Chapter 10 – Together

Seven opened her eyes. She was laying on a hard surface, although there was a pillow under her head. It took her a few moments for her mind to clear. And then she remembered. She had been interrogated, and recalled every detail. How she felt, and what she said. Somehow they had reached into her mind and found the Borg drone she once was. It was frightening to think that just a few short weeks before, that was who she was. 'I will betray you,' she had said to them when they first disconnected her from the Hive Mind. She closed her eyes again and cringed at the thought. The things she had said. She felt as if she had betrayed them after all.

"Seven," someone called out close by.

Seven sat up and looked about. She recognized the place. Not that she had been there specifically before, but apparently Star Fleet brigs all had a similar design. It was not too long ago when Captain Janeway had her incarcerated in a similar place. In an adjacent cell, B'Elanna Torres was looking back at her. The other cells appeared empty, and a Star Fleet ensign manned the station at the far end of the room. Although it appeared there was nothing between them, Seven knew by the glow along the perimeter of the opening, there were force fields keeping both of them inside.

"You've been regenerating for hours," B'Elanna commented. She appeared agitated. "They brought you in unconscious and then hooked you up."

Seven glanced down. There was something about her wrist. Again, it took her a few moments to realize what it was. Her regeneration bracelet from the escape pod. She followed the cables back to a wall beside where she had been laying. "We made it back," Seven said and she unhooked the bracelet.

B'Elanna raised her hands. "Welcome to the Alpha Quadrant. A bunch of pataks!" She turned and glared at the ensign at the other side of the room. "Yes you too!"

"Why are we in the brig?" Seven asked, although in her case, she suspected she knew why. The questions the interrogator asked made that perfectly clear. Star Fleet was obviously concerned about the Borg and whether she could be trusted. Given what she said, she wondered if she could be trusted. But if they also distrusted the Maquis, why was only B'Elanna here?

"I didn't much care for the questions my interrogator was asking and the tone of his voice. I think I broke his nose." B'Elanna grinned at the though and again turned towards the ensign. "Is your friend okay?" she taunted. "I'm ready to answer a few more questions anytime!"

"I never saw the person interrogating me," Seven commented. She stood tentatively and tested her legs. She was told they had been broken, but she only felt slightly sore. The nanoprobes in her blood must have finished the requisite repairs while she regenerated. The Borg nanoprobes, she thought with disgust. Seven looked at her hand. The Borg sensors still traced from her fingertips up to her bicep. It was a part of her and would likely always be a part of her. She would never be rid of the Borg. "They asked about the Borg, and so I assume Star Fleet's fear over the Borg has placed me here. I think I was given some sort of truth serum and they reached inside of me to expose the drone within."

B'Elanna appeared shocked. She stepped over to the corner of her cell closest to Seven's. "You're kidding," she said quietly.

Seven was touched by B'Elanna's sudden concern. She shook her head. "No, I am fairly certain they did."

B'Elanna sighed and then turned away. "I've never heard of Star Fleet going to such an extreme before. Even in all my time with the Maquis."

"I think," Seven began tentatively, remembering some of Chakotay's memories, "It's only used in time of war."

Now B'Elanna was nodding. "You know, he never actually said it, that patak who was questioning me, but I bet you that's it." She began pacing in her cell. "He mentioned something about the Cardassians having an ally when they destroyed the Maquis, but he never actually came out and said the Federation was at war. That must be it."

"What questions did he ask you?"

"Mainly about the trans-warp drive. How we got back. Specific details about the tachyon matrix and reversing the flow with the plasma injector."

"And you hit him when he told you about the Maquis?" Seven guessed.

B'Elanna frowned. "He seemed to get a bit too much pleasure out of informing me of the Maquis' demise. They're all dead." She looked back up at Seven with haunted eyes and added, "All of them. Gone."

"I'm sorry B'Elanna," Seven replied. She felt gratified that she honestly was. It made her feel more human that she could have empathy for others.

B'Elanna appeared as if she wanted to hit something. For a second Seven thought she might brush against the force field in frustration, but in the end, she simply sighed heavily to control her anger. "I'm still in denial," she eventually said. "I need to talk to Chakotay and the others, but so far, I haven't seen anybody after we were 'rescued'."

Seven wanted to talk to Chakotay as well, but felt ashamed of her answers during the interrogation. It was as if she was a Borg drone. She had betrayed him. What would he think of her? "What happened when we re-entered normal space?" she said, not wanting to think about that right now. "I lost consciousness as the Sphere was disintegrating and we got back to our escape pod, and woke up when being interrogated."

B'Elanna shrugged. "The Sphere broke apart during that last transdimensional shift. The sixty escape pods on the surface peeled way like the skin of an orange and scattered. We were shaken about pretty badly for a few minutes, but eventually our pod stabilized. We weren't able to contact any of the other pods when the first Star Fleet vessel arrived on scene. They must have detected the trans-warp signature and came to investigate."

"What happened next," Seven prodded.

"They started tractoring the pods into their shuttle bay. We were sorted – Star Fleet or Maquis. Spent some time waiting, and then I was questioned. You know the rest, and now I'm here."

Not just Star Fleet and Maquis. Seven had been sorted into a different category and was apparently treated much differently as well. "How long has it been?" Seven asked, keeping the other thoughts to herself.

B'Elanna shrugged. "Perhaps forty-eight hours. I don't know for certain." B'Elanna started examining the threshold of her cell, as if considering how she might escape. "What happens now is anyone's guess."

"Hágase tu voluntad," Seven muttered.

"What was that?" B'Elanna asked.

Seven had to think about it. "Something Chakotay's mother would say. It just popped into my head and seemed appropriate."

"I've heard Chakotay say it as well, at least when we were in the Maquis. Usually during a fight. Remind me what it means."

"It's in an Earth language, Spanish, and a portion of a prayer. It means, 'thy will be done.'"

"Thy will be done," B'Elanna repeated, turning the phrase over in her head. "Who's will?"

"For Chakotay's mother, the will of God," Seven replied. "For Chakotay, I think it was more undefined in his mind. Perhaps his Great Spirit."

B'Elanna grunted. "And what were you thinking?"

Seven shook her head. "I really don't know." She thought back to the break-up of the Sphere and how she and Chakotay had made it back to their quarters. Had they really been helped physically by someone or had it all been in her mind? And if only in her mind, was it just a fabrication of her imagination or a supernatural external influence? If the end result was the same, did it matter? Before she had a chance to express any of these thoughts, the ensign at the end of the room snapped to attention and another Star Fleet officer entered the brig area. He said a few words to the ensign and then moved forward towards Seven's cell. When he was just outside, the force field disengaged. "Seven of Nine, I'm here to escort you to your quarters," he said.

"Not to another interrogation?" B'Elanna snapped. There was venom in her voice and she looked as if she wanted to rip him to shreds. "Using truth serum on a civilian. Now that might be a first, even for Star Fleet. She has rights. I wonder what a Federation magistrate will have to say about your conduct."

The Star Fleet officer shook his head. "Not an interrogation," he confirmed, ignoring the threat. "She has been assigned quarters."

Seven stepped back and sat down on the bed. "I think I'll stay here until Lieutenant Torres is assigned quarters as well."

"She has," the officer replied calmly, and glanced back and forth between B'Elanna and Seven. "Someone will be here shortly to escort her there as well."

B'Elanna and Seven exchanged a look, and then Seven stood. "Very well," she said and stepped forward. She turned to B'Elanna and added, "We will see each other shortly, I'm sure."

B'Elanna didn't seem so sure herself, but nodded anyway.

Seven walked just behind the Star Fleet officer. When they left the brig, two security crewman who had been waiting outside fell into step behind her. The officer didn't feel it necessary to explain where they were going or why she was now being assigned quarters, and so they walked in silence. Two corridors and a turbo lift later, they arrived at a door. The Star fleet officer keyed in a code while the two security crewman positioned themselves on either side.

The door slid open and the officer stepped aside to let Seven pass. "You should have everything you need in there," he said. "For now, you're restricted to remain inside at all times."

Not much better than the brig, Seven thought, but stepped inside none the less. "Thank you."

The officer nodded and the doors slid shut.

Seven was alone. The quarters were small, although spacious when compared to the escape pod she shared with Chakotay. There was a single bed, a replicator, a table and chairs, and a small side room that held a wash basin and sonic shower. On one side of the bed she saw wires leading to the wall and a regeneration bracelet atop the pillow. She moved over to the side room and the mirror above the wash basin and assessed her appearance. They must have cleaned her up somewhat before taking her to the brig. No more dried blood on her hands or face. She was still in the same biosuit the Doctor had fashioned her. The biosuit was damaged from where she had been impaled during the original destruction of Voyager. The silver metallic sheen made her look less human and more Borg than she cared for.

Seven quickly extricated herself from the boots and biosuit she had been wearing for the past week. She again assessed herself in the mirror, her eyes drawn to the remaining Borg implants. When Chakotay looked at her, was that what he saw? She briefly looked at the scar on her belly and residual dry blood there, and then stepped into the sonic shower and undid her hair. The high-frequency sound waves separated the dead skin, dirt and dried blood from her hair and skin and it all fell to the shower floor where it was sucked into the drain by air pressure. It would be nice to take a water shower, but that was a luxury for another day. Either way, the Borg implants remained. On her arms. On her legs. Above her eye. This unwanted filth was harder to get rid of. When the cycle was complete, she moved over to the replicator and placed the biosuit inside. "Dispose," she said, and the suit disappeared, similar to being transported but of course not reconstituted on the other end. "Computer, replicate suitable clothes."

"Please be more specific. Fabric, color, size, design."

Seven was uncertain how to proceed. "I don't know. Anything will suffice."

"Please be more specific. Fabric, color, size, design."

Seven shook her head thinking how ridiculous it would be if she couldn't even clothe herself. "Cotton. Shades of green. My size. Pants and shirt." It was worth a try. Hopefully the computer could scan her to compute an appropriate size and the vagueness of the design was adequate. It took a moment, and then the requested clothes materialized within the replicator. She slipped into them quickly. The fabric was soft against her skin but did irritate her a little about her exposed Borg implants. Fortunately they were also loose fitting, and so comfortable enough. She forgot about footwear, but decided to remain barefoot for the time being.

She moved back and sat down on the edge of the bed. Her mind returned to the interrogation and the answers she had given to their questions about the Borg. As long as the Federation had no adequate defense, they would remain vulnerable. It was likely the Borg defeated Species 8472, but how this may have changed their timeline was unknown. The thought of the Borg returning to the Alpha Quadrant made her uncomfortable. Although of course, the Borg was still inside her, and here she was. Could that drone be reawakened again and turn against those close to her? Turn against Chakotay?

Seven stood back up and started pacing. She looked around her quarters. How was she going to occupy her time here? On Voyager, that's how it all started. She had been alone in the cargo bay and the time passed by ever so slowly. She was unaccustomed to it. Sure, for the first six years of her life she had often been alone, but as a Borg drone, you were never alone. She had told Chakotay she was finding it difficult to spend so much time alone and he had obliged her request to work in engineering on creating a trans-warp conduit. They had now all made it back, and as Cathal had said, it was due to her. She couldn't know for certain, but somehow she sensed they had all survived. Voyager had been destroyed, but they were now all back.

But… the Maquis were gone, the Federation was at war, and she was alone. At least she now had some memories worth remembering.

The door chime sounded startling Seven out of her thoughts. She turned to the door. "Enter."

The door slid open and Chakotay was standing on the threshold. He was holding a bundle under one of his arms. "May I come in?" he asked.

"Of course." Seven was both thrilled and apprehensive.

Chakotay turned to one the guards and nodded, and then stepped through. The door slid shut behind him. He was out of uniform and in what Seven presumed were Maquis style clothing. He was looking at her carefully, and before he said another word, Seven knew he knew. He knew of her interrogation. How much he knew was unknown. He stepped up closer. "Are you okay?"

Seven nodded, although she didn't fully believe it. She now knew there was a monster lying dormant within her mind. A Borg drone ready to assimilate her at the appropriate time.

Chakotay shook his head. "When the Captain found out, she was livid. She was already unhappy with the treatment of the Maquis crew, and what they did to you threw her over the edge. She has stopped cooperating. We all have."

"How did Star Fleet respond?"

Chakotay looked about the quarters. "I think they're trying to make amends," he said, gesturing to her accommodations. "But the local commander also relieved the Captain of duty."

"B'Elanna was right," Seven commented.

"What do you mean?"

"A bunch of pataks."

Chakotay smiled. It made Seven happy that he could still smile and that she could illicit such a response. It didn't change anything she had said during the interrogation. Did he know? Did he know what she was?

"I heard about the Maquis," Seven said, trying to push away her current thoughts. "I'm so sorry."

Chakotay rubbed his free hand over his face. "They didn't have a chance."

"You should talk to B'Elanna and the others," Seven said. "They need you now more than ever."

Chakotay nodded. "I know. I know. I'm getting that arranged right now." He frowned. "The Cardassians have allied themselves with Species 7995."

Seven's eyes widened. "What are they doing in the Alpha Quadrant?"

"The Bajoran wormhole," Chakotay replied. Of course. She should have guessed. If that were the case, Chakotay was right, the Maquis wouldn't have stood a chance. Indeed, it was likely the Federation was at grave risk. If it was war, the stakes were evidently high.

"The Captain has to reconsider," Seven said. "You should all cooperate. What we've learned with trans-warp using Federation technology could possibly be used in this war."

Chakotay raised his hand. "I don't think we need worry. An admiral from Star Fleet Command is on his way here. A friend of Kathryn's. I think things will get cleared up rather quickly when he arrives."

What will that mean for her, Seven wondered. Although B'Elanna and Vorik now had extensive knowledge about trans-warp, to expedite development she should be involved. And Chakotay too. She wanted to help in any way she could.

"Seven, I'd like to talk about our future," Chakotay said.

This caught Seven a bit off guard. He had put particular emphasis on the word 'our.' Why did things have to change? If only they were back in the Delta Quadrant. Marooned, but together. "Are the quarters you've been assigned any better than mine?" Seven asked, attempting to change the subject.

Chakotay smiled and seemed somewhat embarrassed. He looked about and then placed what he was holding down on the small table by the door. Seven recognized it at once. It was his medicine bundle. He took a step closer to Seven. "To tell you the truth," he said. "That's exactly what I wanted to talk about. I was kind of hoping that these might be my quarters. With you."

"Oh?" Seven said, still trying to process this new bit of information. He must not know what had happened during the interrogation after all.

"Do you remember when I told you I felt I was missing something in my life?" Chakotay said and sighed. "It was you. I need you Seven. If you'll have me."

Seven backed up more until she reached the bed. She was both excited and frightened at Chakotay's confession and suggestion. In one respect, it was all quite sudden. They had only known each other for a few short weeks, and for a part of that time she was a Borg drone. And yet, a part of her felt such an arrangement was inevitable. But how could it be given what she was? He had to know the full truth. "You don't know what's inside me," she finally said. "The things I've done. The things I've said. I can't imagine you'd think the same way about me if you did."

Chakotay stepped towards her again, but now she couldn't back up any further. "You don't think I know what you've been through? What you have suffered and overcome? Of all the people in the universe, of course I know what's inside you. Just as you know what's inside me. We know each other better than anyone. How can we not?" He reached out and held her lightly on her shoulders. She shivered slightly at his touch. "I know exactly who you are and don't want to ever be apart from you again."

…

In that moment, I allow myself to let go of the past. I realize I need him too. It would be oh so easy to get wrapped in his embrace and never let go. Is it possible he needs me as he says? I see a yearning in his eyes that I'm certain is reflected in my own. These past weeks have been amazing and frightening and exciting and overwhelming. I can't imagine going back to who I was. Forgetting how I feel and my unspoken desires. I realize I can conquer the Borg drone inside me… with his help.

Hágase tu voluntad and thank you. I wrap my arms about his waist and draw him closer. I want him… and he is now mine.

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Author's note: Hope you enjoyed. Please review.

Happy New Year!