Part 2
"Do you really think that this is the best course of
action Doctor?" Captain Kathryn Janeway said sadly.
"Yes." The hologram replied. "We mustn't allow Seven to discover her history
without allowing her neural processors to regain control of her mind. That would
cause extreme stress on her cortical implants, and they had already gone through
enough trauma. I have been giving her some nanoprobe injections to insure that
her implants aren't rejected, which could very well happen as a result of this
accident. We can just hope that she can regain her memories soon."
A movement from one of the bio beds caught their attention as Seven, 'Annika",
Now fully dressed and alert jumped down from her position.
"Now are you going to tell me what happened Doctor? Why I have these. . . Silver
things on me? And where my parents are?"
"They always ask the hard ones, don't they captain." The doctor said with a
smile that quickly faltered when his eyes were caught by one of Janeway's force
ten glares. He cleared his throat, and addressed the Captain once more. "Don't
worry, I believe that I have come up with the perfect story to pacify our little
friend for the time being, at least until she can regain her memories on her own."
Before Janeway could even blink an eye, the holographic doctor had moved over
towards Seven with a broad smile on his face. She couldn't stand to see the
doctor lie to her in this way, even if it wasn't completely a lie, and she
quietly slipped out the sickbay doors.
"Annika, you are suffering from a form of amnesia. The crew of Voyager rescued
you from an abandoned ship on an isolated planet almost two years ago. Your
parents were dead when we arrived, and you were the only one that we could save.
Your implants help sustain your life due to some injuries you acquired from you
time spent on the planet. You have been living here with us since then, and
acting as our Astrometrics officer."
"What do you mean that they are dead? I just saw them yesterday. I was a child
just yesterday. I don't believe you!"
The doctor winced at the tone coming from the Borg, so unlike her natural calm
voice. This one was shrill, and full of anger and pain. He mentally berated
himself for not using a better bedside manner. Maybe it would have been better
if he would have broken the news more gently to her. Now he had six feet of
upset borg with the mindset of a six-year-old.
"Now just calm down, Annika. Everything is all right. I am sorry that I said
that so harshly, but I thought it was the best way to get you up to speed so to
speak."
She didn't answer.
The doctor sighed; this was going to be harder than he thought.
Her head hurt, and her eyes were beginning to sting in a familiar, yet
unfamiliar way. She was crying, and for some reason, it felt like she hadn't
done that in years. She made her way back to the bed she had spent her recent
time on, and slumped on it ungracefully. Her shoulders shook with the force of
her sobs, and she hiccuped while trying to catch her breath. They were gone, her
mother and father. The only people that she ever knew were gone, and she was all
that was left. She felt so alone, so frightened, and she cried even harder. She
felt hands touch her shoulders and realized that it was the doctor trying to
comfort her, just like her father had done. She heard a hissing sound, and a
slight dampness on her neck, and then she was very sleepy. She lay down gently
on the bed, and was gone, slipping away in the darkness, and away from the pain.
The weekly staff meeting had gone on like always, except for one empty chair.
Janeway tried not to think about why that chair was empty, and instead listened
intently to the various reports that were being reported to her. When it came
time for the astrometrics reports, she felt a lump in her throat as Harry Kim
told the news instead of Seven of Nine. She pushed it down and gained control of
herself.
"The anomaly that caused the power fluctuations is no where to be found. It
isn't on any of our sensors, so I believe that it's not really a threat anymore."
The young ensign said. Janeway felt glad about that little piece of news. She
listened to Tuvok's security report, and B'elanna's also, before the doctor
briefed everyone on Seven's condition.
"She has absolutely no memory of her life past six years old. No memory of the
borg. I feel that it would be best if she didn't hear about it from any of you
either. I told her the story that the Captain and I talked about, and she seemed
to take it well enough. I had to sedate her. I feel that it would be best if we
could somehow give her quarters somewhere else than cargo bay two. The further
away from that she is, the better."
"I believe that can be arranged. There is a Cabin open on deck 8 that has been
vacated due to Lt. Jones Marriage. We can fix that right up for her." Chakotay
said.
"Good, then if we all sick with that story, and don't upset her to much, I don't
see why not she can't move in there soon. She is restless in sick-bay, and I am
running out of answers to her questions of why she has to stay there."
"Understood." Janeway said, and if her voice wavered, no one cared to notice.
"Dismissed."
Naomi Wildman adjusted her load one more time on her way to sickbay. She was
going to visit one of her best friends who was sick. She really didn't know what
happened, but she knew enough to know it was bad. Her mother, the doctor, and
the Captain had coached her for hours on what she wasn't supposed to say, and
what she was supposed to say. They told her it was for Seven's own good, and
that was good enough for her. If should could help her friend get better, then
she would do it. The doors swished open before her, and she saw Seven in the
middle of the room, sitting on a bed, looking at the walls. She looked sad to
Naomi, and she was glad that she brought her favorite toys to play with her,
since she was stuck here in sickbay.
"Se. . . Um. . Annika?" The young girl asked hesitantly, coming up next to the
bed.
"Yes?"
She sure sounded like Seven always did, Naomi thought.
"I know that you don't remember me, but you and I are best friends, and I came
to play with you to make your time in here better. My name is Naomi Wildman."
"Hello Naomi Wildman." Annika said, in a sad tone, "But I don't feel like
playing. Maybe you could come back another time, alright?"
Naomi frowned. They had told her that she probably didn't want to talk to anyone,
so that was why she brought her toys.
"But I brought some of my best stuff. . . See?"
Naomi's arm load of toys and books spilled on to the bed that Annika's body
wasn't occupying.
"Wow." The borg said, "That's a lot of stuff!"
"I know, want me to tell you what it does?"
"Sure, but I don't want to play, alright?"
Naomi smiled. "You don't have to play, you can just watch me play."
"Alright." Annika sighed, and watched as Naomi assembled various things for play.
It wasn't long, before Annika Hansen was down in the floor playing with her
friend. Naomi knew that it would work. Her mother told her that Seven thought
she was the same age as she was herself, six, and Naomi sure knew what she liked
to do.
"What are these?" The older woman asked, picking up two identical balls.
"They are what I call squishy balls. You squeeze them and the colors change. The
texture is really neat also."
"Can I try one?" Annika asked, a shy tone in her voice.
"Sure, just don't squeeze them to ha. . . " Her voice was cut off by a muted pop
as one of her squishy balls was destroyed in the borg enhanced left hand of her
playmate. A fine white powder covered them and the floor around them.
Annika looked stricken, as a red color spread up her neck and cheeks.
"I'm sorry. I really didn't squeeze them that hard."
The older woman thought for a second that Naomi was going to cry, before a
series of giggles escaped from her mouth. Annika followed suit, looking at the
remains of the ball strewn over the floor. They were both laughing terribly hard,
and covered with white powder when the doctor and the Captain walked in the door.
End part two