Chapter 6

Tom's eyes flew open. He'd been dead asleep, something that hadn't happened since Alice had arrived. And now a feeling of dread, like he'd missed a step going down stairs.

Sitting up, blue eyes flashed around his room. The lights were dimmed, but everything looked in place. A vague impression of being put to bed whispered through his mind. Being tired and having Harry talk him through getting ready.

Sliding out of bed, Tom made his way to the sitting room. Harry had mentioned sleeping on the couch, which made sense since he wasn't next to Tom when the pilot awoke.

But the couch was empty, blanket and pillow folded and set at one end. Tom felt his stomach drop.

"Harry?"

A faint coughing caught his attention. Turning in a fast circle, Tom order "computer, full lights!" The brightness blinded him for a moment. Blinking through it, Tom searched the room. There was no one there.

"Harry!"

More coughing, then, faintly, "T-Tom?"

Mouth open to reply, Tom felt his stomach vanish entirely.

"Oh, don't worry. Tom is safe. I need him to fly me tomorrow."

Alice's voice. That meant Harry wasn't here. But why would he go see Alice? Tom knew no one else really liked the little shuttle, and he was starting to think maybe he shouldn't have begged Janeway for it in the first place.

Grabbing his comm badge from his bedside table, Tom bolted out of the door, heart clenching at the weak coughs emanating from it.

...

Slamming his code into the lock, Tom threw himself into the cargo bay. There sat Alice, looking for all the galaxy as though she wasn't up to anything.

Racing across the space, Tom furiously punched the external controls for the door. "Alice, open up!"

Tom, what are you doing here?

"You know damn well why I'm here, now open up!"

You're angry with me.

"Alice, I don't have time for this."

You have all the time in the world, Tom. We can talk all night.

With a snarl Tom pulled himself away from the shuttle. Dashing back for this tools, the pilot ripped open a panel on the underside of the shuttle.

What are you doing? Tom, stop that!

The blonde bit back against the headache roaring through his temples. "If you won't play nice Alice, I'll tear you apart. No one will ever get you put back together!"

With a muted howl, the back door popped open. Tom slammed the panel back into place, jumping up to race inside.

...

Alice raged silently at the man inside her. She'd done everything, everything, she could to make this worth his while, and now some little boy was taking away her only way home.

"Harry! Wake up, come buddy, you've got to wake up!"

Technically, that wasn't true. Alice hummed quietly as she checked how long the boy had been exposed to the gas. He was small, but young and stubborn. He might live.

"Alice, what did you do?"

I tried to remove an obstacle in our path. The boy's been a problem for days.

"He's a child, not an obstacle!"

Tom was mad at her, for worse than before. She could feel her grip on him loosening, this animalistic rage pushing against her cold grip. Damn this man, and damn her plan. They were leaving.

Now.

...

He didn't know what Alice was doing, and he didn't care. Holding Harry close, Tom could hear himself whispering to the boy. "It'll be OK, you just have to wake up. Come on Har, for me, please do this for me. Come on, Harry, come on."

He wiped away the tears on the boy's cheeks, feeling his making their way down his own face. All the demotions, scoldings, and angry Captains in the galaxy didn't hurt this bad.

"Harry…wake up…"

Tom, we're leaving.

His world momentarily went red. "Alice-"

We leave now, and I'll fix the boy.

Tom went quiet, gently rocking himself as he thought. He hated Alice, really and truly hated this thing he'd created. He didn't want to go anywhere in her. But if she could really reverse what she'd done to Harry…

Gently laying his friend on the shuttle's floor, Tom stood, moving to the chair at the front of the ship. He forced himself not to wince as he connected the various wires to his suit, hearing the door whir shut behind him.

"Alice, wake Harry up."

A hissing noise, followed by weak coughing.

It's done.

Feeling Alice creep back into his brain, Tom hoped Harry would be OK. He had no idea where they were going, but he doubted very much it would have medical supplies.

Open the bay doors, Tom. It's time to go home.