Osmosis

My designation is Seven of Nine. I am Borg. This drone was stolen from the Collective. Captain Janeway took her place as my Queen. Yet upon her, I may never lay my claim. A scorpion lives inside of me, I would wound her with my sting.

She is right to reject this broken drone.

The Cargo Bay doors hiss open and somebody walks in. I can feel their heat draw near to me as they step up upon my dais. There is only one person who would dare to stand so close. My eyes fly open and I feel my nanoprobes burn, dark and hungry. Captain Janeway is here.

The Captain studies me with sad, blue eyes. I have avoided her for many days. Her presence gives me a familiar metal rush. She parts her lips and wets them with her dark red tongue.

"Seven. Won't you speak to me?"

Her voice is strained and gravelly. It courses across my body as a long neglected caress. The anxiety in her expression gives me pain. She looks as if she has not slept for days. Her hand is raised, haltingly outward. She holds me without touching. I am pinned in place. I want to run. I do not want to face her, but I am unable to hide. I swallow slowly, with difficulty. My nanoprobes are bursting from my veins, wanting to feel the touch of her. The Captain's presence drives me torturously, exquisitely insane.

I hesitate in my reply. I have no idea where to begin. I feel the cold green prickle of the scorpion within. How can I describe to her the frightening colour of my dreams?

The Captain takes my pause and fills the silence with her words. I feel her seeping into me. Her heat sears effortlessly through the fabric of my clothes. I could wear layer upon layer of mutli-phasic shielding, and still she would flow into me. She is love and perfection and lust and nanoprobes. It gives me great sadness to know she will not be mine.

The Captain speaks again. "Seven, about the other afternoon. You never gave me a chance to explain. -"

"You rejected me."

"No. Seven, that's not true,"

I watch the solid red line of her jacket as she inhales beneath my alcove light. Her voice rises slightly in exclamation and dancing threads of green intersect the width of her jacket as it rises and falls. I wish that I could seep into her as easily as the coloured lights that mingle there. I wish that I were not so Borg. I wish that there were no poisonous invertebrate, coiled cold and green inside of me. I wish for a great many things, but there is one truth that I know:

"I am unworthy of you. I am too Borg."

I show her the metal on my hand; I lift my sleeve to show the spider web of silver tendrils that trail into my flesh. I show her all the places where my scorpion casing covered and protected me.  This is my true nature, Captain.  I am sinister, machine.

"Is that what you believe?" she questions. Her gentle fingers wrap around my metal hand and her lashes grow heavy with a sheen of tears. "Seven...you are anything but unworthy, and you are certainly not too Borg. You have regained so much of your humanity -"

"But I am not human either, Captain. I am neither, I am...nothing."

"Not to me."

Her words cut into me with bright red intensity. It takes me a moment to process what she has spoken. I cannot believe what I have heard.

"Captain?"

"Seven..."

The Captain's gaze flickers between my entranced eyes and parted lips. I can feel her leaning, so very warm and close to me. I am captured by her gravity. I cannot pull away. Her breath is warm against my cheek. I feel her fingers tangle tightly with my own.  She is red, burning. Her heavy gaze fuels my love and lust for her.

"the other afternoon, when you left so quickly - I was in shock, I had never expected..."

She pauses again to catch her breath. Her lashes spider once against my cheek. Every place where she touches me burns with fire. Her pouted lips press firm, into mine. She is soft and perfection and deep, red desire. She lingers there for several moments, and the contact ends. My hungry mouth follows after her. I am addicted to her touch. I find myself breathing heavily. I want more.

"You forgot to notice, Seven." She smiles at me. Her warm lips, red and curving. Her fingers touch lightly to the implant on my brow. I close my eyes, and wrap her tight around me. Her voice is soft, dark, sweet.

"I kissed you back."

NEXT: Equilibrium (NC17) #ENDS#