a computer console, see if you can find a way to release the forcefield around the cell holding Torres and Tuvok. Maybe you can find a way to contact the Doctor, too.

Yes, Captain.

We mustn't tip Garrett off that we aren't completely under his control until the last possible moment.

Agreed, Seven replied. She paused, and Janeway sensed her hesitation before she continued, Captain, you and I will have a choice of whether or not to obey Garrett, but Chakotay won't.

Janeway was aware of this, but hearing Seven say it brought the point home. It may come down to a confrontation, she acknowledged. If that happens, we are to preserve Chakotay's life at all costs. I have every reason to believe that the Doctor will be able to save him.

Yes, Captain. Seven had responded positively, but Janeway could feel her uncertainty through the link. She tried to hide her own doubts and fears and fought the impulse to look across the bay at Chakotay's regeneration alcove. She tried reaching out to Chakotay again in her mind, but there was no response. She feared that his individuality was being erased forever.

She reflected on the memories she had seen during her last connection with him, their dinner on the night he had burned out the deflector dish, and the image she had seen, through his own eyes, of a younger Kathryn Janeway pressed up against him. She had never stopped wondering about that day and what he had experienced that he had refused to tell her, citing the Temporal Prime Directive. Now, she realized she had seen at least a part of it.

Somehow, he had gone back in time and encountered a younger version of her, but she had no memory of it. She remembered hearing her own question through his memory, "Just how close do we get?" The emotion that had flowed through him at her question had been intense. He had looked down into her eyes, eyes that danced with flirtation and possibility, and given his reluctant answer. The words had almost stuck in his throat, and he correctly read her response as disappointment.

Disappointment? Her own younger self had been disappointed. Kathryn paused and thought about that. The younger version of her, who had been engaged to marry Mark, had been disappointed to learn that her relationship with Chakotay never crossed certain barriers. And how do you feel now? she asked herself.

She didn't know how to answer the question. When Admiral Janeway had told her of Chakotay's marriage to Seven in the other timeline, she had felt shocked and hurt, but that hurt had been overridden by her affection for Chakotay and her desire to see him happy and fulfilled. She thought about B'Elanna's comment about Chakotay's relationship with Seven. She thought about his own memories that she had glimpsed, all memories of his fear of losing her, and then the final moment when he'd realized that he had. She felt the tears rising through her throat and the backs of her eyes but couldn't blink, afraid to move lest she give away her autonomy.

After everything they'd been through, had they truly, finally lost each other? Chakotay thought he'd lost her and had decided to move on. She'd taken his presence in her life as a constant, but she now wondered if she'd taken his devotion for granted. She remembered his thoughts from the memory she'd witnessed: It's over. I have to move on. It's time to let go. He'd made that decision and she hadn't even noticed.

Chakotay… She reached out through her mind. We've been through too much together to let go now. Their relationship had become an essential part of her, she realized. If he was gone… She didn't even want to finish that thought. Instead she continued to implore him, Don't let go of who you are. Don't let go of our friendship. You've brought me back to myself so many times. Let me do the same for you. Listen to me, Chakotay. Hear me. Please.

But there was no response from his mind, not even a flicker of recognition. And as Kathryn Janeway stood stoically in her alcove, pretending that she was an emotionless drone, a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"This hatch should lead to the weapons' storage locker," Tuvok whispered, pointing at an exit from the Jefferies Tube.

"Without our tricorders, we have no way of knowing if it's guarded," said Torres.

"We must assume that it is," said Tuvok. "There is a high probability that Admiral Garrett has taken all precautions. However, we have the element of surprise to our advantage. Remain in the Jefferies Tube while I investigate the situation."

Torres nodded, understanding Tuvok's plan. If there was a guard, he might think there was only one intruder, and would not expect her to be waiting in the hatch. She hid herself behind the hatch while Tuvok jumped out.

For a long moment, there was silence, and B'Elanna held her breath, listening for sounds of a struggle. Then she heard an unfamiliar voice yell, "Huh? What are you doing here!" The yell was followed by the sounds of grunting and shuffling.

Tuvok's voice shouted, "Now, Lieutenant!"

Torres leapt out of the hatch to find Tuvok struggling with the security guard, trying to disarm him. "Hey!" she shouted. The guard looked up, momentarily distracted by her presence, and Tuvok took advantage of the guard's distraction to apply a Vulcan neck pinch, and the guard slumped over, his body landing on top of the Vulcan's. Torres hurried over and hauled the guard's body off of Tuvok.

At that moment, the door to the storage locker slid open. Torres, hearing the sound of the door, shouted to Tuvok, "Stay down!" She grabbed the fallen guard's weapon and shot the second guard neatly in the chest.

Tuvok, back on his feet, dragged the second guard's body inside the storage locker. He glanced into the corridor, but there didn't seem to be any other guards. "We must hurry," he said. "The guards may have alerted others to our presence."

Torres was already searching the storage locker for their instruments. "Bingo!" she said, using one of Tom's twentieth century slang words. Tuvok raised an eyebrow but did not comment on the slang.

"Here," Torres called, tossing Tuvok his tricorder. She grabbed her own tricorder and hid the field generator inside of her jacket, so that even if they were disarmed again, she would retain possession of it. "We have to find the captain."

Tuvok accessed a computer panel. "According to Garrett's logs, the captain has been assimilated."

"No," Torres breathed.

"We must sever Garrett's link to his collective," Tuvok said. "It is our only chance to save the captain and prevent Garrett from growing his collective further."

"We have to go back to the cargo bay," said Torres.

"Yes," Tuvok agreed. "Have you activated the bio-dampener on your tricorder?"

"Shit!" Torres exclaimed, and hurriedly keyed in the appropriate tricorder setting.

"Several life signs are approaching this room," said Tuvok, eyeing his own tricorder. "I suggest we depart immediately."

Torres nodded and hopped back into the Jefferies Tube. With the bio-dampening function activated, the station guards might know they had escaped through the Jefferies Tubes, but they wouldn't know for sure which way they had gone.

She crawled quickly, taking the first turn she could, hearing Tuvok right behind her. She could vaguely hear the sound of someone opening the Jefferies Tube hatch. "Maybe they went this way," a voice said.

She crawled faster, Tuvok still behind her, and they reached another junction. "You go up, I will go down," Tuvok whispered. "If all goes well, we will rendezvous in the junction outside the cargo bay. If one of us is captured, the other will still have a chance to succeed in our mission."

Torres nodded. "See you at junction fifteen gamma," she said, and proceeded to scamper up the ladder as quickly as she could, hoping that she and Tuvok would be able to keep their appointed rendezvous.

Angrily and without preamble, Commander Teral marched into Admiral Garrett's office.

"Commander," Garrett greeted her, sounding surprised by her presence, "I don't recall you having an appointment to see me."

"Do you have any idea what is going on aboard this station, Admiral? Or are you too distracted by the little power trip you're on while toying with your collective?"

"Excuse me?" Garrett replied.

Teral slammed a PADD down on Garrett's desk. "Look at this. Tell me what you see."

Garrett's eyes narrowed as he examined the PADD. "I see my prisoners have escaped."

"Our prisoners, Admiral. And you've been too busy playing with your new toys to even notice. I've had security teams tracking them, but so much of the station's personnel have been assigned to your project that I barely have enough officers for a normal shift rotation. Half of the men I have aren't fit to be more than drones. They're idiots!"

"Relax, Commander. The prisoners haven't left the station, have they?"

"A security team tracked them to the weapons' locker where their instruments were being stored. They must have retrieved their tricorders and activated some kind of bio-dampening field. They've completely disappeared off the internal sensors. I think they might have gone into the Jefferies Tubes, but I don't have enough men to canvass the entire Jefferies Tube network. Our sensors have also picked up an approaching vessel. I raised the station's shields as soon as I noticed the prisoners had escaped, but it is possible, however unlikely, that they beamed off the station to their ship."

"A ship," Garrett mused. "They must have used the naturally occurring tetryon particles to hide themselves from our sensors."

"Yes. The tetryon particles may camouflage the station but they also make approaching ships difficult to detect, as we knew when we chose this location for our station."

"What happened to the ship?"

"We fired a few shots. I don't think we did any damage, but they retreated. They've disappeared from our sensors again."

"They'll be back," Garrett said.

"Perhaps with reinforcements."

"Yes, but don't we have our own reinforcements?" Garrett asked pointedly.

"Of course. But engaging in a space battle is hardly the way to keep our presence here hidden."

Garrett waved the comment away. "We'll deal with whatever ships may arrive however we see fit. I outrank any Starfleet captain. I can tell him the project is classified and order him to leave and keep his mouth shut."

"And if whoever shows up isn't willing to do that?"

"I'll leave that in your capable hands, Commander," said Garrett. "But back to our prisoners.

"Yes, back to our prisoners. They could be anywhere on the station by now if they didn't find a way to beam back to their ship."

"They didn't beam off the station. They're Janeway's people. They'd never abandon her. I know exactly where they're headed."

Teral crossed her arms over her chest. "Is that so?"

"Of course. They'll be trying to steal my drones from me. Sooner or later, they'll end up in the cargo bay."

"What if you're wrong?" Teral asked. "What if that's not their plan?" "If that's the case, Commander, I'll allow you to deal with them however you wish."

"Allow me?" Teral sputtered. "Allow me? It's not up to you to allow me to do anything. I demand that you release the full crew complement of this station to me in order to search for these renegades."

Garrett shook his head. "You forget that this is a Starfleet station, and that these personnel are under my direct command." He paused. "Besides, I have much more entertaining ways in mind for dealing with our escaped prisoners."

"Entertaining?" Teral's interest was suddenly piqued.

"Yes, Commander. If you'll accompany me? I've had enough of running battle simulations with my drones. It's time to test them in a real situation."

The commander raised a slanted eyebrow. "Janeway is going to arrest her own people for you?"

"Janeway isn't Janeway any longer. Drone Zero Five will do whatever I instruct it to, including the capture and assimilation of the prisoners."

Teral relaxed. "You're right, Admiral, this will be an excellent test. I look forward to witnessing it." She stepped aside. "Lead the way."

"That was close," Harry said, wiping sweat from his brow as the Delta Flyer sped away from the space station. "No communication, no warning message, nothing."

"I think firing at us was the warning message, Harry," said Tom.

"What does that mean?" Harry asked. "Are the captain and her team prisoners? Have they all been assimilated?"

"What it means, Harry, is that we need reinforcements," Tom replied as he piloted the vessel back into a haven of tetryon particles, a safe distance from the station. "How far away are the Enterprise and the Gryphon?"

"They're in communications range."

"Hail Captain Picard. He and my father have known each other for years. I'm sure that my dad asked him to come looking for us as a favor. With his experience with the Borg, he's sure to be sympathetic to our cause."

"I hope so. Hailing the Enterprise," said Kim. "They are responding."

"On screen."

Captain Picard's face appeared on the Delta Flyer's view screen. "Lieutenant Paris, what are you doing here? You've deviated significantly from your filed flight plan. And," Picard continued, raising an eyebrow at Kim's presence, "it seems that your wife is not your companion."

"Captain Picard, it's good to see you again," Paris replied, turning on as much charm as he could muster. "I can explain everything, sir, I promise."

"It better be a good explanation. You're father's not happy with you, and we deviated from an important mission to come looking for you."

"It's a very good explanation, sir. But before I start, run a tachyon sweep at these coordinates." He nodded to Kim, who transmitted the coordinates of the cloaked station to the Enterprise.

Paris watched as Picard looked over his shoulder, and then he heard another voice say, "Captain, I am detecting a large cloaked mass."

"If you look a little closer," Paris said, "you'll find that it's a cloaked space station. A cloaked Starfleet station."

Picard narrowed his eyes. "Explain, Lieutenant."

"Have you heard of Admiral Vince Garrett?"

"Your father mentioned his name when he asked us to attempt to locate the Delta Flyer. What does he have to do with all this?"

"He's currently holding my wife and Lieutenant Tuvok prisoner on that space station. They managed to escape for long enough to send us a distress call. We also have reason to believe that the admiral is using Borg technology to create a human collective. We came here with Captain Janeway to try and stop him, but she's aboard the station now, too, either imprisoned or assimilated. When we tried to approach the station just now, they fired at us."

Paris and Kim glanced at each other, watching the screen as Picard cut the audio and shared a brief exchange with his senior staff. Then the audio resumed. "Do you have any proof of these assertions?" the captain asked.

"We're sending over all the data we have, including files from Captain Janeway that explain her theory on what's happening here."
Picard cut the audio again, and Paris and Kim watched as he spoke with Lieutenant Commander Data, who, as an android, could absorb all of the data from the Flyer at lightning speed.

Kim looked at his friend with a grim expression. "I don't think he's going for it, Tom. We might be flying solo on this one."

"Don't be such a downer, Harry. Give the man a chance."

Finally, the audio resumed. "Do you have a plan of action, Lieutenant Paris?" Picard asked.

"If we approach that station again, we're going to need more fire power than this little ship can muster," Paris replied. "Care to back us up, Captain?"

A ghost of a smile crossed Picard's face, and he looked to his right. "What do you think, Number One?" he asked.

"A renegade admiral experimenting with Borg technology on a cloaked space station at the border of Federation space?" Riker replied with a grin. "Sounds like it's right up our alley, sir."

Picard directed his attention back to the view screen. "The Gryphon will be here any minute. I'll apprise them of the situation and instruct them to join us when they arrive, just in case your renegade admiral has any more surprises up his sleeve. Lead the way, Mr. Paris."

Paris looked at Kim and grinned, as if to say, 'I told you so,' and nodded his acknowledgement to Picard. "Thank you, Captain," he said. "Laying in a course."

"We'll follow you in," said Picard, cutting the transmission.

Tom looked at his friend and nodded. "Here goes nothing."

B'Elanna glanced nervously behind her as she scrambled up another Jefferies Tube ladder, but she saw no pursuers. As she reached the top of the ladder, she stopped in the junction, breathing hard and wiping sweat from her brow. She pulled out her tricorder. It seemed that she had finally lost her pursuers. However, she also had no idea where she was on the station. She had completely lost track of her course trying to evade Garrett's security team. She pulled up the station map on her tricorder. She had deviated significantly from her planned route to the cargo bay, and she'd have to go up three decks and over a dozen junctions to get there.

She was about to close the tricorder and continue on her journey when a signal popped up on the screen that caught her eye. It was the Doctor's mobile emitter, and it was only a few junctions away from her current position. It appeared that there was only one other life sign near him.

B'Elanna made a split second decision and crawled through the Jefferies Tube that led her closer to the signal. According to the tricorder, the human life sign was directly between her and the Doctor. She crouched inside the hatch and cracked the door open, listening closely.

"What was it that happened to you, Dr. Zupanich?" the EMH was asking.

"That's none of your business," another voice replied.

B'Elanna opened the door a little further. She could see into the room. It was a medical office, and the man seated between her and the Doctor was dressed in a lab coat.

"I think you'll feel better if you talk about it," the Doctor said, clearly trying for his best bedside manner.

B'Elanna looked directly at the Doctor, waiting until she caught his eye. She pressed one finger to her lips.

The Doctor continued his conversation as if he had not seen her. "Research shows that those who have undergone a traumatic experience…"

"Shut up!" the man yelled in response. He stood, stepped threateningly towards the Doctor, and B'Elanna took advantage of that moment to fire, shooting the man in the back. He crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

"It's about time you showed up," the EMH said.

"We had a little delay in the local brig," Torres replied. "Where's the captain?"

"She's been assimilated into Garrett's collective," the Doctor replied, "along with Seven and Commander Chakotay."

"That vile petaQ!" Torres cursed.

"Where is Commander Tuvok?"

"I don't know. We got separated. We were supposed to rendezvous back at the cargo bay, but I detected your mobile emitter."

"I suggest we find him immediately," said the Doctor. "Garrett and Dr. Zupanich are planning to assimilate more drones."

Torres nodded. "We have to help the captain and Chakotay."

"And Seven," added the Doctor, "although I don't know how much help she really needs."

"What do you mean?"

The Doctor explained his suspicion that Seven was far less susceptible to Garrett's manipulations than she had led Garrett to believe.

"But I don't know what she's planning," he said. "I didn't get a chance to speak to her alone."

"If I know Seven, she's waiting for the right moment to make a move." B'Elanna pushed Zupanich's body aside and accessed his computer console. She whistled softly. "Garrett plans to assimilate the rest of his staff and then move on from there." She looked up at the Doctor. "This guy is scary."

"So is Dr. Zupanich," said the Doctor, gesturing to Zupanich's still unconscious form. "He actually thinks he's helping people by assimilating them."

"We have to get to the cargo bay," said B'Elanna.

"What about Dr. Zupanich?" asked the Doctor.

"I'll set up a forcefield around his office," said B'Elanna. "When he wakes up, he'll be trapped."

"That's where he belongs," said the Doctor. "In prison." The Doctor grabbed a medkit and added a few extra supplies he thought he might need while Torres set up the forcefield around Zupanich's office. "We'd better hurry," he said. "It won't be long before one of the medics returns to sickbay and realizes something is wrong."

Torres activated the forcefield and then gestured to the Jefferies Tube hatch. "After you, Doc."

Tuvok reached the junction in the Jefferies Tube right outside of the cargo bay, and for the first time since leaving the weapons' locker, he allowed himself to stop moving. He sat back against the wall and took several deep breaths to calm his racing heart.

He flipped open his tricorder. The bio-dampening field was functioning within established parameters. He had no reason to believe that his presence had been detected. He scanned the cargo bay through the hatch. There were five drones inside; all appeared to be regenerating. They were the only life signs in the cargo bay.

He lifted the tricorder to scan the surrounding area. There was no sign of Lieutenant Torres. She might have simply taken a longer route to get to the cargo bay, he reasoned. Or she might have been apprehended by Garrett's people.

Tuvok waited several minutes before he decided he didn't have time to lose. More of Garrett's men could arrive at any moment, drastically reducing his chances of success. He opened the Jefferies Tube hatch.

Janeway's eyes snapped open. She heard a sound, which she instantly recognized as the opening of a Jefferies Tube hatch. Seven! she called. Wake up! A relieved sigh escaped her lips. Finally, someone from her crew was here to help them escape.

The hatch across from her regeneration alcove opened, and Tuvok jumped out, weapon at the ready.

But before Janeway could react to Tuvok's presence, she heard Garrett's booming voice in her mind. Drones! There are intruders aboard the station. Apprehend them immediately!

Chakotay and the other two drones instantly sprang into action. One of the guard-drones pointed a phaser rifle at the Vulcan. "Stop where you are," said the drone's emotionless voice.

Tuvok froze, his eyes darting from the drone to Janeway and Seven.

"Drop your weapon," the Chakotay-drone ordered, brandishing a phaser, "or you will be incapacitated."

Reluctantly, Tuvok complied.

It's too soon, Janeway heard Seven's voice tell her. Janeway forced herself to remain calm, despite her desire to jump to action. Seven was right. If they exposed themselves now, they might lose the chance to sever Garrett from the collective, assuming Tuvok even had the dampening field generator on him. He had to be within three meters of Garrett to use it.

Janeway felt rather than heard the orders flow through her mind as she walked mechanically towards Tuvok and picked up his weapon from the floor. She then proceeded to point the weapon at her old friend. "Where is the other prisoner?" she asked, barely recognizing the sound of her own voice.

"I do not know," Tuvok answered, and Janeway knew he was telling the truth.

Just then, the doors to the cargo bay slid open, and Admiral Garrett entered, followed by a Romulan commander. Janeway made the connection with the one Romulan life sign they had detected upon arrival. "I thought Vulcans weren't supposed to be able to lie," Garrett said in a mocking tone. "Where is the other prisoner?"

"I do not know," Tuvok reiterated, "and your asking me again will not alter my response."

"That's too bad," said Garrett. "If you knew, we might have spared you." Garrett turned to Teral. "I hope you're prepared to witness the full abilities of my collective, Commander."

At that moment, Teral's comm badge beeped. "Bridge to Commander Teral."

"Teral here. I'm a little busy at the moment."

"Commander, we're detecting two Federation vessels approaching the station, and a third on long range sensors. They seem to have detected us through the cloak. What are your orders?"

"Raise shields," Teral ordered, "and wait for me. I'm on way." She turned her attention back to Garrett. "I'm sorry, Admiral, but your little demonstration will have to wait for another day. I'm needed on the bridge." She turned on her heel and exited the cargo bay with two swift steps.

"Too bad," Garrett quipped, "but she'll have plenty of other opportunities to witness the force of my collective." The admiral looked at Tuvok with a sardonic grin. "You should feel honored. You're among the first to experience the power my collective firsthand."

As Garrett said the words to Tuvok aloud, Janeway felt a new order flow through her. She raised her weapon and pointed it straight at Tuvok, her old friend. The command she heard was, Fire!