Afterthoughts: A Deep Space Nine/Voyager Crossover

Part 2:

B'Elanna tried to point out, "but captain, we…!"

Janeway said, "that'll be all, B'Elanna. Dismissed." All but Chakotay and Janeway left the briefing room. Janeway concluded, "I'm guessing we're back to you telling me that working with the Borg is a hell of an idea. And as much as I respect that..."

Chakotay sighed, "true, but it's hard to make a deal with the Borg…when you don't have something to give back to the Borg. Kathryn, unless you know something I don't..."

Janeway pointed out, "oh, I do. You remember Kes and her telepathic senses?"

Chakotay figured, "Kes has returned to give us a warning of the future?"

Janeway sighed, "I don't know…but whatever it was, it was showing a possibility that the Borg alone won't be successful in shutting down the Matrix."

Chakotay reasoned, "or it could be a mental attack from the Matrix."

Janeway insisted, "but it didn't feel like an attack."

Chakotay reasoned, "either way, I think you should have the doctor examine you."

Janeway added, "very well. If I'm under attack from the Matrix, we'll find out soon enough."

A while later…

Janeway came to Sick Bay. She saw the EMH doctor and Tom examining and treating many crewmembers. Sick Bay was full of violently coughing crewmembers. The EMH doctor concluded, "the throbbing in the neck has stopped, but it's not permanent. It will resurface if we don't…"

Tom urged, "but we already gave them more than enough Cordrazine to…"

The EMH interrupted, "then we'll have to try a wide dispersal Thoron pulse. Computer, emit a thoron pulse throughout Sick Bay."

Tom concluded, "don't have to tell me twice. Captain?"

Janeway assured him, "it could wait."

The EMH concluded, "computer, deactivate Emergency Medical Holographic program." Janeway and Tom walked out of Sick Bay, as yellow Thoron pulses shot across the room like little flying pinballs. Soon after, the crewmembers in Sick Bay were coughing less violently. The EMH then returned to the room. He said, "ahh. All better, I see?" The EMH examined them with a tricorder.

One of the crewmembers in Sick Bay said, "thank you."

The EMH concluded, "you're welcome. It's safe to come in now." Janeway and Tom came back into Sick Bay. The EMH kept going, "no more entities in your cerebral cortex. You are fit to return to duty." A little shaken, the random crewmembers in Sick Bay left one by one.

Tom turned to Janeway, "so, what was it you wanted to see the doctor about?"

Janeway concluded, "I think I had a telepathic experience. I can't explain why, but it was pretty convincing."

Tom realized, "does this have to do with the Borg?"

Janeway wondered, "how'd you…?"

The EMH turned to them, "so, what's going on…besides finally getting some respect from my patients?"

Janeway figured, "good to see you too, doctor. I recently had a telepathic experience…in the briefing room." The EMH did some tricorder scans on Janeway.

The EMH realized, "remarkable. You have unusual neural activity up to 5 percent, but nothing too serious. If you feel any dizziness though, it might be becoming serious."

Janeway figured, "thank you, doctor. That'll be all." And with that, she left.

Tom turned to the EMH, "well, that's a relief."

The EMH wondered, "did I miss something?"

Tom pointed out, "the captain said that we're going to work with the Borg again. And there are rumors starting to go around that the Matrix has started to misguide the captain. Some of the crew is even talking about mutiny."

The EMH assured him, "I can assure you that the captain doesn't have an entity in her cerebral cortex…and that therefore she's not compromised."

Tom asked, "permission to leave Sick Bay, doctor?"

The EMH concluded, "granted. I'll let you know if I get anymore Matrix victims."

Meanwhile, in the Matrix…

Sisko and the other prophets were shooting blue energy blasts at the blackish red ghost like beings that floated in the dark red extra-dimensional realm that was the Matrix. There were many bodies, unconscious and floating in the dark red gaseous air. Some were Borg, some were Kazon, some were Hirogen, some were Bajoran, and some were races in between. The blackish red ghost like beings shot bright white energy blasts at the prophets. One of them said, "you may border life and death, but you can't escape your fate."

Sisko added, "what do you know about fate? Nothing…because you're nothing but parasites!"

Another blackish red ghost like being concluded, "the Joining won't succeed. Your souls alone will be enough to sustain us for centuries."

Another prophet added, "the Joining will go on! It starts…even now."

A third blackish red ghost like being deduced, "go ahead…send your visions. It won't matter…cause you've just walked into a trap." Suddenly, shockwaves of dark red energy waves hit the prophets, knocking their non-corporeal bodies towards the edge of the extra-dimensional realm of the Matrix.

Sisko called out, "no!"

One of the Prophets urged, "you're our last hope…Emissary." Many prophets fell through the anomaly, and disappeared from sight. Sisko and the few prophets left left the anomaly in a hurry, dodging dark red energy waves and blasts while firing back at the blackish red ghost like beings. Many blackish red ghost like beings exploded in the Matrix, but many remained. The floating bodies shook as the Matrix drained their life force even more so than usual. But, before they could set forth a shockwave that would hit the remaining prophets, the remaining prophets themselves had disappeared from sight.

One of the blackish red ghost like beings muttered, "stubborn prophets!"

Another of the blackish red ghost like beings asked, "what if the Joining...?"

The first blackish red ghost like being assured them, "it won't…not as long as we do something about it. This is more than just nourishment…this is war."