"Doctor!" Amy hollered as Locutus continued to look right at the Doctor, his infrared light shining on the Time Lord's forehead.
"Quietly, quietly, Amy." the Doctor whispered as he cautiously sidled to one side, revealing that Locutus was actually looking at a display screen behind him.
"That was so very close." Amy sighed in relief. "But surely they must have seen us?!"
"Worf told us this would probably happen." Gazelle replied. "The Borg ignore intruders unless they start lousing up the works in here. As long as we don't break anything, they'll leave us alone."
"They're so caught up in the internal Borg Collective consciousness that we scarcely matter to them." the Doctor added. "On some level, I think they may know that we're here, but they consider us to be inconsequential and not worth their time."
"So that is Captain Picard?" Rory asked. "He was assimilated."
"I'm afraid so." Gazelle replied gravely. "The Borg captured him and assimilated him into the Collective, renaming him 'Locutus'. He was intended to facilitate the surrender of the Federation to the Borg. The Enterprise will eventually destroy this Borg ship, putting a stop to this invasion, and Data will help Captain Picard free himself from the Collective, but the memories of what the Borg are gonna force him to do here today will haunt him for the rest of his life."
Just then, the Doctor saw more Borg drones approaching them. "Hold on, Pond, stay still just a moment longer." he advised Amy. "Then we'll be on our way."
Amy was forced to contain a shriek as the drones walked straight past her. "They seem so... single-minded." she said once they were gone. "Almost peaceful. Watching them preparing for battle like this gives me the creeps."
"That calm comes at the price of their free will." the Doctor replied. "The Collective supresses the individual identities of these drones. The process of assimilation limits their abilities to have individual emotions. Everything revolves around the needs of the hivemind."
"Do drones ever break free- escape the Borg Collective?" Amy asked.
"Very rarely." Gazelle replied. "Captain Picard is an exception, and he had assistance. The Collective so effectually manipulates the decision-making and pleasure centres of the brain that anyone's been assimilated don't want to be free. They'd rather fight or die first."
"But... that's slavery!" Rory stared.
"It's slavery, alright. Slavery from the inside," the Doctor confirmed, "a most devious form of bondage. Let me tell you a little something about the very nature of the soul..." He was interrupted by a beeping from his tricorder. "Ah! But now may not be the time to discuss the philosophical complexities. We're here to perform a task, and according to Mr Data's handy little gadget here, the path is now clear for us to move forward. Come on! Down this corridor." he said as he led the way further into the Cube.
"Well, I guess that must be it." Gazelle said as they came to a stop in front of a Borg computer interface.
"Keep an eye out, Ponds." the Doctor said as he began scanning the interface with his tricorder. "Meddling with this particular panel may well be enough to make us a threat, and we'd like to avoid that, for a number of reasons."
"Nothing so far, Doctor." Rory reported as he and Amy kept watch.
"Let's hope it stays that way." Gazelle acknowledged as she watched the Doctor work. "How's it going, dear?" she asked him.
"Getting there, love." he replied. "Sorry for the delay, but it's not exactly a piece of cake finding the Borg executive library in here among the countless files needed to run this monstrosity. Not to mention the security protocols..."
"Hang on, I'll see if we can speed this up a bit." Gazelle said, taking out her sonic screwdriver and using it on the interface. "There we go, bypassed the security protocols."
"More of 'em! They're getting close!" Amy warned as she saw a platoon of Borg marching down the intersecting corridor. The drones just marched straight past the quartet, barely even noticing them.
"Almost found it... getting close." the Doctor murmured as he worked.
"I hope you find it soon, Doctor. Not liking this." Rory deadpanned.
"Ok, we've got it." Gazelle said, taking the tricorder. "Just gotta copy the Borg executive routines and we're done."
"Finally." Rory said. "Whatever ya do, don't let them know what you're doing."
"Now, Rory, you know how careful we are about this sort of thing." the Doctor replied flippantly.
"Yes, usually things do turn out well." Rory replied dryly. "Except for the time I was killed or transformed into a plastic Roman." Both Time Lords stiffened guiltily at this reminder. "I'm just saying that this is a good time for some extra caution." Rory stressed.
"Yeah, right with you, Rory." Gazelle said, flipping the tricorder shut and handing it to her husband. "All done. Now let's get outta here."
"Let's slip back through here and we'll be gone in no time." the Doctor said as he led the way back past where Locutus was standing.
"Look, the battle is underway now." Amy said, looking at the display in front of Locutus.
The battle was not going well for the Federation at all, with ships being destroyed left, right and centre, while the Borg cube wasn't even dented. "How many lives did Commander Riker say were lost?" Rory asked.
"11,000." the Doctor replied gravely. "Nothing to be done." he said as he put an arm around Gazelle's shoulder and they both turned away from the unfolding horror.
"Yeah, let's go." Gazelle sighed as they reached the TARDIS.
Amy couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Doctor! Gazelle! Thousands of people are dying out there. Why can't we do something?" she asked.
"I'm sorry, Amy, but you've gotta let it go." Gazelle told her as they went inside the TARDIS. "Let the past be the past."
"You could do something if you wanted!" Amy persisted.
"Not this time. From what I've read about this battle, it's a fixed point in time and can't be meddled with. And even if we could intervene and prevent this battle from happening, who's to say that we won't just end up making things worse?"
"Time travel is a fickle thing, Amy." the Doctor added. "Meddle too much, and the consequences can be dire. Besides, we have our own catastrophe to prevent, and we can't let anything get in the way of that. With luck, what we have here will restore the Borg and stop the plans of the Cybermen." And he and Gazelle got to work piloting the TARDIS back to the Enterprise.
~8~
"Trust them." Riker shook his head. "Do you trust them yet, Captain?"
"What choice do we have, Number One?" Picard replied. Suddenly, the TARDIS rematerialised in front of them. "What the...?" Picard stared.
The door opened and the Doctor, Gazelle, Amy and Rory emerged from the box. "The mission was a resounding success!" the Doctor announced, holding up his tricorder proudly.
"I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be happy to hear that we can help the Borg." Riker remarked wryly.
"Well done, Doctor." Picard acknowledged. "Let's check in with Commander La Forge's progress on getting us to the Cyberman fleet in time."
~8~
La Forge and the Conduit were sat working at the master systems display table in main engineering when Picard, Riker and the time travellers arrived. "Good news, Commander. The Doctor and Gazelle have acquired the Borg executive routines. We'll be able to restore the Borg Collective." Picard told his chief engineer.
"Glad to hear it, Captain, but it may not be of any use. I'm afraid I have very bad news, Sir." La Forge replied. "With the help of our Borg friend here, I've gotten every last bit of efficiency out of the Enterprise's engines, well past anything we've ever achieved before. We've done everything we can..." He pointed to an Okudagram on the table. "But in every simulation, it's just not enough. They have too much of a lead, and we can't catch up."
"Then we've lost. " Riker said grimly. "If we can't stop or slow down that ship, there's no way we can reactivate the Borg Collective before the Cybermen arrive at the Borg home world."
"Geordi, do you have any other options?" Picard asked.
La Forge shook his head. "I'm sorry, Captain. We're up against the laws of physics. That Cybership is just too far ahead of us and moving too quickly for the Enterprise to catch it in time."
"That's it, then. The Cybermen will convert the entire Borg Collective to their cause. They'll be essentially unstoppable." Picard said gravely.
"Aha! I have another option, Captain." the Doctor interjected, having been listening to all this. "The TARDIS is fast, far faster than any of your ships. We won't break the laws of physics, we'll just bend 'em a little. We can take a small group of us into the TARDIS and catch the Cybership. Sabotage! We'll find a way to disable their engines so the Enterprise can catch them."
"Your little box against that ship, Doctor?" Picard asked rhetorically. "I'm not sure I like those odds."
"Don't judge a book by it's cover, Captain." Gazelle replied wryly. "The TARDIS has got us into worse places than the Cybership. We can slip in undetected and catch the Cybermen unawares. We were gonna have to get aboard that ship anyway. If we're gonna restore the Borg, we need to have access to the Cybermen's computers to copy the executive back into the library."
"Very well." Picard conceded. "We have no alternatives. Let's get started." And he left with Riker and the Conduit.
Amy took the Time Lords aside for a moment. "You two wanted to do this all along, didn't you?" she asked them.
"You know us, Pond. Always best to be prepared." the Doctor replied. "This Enterprise is a fine vessel, but if we're flying into the abyss, I know what ship I want beneath our feet."
As Picard led the way to the turbolift, he tapped his combadge. "Mr Worf, assemble a security team and meet us in weapons room three. I want full tactical gear prepared for our incursion to the Cybermen's vessel."
"On our way, Captain." Worf acknowledged.
"Doctor, Gazelle, this course of action is exceedingly hazardous." Picard said to the Time Lords as the quartet caught up with them.
"I tend to agree, Captain." the Doctor concurred. "Amy, Rory, I'm afraid we can't let you accompany us." he told his companions.
"What?!" Rory stared.
"What're you talking about?!" Amy demanded.
"Amy, Rory, we're going right into the lion's den and it's too dangerous for either of you." Gazelle told them. "We can't in good conscience take you both into danger like that."
"How can you say that when you're going in there even though you're pregnant?!" Rory challenged.
"Ah, but I'm not actually going on the Cybership, Rory." Gazelle answered. "I'm just going in the TARDIS and then I'm gonna wait in there, be the getaway driver."
"Well, there ye are, all the more reason for us to come along." Amy pushed. "If you're twiddling ye thumbs in the TARDIS, who's gonna look after the Doctor for ye?"
Both Time Lords shared a look at they processed Amy's argument. "Fair enough, had to try." the Doctor conceded. "Sorry, Captain, they'll be coming along." he told Picard as they all piled into the turbolift.
~8~
Dr Crusher was waiting on deck four when the group exited the turbolift. "Commander, you wanted to speak with me?" she asked Riker.
"Yes, Dr Crusher. Hang back for a moment." Riker acknowledged.
Just then, Crusher noticed that the Conduit was part of the group. "The Conduit is going with you on the strike team? What for?" she asked.
"He literally is the conduit." Riker replied. "We have to reroute the Borg executive protocols through him and into the Cybermen's ship to transmit them back to the Collective and get them out of the Cybermen's control." He then came to the point he wanted to raise with her. "Dr, about the Conduit- Captain Bertrand. Is there any way to recover him from this... this walking nightmare? After all, you were able to save the captain."
"It's possible, but it depends as much on him as it does our efforts." Crusher replied. "Captain Picard was able to fight the Borg's programming, which was what enabled us to reach him. That might not be something everyone is capable of."
"The man was my friend, Beverly."
"He has to want to come back to us, Will. All we can do is try when all this is over."
~8~
In weapons room three, Worf was issuing out phaser rifles to the strike team. "These weapons have been modified according to our own records from our previous encounters with the Borg, as well as the data provided by the Conduit regarding the Cybermen's adaptation of Borg shielding technology." he announced. "They should provide us with the most effective and longest-lasting efficiency against the enemy."
"Thank you, Lieutenant." Picard acknowledged as he took a rifle.
"I'd like to renew my objection to your leading the strike team personally, Captain." Riker said. "The potential for..."
"The matter is settled, Number One." Picard shut him down. "The decision to cooperate with the Borg was mine alone. I'll not have you or anyone else facing the responsibility for the ramifications of my decision."
Worf meanwhile was now about to issue rifles to the Doctor and the Ponds. "The operation of the type III phaser rifle is simple, but still requires care and focus. Just below the rear handgrip is..."
"No, no, no! Absolutely not! No guns!" the Doctor declared.
"Going into this mission unarmed is tantamount to suicide." Worf told him.
"Guns make you stupid. We'll get along just fine without them, thank you very much." the Doctor insisted.
~8~
Once tooled up, the strike team headed down to holodeck four, where the TARDIS was waiting. "Follow at all speed, Number One," Picard told his first officer, "but be prepared to return and marshal more of Starfleet's forces should you lose contact with us."
"Aye, sir." Riker acknowledged.
"Right this way, if you please, gentlemen." the Doctor said to the strike team and unlocked the TARDIS.
"What trickery is this?!" Worf stared at the dimensionally transcendental interior.
"Most remarkable." Data observed.
"Why, thank you, Mr Data." Gazelle said as she led the way inside the box. "Normally, we'd offer you all a grand tour, but as we're in a rush, I'm afraid that'll have to wait 'till later."
"Am I to assume that the vessel somehow makes use of dimensional shifting so as to create an exponentially larger interior?" Data asked as he looked around the console room. "Most efficient, Doctor."
"Spot on, Commander Data." the Doctor grinned. "A genuine pleasure to have someone aboard who's so quick on the uptake!"
"Hey!" Amy grumbled.
"Be nice, dear." Gazelle chided her husband. "Now, let's get going, shall we? Time and the Cybermen wait for no one."
~8~
The Cyber-Armada...
The TARDIS materialised aboard the CyberController's ship and the Doctor, Amy, Rory and the strike team all stepped out. "This looks like the place." the Doctor commented.
"So you say." Worf grunted. "How is it we have not been detected?"
"You're be surprised how sneaky the old girl can be." the Doctor replied nonchalantly. "Most of the time we're in and out of places before anyone knows we're..."
"Intruder alert! Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" an alarm blared.
"here." the Doctor finished lamely.
"I believe this is the way." Data said as he began to lead the way into the ship.
"You heard the android! Let's move!" the Doctor said as he, Picard and the Conduit followed. Just then, he saw two Cybermen come up behind them. "Look out!" he hollered as the Cybermen fired their blasters into the ceiling, bringing some debris down behind the four intruders.
"There is an alternative route we can use." Data said. "This way."
Picard tapped his combadge. "Picard to Worf. Report!"
"Everyone here is unharmed, Captain." Worf reported. "And you?"
"We're fine, Lieutenant." Picard answered. "Find your way to engineering and find a way to slow this ship down! We'll head to the bridge as planned."
"Aye, sir." Worf acknowledged.
"So much for the element of surprise, eh, Doctor?" Picard said wryly as the quartet headed for the bridge.
"Not to worry, Captain, Gazelle and I have been in tougher spots than this." the Doctor replied. "None spring to mind at this very moment, but I'm confident it's true."
Just then, Picard saw a pair of blast doors in front of them starting to close. "Damn! They're trying to cut us off! Mr Data, is there another route?" he asked.
"That may not be necessary, Captain." Data replied, and he lunged forward and used his superior android strength to hold the doors open. "Hurry, Captain."
Picard scrambled through and helped the Doctor and the Conduit through. "Quickly! Quickly!" he urged. "Data, how are we going to get you out of there?" he asked his second officer.
"Not to worry, Captain." Data replied. "If the three of you would stand clear..." He jumped back and the doors slammed shut.
"Simply marvellous, Mr Data!" the Doctor praised. "You are indeed a wonder!"
"And most foolhardy, Commander." Picard chided.
"Not all, Captain." Data replied. "I calculated the approximate weight of the door based on on a visual estimation of it's construction and concluded that I would be able to hold it for a time sufficient for us to pass through. Although I admit that the door's weight and force did exceed my estimation. Still, I could have held it for another 3.7 seconds easily. Is that boasting?" he asked innocently.
"Perhaps." Picard replied wryly. "Come, we can't waste a second."
~8~
Worf, Amy, Rory and the rest of the strike team were hiding around a corner. "I don't see anyone." Amy said.
"I don't like it." Worf frowned. "It feels like a trap."
Rory stepped out from behind their cover. "Well, look, if this is the way to the engines, there's nothing else for it, then..."
Worf suddenly yanked him back by his collar just mili-seconds before blaster bolts impacted the floor where Rory had been walking, curtesy of six Cybermen. "Watch him." Worf told Amy as he handed Rory to her, then he came out from behind their cover with his phaser rifle at the ready and destroyed the Cybermen with several well-aimed shots. "Mr and Mrs Williams, come here." he called when the coast was clear, and the two time travellers came out to join him. "Take these. They are calibrated to match the rifles." he said as he handed them two hand phasers.
"But you heard the Doctor..." Amy began.
"The Doctor isn't here." Worf retorted. "And stupidity is an empty hand. I have no problem continuing to protect you, but would you rather not protect yourselves?"
"Well said, Mr Worf." a voice said, and they all turned to see Gazelle walk up to them with her Vinvocci blaster in hand.
"Gazelle? I thought you were staying in the TARDIS." Amy frowned.
"I got bored." Gazelle shrugged. "Anyway, take the phasers. This is one occasion where simply having the moral high ground isn't enough and we have to defend ourselves."
And so Amy and Rory took the offered phasers and now with Gazelle with them, the group pressed on.
"We take the next door at my signal." Worf said, then peered around the door frame. "Qi'yah..." he cursed when he saw that the engine room was full of Cybermen.
~8~
The Doctor, Picard, Data and the Conduit reached the Cybership's bridge. "Merde..." Picard cursed when he saw that their way was blocked by an entire legion of Cybermen.
To be concluded...
Author's notes: And here's the penultimate chapter. I debated on what to do with Gazelle in this chapter: have her stay aboard the Enterprise, Have her stay in the TARDIS, have her be with the Doctor, Picard and Data, or have her be with Worf, Amy and Rory. Ultimately, I chose the fourth option. Join me next time for the grand finale. Bye for now!