Copyright 2000, Susan S. McCrackin  Reprinted with permission of the author.

Darrian Green sat on the sofa, staring at the woman seated in the rocking chair. The coffee he had been served sat cooling on the coffee table. He could not take his eyes off of her. She was beautiful. No one would deny that. But he found he focused on the metal on her body. He looked at the implant over her eye and the star-shaped implant on her right jaw. He could see the shape of the metal implants on her abdomen. It was hard not to notice with that suit she wore.

She is Borg, he thought. He realized, that thought was crowding out every other thought in his mind. Then, he realized she was growing uncomfortable under his intense scrutiny. He forced himself to reach for his coffee.

Taking a sip, he gave her a smile, "It suddenly occurred to me I was staring. Forgive me. I have never met a…." He stopped, certainly uncertain what to say.

She finished for him, "A drone. You have never met a drone before."

"No," he lowered his head slightly, "I have never met a drone before."

"Actually, I am no longer a drone."

"Right." He took another sip, "If I understand correctly, you have been separated from the collective…completely."

She did not miss the emphasis on the last word. "Yes."

"You have no contact with the Borg."

She hesitated, suddenly uncertain how to respond. She raised her head, "There have been times when the Borg communicated with me, but I did not initiate the contact. And I would not."

"They communicated with you?" 

"Yes. They connected through my implants. I…am not certain how they did that." She finished weakly.

"And why not?"

She gave him a curious look. He knew she had few memories of her life. He should know she would not know how the Borg would have communicated with her. Still, she tried to answer his question, "I have no memories of my time with the Borg. When the Borg replaced my implants, most of my memories were destroyed. I have lost the knowledge of how they communicated with me. I…have lost most of the memories of anything the Borg do."

"How convenient."

She looked at him in surprise, "What do you mean?"

He shrugged, "It just seems to be an interesting coincidence that you would lose your memories, just as you are arriving at Earth. No memories, brand new implants and a Borg transwarp coil." He gave her a skeptical look, "And why would the Borg replace your implants? From what I understand, they do not value individual life. Why would they go to such extreme measures to give you back yours?"

She jerked her head away from him, breaking the intense eye contact. Her breathing became rapid, and she had to work to control herself. Gripping the arms of the chair, she tried to respond, "I…do..not know." She turned her head back toward him, "It is something I have asked myself often. It is my understanding they want me to represent their position to the leadership of Earth to stop the skirmishes on the border between the Alpha and Delta Quadrants. I do know I was given their arguments." Her voice turned bitter, "Those memories were not destroyed when the implant self-destructed."

He heard the tone of her voice and watched her face carefully. "Yes, well, I am certain our doctors will be able to determine if…your memories are truly lost." 

She tried not to react to his words, but they scared her. It wasn’t what he had said; it was how he had said them. She forced herself to respond in an even voice, "Of course."

He gave her a wary smile. "Tell me about your daughter."

She was immediately on guard, "What do you want to know?"

"She does not have," he waved his hand loosely in the direction of her Borg hand, "those Borg implants."

"No, she does not."

"Good." He put his cup down on the table, "You realize there are questions about your ability to care for her properly."

She nodded, trying to hide the fear she felt, "I understand there are questions. But there is no need for people to be concerned."

"So I understand." He crossed his knees and locked his fingers over them, "You understand, I will need to meet with the two of you together so see for myself. I will also rely on Counselor Troi’s recommendation."

"Of course. That is acceptable."

"That is the way it will be."

She narrowed her eyes, blinking them quickly.

"Good." He stood. As she stood with him, he gave her a quick bow, "Thank you for meeting with me privately. I will plan to meet with you and your family later today. I am most anxious to meet…your child."

"I will be glad for you to meet her."

He gave her a strange look, then turned to walk out. She accompanied him to the door. He stopped just before the doors and gave her a long look, his eyes traveling the length of her body before returning to her face. Then, he gave a sharp nod of his head, "Until this afternoon."

Before she could respond, he quickly whirled and left. She walked back to the rocking chair, then sank into it as her legs seemed to suddenly grow too weak to hold up her body. She closed her eyes tightly, dropping her face into her hands.

"Are you okay?" B’Elanna leaned toward her, concerned.

"Yes. I am fine. You should not worry about me. You should worry about yourself."

B’Elanna leaned back against the bed, "I am doing everything the Doctor tells me to do. I am fine." Her voice was emphatic, "You, on the other hand, look absolutely awful. You are not getting enough rest."

Seven sighed, "I am sleeping."

"You might be sleeping, but you are not resting. When is the last time you regenerated in your alcove?"

Seven looked away from her, "I do not need to regenerate in my alcove."

"Really?"

Seven tried to change the subject, "Did you and Kathryn B’Elanna have a good time this morning?"

"Yes. Just like we have had every other day. We are doing fine, Seven." Her sentence left no doubt about what she did not say." Seven turned her attention to her daughter who was playing on the bed. B’Elanna tried again, "How have the meetings with our visitors gone?" She saw that Seven’s eyes immediately became more guarded. She stayed quiet, waiting for Seven to respond.

"They have been interesting."

"Tell me about them."

"Mr. Ro’bara is a strange person."

B’Elanna laughed, "So I have heard."

"He is enthusiastic. And, he is anxious to meet Kathryn B’Elanna. He will be coming to do so tonight."

"You don’t seem to happy about that."

Seven shrugged, "It is acceptable."

"What about Mr. Green?"

Seven frowned, "I do not know what I think about Mr. Green."

"Tom says he is a hard read."

"Explain."

"That means, it is difficult to figure out what he is thinking."

Seven nodded, "I would agree with Tom."

"How did it go with Dr. Zimmerman."

Seven brightened, "It was a good meeting. Kathryn B’Elanna likes her grandfather."

"I know. She has talked about him all morning. What about her mother?"

"I like him. He looks like the Doctor."

"I’ll bet the Doctor is excited to have him on board."

"Yes, he is."

"So, have you met with Dr. E’Nalto yet?"

"I am going to meet her in sickbay once I leave here. She is now meeting with the Doctor to go over my medical history. Then, she will examine me."

"Are you okay with that?"

Seven shrugged, "It is acceptable."

B’Elanna gave her a lingering look, "It seems that most things are acceptable to you these days."

Seven looked at her daughter, then raised her eyes to B’Elanna’s, "Do I have another choice?"

The Doctor, Dr. Zimmerman and Dr. E’Nalto were huddled over the center console screen when she walked in. The Doctor looked up, his face brightening when he saw her.

"Seven!" He walked up to her, giving her a kiss on the cheek, "punctual, as usual." He took her arm, "You remember Dr. E’Nalto."

"Yes, it is good to see you again."

"And you, Seven."

"Dr. Zimmerman."

"Hello, Seven." His voice was warm, and she found she could not stop the smile that came to her face. He reminded her of the Doctor in many ways. She noticed a frown was starting to show on his face, "You look tired, Seven. Are you not sleeping?"

"I am sleeping."

"Really?"

She did not know what to say to him and was relieved when Dr. E’Nalto broke into the conversation, "We will examine you. Come, please lie down on the biobed."

She stretched herself out, watching as Dr. E’Nalto ran an unusual tricorder over her. Dr. E’Nalto saw that Seven’s eyes followed the device she held in her hand, "This is the newest medical tricorder on Earth. It is a much more sensitive diagnostic tool and tells me more about you than the tricorder the Doctor is currently using."

The Doctor shrugged, cocking his eyebrow up, "Technology has improved a lot in seven years."

"Yes," Dr. E’Nalto laughed lightly, looking at him meaningfully, "one might say the same about you." The Doctor beamed, and Dr. E’Nalto looked up at Dr. Zimmerman, "I remember when you first brought him online. He is much improved from your original design."

"What can I say?" Dr. Zimmerman’s voice was both humorous and proud, "He is my…." He wasn’t certain how to end his sentence.

"Your son?" Dr. E’Nalto offered. She looked at the Doctor, "If that is the case, you have improved on his personality, also."

The Doctor looked at her in shock. When Dr. Zimmerman burst out in laughter, he relaxed and laughed also.

"Andria, your sense of humor is as biting as always. And on target, as usual."

Seven watched the three people around her, not comfortable enough to join in their laughter, but grateful for their relaxed manner. It gave her a minute to gather her thoughts. She watched the doctor’s eyes carefully and prepared herself when the tricorder was lowered.

"Well, Seven, it appears as if your erythrocyte levels are low. Based on what I have learned from the Doctor, that indicates you should regenerate in your alcove for an extended period. I want you to do that as soon as possible." She stopped, holding Seven’s eyes until she received a nodding agreement. "Good. Other than that, I find that you are in excellent condition, and that your implants are working at peak efficiency." She crossed her arms in front of her, "The other good news is that I cannot readily determine that your DNA contains Borg technology. You do scan Borg, but your implants explain that." She paused, "I understand your daughter can hide herself from a scan."

Seven’s eyes jerked toward the Doctor, but returned quickly to Dr. E’Nalto’s, "Yes. She can."

"Good. I would like to examine her, but we need to be careful how we do that. We do not want to draw attention to the fact that we are doing so. Or why. The Doctor has explained that the records of Kathryn B’Elanna’s genetic makeup are held on Kahkar Omarahn’s ship and not on Voyager. That is good. With any luck, we will be able to keep all knowledge of her a secret. At least until we are able to determine exactly what…difficulties you face when you return." She patted Seven’s arm, "You may sit up now. But, please stay on the biobed."

Seven sat up, aware that Dr. E’Nalto was gazing intently at the implant over her eye.

"May I?" Dr. E’Nalto pointed toward the implant.

"Of course."

She reached up to touch it, moving Seven’s head slightly from side to side as she examined it. Then, she turned her face completely to the side and fingered the implant on her jaw. Picking up Seven’s left hand, she slowly ran her fingers over the exoskeleton, stopping to rub her finger over a bump on the back.

"You should be careful."

"What?"

Seven used her right hand to point to the bump the doctor was examining, "That is the emergency release for my assimilation tubules."

"Oh!" Her voice was surprised, and she involuntarily stepped back.

"Would you like to see them?"

"Them?"

"My assimilation tubules."

"Would it be safe?"

"Yes." Seven gave her a humorous look, "As long as I chose for it to be."

Dr. E’Nalto gave her a look, then laughed, "Yes, I would like to see them."

Seven moved her hand away from the people and concentrated. The assimilation tubules ejected, waving slightly in the air. After a few seconds, she retracted them.

"Interesting." Dr. E’Nalto’s eyes focused on the metal ribbing on her abdomen.

Seven saw the look and raised her chin slightly, "Would you like to see them?"

Dr. E’Nalto thought for a moment and nodded, "Yes, Seven, I would. If you would not be uncomfortable."

Seven blew slightly through her lips, "It would be acceptable." She slid off of the biobed and reached behind to unzip her suit.

The Doctor stepped forward immediately, stopping her hand, "Seven, Dr. Zimmerman and I will wait outside."

"It is not necessary."

"Yes, it is, Seven. You deserve to be treated with respect. We will respect your privacy." He gave Dr. E’Nalto a slight turn of his head, "We will be waiting outside until your examine is done."

"Thank you, Doctor."

As soon as they left, Seven unzipped her suit and stepped out of it. Dr. E’Nalto bent over, examining the implants on her abdomen. 

"Impressive. You have to appreciate the intricacy of the work, regardless of how you feel about the Borg. We could learn much from them."

Seven looked down at the doctor, trying to gauge her reaction. The look in her eyes was very different than the look both Darrian Green and Alta Ro’bara had given her when they looked at her body. She recognized the look in Dr. E’Nalto’s eyes as intellectual curiosity and started to relax.

"Are these vital to your survival?"

"Yes. The implants I have are critical to my well-being."

"Do you know what their functions are?"

"Not really. I lost that knowledge. The Doctor and Kahkar Omarahn know more about their functions now that I do."

"That’s a shame." She was touching an implant on Seven’s lower leg, "Is there ever a reaction between the implants and your skin?"

"No. It seems the external implants are designed to be compatible with my biochemical systems. They were specifically designed for me. Some of the ones that might need to be more quickly replaced are incased in non-reactive shielding."

"Such as your cortical node."

"Yes."

She moved up, checking the implants on her back, then studied the implant on her upper arm. "Maybe, after things settle down on Earth, you will allow me to study these in more detail. Maybe we could work together to turn Borg technology into something good for mankind."

Seven gave her a smile, "I would like that."

"I am assuming you still maintain the ability to work with and understand Borg technology. Your work would seem to indicate that that is still possible."

"Yes. You are correct."

"Good. Maybe Captain Omarahn could join us in that study."

"That would be wonderful. I think we would both enjoy that."

She gave Seven a warm smile, "Thank you for allowing me to examine you. You may get dressed now." She turned to allow Seven to dress in private, busying herself with the console. 

"I am dressed."

She turned, "Good. Now, what would you say to going with Dr. Zimmerman and Dr. Hansen to get something to eat? I’m hungry."

Seven gave her a sly grin, "That is acceptable."

Dr. E’Nalto laughed. Taking her arm, she started walking with the ex-drone, "I hope, Seven, that everything is not acceptable to you. That would make you a very dull person. And," she looked up at the tall woman beside her, "I suspect you are anything but dull."

He was staring at the child, and she was returning his stare. He was aware her parents were uncomfortably watching their meeting. Suddenly, she bent over, picked up a block and handed it to him, "Play."

Darrian Green grinned, fighting the feeling that she was winning him over. He sat back, "She is a charmer."

Seven leaned over, picked up her daughter and settled her in her lap, "She takes after her father."

He saw the Doctor roll his eyes in mock exasperation, but give his wife a wide grin. His wife. It was difficult to conceive that they considered themselves husband and wife. It should have been more like something and something. He wasn’t certain what he considered them.

For all appearances, they could pass as real human beings. The irony of it was, the hologram could pass as a real human being before she could. Her implants gave her away immediately. The thought made him want to look at her implants, but he would not allow himself. He had made that mistake earlier in the day. He would not make it again. Instead, he focused his attention on the child, watching as the child interacted with her mother.

They obviously loved each other. Their interaction was normal and warm. He realized that disappointed him. Nothing about her was what he thought it would be. He hated being proven wrong. 

"I understand you were examined by Dr. E’Nalto today."

She raised her head, her eyes guarded, "Yes, I was."

"Did she find anything…unusual."

"No, she did not. She only found that my erythrocyte levels were low and instructed me to regenerate in my alcove tonight."

"Oh, why were they low?"

He could tell she was uncomfortable with the tone of the conversation, but she answered his question, "I am overdue for a complete regeneration cycle in my alcove."

"Why is that?"

She straightened her back, "I have very involved in the last leg of the journey to the Alpha Quadrant. I am afraid I have been negligent in looking out for myself."

"Oh?"

The Doctor stood and walked to stand behind the rocking chair, "I am afraid that is rather common for my wife." He put his hand on her shoulder, "She often puts everyone else before herself."

"Drones are only worried about the collective."

His words froze them. Seven felt the Doctor’s hand grip her shoulder. She also felt Kathryn B’Elanna go still in her lap. Holding her breath, she was surprised when Kathryn B’Elanna simply dropped her head and played with her block, ignoring the adults around her. She looked away, confused by everything that was happening around her. Then, she heard the Doctor speak, his voice tense.

"Seven is no longer a drone, Mr. Green. She is an individual."

"Of course, Doctor." He leveled his eyes at her, "My apologies if what I said was inappropriate." 

She noticed his words and his tone did not quite match. Regardless, she nodded her head, "No apologies necessary, Mr. Green."

"Well," he stood, "perhaps I should take my leave for right now. There will be time over the next few days for us to continue our…discussions. Thank you for your hospitality."

Seven stood, shifting Kathryn B’Elanna to rest on her hip. "Goodbye, Mr. Green."

The Doctor moved from behind her chair, "I will see you to the door."

Before he left, Darrian Green turned back, "Goodbye, Doctor. Goodbye, Seven."

Her parents did not speak, but Kathryn B’Elanna waved at him, "Bye bye."

"Oh! Oh!" Alta Ro’bara was standing with his hands to his face, repeating himself. 

Kathryn B’Elanna had one arm wrapped around her mother’s neck and the other holding to her arm. She was looking at the man with a doubtful, almost pouting expression on her face. She looked up at her mother, her cheeks slightly puffed out and her lips tight, but she did not speak. Then, she lowered her head slightly and turned it to look again at the man.

"Oh! She is just precious!" He held his arms out to them dramatically, "The people of Earth are going to absolutely fall in love with the two of you. You make the most beautiful picture." He twirled and paced back and forth in the room for a moment, "Do you by any chance have matching outfits?"

"No, we do not." Seven found she was having a difficult time responding to him in a civil manner. Not for the first time, she wished the Doctor had not been called away. She felt her child yawn deeply. "Mr. Ro’bara, it is past Kathryn B’Elanna’s bedtime."

"Please, go ahead. Don’t let me interrupt your routine. Actually, it would be good if I could watch you put her to bed."

She stood, indecisive a moment, then said, "Of course."

She walked into Kathryn B’Elanna’s bedroom and put her down on the small bed. Then, she prepared her pajamas. Self-consciously, she changed her child, preparing her for bed. After she had her changed, she sat on the edge of the bed, "Which story do you want to hear tonight?"

"Flotter!"

"I know you want to hear a Flotter story. Which Flotter story do you want me to read to you?"

Alta Ro’bara almost clapped his hands together, "I cannot believe I am going to get to hear you read to her!"

Kathryn B’Elanna gave her mother a disgusted look, and Seven had to fight to keep from laughing at her. Seven pointed to the stack of PADDs on the side table and Kathryn B’Elanna picked up one and handed it to her, moving to allow her mother to stretch out on the bed, leaning against the headboard. As soon as she was settled, Kathryn B’Elanna moved to sit in her lap and cuddled herself close to her mother, her eyes locked on the PADD in her mother’s hand. Seven activated the PADD and started to read.

She had read a couple of minutes when Alta Ro’bara sat down on the opposite side of the bed and leaned back against the headboard. Seven jerked her head toward him immediately.

"Oh, please, don’t mind me," he waved her on with his hand, "keep reading. I am enjoying the story."

Seven swallowed uncomfortably and continued reading, aware that the man beside her was starting to lean closer to her. It was with relief when she reached the end of the story and quickly got off the bed, crossing to Kathryn B’Elanna’s crib and putting her child down, "Go to sleep, now. Mama loves you."

Kathryn B’Elanna reached up and hugged her mother’s neck, grunting as she did so. Seven laughed lightly and brushed her hair back away from her face. Kathryn B’Elanna immediately lay down and pulled her blanket close to her, closing her eyes. Seven turned to her guest, surprised to find that he was immediately at her elbow. She looked down at him, realizing the man only came up to her neck. 

"Oh, sorry." He gave her an innocent smile, and looked down at her daughter, whispering, "she really is delightful." Then, he looked up at her, his eyes bright, "You have every reason to be proud."

Seven jerked her head toward the door, "We should leave now."

"Right. Of course." He left the bedroom and Seven followed, closing the door behind her. To her relief, the front door opened and the Doctor walked in.

"I missed her."

"Yes. She just went to sleep." He shook his head, and she could tell how disappointed he was. "You might be able to wake her up."

"No, I don’t want to do that." He walked across the room to give his wife a light kiss on the cheek. Then, he turned to their guest, "I trust you had a good visit Mr. Ro’bara."

"Yes, it was a wonderful evening. Your wife is a gracious hostess."

"Only one of her many talents, I assure you."

"I am sure."

The Doctor looked at him, not certain what he meant by the comment, but the man clasped his hands together and turned his attention to the door.

"I really should go. It is late, and I need to prepare my daily report." He walked toward the door and the Doctor quickly followed him, "I will see the three of you tomorrow. We have to start planning for the arrival of the Hansen family on Earth. Have a good night."

"Good night, Mr. Ro’bara."

As soon as the door closed behind him, the Doctor activated the security lock. Seven watched him, slightly amused at his action.

"Locking him out?"

"He is a bit too…familiar for me."

"He is strange. But I think he is basically harmless."

He just raised his eyebrows at her and walked to the door to Kathryn B’Elanna’s room. Opening it, he peered in, then pulled back, closing the door.

"Asleep?"

He nodded his head, "Sound asleep." He looked at her, "Tired?"

"Yes. It has been a long day."

"Want me to tuck you into your alcove tonight?"

She grimaced.

"You are going to regenerate in your alcove tonight."

"Are you trying to get rid of me, Doctor?"

"No, but I seem to remember Dr. E’Nalto telling you to regenerate there tonight."

She sighed and tightened her lips.

"Seven." His voice was firm.

"Yes, Doctor."

He walked up to her and took her into his arms, "What is going on? You have never fought regenerating before."

She put her head down on his shoulder, holding herself close to his body, "I guess I am just feeling unsettled and do not like the idea of being away from you."

"I know. But you need to regenerate." He leaned his head down and kissed the implant over her eye.

"Doctor?"

"What, Seven."

"If you do not stop that, I will never get to the alcove tonight."

Reluctantly, he pulled back, "Right." He gave her a platonic kiss on the cheek, "Come on." He took her hand and walked her to the door, "Want me to come with you and tuck you in?"

"No, stay here in case Kathryn B’Elanna wakes up." She smiled up at him, "I know the way."

"I hope you regenerate well."

She gave him a loving look, then turned and unlocked the door, quickly leaving their home. He chuckled and walked back toward Kathryn B’Elanna’s bedroom. Maybe she wasn’t really quite asleep yet. He would check before he went to bed himself.

B’Elanna felt her the minute she entered her mind.

"What is it, KB?"

"Keta."

"You need to talk to Keta?"

"Yes. Go see Keta."

B’Elanna looked around, nervously. She had never tried going so far without being physically connected to KB. "Okay. We will try. Please go slow, KB."

B’Elanna followed her, relieved when she saw the familiar figure coming toward them. "I am really glad to see you. Were you waiting on us?"

"No, somehow I knew Kathryn B’Elanna needed to talk to me."

"How?"

"I am not certain." Ketaria kneeled down, "What is it, Kathryn B’Elanna?"

"Bad man."

Ketaria looked up at B’Elanna in surprise. "Do you know what she is talking about?"

"No, I don’t." B’Elanna was as surprised as Ketaria. "I haven’t heard anything about anyone bad."

"Bad man see Mama."

"Who is the bad man?"

Kathryn B’Elanna frowned, but stayed quiet.

"B’Elanna, do you know who Seven saw today?"

"She had meetings with Darrian Green and Alta Ro’bara today. I don’t know if she had meetings with anyone else." 

Ketaria gave herself a chance to think about what she had been told. "Kathryn B’Elanna, think about what the bad man looks like and show him to me." She touched her head and concentrated. After a few seconds, she looked up at B’Elanna, "I know what he looks like. Have you met either of the gentlemen?"

"No, I haven’t."

"I will give you the picture Kathryn B’Elanna has given me."

B’Elanna nodded and concentrated on Ketaria’s face, "I have it. But, what do I do?"

"You do nothing." Her voice was emphatic. "Do not let him know that you know anything about him. Do not let anyone else know. If you do, you put yourself and your child at risk. You simply communicate with me anything you find out about him. Remember, B’Elanna, the more we know, the better prepared we are."

"It’s going to be bad, isn’t it?"

"I hope not. But we must act as if it will be." She started walking with them back to Voyager, "Remember, B’Elanna, do not put yourself at risk. Kahkar is worried about you enough just taking these trips with Kathryn B’Elanna. Don’t give him even more reason to be concerned."

"Tell Kahkar not to worry about me. I am being very careful."

"Good." She looked down at the child walking between them, "Take B’Elanna back to Voyager, Kathryn B’Elanna. Both of you sleep well tonight."

"Goodbye." B’Elanna waved at her, then noticed that KB did not. She knew the child was intent on getting back to look after her mother.