Chapters 7 - Epilogue
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Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Epilogue
Chapter 7
It was two days later since the awakening, at least that's what the chronometer told her. Two days since she had been awake and though those two days were spent mostly in and out of sleep, the Doctor had spent most of her conscious time teaching her about her new environment and new time. And learn she did. Thanks to a quick mind and an amazing ability to adapt to new situations and environments, this girl was able to learn the basics about living on Voyager...
"Lights." The young woman called out in a deep raspy voice as she entered into sickbay's ensuite.
Standing in front of the bathroom sink, she ran her hands under the faucet to feel the water turn on automatically and cascade over her fingers. Reaching over to the side of the sink counter, the girl pressed a button causing the temperature of the normally lukewarm water to drop slightly. Cupping her hands back under the water, she brought some to her face to wash it and hopefully wake up better. Though she had been up and about for about an hour now, the young woman was still fairly weak and tired from her recent ordeal. However, the Doctor felt that she had recovered enough to be released from sickbay today and in a few minutes she was to be escorted to the conference room to meet with the leaders of this vessel. She really needed to wake up and feel refreshed. But water was not going to do it... she needed nourishment.
Laughing a mirthless laugh, she knew that was impossible on this ship, in this current situation, she'll just have to control it. Sighing, she knew that was going to be real hard though. At least on Earth she had ways around that. Why did these people have to wake her up? She should have stayed frozen; it would have been easier on all. 'Now I have to pretend and hide who I am.' Looking up into the mirror before her she stared at the reflection of the room around her, the reflection missing an important image... her.
Getting angry and spinning on her heels, the young woman stormed out of the room. 'How am I suppose to pretend I'm normal when I can't even see myself to see if I look normal!'
*****
Some time later that morning, the senior staff had gathered for their morning staff meeting in the conference room.
"Well, now that general business is out of the way... Doctor, how about you bring us up to date on your patient?" Janeway stated as a way to continue the flow of the meeting after finishing all of ship's relevant business and as a way to prepare for the impending meeting.
"Well, Captain, my patient is progressing nicely. I was able to heal of her superficial wounds and I've been closely monitoring her vitals. All of her systems seem to be recovering as well from the shock her body went through while being awakened from cryogenic sleep. However, she is still very weak and tends to sleep quite a bit, oh and when you see her, she'll seem a bit pale, I believe that her natural pallor has yet to return but will as long as she continues to rest and relax."
"Is she ready for this meeting then? We could always postpone it until she's feeling better, stronger." Janeway asked, obviously concerned for the well being of the girl.
"No, I believe moving about on the ship, getting used to walking around and such will be good for her. Now that I have released her from sickbay, will you be giving her quarters to rest in?"
"Yes, we already have." Chakotay answered. "The Captain asked me to locate her some quarters and as soon as she's done here, she can head down to deck 5 and get some rest. I also believe a security detail will be following her around and making sure that she's safe and has whatever she needs." Chakotay stated that last comment to Tuvok while hinting at the fact that the security detail would also make sure the ship is protected from the girl. After all, there was that warning on the ship.
"Indeed, as we speak, a team of security officers, which I personally assigned this mission, is escorting the young woman here now. She will be escorted to her quarters after this meeting is over and will be placed under guard while inside her quarters until we can determine if she does indeed pose a threat."
Kathryn Janeway sighed at Tuvok's comments, recognizing they were precautions that needed to be taken but still not liking the fact that they had to take them. Especially not after that day in sickbay, right after she had awoken on her own for the first time. She was shivering so much, looked so cold, weak and helpless. Janeway hadn't had a chance to visit with the girl since then but from what the Doctor had mentioned, she seemed like a nice, kind, and caring young woman, would had a bit of a reclusive personality, but seemed amiable none the less. 'What the hell was that damned warning all about then?!'
"Seven, any luck with those files you got from the other ship's database?"
"No Captain. It is a... slow process. I am making progress but it has yet to be significant."
"I..." Janeway was interrupted from completing her next sentence when the chime to the conference room rang. "Come."
And in walked the young woman whom they had just been speaking about along with two security officers. She wore a deep rich pair of black slacks along with a midnight blue silk shirt, covered over by a light, black, trench coat that reached down to the girl's knees. Her dark hair was tied back in a loose ponytail but what caught the Captain's attention as well as most everyone else in the room was the graceful, light way she seemed to move, almost floating across the floor. But what Seven seemed to notice more so was the slowness in the girl's approach, the way her shoulder's slumped forward slightly, how pale, ghostly white she looked. As the girl neared the table, Seven got out of her chair, shocking everyone present and offered it to the obviously weak young woman.
Tom mumbled to Kim who was sitting near him, "Since when did ex-drones learn manners?" Of course that comment garnered a force ten glare from Janeway, a snarl from B'Elanna who for some reason felt very proud of Seven for doing that, and a raised eyebrow from the ex-drone herself.
The young girl gratefully took the seat and sat down in one fluid motion as Janeway dismissed the guards. Seven stood nearby, her hands clasped behind her back, almost as if she was watching over this stranger, protecting her, caring about her.
As silence dragged on a few minutes, B'Elanna finally cleared her throat and offered a, "Hi."
"Hello." The young woman answered, her voice still deep but not as raspy as before and a distinctive accent could be heard coming from the voice at the one word, an old ancient English accent.
Janeway gave a little chuckle at herself and explained, "I'm sorry, I'm just at a loss of where to begin. I'm sure introductions might be helpful so allow me to start. I'm Captain Kathryn Janeway of the USS Voyager, this ship you're on. This is Commander Chakotay, Lieutenants Paris and Kim, standing behind you there is Seven of Nine. This is Lt. Commander Tuvok and next to him is Neelix and this is B'Elanna Torres."
"Nice to meet you all. I am Dayhne, it is spelled much differently then it is pronounced as Day'Knee. The Doctor has told me that you have had trouble deciphering my language so I shall not bore you with spellings or such, just that it is an ancient name in which has been passed down to me." The young woman said in a very precise manner and with very little emotional inflection. Torres unfortunately couldn't hold back the groan at having yet another Tuvok/Seven type character onboard Voyager and earned a look from the Captain.
However, on the other hand, Dayhne was trying her best to keep her control. Having this person... Seven of Nine, standing right behind her, being able to smell her, was driving Dayhne's senses up the wall. 'This must be the one who had found me. She must have found me alone for somehow she managed to establish a bond with me. I feel so drawn to her. I can feel her heat, I can hear her blood pounding in her heart.' Dayhne shook her head slightly in an imperceptible manner, shaking her thoughts out of her head and bringing her back to the conversation at hand.
"...Well, Seven and Mr. Kim have adjusted the computer so that now we at least can understand what you are saying. Though, the written word is another story. So, are there any questions you have about Voyager? I know we can't send you back home, or to the place you thought of as home, but I want to offer you a new home aboard Voyager. After all, we are heading back to Earth." Janeway offered to young woman who looked so lost, though Kathryn also could have sworn she saw a fleeting struggle rise in Dayhne's eyes a moment ago.
"I thank you for you kindness and your welcome Captain. The Doctor has been equally kind as well during the past two days as he has been explaining the situation to me. I have learned a great deal about this place and time period. Unfortunately, I have also learned that I now have no home, either here nor there. I have no other choice but to take you up on your generous offer to live aboard Voyager with you."
"Good, now I can truly welcome you aboard Voyager." The Captain said with a smile, noticing the slight sadness in the young woman's dark eyes but also getting a sense that this woman was not a malicious person, she truly did not seem to pose a great danger to Voyager if she stayed. But why then was she pursued and sentenced to the punishment of banishment from Earth? "I know that I've already asked if you had any questions, but perhaps there is something that you might want to talk about now? If not, then I'm satisfied to end this meeting and let you get some rest and acquainted with your new quarters."
Dayhne sighed, knowing that this was coming, having the others curious about why she had been banished from Earth. 'Well at least from what Janeway has said, they could not decipher the warnings in the data texts that the Hunters most likely sent along with me. And they don't act like they know my true nature.'
"I know that you all are curious as to why I was banished from Earth, why I was pursued and why I was hurt. The answers you want, I cannot give. What I can tell you is that I was banished for being different. I have not done anyone harm, nor do I wish to do anyone harm. No one wished to believe me, but I did have a good spirit, an uncorrupted spirit. I was banished because I was feared, feared for being different, feared for what I could do to others. I do not know why I was not simply killed, it would have been easier that way than to banish me from the Earth the way in which they did." Dayhne explained vaguely though she managed to not lie about anything she had said.
"May I ask, who 'they' are?" Tuvok asked of the young woman, his curiosity peaked.
"'They' were known as hunters. A group of common people, made up of people from all walks of life, banded together for the simple purpose of seeking out, hunting down and destroying those different from them, others like myself."
Chakotay, still untrusting of this Dayhne person, asked the next question, "So why haven't we heard about these "hunters"? None of the historical texts ever document such a group pertaining to your time period."
"I do not know. Perhaps once all those different were wiped out, destroyed, the Hunters felt it necessary to also destroy all evidence of them. Or perhaps the Hunters did not want to be known. The time period in which I come from is... was a very turbulent time. We didn't have records documenting every event that took place like years prior to that, or I'm sure years after that. The common lifestyle of that time fell back into being a very primitive lifestyle. I'm sorry but I can't answer that question." Dayhne replied back to the Commander, feeling that the question was more of a test then a true curiosity-based question. Somehow, Dayhne had picked up on the doubtful tone in which Chakotay used, tipping her off that he really wasn't looking for a true answer but rather was trying to catch the young woman in a lie. After all, if she knew more about the hunters then she was letting on, the way in which the Commander asked the question, would more then likely lead her to reveal that.
"No need to apologize, Dayhne, I understand why it's difficult to answer these questions, after all you have no idea what happened the coming years since you were frozen. I was just curious to know if you had any incite into such a group." The Commander stated to young woman sitting at the other end of the table. It was his way of apologizing for the necessary test. After talking with her for the past few minutes and reading the Doctor's reports, Chakotay felt that in this case, Kathryn may have been right in regards to trusting the humanity of this individual. Dayhne really did seem like a good person.
Kathryn smiled at her first officer, realizing that Chakotay had finally begun to let down his protective streak when it came to Voyager and trusting new individuals. Looking back over to Dayhne, Janeway decided that she had gotten all the information she was going to get this time.
"Well Dayhne, I guess you've satisfied our curiosity for now. I'm releasing you back to your quarters. I hope that you can understand why I'm also putting you under guard for the next 48 hours. You can leave you quarters after a 24hour period is up but only under an escort. You can travel to all the main parts of the ship but are of course forbidden to enter into Engineering or onto the Bridge."
"Yes Captain, I understand completely and don't object. Actually, I'm quite surprised that the guards won't be staying around longer. Not that I want them around longer... but I'm sure you know what I mean." Dayhne smiled for what seemed like the first time since she had awoken from her imprisonment and immediately the atmosphere in the conference room became more relaxed.
The young woman nodded to those in the conference room as she stood up leaving the room, followed by two security officers once she exited the doors.
"Well, that went well." Janeway commented to her staff.
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Chapter 8
Dayhne walked out of the conference room and headed straight for the turbolift doors. Unmindful of the two security guards that entered the lift with her, she requested to the computer the deck in which her quarters were located on. A few minutes of silent riding time and the lift doors swished open to allow its passengers to exit onto the deck. Dayhne stepped out first, again followed by the two security guards and walked to the end of the short hall, coming upon an intersection leading into three different new corridors. The young woman took a moment to look around in either direction as the guards came up behind her and stopped as well. For a few long, confusing moments, no one moved, that is until Dayhne cleared her throat, and one of the guards realized that this young girl had no idea which direction her quarters were located.
A fairly young brunette woman, of average height and built, giggled as she realized that the three of them must have looked kind of silly standing there, each one waiting for the other to move. Looking to her partner, the young security officer said, "I'll lead you take up from behind." A simple statement was all that was needed as the male security officer grunted and nodded his understanding. He was a gruff man, not likely to laugh at a funny situation like his partner just had, but rather, a very seriously dedicated man to his job and responsibility. "Follow me." The female security officer stated as she took the lead and led Dayhne to her quarters.
The rest of the short trip went without incident and as soon as they arrived at the young woman's new home, the two officers took up posts on either side of the door while Dayhne walked into her quarters. A quick look around and after some exploring, Dayhne found the bedroom and subsequently the bed. After tossing the trench coat onto a nearby chair and kicking off her shoes, Dayhne climbed directly into bed and immediately fell asleep, still obviously weak from her traumatic experience and drained from today's meeting.
*****
A few hours later and Dayhne woke up. Disoriented, she shuffled out of bed and did a quick sweep of the room, only calming as she realized where she was... her new home.
The young woman walked out of the bedroom and into the ensuite. Splashing some cold water on her face, she looked up and again saw a mirror hanging there. Sighing, Dayhne's thoughts went back to a time long ago. 'I wonder if my hair is all tangled and messy. Gods, I miss Sara. She would have told me if my hair was a mess. She would have brushed it for me and made me look like I'm alive.' As tears began to stream down Dayhne's face, the young woman walked out into the living area, standing in the middle of the room, feeling so lost, so alone. 'What am I suppose to do here? How am I suppose to work aboard Voyager when I don't know anything about this place? How am I suppose to survive? Sara used to go hunting with me into the forest, what I am suppose to do now? Can I truly control and contain the hunger? Gods I wish she were here with me, in my arms, calming me like only she could do. She understood.'
Dayhne wiped at her eyes, drying the fallen tears and vowing not to dwell on the past. Sara was a long time ago. She had to figure out how to live in this time now. Dayhne walked over to the replicator on the far wall.
"Alright, let's see if I remember what the Doctor told me." The young blonde haired woman stated out loud. Punching a few buttons on the replicator pad on the wall, Dayhne activated the device and called for a pint of O-type blood.
The computer made an angry beep right before it informed, "Authorization needed to access requested item. Senior staff or medical personnel voice verification required."
Dayhne closed her eyes shut at hearing that denial, grinding her teeth together as she groaned out her frustration and panic. Opening her eyes she knew that the irises had turned the color of yellow and baring her teeth in growl, she knew that the eyeteeth had elongated. Her anger at the situation forcing her more vampiric features to become prominent as her control slipped. But seconds later, Dayhne regained that control over her anger and emotions, calming herself and allowing her eyes to return to their normally dark color and her teeth to return to normal length.
"Okay, fine. I can deal with this. I can control my hunger. I just have to occupy myself and not dwell on this. After all, even before I was banished from Earth it had been centuries since I had fed off a human. Unfortunately, there aren't any animals onboard Voyager. Maybe, if Voyager makes those away missions to other planets that the Doctor had told me about, often enough, I can sneak away and feed then." 'Gods I am so stretching that maybe. How likely is Janeway to even allow me on important away missions if I don't even have a function aboard this ship? Maybe I can join security. After all, I have superior strength and agility compared to average humans. Plus not dying does have its advantages.' Dayhne laughed mirthlessly to herself as she thought that last sentence through. 'Yeah, like I can tell Captain Janeway that one of my qualifications for security is I can not be killed using conventional means.'
"Argh! Enough of this! What to do now? Let's see, I already took a nap. And I'm not tired right now. So I guess another nap is out of the question. Hmm. I can make my new home more comfy... but I have no stuff. Nor am I even in the mood to redecorate. As long as I have a bed to sleep in and a place to eat, I'm as happy as I can be." A sad look came over Dayhne's face as she considered playing music to listen to. All the music she would have considered playing, would have only stirred up memories she was not willing to think about just yet. She couldn't leave her quarters. So what could she do?
*****
An hour later and the doors to Dayhne's quarters swished open as the occupant of the room stepped out into the hall. Her hands held behind her back, the young woman tilted her head up slightly to look at the security officers still stationed outside the woman's room. 'Well, at least they didn't go through a shift change.' Dayhne thought as she noticed the woman officer from the walk earlier that day standing off to her right. Each guard gave the younger woman an odd look, each again waiting for the other's move.
Dayhne smirked at the woman standing next to her right before she pulled her hands out from behind her and showed the guards the deck of cards in her hands. No words were exchanged, but it was quite obvious to the female guard that the younger woman was bored and asking for someone to play with her. Looking over to the other guard, the woman shrugged her shoulders in a silent question asking if she should go and play. After all, she would still be guarding the stranger, just will be from the inside of her quarters instead of the outside.
"Tuvok gave no orders on restricting contact with the... new comer." The male security officer commented in response to the unasked question. "I see nothing wrong with it, however, I'll stay outside here and guard the quarters. Though if you are unsure, I'd suggest contacting the Lieutenant and asking his advice."
But before anyone else could comment or more, Dayhne reached over and tapped the female security officer's comm. badge.
"Dayhne calling Lt. Tuvok." At the strange look the two security officers gave, the younger woman explained. "What? I saw the Doctor do that quite a few times."
"Tuvok here," came the embodied voice of the head of security.
"Tuvok, can um... what's your name?" Dayhne asked the female security officer, obviously just now realizing she had yet to do proper introductions.
"Ensign Janice Ritolli." The security officer in question answered.
"Yeah, can Ritolli play with me?" Janice cringed after hearing Dayhne ask Tuvok that question the way she did. She could almost hear the eyebrow reaching up into the Lieutenant's hairline. But the smirk she got from the younger woman caused a small smile to creep onto her face as well.
"I assume you mean 'play' as in some sort of entertainment game taking place inside your quarters. If this is the case, then yes Ensign Ritolli has permission to 'play' provided Ensign Connors stays outside the quarters and an open comm. link is kept between both officers at all times."
"Agreed. Bye now." Dayhne said as she cut the comm. link. "You're mine now." The younger woman nearly growled as she grabbed Janice by the hand and pulled her into the room, the doors swishing shut behind them.
*****
It was nearly a week later since Dayhne had been put under house arrest and subsequently released. Everything aboard Voyager was status quo as the ship traversed a nice quiet section of space in the normally hostile Delta Quadrant. Well, everything but the rumor mill was status quo that is. Instead, the rumor mill seemed to be working overtime. Everyone sharing stories of encounters with the newcomer, people were still wondering who she really was and where she came from. Information was scarce and Dayhne seemed reluctant to reveal any more then she had to.
"Come on Janice. You spent the most time with her. Tell us everything you know." Another security officer asked while lounging around the messhall.
"Tina! I spent two days with Dayhne. It was not a lot of time and it was all spent while she was under house arrest." Janice argued, for some reason not in the mood to gossip about this one particular subject, at all.
"Okay, fine. But what do you think of her? Is she nice? Is she a bitch?" Ensign Jack Galleger, an engineer, asked as he too sat at the same table as the two other women.
"No! She is so not the bitch everyone thinks she is. She's very nice and a hell of a lot of fun to be around. On her first day of house arrest, not more then six hours after she was first locked in her quarters did she call Tuvok and ask him if I could play card games with her. It was hysterical. She came out of her quarters and didn't say a word to either me or Conners, she just showed us a deck of cards she had. We kind of figured out what she wanted but were unsure of what Tuvok would think. So what does she do? She reaches over to tap my comm. badge and says "Dayhne 'calling' Tuvok". It took all of my training not to laugh at that. Then she out right asks Tuvok if I could play with her, he says yes and we go inside to play. She offered me a seat on the floor, told me to shuffle while she went to get snacks and we ate and played a whole lot of cards games. Some of which I had never heard of before so she taught me." Janice shrugged as she finished telling her story, as if was no big deal. But to the gossip hounds sitting around the table it was.
"That's it?! You had to have talked some while you played?"
"Yeah, we did, I guess. She really just asked stuff about what the future, or rather our present is like, and she asked about Voyager and how certain things worked. She didn't really talk about herself but I think that was more because it was too painful for her to mention. Something awful must have happened to her. And of course, the fact that everything you knew, were familiar with is now gone. I do think she was happy to get out of her situation because now she really seems to be trying so hard to become apart of this crew. Her eyes have this sadness to them and they look like she's seen a lot, knows a lot. And she may seem sickly; as it's a week later and she still looks deathly pale, but I can assure you she still has this youthful vitality to her. When she gets excited about something, she can be so cute in how she gets this childish... aura about her."
"Really? I mean she seems so serious and stiff, kind of like Seven and Tuvok. Did you hear that Seven has been visiting with Dayhne for the past week or so? They've been 'hanging out' together." Charles stated, adding his information to the mix.
"Actually, she can be very serious and logical and certainly the way she speaks makes her seems stiff but when you get her in a relaxed environment she can be very fun to around, lax even. And as for Seven, yeah they seem to have this odd connection." Janice replied back.
"Ha! You sound almost jealous Janice. Don't like Dayhne hanging around our resident ex-borg? Or is it more likely that you don't like Seven hanging around your charge?" Tina teased.
"Neither. I am not jealous of either, just stating facts. I mean, Seven came by on the second evening of Dayhne's house arrest to visit. I don't know what was said in there but I do know that Seven only stayed two hours."
"Oh, 'only' two hours. Yeah, and I heard that the first day of Dayhne's release from house arrest, Seven came by and relieved you of your duty to give Miss Stranger a tour around the ship. But of course, you're not jealous in any way." Charles continued the teasing picking up where Tina left off.
"No I'm not, and if you really want to know why I'm not jealous, its because I heard the past few days, Dayhne has turned Seven down when she was invited to do something together." Janice fought back, but perhaps may have unconsciously given away a bit more of her true feelings then she intended to say.
"Oh, speak of the devil. Here comes Miss Popular. And damn, does she always look that good?" Jack commented as he gave Dayhne a one over, then twice over as the younger woman walked into the messhall and over to the food counter. "No wonder why Seven likes her, she is one fine woman, even if she is looking quite pale and seems to be weak-looking. The shape, those curves, mmm..."
"Excuse me." Janice interrupted Jack's comments as she too noticed that Dayhne was looking paler then she has been in the past few days.
*****
"Dayhne? Hey, how are you?" Janice asked of the younger woman after meeting up with her at the food counter.
"Hello Janice. I am fine, just a bit tired. I have had a bad night sleep last night, that's all." Dayhne commented absently as she tried to decide what of Neelix's creations was safe to eat today.
"Here's a suggestion. Close your eyes and spin around, then point. It's the only way to really decide on what to eat." Janice joked causing an amazing smile to light up Dayhne's face.
But that smile faded as Dayhne's head jerked over to back entrance into the messhall. Her nostrils flared and her body began to shake slightly as the young woman picked up on the smell and sight of Seven of Nine walking in.
"Actually, I am not all that hungry. I just came to see if something tempted me. I have to go now. Maybe I'll bump into you later Janice. We can spend some time together and play cards." Dayhne said quickly as she nearly ran out of the messhall.
Janice turned and saw Seven standing there. She was looking at the place where Dayhne fled out of the room with a highly confused and perhaps hurt look on her face. But Janice couldn't help the quiet snarl directed at Seven that escaped from her lips. Something was definitely not right here. But what was going on? 'What is happening to you Dayhne? And what does it have to do with Seven of Nine?'
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Chapter 9
Seven, tilted her head in that manner that depicted her quiet contemplation. First, Dayhne fled the messhall upon seeing her, and then Ensign Ritolli snarled at her albeit quietly but with her enhanced hearing she could definitely hear the guttural noise. But just as Seven was about to enquire about that noise, Lieutenant Torres managed to grab her by the arm.
"Seven, so nice of you to show up, won't you join me for lunch." It wasn't a question.
But Seven complied easily with the order considering that is indeed what she had come to the messhall for. B'Elanna was just glad that she wasn't going to have to break up a fight between Seven and the seemingly pissed Ensign. 'I don't break up fights, I start them.' Torres thought to herself.
"Here, sit, and don't move." Torres again commanded right before she went off to get a second lunch for her companion, her lunch already sitting on the table she just sat Seven at.
Coming back to the table, B'Elanna gave Seven her lunch and sat down wordlessly, waiting to see if the ice queen would say 'thank you' to her. And after a few minutes, the young engineer couldn't take the silence any more. She was going to lay it on Seven about proper etiquette when she looked up, but instead met the smiling eyes and smirking lips of one former Borg drone.
"You knew I was waiting to see if you would say thank you." B'Elanna accused.
"Indeed. However, you were able to sustain the silence for 1.4 minutes longer then I had anticipated."
"Well, glad I can still surprise you then." Torres answered Sever with her own smirk and smiling eyes.
"Lieutenant, you are the least predictable person aboard Voyager. I find it quite... challenging to try and predict you."
"Oh, well, um, thanks I think." B'Elanna smiled and blushed at what she was sure was a near compliment from Ms. Perfection herself.
"You are welcome, and thank you... for the meal." Seven rushed to explain her thanks at the quizzical look the chief engineer gave her.
"Well, you're welcome too." A few minutes passed by in silence with each woman lost in what to say next. That is until Torres finally came up with a topic for discussion. "Oh, hey, how's the research going on that file that we got from Dayhne's ship? You know, the one that was corroded and encrypted?"
"I have managed to restore 95% of the file and am currently running the file through a computer program I created which will decrypt the sealed file once the decryption sequence is established. I believe I shall have the file ready for presentation by tomorrow's morning staff meeting." Seven explained.
"Wow, so, anything interesting to tell so far?"
"Define interesting."
"Nevermind. Guess I'll just have to wait to find out." B'Elanna mumbled to herself about dumb ex-drones. "So, um, how's that sensor upgrade going? After every alpha shift is over and Franklin comes in to give me his report, he's always complaining that you're "busting his balls"."
"Ensign Franklin is incompetent. Perhaps, if he knew how to recalibrate the senor magni-coil properly I would not 'bust his balls' so much. Though, I would prefer to have you complete the senor upgrade."
"Oh, well, I would like to help you out but I'm pretty swamped in engineering right now. Besides, Franklin could use a good balls busting."
"Indeed. Lieutenant..." Seven began but was interrupted.
"Seven, I told while off duty its..."
"B'Elanna, yes, I apologize. B'Elanna, I wish to thank you for last night."
"Oh, well it was nothing. I just didn't want to go alone so thanks for coming with me."
"I did enjoy the new experience and may partake in it again. I did not ruin the experience for you?"
"Not at all, Seven. Seriously, I did enjoy going to the movies with you too. I didn't even mind all your questions about the two dimensional format movies used to be played in. Nor did I mind you eating all my popcorn. Though you better thank Kahless that the popcorn was generously supplied by the captain for the holoprogram." Torres laughed at the thought of finally having a reason to kill Seven. 'Captain, but she ate all my popcorn. Do you know how many rations that cost me?'
"The popcorn was... good."
"Well I just hope that all that junk food you ate last night didn't give you a stomach ache."
"No B'Elanna, remember, I have an 'iron stomach'." Seven replied and slapped her stomach to emphasize that fact. Though it took a few seconds for Torres to react considering she was in shock that Seven actually told a great joke but after it sunk there was no holding back the burst of laughter that flooded out of her mouth.
And so the chit chat between the two women continued on for most of their hour lunch break, ranging from social activities to work to hypothetical theories. But the end of the lunch hour drew near and Seven had to return to her lab to finish up her recalibrations.
"Hey Seven, why don't you stop by Engineering, after your shift is over, maybe we'll get some dinner together or go do some other social activity?" B'Elanna called out to the departing blonde.
"I would like that, Lieutenant, however, I am scheduled to meet with Dayhne this evening. Perhaps a... 'rain check'?"
"No problem Seven, I'll definitely take a rain check." Torres watched Seven's retreating form for the few seconds before she disappeared through the doors.
Suddenly, B'Elanna felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up quickly, she saw the Captain standing there with a smile on her face.
"I'd love to say it's about time but I won't."
"Gee, thanks Captain."
"When did this friendliness happen and how did I miss it?"
"Probably about the same time I missed it. I don't know how it happened. One day we were fighting, the next we had one civilized conversation and the day after that two, and the day after that three. Maybe we finally found our groove."
"Perhaps you even found more then that."
"Excuse me?" Torres asked of the Captain, not at all understanding that statement.
"Never mind, I'm just glad to see that you're relationship has improved."
"It has, but don't get me wrong, doesn't mean we still won't fight and cause you to get more of those gray hairs you're trying to hide."
"Watch it... 'Ensign'. And do me a favor; watch her? She may have a cold borg steal exterior but on the inside she's as soft and mushy as... well as Neelix's Teof Pudding." Janeway held up her bowl of pudding as she described it.
"Yes ma'am." B'Elanna called out to the Captain as she went off in search of a table to sit at and eat. Now left along, Torres sat in quiet contemplation for a few minutes, her thoughts centering on Voyager's resident ex-drone.
*****
Later that evening... Seven was walking through the corridors of Voyager with quick determined steps. It was a path that she had recently walked many times over in the past few days. It was a path that would change Voyager's future completely. But Seven could not let this new information go unchallenged.
Arriving at her final destination, Seven rang the chime to the crew's quarters she was now standing in front of.
"Who is it?" A female voice called out from the inside of the quarters.
"Seven of Nine." The former drone answered back.
"Seven, I, um, I'm not feeling too well, perhaps you can come back tomorrow."
"Then perhaps you should see the Doctor." Seven answered back.
"No, I'm not sick, just not feeling well. I'll be fine."
But Seven was not going to take no for an answer. She used her Borg encryption codes to unlock the seal placed on the door and entered the crew's quarters she was denied entrance into.
"Seven!" Dayhne yelled out her shock at the taller woman's audacity to break an entering.
Seven gave Dayhne a look over and noticed that the smaller woman looked even paler then the first day she had woken up from her 300 years sleep. She also looked as if she was in pain and shaking. Perhaps Dayhne was sicker then she was letting on. But Seven knew better. Now.
"Dayhne, you are not sick. You are in need of blood. You should report to the Doctor." But before Seven could even finish her sentence, Dayhne's eyes glowed red and a growl erupted from her lips.
"What?!" The smaller woman pounced on Seven, losing control over her own actions, and slamming the taller woman back into the wall behind her. "How the hell do you know what I need?!" A statement, which Dayhne growled out barring her long sharp teeth for Seven to see.
"I was able to decrypt the file the Hunters sent along with your ship. You are a nightwalker, or more commonly known as, a vampire. Thought to be extinct but obviously not. You have not drunk blood since you have been awoken, you are in need, and if you do not drink you will die. But you refuse to drink human blood... why?" Throughout Seven's explanation, Dayhne's grip on the taller woman lessened, but at her question, she slammed back into Seven tightening her grip once again.
"And why are you not afraid of me if you truly know who I am. Despite your Borg enhancements I am as strong if not stronger then you. I can feed on you right now and end my self-imposed torment and pain. Why are you not afraid?"
"Because, logically, it would be to your benefit not to harm me for if you do your true identity will be discovered. Illogically, I know you will not harm me because... I feel a connection to you." Dayhne's grip lessened once again on Seven, however, her eyes still glowed red and her control on her desires and actions were continually slipping as her movements against the taller woman became more seductive.
Stretching her body against Seven's Dayhne leaned into her as she lowered her voice to a near whisper.
"You were the one who found me, weren't you? You looked deep into my eyes and found my soul. My soul connecting with yours at that moment."
"Vampires do not have souls." Seven whispered back, her breathing becoming labored, her eyes becoming heavy as the seduction began to affect her.
Dayhne laughed. "On the contrary Seven, all things have souls, including vampires. What keeps us alive despite the fact that we are the undead is the fact that our souls do not leave us. Our souls are merely tainted, just as yours is. Your time as a Borg drone has tainted your soul just as being a vampire has tainted mine. Only difference is you woke up from your nightmare. I didn't nor will I ever. You shouldn't have come here Seven, not you, not when I am so close to losing control over myself, not when I have lost control. You should have turned me in when you found out just like Sara did."
Dayhne's last words were whispered right by Seven's ear, having the taller woman so mesmerized by her that Seven did not even flinch when Dayhne's lips moved to caress her throat, kissing it, licking it, right before she bit down, sinking her teeth deep inside of Seven's neck and then sucking, drinking up the offered blood. It didn't matter if the blood was not her preferred type or even that the blood was tainted with nanoprobes, her system would filter out the containments and use the blood to nourish her depleted body.
Seven grew weak from the loss of blood and collapsed in Dayhne's arms. But Dayhne stopped from completely drinking Seven dry, saving her from death but giving her something worse then that. Dayhne laid the taller woman on the floor, leaving her there as she leapt out of her quarters in search of more to feed on. Her desires awaked and her control lost, Dayhne found herself in the mist of a full blood lust, something she had not experienced in over 500 years when she first became a nightwalker. She was not the same woman who was hunted on Earth, nor was she the same woman who was awakened on Voyager, she was not the same woman who Sara fell in love with, rather she was a vampire on the loose in hunt of food. Pure evil.
*****
A little over two hours later, Janeway, Tuvok, and a security detail fully armed headed down to Dayhne's quarters. It seemed that Seven had been prepared for everything. She had set up a timed information release to occur if she did not deactivate it within 2 hours. Captain Janeway, Commander Tuvok, and Commander Chakotay all got a copy of the file Seven decrypted from Dayhne's ship.
Within minutes, the team found Seven's weakened and drained body lying on the floor of Dayhne's quarters. An immediate transport to sickbay was ordered, hoping it wasn't too late to save the former drone.
"Janeway to Kim. I want Dayhne located immediately. Scan the ship for her comm. badge signal, if that doesn't work then do a ship wide scan for her biosignature. Inform Tuvok as soon as you have her location."
"Aye Captain." Kim acknowledged over the comm.
"Janeway out." The Captain turned toward Tuvok. "I'm going to sickbay to check up on Seven. I want Dayhne found and captured, preferably alive but you are authorized to use whatever force is needed. I may have made the mistake of disregarding a warning of danger but I will not continue to put my ship at risk by letting this evil run about. If Seven could not protect herself against Dayhne then none of us are safe."
"Yes Captain."
Janeway headed off in the direction of sickbay after delivering her orders, hoping and praying that her knowledge of vampire folklore was wrong. 'Perhaps because of Seven's Borg physiology she won't turn into a vampire.' Kathryn Janeway knew that if a vampire feed off of the blood of a human and did not kill them, that human would turn into a vampire as well. Its how the race continued to survive and procreate, in a way. But Seven had to be different, because there was no way to reverse the process. 'Not Seven.'
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Chapter 10
A few minutes later and Janeway had arrived in sickbay, a bit out of breath but there in record time. She quickly took a look around the room, scanning the biobeds, one at a time, looking for something in particular. On one of the last biobeds, she found it, or rather her. Seven lay resting under a thin sheet looking no worse for wear. The captain breathed a sigh of relief at the discovery and made her way closer to the bed. She knew Seven's Borg physiology would save her once again. However, before Kathryn could get too close a hand on her arm stopped her. Looking back, she saw the Doctor standing there, holding her back, and shaking his head no. Janeway glanced back to the prone Seven of Nine and that's when she noticed the restraints on the younger woman's wrists and ankles.
Janeway whispered, "No."
The restraints were of the typical silver collared metal alloys typically used in sickbay when the crew had to restrain an injured captive, strong enough to hold a human. But certainly not strong enough to hold Seven with her Borg strength. Perhaps, because of the loose restraints, the Doctor believes there is hope for Seven to be cured after all.
*****
Meanwhile, in another part of the ship, another young woman was on the hunt for blood. While in full blood lust, Dayhne circled the upper deck of engineering, looking down at all the succulent prey that lay before her. Nothing except the thought of blood and feeding filtered through her mind. Not even a plan of attack was evident in her thought processes. Blood lust was a primeval drive that for too long had been ignored. But now, it roamed free to disrupt and corrupt the conscious mind and free will of the body it inhabited. Dayhne sized up her prey and sought out the strongest among those she stalked. She was powerful now after her first feeding and desired to increase that power by drinking of those strongest among this crew. The young vampire, sniffed the air as she closed her eyes, focusing on her true prey. B'Elanna may be half-Klingon but she has human blood.
Dayhne's eyes shot open as she leapt in the air and over the railing. Landing on an engineer, she made her way closer to her target. As each engineer approached her, she swat them away like the irritating flies they were, flinging them halfway across the room, or over equipment. One brave engineer tried to jump on Dayhne's back and knock her out. Unfortunately, the engineer got flipped over and now lay in Dayhne's clutches. Staggering in Dayhne's arms as they were wrapped around her neck, the engineer tried to fight her way loose. But the vampire was too far gone to offer this menace sympathy. While looking her prey in her eyes, Dayhne snapped the engineer's neck, effectively killing her. After all, she wasn't strong enough, not like B'Elanna, her blood wasn't at all as potent as the chief engineer's, her blood wouldn't make her as strong as B'Elanna's would. Dayhne's nostrils flared, as she smelled Torres's blood boil and flow furiously through her veins as the body of the dead engineer fell lifelessly to the floor.
B'Elanna enraged tried to fight back and tackle Dayhne, but the security team that entered engineering held her back. However, the young vampire was not to be stopped, she kept coming despite the repeated warnings to stand down that Tuvok offered and the pleas Janice yelled out to stop where she was. Dayhne, the woman, didn't hear any of it.
Tuvok fired a phaser blast. Dayhne flew back at the force of the blow to her chest, crashing into equipment behind her. However, after the stun wore off she stood back up and shook off the shock. A second phaser blast was fired, this time at the highest yield, which sent the vampire crashing backwards once again this time into oblivion as unconsciousness took her over. Janice lowered her phaser and watched in almost complete shock as the rest of her security team went to take into custody the dangerous vampire.
*****
Determined footfalls pounded the carpeted flooring, echoing within the eerily silent confines. The yellow klaxon flashed a warning, casting corridor after corridor in a yellow hue making the whole situation seem even more unreal, like a bad dream that you knew would be over soon. 'I just have to wake up,' Janeway thought to herself as she continued on her path.
Doors swished open in front of her, though for the Captain, they couldn't open fast enough. And before her mind registered where she was, she was there, standing; watching; waiting to be acknowledged.
Dayhne sat behind a level ten forcefield after having been taken to the brig by her captors. With her head bent, Janeway wondered if what she suspected was true. Dayhne looked the same, sitting on the hard bench, hands in her lap, head hung as if she was sorry for the mistake. But that conception lasted only until Dayhne lifted her head and sneered at the older woman.
"Why Captain Janeway, I have been expecting you." Dayhne spoke as she lifted herself off the bench. Her voice and movements tinged with a sultry air. The young vampire was... seductive, even in her mocking of the formidable redhead. Dayhne sniffed the air, her movements slow and exaggerated. "Why Captain, is that anger that I smell?"
Janeway balled her fists, her anger seeping out of her even more so now, through ever pore in her skin. 'How dare she stand there and mock me! How dare she come onto my ship and attack my crew! How dare she not even bothering to tell me who... what she really is! She played us all like a meager board game.' But the captain kept her cool and silence.
Tsk, tsk. Captain Janeway, you do know it is very unhealthy to hold your anger in like that? Besides, there really is no reason to when I can see right though you." Dayhne continued to taunt.
But still Janeway held onto her anger. The young vampire had gotten the best of her once. Never again.
"Janey! I never took you for the strong silent type. Hmm, perhaps you are more butch then I first thought. Alright, I'll bite. I bet that you are wondering why I kept my identity a secret. Well its simple really. I didn't want to ruin the surprise." Dahyne laughed methodically as she danced around her cell.
"No." Janeway finally spoke up. "I'd say you were afraid and that's why you didn't tell us who you were. You were afraid that we'd do the same thing to you that others had done before. Perhaps throw you into a ship and freeze you. No. I don't want to know why you kept your identity a secret. I already know that. What I want to know is what gave you the right to judge us and decide we were as evil as our ancestors. What gave you that right?" Janeway managed to finish through clenched teeth, her fists clutched so tightly that the nearby security guard was afraid she'd tear into her skin. But that was nothing compared to Dayhne's sudden fury at being accused.
"What gave me the right?! Dayhne screamed as she moved to stand in front of the forcefield in one swift movement, standing so close that her breath caused ripples in the energy field. The vampire stood nose to nose with Janeway separated only by a thin strip of energy as she continued. "All that I have been through has given me that right. I have been judged and so shall you, Captain." That last word was sneered as Dayhne's voice had gone quiet, her anger simmering just under the surface.
"What the hell does any of what you have gone through in your past have to do with me? Should I care? It happened hundreds of years ago." Though Janeway's voice was low, you could still hear the fury that laced her words.
"Yes, you should care!" The vampire screamed in a very high-pitched voice. "It's because of them, the hunters, that I had to hide, to run, that I was persecuted for what I was. Not who I was but what I was. God forbid if anyone could look past the pale skin and red eyes to see a good person just trying to survive like everyone else. It's because of them that I tried to hide who I was from you. It's because of them that I tried to suppress my hunger to be more human and failed. But I'm not human. I'm a vampire. And I tried to warn Seven but she wouldn't listen. She kept coming to me and she smelled so good. I could feel her pulse pounding and I was so hungry." For a moment Dayhne lost her hateful and vengeful edge as she thought about her past and why se was here, her bloodlust subsided but only for a few precious moments, until she was brought back to present time. "So you see, you should care. I will turn this entire crew into vampires."
For a few seconds, as Dayhne described her persecution at the hands of the hunters, Janeway could see a glimpse of sadness, hurt, and fear in those glowing eyes. But it lasted only a few moments. 'Could it be that Dayhne really is good? Could it be that she only loses control during her so called bloodlust?' Janeway decided to try out another approach.
"And just how do you plan on getting out of here?" Janeway taunted the young vampire this time.
Dayhne snarled, baring her eyeteeth to the Captain.
Janeway continued on, "Don't tell me that vampires can walk through forcefields too."
Dayhne smirked evilly. "No, not while they are functional."
"Do you really think you can disrupt this forcefield while stuck in there?"
"No, not me."
"I see." Janeway said thoughtfully before walking away from Dayhne and over to the security guard posted at the desk to have a talk with him.
Dayhne grew frustrated, screamed, and threw herself at the forcefield. Janeway turned around in time to see the young vampire fly backwards and regain her footing. However, after seeing that Dayhne was not hurt, she continued her discussion with the guard.
"Janeway! Janeway! Don't you ignore me! You'll be the first on my list, you bitch! I will hunt you down and suck every ounce of blood from your body giving you a very painful death!"
"Is that a fact? Then why am I not afraid?" Janeway said as she once again approached the furious vampire.
"Because you are a hunter, they do not fear me, but they should. I am a very old and powerful vampire."
"But that's where you are wrong. There's one difference that doesn't make me a hunter."
"And what's that?" Dayhne bought the bait.
"Because I would have accepted you if you had only told me who you were."
"LIAR!"
"Tuvok to Captain Janeway. Seven has awoken and has escaped sickbay. We are in pursuit. Your orders?"
"Set phasers to kill. Since she is a vampire now, stun settings won't work."
"Aye Captain."
"Noooooooo!" Dayhne screamed, her eyes blazing as she bore holes into Janeway's.
"What?" Janeway asked at the sudden outburst, which interrupted the rest of her orders.
"You can't."
"I can and I will. Seven needs to be stopped."
"You'll kill her."
"How? If she's a vampire like you I don't..."
"But she isn't, not yet. You will kill her."
"I don't understand."
"Too bad."
"Too bad for Seven then because if I don't understand, my orders stand."
Dayhne screamed once more in frustration. She didn't want to see Seven die. They shared a bond. She had... feelings for Seven. "Fine. What do you want to know?"
"What do you mean Seven is not like you?"
"She's not fully a vampire yet. The process to becoming a vampire involves more then just drinking a human's blood. Right now she possesses the power and lust of a vampire while still maintaining her human form."
"I still don't understand." Janeway persisted while Dayhne groaned.
"Seven is still human, technically. I did not drain all of her blood so she is not dead nor has she completed the process of becoming the undead. Yet, because I drank her blood she now possesses the blood lust, the thirst for blood. If she is allowed to drink someone else's blood, the cycle will be complete and she will forever have the thirst for blood. Right now she does not know that which she has not tasted, she only knows she has a thirst for it. But once she tastes it..."
"She'll be a vampire forever. But if I understand you correctly then it also sounds as if there is a way to reverse this. Maybe we can wait it out and not let her have anyone's blood until the desire has waned?"
Dayhne remained silent. Not willing to give up any more information.
"Tell me damn it! You were once human. Wouldn't you have wanted the same chance as Seven has now to become human again?"
Dayhne thought for a few moments. An internal war was being waged. Seven was to become one like her, a companion, someone to understand her and not fear her or want to kill her. But did she really want to sentence anyone else to what she has become, to force them to live as a vampire. Seven would not be able to handle the bloodlust as she could. The chance she had never has arisen for Seven and only Dayhne stood in the way.
"Yes, there is a way to reverse the process."
"Tell me!"
"Her true love must stand up to her and drive out the blood lust. Only true love can over power lust of any form though it is not guaranteed to work."
"Her true love..." Suddenly Janeway's hopes of helping Seven were dashed. 'How in the hell are we suppose to find Seven's true love? She hasn't even shown any romantic inclinations. And her true love could be anyone, in the entire universe. It's an impossible cure.'
Janeway looked at the subdued Dayhne and wondered why the young woman had been so reluctant to tell her any information on how to save Seven considering how hard it would be to accomplish... Unless...
"You know who it is, don't you?!"
"Yes."
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Chapter 11
"Captain, you wanted to see me?" B'Elanna Torres said after entering into the Captain's ready room. Taking a quick look around she got a sense of foreboding seeing who else was in the room with the Captain. 'Why do I get the feeling that this isn't about the scheduled realignment of the coolant packs in engineering?' You didn't need the Captain, her first officer, her chief of security, and the Doctor for that. 'It can't be about Dayhne could it?' She had already given her report on what had transpired down in engineering when Dayhne flipped.
"Lieutenant, have a seat." Janeway ordered in a softly spoken tone. It was a clear indication that something was amiss but that the chief engineer didn't do it, this time. "What do you know of the situation involving Dayhne?"
"Not much Captain other then the fact that I'd like to rip her head off for what she did. I know that she's in custody right now. There's rumors going around that she's a vampire but I like to think she just gone and flipped her lid. What do you plan on doing with her? Is Seven looking for a nice uninhabitable planet to drop her off at?" B'Elanna bit off sarcastically. Her anger over what Dayhne had done evident in her voice.
"That's enough Lt., though your anger is justified, it is misplaced." Janeway said, shocking the half-Klingon. "Let me explain before you go off on another tirade. You see Dayhne is a vampire. Just like the kind you read about in holonovels and old-fashioned books. Centuries ago, when she lived on Earth, she was hunted by humans for being a vampire, for being different..."
"But Captain, vampires killed humans if I know the myths correctly. They should have been hunted and killed."
"True, but what you don't know, what the myths failed to tell us was that not all vampires were evil. What made a vampire such a villainous creature was the bloodlust they underwent as part of their vampiric nature. Just like humans have a need to procreate vampires have a need to feed on blood, it's their way of procreation and survival. But unlike humans, their need becomes so powerful that they fall under its spell, not knowing consciously what they are doing and not having the will power to stop it. However, not all vampires are like that. There are vampires that do have a tremendous will power and an ability to control their bloodlust, to realize who and what they are and not allow the bloodlust to mindlessly control them. Dayhne happens to be one of the few vampires who can control her bloodlust. She survived on drinking animal blood instead of human blood and therefore controlled her urges."
"Not from what I've seen." B'Elanna mumbled to herself.
"I'm not finished yet, Lieutenant." The captain replied sternly. "Dayhne, even though she wasn't evil as some of her counterparts were was still hunted and eventually captured. When captured she was frozen in cryogenic fluid in the hopes that she would not be unfrozen alive and places on a spaceship sent to the farthest reaches of space. This happened hundreds of years ago. Imagine waking up, Lt., and feeling hungry. Now imagine waking up after a night's sleep that lasted hundreds of years. Imagine not having any animals on board, not being able to get the replicators to produce blood for you to feed. Imagine going days feeling this hunger and not being able to do anything about it."
"But why didn't she just come to you and ask for help, why didn't she ask anyone for help?"
"B'Elanna you yourself should know how hard it is to ask for help especially from those who had persecuted you."
"But we didn't persecute her. The hunters she spoke of did hundreds of years ago."
"I agree but let me ask you this. If you needed help now and the only people who could help you would be Starfleet, would you ask they for help? Or would you still be afraid that if you told them who you were that they'd take you into custody and throw you into the brig?"
"Okay, I see your point." B'Elanna reluctantly agreed, unable to find any flaws in the logic. "But captain she killed someone, what do you plan to do?"
"I'm not sure yet. There's been something else, a bit more urgent on my mind lately."
"Oh?" B'Elanna asked, her interest peaked and her sarcastic mind wondering if it had to do with Seven.
"It's about Seven." The Captain began unsurely. She didn't know how to explain this next part but perhaps she should just start at the beginning. "She recently had decrypted the files that were stored on Dayhne's ship. She realized who she was and went to confront her after sending me the information in another file."
'Oh Kahless, Dayhne killed Seven too.' B'Elanna thought to herself. 'Gods help her if she did because no matter her past, no matter what her reasons I will hunt her down and kill her. I'll tear her limbs off one by one then shred her insides and when she's done feeling all that pain I'll chop her head off, gut it and then jettison the remains.'
The Captain continued on after seeing B'Elanna's face drop in worry. "Dayhne drank some of Seven's blood. To make a long story short, she turned Seven into a vampire as well, not a full fledged vampire but a vampire none the less."
"So, so what does that mean? Can she be cured? Will she become like Dayhne? What?" The questions poured out of the Lieutenant's mouth in a jumbled rush.
"Calm down, Lt. Torres." The Doctor said reassuringly. She won't become like Dayhne unless she drinks someone else's blood. Right now I have her sedated and in restraints to prevent her from doing just that. Remember, reasoning won't work as she'd be in bloodlust as well."
"So then there must be a cure then if you have her in restraints or you're working on one right Doc?" B'Elanna pleaded for a yes answer. Her feelings for Seven, which had grown quite deep these past few weeks began to show through as the thought of losing Seven before she even found her unsettled Torres to no end. She wasn't sure what she had felt for Seven but she knew she felt something and more then anything she just wished for time to figure out what.
"No, I'm sorry but there is no cure that I can come up with to help Seven. However, the Captain may have another answer for you." The Doctor handed the conversation back over to Janeway.
"I had recently talked with Dayhne while she was in the brig. At first she was hard to talk to because she was in bloodlust but once things began to calm in her mind, she became more like the woman we all knew. I got her to explain to me who she was and why she had done what she had. Then I got her to open up about Seven. It seems that there is a chance to rid Seven of her bloodlust before she truly becomes a vampire. As Dayhne had put it, the only way to overcome lust is through love."
"Huh?" Torres was fairly confused now. "What does this have to do with me?"
"Well, I still have a bit more to explain first so bear with me. Only Seven's true love can get through to her mind while she's under the haze of bloodlust. Seven's true love must stand up to her, as I'm sure Seven would want to take a nice bite out of that person's neck, and force her to realize what she's about to do. According to Dayhne, if Seven's true love can get through to not only her mind but her heart as well then the bloodlust will dissipate and Seven will return to normal."
"I see. And how do we know who Seven's true love is." B'Elanna asked tentatively, not liking where this was leading. She shot a look toward Chakotay, fearing that the reason he was here because he would turn out to be Seven's true love. After all, he hadn't said anything up until this point.
"When Seven had found Dayhne," Chakotay began, "I noticed that she had become mesmerized by the figure in the glass casing. She looked as though she was in awe and I had never seen Seven like that before. Dayhne explains it as Seven having established some sort of bond with her. In the history of vampires there were what was known as sires. These were vampires who would establish a bond with a human, a deep caring bond, to which this human would want to be... Hmm, this is hard to explain but the human would want to become like a disciple of that vampire. They weren't in love with the vampire but would want to be with the vampire and serve them in anyway they could. The vampire would then in turn take care of the human and teach that person its ways in hopes that one day the vampire would sire, or rather give the human the gift of immortality. In other words, make the human a vampire as well."
"Who in the hell would want that in their right mind. It has to be some mind control thing the vampires did." B'Elanna argued back.
"On the contrary, it was a connection, one the vampire felt as much as the human. The connection was something that no one, not even the vampires themselves could explain but it was there and it wasn't a mind control trick."
"So, what you're saying is that Dayhne is Seven's sire and that they have this conncetion, this bond but are not in love?" B'Elanna thought to herself that it was fortunate because now she didn't have to kill Dayhne.
"That's exactly right," the Captain continued for Chakotay. "But because of this connection, Dayhne knows who Seven's true love is. Don't ask how, she just does."
Torres REALLY knew she wasn't going to like where this was going. 'It's Chakotay! Seven is in love with that P'Tak. That explains why he's here and why he had been the one that found her in such a mesmerized state on board Dayhne's ship. It all makes sense.' Well at least it did in Torres's mind.
"So are you going to tell me who it is and what my part is in all of this? Did you want me to hold Seven down or something while her true love works his magic?"
"No B'Elanna, you don't understand. Dayhne told me that..."
Suddenly the ready room door burst open and in marched Ensign Janice Ritolli.
"Captain, I must speak with you." Janice said before she was more then a foot in the door not realizing that there was more then just the Captain as her audience.
Ensign Kim had stumbled in behind Ritolli. Obviously he had failed to deter the slightly older Ensign from entering the Captain's ready room while there was a meeting going on behind closed doors.
"Ensign, this is not a good time." Janeway nearly growled at the interruption.
"I figured as much but I do have to talk to you and now seemed like the perfect time, before you made any decisions on Dayhne." Janice said, not budging from the room despite the force ten glare she was receiving. This was too important.
Janeway realized that the Ensign was quite determined and decided to allow the interruption as long as it didn't last too long.
"Fine Ensign Ritolli, you have my attention for a few moments. Then after that I must get back to my meeting. Does this need to be private?" Janeway offered. She may be a strict leader but she wasn't a harsh one and if it did need to be private then she wouldn't embarrass the Ensign.
"No Captain, in fact it might be a good idea that the Commander and Lt. Commander hear this as well. I want to speak on Dayhne's behalf and ask that you do not just drop her off on some planet or lock her away in the brig for the rest of our journey." Janice stopped, unsure of how to say what she wanted to say.
"Go on, I'm listening." Janeway encouraged. Though she herself was leaning towards finding a better way to deal with Dayhne, she did want to hear what Janice had to say as a crewman.
"Dayhne did what she did for a few reasons, all of which we can understand if we only listen to them. True, her behavior was atrocious and killing someone cannot be easily over looked but there were extenuating circumstance. We always offer anyone suspected of a crime to a trail, then Dayhne as a human deserves the same right. Yes, I still see her as human even though she is a vampire. The vampire part of her is only that, a part of her, it isn't who she is as we all discovered in the few short weeks after we woke her. If you visit with her now down in the brig, you'll see that she's just the same as she was before, she only went wild because of her lack of feeding. Once she was fed by Seven of Nine her hunger began to dissipate. Then you lock her in the brig and allow her the quiet time to regain her faculties. This was something that could have been entirely avoided if she had only fed without letting her bloodlust consume her while in her starvation."
"And what's to say that this won't happen again Ensign? Can you guarantee me that in another few short weeks, Dayhne won't kill again when she goes into another bloodlust?" Janeway question, though she already knew most of what Janice was telling her as she had visited with Dayhne a short while ago.
"No, I can't. But we can decrease the likelihood of that happening again if we just allow Dayhne to feed when she does get hungry instead of forcing her to starve. It's as simple as allowing her access to replicate blood in the replicators. She can feed off of that and not need to go into bloodlust to hunt down a human prey."
"Hmm, you might be right, but I'll have to discuss that with the Doctor first. However, there is the matter of murder being committed."
"Captain, we all agree that Dayhne was under bloodlust when she killed the engineer, correct?" Janice waited for nods from the rest of the people present before continuing. "Then we can all easily equate that to her being temporarily insane. That defense has been used throughout human and Starfleet history. It can very well apply here. If we give her the fair trial that she deserves then we can find out for sure."
"Again, I see your point, but again I will have to discuss that with my First officer. But one last question. How do you think the rest of the crew will react to having Dayhne, a vampire on board? I have a feeling they won't be too happy, especially after she killed someone, one of their own."
"You're right Captain, they probably won't be thrilled, but they crew wasn't thrilled when you brought Seven on board and severed her from the collective. True she's still not welcomed completely by the crew but she has become an integral part of this crew and you were able to trust her enough, despite her threats to return to the collective, to put her in a position on your senior staff. I have a feeling that if you allow Dayhne to remain on board, the crew will...adapt."
"Alright Ensign, you have given me much to think about. But now I do have a meeting I have to finish up. I'll get back to you shortly with my decision. Dismissed."
"Aye Captain." Janice replied and almost saluted at the stern tone that once again found it's way into Janeway's voice. She turned on her heels and left the ready room. All eyes were on her as she stepped into the turbolift. Most were shocked that she was still alive for interrupting the Captain during an important meeting. But Janice didn't notice any of it. Her mind was busy replaying the meeting she had just informally had with the Captain, going over every argument she used, praying that what she had said the Captain truly heard. Unconsciously she called for her deck and as the turbolift began its ride she spoke out loud, "Gods I hope I convinced Janeway. I don't want Dayhne to leave. I...I love her."
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Chapter 12
B�Elanna Torres, fearless Klingon warrior, stood outside of her quarters scared stiff. Inside was Seven of Nine, off sedatives, unrestrained, in bloodlust, and here she was trying to get herself ready to face that. It was a mere two hours since B�Elanna had sat in Janeway�s office and listened to her explanation of what Dayhne was and what had happened to Seven. Then there was an interruption by an Ensign wishing to speak on Dayhne�s behalf and then a follow-up conversation on how to �save� Seven that B�Elanna would never forget for the rest of her life.
She looked over to Chakotay who had accompanied her to her quarters and he gave her a reassuring smile and nod. Gods how she wished she could wipe that smile right off his face. Did the son of a targ think this was that easy? It was just a mere two hours ago when Janeway had told her who Seven�s true love was...
*****
Janice had just left the ready room and everyone pretty much was stunned silent at the young Ensign�s gall to barge in on a meeting the way she had. Of course the Doctor was the first to recover and just brushed off the incident as more gossip to feed the mill. He cleared his throat and got the attention of the Captain, snapping her back to reality.
"Right. Now where was I?" The Captain began trying to get the meeting back on track.
"You were about to tell me who Seven�s true love was and what my role is in all this."
"Indeed. You are." The Captain said simply.
"I am what?" The captain sighed realizing this was harder then she thought it would be. B�Elanna needed plain English.
"You are Seven�s true love."
Seconds ticked by, minutes ticked by, and no one made a sound, all were waiting on Torres�s reaction to the news. Surprisingly, Torres was the first to speak after a long while. What was even more shocking was the fact that she did it calmly.
"And how are we suppose to believe Dayhne? Just go by her word?"
"I�m afraid Lanna," Janeway used the engineers nickname realizing that it was time to soften up a bit, "that�s all we have to go on."
"I see." Torres simply replied.
"Everyone out except for Miss Torres." Janeway ordered and everyone complied willingly. As soon as everyone had left the room, Janeway continued, this time from in front of her desk. "B�Elanna, do you love Seven?"
"What?!" Torres nearly jumped out of her seat. This just isn�t true. It couldn�t be true. B�Elanna and Seven were two very opposite people; they grated on each other�s nerves almost constantly. But you had to admit that lately they had learned to tolerate each other better. In fact, dare she think it? They had become very close in the passed month or so. But true love? �Does Seven even know what true love is?�
"Lanna, if you don�t love Seven and I mean completely love her then we have no hope of saving Seven and if we send you in to save her we could even lose you too. Please tell me do you love Seven?"
"I... I... I don�t know."
Janeway sighed at the dejected answer. She knew in her heart that Torres loved Seven but was she ready to realize that?
"Well, I�m going to be honest with you and tell you that I do love her, with all my heart. I was heart broken when Dayhne had said that Seven was in love with you. I too wanted to disbelieve what she said but Lanna, that connection she has with Seven, somehow allows her to see into her soul. She told me things that she couldn�t possibly know because she wasn�t there. There were no log records of certain times you and Seven fought or of how Seven felt. She�d tell me of times she used to watch you when you weren�t looking. Or times of when Seven would start a fight with you just because she loved to see how passionate you got. B�Elanna, Seven has loved you for a long time but never even knew what it was. So I have no doubt in my mind that Seven does love you. The pieces all fit perfectly now that I see that last puzzle piece. It explains how and why she�d react to you so much. Many of our philosophical discussions centered on you. She�d come to me with a problem or a question that you had caused her to consider."
Janeway took a breath to let all that sink in on B�Elanna before she continued.
"She really did and does love you Lanna and god help me but I wish it was me. I doubted that you loved her. I told Dayhne as much and even went so far as to ask her if I could try and break Seven�s bloodlust because I loved her so much. But the answer to that was a resounding no. It can only be the one she loves and the one who truly loves her. B�Elanna, I�m asking again, do you love Seven?"
"Yes." It was a small, almost whispered answer but it was all Janeway needed. No more fighting, no more denying the truth. It was the hardest word to say but B�Elanna managed to push it past her reluctant lips and admit not only to her stubborn self but also to the Captain that she did indeed have feelings for the ex-Borg. Were the feelings strong enough to be called true love? She just didn�t know. All she knew was that Seven was in trouble and she cared too much to just watch her slip away. She had to do something, even if that something forced her to come to terms with her feelings a lot sooner then she was ready to.
"Lanna, take some time, walk the decks, go to engineering, the holodeck, anything but take sometime to think about all this. I have to talk to the Doctor and Chakotay about how we can save Seven now that we have the means. And I wish you and Seven could have realized you love under better circumstances, but if I was you I�d be very grateful that you have her love. There are other people who would cherish it if you can�t." Though Janeway had been very sweet and caring throughout their discussion, Torres could tell that the last piece of dialog was a strong warning to treat Seven right. Or else she�d have a mad Captain on her ass.
*****
So here she was two hours later, much thinking done with, and the plans on how to save Seven were set into motion. Yet she still hadn�t entered the room. Why was this so difficult? She knew Seven loved her, she knew she loved Seven. But did she love her enough? She just realized today that she did indeed love Seven but how would she know if it�s the true love Dayhne talked about. Not only could she turn Seven into a full vampire by not being able to stop her from feeding on her but she could die or become one too.
"B�Elanna Torres." A voice called out from down the corridor. Torres turned and saw Dayhne being escorted to where she stood.
"Dayhne." B�Elanna greeted in a neutral voice, unsure of how to react to this person.
"Lt. Torres, I have seen many loves come and go in my lifetime. Some I loved from afar, some loved me but I was unable to love them, but only one had been my true love. She came into my life several hundred years after I had already been borne a vampire. Yet she still loved me. And I loved her. I bet you are wondering how you can tell if this person is a true love. Are there any signs or signals? Any clue or hints? And the truth of the matter is no there is none of that. There is only what you feel. Think of your life with Seven. It may not be the happiest but do you feel complete, whole? Think of your life without her. Would you be able to fall in love with someone else? If yes would it be as deep or as loving? I can merely tell you what I see in Seven�s heart but I can also tell that you do feel something for her. I know you are scared but is she worth forgetting your fear? Is she worth the chance you must take?"
Dayhne finished her questions as soon as she saw a glint flash within B�Elanna�s eyes. The eyes truly are the windows to the soul and Torres�s eyes said that yes Seven was indeed worth the risk. The young vampire stood back as Torres entered her quarters without so much as a glance behind her.
The room was dark and musty smelling. If B�Elanna didn�t know better she could have sworn that the room has a fine mist floating across the floor. A slight beep was heard from behind her signifying that the door to her quarters was sealed again. �Now what?�
No sooner had she asked herself that did Seven jump out of a hidden corner and pounce B�Elanna. But B�Elanna wasn�t about to be taken down so easily. Crouching as the tall blonde flew through the air, B�Elanna sprung up catch Seven in the waist and pushed upwards, effectively flinging her over her shoulder and onto her back.
"Seven, we have to talk, you have to listen to me." But the words were to no avail as Seven once again flew at Torres. This time Seven had done a duck and roll, popping up right in front of the half-Klingon and serving her with a right upper-cut to the chin. B�Elanna few backwards and into the wall and before she could recover all her senses Seven had her by the throat, lifting her to her feet and getting ready to take a bite. Torres kneed Seven in the stomach causing the younger woman to double over and allowing the engineer a way to maneuver out of Seven�s clutches.
"Seven, I didn�t come here to fight, I came to help." Still B�Elanna�s words had no effect as Seven once again came charging at her. The young Borg caught Torres in the stomach with her right shoulder and forced her backwards, up and over the couch to land in a heap behind the now turned over couch.
By this time, B�Elanna�s body was aching. She could only take so much beating from the ex-borg. And when Torres was hurt, she struck back. B�Elanna smashed her elbow into Seven�s face, dislodging the woman from atop her and jumped up and once again away from Seven. Due to the hit, a cut appeared on Seven�s lip, blood seeped slightly from the wound. The younger woman stood up and almost looking as if she was being pleasured, she licked her cut lip and drank her own blood. Her eyes turned red as they focused on B�Elanna once again. Obviously, Dayhne and the Captain had been wrong. Seven was too far gone to be saved, she won�t even listen to her. But gods be damned she loved her...
"Seven, damn it, I love you." B�Elanna nearly screamed in frustration. But Seven continued to advance on. "Didn�t you hear me you deaf dumb ass P�Tak? I love you, I want to be with you and I want to believe Dahyne is right. We are true loves." But Seven continue to advance as if she heard none of it.
B�Elanna cast her eyes downward. "I�m sorry I couldn�t save you Seven but if you must drink someone�s blood the I want you to have mine. Perhaps I�ll become a vampire and we can live for eternity together. Maybe then I�ll finally get a chance to explore what I feel for you and be granted the chance to feel what you feel for me." Seven had reached B�Elanna by now and had twisted her head, exposing the supple skin of her neck begging to be broken. She licked her lips at the feast that awaited her.
"I love you Seven." B�Elanna whispered. "I am yours to do as you wish. You have all the control over me."
B�Elanna waited for a bite but it never came. Instead the woman in her arms stiffened slightly and though she was afraid to call out did so anyway. "Seven?"
"B�Elanna? I�m sorry."
The young engineer breathed a sigh of relief and couldn�t help the huge smile that flitted across her lips.
"It�s okay Seven, It�s going to be okay." B�Elanna whispered back and held onto her love even tighter.
"I love you too." Seven whispered back as she too wrapped her arms around her love. Her true love. And now they had a lifetime to explore that love. This was just the beginning.
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Epilogue
Dayhne sat in her cell quietly. After giving B�Elanna a nudge in the right direction she had visited with Janeway in her ready room. Many things were said, all on Janeway�s part, none of which she wished to think about now. But she knew that the Captain was busy deciding her fate. If she should stay aboard Voyager, be banished once again, or locked away for all eternity. Considering all other things were quiet she figured that whatever happened with B�Elanna and Seven they must have worked out. �Good for Seven.� Dayhne thought to herself, though she did mean the sediment she couldn�t help hide the smallest ounce of bitterness within her thoughts.
The door to the brig swished open and allowed in Ensign Ritolli. The young woman walked over to where Dayhne was being held.
"I wanted to tell you that Seven�s going to be okay. It turned out that B�Elanna�s open confession of love and her complete willingness to surrender to Seven all control helped to save her."
"I know."
"You know?" Janice replied in somewhat of a shock.
"Well I figured that everything was okay when no red alerts went off and I already knew about the surrendering of all control to your partner would bring Seven out of it."
"But why didn�t you tell B�Elanna this earlier?"
"Because she had to completely and willingly give up all control. If it was coerced or manipulated by me in any way the surrender of control wouldn�t have snapped Seven out of it. I�ve seen true loves end up losing the battle against bloodlust because one knew all he had to do was give up control and it wasn�t genuine. Giving the person in bloodlust control over you allows them to realize they have control of their own bloodlust. They can fight it off but only with a good reason to do so and there is no better reason then that of having your love plead that you do."
"I see." Janice said and then there was a pause in the conversation. "Janeway should be coming down here any minute with a decision." Ritolli said for lack of anything else to say but before Dayhne could reply there was an interruption.
"No, I�m here now with my decision." Janeway said as she walked up to the two women.
"Dayhne, we�ve talked long and hard about what happened and why it happened. I know that you feel remorse for what happened and I also know that you are very good at controlling your bloodlust. Still there is no guarantee that this won�t happen again and that had weighed heavily on my mind. However, I do believe there are ways to safe guard the crew now that we know who and what you truly are. My decision stands that you shall be allowed to stay aboard Voyager and perhaps one day become an integral part of her crew. As for the charge of murder, Chakotay and I agree that you will be charged with the crime but will be found innocent due to temporary insanity."
Janeway took a breath and allowed that news to sink in before she continued.
"However, I will be keeping you in the brig a few days long until I can announce this news to the crew and explain certain things to them."
"Thank you Captain and that sounds more then fair." Dayhne said relieved. Perhaps she had finally found a home where people truly accepted her for who she was.
"You shouldn�t thank me Dayhne, its Ensign Ritolli here who went to bat for you. She stuck up for you and came very close to challenging me on any other decision but �the right one�. Sorry to interrupt, I�ll let you two get back to your conversation." Janeway said and turned to walk away hiding the smirk on her face at making Janice�s cheeks blush from the divulgence of that little bit of information. �I think I like this matchmaker stuff.�
Once Janeway had left the room, Dayhne turned to Janice and simply said, "Oh really? Do tell?"
And so Dayhne spent hours wiggling out information from Janice and finding that she was the happiest she had ever been in her entire lifetime, which just happened to span hundreds of years.
The End!
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