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Element of Dreams

by Vaxen (pwaxen@yahoo.com)

After an extended side trip and numerous delays, Voyager was once again headed in the general direction of home. Still somewhat short of supplies, Janeway order the ship into orbit around a remote planet. Tom Paris had returned from the surface away mission with glowing reports of the world. Janeway, somewhat skeptical, was determined that she to see this marvel for herself. However, Seven was unimpressed by his account. Once before she had given in to his persuasion and accompanied him to the holodeck to see the automobile he so often raved about. Expecting an example of sophisticated technology or at least one of artistic preeminence, she instead encountered a low-tech, inferior example of primitive mechanics . With that in mind, she dismissed his enthusiasm, opting for some much needed regeneration time.

The cycle began and Seven started to dream. When she first began to sleep and dream, after her connection with the Collective was severed, she found the slippery images that inhabited her regeneration cycle disturbing. Unlike the data the Collective fed her, dreams were not real. It took Seven some time to accept this, but once she did, the red star that morphed into an apple became interesting rather than an irritation.

Interesting was an inadequate term for the dream she was having. She had visited this barren, frozen landscape before, when the crew was in stasis for a month leaving only herself and the Doctor to see the ship through the Void. In that dream she had been alone and the bone chilling wind had whipped furiously around her. This time, there was no wind, no discomfort at all, and she was not alone. Janeway stood beside her, pointing to a distant peak and remarking on its beauty. Seven reached over and intertwined fingers with her, lifting Janeway's hand to press a delicate kiss into the back of it.

"Seven?" The Captain's voice had never sounded so deep.

"Yes, Kathryn," she replied, grazing the knuckles of the captive hand with her soft, full lips until she encountered wisps of short, stiff hair.

"Seven!?" the voice again entreated, only this time in a higher yet decidedly masculine tone. Seven peered over the clasped hand to find the Doctor's soft, brown eyes peering back with a worried expression. His focus changed from her face to their clasped hands. She quickly released it.

"Seven, I need to talk to you."

She ignored him.

"Why won't you answer me?"

"This is a dream. You are not real. I will wait and if I am fortunate the Captain will return."

"This may be a dream, but I can assure you I am quite real or a least as real as a disembodied holo-image can be."

"Disembodied? Explain."

"The ship has been seized by the inhabitants of the planet we're orbiting."

"You should inform the Captain," Seven replied, puzzled by the turn her dream had taken.

"She's not on Voyager. None of the crew is. There is only you and me and I've been deactivated."

"You seem very active for someone who has been deactivated."

"They deactivated my holomatrix, but before they could shut me down, I transferred my personality profile to the main computer. I accessed communications, which allowed me to link with your cortical implant."

"Why is Voyager's crew on the planet's surface?"

"I'm not sure I understand it myself. Several crewmembers missed their appointments. I attempted to contact the bridge, but there was no answer. The next thing I know, sickbay is being invaded. They asked me if I wanted to transport down to the others and when I said that I emphatically did not, they attempted to manhandle me. It was at that point they realized I was a hologram and the rest you know."

"But how did they overcome the crew? An intruder alert would have terminated my regeneration cycle." Seven was beginning to suspect that there was more to this conversation than the random firing of her synapses. Although the background had transformed to a cavern with craggy purple outcroppings and the Doctor had appeared as several different individuals, the voice remained consistent.

"I've checked the logs. You know, it's amazing the number of things you can do when you've been integrated into the main computer."

"Doctor," Seven sighed.

"Yes, sorry. The logs indicate that after the away team returned from their mission, more teams were transported. Few returned. The Captain's last log entry suggested that she gave Voyager to the inhabitants in exchange for their settlement. It seems that you and I were both overlooked in the land rush."

"Perhaps they are under the influence of a creature similar to that which attempted to devour Voyager." Seven suggested, forcing down the associated memories.

"I don't think so. The logs mentioned nothing about Earth, only making a new home and this time Naomi was affected."

"Then why haven't I been affected?"

"Maybe you have but you just don't know it because you're not conscious. Your cycle will end soon. They've posted guards on you. You should still be able to hear me when you wake. If you aren't under the influence of whatever this is, you must pretend to be. And if your are under the influence, let me just say that it has been a pleasure knowing you."

"The regards are mutual, Doctor."

"Regeneration cycle complete," the computer announced.

Seven opened her eyes to find two large aliens standing before her alcove. Except for the slightly golden tint in their complexion and pronounced line of their jaw, they could have been human.

"Are you ready to go?" one of them inquired.

At the same time the Doctor asked, "Seven, can you hear me?"

"Yes," she said with a smile. They removed her commbadge and she allowed them to escort her to the transporter.

The smile vanished from her lips as she materialized in the settlement amidst a buzz of activity. Voyager's crew was hard at work making itself at home.

"Doctor, kindly desist," Seven hissed between clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't tell if you were answering yes to them or me. Why didn't you respond?"

"I attempted to," she replied, regaining her composure. "Obviously you are unable to hear my thoughts and an auditory response seemed ill advised under the circumstances."

"I see what you mean. I also see what you see. The crew seems to have developed a severe case of nest building." Everywhere there were crew members cleaning and moving. It looked a little like registration day at a university dorm.

"If you are referring to the aviary compulsion to provide secure dwelling places for their young, then I believe you've made a valid analogy." She spotted Janeway in the middle of the town square, happily shouting commands to the crew, directing the chaos into order.

"Captain, I must speak to you."

"Seven, you're here," Janeway cried as she administered a vigorous embrace. "They said they'd send you along as soon as they could. We didn't want to disturb your sleep."

"Then you did barter Voyager?"

"A fair bit of horse trading. Isn't it wonderful?"

"Doctor," Seven muttered under her breath. There was no response. "Doctor," she said a little louder.

"I'm sure the Doctor is around here somewhere." Janeway responded, then her attention was distracted and she shouted, "Those should go there. Here, let me help."

"Doctor, please respond," Seven said with an edge of panic in her voice.

"I'm here. I was just checking the database for similar occurrences."

"In the future, please inform me when you intend to make yourself unavailable."

"Maybe you'll be nicer to me when I tell you what I found." There was a long silence. "Well, anyway," he finally continued, "it seems that the Federation starship Enterprise under the command of James Kirk encountered a plant form that induced a euphoria among the crew, resulting in the crew abandoning the ship."

"And what was the final outcome?"

"The captain was able to break the control by angering his first officer. Not an easy task considering the man was half Vulcan."

"Are you recommending that I deliberately anger the Captain?"

"Unless you have a better idea."

"And how do you propose I go about this?"

"It's not like she's never been mad at you. How did you do it before?"

Seven crossed the square to where the Captain was assisting others in moving a bulky piece of furniture. "Captain Janeway, you are no longer fit for command. I demand that you relinquish authority to me."

Janeway blinked at her a couple of times then smiled. "I think you've got something, Seven. I've been leader far too long. Time for a change and I can't think of anyone else I'd rather see in the position than you."

"You've got to do something more," the Doctor urged. "Give her a good shove."

"It would not work."

"Not sure you're up to the challenge." Janeway retorted. "Don't worry you'll grow into it. By the way, I've been thinking about Q's remark that night at the ball. Maybe we should have some children."

"Now she's not only building nests, she wants to populate them. Do something."

"I will think about it. Please, carry on."

"Yes, sir," said Janeway, throwing herself back into her work.

Seven walked several paces away. "It doesn't work," she proclaimed to the empty air.

"You didn't try hard enough. Maybe you should find someone who's easier to irritate." At that moment, her eyes fell on B'Elanna, who was draped across a stone bench with her face turned into the sun.

"Lieutenant Torres," Seven called across the short distance separating them. B'Elanna made no response. Seven approached her. When she was standing over B'Elanna, she called her name again in the surliest tone she could muster.

B'Elanna jumped. "Seven, where did you come from?"

"I have been calling you. You have been ignoring me."

"I didn't hear you. I've been working for hours without a break. The sun felt so good, I guess I just lost track. Is there something I can do for you?"

"This isn't working," the Doctor whined. "You're dong to have to take more drastic steps. Get physical."

Seven put her hand in the middle of B'Elanna's chest and gave her a little shove. "You are being deceitful and shiftless. I demand you return to your duties."

"Now wait a minute," B'Elanna began.

"Now you've got her. Keep up the pressure."

"Seven, I didn't mean anything by it."

"You're losing her. You're going to have to hit her."

"No," Seven objected.

"No. No, what?" B'Elanna asked.

"Do you want to spend the rest of your life on this planet with a bunch of pod people while aliens fly away with Voyager? Hit her."

Seven's hand curled into a fist almost as if it had a will of it's own and before she knew what had happened, she was standing over B'Elanna's crumpled figure, lying facedown in the dust. B'Elanna spat dirt and blood from a split lip as she pushed herself up and turned her eyes on Seven.

"Now, why'd you have to do that?" B'Elanna said. "I'm sorry if I offended you. I'll get back to work." She walked away, dusting herself off and leaving Seven to sink to the bench B'Elanna had vacated.

"I guess we're not dealing with the same circumstances."

"Doctor, you have a firm grasp of the obvious."

"No need to get sarcastic, although I'm glad to see your finally using some of the colloquialisms I've been suggesting. We're just going to have to find another method."

Seven heard footsteps and looked up to find the Captain, who sat down beside her on the bench.

"I just ran into B'Elanna. She seems to think there's something troubling you."

Seven looked into Janeway's eyes, past the obsessive delusion, and found in them the same concern that had first drawn her to the woman.

"Kathryn, I wish you were here to help me."

"I'm here, darling" Janeway consoled. "I know this place doesn't look like much now, but it will seem like home in no time and you won't even miss Voyager."

"I can not leave Voyager," Seven stated flatly, thinking about her Borg alcove and the vital energy it supplied.

"You're not thinking of leaving with them?" The pain in Janeway's face made her realize how the Captain was torn between their love for each other and the consuming need to make this planet their home.

"I wouldn't go anywhere without you," Seven replied, planting a light kiss on Janeway's mouth. Both women seemed to feel the need for further reassurance as the kiss deepened. They lost themselves in the stimulation as Seven enjoyed the familiar taste of coffee on her lover's tongue and the hard, rough texture of Janeway's teeth grazing against her lip. For a few seconds, Seven forgot about their predicament, until Janeway gasped and pushed her away.

"How did I let this happen?" Janeway croaked. "I let them take Voyager from me."

"Bingo," the Doctor shouted in Seven's head, "you found the trigger."

"It would seem so," Seven replied.

"You're damn right," Janeway snarled, as she stood and glanced about in agitation. "What's happened to everyone?"

"Allow me to explain," said Seven and she did, omitting one or two details about the dream.

"We've got to get the ship back," Janeway responded after Seven had finished her tale.

"Just the two of you?"

"The Doctor suggests that you and I might not be a sufficient force."

"Tell him…"

"The Doctor can hear you. He can only hear me when I speak aloud."

"Doctor, are they preparing the ship to leave orbit?"

"They're familiarizing themselves with navigation and helm control."

"That would appear to be their objective," Seven relayed.

"We haven't got time to kiss every crew member on the planet and I doubt that would even work with most of them. It was more than just the kiss. It was the force behind the kiss. You can't duplicate that." Janeway gave Seven a crooked smile. "Doctor, is there anyone in sickbay?" There was a pause while the hologram checked to see that sickbay was empty and reported back. "Good, now I need you to access transporters and beam Seven and me to sickbay."

"I'm a hologram not a bridge officer. Actually, I'm not even a hologram at the moment. How am I supposed to operate the transporter?"

"The Doctor says he will try."

"Oh, alright."

"If we can get to sickbay, we can bring the Doctor back online. Maybe he can figure out what happened to us. His mobile emitter is also in sickbay. That will make us three against a ship full of aliens -- much better odds."

"Levity, Captain?"

"Only because I'm deadly serious." At that moment, the unmistakable sensation of transporter lock seized them and they re-materialized in sickbay. "Computer, activate EMH."

"That was easier than I thought it would be," proclaimed the Doctor, foregoing his usual dry greeting.

"Doctor, please, we need some answers and we need them now." The Doctor grabbed a tricorder and scanned the Captain then moved to Seven. "Our advantage is the element of surprise. They won't be expecting any resistance. As I suspected," said Janeway, as she keyed into the computer, "my codes are still valid. They aren't wasting time on security."

"Well," the Doctor interrupted, "I can tell you why you were affected and Seven wasn't. I found residual traces of a foreign substance at the receptor sites of cells in the left hemisphere of the your brain."

"Which in my case was replaced by a cortical implant," Seven concluded.

"Exactly. In Seven, there was nowhere for the chemical to bond."

"How was my bond broken?" Janeway asked. "Can you release the others?"

"I can't say. I'll have to run some tests."

"Meanwhile," Seven interjected, "I suggest we flood the decks with neurozine gas to prevent Voyager from being taken out of orbit."

"No. We need information. This wasn't an accident. They know something about this chemical and they can't tell us if they're unconscious."

"Time is of the essence," Seven argued. "The neurozine would be the most efficient method. We must regain control of the ship."

"And what of the rest of the crew? You have to trust me." It was as much an order as a plea for understanding.

"Yes, Captain." Seven answered, the tiniest bit of defiance still detectable in her tone. She shook it off. "You have a plan for obtaining this information?"

"As they say, 'always go to the top.'" Janeway smiled. "I've detected one life sign in my ready room. Who do you think it is?"

"Their leader, no doubt," Seven responded with an appreciative flick of her ocular implant. She retrieved two phasers from a weapons locker. Handing one to Janeway, she said, "Site to site?"

"Already programmed. Computer, energize."

The shocked, frustrated expression of the alien that sat behind Janeway's desk confirmed her theory.

"Computer, disable door to ready room," Janeway ordered, then walked around the edge of her desk with her phaser aimed at the intruder's head. "You're in my seat."

"Pleasure was the key," Janeway explained as she leaned against a wall in the corridor outside the transport room. She and Seven faced the bewildered Chakotay, one of the first to beam back aboard. The Doctor had been standing by, ready to inject each crewmember with a compound that stimulated the production of endorphins, exciting the pleasure centers and breaking the bond. "It seems that once the bond is broken, it won't re-establish -- small comfort to the dozens of races who've been lured here only to find themselves trapped."

"Why didn't they just ask for our help?"

"According to our guests, it is a show of weakness to ask for help, the ones who trapped them here five years ago didn't ask for help and we might have said, 'No.'"

"And how did you regain control of the ship?"

"I explained to them the benefits of establishing friendly relationships with other species and told them they should try it and I promised to transport them to the next inhabited world."

"Then she threatened to flood the ship with poisonous gas if they did not assemble inside the force field she erected in cargo bay one," Seven interjected.

"An offer they couldn't refuse," Chakotay joked.

The transporter room door opened and B'Elanna Torres barreled out with blood in her eye. "Where's that Borg?" she bellowed, then charged at Seven, oblivious to the officers with her. "She punched me!" B'Elanna roared as Chakotay intercepted her.

"Lieutenant, control yourself," Janeway ordered. B'Elanna continued to jerk against Chakotay's restraint.

"Captain," Seven spoke up, "I am responsible for inflicting injury on Lieutenant Torres, but I believe that we can settle the matter between ourselves, if you will allow me."

She gave Seven an appraising look and said, "Commander, I need to finish updating you on our status. Release the Lieutenant." Janeway walked away without a backward glance. Chakotay reluctantly freed B'Elanna and followed.

"Lieutenant, I have wrongfully injured you and for that I apologize," Seven stated.

"Well, sorry just doesn't cut it."

"I thought you might see it that way, therefore I propose we 'even the score.'"

"What?"

"I struck you when you were in no condition to defend yourself. I will allow you to do the same. Hit me." With that, Seven clasped her hands behind her back, closed her eyes and awaited the blow.

B'Elanna smacked her fist into her palm several times, went into a windup but stopped short of delivery. "I can't do it," B'Elanna screamed in rage.

"Then perhaps we should 'kiss and make up,'" Seven suggested.

The corridor filled with Klingon invectives as B'Elanna stormed away.

Seven watched as she receded around the curve. "Perhaps not."