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Switched
Chapter 7
Pacing her room, Kathryn let off steam to the Doctor. It had taken her over an hour to find him, but eventually she'd tracked him down in the hotel's theater enjoying an all night opera.
"She's got Chakotay completely wrapped around her little finger," she cried. "He's totally brainwashed."
"You knew before you confronted them," the Doctor reminded her, "that if he's under some kind of mind-control it won't be easy to get through to him. We've got our work cut out on this one for sure. Our only hope is to get Seven to confess."
"And right now she's denying everything," Kathryn went on. "But you're right we've got to break her if we're going to get to the bottom of this."
"I'll talk with her tomorrow. She might listen to me."
"Tomorrow might be too late. What if she tries to link with Chakotay again? We've got to think of something tonight."
"Then I'll go over there now and try to get some answers."
"They'll only boot you out the way they did me."
"Then what do you suggest? We take them prisoner? Remember, Captain, we have no proof that Seven has been using mind-control on him. Maybe she really was trying to help his headaches. Maybe he really is in love with her."
Kathryn was about to argue but the door chime sounded.
"Ignore it," she said. "I haven't got time for guests right now."
"It might be Chakotay," the Doctor considered. "I'd better answer. If it's not him I'll send whoever's there away."
As quickly as he could he went to open the door. But it was not Chakotay outside, it was Seven.
"Seven," he said in surprise.
"I wish to speak with the Captain," she said.
Kathryn stepped forward. "I'm here."
Seven entered the room and the doors shut behind her. "Are we alone?" she asked. "Apart from the Doctor?"
"Yes," Kathryn answered.
Seven seemed relieved at this. "Then I will tell you what you wish to know. It is true that I have been linking with Chakotay, but not to control his mind, merely to establish an intimate bond. I have been using a courtship ritual used by species 318, in which the female seeks out a mate and mind-melds with him while he sleeps to induce romantic attraction. The reason I have linked with him several times is that I have been unable to sustain the link long enough to complete the ritual. But each time I have linked with him I have come closer to doing so."
"I knew it," Kathryn cried. "Just what were you thinking, Seven? Don't you know how dangerous it is to link with someone without supervision? You could have caused Chakotay severe injury!"
"You are misinformed, Captain. I confess my attempts have given Chakotay a headache but they are a harmless and temporary side-effect."
"Wrong, Seven," the Doctor argued. "Every time you've linked with Chakotay you've put his life in danger. His headaches are not an insignificant side-effect but the result of brain injury. Linking can cause severe neural trauma and degeneration."
"I...I did not realize," Seven admitted.
"No, you did not realize," Kathryn replied. "And you evidently did not realize that what you were doing was morally wrong. This subconscious linking might be a courting ritual of species whatever number but Chakotay is human. Didn't it occur to you for a moment that it's wrong to invade someone's thoughts and control them?"
"As I said, Captain, I was not attempting to control his thoughts. I was only attempting to attract him. How is that wrong? Humans try to attract each other all the time."
"But not by trying to get inside their head and force attraction. That is not courtship, that's violation. It's mental rape. Remember how you felt when you believed Kovin had violated you."
"That was different."
"How so?"
"I believe he had injured me and extracted nanoprobes from me without my consent. I was using an ancient and respected courting ritual to attract a mate. There is no similarity between what happened with Kovin and this."
"On the contrary," the Doctor said. "There is every similarity. Violating someone's mind without their consent is every bit as wrong as violating their body."
"I disagree that what I did was a violation."
"Then you are just going to have to trust us that it was," Kathryn retorted. "It was very wrong, Seven. Very wrong."
At Kathryn's words and tone, Seven lowered her eyes in contrition. "Then I apologize."
"It's not me you've got to apologize too," Kathryn replied. "It's Chakotay."
The Doctor, always sympathetic to Seven's case, looked at her pitifully. "What I want to know is why. Why did you feel the need to go so far? Why not ask the Commander on a date?"
"I could not be bothered with the awkwardness of human courtship. This ritual is far more effective. I meant no harm."
"I'm sure you didn't," the Doctor went on. "But harm is what you've done. And it must be undone. Is the attraction this 'mind-meld' induces permanent?"
"Only when the ritual is completed," she replied. "It then lasts until another female bonds with him in the same way."
Kathryn questioned. "And you have never completed the ritual?"
"Never."
"Then let's hope the effects wear off," the Doctor said, "or Chakotay will need a memory purge."
"I believe it will wear off," Seven stated, "I noticed that his attraction to me cooled within days of an unsuccessful linkage." Indignation then filled her face. "But why is it so abhorrent to you both that Chakotay should find me attractive? Am I so repulsive? Do you think no man could have romantic feelings for me?"
"Of course not," Kathryn said, pity filling her angry heart now. "You are a very beautiful woman, Seven. What appalls us is that you violated Chakotay's individuality to try and make him what you want him to be. I know you think it was acceptable because species whatever number do it, and most likely the men of that species expect it because it's their culture, but it is not our culture and in our culture it is never acceptable. Attraction has to be a natural chemistry, a natural meeting of minds. Yes, it's acceptable to try and attract someone, but there are boundaries on that acceptable. It is not acceptable to stalk someone, it is not acceptable to blackmail someone, and it is not acceptable to violate them mentally or physically. You over stepped the boundary, Seven.
Seven made no reply now, the message finally hitting home.
"But as the bard says," the Doctor said kindly, "all's well that ends well. Thankfully this has come to our attention before any lasting damage has been done. I suggest that you stay away from Chakotay for the next few weeks so he can recover his mind. And when he does no doubt he will have something to say about it. But knowing how forgiving the Commander is, you might not have blown your chances with him forever. He will no doubt be flattered to have such a beautiful and intelligent young woman in love with him."
"I am not in love with him," Seven said.
"There's no need to be embarrassed," the Doctor replied. "It's a perfectly natural feeling."
"I am not embarrassed," she answered. "And I am not in love with him."
"Then why do all this?" Kathryn asked, frustration again surfacing. "Why do this attraction ritual if you don't love him?"
"Because I felt it was time I secured a mate. Chakotay was the logical choice. Not only is he intellectually and emotionally mature but ship-wide opinion is, or rather was, that he is highly desirable sexually. I thus chose him. The ritualistic bond that I did induces mutual attraction and with each linkage my desire for the Commander grew." She paused. "I must admit that the emotional and physical sensations of sexual attraction and intimacy can be pleasurable, but I am not and never have been in love with the Commander."
"I see," Kathryn said, not sure whether to be happy or appalled at her words. "But didn't it occur to you that Chakotay deserves a woman who is in love with him?"
"Chakotay has had several women who have been in love with him. They ultimately hurt him. It is my experience that humans fall out of love as quickly as they fall in. There is no consistency in romantic love. Our relationship would be based on an unbreakable bond. And once the ritual was complete, I would, to all extents and purposes, be in love with him." She paused. "That was my intention. I admit that my emotions have also been influenced by the bonding. Because of my Borg circuitry the effect of the linkage has left me before the Commander, but I have felt lacking in judgment of late. Perhaps I have been in love with him at times."
Kathryn took a deep breath and tried to get all this straight in her mind. "You've certainly made a tornado out of a twirl," she said, not unkindly. "Trust you to make things so complicated. But I must take some of the blame for this. I've encouraged you to date when you're clearly not ready for it. And that's not a criticism of you, it's an evaluation of where you're at emotionally. Over the past four years you've made amazing progress, but you still have a long way to go. Before we're ready to commit our lives to someone in a romantic relationship we really must know ourselves as individuals. You're only just beginning to appreciate your individuality. There's plenty of time for romance in the future. And when you meet the right man, you won't have to force a connection. It will happen naturally, just like it did with Axum."
"You are right, Captain," Seven agreed. "I made an error in judgment."
"And we all have from time to time," Kathryn said. "What matters is that we try to put things right when we realize it."
"And I will," Seven promised. "I will stay out of the Commander's way and when he has recovered I will apologize."
"I also order an examination," the Doctor said. "As soon as it's convenient. No doubt this linkage has compromised your health too."
"Very well, Doctor. I will have one tomorrow...or rather today...10:00 hours."
"It's a date," the Doctor smiled.
At that Kathryn glared at him.
"I know," he sighed, "bad joke."
Kathryn then turned to Seven. "Where's Chakotay now?"
"Asleep." Seven lowered her eyes. "And I'm afraid I have yet another confession to make. I linked with him again tonight, just before we got here. We spent the evening on a beach in Hawaii and when he fell asleep I tried to complete the ritual. I failed."
"Anything else to confess?" the Doctor asked.
"No," Seven said honestly.
"But there is one thing I must ask," Kathryn said uncomfortably. It was a question she wasn't sure she wanted an answer to. "Did you and Chakotay ever sleep together?"
"If by sleep you mean have we ever copulated," Seven said factually, "no we have not."
At those words, infinite relief consumed Kathryn.
"It was my intention to copulate with him tonight," Seven went on, "but your presence changed my mind."
"Then thank heaven for my presence," Kathryn replied, speaking more to herself than to Seven.
"Now that I've told you everything," Seven said, "may I be excused? I need to regenerate."
"Of course," the Doctor answered. "And thankyou...for finally coming to us with this."
"I was not going to," Seven confessed, "but I have learnt to trust your judgment, Captain, and to value your regard. Your words troubled me and I felt I owed you an explanation." She paused. "I truly meant no harm and I apologise for all the trouble I've caused."
"We understand," Kathryn said. "Goodnight, Seven."
"Goodnight," the former drone replied. She then turned to the Doctor. "Goodnight, Doctor."
"Goodnight, Seven. See you in the morning. 10:00 hours."
"See you then." Seven then hit the badge on her dress and she disappeared.
"Well," the Doctor said when she was gone, "another gold star for you, Captain. Congratulations. You've got us out of another mess."
"I really don't think congratulations are in order," Kathryn replied. "It looks like we've avoided a terrible catastrophe, but we're not out of the woods yet. Chakotay has still got to recover and who knows how long that will take." She paused painfully. "Let's just hope he does."
END OF CHAPTER SEVEN