All I Can Taste 01
 

The pain swirled about her, it touched every fiber of her being and any and every sensory input seemed only to enhance it.  She couldn't even open her eyes, when they moved her to the biobed it felt like her nerve endings screamed in protest.  She could hear B'Elanna's raised voice as she yelled at the EMH hologram to do something before she erased his matrix.  The sound tore at her ears and she could finally take no more.  Seven of Nine passed into unconsciousness, a cool silent wave crashing over her.

"What happened?" the Doctor asked as he ran his tricorder over Seven's prone form as B'Elanna hovered nearby. "You're the doctor, you tell me!  I just found her like that.  She was in Astrometrics, on the floor.  I had thought she was unconscious until I heard her make a noise, kind of like a moan.  She was in a lot of pain, that's all I know.  What's wrong with her?"

 "I'm not sure.  Would you get out of my way please?  You don't see me hovering around your warpcore, do you?  Let me work.  I'll let you tell the captain."    The Captain.  She was not going to be pleased. B'Elanna Torres was still caught up in the moment and she really didn't care about protocol at this point in time.    "Torres to Janeway.  I need you in Sickbay now."  That should get her.

Janeway arrived to find a still flustered Torres who kept throwing nasty glances at the EMH.  B'Elanna was not the type of person to get unravelled by minor things.  This made the Captain a little nervous. She approached her carefully.
 

"What's going on?"
 

"Something's wrong with Seven, the Doctor's still trying to find out what it is.  Worthless program.  If he was worth a sh--"
 

Janeway moved past her to see Seven on a biobed.  Her features were paler than usual and sweat was beaded on her brow.  The EMH program was working feverishly, tapping away at his various instruments, his brow furrowed in worry.     Now she understood B'Elanna's state.  She had a bad feeling about this, a very bad feeling.
 

Seven floated in a state of total numbness.  She could still feel her body but was disconnected from it somehow.  It wasn't like sleep or regeneration, it was like she was buried in some place deep inside herself, it was like being in limbo.  She was certain she could feel people moving about her, although she wasn't sure how she knew they were there, she could just....feel them in a way that went beyond the regular physical senses.
 

She was here now, the Captain was here, by her side.  Everything changed.  She would be safe now.  She rushed to the surface, like a diver going towards the sunlight that drifted down through the water.  When she broke the surface she gasped.

Seven returned to consciousness so quickly that it startled everyone in the room.  Her face flushed to a crimson and she sucked in a lungful of air.  The pain returned immediately, cutting off her inhale of fresh air before it's completion.  She fell back against the bed and looked up at the ceiling, willing the pain to fly away out of her body.  It would not.
  

"I am...malfunctioning."  Speaking was even difficult and seemed to take far too much effort.  It was as if her verbal pathways had been fried in some overload.  Her mouth was dry and it felt like her tongue was swollen although she knew it was not.
 

"You're in sickbay now."  Janeway touched the woman's cheek and noted the unusually high temperature.  "Can you tell us what happened?"

Speaking was just too difficult so she utilized non verbal communication and shook her head.      

"What are your symptoms?" the Doctor asked professionally.
     

"P-Pain...everywhere."  She closed her eyes against the glaring lights above her.  Why did every stimuli seem to only make it worse? Maybe if she just stayed still ...
 

"Do you have any idea what the problem is?"
 

Again she shook her head.
 

"We need to get her fever down," Janeway stated.  "She's burning up."

"Who's the doctor here?  I'm not administering anything until I know what's going on.  It's not at a dangerous level."
  

All she desired at this moment was some comfort, a cool sheet, a dark room, anything that would make this pain ease a little.  Biobeds weren't exactly comfortable.    The pain swirled inside her, growng more intense.  She shifted suddenly to her side and it seemed to ebb a little.  With her mesh covered left hand she held Janeway's hand tight against her cheek and reveled in it's coolness.  If everything could just stay like this she would be allright.
    

Janeway was a little suprised by the action.  Seven needed to be comforted.  Something was definately very wrong.       

"The pain Seven, where's it coming from?"

Where?  It was everywhere, inside and out.  She needed to be as specific as possible.  She gave the pain her full attention for a few moments and then pulled back.
    

"It seems to....be mainly in my chest and abdomen but it feels sometimes like it's everywhere."  It swelled again inside her and she arched up off the bed.  "I want out of here!"  she screamed suddenly and grippng the side of the bed she tried to pull herself up.
 

Kathryn pushed her back easily.  "Seven, hold on."
 

"It hurts!  I can't be here."  The fever was now making her delerious.  She was sure if she could just be somewhere else this would all end, the pain would stop.  She looked up at Janeway imploringly. "Get me out of here, Kathryn."
     

Those blue eyes combined with her first name tumbling off those lips was all it took to turn a Starfllet captain into a glob of pliable jelly, particularly if that captain was named Kathryn Janeway.
     

"I will, Seven, but first we need to find out what's wrong.  Just a little longer."  She turned to the Doctor, her face hardened. "You've got five more minutes, then I'm taking her out of here."
       

"You can't be serious!"
 

"Oh I am.  You're a hologram, you can monitor her from any part of the ship if you want.  She's uncomfortable here,  and if she wants to be somewhere else then that's what we'll do, we'll accomidate."
    

"I don't want to die here,"  Seven mumbled quietly.  The fever was tearing through her now, taking away her reason, and making everything seem hazy and unreal.  Was this really happening?  Was there anything except this excruciating pain?  Was there anything before it?  Could there be anything after it or was there even an end to be found?
       

The Captain's jaw clenched and she turned back to Seven, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "You are not gong to die.  I'll take you out of here soon.  Do youwant to be sedated, is it that bad?"
       

"Yes, then take me out of here.  I want to be somewhere warm....soft."    A hypospray was pressed to her neck and the blackness envolped her again.

Part 2