This is a work of fiction. Characters belong to Paramount. This story contains a romantic relationship between female characters. If you don't like it, don't read it! I would welcome any reviews/comments. Enjoy!
That Groundhog Day Feeling – Chapter 4
Loop 5
"Captain, I'd like to start," B'Elanna stated, hopping out of her seat before the sentence was finished. Janeway held up her empty left hand in a restraining gesture. Torres slowly settled back into her seat, looking slightly miffed, and Janeway smiled.
"Not this time, Lieutenant," she chuckled with a dip of her head, causing several auburn locks to fall across her forehead. The Captain was thankful that someone – most likely the Doctor – had attended to her injured hairstyle prior to waking her up, saving Janeway herself from that task every time the loop restarted. Janeway nodded to Seven-of-Nine who rose and approached the display panel, all eyes in the room following.
"The data from the shuttlecraft is extensive, but inconclusive. The shockwave was the result of a temporal field that expanded across a twelve light year radius -"
"Expanded from where, Seven?" Tom Paris interjected with a note of irritation. Seven regarded him coolly.
"As I was saying, the field expanded across a twelve light year radius, originating -" she shot Paris a pointed look, "from the star system indicated here." As the officers watched, the display showed a flashing red dot surrounded by an almost-spherical blue region. A tiny yet perfect representation of Voyager sat close to the outermost edge of the temporal field.
"As you can see, Voyager is over ten light years from the centre, and presumably the origin, of the disturbance. Too far to reach in the five hours we have at our disposal." Seven resumed her seat and eyes yet again turned to Captain Janeway.
"Let's say we could get there," hypothesised Torres slowly, "would we be able to stop it?" The question hung in the air unanswered as Seven-of-Nine consulted a PADD in her hand. The Borg eventually looked up.
"I believe so. The field is unusual but I'm certain that if we were to target the field generator with a high-yield chronoton torpedo, it would be destroyed."
Janeway leaned her head on one hand thoughtfully before she spoke, stretching her long fingers up the side of her face. "How would destroying the field affect the time loop we were in?" she asked.
"There are two possibilities, Captain. Either time would continue from that point as normal without looping, or events would proceed as though the shockwave never happened. You and I would return to Voyager aboard the Delta Flyer unharmed."
Paris snorted and slapped the table. "Captain, this is all very nice, but since we can't actually get to the generator, what use is it?!"
"Do you have a solution, Mr. Paris?" inquired Janeway smoothly, raising one eyebrow at her helmsman.
"Well, no, but -"
"Captain, I've been thinking," interjected Chakotay, his first contribution to the discussion. "Why would time loop to the point when you wake up in sick bay?"
"What do you mean?" Janeway asked, turning to the First Officer and wincing as a sharp pain shot through her neck up to her temple. She waved off the concerned glances from around the room.
"Well, I'm no expert at temporal mechanics, but wouldn't it make more sense if the time loop started at the point when the field was established?"
As the Captain thought it over, Harry Kim stood and paced behind the chairs on his side of the briefing room table. "Of course! But nobody would know about it. Think about it – nobody who was on Voyager is aware of these time loops, and the Captain and Seven were unconscious on the Delta Flyer. What if time DOES loop back to when the shockwave hit the shuttle, and we just can't sense it?"
"Harry's right," said B'Elanna, moving over to the display and tapping buttons. "In theory, that should be the start of each loop. So the shuttle accident, Voyager's rescue of the Flyer two hours later, the hour Seven is unconscious in sick bay all happen again every time loop." A little picture of the Delta Flyer appeared on the display, between Voyager and the centre of the temporal field.
"How does that help us?" asked Tom, looking round the room. Torres answered excitedly.
"The shuttlecraft is five hours distant from the system where the field is being generated, and the actual length of the time loop is approximately eight hours. If the Doctor and Seven could somehow figure out a way to wake her up whilst she is still aboard the Delta Flyer -"
"We could get to the planet and destroy the field generator. One problem," the Captain held up a finger, "the Flyer isn't equipped with chronoton torpedoes."
"I believe I could…improvise one from components on board, Captain," Seven replied, raising one eyebrow and almost smirking at Janeway, who had to suppress a grin.
"Let's get to it. Tom, calculate a flight path for the Flyer. Harry, run detailed scans of the area, make sure we won't run into anything unexpected. Chakotay, you have the conn. Dismissed!"
The crew scurried off, followed by Janeway and Seven-of-Nine who walked more slowly to sick bay. Janeway stopped and turned to face the blonde Borg, placing a hand on her arm.
"You know, Seven, if we succeed there's a chance that none of these time loops will exist once we destroy the temporal field."
"I am aware of that, Captain. However, it is also possible as I stated previously that time will continue as normal from that point forwards. We have no way of knowing."
The women's eyes met briefly, and impulsively Janeway pulled her friend into a rough embrace. On tiptoes, with her chin nestled into Seven's fine, blonde hair, the Captain held on tightly.
"I hope we don't lose this, Seven," she whispered. Janeway could feel the warmth of the younger woman's body against her own as the long arms snaked around her waist.
"As do I," replied Seven softly, returning the Captain's hug.
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"I don't know what you expect me to do, Captain. I'm a doctor, not a time-traveller! I could revive Seven as soon as she comes on board sick bay, an hour earlier than when she wakes naturally, but since there will be nobody to tell me to do so that simply won't happen." The Doctor was irritated, and it showed.
"We need Seven to awaken on the shuttlecraft, just after she is knocked out. Would that be dangerous?"
"No, I don't believe so. Seven is merely unconscious; there is no significant damage. But I fail to see how you can achieve that without someone there to administer a stimulant."
Janeway drummed her fingers on the side of an empty biobed, letting her arm drape over the top as she walked slowly around sick bay. She snapped her fingers suddenly, and the Doctor turned to face his Captain with a world-weary expression.
"Is there a way to wake her without using a chemical stimulant?"
"Certainly, there are any number of ways to revive -"
"Can any of them be…administered by my temporal node?" Seven-of-Nine interrupted, causing both the Doctor and Janeway to look at her in surprise. Seven continued in explanation. "A Borg temporal node is immune to changes in the timeline. The Borg use them to record these changes so that they can chart their progress in assimilation during temporal attacks, among other things. Though I am not aware of it, my temporal node stores information from previous time loops as though it were a continuous, unbroken passage of time."
"If we could somehow fix the node to wake Seven on the shuttlecraft…yes, that's it!"
The Doctor wore a dubious expression, but there was a gleam in his eye. He picked up a medical instrument and began fiddling with it. "Seven's temporal node can be programmed emit a low-level electrical shock. I believe this would be sufficient to stimulate her brain pattern and revive her. Shall I begin the modifications? They will take less than an hour."
Janeway glanced at the time loop countdown on a nearby display. It read 1:32. "Affirmative. Let me know when you're done." She strode to the door, only to be stopped by the Doctor's voice halfway.
"I will also instruct Seven on how to treat you. I'm certain that a modified phase inducer will do the trick, now that we know there's no permanent damage. I have a feeling this mission will require both of you."
Janeway smiled and left the room. "I couldn't agree more," she muttered under her breath.
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Janeway walked into the shuttle bay, where a team of engineers swarmed over the battered Delta Flyer. Catching sight of her chief engineer, the Captain headed for the shuttle's stern.
"B'Elanna," she called, beckoning to the grease-smeared Klingon who immediately approached Janeway, bellowing orders over her shoulder.
"Has the Doctor come up with a solution?" she asked, wiping her hands on her trousers hastily. Janeway nodded.
"That's taken care of. Now we just need to get the shuttle to fly. How badly is she damaged?"
Torres grinned and led the Captain towards a control panel, bringing up a schematic. "She'll fly, Captain. Sensors and most secondary systems are shot, but her engines, weapons and life support are fine. You'll be able to repair short-range sensors so that you can target the field generator, but you'll have to navigate by sight until you get close."
"I think I'll let Seven handle that," laughed Janeway. "Anything else I should know?"
Torres pushed buttons on the console, bringing up a display similar to that which they had all seen in the briefing room. The blue area was shaded in differing degrees, darker towards the centre fading to almost invisible at the outer edge.
"Harry mapped the temporal field in more detail. Its strength distribution is uniform, but take a look at the phase variance. It increases towards the centre, and we've extrapolated that it reaches a maximum of 0.76 at the field generator."
"What does that mean?" asked the Captain. Torres shrugged.
"Probably nothing, Captain. It shouldn't affect the shuttle's systems, probably just a side effect of the generator's power output signature. Nothing to worry about."
Janeway patted B'Elanna on the shoulder. "Good work, Lieutenant. Now, why don't you and your crew take a break?" She left Torres looking somewhat bemused and headed for the mess hall for a welcome cup of coffee.
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She had only taken one sip of delicious hot, black coffee when her comm badge beeped. Sighing, she answered the Doctor's hail.
"Janeway here."
"All set here, Captain."
"Thank you, Doctor. Tell Seven to meet B'Elanna in the shuttle bay for a last look at the Flyer's sensor repairs. Janeway out."
She sat back and sighed, stretching her neck and arms. It had felt like a very long day, and privately she was becoming heartily sick of reliving the same five hours over and over again. Even though each loop was very different from the previous one, they all started the same way – she awoke in sick bay and had to sit through Seven's explanation of what was happening. Janeway smiled at the thought. Each time Seven was more brusque, and Chakotay's response less believing. If they weren't successful, she would have to have a word with the former Borg about that, or they would spend an uncomfortable loop in the brig as impostors or lunatics. Sipping from her metallic mug, Janeway closed her eyes.
"AAAAARRRRRRGGHHHHH!"
The shriek woke Janeway from her doze, her head snapping upright instantly, then sagging as she realised what had happened. Every loop, with all attention focused on solving the time loop problem, not one person remembered to warn Neelix of his accident. Shaking off the tiredness, Janeway went over to help, resolving that if they were to experience another loop aboard Voyager she would make it less traumatic for the poor Talaxian.