=/\=

From time to time, new beings materialized in Unimatrix Zero while others disappeared. A few only came to the sanctuary once or twice, like Erin Hansen, but most returned many times before their presence was missed. Intellectually, Annika knew that when someone didn't return, that being had probably perished. Those who were close to the one who had been lost always gathered to say goodbye to the one who was gone, once it became apparent the absence was permanent. Afterwards, they all would go on as they had before, relishing life as an individual as much as they could during each visit.

When Pennia disappeared, however, everyone who was in the clearing at the time was shocked. One minute, Pennia was walking along, chatting and laughing with Annika, Axum, and Kuruun. The next, without any warning, she was gone. Her dematerialization hadn't been marked by the subtle flickering that usually indicated a being's regeneration cycle was about to end. She departed abruptly, in the middle of a sentence - indeed, in the middle of a word. Annika exchanged glances with Axum. He shrugged it off, saying that her cycle must have ended prematurely. She had only been with them for a very short time that cycle, but perhaps Axum was right. Annika hoped he was right, because she felt a sudden chill, a premonition that the explanation for Pennia's abrupt exit would turn out to be much more ominous. From the way Axum's brows furrowed in a way they seldom did, Annika suspected he also thought the event was not as innocuous as he'd suggested.

They never saw Pennia again. Like Erin Hansen, she had disappeared from Unimatrix Zero for good. Everyone waited for a couple of cycles to make sure, but as soon as the first of them began to return from their waking times, when the Collective's knowledge flooded their minds, they were certain she wasn't going to come back as she always had, to laugh with her friends and comfort new arrivals, especially children, to help them adjust to their new virtual existence. This task was left to others, and it was a vital one, for right after Pennia disappeared, an influx of newcomers appeared in Unimatrix Zero, most of whom were representative of species new to the Borg. A dangerous enemy had been engaged in battle at a place known as Wolf 359. For the first time, Annika saw a human not of her family come to Universe Zero, as well as a being she recognized as a Klingon. Their presence would have intrigued Annika at another time, but losing Pennia was almost as overwhelming to her as her mother's loss had been. Annika's initial greetings to Korok and Laura were muted in comparison to the welcome they would have received if they had arrived at any other time.

Pennia's memorial in the clearing was a more subdued affair than most. Afterwards, to relieve their melancholy mood, Axum and Annika hiked to the facsimile of Vorothon Gorge. They stood at the overlook for a short time after their arrival. At first they didn't say anything to each other, but eventually, Annika began to speak of her first day in Unimatrix Zero, when Pennia had found her and delivered her safely to her mother. Axum described the first time he'd appeared in the clearing. Pennia had been the first to greet him, too, calming him down and explaining to the agitated youth where he was and, more importantly, who he would be from then on. "I was very confused about everything that had just happened to my people. I'd never even heard of the Borg before they assimilated my species. Pennia was so good to me, Annika. As long as I'm able to come here and be myself, with an individual's memories instead of only the ones permitted by the Hive, I'll remember her for her kindness."

"I'll never forget her either, Axum. You both helped me search for Mama when she didn't come back. You knew right from the beginning what must have happened to her, didn't you?"

"Well, yes, I suspected your mother was dead right away, but sometimes one of us will spend time in another area of this sanctuary, for reasons we don't understand, and then will turn up later. Your mother had only been here twice. Pennia and I told each other we had to try to find her, in case she'd simply landed in the wrong part of Unimatrix Zero. Down by the bay, perhaps, or deeper within the woods. We also thought it would be better for you to look for her instead of sitting around crying about missing her. Taking action helps someone cope with terrible loss. I was happy to help. I think you accepted your mother's absence better because, in the end, we didn't need to tell you she was never coming back. You came to that realization on your own."

They sat down on the edge of the outlook and watched the rainbows disappear as the sun moved too low in the sky to kiss the mists into refracted loveliness. As darkness descended, a moon appeared in the sky, then another. Annika leaned against Axum's side and sighed, "I'm going to miss her so much."

"I think everyone in our group in the clearing is going to miss her. But we'll remember Pennia as long as we're able to come here and share our memories of her."

"To honor her, we should always reach out and try to help newcomers, the way she helped us when we came here for the first time."

"Especially the children," Axum replied.

"Yes, especially them. Should we go back to the clearing to tell the others?"

"It's pretty dark out now, Annika. Why don't we stay here at the overlook for the rest of our cycles. We arrived here at the same time. We'll probably wake up about the same time, too."

Annika nodded leaned her head against his shoulder for a short time before she suddenly sat up straight, rigidly erect in the posture she always maintained when she was Seven of Nine. "Is something wrong, Annika?" he asked.

She turned to look directly at his face. "I just thought . . . Axum. We won't ever know if either of us will stop coming here. Our bodies could die in service to the Collective at any time. I need to tell you something, in case one of us never returns. Axum, you have been my true friend ever since the first day I came to Unimatrix Zero. I want you to know that I . . . well, I wanted you to know how happy you've made me, because you've been my friend for so long."

She could see him smile despite the darkness, since his teeth reflected a little of the light from the bigger of the two moons. "What a lovely thing to say. I feel the same way. . . that is, well, I think I may feel it even more. You have become very precious to me, Annika Hansen. I hope we'll always find each other when we come to Unimatrix Zero."

Annika rested her head against his shoulder again. His arm tightened around her ever so slightly. His touch comforted her. She thought he was holding her close to protect her from the overlook's edge. No one knew if a fall like this would be fatal in the "real" to the drone whose Unimatrix Zero avatar plunged down. No one had ever wanted to volunteer to find out.

She became aware of his chin touching the top of her head. She wasn't sure, but it almost felt like he'd touched his lips to her hair. Mama had done that whenever she tucked her little Annika into bed on The Raven. The sweet memory brought a smile to Annika's lips, blocking away any thought that he might have meant anything more than that by his touch.

On this night, as Axum had predicted, Annika and Axum sensed their cycles' ending at virtually the same moment. They didn't bother to say goodbye. Words of farewell didn't seem necessary. In a way, they'd already been said.

=/\=