I'll continue to post.
Taken – Chapter 5
They are interrupted by the arrival of Commander Tuvok who starts to speak but then is puzzled by Dr. Cooper's sudden joy at seeing him.
"My word, you're Vulcan!" Sheldon Cooper exclaimed with a huge grin on his face. He held up his hand in a familiar way and clearly enunciated "Mene sakkhet ur-seveh".
"Indeed," responded Tuvok with a raised eyebrow.
"My word, it's true what I've always maintained." His broad grin made it difficult for him to form labial sounds but somehow he managed.
"And what might that be, Dr. Sheldon Cooper?" Tuvok's eyebrow crawled even higher up his forehead.
"Why, that today's science fiction is tomorrow's science fact." He did not elaborate. His mind was reeling with possibilities. 'Is Doctor Who just around the corner in the next nebulae hovering around in his taurus? Were Klingons and Vulcans on Earth before the formal First Contact?
"You speak Vulcan and, I'm told, passable Klingon. How is that possible for a man from the pre-First Contact period? Unless, of course, you're lying."
Umbrage raw and impulsive colored Sheldon's face. "I do not lie. I cannot lie. It's impossible for me to lie, or dissemble, or, unfortunately as Leonard has found out and used against me constantly, keep a secret."
"Then humor me, Dr. Cooper, if that's who you are, and tell me just how you know so much about us when we knew nothing of you until you conveniently emerged from the wormhole."
"Television. A man named Gene Roddenberry wrote fiction that was later developed for television in 1966 called Star Trek and it featured the captain and crew of the Federation Starship Enterprise. It took place in the future. Star Trek taught many of us all about altruism and how to deal with issues like war and peace, the value of personal loyalty, and morality tales centering around authoritarianism, imperialism, class warfare, economics, racism, religion, human rights, sexism, feminism, and the role of technology."
"Computer, prepare an in-depth background analysis of Dr. Sheldon Cooper and Gene Rod – what did you say his name was?"
"Roddenberry. But – " Tuvok held up a hand to stop him from prattling on and continued his instructions. "…Gene Roddenberry and any and all references to Klingon and Vulcan in both popular fiction and the broadcast media and seal it under my authorization."
Sheldon smirked and then said, "Ah, the 25th Century's equivalent of the FBI. Well, Mr. Vulcan, you cannot suppress the truth. 'The truth is out there' as Fox Mulder often said. The 'right to know', nay, the 'need' to know will far outweigh the petty bureaucracy's attempts to suppress it."
"I have no idea what you're talking about but I am responsible for ship's security and you, Doctor, present a potential threat to the ship and therefore will be confined to the brig until the information I requested has been gathered and analyzed."
Tuvok tapped his com badge and said, "Security team to Astrometrics." Then he looked at Sheldon who was looking at Seven of Nine.
"Seven, I understand now. I was so wrong and I find that almost unacceptable. The minds of the 25th Century are, indeed, just as small and parochial as were those in power in my own time. Keep that in mind."
"Commander Tuvok, perhaps you have been rash in your judgment. I propose paroling Dr. Cooper to my custody. I will guarantee that he both learns about the ship and stays away from those areas you deem 'sensitive', while answering any and all questions I might put to him."
There was a period of awkward silence as Sheldon's gaze battled with that of Commander Tuvok. Tuvok felt a buzzing in his ears and blinked rapidly and Sheldon simply smiled his Jokeresque grin. He'd been trying to blow up the head of the Vulcan with the powers of his mind and took the rapid blinking as a sign of some measure of success.
Seven never looked at Sheldon, just stared at Tuvok in that focused manner unique to her.
"That – that seems reasonable and logical. I must leave and see the EMH immediately. He is your responsibility. I will advise Captain Janeway of his status and – and I must go."
He stopped and turned, feeling better after putting some distance between himself and the strange gangly visitor from the 21st Century. He reached into his tunic and tossed Sheldon a com badge and then said, "Computer, recognize Dr. Sheldon Cooper as authorized to use com badge #A-62. Monitor his movements and alert security if he strays unaccompanied into restricted areas or if Seven of Nine is more than 5 meters distance from him."
The doors swooshed closed behind him leaving Sheldon and Seven of Nine together but farther apart than ever before.
"That was…not what I expected. Petty minds and bureaucracy seem to be fleas on the human animal no matter how advanced the civilization is technologically. Disappointing, to say the least."
"Since I am now responsible for your conduct, Dr. Sheldon Cooper, I suppose I must abandon my tasks and escort you everywhere you wish to go."
"Not at all. If you will provide writing implements and paper, I can work on the solutions to my theorem. Although I can visualize everything in my mind, it is comforting to do it on paper. It gives one a sense of permanence."
"That is acceptable. Here, this is a padd. Use it to imput your calculations using the stylus. Should you require sanitary facilities, they are just behind you on the left." Seven pointed to an alcove behind him and then returned to her workstation and began pressing various locations on her input station.
Sheldon's stylus flowed easily across the padd and he felt the comfort of mathematics surround him. In a purely mathematical world, things were totally black or white, right or wrong. It appealed to him on many levels. The formulae to prove his basic theorems flowed just as easily as the stylus.
Seven glanced periodically at the display that repeated Sheldon's calculations. Her esteem for her charge increased as she watched complex equations and formulae appear almost magically and she felt a sudden kinship with the strange tall man but shook it off as a by-product of propinquity, nothing more.
Sheldon's stomach growled and he glanced at his watch, surprised that so much time had passed since his introduction to Neelix' version of '4-alarm chili'. He hated to bother the blonde Borg but he was hungry and when his blood sugar levels dropped, well, a cranky Sheldon was not a pleasant companion.
"Seven of Nine, when it is convenient, could you please escort me to the mess hall. I'm hungry." He tried not to sound too needy. He was, after all, Homo Novis, and should be above such things.
"Use the Replicator on the wall behind you. I assure you that I have sufficient ration credits remaining to allow you to request whatever you desire."
Sotto voce, he whispered to himself, 'I want to be sitting at Penny's table while she whips up her special spaghetti with those little hotdog slices and her signature garlic bread, that's what I desire.'
Seven's hearing was every bit as acute as Sheldon's and she heard the wistfulness in his voice and felt a frisson of guilt and envy sweep through her before she ruthlessly crushed it as a good Borg would.
"Use the Replicator, Sheldon. It might not be up to your 'Penny' standards but I'm sure it will satisfy your nutritional needs."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to vocalize my thoughts and further disturb you." He got up and went to the Replicator and placed his very specific request and as an afterthought, "and Lemonade, please, with one teaspoon of sugar and three icecubes."
The meal was acceptable only because Sheldon was sure that 'human hands', he'd have to amend that to 'human hands, in human hands, tentacles, whatever', did not touch his food. Over all it was bland although the lemonade was satisfactory.
He dumped the remains in the recycler and returned to his seat and his padd. He was in uncharted waters now, mathematically speaking, and theory required an algorythm that he just could quite seem to grasp but it would come, if he could remain undisturbed for a few more hours…
"Tuvok to Dr. Cooper. Have Seven of Nine escort you to the captain's ready room immediately."