Chapter Seven: Two For One

Seven took in her nightmarish surroundings, all the while feeling a strange detachment from the experience. She walked through a fire and knew that it was a point of no return. She continued to walk through the fire, and she let it burn. The notions felt strange to her, but she did not question them.

She occupied a town at night, and she suspected that she was on Earth. She knew that this should feel strange, but it did not. There was a building off to one side of her that looked as though it had just been constructed. A sign labeled it 'Sunnydale High School.'

A few more steps saw her surroundings change. A large neon sign labeled 'The Bronze' was above a doorway that admitted her to a darker, moodier area than Voyager's mess hall, but the functions were definitely similar. How she knew this, she did not know.

Seven turned around and found herself in an open air field with several stone tablets surrounding her. Names and dates were engraved on them, and she realized that each stone was a memorial to a deceased person. All of the dead were humans, as best as she could tell by the names.

"You made it, Seven."

The ex-Borg turned around and was not surprised to see Willow there, though she knew that she should be unnerved by this entire experience. "What is this place, Willow?"

"This? This is Sunnydale, California, where I grew up and spent most of my life. I don't suppose the Borg know anything about Sunnydale, do they?"

"No," Seven replied. "There is no record of a Sunnydale, California ever existing."

"Huh. I guess I was right. We are from alternate universes. Maybe that's why my body turned into Omega. It was adapting to the rules of your universe. Just a theory. What do you think?"

"It is as likely as anything else," Seven conceded. "Is there something watching us?"

"Oh, there are several somethings that watch people at night in Sunnydale. Or, they did before the town collapsed. That's a vampire over there," Willow said, pointing to a humanoid creature with yellow eyes, fangs and a bumpy forehead.

"Vampires are creatures of myth and fiction," Seven protested.

Willow sighed. "Yeah, I thought the same thing until my sophomore year of high school. That particular vampire is one I'll never forget. I always hate this part," she said as a young man with black hair charged the creature with a wooden stake and thrust it into the vampire's chest, prompting it to disintegrate.

Seven processed the display of the supernatural with a cool detachment that would have been abnormal under most circumstances. "This stone we are standing above right now belongs to that creature, doesn't it?"

"Sort of," Willow said. "A vampire is a demon/human hybrid, but it's basically a demon inhabiting a human corpse. The human that vampire used to be is memorialized here." The witch crouched down and stroked the name 'Jesse McNally' that was engraved on the tablet. A small stone suddenly appeared in Willow's hand, and she placed it atop the slab.

"Why did you do that?" Seven asked.

Willow smiled sadly. "It's an old Jewish custom: a way of paying respect for the dead. I'm not sure what the original meaning was, but it's a habit I try to keep up with. I may not be that observant, but it's part of who I am."

"I see." Seven did understand all too well what Willow meant. "This isn't real, is it?"

"What, Sunnydale? Oh, it was real. What we're experiencing right now, though… This is a dream. At least, I think it is. I've never shared a dream with someone before, so I can't be certain. What about you?"

Seven shook her head. "I do not recall dreaming before. I have never experienced anything like this. But it does not feel threatening."

"That's because it's a dream. And if we're sharing it, there's probably something important about it."

Seven nodded, recalling something similar. "A species we encountered put us all into a state of unconsciousness that linked our minds. Could this be something similar?"

"No, I don't think so. We're operating at a subconscious level, at least. Possibly higher. Let's keep walking, shall we?"

"Very well."

The two women strolled through the cemetery and watched the sun rise, saw the people of the town go about their daily business, all the way until the sun set again and darkness fell.

"This is the source of your power, isn't it, Willow?"

"I suppose you could say that. The Earth is really where it comes from, but it's not the only place where power dwells. I learned the hard way that power is something to be handled carefully. You can very easily have too much power. Look here, for example."

Seven stopped at another headstone, but this one stood above an empty grave. It was labeled 'Buffy Anne Summers.' A caption read, 'She saved the world a lot.'

"Where is the body, Willow?"

The witch sighed heavily. "By now? Hopefully she's resting peacefully in another grave somewhere else. She was dead for a few months in this plot right here, before I brought her back with my magicks. I thought I had all the answers, and I thought I knew what was best for everyone." She let out a humorless laugh. "Boy, was I wrong."

Seven knew what had happened despite not being told. "She had no desire to return to life."

"No, she didn't. I was so focused on what the rest of us wanted that I never stopped to think that Buffy herself might've been happy. She got over it eventually, but not before I almost tore the world apart. Again, I was so selfish. I thought that my misery was so important that there was nothing else in the world. I deluded myself into thinking that the world was made up of pain, and I resolved to end it."

"Why?" Seven asked. "What could bring you to such distress?"

The sun rose and Willow held another stone in her hand as she walked forward towards a third headstone. It was labeled 'Tara Maclay.' The witch placed the stone atop the memorial and stroked the name with her hand. "For a time, she was the source of my strength. Not my power, not at all. But my strength, my will, my conviction to do what was right… Tara was my everything."

Seven walked to Willow's side and took her by the hand. Images and sounds and feelings of another young blonde woman came rushing into her mind. A sense of soft gentleness greeted her, but beneath it was a firm foundation.

"Like grass above the ground," Willow said. "Tara, Terra, for a while they were the same thing to me. I couldn't live without her. And when she died, I felt that no one else should live without her either." Willow kept stroking the headstone. "Goddess, what an idiot I was. And there's so much out here beyond just Earth. Imagine what we can learn from other species, and what they can learn from us! And to think that I almost put a stop to all of that that out of a fit of rage. I really am a horrible person."

"No, you aren't," Seven said firmly, pulling Willow up to stand in front of her. "Your past is not something you can change, but you can learn and adapt to prevent those mistakes in the future. You once told me that you did not hold me accountable for what I did as a Borg. I can tell that you were not the same person that you are now when you tried to end the Earth. You were filled with a dark power that I don't understand, but it was not you, Willow. I don't know how I know this, but I do."

Willow took Seven by the hand and smiled. "Tara was always honest and kind and gentle. You remind me of her in some ways. You're very different, but you're also similar. You're both shy and kind and still discovering who you are." Willow smirked. "And you're both very sexy blondes."

Seven felt suddenly uncomfortable. "I don't want to disrespect your lover, Willow. She sounds like a beautiful person."

"Oh, she is," Willow said with conviction, and Seven noted that they were both using the present tense. "Wherever Tara is, I know that she's a person of beauty and grace. And I know I'll see her again one day. But I know her well enough to know that she wouldn't want me to mope by her graveside while my life passes me by. You'll meet her too, one day, Seven."

Seven merely nodded, knowing that Willow spoke the truth. "I look forward to the encounter."

A sound like static cut through the air, and a voice followed. The sight of the Doctor came right behind. "Seven, Willow. If you're hearing me now, then I am correct in guessing that you are both in a state of shared dreaming. Captain Janeway believes you're a threat to Voyager, and wants me to erase your memories of everything pertaining to Omega."

"Curious," Seven said. "The Doctor is able to communicate with us while we are asleep."

"He's using some future tech with a recording attached to it, Seven," Willow said, making sense of it all. "He can't hear us, can you, Doc?"

"My medical ethics won't allow me to violate your memories," the recording continued, "but Captain Janeway won't let you go without a fight. I'm going to wake you both shortly, starting with you, Willow. I've taken the liberty of giving you a slight adrenaline boost to allow you to make your way to the shuttlebay more quickly. You can escape and get away from Voyager.I wish you two had had more time to form a bond, but you'll have to do it as you go. I regret that I can't go with you. The ship will still need a doctor, after all. Look after each other and keep each other safe."

"We will, Doc. Thanks for everything," Willow said with a smile.

Seven turned her head. "I believe you are about to wake up."

"I think so, too. See you in a bit, Seven."

Willow felt her body again, and she realized that she was awake. Opening one eye just a bit, she saw the Doctor standing over her.

"The patient is now fully unconscious," she heard the Doctor telling someone else. "Hand me the laser scalpel, Mister Paris."

Willow felt bad that she'd have to hurt Tom again, but she knew that there was no other way. She reached out with her mind to her surroundings, and she felt the connections to the Earth in all the humans on board, and she felt the alien touches of those from other worlds. The power she felt building inside of her was like nothing she'd felt before, and it was good.

Her eyes shot open, and she knew that they were totally black.

"Doc," Tom said as a warning.

"Silence," Willow commanded, and Tom spoke no more. She sat up and propped herself off the biobed. "Sleep," she said, and Tom fell to the ground and closed his eyes.

The two security guards at the door had their phasers drawn and aimed at Willow, but they didn't fire.

Willow cocked her head to the side. "Why don't you shoot me? Are you afraid you'll hit the Doctor? Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt him. You can get out of my way now if you want to, Doc."

Nodding mutely, the Doctor stepped backwards through the force field that Willow now saw was keeping her penned in.

"Huh. Neat little energy barrier. What happens if I touch it?" she pondered, feeling for it with her hand before she felt a sharp shock. "Ow! That kinda stung. Feels powerful. I'm game for that."

Willow reached out her right arm and held her palm facing upward. The force field began to flicker as the orange-ish energy bent inward and began to trickle and swirl into her waiting palm until she held a ball of energy in her hand. "Feels all tingly," she said with a smile.

"I wouldn't recommend shooting me, just so you know," she told the security goons, who were concealing their terror rather well. "Because, if I lose my concentration, then this ball of energy loses cohesion as well. And if it suddenly expands… Well, I don't know what would happen. Do you? No? I didn't think so. Say! I have an idea! I think this ball could be bigger."

With a thought, the ball of crackling orange energy grew to about Willow's own height, and she now held it in both hands.

"Hm. Seems a bit too big for just one. So, we make with the mitosis, and…" The sphere pinched in the middle and split into two identical spheres, one held in each hand. "Presto! Now, here's the fun part."

Willow rolled the two energy spheres like bowling balls until they hit the two security guards, who were too shocked to fire their weapons. Before they knew it, they each found themselves encased in their own private force field.

"Oh, don't look so scared. It's not gonna eat you. It's just gonna keep you there, nice and harmless, until I'm somewhere else, and then you'll be right as rain. But, just to be safe, why don't you both take a nap, but stay upright. I don't want you to get too shocked."

The guards' heads fell onto their shoulders as they fell asleep. Willow let out a breath she had not realized that she had been holding. "Whew. That was nice and quiet and non-lethal. I could grow used to this."

"I'm glad you think so," the Doctor said from the other side of the room. "I'd especially prefer that the 'non-lethal' part of that equation remain firmly in place. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll wake Seven and you can get out of here.

Willow watched as the Doctor deactivated the force field keeping Seven in place and woke her up. The moment Seven's eyes opened, Willow felt a surge of positive energy course through her. They were connected on some level, she knew it. How the bond had formed, and what exactly it entailed, Willow didn't know. But she wasn't about to question something that seemed like it was meant to be.

"Doctor. Willow," Seven said as she stood up. "The dream. Sunnydale. Was it…"

"Real? I think so, Seven. How do you feel?" Willow asked.

"I feel strange," Seven said. "But good. I cannot describe it in any other way."

"I know what you mean. And I'm sorry, Doc, but I think this is beyond your area of expertise. Also, I'm gonna have to deactivate you for now. Gotta make it look like you weren't helping us."

"I understand," the bald hologram said. "Good luck, both of you."

"Thank you, Doctor," Seven said. "I will not forget your kindness."

"Neither will I," Willow said. "We owe you one, so I'm sorry about this. Off."

The Doctor fizzled out of physical being, but Willow was positive that he was safe inside of Voyager'scomputers.

Willow felt her eyes return to their normal color as she bent down and picked up the phaser. She held it gingerly by the handle, memories of Warren Mears causing bile to rise in her throat. "Seven, do you think you can use this non-fatally if you have to?"

"Yes," the blonde said without hesitation, taking the weapon and setting it to stun.

Willow nodded. "All right, then. Let's go. What deck do we want?"

"Deck ten. Follow me."

"Yes, ma'am," Willow said with a smirk as she exited sickbay. "Oh! One thing, first." Willow walked up to Seven and removed her combadge and placed it on the biobed. "Don't want anyone tracking us. Now then, let's get out of here."

Captain Janeway stood in the Astrometrics lab with Ensign Kim as they reviewed the data on the nebula that was standing in the way of their journey home. "What can you tell me, Ensign?"

"It's a Mutara-class nebula, Captain, and I've been able to analyze its scope. It would take about a year to go around it, but we could shorten that to just a month if we could just go through it. But we'd need that barrier to keep us safe. Otherwise, the radiation would burn us all to death within minutes."

Janeway mulled over the option of using Rosenberg to help them out in this mess, but that was assuming the memory erasure went without a hitch. "Are there any other alternatives? Any other way we could survive the trip?"

"Only one that I can think of, Captain. Stasis units for the entire crew. The Doctor would be the only one who could operate in the nebula. But I think I heard him say that Seven's Borg implants protected her as well."

Janeway groaned. The only two chances she had to get through the nebula safely were currently on an operating table. Maybe she'd have to wait to do the procedure until they were safely across. She could simply have 'reconsidered' the necessity of the procedure, and hopefully Seven and Rosenberg would cooperate.

"Well, Ensign, it looks like I need to have a chat with a few people. Continue your scans." Janeway turned and exited the Astrometrics Lab and headed towards the turbolift as she tapped her combadge. "Janeway to Sickbay."

Silence greeted her, and the Captain stopped walking. "Sickbay, respond." Again, no reply was forthcoming. "Computer, locate the Emergency Medical Hologram."

A chime indicated the computer working. "The Emergency Medical Hologram is offline."

That wasn't right at all. "On whose authority?"

Another chime. "Unknown."

Janeway felt a chill in her spine fighting against a fiery rage in her chest. She slapped her combadge. "Janeway to security. Intruder alert. Intruders are Seven of Nine and Willow Rosenberg. Subdue Seven of Nine, and I am authorizing the use of lethal force against Willow Rosenberg."

She pressed the button to call the turbolift as security acknowledged her orders from all across the ship. Janeway tried to will away the headache that was beginning to form. Willow Rosenberg was too dangerous to be allowed to roam Voyagerany longer. She still hoped that Seven could be saved, but it would be difficult given her feelings for Willow. But Janeway was sure that Seven would understand in time.

The turbolift doors opened and Janeway walked in, only to find Seven aiming a phaser at her, Rosenberg standing right beside her. Both wore faces of cold fury.

"Get in," Willow said.

Janeway didn't even think of disobeying and immediately complied without a word. It suddenly occurred to her that Rosenberg had just compelled her with her powers, and Janeway couldn't even bring herself to resist.

The turbolift doors closed. "Deck ten," Seven said, and they resumed their journey downward.

"So, Captain," Rosenberg said sweetly, causing Janeway to sweat with fear. "Take Seven alive, but kill me. Was I really that bad of an influence on your ship?"

"The Omega Directive, Willow," Seven said to Janeway's horror. "It demands that any traces of Particle 010 be destroyed by any means necessary. Killing you and destroying your body would satisfy the directive."

"Oh. I see." Rosenberg seemed genuinely hurt, but Janeway couldn't bring herself to feel sorry for the young woman. She was too afraid. "Why didn't you kill me right off the bat, Captain?"

Janeway didn't want to give the upstart brat any information. "I thought you could help us get home," she found herself saying. "I would have argued on your behalf to Starfleet Command if we did get back."

"But you wouldn't have stood in their way if they tried to kill me, right?"

"Correct," Janeway said against her will.

"I see," Willow said, mulling things over. "And that's why you tried to wipe our memories? To make us compliant and blissfully unaware of any death warrant on either of our heads, right?"

"Yes," Janeway said, appalled at what she was saying.

Seven looked livid. "You speak to me of human values. Of respect for the thoughts of the individual. But you are frightened by that which challenges your authority. I did not think you would go so far as to attempt to kill Willow. I did not think you were capable of murder, Captain."

"I am capable of murder," Janeway said without thinking.

"Why am I not surprised?" Willow said. "Computer, begin recording this conversation."

The computer chimed to Janeway's displeasure. "Recording."

"Now, Captain," Rosenberg said, ignoring the open turbolift door, "would you care to explain that last statement?"

Go to Hell! Janeway thought venomously, but that was not what came out of her mouth. "In our second year in the Delta Quadrant," she said, "there was a transporter accident. Tuvok and Neelix were fused into one being. Tuvok and Neelix ceased to exist, and a new being called Tuvix was born. At first, we regarded him as nothing more than an anomaly, but he began to develop a unique personality and found a place with the crew."

Seven and Rosenberg nodded as one. "What happened?" Seven asked.

"The Doctor found a way to reverse the accident and restore Tuvok and Neelix. But that would mean that Tuvix would have to die, and he had grown attached to life. I wanted my friend, Tuvok, back, and I also missed Neelix. I ordered Tuvix to undergo the procedure, but he resisted. I accompanied him to Sickbay with a security contingent. The Doctor refused to kill Tuvix, so I performed the procedure personally."

Rosenberg's hair went black in an instant, and a gust of wind swept through the turbolift. "So you sacrificed one soul to recall two others from beyond death? You murdered an innocent to drag two others out of their eternal rest?"

"I did what I had to do for my crew," Janeway protested.

"She really believes that," Rosenberg said incredulously. "And of course, murder is so much easier after you've done it once. Believe me, I know. And I think you do as well, Captain."

"I don't want to," Janeway pleaded despite herself. She had meant to deny the allegation entirely, but that wasn't what she'd said. Why was that? Why couldn't she speak her own mind?

"The thing is," Rosenberg said, "I had friends to bring me back from the brink. I had people to call me out when I was wrong. What do you do to those who question you when you go too far?"

"I throw them in the brig," Janeway said without hesitating, cursing the witchcraft that held her captivated.

"She does not deserve to live," Seven said vehemently, and Janeway felt horrified at the bloodlust in the ex-drone's voice. "We should kill her. The galaxy will be safer with her dead, Willow."

"No, Seven," Rosenberg said gently. "If we do that, we're no better than thugs ourselves. So listen to me, Captain. You're going to do exactly as I say, do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand," Janeway said, terrified of what was about to happen.

"You are going to chart a course around this nebula. It will take you a while, but you need to get used to the long and hard way rather than demanding a shortcut all the time. While you travel around the nebula, you will train a replacement for you as Captain. You will teach only what is necessary for a ship's captain. You will not advise on what is right or proper, and you will select your replacement with an eye for who has the most merit to get you all home safely, whether it takes a day or a century or longer. Your replacement will plan long-term, getting a larger medical staff, encouraging crewmembers to fraternize and procreate to train a replacement crew for when you are no longer able to operate the ship as you are now. And you will confess to your crew, publicly and on the record, every single violation of law and ethics that your mind and conscience can conceive of."

Janeway found herself nodding, furious at her body's betrayal. "I understand. I'll do it."

"Good. Oh! And could ya call off the order to kill me and capture Seven? That's kind of something I'd like not to happen."

The Captain tapped her combadge. "Janeway to security. Belay my latest orders. Seven of Nine and Willow Rosenberg are not to be troubled. Janeway out."

Rosenberg smiled, and her hair was starting to redden again. "Thank you. Now, then, head up to the bridge and start with those confessions. I think your senior officers deserve to hear the truth about their Captain, don't you agree?"

"My crew deserves the truth," Janeway said, and she was surprised to believe it herself.

"Good. Report to the bridge, Captain. Seven, let's get the hell out of here," Rosenberg said, stepping out of the lift. Her hair was now fully red again. "Any last words to the one who saved you from the Borg, Seven?"

Seven glared at Janeway from the hallway. "If I see you again, I will kill you, Captain."

"No you won't, Seven," Rosenberg said patiently. "But, you get the general idea, Kathy. We're gonna go escape now. Buh-bye!"

The turbolift doors closed. "Bridge," Janeway ordered, and she felt a feeling of cold dread fill her as she realized what she was about to do. The absolute worst part was that the Captain was completely powerless to stop it from happening. Resistance was completely and utterly futile.

Seven led Willow to the shuttlebay, slightly angry that she hadn't been permitted to kill Captain Janeway. Unlike the Captain, Seven hadn't been magically compelled to obey, but she had done as Willow said all the same. After their shared dream, Seven understood certain things about the red-haired witch that seemed worth heeding. Not killing Janeway was one of these things.

"You okay, Seven?" Willow asked her.

"I am feeling uneasy," she confessed. "I am not comfortable with Captain Janeway being allowed to live."

"That's not our decision to make, Seven. There are lines that we aren't meant to cross. If you do, then you become no better than the evil you sought to stop. Believe me."

"I do believe you, Willow. I just want to see her pay for her misdeeds."

"Revenge can be sweet," Willow agreed. "But I think it's best if we put her behind us. We're going to go our separate ways."

"Why?" Seven asked. "You had the Captain doing as you wanted. We could use this ship's resources to our benefit."

"But that would be to the detriment of the rest of the crew, who aren't guilty of what Janeway is guilty of. And hold on a second. Is this the shuttlebay behind these doors?"

"Yes. Why? Is something wrong?"

"There's an intense magical aura coming from the place. It doesn't feel evil, though. Let's check it out."

Seven entered first, and she saw nothing out of the ordinary. The standard compliment of shuttlecraft sat idle in the hangar bay.

Willow walked from shuttle to shuttle, feeling each one with her hands. "This isn't right. These shuttles shouldn't be here. They were created with magic."

Seven arched her metal eyebrow. "Explain."

"There's a magic here in this room. It feels only a few years old, but it's filling a void of some sort. Give me a moment." Willow steadied her breathing and opened her eyes, which were now pure white. "Oh, I see. Someone knew that you'd be sending out shuttles a lot, and this someone knew that you wouldn't be bringing them back, so poof! Instant shuttle replacement! And there's a subtle little charm here to keep anyone from questioning it."

"The Caretaker," Seven guessed aloud.

Willow rejoined Seven, her eyes once again green. "Caretaker, huh? Sounds like an interesting story. So, pick a shuttle, whichever you feel is best, and we'll get out of here and tell a few stories on the way. Oh! And let's not forget to beam an alcove from Cargo Bay Two. I'll see if I can work some mojo so you don't need it if I can."

Seven inclined her head. "Any of these craft will suffice. I can enhance the systems with Borg technology, but if we are not headed through the nebula towards the Alpha Quadrant…?"

As one, the two women said melodiously, "Where do we go from here?"