| Released August 1st, 2008 Abyss of Oblivion by Missbevcrusher Rated [R] Standard disclaimer: They don't belong to me, never have. This is just harmless fanfic. Chapter 6 The sight inside the spherical vessel was quite different than on the cube. Although it bore all the trademarks of Borg technology, the ship was much smaller and had simple corridors instead of large promenades. As much as they would have preferred to stay in direct contact with the Enterprise, there was too much interference to do so. With Picard in front, the team assembled in a defensive formation, their phaser rifles at the ready. I�ve walked similar corridors before. As the captain looked around, he remembered more and more of his time as Locutus. �This way.� With careful steps, the team advanced. The air was so hot and humid it didn�t take long for everyone except Data to start sweating profusely. There were no drones in the first section of the ship. Although the captain found it strange, he reckoned that perhaps since there were much fewer of them on board, most were probably standing guard close to their Queen. Aside from his rifle, Data held a small tricorder in his hand. �There seems to be some sort of defense system up ahead. I am detecting high levels of neutrinos which would suggest there are powerful sensors being used.� Picard knew all too well what it was. �The system is rigged to detect the slightest movements, heat variations, and energy readings. Once we get into the sensor zone, the hive will react as though it is under attack. Gentlemen, be ready for quite a fight.� Under their steel demeanor, the away team felt the nervous anticipation of their upcoming encounter with what would likely be an overwhelming force. Again, except Data, who had the luxury of being an android. The team moved as one, their every step taking them deeper toward the very center of the spherical ship. �Ten feet and closing.� Picard wiped his brow and took a steadying breath. As often as he�d been in battle, the captain would have been lying if he�d said he wasn�t scared. The last time he�d felt such intense fear was when he thought the Borg would assimilate Earth six years prior. �Five feet,� Data�s voice was so low it could barely be heard. The captain was almost counting his steps as they approached the invisible line. When they finally did, the result was immediate. The drones that were regenerating just up ahead all awakened suddenly and stepped off their platforms with a loud clang as their feet fell heavily on the metal deck. When they turned, their eyes and red lasers sought the intruders out and they advanced. The lack of sound as they approached, aside from their footsteps, was intimidating. Keeping in formation, the team continued forward as they started to fire their riffles. The first series of Borg promptly fell to the ground in a series of sparks and twitches. But they were just as soon replaced by another wave of them. The first few replacements fell just as quickly as the first, but the ones that came after had already adapted. Their bodies absorbed the shots as though they were nothing. �Modulate frequencies!� ordered Picard. With quick efficiency, the team adjusted their rifles and fired again. This time it worked and the Borg were eliminated. The phaser blasts ripped through the thick atmosphere inside the ship in a maelstrom of blinding flashes and searing heat. The team had to keep modulating their weapons as more and more Borg started adapting. They still had a few frequencies to choose from, but if the barricade did not ease, their chances at reaching the Queen would fall to zero. As much as Jean-Luc disliked having to use lethal force, the rage he felt toward this particular adversary served to mask his feelings of remorse. The Queen had sought revenge against him and now he would seek his own. Each time he killed a Borg, Picard couldn�t help but recall Beverly�s assimilation. Although destroying the drones did nothing to bring her back to him, it served to ease his pain. When they�d nearly reached the entrance to the Queen�s chamber, their phasers were almost out of modulations. �Almost there!� said the captain. When they crossed the threshold, more drones stood inside, all lined up next to one another and advancing. This time, the newest and last available modulation failed. The team would have to try to get around them somehow, fighting hand to hand if they had to. Luckily, although the Borg were very powerful, they were not as quick as the away team. When one of the security officers failed to get around the Borg that was to the far left, he did the only thing that came to mind, which was use his rifle to knock the shit out of it. As it stumbled back, the brave lieutenant went directly for one of the tubes that protruded from its neck and yanked it out. Black ooze poured out of it and the drone fell to the floor. The others resorted to the same technique, and amazingly, it was working. However, one of them wasn�t quite so lucky. It was the young Lieutenant Cole, who since his earliest days at the academy had the nickname �Tank.� While fighting a drone, he hadn�t been able to avoid the saw on its arm. He let out a loud agonizing scream as the weapon dug on the side of his neck. Mercifully, he didn�t suffer for long, as he quickly bled out. Data had a rather large advantage over his comrades, his strength was comparable to that of a Borg�s and so he was able to knock them senseless with his fist and then fling them aside as if they were nothing but potato sacks. Just a little further beyond, on a slightly raised platform, stood the Queen. With a cold stare, she watched as the Starfleet officers fought their way forward. In her mind, she was giving instructions to her drones so that they could protect the hive. But the android�s progress was becoming more of a threat as he was now nearing her position. When he was finally through the Borg barricade, Data looked up at the Queen, and then lunged at her. For a being such a small stature, the Queen was surprisingly strong. Even more so than the drones, it seemed. With blinding speed, she blocked Data�s blow and grabbed his arms. As they grappled, she looked into his eyes. �Not bad for such a primitive form.� * * * * �Sir, quantum torpedoes don�t seem to be effective at this point.� The officer that had taken Data�s station looked worried. �The rift is expanding.� �Understood.� Riker, who sat on the edge of the command chair, had only one thought. If they don�t destroy the Queen soon, we�ll all be done for Beside him, Deanna followed the events aboard the Borg vessel as best she could with her empathic abilities. She knew that they were now fighting for their lives. She also knew that one member of the team wouldn�t be coming back. * * * * The drone Picard fought was turning out to be much tougher than expected. With an effortless shove, it threw the captain almost clear across the small chamber. He landed with such force it knocked the wind out of him and his rifle glided across the floor, coming to rest several feet away. From the ground, he could see the drone�s heavy feet slowly make their way forward. Before it reached him, Jean-Luc managed to get up. For a split second, he did not know how to tackle this particular adversary. He looked around and got an idea. On the wall behind him were all sorts of tubing. With everything he could muster, he yanked out one of them and touched the Borg with the end of what turned out to be a live wire. The drone sizzled and seized as the energy surged through its body. Finally, it collapsed to the ground, a stench-filled smoke rising from it. As the captain got up and looked down at the dead drone, he tried to steady his breathing. A close call, if ever there was one. When he lifted his gaze once more, all the blood seemed to drain from his face. Directly in front of him, mere inches away, stood Carus. Stunned, Jean-Luc didn�t have the time to react before she reached out and grabbed him by the collar. Her still lovely, but all too Borg features, regarded him with no emotion whatsoever. With ease, she lifted the captain off the ground by the fabric of his uniform. Picard tried to pry her fingers away from him, but she was too strong. Indecision gripped the captain as he grappled with what to do next. Should he defend himself? Fear helped him make his decision�not the fear of his own mortality, but the fear of allowing her to live a life of hell if they failed. His goal was not to kill her at the moment, but to merely survive. If ever it became clear that they would not achieve their goal of destroying the Queen then his last mission in life would be to put his beloved out of her misery. A surge of adrenaline allowed Picard to strike her with amazing speed and force on the side of her head. When she stumbled ever so slightly, he brought his feet up and pushed himself away by pressing his soles against her. The fabric of his uniform ripped where Carus had held on as he fell backward to the deck. In the distance, more screams erupted as yet another officer fell victim to the Borg. On the platform on the other side of the room, the struggle between android and cyborg continued. They seemed to be at a stalemate as they each restrained the other in what was amounting to be an equal match of push and shove. Having gone through the barricade of Borg, the last remaining team member aside from Picard and Data lunged toward the Queen, his lethal weapon ready. But just as he was about to reach her, the leader of the Borg got the upper hand on Data and flung him backward. Abruptly, she turned and grabbed the officer before he could unleash the nano-probes. She snapped his neck as though it was a twig. Her attention back to Data, the Queen waited for him to approach her again. She was poised to strike back, furious that their attempt had come this far. No, she told herself, they will not succeed. As he got just close enough, she lashed out and caught him squarely in the face. If she had been a mere human, it wouldn�t have affected him at all, but her strength was quite impressive. Since he was on the edge of the platform, Data lost his footing and fell to the deck below. The Queen grabbed one of the instruments they used to sever damaged Borg body parts and jumped off the platform, landing just to the android�s side in lightning speed. She pinned him to the floor with her foot and brought the cutting tool down toward his head. With both hands, the android fought to keep the sharp instrument from reaching his scalp where it could easily rip through to his positronic brain. It was a challenge, for the Queen�s strength was phenomenal. Even though her attention was focused on eliminating Data, the Queen was still aware of everything that was going on in the hive, especially the ongoing fight between Picard and Carus. Having evaded her grip, the captain played a game of cat and mouse, him being the mouse. He continued to bait her to come and get him, and at the last possible moment, would dodge her attempt. In staccato-like movements, Carus sought him as he moved about. In the very depths of her soul, a desperate voice was unable to break through. Jean-Luc� Despite her disadvantage in speed, Carus still managed to corner the captain. Picard had another strike of sheer luck. At his feet was a discarded phaser rifle. He reached for it and dropped to his side. With every once of strength he had, he flung the rifle so it caught the back of Carus� ankle as she was about to put her full weight on her foot. The result was a loud crashing sound as she fell backward on the deck. The captain tried to get up, but she reached for him, and they started to grapple. Face to face on the hard metal surface, the two struggled briefly until Carus� superiority of strength got her the upper hand. As she looked coldly down at him, the horrifying sound of her Borg voice resounded. �You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.� Locked away in her mind, Beverly�s voice cried out. No! God, no! Jean-Luc knew that it was over. There was no chance he was going to make it. For the briefest of instants, he looked toward where Data and the Queen fought. The sight wasn�t encouraging, as the android seemed to be doomed as well. It was over. There was only one thing left for him to do. Forgive me. I�m doing this for you. The Queen still controlled Carus� moves like a puppet. And for one of her final stabs of revenge, she made it seem as though she was easing her hold on Beverly. Carus took a sharp breath and her features softened in mimicked emotions. ��Jean-Luc� please, don�t�� And then, her stone cold Borg fa�ade fell back into place. At the exact same time Carus was reaching down to take his humanity away, the captain reached for the tube that was connected between her neck and collar-bone area. Beverly was very much aware of what was happening and her only thoughts were, Do it, Jean-Luc� please just do it� Kill me! Data calculated his odds at survival, and since they were not favorable, he came up with a different course of action. He released one hand from the saw that barreled down on him and did his best to keep holding it up with his other hand. Then as fast as he could, he retrieved the nano-injector from the side pocket of his uniform and jammed it into one of the seams on the Queen�s cybernetic foot. The effect was almost immediate. With a loud shriek, the Queen backed away and started to contort in agony. The android first sat and then stood up as he watched the being that was the central core of the hive wither away. The process was quick but not painless� the final effect being a mess of parts on the deck. Several feet away, with not a moment to spare before Carus� imminent assimilation of Picard, or her own demise, their struggle came to an abrupt end. She simply shut down and fell lifeless against the captain. His breathing was labored as he fought to believe what he saw. He�d been so sure that this was the end� the end for who exactly, he did not know, and never would. �Are you alright, sir?� Data rushed to his side and turned Beverly�s limp body over so that the captain could free himself. �I�m fine.� Picard�s attention was solely on the woman that lay beside him as he knelt down. Lightly, he touched the side of her face. �Beverly�� Her eyes were closed, her expression as peaceful as he�d ever seen. The only hint of life within her was the slow, barely visible rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. As gently as he could, Jean-Luc cradled her onto his lap. In an uncontrollable emotional release, he leaned his head against hers and closed his eyes. When he spoke, his voice wavered. �I�ve got you� it�s alright, I�ve got you�� After Data had confirmed that there were no vital signs from either three of their fallen comrades, he walked back toward the captain. �We should get her to sickbay.� �Of course.� Picard reached into his pocket for the two transport devices he�d brought along with him. Since they had no way of contacting the Enterprise though the interference created by the spherical ship, they�d opted to bring these along. His hope, however faint, that he could somehow bring her home, had compelled him to bring along the second one. After each device was placed, Picard and Data activated them and the three dematerialized. When the transport cycle was complete, the transporter chief looked at them somberly as he realized that they�d lost three of their own. The only comfort he took was in the fact that they had retrieved Dr. Crusher. The captain still cradled her. �We need to get her to sickbay immediately. Initiate a site to site transport.� The two were beamed away once again. As soon as they materialized in sickbay, Picard stood up and carried her limp body to one of the empty biobeds. �She needs help.� His eyes were locked onto her still features. The captain then set her down as gently as he could. Reluctantly, he withdrew his hands from beneath her, fearing she�d disappear in a dream once they�d lost physical contact. The medical staff reacted immediately, but none of them could completely hide their troubled expressions at seeing their commanding officer as a Borg. Jean-Luc wanted desperately to stay by her side, but was soon ushered away. As relieved as he was, the captain was still hopelessly worried about her. And for the thousandth time since this ordeal began, he felt helpless. * * * * �Vital signs are stable, but very faint.� Dr. Martin announced. Dr. Tropp checked over the readings displayed on the large console on the wall. �She�s in a dormant state. Her brain functions should not suffer any ill affects from it.� As they scanned her body, the extent of technology the Borg had fused on her amazed them. Getting her back to the way she was would not be an easy task. �Dr. Martin, pull out all available files on Borg assimilation. We�re going to need to proceed with care if we don�t want her to suffer permanent damage during her transformation.� * * * * Since the captain had endured a few bumps and bruises of his own during his fight with the Borg, it didn�t take long before he was shown to his own biobed for examination. With Beverly filling his every thought, Jean-Luc barely felt his injuries as he was being assessed. Even the doctor�s words were forgotten almost just as soon as they were spoken. �You were lucky. It could have been much worse.� It could have been worse, but not in the way the doctor meant it. If Beverly had been forced to live out her existence as a Borg, or if she�d perished� either at the hands of the taskforce or his own� It was all too much to take for the tormented captain. A few minutes later, Riker showed up in sickbay. �We�re glad to see you�� The first officer looked more than a little relieved. �Data told me about the three men we lost� it�s a shame.� Picard�s back seemed bowed under his heavy emotional burden. �It is, Number One.� �But at least you managed to bring Beverly back to us. How is she?� �We don�t know yet.� For some reason, Picard didn�t feel quite ready to talk about Beverly more than that. There were just too many underlying conflicting emotions. In the face of his captain�s silence, Riker continued the conversation. �The Borg vessel is basically dead in the water. When the Queen was destroyed, it put an end to their attempt at calling for more reinforcements.� �That�s good to know.� �Starfleet has been notified and, needless to say, they are very pleased with the turn of events. Admiral Worthington has asked that you contact him at your earliest convenience.� It was then that Riker decided to take his leave. �I�ll be on the bridge if you need anything.� �Thank you, Number One.� After the medical staff was done with him, the captain didn�t feel like leaving sickbay right away. Not before he received news of his Chief Medical Officer. He quietly took a seat on the sidelines and waited. Dr. Tropp approached. �Captain Picard?� Jean-Luc didn�t waste a second before getting to his feet. �How is she, Doctor?� �Reversing physiological changes of assimilation as well as removing the implants is going to take some time. At this point, I cannot tell you exactly how long. Before we do anything else, though, our first priority will be to provide her with what she needs right now, which is regeneration. Although she is not connected to the hive mind, her basic requirements at the moment are the same as a Borg�s.� Picard absorbed the information as best he could. �Since Lieutenant Commander Data and Commander LaForge both have prior experience dealing with the technological aspects of Borg implants, I�d like to enlist their help.� �Of course, I�ll summon them immediately.� �And one other thing, since Dr. Crusher�s requirements are more technical than medical at the moment, we will transfer her down to one of the engineering labs. Doing so will enable us to install a regeneration unit and all the equipment necessary for the process ahead.� �Thank you, Dr. Tropp.� The Denobulan doctor nodded solemnly and walked away. continue to chapter 7 library home |