Chapter Five: Fallout

Kathryn Janeway liked to think of herself as a fair-minded woman. For every action, there was a consequence. Some of those consequences were negative, and needed to be discouraged. Willow Rosenberg was quickly shaping up to be a problem that needed to be dealt with. The actual process of dealing with her would be the hard part.

Janeway's options regarding Rosenberg were very limited, and those limitations were disturbing. Her confession of casually erasing Tom's memories was chilling enough in that she spoke of the deed as if it were nothing, if B'Elanna was to be believed. On the one hand, Janeway's chief engineer had told her that Rosenberg seemed truly remorseful, and had even offered up the idea of blocking telepathy. On the other hand, that could all have been planted in B'Elanna's mind.

They had left Topa a few hours ago, after Rosenberg had said her goodbyes. The Topara had been as gracious as they had been during their first meeting, and they had urged Janeway to take care of their Guardian. The Captain found the notion somewhat laughable. She would have left the woman behind, but with her actually ibeing/i Omega, that wasn't possible without killing her. And even then, there was no guarantee that killing Rosenberg wouldn't cause the Omega molecules within her to destabilize and destroy the entire galaxy, if not more.

The Doctor had given Janeway a drug meant to screen against telepaths, and B'Elanna had replicated a device with a similar purpose designed for diplomatic missions with telepaths. And now, Willow Danielle Rosenberg stood in front of Janeway's desk, looking like nothing save a misbehaving student being called to the principal's office.

"I presume you know why you're here, Miss Rosenberg," the Captain said, her voice hard as steel.

"Uh, yes, ma'am. I think I do. It's about Tom, right? What I did to him, I mean."

"That's only the tip of the iceberg," Janeway said. "You've expressed a willingness to casually alter the memories of the crew of this ship. What guarantee do I have that you won't do it again?"

"Uh, well, I suppose you don't, do you? I mean, I can promise to the end of time and give you my genuine professions of guilt and shame, but that doesn't change that I still have the power to do that."

"You claim to feel guilt over your manipulation of Lieutenant Paris. How can I believe that? How can I believe anything you say?"

Rosenberg stood up straighter and suddenly looked a lot more sure of herself. "If you think I'm a threat, Captain, then why did you take me with you? You could have left me behind, you know? If you don't trust me, you can lock me up, but that won't hold me if I really decide I want to get out. You chose to give me a lift back to Earth, and I'm grateful for that. I just don't understand why you're refusing to trust someone you chose to bring aboard."

"Did I?"

Willow looked confused. "Sorry, what?"

"Did I choose to bring you aboard? Or is that something you planted in my mind?"

Rosenberg had the audacity to laugh. "Goddess, you really are stupid. If I wanted to alter your mind so badly, would we really be having this conversation? Hell, wouldn't I be the Captain if I wanted that much power? I don't work like that, Captain. Like I told Lieutenant Torres, I let my temper get the better of me and I did some stupid things. I didn't want word to get back to you, so I did some more stupid things. But I would have thought that coming clean and not hiding what I did would gain me a teensy bit of credibility."

"I thought about that," Janeway said, choosing not to rise to the woman's insult. "But the reports your security detail gave me paint another picture entirely. One of a woman who casually seeks out innocents, tortures them, and then hides all trace of her crimes."

Rosenberg put on a good show of confusion. iDamn, but she's a good actress./i

"Oh-kay, I'm officially lost. I may be a lot of things, but I'm not a torturer of innocents."

"Is that so?" Janeway challenged. "Did you or did you not visit Cargo Bay Two last night at 1728 hours?"

"Uh, I think so. I don't have a future watch that tells me military time, but that sounds about right."

"And do you deny that shortly thereafter, the doors to Cargo Bay Two were locked from the inside while the guards heard loud screams coming from within?"

Now, at least, Rosenberg had the good grace to look guilty. Her face was somewhat red. "Ooh, yeah. I remember that part."

Janeway was incensed to see the beginnings of a smile on Rosenberg's face. "So when Seven of Nine's regeneration cycle went a full 75 minutes longer than usual, would you deny that she was recovering from the severe physical and/or mental trauma that you inflicted upon her and then erased from her memories?"

"What?"

"You sound surprised, Miss Rosenberg. Did I miss something?" Janeway said coolly.

"Yuh-huh! You missed a lot of stuff, doofus! I don't care if you are the Captain of the only ship with any humans on it in the entire quadrant. You need to stop being so paranoid and accept that not everyone is out to get you."

"You've given me reason to be suspicious. And I will not tolerate that level of disrespect on my ship," Janeway said, rising to her feet. "So let's hear your version of the story. What happened in Cargo Bay Two last night? And if you weren't doing any harm, then why did you seal the doors? I don't know how you did it, but I don't doubt it was you. So start talking!"

"You're a very bossy lady, you know that? I think you must be compensating for some deficiency. But," Rosenberg said, taking a deep breath, "I don't think my personal life is any of your business, Captain. My private life is going to stay private, and that's why I sealed the doors."

"Your 'private life,' as you put it, is a danger to my crew."

The door chimed. "Come in," Janeway said.

The door opened and Seven of Nine walked in. "Seven," the Captain said far more warmly, walking around her desk to take the young woman's hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Very well. Thank you, Captain."

"'Very well,' you say?" Janeway turned her gaze on Willow. "Are you aware of Miss Rosenberg's misuse of her substantial power?"

"Yes, Captain. She confided in me when she visited me last night before I regenerated."

"You'll forgive me for saying this, Seven, but you've never felt 'very well' before. You've always been 'sufficient' or 'acceptable.' So with a woman on board who can alter minds, I want to know if I can trust you, Seven."

"Hello? Standing right here," Rosenberg said sarcastically.

"Willow has been helping me to explore my humanity. I have learned a lot from her," Seven said with praise in her voice.

"Really? Does that exploration of your humanity include torture?"

Seven's face scrunched up in confusion. "Captain?"

"Willow's security detail heard screaming from inside Cargo Bay Two."

"Yes, Captain. We were engaging in sexual relations. It was a very enjoyable experience."

"It's also kinda meant to be a private experience, Seven," Willow said gently with a nudge and a smirk.

Janeway's mouth dropped open, and Willow took a moment to breathe in the air and savor the tiny victory over the stubborn Captain.

"I apologize, Willow. These experiences are new and confusing. I have much to learn."

"No need to apologize, Seven. You'll get there. So, Captain," Willow said with extra cheer, "Did you want to know more about what happened? We can show you all the positions and everything if you're really that curious."

"No, thank you, Miss Rosenberg. That won't be necessary," Janeway said, suddenly seeming out of breath. "But in the future, please keep your personal lives restricted to personal areas."

"Well, we would've done that, Captain," Willow said with a bit of exasperation, "but since Seven lives in the cargo bay, and since that's where the smoochies started… Well, Seven doesn't really have a private area. Why do you think I locked the door?"

"I have started examining iVoyager's/i transporters in preparation of beaming one of the alcoves in Cargo Bay Two to private quarters," Seven put it. "It seems viable, but it would consume a lot of power," Seven said.

"Or, I could help with that," Willow offered. "'Cause, you know, Power Girl over here. Only not wearing a costume and not all Kryptonian and chesty."

Janeway stepped up onto a raised area of her ready room and looked down on Willow and Seven. iWow. You even have a dais you get up on to get all high and mighty. You really are compensating for something, aren't you?/i

"You've never expressed any of these desires before, Seven. How can I be certain that this isn't your doing, Rosenberg?"

Willow was starting to get really frustrated. "Oh, I dunno," she said sarcastically. "Maybe it's because Seven's a person, and while she's been adjusting to life as an individual gradually, she's getting to the point where she wants some of the same rights that the rest of the crew has. Speaking of which, if the Maquis – whatever they are – can be officers with strange rank insignia thingies, then why can't Seven? I mean, she's super-smart, right?"

"A uniform would help me to integrate into the crew," Seven put forth. "And it would likely be more comfortable and practical than my current range of garments," she said a tad bitterly.

Janeway put her hands on her hips. "You two have been discussing this, haven't you?"

"Is there some sort of rule against that, Captain?" Willow asked.

"No, there isn't," Janeway said a bit hesitantly. "It's just…" Willow thought she was grasping for words. "Seven, you've never felt like opening up to anyone before. What's changed?" she asked with what sounded like motherly concern as her hands left her hips.

Seven clasped her hands behind her back and looked up at Janeway with a haughty sort of pride that Willow found really sexy. "I have had to deal with the prejudices and preconceived notions of you and your crew, Captain, about what the Borg are, and about what a human should be. Willow does not share these views, and is more tolerant of who and what I am. She makes me feel things I did not know could be felt."

"Again, Seven," Willow interjected, "some stuff is private, y'know?"

"No, I don't know," Seven said honestly. "But I hope to learn."

Willow mentally smacked herself for her poor choice of words. "Right. Sorry. Of course I'll help you learn."

Willow turned back to Janeway. "You still didn't answer why you took me with you instead of leaving me behind, Captain, if you felt I was a threat. Was it an act of charity to 'save' the Topara?"

"Not quite. And not now, Seven," Janeway said, effectively cutting off the ravishing blonde from saying what she had been about to say. Willow's curiosity was piqued, but it could probably wait. "Miss Rosenberg, you offered the idea of a screen against telepathy. Report to the Doctor. He'll be testing you to see if such a thing is possible. Understood?"

Willow didn't like the Captain's bossy attitude, but there was no arguing that this was something that had to be done. "Yeah, that's definitely a good thing to have done. So, um, do I need to tell the guys with the guns outside where to go, or do they already know?"

"Just let them take the lead," Janeway said. "Seven, stay here for a moment, please."

"Yes, Captain," she said, and Willow was surprised to see the constant concern for Seven in Janeway's eyes and voice. She seemed to really care for her.

Willow cleared her throat. "So, um, I guess I'll be going then?"

Janeway nodded. "You're dismissed, Miss Rosenberg."

Seven watched Willow flash her a smile and a wink before exiting the Captain's ready room, leaving her alone with Janeway, who was still standing on the higher level of the chamber. The Captain leaned over the railing once Willow had left.

"So," Janeway began, "you've begun a relationship with Miss Rosenberg."

"Yes, Captain," Seven answered, unsure of why she needed to share this information.

"I've been hoping you'd continue to grow as an individual, and this is a good step. I won't lie, Seven, I'm wary of Rosenberg's power. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared of it, too. I just want you to know what you're getting yourself into."

"Captain?" Seven raised a quizzical eyebrow.

Janeway sighed and descended the steps to be on a more even footing with Seven. iShe is moving from a position of authority to one of companionship./i

"Romance is a complicated thing that can be both wonderful and painful, often at the same time. Emotions end up taking you places where logic would never have you go."

"I understand, Captain. My body moved of its own accord, but the movements were in sync with Willow's body. We were as one," she said, and voicing the words aloud made Seven realize just how much the redhead had affected her.

Janeway hadn't missed it either. "You were as one," she repeated. "That's saying a lot, coming from you. I just want to know that your feelings for Willow are what they should be."

Seven tilted her head to the side a few degrees. "I don't understand. I was unaware that there were rules and propriety involved with romance."

"Propriety, to be sure. As for rules… I can't say that there are any real rules when it comes to who you love, but there are things to take into account to make sure that your feelings are what you think they are."

Seven was still confused. "Clarify."

The Captain sighed. "All right. You feel drawn to Willow. Why? What do you see in her?"

Seven stood up straighter. "My visual account of Willow is irrelevant. She seems to know me. She has expressed what could be called empathy. When I am with her, I do not feel as though I need to measure up to anyone's expectations. I feel accepted for who and what I am, and I do not feel compelled to give more than I can or want to give.

"And she seems to understand how I feel and think. She voices aloud things that I have thought privately, but have been unable to form into coherent thoughts or words."

Seven now affixed Janeway with a hard gaze. "Willow treats me as a person, and accepts that I may not ever be fully human. She does not seek to force my evolution as an individual."

Janeway looked taken aback. "Is that what you think, Seven? That I've been forcing you along a certain path?"

"Yes," Seven said without skipping a beat. "You forced me to join your crew, Captain. And while I have become relatively content with what iVoyager/i has to offer, I have not forgotten that I do not have the option to leave. You did not tell Willow, but you will not let her leave, either. Not unless you kill her."

The Captain's face hardened as she crossed her arms. "Willow Rosenberg's fate is one that needs to be handled with extreme care. Do I need to remind you the danger of allowing knowledge of Omega to spread?"

Seven held Janeway's gaze. "You do not, Captain." It seemed that Janeway did not know that Willow was already aware of Omega's ties to her. Seven saw no need to correct that oversight.

"Good. As for your romantic liaison with Miss Rosenberg… Just because she accepts you, that doesn't make her a prime romantic candidate. There are plenty of people who accept us for who we are, but it takes something special – something unique – to make two people truly soul mates."

"Soul mates? You are referring to the belief that every person is predestined to be with another specific person."

"Not destiny, Seven," Janeway said carefully. "Just that there's more to romance than acceptance. It's a good start, but there's so much more to love than that."

Seven straightened her back. "Even if you are correct, Captain," she said in a hard voice, "I will not find anyone else on iVoyager/i who accepts me. Willow makes me feel like I belong. I will not ignore that feeling, Captain."

Janeway leaned back on her desk and sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "No, Seven, I don't suppose you will."

"Just hold still, Willow, and allow me to take a few scans. I may need to take a blood sample or inject you with an agent to make the scans clearer, but it won't be painful or harmful in any way."

"Okay, Doc," Willow said as cheerfully as the circumstances could allow. She was lying on her back on what the Doctor has called a 'biobed,' but she didn't really get the 'bio' half of it. "I won't be going anywhere."

"That's a relief," the Doctor said with mild sarcasm that reminded Willow slightly of Giles when he was in a bad mood. Only the Doctor wasn't British and didn't wear tweed.

Willow felt strange as the Doctor ran a glowing thing over her while he looked at a separate instrument in his hand. "Um, is it okay if I talk while you do these readings? I won't distract you or disrupt your readings, will I?"

"If it becomes a problem, you'll be the first to know," he said a tad bitingly.

"Gotcha," Willow said. She felt a pressing need to get something off her chest. "So, um, is Tom okay?"

"When I scanned him, Mister Paris seemed to be in perfect health, save for a minor disruption to his circadian rhythm and some unusual brain activity generally associated with selective amnesia."

"Oh." Willow was privately glad that future tech could pick up on what had happened. It would mean that she wouldn't get a free pass if something suspicious happened. "Do you think you can prevent it from happening again?"

"That's what we're here to find out," the Doctor said neutrally, not looking up from his instruments.

Willow sighed resignedly. He was right about that. "Oh! Um, does doctor-patient confidentiality still exist in the future?"

"If you mean 'does it exist here and now,' then yes, it does. Do you have any medical concerns that require such confidentiality?"

"I don't think 'require' is the right word. I'd prefer it, though. I was hoping if you could, uh, check for any sexually transmitted diseases, or any other not-so-good things related to Borg technology."

Now the Doctor did shut down his instruments and look Willow in the eye. "You and Seven have been having sex." It wasn't a question.

"Uh, yeah. We did." Willow felt her face flush quite profusely.

The Doctor sighed. "Well, from what I know of each of your medical histories, neither of you has anything to fear from sexually transmitted disease. As for Borg technology getting in the way, that's something I'll have to take a closer look to determine. After I finish with my analysis of your telepathic capabilities, that is."

"Right, of course. I don't want to cause any trouble. I just got carried away with Tom. Do you think he'll forgive me?"

The Doctor made a noncommittal grunt as he continued his scans. "Mister Paris is many things that I wish he was not, but he is a generally forgiving person. He will likely be wary of you, but given time, I expect you two will be fine."

"Whew. That's a relief," Willow said with a small smile.

"I, however, am more worried about your relationship with Seven of Nine."

"W-what? Why're you worried?"

The Doctor shut down his instruments again. "Seven is still discovering what it means to be an individual. Despite her appearance, she is a far cry from a mature adult, speaking from a psychological standpoint. More than that, I like to consider myself her friend, and I don't want to see her hurt because of a random fling with an almost-complete stranger."

Willow winced at the harsh words, and they hurt because she knew the Doctor had a point. Not just about Seven, but about her as well. "I don't usually get that forward with people," Willow confessed. "I just… She's been through so much, and she's nice and smart and has a killer body, and I guess I got carried away. Not that I don't care for her, because I do. I want what's best for her, and I want to give it to her. But…" Willow sighed. "Seven wouldn't understand if we were moving too fast, would she?"

"No, I don't think she would," the Doctor said solemnly. "But you do understand, and considering all that Seven has gone through, I want both of you to examine your feelings very closely before continuing together. I'm speaking only partially as a doctor right now. Seven's mental well-being is a concern, but as a friend, I don't want to see her hurt."

"I get that. Really, I do. It's just that… She's like me," Willow said, slumping over as she realized what she saw in Seven. "She's a stranger here, she doesn't belong. And neither do I. And I thought we had some sort of chemistry together, and I guess I want that to be there really bad. I mean, Seven's a wonderful person from what I know of her. Which, admittedly, isn't a lot. But I want to get to know her. I really do. I want to know that my feelings aren't just a random infatuation. Seven deserves more than that."

"Hm." The Doctor resumed his scans. "Well, if you do decide to pursue a relationship with her, you'll have to be honest with her. It will be up to you to be the adult, so to speak. This is alien territory for Seven. She'll need all the help she can get. And you can't take advantage of her beliefs."

"Beliefs? You mean about Particle 010? Seven said that it had something to do with me. Are you saying she was right?"

"We know it as Omega, and I can't discuss it."

"What? But, if it has to do with me, then that's medical stuff that you have to share with me, right? I mean, what if it causes something to go wrong with me? Shouldn't I know what the risks are?"

"You should, Willow, and I regret not being able to tell you. The information is classified. I'm not even supposed to know about it, but I was forced to learn out of necessity."

Willow sat up and glared at the Doctor. "And now you're withholding information that could be vital to my medical well-being because of some military rule?" A great swell of anger began to rise in her chest.

A shock blasted her in the side and she fell to the ground. "Ow!" Willow stood on her hands and knees, still reeling from the shock. "What just happened?"

The previously silent security detail at the door had their weapons drawn and pointed at her. Willow suspected that she'd just been shot by some sort of weird future weapon. She wasn't dead, thankfully.

"What did you do that for?" the Doctor raged at the security duo. "Miss Rosenberg is a patient here, and if you're about to go shooting people in my care…"

"Her hair, Doctor," a man's voice said. "It was starting to darken."

Willow felt a chill run down her spine. She'd almost lost control again. She said a silent prayer of gratitude that she'd thought to ask the people here to keep her from going too far.

The Doctor seemed confused. "What does it matter? Given her condition, there are any number of reasons why…"

"Miss Rosenberg's own instructions, Doctor. For our safety, she said. If her hair starts to darken, we are to stun her to prevent her from losing control."

The bald hologram rushed to Willow's side and helped her to her feet. "Are you all right? And is this true?"

Willow nodded as she caught her breath. "Yes to both of the above," she said between breaths. "She turned to the security guards. "Um, is my hair still going all dark?"

"No, ma'am. It's back to normal."

"Oh. That's good. Thanks for keeping me from going overboard. I can't say I like getting shot, but I'm guessing that lasers hurt less than bullets."

"Phasers," the Doctor corrected her gently. "And I truly am sorry, but I can't answer any of your questions about Omega. I'm a doctor, and if you are ever in imminent danger, I will tell you everything you need to know. But I can tell you that I don't think you need to fear for your health from this phenomenon. Then again, my own knowledge is severely limited in this particular area."

Willow nodded. "Okay. And thank you, Doctor. Really, you've been all sorts of good to me, considering all that's happened in the last day or so."

The holographic man smiled gently. "My purpose is to heal and to put my patients at ease. If I've managed to do either of those with you, then I can call this a good day."

Willow found herself smiling back as the Doctor resumed his scans. "One last thing, Doc. Could I, um, could you give me Seven's measurements? As in for clothing? I want to give her some clothes that aren't so tight and degrading, and I'd like it to be a surprise. U-unless that's confidential information that you can't share with anyone else, that is."

"Hm. I suppose something like that could be arranged. What sorts of garments did you have in mind?"

"Oh, some practical stuff for working on a ship. Some pants with pockets, some shirts, some underwear. You know, the basics."

"I see. And anything else?"

Willow tried to look innocent. "What do you mean?"

"I'm a doctor, not a monk. I know how you feel about Seven. Do you expect me to believe that you intend to restrict your gifts to clothing meant for public display?"

Willow smirked. "I was right. You do have a dirty mind, Doc."

"My job requires it," he said without humor. "Now hold still and be quiet while I continue scanning."

"Whatever you say, Doc," Willow said knowingly. "Whatever you say."