The wait until the end of Chakotay's shift was only an hour. It seemed much longer to him. He was normally a patient man, but this particular situation had him restless and itching to be below decks. Almost all the senior officers were down there. As first officer, shouldn't he be as well? But someone had to manage the bridge. But why that someone couldn't be Tom Paris was a mystery.
He had contacted her at one point. He had so many questions. What was happening? What was the visitor like? Had Q relayed new instructions? And most importantly, how was she?
"Chakotay to Janeway."
The response time had been longer than usual. "Go ahead."
"Permission to leave Lt. Paris with the bridge?" His voice had been cheery to hide how eager he was to join her.
"No." The reply was quick and vehement.
Whereas before he'd simply felt left out, then Chakotay had real cause to be anxious. It was evident Kathryn did not want him present. Why?
"Understood. Chakotay out."
Tom had tried to catch his eye, to give him a sympathetic look and maybe say something. Chakotay hadn't let him.
As he took the turbolift from the bridge, he thought on the occurrence. She didn't want him there. Should he heed her wishes? It wasn't a smart idea to antagonize Kathryn Janeway under good circumstances, let alone when she was under duress. Yet, Q, in this very spot, had told him she was in trouble. Whether she wished it or not, he was going to be at her side to keep her safe.
When he arrived, he found Tuvok to be the only person with Kathryn. Apparently Harry and B'Elanna had cleared out. Upon further inspection, he realized the Doctor was also present but in the cell with the visitor.
Chakotay stared the stranger up and down. Ugly fellow. Too thin, rather slimy looking. Had a look about him that made Chakotay uneasy. This was definitely not a person he'd want to meet in a dark alley. Simply said, this R looked like a criminal.
He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a greeting in his head. Hello, Commander Chakotay. He snapped his gaze to his captain. She wasn't even looking at him. For all the notice she gave him, it was if she didn't know he was in the room. Since when did she have telepathic abil— Oh.
He looked back to R. Why the hell was that thing using Kathryn's voice?
At that moment, the Doctor concluded his examination. He crossed the force field and said something quietly to Kathryn that Chakotay didn't quite make out. The pair turned to leave the room, and it was then that Kathryn noticed Chakotay for the first time.
"What are you doing here, Commander?" Was it his imagination or was her voice tinged with fear?
"Just here to see what all the fuss is about," Chakotay said with a half smile he didn't really mean. "What's going on?"
"If you'll follow us out, I'll explain," the Doctor said curtly.
Kathryn opened her mouth abruptly. For a second, Chakotay thought she was going to prevent him from joining them, but she closed her mouth without argument, and the three proceeded into the corridor.
"The medical tricorder had a hard time getting concrete readings. It's as if his physiology is in a state of constant flux," the doctor said once the door had closed.
"You'd expect that for a shapeshifter though?" Kathryn asked.
"Not exactly. But it gets stranger. The scans done on his brain were…well, perfectly conclusive. His telepathic abilities are off the chart. He's certainly capable of doing much more than simply communicating with you." The Doctor's concern was quite apparent.
"I suspect Q included some sort of inhibitor in the containment field," Kathryn mused.
"Nonetheless, I don't think anyone should spend too long in his company. I'd say no longer than an hour at a time," the Doctor warned. "He's incredibly intelligent. I'd know more if he could communicate with me, but you know how it is with holograms."
"I understand, Doctor," Kathryn said. "Chakotay, arrange one hour shifts. Best to have at least two people present at a time."
"Yes, Captain."
"Doctor, call Seven to help you. See if you can discover anything from the tricorder readings."
"Of course, Captain. I'll let you know when we find something."
The Doctor left Chakotay and Kathryn standing alone outside the brig. "What about you, Captain?"
"I'm going to talk to him." There was no question as to who "him" was.
"You've already been in there an hour." He didn't want to sound patronizing, but he suspected he did.
Kathryn placed both hands on her hips and pursed her lips. He could tell she was trying to find a way around the Doctor's prescription. "Very well. I'll join the Doctor and Seven in sickbay for the time being," she said after a few moments.
Chakotay shook his head. "You haven't eaten all day. Go have some dinner."
She glared.
"I'll tell Neelix to come find you personally with a pot of leola root soup," he added as a light-hearted threat.
"That won't be necessary, Commander," she said. But it looked like she was going to take his advice because she marched off to the turbolift.
"When he spoke to you, what did it sound like?"
Chakotay was having breakfast with B'Elanna, Tom and Harry. The brief encounter with R and the conversation with the Doctor afterward were forefront in his thoughts. He wanted to relieve at least one of his worries.
"He sounds like a male version of the computer," B'Elanna answered.
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "A voice to fit his appearance."
Chakotay wasn't sure how he felt about that answer. On one hand, it dispelled the theory that R was attempting to steal the captain's identity somehow. On the other, it proved how manipulative R truly was. The fear that R was in some way using Kathryn against him wasn't very appealing.
"Hold on a moment. You say that the computer voice fits his appearance?" Chakotay asked. "He didn't look very automated to me."
B'Elanna and Harry exchanged glances. Tom seemed to hang on every word. He hadn't yet met R and found all of the talk fascinating.
"Well, when he first appeared, he basically looked like a blank screen," Harry said. "But you're right. Later on he started to look a little different."
"He looked downright creepy," B'Elanna corrected. "Like he was going to cut my throat or something."
"Shapeshifter," Chakotay said quietly, thinking of the Doctor's report. Something across the room caught his eye.
"Ayala!" he called.
"Yes, Commander?" the man asked, making his way toward Chakotay.
"Aren't you supposed to be in the brig?"
"I was, sir, but the captain relieved me."
"She's not there alone, is she?" Chakotay asked, sounding more worried than he would've liked to admit.
"No, sir, Gregson remained on duty."
Chakotay contemplated going to see what she was up to. In the end, however, he decided she had her reasons even though she wouldn't explain them. He had to remember she was still the captain and she almost always knew what she was doing. He'd give her a little room to breathe.
Chakotay's shift in the brig wasn't until after lunch. On his way down, he passed two crewmen whose conversation caught his attention. He slowed his pace so he could hear more as he walked by.
"—truly bizarre. I think they were having a conversation, but all I heard was her side of it."
"What was she saying?"
"A bunch of stuff. Well, one word replies. They didn't really seem connected at all. I guess he was doing most of the talking."
If Chakotay remember correctly, the crewman doing most the talking had been assigned a shift two hours prior. Had Kathryn spent all day with R? She'd heard the doctor as well as he had. One hour at a time.
To his further dismay, he found Kathryn in the brig standing in front of the cell. She was several feet back, but she was fixated on their visitor. Her eyes were gray and narrow. Her body stood perfectly still.
The ensign being relieved gave Chakotay a worried glance, and beckoned for him to come closer so she could whisper something to him. "She's been like that since I got here, sir. Sometimes she says things, but none of it makes sense." The woman swallowed before adding, "I'm glad you've come. The alien is really starting to get under my skin."
Chakotay gave the ensign a pat on the shoulder as a dismissal. Then he took a good long look at R. He seemed significantly less human now. His eyes were all black. He was taller and even thinner, skeletal-like. Feeling Chakotay's gaze on him, he faced the commander and smiled. His teeth were pointy and dark.
Chakotay barely suppressed a shudder. This thing was definitely not benevolent. Why had Q strapped them with it?
Welcome back, Commander Chakotay. I think you're just in time. Watch this.
Again it was Kathryn's voice, but the tone was one he'd never heard her use and doubted he ever would. It was simply evil.
He heard her real voice before he could think much further on what R had actually said. He started at the unexpected sound.
"Okay. Yes." He had expected her voice perhaps to be dreamy, for she seemed to be in a trance. But it was perfectly clear. Her everyday tone.
And to his horror, she took a step toward the force field.
"Kathryn, what are you doing? Stop!"
She didn't seem to hear him. She took another step.
"No, Kathryn!" Chakotay reasserted. This time he moved forward to hold her back.
"Let me go," she said. Kathryn tried to advance despite his grasp. He had to work hard to keep his balance because she was intent on bowling him over. She reached forth a hand so she could reach the cell faster.
Something was obviously wrong. His mind raced, desperately searching for what he could do. He could lift her off her feet and carry her away, but that seemed a temporary solution. Besides, she was struggling so much, he was afraid he'd hurt her somehow. He never wanted to do that.
Finally his thoughts reached his meeting with Q in the turbolift. There was his answer.
He forced her outstretched arm to fold between their bodies, and he leaned down so his face was level with hers. She was becoming visibly upset, and her voice broke as she demanded again he unhand her.
He had no idea why he was saying what he was about to say. He just knew what Q had said. And the tears in Kathryn's eyes were all the further motivation he needed.
"Kathryn. If it will help, kill me."