Wow, I wrote a WHOLE PAGE today, so here's the chapter, ahead of my schedule. (school's been a real PAIN, so I wasn't expecting it this soon.) THANK YOU SO MUCH to those who reviewed- you guys make my day when you leave a comment. :)
I really like this chapter. I've been planning this out before I even starting the story as a single scene, and I decided to fit it in here. I had to change it a little bit, 'cause I originally planned to write J/7 as I was an avid fan of that first, but I like how it turned out. I might re-use a TINY bit of these element when I write a J/7, but I'll make sure to change them enough to keep them interesting. :)
So, with that, here's the chapter.
Once Seven reached the holodeck, she remembered one of the programs where the Doctor had taught her how to play piano. If she was supposed to be "erasing tension," then maybe playing music would help. She instructed the computer which program to run, then sat down on the bench, and played.
-
B'Elanna paused before entering her quarters. She hadn't seen Seven since sickbay, but she didn't think the Doctor would be have been able to keep the Borg there long.
"Computer, locate Seven of Nine."
"Seven of Nine is in Holodeck 2."
B'Elanna spent a second thinking about it, then turned and headed to the holodeck.
-
When she entered the holodeck, she noticed it was a fairly simple program- a single dimly-lit room, with a piano and some plants to make it peaceful. However, the peaceful look was being ruined by the haunting melody coming from the piano player.
"Seven, you never told me you could play piano. What's the song called?"
The Borg turned around to face B'Elanna in surprise. "My Immortal," she replied quietly. "An old Earth song. It seemed appropriate."
"Why are you sad? You seemed angry when I last saw you."
"…Why did you follow me here, Lieutenant?"
"Because… I care about you, and I want you to be okay. We're friends… kinda… and I don't like watching you do this to yourself." B'Elanna paused, finally noticing something else odd about the program. "Seven, what happened to your implants?"
Seven glanced at her left hand, where the Borg metal usually resided.
"I erase them in this program," she said softly. "They are imperfect…" She traced the human skin of her hand thoughtfully. "I look… nicer without them. More human. More acceptable."
B'Elanna frowned. "Seven, there's nothing wrong with you the way you usually look. True, that outfit you wear can be a bit… distracting at times, but you usually look nice."
Seven looked at her disbelievingly. "Thank you for the kind comment, Lieutenant, but not all of the crew share your opinion."
B'Elanna rolled her eyes but didn't reply. "Seven, I understand that you want perfection, but why? And don't give me that Borg crap. I've heard it too many times. Is there someone you're trying to be perfect for?"
The Borg hesitated. "That is irrelevant."
"No, Seven, it's not," B'Elanna said softly, sitting next to Seven on the bench. "If it's for someone, it means you care for them, which could mean love… and if it's love, then that's a very good step, Seven."
Seven did not say anything for a few seconds as she gathered her thoughts. "It did not… start out for a person," she started hesitantly. "At first, it was because I was incompetent for a mission, and I desired to correct my imperfections. Then-ow-" She touched her forehead where her ocular implant usually was.
B'Elanna frowned. "Seven? You okay?"
"…My implants must be malfunctioning… My vision is failing…" She winced again, a tear appearing in the corner of her eye.
"Is it blurry or dark?" B'Elanna asked, concerned.
"In my left eye, it is dark. My other eye is fine." B'Elanna heard a small spark, and Seven clenched her eyes shut.
"Computer, end program."
When the illusions faded, B'Elanna sighed. "C'mon, Seven, we have to go to sickbay."
To her surprise, Seven nodded and rose to follow her- however, she seemed unable to walk straight. B'Elanna took her hand to guide her, and they carefully made their way to sickbay.
-
"Is there a reason why you don't want to sleep, Seven?" the Doctor asked. "Rest would do you a world of good right now."
Seven looked uncomfortable. "I wish to 'get better,' but I seem to have an irrational fear of… sleeping."
The Doctor looked curious. "Did you have a nightmare before? A bad dream?" he explained when Seven looked at him blankly.
"I am not sure. All I know is that when I imagine sleeping, it is accompanied by negative thoughts."
"I can let you sleep without having dreams," the Doctor offered. When Seven still looked hesitant, he tried again in a gentler voice.
"I promise, Seven, you won't have any bad dreams. But you need to sleep."
Seven nodded, resigned, and the Doctor put a hypospray to her neck. Her eyes closed, and the Doctor laid her down gently on the bed.
She had been asleep five minutes when the doors to sickbay opened and Harry Kim came in.
"Is Seven okay?" he asked. "I heard she was in sickbay."
"Seven will be okay," the Doctor replied. "She's sleeping. If your shift is over, you may stay."
Harry nodded and took a seat next to Seven. B'Elanna rolled her eyes, taking a seat as well.
-
Seven found herself on the bridge. She couldn't remember what she was there for, but it didn't seem to matter. She had equations on the console in front of her, and she started working on them, not knowing what they were for.
She was actually becoming quite content to do what seemed to be an endless amount of equations, but there was a small spark, and she felt a pain in her left hand.
She tried to ignore it and continue, but the pain continued and she heard another spark, the pain coming to her ocular implant now.
Seven put her human hand to her head, trying to regain control over the pain. Why weren't her nanoprobes working?
After a few minutes of waiting unsuccessfully for the pain to subside, Seven left to go to sickbay. When she arrived, the Doctor came over to her, looking rather annoyed.
"What is it this time?" he asked impatiently.
Seven raised an eyebrow. "Doctor?"
"You're in here all the time, complaining of something or other. Just because you have a slight problem somewhere doesn't mean that you should come to sickbay. Maybe you should try to just deal with it on your own once in a while."
Seven frowned, confused. "I do not know what you are talking about. I usually come here because you tell me to, or if my work is being interrupted by a physical problem."
"Well then, wait until there's a physical problem before you come see me," the Doctor replied. "There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with you."
"My implants-"
"Are Borg technology." The Doctor sounded angry now. "And if they're Borg, then shouldn't they be efficient and fix themselves? After all, efficiency is all they care about."
Seven felt a strange emotion she couldn't place coursing through her, and she lowered her gaze to look at the floor.
What have I done to bother him? I am certain that he is exaggerating.
Then another, more depressing thought came to mind.
He does not care about my pain… He does not care about me.
She turned and left sickbay, heading for Engineering. Maybe B'Elanna would be more sympathetic.
-
"Lieutenant Torres? May I ask you a question?"
"What is it, Seven?"
"Do you know how to repair Borg technology?"
B'Elanna turned to face Seven, looking a little confused. "Why? Is your alcove malfunctioning again?"
"No, it is my implants that are malfunctioning," Seven replied, feeling slightly uncomfortable with B'Elanna using the word "again" for some reason.
"I'll help you with that in a minute. There's a lot of stuff to do today."
Seven nodded and stood patiently, hands clasped behind her back. She tried to ignore the occasional spark of pain in her implants. After only a minute, B'Elanna glanced back at her.
"If it hurts too much, I can fix them now."
"That is unnecessary, Lieutenant. You may finish your work."
B'Elanna shook her head and walked over to Seven. "I'm serious, Seven." She fingered the eyepiece gently, and the Borg flinched backward. The sensation was… unusual…
"Don't talk to the Borg, B'Elanna," an ensign said scornfully, walking up to them. "She isn't human- she doesn't have emotions. Don't waste yours on her."
Seven tried hard to control her expression, but she could tell it was a losing battle.
"I will see you later, Lieutenant," she said in a strained voice, and then turned and left Engineering.
Seven headed towards her cargo bay, thoughts swirling through her head. Why was the crew acting so… insensitive? She knew they disliked her, but they had tried to at least be civil to her after a while.
She hated how her feelings kept distracting her. She should have been able to control them- she had almost felt tears come. Pathetic. Imperfect.
As she entered the cargo bay, a sense of loneliness, stronger than ever, flooded through her senses, and she curled up on the dais of her alcove, letting the tears flow.
-
"Doctor? What's wrong with her?" B'Elanna had been the first to notice emotion start to flicker across Seven's face as she slept. "I thought you said she wouldn't have any dreams."
The Doctor ran his tricorder over Seven, and frowned. "It seems her nanoprobes have disposed of the drug faster than I anticipated."
"Is that bad?"
"Not necessarily. It might not be a bad dream."
Inwardly, B'Elanna knew it was. The Borg looked so… upset.
She walked over to stand at Seven's side, and frowned. "Doctor? Are her implants working right?" At the Doctor's confused expression, she pointed. "Look."
"This is no malfunction, Lieutenant," the Doctor said quietly after a moment. "There appear to be… tears in her eyes. Real ones."
B'Elanna closed her eyes, not being able to stand the anguished look on Seven's face any longer.
"Please, Doctor, wake her up."
"Aye, Lieutenant." The Doctor put a hypospray to Seven's neck, and the three of them waited for the Borg to wake up.
Her eyes opened slowly, and she blinked a few times before a small smile appeared on her face. "Thank you, Doctor."
"I am sorry, Seven," the Doctor said sincerely. "I thought the medicine would last longer."
"It is all right," Seven replied, sitting up. "I am… grateful that you three stayed with me, but I am fine now, and I should get back to my duties."
As she left sickbay, the other three exchanged worried glances. B'Elanna sighed.
"I'll go after her."