Darkness
He felt different, not like himself, very different.
You are not alone.
He couldn't see anything. Obviously, his optic sensors, what humanoids called eyes, weren't functioning.
You are not alone, you are with us.
He couldn't move either. He wasn't expecting to walk, since the thalaron had destroyed his legs, which meant they were somehow repaired, or replaced. Could Geordi have found him and repaired him?
"Geordi?"
It wasn't a word, more like a thought; a silent thought. Normally, Data wasn't given to talking to himself, but this was not a normal situation.
Restate the question. That entity is not here. You are with us. You are part of the collective mind.
"Let me see you" he thought out.
That is acceptable. We will activate you optic sensors.
In a flash, Data could see. All around him, entities of different species from all over the galaxy stood in alcoves like his, resting and yet performing different functions to run the large cube-shaped ship.
"I am Data," he thought.
Irrelevant, that entity no longer exists. We will adjust your programming.
Data jerked around and shivered in his alcove. His self-repair mechanism suddenly went off-line as his consciousness slipped into a hole where he fell for an impossibly long time. He looked about, sensing that someone else was there. There was someone else who seemed familiar, yet not familiar. It was someone who watched him and yet, kept him a prisoner in a dark yet comfortable and familiar hole.
State your designation.
From somewhere deep inside, a voice came. At first, Data thought it was another Borg drone nearby, but he heard it within his own head, yet somewhere else. It was coming from him and yet, not from him. He couldn't stop it, no matter how hard he tried. He realized, after a nanosecond, that the someone watching him was a new entity, a separate entity occupying his body and controlling it from within.
State your designation.
"My designation is One of One. I am the only one but part of many. I am with you. I am Borg."
The humans will require a human designation. A Borg designation is not acceptable. Choose a new designation for use with the humans to better interact with them to facilitate assimilation. Their biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own.
Data didn't want to answer and then he wanted to call out his name loudly as he has heard other humanoids like Captain Picard or Worf do. He cried out in his thoughts "DATA!" It was no use. The other entity had complete control over his android body.
"I am Phoenix, a Borg. I will speak to the humans directly and pave the way for us. They will be assimilated."
Thoughts raced through Data's positronic net. All the information gained by the Borg became part of his programming, part of his memory.
You are Phoenix, One of One, Adjunct to Unimatrix 001. We are Borg.
"Captain, we're approaching the coordinates."
Picard sat in his chair nervously, waiting for the voices in his head. His time as Locutus had left one useful side effect. When the Borg was near, he can hear them and sometimes, even tap into their plans. The voices were not there, though. The Borg cube must have left the vicinity.
"Any sign of the Borg ship?"
His security officer glanced down at his board and conducted another scan.
"No sir, there is no sign of any Borg in the area."
Picard rubbed his head again. Something wasn't right. He could feel it.
"Continue scanning, there has to be something."
"Aye, sir" the security officer responded.
A few more buttons pushed and finally, he announced success.
"There they are sir, in orbit close to the system's sun. The interference made it almost impossible to detect."
"Set an intercept course, red alert."
Around the ship, alarms sound as the crew rush to assume their battle stations. The Enterprise is soon approaching the Borg ship. Picard listens carefully, trying to hear through the klaxons to understand the voices.
"Something's wrong," he thinks aloud. "I can't hear them. Scan the cube."
"I have been sir, their power systems are quiet. I think they might be regenerating, trying to repair some type of malfunction."
Picard stands to face the screen, watching to malicious cube bob and drift, just out of the fires of the dull yellow star.
"Hail them," he barks and he waits. The screen blinks and focuses on a room with drones lining the sides. In the middle was another drone with a slim build and only a single visible piece of Borg attachments just under the left eye. It shined a green light that gave the appearance of a third eye. The creature stepped forward, but kept a light shining in his face to hide his identity. Picard couldn't see his face, but the form somehow looked vaguely familiar.
"I am Phoenix, a Borg. I have been chosen to speak for the Borg in all matters with the humans. You will be assimilated, but not now. For now, we will study you to better facilitate the assimilation of your culture into ours."
Picard steeled himself. Still, he couldn't hear the voices, but he would have to put that problem in the back of his mind for now.
"I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation starship Enterprise. You are in the Neutral Zone. We have reinforcements on the way. Do not cross into Federation territory."
"We know who you are, Locutus of Borg" the faceless form responded. "We have no need to assimilate you now, since the Romulan Empire is in chaos. We will proceed to Romulus first and add their biological and technological distinctiveness to our own before we proceed to Sector 001 to assimilate Earth."
"Show yourself, Phoenix" Picard yelled at the screen. Frustration and anger threatened to boil over.
"There is no danger in allowing you to see me" the form replies and he dims the lights. Picard's eyes widen and his skin goes white. Indeed, he had recognized the figure. His name slipped past his lips like vomit.
"Data?"