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I, LOCUTUS

Before this starts, may I just say that this is difficult to
write, when considering the possibility of there being a Borg
cliffhanger at the end of the current season.  With my not
knowing how they will continue the Borg saga, this story may
not fit in with the Star Trek universe in a couple of months
when that episode is aired.  So basically, I'm writing for the
enjoyment - whether it fits in or not with the ST universe now
or ever is not an issue for me at the moment.

Enjoy; comments, criticisms, suggestions and anything else is
     welcome,

Ryan.



                          I, LOCUTUS:

     "Yes, it was ugly enough; but if you were man enough
       you would admit to yourself that there was in you
     just the faintest trace of a response to the terrible
    frankness of that noise, a dim suspicion of there being
         a meaning in it which you could comprehend."

                         (Joseph Conrad; Heart of Darkness)

PART ONE:

"Captain's log: Stardate 7352.61 - The Enterprise is racing
towards Beta Ariquae V in an attempt to avert a catastrophe.
Two days ago, a cube-shaped space ship was detected entering
Federation space, its heading - on a direct course for this
colony.  Once we arrive, we estimate there will be two hours
to vacate the colony before the Borg obliterate it from the
face of the planet."

The chime from his Ready Room door snapped him out of his
reverie, and back to the cold, harsh reality he knew he would
have to face.

"Come."

The doors on the other side of his desk slid open, and Will
Riker entered, pausing for a moment before moving towards him.
Behind his first officer, the doors closed, shutting them off
from the main bridge.

"What can I do for you, Number One?"  Picard asked, adjusting
his personal monitor so Riker could not see what he had been
studying on its screen.

His first officer moved forward without saying a word,
watching his captain intently.  After a few seconds, he spoke.

"You've seemed unusually pensive in the last few days,
Captain.  If it is not out of line, may I ask why?"  Riker
knew he didn't have to; the answer was all too clear.  It was
merely a matter of how to approach his captain, a man not
accustomed to sharing his feelings with others.

Picard was silent for a moment, then turned his personal
monitor off.  He looked up at Riker and gave a nod.  "It's
Hugh.  I just wonder what has happened to him, if they've
changed because of him.  I guess this is the test."

This most certainly was the test; the Federation, indeed the
known galaxy, had not heard from the Borg since the Enterprise
had encountered the remains of a crashed Borg ship on a
planetoid, and recovered one survivor - Hugh.

Riker nodded.  He understood what the captain had gone
through, what he was still going through.  Of course, he could
never really know.  But he had some feeling of what it must
have been like; a rape of the mind, transformed into a cold-
blooded killer.  He wondered if Picard really felt he was
somehow responsible for what happened at Wolf 359; if it was
something that haunted him still....

"Getting those colonists out shouldn't take long." Riker
finally said.  "We should have plenty of time to evacuate the
planet, then watch the Borg at work, learn about their
methods..."

"....And confront them." Picard finished for him.

"Hold them off until Shelby arrives." Riker corrected. "We
only have to engage them if they threaten any other planets
with larger populations than we can evacuate."

Shelby.  Picard thought back to the overbearing, pushy
commander, who eventually played a large part in their success
against the Borg ship around Earth.  Now she was in command of
a Star Fleet proto-type - a starship that was built with
enough power to maintain a lengthy combat against a Borg
vessel.  Nothing amazing, but the best the Federation could
make, what with her Fleet still suffering the effects from
their previous entanglement with the Borg.  Unfortunately that
ship, the USS Garrett, was too far away to be of any immediate
assistance to them.  But he had been assured that they were on
their way, and knowing the ever-eager Shelby, he did not doubt
that.

"Captain Picard to the bridge." Data's voice filtered through
the intercom system.

"On my way." Picard said into the air, then got up and looked
at Riker, "So it begins."

The two marched out of the Ready Room and onto the main bridge
of the Enterprise.  On the viewscreen, the image of a tranquil
planet floated into view.

All that was going to change, Riker thought as he sat down
next to his captain.

"Number One, I don't believe there is much time for
pleasantries.  You and Commander Data had better beam down and
organise the evacuation from below; I'll begin to speak to
whoever is in charge in the mean time."

Riker nodded and got up, as did Data from his station.  The
two entered the turbo-lift together.  Picard watched as the
doors slid them out of his view, then motioned for Worf to
hail the planet.

When the face of the leader appeared on the screen, Picard was
momentarily stunned.

"Enterprise, I was under the impression that you agreed we
would not be troubled again." The image of Goshevon spoke.

Why the hell wasn't I told this was the planet they had been
given to colonize, Picard thought, as he stared at the face of
the leader Data had publicly embarrassed in order to let his
people leave their colony when the Sheliak had demanded the
world they were on belonged to their race.

"You and your android chased us off our world once, Picard,
when the "mighty" Sheliak stole our world from us.  This time,
I hope this is nothing more than a courtesy call."  Goshevon
continued.

"Mr Goshevon, I do not have the time to discuss the situation
with you." Picard said, as diplomatically as possible. "But
believe me when I say an evacuation is necessary.  Commander
Data and my first officer..."

"You want us to pack up shop again, Picard!  Have the Sheliak
claimed this quadrant as well?"

"No." Picard said, quietly. "But the Borg have."

                     * * * * * * * *

Riker and Data appeared in what seemed like the town's centre,
the buildings that surrounded them suiting the warm, tropical
environment.  Though different in design, Data noticed that
the city was laid out in a similiar fashion to the one on the
planet the Sheliak took from them.

"Data!"  A woman's voice called out from behind them, and
before the android could do anything, the owner of that voice
ran up and hugged him as he turned in her direction.

"Ard'rian!" Data said in surprise, not quite sure how to
return the affectionate gesture.  As he disentangled himself
from the woman, he turned to Riker, who was standing next to
him with a rather amused expression on his face.  "Ard'rian,
this is Commander Riker."

Ard'rian Mackenzie turned to shake hands with Riker, but still
held onto Data's arm, a fact that didn't make Data feel any
more comfortable than when he was when hugged.

"Data, what are you doing here?"

"That involves a rather lengthy discussion on a wide range of
subjects and, unfortunately, time is of the essence." Data
informed her. "If you could show me to your leader, I will be
able to fill you in as well."

"Does this involve evacuation?" Ard'rian's face showed deep
concern. "Because if it is, there is no way in hell you're
going to get Goshevon to back down again."

"Unfortunately, there is no choice in the matter." Riker spoke
up. "There is no way this colony is going to be left standing,
whether you leave or not."

Data looked at his friend, who looked slightly taken aback at
Riker's directness.  "Ard'rian, we must speak to Goshevon
now."

                     * * * * * * * *

"Captain, the Borg seem to have other ideas regarding their
time of arrival." Worf spoke from behind his station.

"In what way?" Picard asked, looking up at his Chief of
Security.

"Current sensor readings indicate that they are only two hours
away at Warp nine."

There was no way the Enterprise was going to evacuate the more
than thousand colonists on the planet in that limitted time,
Picard knew.  True they had the space on board - all non-
essential personnel had been left on Star base Six, where the
Enterprise had got the emergency call - but in order to beam
all of those people on board, they'd need three hours at
least.  And that was with everything running perfectly....

"Mr Worf, inform Commander Riker that we will be seperating
from the saucer section.  You will remain in command and
oversee the evacuation from here." Picard snapped, then turned
to the two officers at the stations before him.  "Ro and
Soris, you're with me."  After the brief flurry of orders,
Picard moved towards the turbo-lift that would carry him to
the Battle Bridge.

                     * * * * * * * *

The large cube slid through space at an unimaginable speed.
They were in no hurry; time was irrelevant.  But their goal
was soon at hand.  The Borg-whole knew it was only a matter of
hours away.

They scanned the small object that now approached them.  They
found there to be one kindred to their own kind on board.
Indirect assimilation had begun.  It was a matter of time, and
they were in no hurry.

They hailed the tiny vessel to speak to their brethren.

                     * * * * * * * *

Picard noted his hands were sweating, as he stared at the
viewscreen, where the large cube-shaped structure hung in
space before them, as silent as death.

He was surprised that it had stopped when it picked the star-
drive section of the Enterprise up on its sensors; he had
assumed it would have continued on, ignoring them, unless
provoked.

Unless they want something with me, he thought, then
immediately squashed that idea.  Had Hugh had an effect on
them, perhaps?

"Sir, we're being hailed." The woman behind him spoke,
sounding slightly uncertain.

"What does the message say?" Picard asked, not taking his eyes
away from the view screen.

"It's just repeating the same word, over and over.  Locutus."

A chill shot up Picard's back at the mention of that name; it
froze his heart until he had to fight for breath.  Slowly, he
realised he was gripping the armrest of his chair, and forced
his hands to relax.

"Open a channel, Lieutenant." He ordered, then stood up and
moved a step towards Ensigns Ro and Soris who sat at their
stations before him.

"Channel open, sir."

"This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the starship...."

"Captain Picard of the Enterprise." The Borg voices rang in
unison, interrupting him. "We speak to Locutus of Borg."

Picard was silent for a moment.  When he spoke, his voice was
icey cold, and for a moment the anger at the rape he had
undergone shone within him, threatening to burst.  "That being
no longer exists."

"Existence is irrelevant.  Locutus is alive.  We speak to
Locutus of Borg." The Borg voice continued.

"Do not approach Beta Ariquae V.  This is your final warning."
Picard spoke, sternly.  Turning to the Lieutenant behind him,
he gestured for the channel to be closed, then reseated
himself in his command chair, wondering at his latest dialogue
with the Borg.

"The Borg ship is moving forward, captain, picking up speed on
a heading towards Beta Ariquae V." Ro Larens reported from her
station.

"How long before they reach the planet?"

"Roughly two and a quarter hours, sir." Ensign Ro replied.

Not good enough, Picard thought.  "Prepare to open fire on the
Borg ship, but maintain our distance from them."

The Enterprise moved forward to follow the shrinking Borg
ship, which had picked up its speed to Warp Four.  Soon the
cube-shaped ship had resumed its immense size on the view-
screen.

"Fire." Picard ordered, surprised at how much satisfaction it
gave him to say that one word.

Two beams of pure energy lanced out from the star-drive
section, hitting the Borg ship dead-on.  From their position
relative to the Borg ship, no damage was evident.

"The Borg have put up a shield, captain.  I doubt our phasers
can penetrate it."

"Move in front of them and dump an anti-matter spread." He
ordered.  The Borg ship zoomed closer as the Enterprise took
over it.  "Release anti-matter... now!"

Soris obliged, and the Enterprise increased speed to escape
the coming explosion.

"Minor damage to Borg shields, captain.  Otherwise, no change.
No change in their speed either, sir."  Ro Larens reported.

Picard was just about to give an order for a barrage of photon
torpedoes, when the star-drive section rocked wildly.  He
grabbed onto the armrest to keep from tumbling from the
command chair.  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw on the
view screen the brilliant beam of energy that had lanced from
the Borg ship to envelope the Enterprise.

"Shields down by 40 percent!" He heard the Lieutenant behind
him cry out.  "Massive damage to the warp engines!"

Impossible, he thought, but said: "Give us some distance from
the Borg."  He turned to the lieutenant behind him. "What the
hell was that?"

"Some powerful beam of energy, sir.  With the kind of power
I've never seen before."

"Warp drive down by 70 percent!" Ro Larens cried out.  "I can
only get us Warp Three."

What the hell was that thing they had used? Picard wondered.
Whatever it was, he had failed in his attempt to buy Riker
time.  The Borg would arrive at Beta Ariquae V in just over
two hours, and the colonists and the saucer-section would all
be sitting ducks.


PART TWO

Thank God we're almost done, Riker thought as he stared at the
horizon, where the pale green of the land met the grey-blue of
the sky, I don't want to be around here when this all gets
swallowed up.

The images of Jure 4 and the countless number of planets the
Enterprise had discovered when Q had first orchestrated their
meeting with the Borg washed through his mind.  As he stared
at the distant mountain and trees, felt the warm breeze that
blew against his face, and the heat of the sun, he couldn't
bring himself to accept that this was all to be gone in a few
hours.  They hadn't done a good job of convincing the
colonists either, but Data had reminded them of his honesty
and good faith at their last meeting, and finally persuaded
them to agree to the evacuation, at least temporarily.  Worf
had also reported that phasers with variable settings had been
distributed around the ship, in the unlikely chance of a Borg
incursion.

By the time they arrive we should be long gone, he thought.

"If the Borg are robots, surely they can be reasoned with."

Ard'rian Mackenzie's voice caught him by surprise, and he
turned around to find her and Data approaching him from a
nearby building.

"Unfortunately not." Data was telling her. "They seem to have
a built-in purpose, and one that is very hard to dissuade them
from continuing."

"What about gaining access into their memory banks, or
reprogramming them?" Ard'rian asked; Riker remembered that
Data had told him she had a deep fascination for artificial
life.

"Both have been tried already, and though there was a certain
degree of success, neither can be considered as a viable
option in the long term." Data replied.

"How is the evacuation proceeding?" Riker asked, as the pair
reached him.

"The majority of the colonists are on board, commander." Data
replied. "There are still seventy five individuals, including
ourselves, of course, that are still on the planet surface."

"All right..." Riker was interrupted by Worf's voice, coming
from his communicator.

"Commander Riker.  Sensors are picking up the Borg vessel,
closing on the planet; ETA in five minutes at their current
speed.  No sign of the star-drive section."

Once again, the images of Jure 4 flashed through his mind....

                     * * * * * * * *

Sickbay was overcrowded by colonists, and Beverly Crusher had
to fight her way through to get to the intercom.

"Lieutenant Worf, how many more colonists are you expecting,
and can't you arrange for them to be shown to other decks?
The corridors and sickbay are jammed here."

Whoever was arranging accomodations, was doing one hell of a
bad job, she thought to herself.

"Understood, Doctor.  I will speak to Mr O'Kleary."  Worf's
voice growled over the intercom, then disappeared as the link
was cut.  Whoever O'Kleary was, Crusher didn't doubt she was
happy she wasn't him.

"What's that?"  Came a voice from the other side of a room,
and Crusher immediately knew those two words almost always
signalled disaster, as over-inquisitive kids tried to inspect
a hypospray or phaser....

She turned towards the voice and froze.  On the far side of
the room she could make out the ashen-white face of a Borg.
With a look of single-deterimination, and with little care for
the multitudes that surrounded it, the thing began to move
forward at a slow, purposeful pace.  Sickbay lapsed into
silence except for the clicking of its mechanical arm.

Then all hell broke loose.

                     * * * * * * * *

The red alert siren flared as the sensors detected intruders
on the saucer-section.  Worf immediately leaped to his feet
and called for a scan of the entire ship.

"Sensors are detecting five Borg, sir, distributed in
different areas of the ship." The ensign manning the security
console informed him.

"Inform security of their locations; tell them to use maximum
force to deterr the invaders." Worf told him.  He wished he
could lead the teams himself; telling others to do the job he
should be doing only added to his anger.  "Shields up, and get
me Commander Riker."

                     * * * * * * * *

Damn, Riker thought as he saw the first wave of Borg descend
on the settlement.  The open area in which he and Data had
first materialized were now swarming with the creatures.  He
turned to Data and Mackenzie, who were both studying the
newcomers with intense curiosity.

"Mr Data, how many colonists still have to be beamed aboard?"

"Sixty four, Commander.  I estimate that will take us ten more
minutes." Data replied, not taking his eyes of the Borg who
were beginning to move into the various buildings, inspecting
the equipment that they uncovered.  Two Borg seemed to be
making their way towards the building in which they and the
remaining colonists were housed.

"Get ready to fire on my command." Riker whispered, removing
his variable-setting phaser from his belt.  Just then his
communicator sounded, and Worf's controlled, yet strained,
voice filtered through his badge.

"Commander!  The Borg have invaded the Enterprise.  We have
raised our shields in order to fend off any attack, and will
not be able to beam you aboard."

Riker digested this for a moment, but couldn't argue with the
klingon when it came to his actions; he had acted properly,
after all.  But he didn't like the idea of being stranded on
this planet that was being overrun by Borg.

"Apology accepted, Lieutenant Worf," Riker said into his badge
while keeping a close eye on the approaching pair of Borg,
"Take the Enterprise a safe distance out and try meet up with
the star-drive section."

"I cannot leave you alone on the planet, Commander." Worf's
voice shook with ferocity at both the Borg and the idea of
abandoning sixty four lives.  "We will attempt to distract the
Borg ship...."

"You will do nothing of the sort, Mr Worf." Riker hissed; the
Borg pair were close now, and he dared not give him and the
others away, though they probably had sensor devices anyway.
"You have a thousand lives on the saucer-section to worry
about, so get the hell out of here; that's an order."

Data and Ard'rian were watching him closely now, aware that
Riker was signing their death warrants with those words, but
knowing it couldn't be helped.  Riker cut the link as the two
Borg walked through the doorway of the room next to theirs.
Phasers in hand, he and Data waited for the two to move into
their field of vision, and then....

The tingling sensation of a transporter beam surrounded them,
blurring the rest of the world from their view.

                     * * * * * * * *

Beverly Crusher aimed her phaser at the approaching Borg.
Somewhere in there, she knew, there was an intellect, some
individual crying out for the inhumanity that had been forced
upon it.  She wondered if it too had been forced from its home
like Jean-Luc Picard had, to end up in this alien form, its
individuality squashed, no longer considered "relevant".  Its
eyes burned through her as it approached, moving towards the
sickbay computer that stood behind her.  She took one last
look into those eyes, and fired.

She heard a child scream somewhere.  Seeing a creature being
slain like that, no wonder; she thought, then looked up and
saw the basis for the child's cries.  Two more Borg had
replaced the one she had just shot.  A singularity of purpose
was written on their faces as they approached the sickbay
computer.

Crusher didn't see one of the male colonists moving towards
the further of the two Borg until it was too late.  Before she
could call out to him, the man leaped in the air in an effort
to tackle the massive bulk.  Sensing the actions of the
colonist, the Borg swung its massive arm, connecting it with
the man's mid-rif.  The blow was sufficient to drop the
colonist on the spot, clutching his stomach in pain.  Crusher
aimed her phaser once again and fired at the nearest creature.
As with the previous one, it dropped; but the third remained
standing, approaching her with a shield that made itself
apparent whenever fired at.

Quickly she changed the setting of the phaser and once more
aimed to fire.  But the creature was too close.  In one swift
movement, the Borg grabbed her wrist in a vice-like grip.
Then, in a single, quick movement, it snapped her wrist as if
it were a brittle stick.

With a cry of unbelievable agony, Crusher dropped the phaser
to the floor and collapsed beside it, cradling her broken arm
with her left hand.  The world spun rapidly before her, but
the constant presence of the Borg standing over her, accessing
the sickbay computer remained with her, until darkness
replaced all impressions.

                     * * * * * * * *

"Lieutenant, I've lost all signs of life on the planet's
surface!"

Worf spun around to face the ensign manning the security
console, and cursed. "They must have been beamed to the Borg
ship.  Any change in their vessel's activity?"

"Negative, sir....  Wait!  I'm detected an unusually high
amount of energy ready to be released from their ship!"

"Helm, fall back to a safe distance!" Worf ordered, chastising
himself for having gotten into a position where he would be
forced to utter those coward-like words.

As he spoke, a large amount of energy poured out from the side
of the Borg ship, striking a spot on the surface of Beta
Auriquae V.

"A portion of the planet's surface is being pulled towards the
Borg ship!"  The ensign spoke behind Worf, unable to mask her
surprise.

By now the Borg ship had fallen away so it took up half of the
bridge's main view screen; not too far away, but safe enough
for the moment.

Worf uttered an oath of vengeance as he thought of Riker and
Data, then turned towards the Lieutenant at the front of the
bridge.  "Plot a heading for the last known position of the
star-drive section."  The least he could do to honour the
death of his superior was to respect his last command.
William Riker may not be dead now, he knew, but he was as good
as dead, anyhow.

                     * * * * * * * *

Locutus.

The word still haunted him.  What was it that so repulsed him
about that name?  Was it that a part of him was still linked
to that thing, and all that it represented?

Picard brushed those thoughts aside as he looked over the
present assemblage of what remained of his officers.  Geordi,
Worf, Troi, and Beverly Crusher.  The two empty seats amongst
them were powerful reminders of anguish and pain.

He prayed they were dead.

"....and their last heading indicates they are on a course for
Earth, Captain." Worf concluded his his report.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Worf.  Doctor Crusher?"

Beverly Crusher looked up from the spot on the table she had
been staring at, thinking.  Her right wrist had been covered
in a thick, hard gell that assured the break would be repaired
in a few days.  "All the surviving colonists are fine; I've
treated a few for minor injuries after attempting to stop
individual Borg members...."

"That's irrelevant, Doctor." Picard interrupted. "What did the
Borg get out of the Sickbay computer?  What were they looking
for?"

Crusher was silent for a moment, as was the rest of the staff.
When she continued, her voice was a little more tight.  "They
were going through our medical records, human physiology and
anatomy...."

"Whose medical records?"

She looked at Picard.  "Yours, sir.  All check-ups subsequent
to your kidnapping by them."

Picard was silent for a moment.  They wanted him, he was sure.
But why did they stubbornly address him as Locutus, and what
were they looking for in his medical records?

"Thank you, Doctor Crusher.  Mr LaForge?"

"We're badly damaged, sir." Geordi began. "Whatever they shot
at us when we confronted them was enough to blow almost every
circuit in the warp drive reactor, and then some."

"How long before we can be fully repaired?"

Geordi took a deep breath.  "That's a tough one, sir.  I don't
think we can ever get fully repaired without reporting in to a
Starbase.  But as we are, I can have Warp eight and shields up
to seventy percent efficiency in seven hours."

"Unacceptable, Mr LaForge." Picard shook his head. "You've got
four hours; in the mean time we'll make our way towards Earth
at whatever speed we can muster.  Any questions?"

Geordi sighed at what Picard demanded, but remained quiet.

"I suggest contacting the USS Garrett and inform them of what
has occurred." Worf replied. "And warn Earth."

"Good idea, make it so." Picard nodded.  "Let's get to work."

The officers all filed out, except for Troi, who remained
seated.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Counsellor?" Picard
asked as he stood at the door to the Briefing Room.

"You're hiding from me, Captain." Troi replied, not looking
up.

Picard hesitated for a moment, then moved back to where he had
been sitting, at the head of the table.  "What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure, Captain.  But I believe it has something to do
with what happened while you were under their control.  If
you're thinking of Will and Data...."

"I hope to God they're dead." It was almost a whisper, a
coldness brought on by his experience in that metallic hell.
Oh God, he thought, I'm as bad as them.

Troi didn't answer for a long time.  But when she did, her
voice was not filled with the coldness in Picard's, but rather
with sorrow.

"So do I."

                     * * * * * * * *

Ard'rian Mackenzie looked around her in confusion.  The
grating sound of metal filled the metallic confines in which
she found herself.  Nearby, she saw Data standing, alert.
There were no Borg to be seen, but that did not mean that they
were not there.  She picked herself up and moved to join the
android.

"Where are we?" She asked; a stupid question, she thought, as
she stared at the seemingly-randomly placed metal and steel
that surrounded her.  Long steel cables seemed to lie in every
direction and there were many just above head-height.

"We are on the Borg ship." Data answered, having opened his
tricorder and scanning the area.  "However, I can find no
trace of Commander Riker or any of the other colonists."

"Perhaps they were left on the planet." Ard'rian suggested,
then looked up.  She took a deep breath as she stared at the
seemingly endless tower of metal and structures that loomed
above them to a single, distant point.  "This is huge!"

"It is much bigger than it actually seems." Data replied,
helpfully, not looking up from his tricorder.  "We are soon to
have company."

It was then that Ard'rian heard the metallic foot-fall of an
approaching Borg, ringing against the metal that surrounded
them.  The sound increased until it seemed a swarm was moving
towards them.

Data pulled out his phaser.  "My tricorder reads twelve Borg
approaching.  I suggest you stand behind me."

Ard'rian peered into the mass of metal in front of them, but
could make out no sign of life, except for the sound,
increasing in intensity.  Then, in the distance, she saw them.
Twelve Borg moving down the narrow corridor towards them,
their massive mechanical arms pulled at an angle in front of
them.

Data aimed and fired, felling the Borg one by one.  And still
they moved forward.  As each developed a shield, so Data
changed the frequency, felling more until the others had
adapted.  But there were too many.  The third last reached
him, and grabbing his hand, tore his phaser from it.  In
response, Data threw the Borg against the nearest wall, but
was immediately taken over by another.  The third held
Ard'rian in its vice-like grip.  In horror she stared as the
massive arm of the one Borg plunged into Data's side, drilling
through his android body.

Assimilation, Data knew was inevitable.  But there were some
knowledge he couldn't allow the Borg to get its hands on.  He
began to erase certain files in his positronic brain.

The two Borg who held him halted for an instant, as if
receiving orders from the Whole, then with the precision of
robots, smashed Data's already mangled body against the
bulkhead.

Erase... Eras... Er....

The two Borg turned him off, then proceeded to disconnect his
head.

                     * * * * * * * *

He couldn't move, couldn't see, couldn't yell.  But he could
hear the sound of the Borg as they moved around him, and the
sound of their mechanical arms, whinning as they touched
metal; grinding when they touched... bone?

Suddenley darkness surrounded Riker no longer.  Above him he
could make out metal structures and conduits.  There was no
doubt, he was on the Borg ship.  But he still couldn't move,
not even his neck.  Then a Borg came into his field of vision.
It's ghastly white face could be seen bending over him, its
dead eyes staring fixedly into his.  The mechanical arm loomed
over his face, then moved downwards between his eyes....


PART THREE:
"Message received and understood, Captain." Admiral Ranklin
said, gravely.  "And for what it is worth, Jean-Luc, I am
deeply sorry for the loss of Commanders Riker and Data.  The
Federation has lost two fine officers."

Picard nodded, his carefully composed face masking all
feelings. "How long before the USS Garrett can confront the
Borg ship?"

"We've notified Captain Shelby of the... recent events at Beta
Ariquae V, and she is on her way.  We estimate she will arrive
at Earth in four days.  A bit late, but better late than
never."  Ranklin forced a smile. "We're preparing to
evacuate."

"Four days." Picard repeated, slowly. "The Borg ship will be
there in less than one."

"I know." Ranklin nodded. "But we'll give them a good fight."

"We'll be there in two days, Admiral.  You'll just have to
hold them off until then."

Ranklin sighed deeply.  "We're pulling all our forces back in.
Away from the Neutral Zone, away from patrol routes.  If we're
going, we're going to go with a fight.  But you're the closest
starship to Earth.  You'll be the first to arrive and see what
havoc's been wreaked.  We just hope we're still around to see
you, Enterprise."

The link was cut.  Picard sat for a moment, staring at the
stars that had replaced the Admiral's drawn face.

"Engineering to Bridge." Geordi's voice cut through his
thoughts, bringing him back to the harsh reality around him.
"We can give you Warp Eight as soon as you're ready, Captain."

"Understood, Mr LaForge." Picard replied.  "How soon until
shields are fully operational?"

"They're up to eighty percent, captain," Geordie's voice
responded, "and that's better than I anticipated.  Right at
the moment, it looks like full efficiency is closer to wishful
thinking than anything else I can imagine."

Well, it was better than he could have hoped for, Picard
thought with a sigh.  "Thank you, Geordi.  It's all I could
have asked."

He turned to the empty chair to his right, then spoke: "Mr
Worf, I would like a word with you in my Ready Room."

                     * * * * * * * *

Will Riker's quarters were unusually quiet.  In the past it
had an air of warmth and cheer about it; but now it was bathed
in a dim glow, as Geordi LaForge was shutting down all non-
essential sections of the ship to divert the majority of the
power into the shields and the warp engines.

Deanna Troi glanced around the spacious room, and thought of
its old owner.  The only comforting thought was that he was
dead, but what comfort was that?  She hoped that it had been
quick.  After witnessing Jean-Luc Picard's conversion into a
Borg, seeing the pain he felt after he was brought back from
that nightmare, she hoped Riker would be spared that.  And
Picard....?

He was being more distant, more elusive, as they moved towards
Earth.  The encounter with the Borg at Beta Ariquae V had no
doubt shaken him up far worse than she thought possible, but
then again, when it awakened such harsh memories that had been
forced into the unconscious, what else could be expected?  The
reminder of what he had been, what they made him become, was
something that had obviously haunted him since his escape from
the Borg, a crushing of his spirit, of his very being - all
this was being dredged to the surface once again, as he
travelled on this course towards Earth once again, this time
knowing his William Riker and Data were undergoing the same
conversion - and destruction of their spirit.  The only
comfort was in the notion of their death, for if becoming a
Borg and losing your very essence was not death, what was?

She would have to help him confront those fears, those pains.
A part of him was no doubt hiding, and the first step was to
bring that part out into the open; the problem was how.

                     * * * * * * * *

Earth defensive capabilities?  Irrelevant; they knew them.
The knowledge gained from those assimilated; the information
retrieved from the Enterprise memory banks; data acquired from
their refined sensors - all fed into the Borg consciousness.
They knew.  Assimilation was only a matter of time.

The high-grade phaser cannons, the electrical discharge, and
anti-matter ejector were all powerless against the newly
developed shields of the Borg.  Through the darkness of space,
the cube-shaped ship sped towards its destination, an
unstoppable force about to be unleashed on a defenseless
planet.

The Borg had calculated well; the spokesman was on its way.
All would be prepared for it.  The new form of assimilation
was at work, and soon it would be ready.  The Borg vessel
passed by the lonely giant planet, Uranus, and sped on towards
its goal.

                     * * * * * * * *

The arms, legs, and most of the torso had been discarded.
They were inferior, and hence irrelevant.  But the head, and
the multitude of circuits and electronic chips that it
possessed, and the information contained within them were of
importance, and it was 1075's job to assimilate that
information into the Borg whole.  It had been assimilated
recently, but already it had total control over its large
robotic appendages, electronic scanner, and other
modifications that it had underwent when it had gone by the
name of Ard'rian Mackenzie.  That name meant nothing now.
That being no longer existed.  That being was now Borg.

It stared down at the android head, carefully sliced open by
one of the Borg's advanced machinery so that none of the
delicate circuits were damaged or destroyed.  The operation
was precise, and done with the coldness associated with a
machine in a factory.

But there was no such coldness as 1075 stared downward at the
object in its hand.  There was something familiar about the
head; a strange feeling that was associated with it, something
totally alien to this creature that now stared at it.  The
metal plate that melded with its biological head had resulted
in the long hair that the previous owner of this body once had
being removed.  Hair was unnecessary.  In the dim light of the
Borg vessel, it continued to stare downward at the head, its
own white scalp standing out in the gloom.

And then it did something totally alien to its character.
1075 turned to the accessing terminal where it had been
stationed, and downloaded all the files in the android head
under one directory in the Borg whole.  Once the process was
completed, 1075 hesitated another moment as it stared at the
blank face of the android again, then moved down the narrow,
metal gang-way to dump the head with the rest of the android's
body parts.

                     * * * * * * * *

"Captain Picard, report to the bridge."  Worf's voice boomed
through the intercom system.

In the darkness of his quarters, Picard did not move.
Instead, he continued to sit on the edge of his bed, oblivious
to everything.

What were they fighting for?  Why even try to fight?
Resistance was useless.  Resistance.... irrelevant, he thought
and stood up.  He left his quarters in its darkness and moved
out towards the bridge.

Troi had ordered a complete mental and physical medical check-
up, and he had acceded to her request reluctantly.  As he
entered the turbo-lift he reminded himself to stop by sickbay
to check on the results.

"Report, Mr Worf." He said into his badge as the turbo-lift
started upwards.

"We have arrived at the edge of the solar system, Captain."
His new First Officer's voice said.  "And a message has just
come in from the Quadrant Delta-Agneu."

"What does the message say?"

There was a pause before Worf responded. "Two more Borg ships
have been spotted entering Federation space, sir.  Both are on
a direct course for Earth."

                     * * * * * * * *

"I repeat, Captain: The Enterprise has been co-opted by the
Borg.  You are to use all available force to neutralise both
the Borg ship and the Federation star ship."

Shelby hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to question an
Admiral who had barely escaped from Earth with his life.  "In
what way has the Enterprise been commandeered by the Borg?"

Admiral Ranklin looked at her, his eyes glazed over by the
destruction he had seen.  "This may be hard to believe,
Captain Shelby, but Locutus is alive."

"What?  Locutus was destroyed when we retrieved Captain
Picard.  I don't see how..."

"He is alive, Captain." Ranklin interrupted her, wearily. "In
fact, he never died.  This is something we suspected, but
never were able to confirm, and the reason why Commander Riker
was not offerred another captaincy since Picard's abduction.
But that's not important.  What is is that you must stop them
both.  We've lost Earth, and thank God we managed to get out
of there before things got messy, but you know about the two
other Borg ships.  If we're going to turn this around into a
victory for our side, the Enterprise must be destroyed.  We're
counting on you, Captain.  Good luck."

The screen dimmed, and Ranklin's face was replaced by the
stars of the galaxy.  How many of their planets are going to
meet Earth's fate before this is all over? Shelby wondered.
And what did Ranklin mean by Locutus being alive?  If this was
true, how did he know?  The bastard managed to get out of the
area alright, claiming he was non-expendable, that he was
needed to organize the counter-strike against the Borg.
Meanwhile, many civilians on Earth were being butchered, or
even worse, being assimilated.

Shelby turned to the ensign before her.  "What is our ETA at
Earth, Ensign?"

"Twelve hours, sir." He responded.

Shelby turned back to the stars, and mused.

                     * * * * * * * *

"Two minutes from Earth orbit, sir."  Ensign Ro reported from
her station.

"Thank you, Ensign.  We'll hold our position here." Picard
said, then turned to Worf at the security console. "What do
the sensors read, Lieutenant?"

Worf was silent for a moment.  When he spoke, his voice was
both deep and somber: "Sensors indicate a mutlitude of
individual Borg members on the planet, sir.  They seem to be
in the process of assimilation."

Picard turned back and faced the screen.  There, before him,
the large cube-shaped ship hung in orbit around his home-
world.  He imagined the thousands of Borg crawling across its
surface, taking what they wanted and destroying the rest....

"Captain, I need to speak to you; this is urgent."

Picard turned to see Beverly Crusher, having just emerged from
the aft turbo-lift, walking down the side of the bridge
towards him.

"It can wait till later, Doctor.  Until we...."

"I need to speak to you now."  The look on Crusher's face told
him it was important, but....

An alarm beeped on Worf's board, and the Klingon looked up to
say: "We're being scanned, sir."

"Are the Borg making any sign of moving or intercepting us?"

"No, sir." Worf answered. "There's no indication of....
Incoming message, Captain, from the Borg!"

Picard hesitated, and glanced to his left, at Deanna Troi.
She met his gaze.  Not for the first time, Picard was happy
the ship was designed for a Counsellor, and not any
Counsellor, to be seated beside him.

"Put the message on the screen."

For a few seconds the image of the Borg ship circling the
Earth remained on the view screen, and then it was gone,
replaced by the face of a man he knew well, a man he had hoped
was dead.  Next to him, he heard Troi take a deep breath.

"My God!"

"Will...."  Picard stood up and moved forward, not taking his
eyes from the screen, where the half-human, half-machine
creature stood before him, the familiarity of its face
distorted by the mechanical implants that scared it.  A large
patch of metal encased the left half of its face, and in place
of the left eye, there was a ball of firey-redness that seemed
to burn into the screen.

"Locutus of Borg, your arrival has been anticipated by the
Whole." The voice was almost metallic, and cold.  "We welcome
you and your prize to your new home world, and the moment when
it will be assimilated into our culture.  Assimilation is
under way, in you as it is in others.  Prepare to receive
members of the Whole, as your ship will also require a
breakdown into its component parts as we assimilate it and
those on board it who are untouched."

"Captain!"

"Later, Doctor!" Picard barked as he motioned for Worf to
close the channel. "Mr Worf, is it possible to beam an Away
Team to their ship, get him back?"

Worf shook his head. "Even if we lowered our own shields,
their defenses have improved drastically since we last
encountered them.  There is no way we can find a whole in
their shields."

"Jean-Luc...!" Crusher yelled.

"All right, Doctor." Picard bristled. "I'll give you a minute,
in my Ready Room."

Crusher followed him as he stalked into the privacy of the
room adjacent to the bridge.

"Let's have it, Doctor.  I don't have time for..."

Crusher looked at him sternly, yet hating to tell him what she
had found out.  Finally, she said:  "Captain, Locutus is
alive."

Picard stared at her for a moment, then turned to face the
window.  Finally, he looked back at her, a mixture of
apprehension and a dawning horror on his face.  "How is that
possible?"

"I don't know what to call it; a bug, maybe.  But whatever it
was, it was small enough to pass through all of my medical
scans unnoticed until now."  Crusher's voice had softened, but
there was still that hint of urgency. "Whatever it is, I
assume it was planted in you at the time of your abduction, in
the event of you being re-taken by us.  At any rate, this
"bug" is wiping out each of your brain cells systematically,
and supplementing them with new ones - those that match
Locutus'.  It's like a computer virus, but on the biological
level."

Picard grabbed a hold on the arm of his chair, and lowered
himself into the seat behind his desk.  He sat silently for a
moment, the apprehension turning to a look of absolute dread.

"I'm going to become him again.  I'm becoming Locutus."  He
whispered.

END PART THREE

To clear up a small matter that may have been worrying some
people, Ard'rian Mackenzie is the character that was featured
in the Third Season episode: "Ensigns of Command", in which
Data had to evacuate a colony before an alien race, the
Sheliak, claimed the planet they were on.  Ard'rian was one of
the colonists, interested in robotics, etc, and hence Data,
and helped him to win the colonists' confidence and turn them
away from their leader, Goshevon, who wished to stay and
fight.  This is just by-the-by, in case some of you haven't
seen the episode or have forgotten her name and couldn't
associate it with that episode....

And now Part Four; enjoy,
Ryan.

                          I, LOCUTUS:

PART FOUR:
The human known as Riker had performed its duties well.  It
had aided the Borg in the inevitable assimilation of its home-
world, Earth.  It had provided the Borg with necessary
knowledge for them to fulfill their purpose.  But now it was
irrelevant.  Assimilation of the Earth was nearing completion;
what was left was the dismantling, and then destruction, of
all Earth structures.  The culture had become one; the people
had become one - with the Borg.  And then there was the re-
birth as Locutus arose from the ashes of its own destruction
so the Borg's spokesman was returning.  One spokesman was all
that was necessary.  With the full backing of the Borg, it
would carry the message far; it would aid in the assimilation;
it would show the futility of any attempts at resistance.

The Borg whole had decided, and so its decision was sent to
that which had been called Riker.  Without argument, the Borg
known as Riker left its central post and headed towards the
area where it would be re-assimilated, this time as one of the
many; as part of the whole - to serve as a unit in the
combined effort of the Borg.

                     * * * * * * * *

Where am I?

Where ever he was, there was an accompanying presence to be
sure.  The presence of the Borg; not individual members of the
whole.  But of all Borg.  Every where.

How is this possible?

There was nothing to look at; nothing to feel, taste, or
smell.  There was only that presence of the Borg.  And
knowledge.  He had access to it all; access to all areas of
Borg consciousness.  He stopped himself short of acting.
Actions would raise alarms.  And alarms would notify the group
consciousness of his existence, if they didn't know of it
already.  He would have to be careful.

Ard'rian-Borg-Locutus-alive-two-Borg-ships-Earth-assimilation-
proceeding-approaching-Riker-Borg-assimilation-requiered.  All
flitted through Data's consciousness.  All was known.  But he
had to be extremely careful.  One false move would alert the
Borg Whole to his whereabouts, and they would no doubt see him
as a threat.  They would attempt to route him out like a virus
in a computer system.  He would have to choose his path
carefully, very carefully.....

                     * * * * * * * *

How foolish he had been.  How vain and unthinking; to ever
think he could escape the Borg.  Resistance is futile; it was
something he had forgotten, something that had seemed unreal
once he had thought he had beaten them at their own game.  But
the laugh had been on him, and it was he who was now paying
the price for ever thinking he could beat the Borg.

Assimilation is inevitable, they had told him; he should have
believed them.

Picard stared out of his Ready Room window, and into the
darkness of space, a view he always cherished.  Now that
familiar sight was blemished by the large metallic-looking
Borg ship, as it loomed over him, casting a mental shadow over
him.

Beverly Crusher had shown him the brain scans, the computer-
image of the biological "computer virus", as she had called
it, that was steadily wiping out his very brain cells and
replacing them with those of "Locutus'".  This time it was
different; previously, he had been taken and assimilated
fairly quickly.  But now; now he knew what was in store for
him, what was slowly happening to him, and how they were
destroying him, brain cell by brain cell.  And that was the
most horrific part of it all.

"Captain."

At the sound of Geordi LaForge's voice, he spun around.

"What is it, Mr LaForge?"

Geordi hesitated for a second, then continued. "I've studied
this "virus" as much as I can, sir.  And I can see no way of
destroying it.  It seems to have bonded with your own DNA
structure, and is working at the molecular level.  Not to
mention, it is a damn sophisticated thing, too."  He was
silent for a moment, then said. "I'm sorry, sir."

Picard nodded, slowly.  He hadn't expected otherwise.  Foolish
of LaForge to think he could outwit the Borg...

"Captain to the Bridge." Worf's voice boomed through the
intercom system, bringing Picard out of his chair in an
instant.

He and Geordi marched out of the room and into the Bridge, to
find the bridge crew standing silently to one side, eyeing the
half-metallic being that stood before them, its large
mechanical arm extending as it moved towards the conn.

                     * * * * * * * *

He knew everything.  And yet he could do very little.  The
knowledge that the slightest alteration in the Borg's workings
would bring the Borg Consciousness down upon him stifled his
ability to act.  He had considered entering a command that
would put the Borg to sleep, as he had done when the
Enterprise last battled the Borg as a whole, but that option
had disappeared.  The Borg learnt from their mistakes; the
Borg adapted, because the Borg had to survive.  No longer
would they allow themselves to be placed in jeopardy, thus all
commands that could pose a threat to the Borg had been placed
under strict control.  Only a unanimous decision by all Borg,
where all components of the whole agreed to the ruling, would
allow such measures to take effect.  And though Data was in
the Whole, a part of the consciousness, he could not command
all members of the whole to agree to go to sleep.

Thus few avenues were open to him.  And he knew it would take
one minor disruption to bring the whole group down on him,
seeking him out and destroying his very essence from their
consciousness.  And one of those options now presented itself.
Data prepared himself for the total onslaught he would face,
as he readied himself for what he was about to do.

                     * * * * * * * *

Riker's eyes shot open.  The confusion of his current
predicament sent his mind reeling as he tried to hold on to
something, some fact he could take as certain.

Then he realised that he could move his neck, his toes, and
his fingers on his left hand.  But his fingers on his right
hand....

He lifted his head, and was suddenly hit by a wave of nausea
that threatened to draw him back into the darkness from whence
he came.  But it was the sensation of dire peril, of mind-
blowing fear that pulled him up into a sitting position.

Then he noticed the metallic arm; that massive artificial
appendage that represented all that he held as disgusting and
vile, as anti-life....

And the pain and mental anguish of what he remembered came
pouring over him like an avalanche; the memory of the rape as
his own individuality was crushed mercilessly was enough to
draw a gut-wrenching sob from his palid lips.  And then he
looked around him.

It seemed as if there were hundreds of them there in those
gloomy surroundings, all lying on those metal tables like
bodies in the mortuary, ready for the knife....

Riker tried to stand, still clutching the side of the table as
the dizzy spell once more washed over him.  His mechanical arm
clanged against the neighbouring table, and the sound echoed
down the large, otherwise silent, room.  He stood still for a
moment; waiting, fearing for an army of Borg to come lumbering
towards him and force him back to his table, to join those
multitudes in their collective slumber.  But none came.

Almost instinctually, Riker reached for the left side of his
face.  And his worst nightmares were realised as he touched
cold metal.

It was then that he realised that his vision was also tainted;
instead of merely seeing the surroundings as they actually
were, the room seemed less gloomy than before, and he could
see distant things in greater detail.  He reached for his left
eye, and stopped short.  If it was so, he didn't want to know.
Slowly, he lowered his hand - his only hand - and started
forward, trying to find a way out of this nightmarish hell in
which he had been placed.

                     * * * * * * * *

They were after him.  The simple act of interfering with their
plans for William Riker had resulted in the awareness of his
presence, and of the potential threat he represented.  He had
attempted to interfere in their plans, and that could not be
tolerated, not by the Borg.

But Data was working quickly, using the Borg's very systems to
elude them from his presence.  As he skirted from one system
to another, so he hid himself like a crafty computer virus,
creating false impressions and spurious leads while at the
same time covering his tracks.

But the Borg weren't fools.  They learnt quickly.  They knew
what was irrelevant, and thus phoney; it was merely a matter
of time before the collective consciousness had worked the
kink out of the system; it was inevitable.

                     * * * * * * * *

"State your purpose for being here."

It was a futile demand, and Picard knew it.  But it was one he
made none-the-less.  The being continued to ignore them, as if
they were not there, and looked around the bridge at the
various stations.

Out of the corner of his eye, Picard saw Worf drawing his
phaser, and grabbed the klingon's wrist.

"No!"  He paused, and continued more calmly. "You are not to
fire at them."

Worf eyed him wearily, but replaced his phaser to his belt.

After a moment's pause, Picard said: "If you shoot it, they'll
just send another; it's fruitless to try shooting them
individually."

"The view screen!"  Someone yelled, and all eyes turned to
look at it.

Before them, they could see a large beam of energy reaching
out towards the Earth from the Borg ship.  Nothing happened
for a long time, then slowly, a large peice of the surface
seemed to be pulled from its roots, up into space.

All was silent on the bridge.  It was soon broken by a high-
pitched sound as the air shimmered a few feet away from them,
and two more Borg appeared.

Ensign Ro looked up from the security console, near which she
had been standing. "Sir, reports of Borg-sightings are coming
in from all decks, but the majority are from Engineering."

Picard nodded slowly at this, and caught the eye of an
apprehensive-looking Troi.

"Assimilation is under-way." He said, finally. "I'm in contact
with them."

                     * * * * * * * *

Riker stumbled down the path, faceless humans on either side
of him - faceless for the fact that they were now Borg.  He
hadn't looked down at his mechanical arm since he had first
noticed it, nor lifted his only hand to touch his "face" since
he had first done so.  It was too much to think about, and
there was far more he had to do than worry about his own
mental and physical rape.  Yet still he could not hold back on
the vile, impure feeling he perceived within him, of the
violation he had undergone.

A familiar face caught his eye, and Riker did a double-take.
It was a face he knew, alright, yet this time it was without
expression, without the animosity that he normally associated
with it.  Yet this was something more fearful than animosity
that he felt when he stared into those glassy eyes of
Goshevon.

And you wanted to stay with your colony, Riker thought as he
stared at the once-leader, I wonder what your answer would be
now if you had to make that choice again....

But there was nothing he could do for Goshevon, so he turned
from the lifeless body, a body without a soul, and moved on
down the aisle, the metal floor ringing with every step he
took.

And then he noticed something out of the corner of his eye,
against the far wall.  Slowly, he made his way towards it,
moving between the tables, quickening his pace as he neared
it.  He passed the final bed to find what he hoped he wouldn't
see - the mutilated remains of Lieutenant Commander Data.


Riker paused for a moment, taking in the sight.  Arms, legs,
torso, and head, all abandoned there in their various parts,
stacked in the corner of this Hell.  With his one free hand,
he picked up Data's head, and looked down at it, a feeling of
intense grief washing over him.  What the hell had happened,
to him, the Enterprise, Ard'rian?  Assimilated was the answer,
the only answer.  Under what circumstances he had been
seperated from the whole, he did not know, but when he was
seperated, he had taken with him all the knowledge he had
gained while under that inhuman guise.  Ard'rian had been
assimilated, Data had been assimilated, and Jean-Luc Picard
and the Enterprise crew were in the process of being
assimilated into the Whole.  But Data.....?

The chips from the android's head were missing, and the memory
of Data being placed into the Whole was strong.  And the last
memory, what was that last memory?  Of danger?  Not to him,
but to the Whole.....  He left Data's head with the rest of
the disassembled body and made his way down the long room of
tables.  He knew where Data was, and he knew time was running
out.

                     * * * * * * * *

Jean-Luc Picard had been seperated from his people.  Worf had
tried to stop it, but his attempts had been ineffectual.
Picard looked around the bare room in which he had been
placed, so as to keep him from supplying his fellow-officers
with knowledge he gained from being joined to the whole while
at the same time being Captain Jean-Luc Picard.  He stared at
the Borg who stood before him, whose eyes stared right through
him, glazed over and unseeing.  That face, so much like his
own.

They were monitoring his decline, that was sure; watching him
to make sure nothing went wrong.  Nothing would go wrong.  It
was inevitable, and Picard knew it.

Resistance was futile.


PART FIVE:

The Borg were everywhere.  And more were still on their way,
dissecting the Federations most prized vessel, taking it apart
and adapting it to their own specifications.

The Borg had a plan, no doubt, but whatever it was, it eluded
the very upset Klingon Security Chief as he stared down at the
engineering section, below him, swarming with Borg soldiers.

He and the five security officers he had taken with him, armed
to the teeth with phasers, had assigned themselves the task of
re-taking engineering, getting to the warp reactor, and
destroying the ship, hopefully taking a large part of the Borg
ship with them.  Worf knew that whether it was through his
doing or through the Borg's, the Enterprise was doomed.  And
he preferred if it was through his doing.

The Klingon security officer considered his next actions, then
after a pause, stood up and began to move forward, towards the
elevator that would take him to engineering.  No spoken words
were needed, and his security team followed right behind him.

As the elevator doors closed behind them, Worf turned to the
officers before him.

"No one is to fire until I order it." He said quietly, but
almost menacingly.  "We will make our way towards the warp
core reactors, and from there start the self-destruct
program."

"And if they've removed that from the memory banks?"  One of
the officers spoke up.

That would be almost impossible to do, but when it came to the
Borg, Worf knew all impossibilities had to be considered.
"With or without the self-destruct, we will find a way to
destroy the ship."

As the elevator came to a halt, Worf quickly ordered the doors
not to be opened.  As if appreciating the Klingon's
superiority, the computer acceded to his wishes, and they
remained secure within the confines of the turbo-lift.

"Ready..."  He began, setting his phaser at the highest
setting.

"...and..."  His hand hovered over the small handle that would
allow the doors to be open when pressed.

The ship rocked violently, throwing all the officers to the
floor of the elevator, on top of each other.  Worf managed to
hold onto the side of the lift, but after another buffeting,
he too joined his team in the assortment of arms and legs on
the floor.

Worf reached up for the handle once more, and as the
Enterprise shook again, managed to open the doors and crawl
out, phaser in hand, wondering about who would be attacking
his ship.

                     * * * * * * * *

"The Borg are powering up their weapons, Captain."  The
lieutenant spoke from his station.

Shelby continued to stare at the viewscreen, at the cube-
shaped ship and the galaxy-class starship that hung together
in space, orbitting the Earth.

As if in response to the Lieutenant's warning, a powerful beam
of energy lashed out from the side of the Borg ship.

"Shields down by 90 percent... 80..."

"Fire phasers and take out that beam." Shelby ordered, not
taking her eyes from the image before her.

"Firing phasers."

Twin beams of energy lanced out from the USS Garrett, striking
the Borg ship at the origin of its weapon.

"We got through their shields, captain, but they are
undamaged."

"Prepare to fire anti-matter spread in..."

"Captain! the Borg ship is increasing its power to its
shields, covering the Enterprise with it, to protect it."  The
lieutenant called out.

So it had been co-opted, Shelby thought.  She wondered about
Will Riker....

                     * * * * * * * *

Worf turned to the tall security officer that stood beside
him, at the engineering console near the warp reactor coils.

"Mr DeMont, you will remain here.  If you do not hear from me
within half an hours time, you must drop the seal."  Worf
stared at him, calmly, searching the others face to see that
he understood.

"Aye, sir." DeMont responded.  He knew that would be the
death-knell for the Enterprise - dropping the seal that housed
the anti-matter was like dropping a lit match in a vat of TNT;
even more impressive.

"And the Borg?"

Worf glanced over DeMont's shoulder to see if they had been
seen.  So far, so lucky.  "From all our previous encounters,
the Borg have only reacted to our presence when we posed a
visible threat." He replied. "So long as you don't do
anything, they shouldn't be a problem.  But, just in case, do
your best not to be seen."

DeMont nodded, then turned to seat himself behind the
engineering console.  Worf turned to join the rest of the
security team at the turbo-lift.  So the Borg had covered the
Enterprise within its shields, he thought.  That gave him a
little latitude, and the chance to get the Enterprise to do
more than a little damage to the Borg ship when it destructed.
All he had to do was get to the Borg ship - now possible that
they were in their shields - and disrupt the Borg
consciousness, weaken them.  After that, there was plenty of
time in which to die.

                     * * * * * * * *

Riker froze.  There had been a noise, he was sure.  As he
stood in the gloom of one of the long, winding tunnels in the
labrynth that was the Borg ship, he listened out for the
remotest sound.  And then he heard it; the sound of distant
footsteps clanging on the steel gangway on which he was
standing.  The vibrations from those unseen beings' movements
shot up Riker's leg.  And he was sure they were coming for
him.

He was still linked to the Borg; he was sure of it.  There was
a part of him that was in touch with the Whole.  They knew
where he was and what he was doing, but he also knew their
directives, sensed their group effort and that which they were
trying to achieve.  Part of it was Data; he had sensed that
when he stood over Data's remains; he had known what had to be
done.  But a part of their objectives were also to stop him -
he was a threat, something which could undermine the Borg.
And that, he knew, could not be tolerated.

The nightmare of what he had just escaped, and the nightmare
of which he was now living sent his mind reeling in panic.
The memory of all those faces lying on those tables, soulless,
refused to leave his mind's eye.  He remembered the face of
Goshevon.  It was the husk he had seen, that outer layer of
meat, with nothing on the inside except circuitry and an
artificialness that chilled him.

He looked down at that mechanical arm that he held out before
him, then turned quickly to escape.

The vibrations had increased greatly now, as those that caused
them neared.  Riker broke into a run.  It wasn't much of one,
however, as he was still incredibly weak.  But the thought of
returning to that table drove him on and kept him moving as
fast as his strength would allow.  Unfortunately, it wasn't
fast enough.

Riker stopped dead in his tracks as he spotted the Borg
soldier standing before him, a feeling of dread, and a strange
notion of distant kinship - as vile as it seemed - crept into
his mind.  One and the same.  A part of him was still... that.

He turned to retrace his steps, but halted.  Five Borg
soldiers were nearing him from the other side, trapping him.
Frantically, he looked at the two options which faced him -
charge the one or be taken; for him, the latter was not even
an option.  Riker ran head-long towards the one Borg.

The sound of a phaser screamed past him, accompanied by a beam
of pure energy, and the Borg before him crumpled.  Its place
was replaced by a team of security men, led by Worf.

"Commander....!" Worf yelled, as he hesitated, his weapon
trained on the charging Borg.  Then quickly, he ordered: "Hold
your fire!"

Riker reached the group, and turned to face the oncoming Borg.

Seeing more Borg soldiers lumbering towards them, the security
detail needed no stimulation to fire.  Within seconds, and
after changing the frequencies of their phasers twice, all
five Borg were lying in a heap metres away from them.

Worf looked at Will Riker.

"It's good to see you, Mr Worf." Riker said, grimly.  At
Worf's look, he added: "I'm fine."

"No, you're not, Commander." Worf replied.

Riker nodded.  The Borg had made him part of the whole.  They
had taken his soul, but had supplied him with knowledge.

It's about damn time to use that knowledge against them, he
thought.

                     * * * * * * * *

They were getting closer.  It was only a matter of time before
they had him, and Data knew it.  He could only delude the
consciousness for a brief period; throw only so many false
leads in their trail that they would fall for.  He didn't even
have seconds before they had him, before they rooted him from
their lair, like pulling a thorn embedded in flesh.

And yet Will Riker was linked into the Borg consciousness.
That gave him an edge....

                     * * * * * * * *

Worf moved alongside Riker, slowing down his pace so as to
allow the Enterprise's First Officer to take the lead, guiding
them down the maze of passage-ways and steel corridors.  He
still held his phaser in his hand, ready to shoot.  Klingons
were always on gaurd, and when Worf was to be led down the
enemy's ship by a friend who may have been compromised - even
when that friend was a superior - he was not willing to leave
things to chance.  That was not the mark of a good Security
Chief.

"How much further?" Worf asked.  He still was unsure of how
much of Riker's story to believe - that Data was working
inside the Borg consciousness, supplying him with the
necessary information that was needed to render the Borg
helpless, if that was indeed possible.

"We're almost there." Riker answered, then pointed to a level
above them, where a gang-plank extended out of the vast wall
towering above them.  "Data was fed into the Borg whole
somewhere along here."

"Commander!" Worf yelled, lifting his phaser to shoot the two
oncoming Borg, who had appeared out of nowhere. "Phasers at
maximum!"

"No!" Riker countermanded, eliciting a sharp look from the
Security Chief. "Fire to stun."

The security team hesitated for a second, unsure of whose
order to follow, then aimed and fired.  The two Borg soldiers
dropped.

"Commander?" Worf looked at Riker, as if expecting an
explanation.

Riker didn't answer.  Instead, he moved forward towards the
two Borg.  Worf followed, then looked down.

The face of Ard'rian Mackenzie stared up at them; her eyes
vacant, her head shaven, with an assortment of circuitry
covering the left-half of her head.

"Data alerted me to her presence." He said, then moved on.
Worf turned to two of the security gaurds and nodded.  The two
picked up the Borg's body and carried it, not without a little
difficulty, as they hurried after Riker and Worf.

                    * * * * * * * *

"Jean-Luc?"  Beverly Crusher walked into the small room, a
Borg soldier at her side.  She had no idea why she had been
taken to see Picard, but she was happy nevertheless.  No one
had seen the captain for quite some time.  The Borg made sure
no one neared him.  But now that all had changed, and she had
no idea why.  The Borg soldier turned and left, leaving her
alone with the alien, yet so familiar, figure before her.

"That being no longer exists."

Bev Crusher felt a chill run up her spine, as Jean-Luc Picard
moved out of the shadows, towards her.  It was him alright,
but the way he looked at her, with that cold intensity as if
he were studying a gnat....

"You are the Doctor."

"Who are you?" She didn't want to know, but somehow it seemed
insanely appropriate to ask.

"I am Locutus of Borg." It responded.  "We have reached the
culmination of our plans.  Earth has been assimilated; we now
require my presence to speak for the rest of the colonies and
worlds of the Federation.  The process that resulted in my
rebirth have proven successful.  That is why you are here."

Crusher hesitated, not sure what this creature wanted with
her, but hoping for a sign of some glimmer of Picard, a side
she could appeal to.  But there was none.

"You will aid the Borg in the assimilation of those on this
vessel.  You will help the Borg transmit the virus into those
who will join us."

"I refuse." She said, realising the futility of the statement.

"Your refusal is irrelevant.  You will comply with all the
demands of the Borg." Locutus replied. "Once you have been
assimilated into the Borg, you will aid us in all avenues open
to you."

With that, he lifted a device that he held in his hand.  It
looked like a syringe, not quite like a hypospray.

"You will be one with the Borg." It said, moving with slow
determination towards her.

                     * * * * * * * *

"Can we not order them to self-destruct?" Worf asked,
curiously, as he and Riker stood before the vast array of
terminals.

Riker shook his head, and replied: "According to Data, the
Borg have altered their command structure, so any command that
could compromise them in the slightest has to be unequivocally
agreed to by all the Borg.  We can't supply them with the idea
to go to sleep again, either."

"What is there left to tell them besides this?" Worf asked in
frustration, holding his phaser.

"Not much." Agreed Riker, then turned back to the terminal in
front of which he was standing.  "But the Borg are spread over
the entire ship, and in order to run their operation smoothly
with as little damage to the Whole if one section is
destroyed, the have to have certain distribution points, which
they can cut off when one or a few of the Borg members have
been compromised."

"Such as when the self-destruct?" Worf asked, remembering the
Borg soldier he had shot in the engineering section when Q had
flung them into battle with the Borg.

Riker nodded. "According to Data, that can also be done on a
group level, where whole sections can be destroyed if they are
compromised."

"Such decisions could not be made by unanimously." Worf caught
on.  "They could not rely on the compromised section to agree
to their own destruction."

"Naturally." Riker concurred. "A section that was compromised
could allow those who compromised them access to stop them
from being destroyed."

"Commander!" It was one of the security officers. "My
tricorder reads over forty Borg soldiers moving in this
direction.  Others are also on their way!"

So they had cottoned on to their plan, Riker thought grimly.
That didn't leave him much time, but with Data's help,
supplying him with the necessary information to operate these
terminals....

A phaser whined behind him, and Worf turned, his own phaser in
his hand and ready to fire.

"Give me some time!" Riker yelled to Worf, above the noise of
the phaser beams.

To Worf it seemed as if the entire Borg ship had come alive.
They were coming in from all directions, swarming in on them,
without mercy.  He fired, felling several Borg, but never
enough.  The Borg kept coming, walking over their fallen
comrades with little if any care, with one purpose in mind.
From the corner of his eye, he saw a Borg reach one of his
security team members, smashing the officers body against a
large terminal.  He fired again, but this time the Borg had
adapted....

"More time!" Riker yelled from the terminal at which he was
working.

The Borg were within metres of them, as the rest of his team
fell back, closing themselves around their security chief and
first officer.  They continued to dispense their phasers'
energy supplies, tossing the powerless ones aside and reaching
to their belts for others.  And still the Borg came.

"A few more minutes!" Riker shouted above the raucus.

"Minutes!" Worf shot a horrified glance at his First Officer.
"Commander, we don't have seconds!"

The white faces surrounded them, straight from the crypts of
their individual slots in the Borg walls.  Their large
mechanical arms reached out before them, their targets in
their sights....

"Commander!"

"Just a few...!"  The Borg soldiers, all of them, fell.  In
their pile of metal and flesh, they lay there unmoving,
staring off into space ahead of them, eyes unseeing.

"Commander?"  Worf looked at the Borg soldiers surrounding
them, as lifeless as the bodies on the table.

"Their distribution points have been cut off." Riker
explained, after a slight sigh. "Each section can no longer
communicate with each other."

"Not a moment too soon." Worf muttered, looking at the
comatose Borg soldiers stretching all around them as far as
the eye could see.

                     * * * * * * * *

"Captain, the Borg ship has powered down totally!  Shields,
weapons, everything!" The Lieutenant next to Shelby said,
totally aghast.

Shelby moved over beside him, staring at the instruments and
their readings.

"And the Enterprise?" She asked.

The Lieutenant checked his sensors, then said, not without a
little surprise in his voice: "Sir, the Enterprise shields are
up, but she is reading a far larger amount of power than she
should have any rights to have!"

Shelby stared at her viewscreen for a moment.  There the
Enterprise and the large cube-shaped ship hung in space,
orbitting the almost-destroyed Earth.  Decisions.

"Mr Felmers, you'll take an Away Team over there; see what the
hell is going on."

The Lieutenant looked up, a look of worry crossing his face.
"Over... there?"

"That's right, Lieutenant.  So move it."

As Felmers exited the Bridge, Shelby wondered what rabbit
Picard had managed to pull out of the hat this time.

                     * * * * * * * *

Locutus stared out at the stars from the window before him.
They were on their way, he knew.  After all, he was in contact
with them.  Their recent loss was merely a slight setback in
the master-plan.  They were on their way, this time in force,
and they wouldn't be stopped.  And this Galaxy-class ship, the
pride of the Federation, was to lead it to its grave.

                     * * * * * * * *

Beverly Crusher watched the Borg standing over her, making
sure she did not leave Sickbay; not that she was going to.
Locutus had injected her with the virus, and she was well on
her way to becoming a Borg.  Already the process had been set
into motion; she realised this after she performed a quick
brain scan on herself.  Sure enough, her individual brain
cells were being overridden; supplemented with those suitable
for a Borg; a soulless creature.

Nor did the Borg have to be connected to the whole through
mechanical means anymore.  This "bug", as Locutus had
explained it to her, formed their own links to the Borg whole
without the necessary machinery and distribution nodules.
That was why the Borg on the Enterprise, all of whom had been
injected with the virus before being beamed to the starship,
still functioned with their mothership shut down.  Naturally,
Locutus had said, they would still be assimilated into the
whole, connected to machines and certain body parts being
supplanted with mechanical features - that improved
functioning; the thought of "mechanical features" being
attached to her pushed her on.

There's no way in Hell I'm becoming one of you bastards, she
thought, studying the inner workings of the virus.  A weak
link, somewhere.  Somewhere....

                     * * * * * * * *

Riker felt the familiar, reassuring feeling of a transporter
beam envelop him.  The last time he had felt that was on Beta
Auriquae V, in a Borg transporter beam - it seemed so long
ago....

"Will!"

He looked up to see himself staring into the eyes of Captain
Elizabeth Shelby.  Obviously, she hadn't been expecting her
Away Team to be bringing back... this.

"Captain." He said, forcing a smile. "Even the position of
first officer isn't enough, huh?"

Only then he noticed Worf's arm holding onto his, propping him
up.

"Get him to Sickbay." Shelby said, turning to the medics who
had just entered with a mobile diagnostic bed.

Gently, he was placed on the bed, and rushed out of the
transporter room.

"Captain!" A voice over the intercom boomed.

"This ship is more busy than the Enterprise." She muttered to
Worf, then called out: "What is it, Mr Granger?"

"Sensors are picking up two ships, heading this way... at Warp
nine.  Readings indicate they are Borg."

                     * * * * * * * *

Riker stared across the Sickbay area to the diagnostic bed
where doctors were working.  Every now and then, he caught a
glimpse of Ard'rian Mackenzie's pale face, staring upwards
into nowhere.  He could have been like that, if it hadn't been
for Data.  Data...  He had been left alone on the Borg ship,
his body peices having been brought with them to the USS
Garrett.  But his consciousness....

"How are you feeling, Commander?" Shelby looked over from him,
catching him off-gaurd.

He looked away from where Ard'rian Mackenzie lay, and up at
the red-headed captain.  "What Captain Picard felt when he
went through it.  What he's feeling now..."

"You know?" Shelby looked slightly flustered.

"Worf told me while we were on the Borg ship." Riker
whispered, then asked: "And you?"

"I heard from Admiral Ranklin, in other words Starfleet
command."

Riker frowned. "How is that possible?  We only found out..."

Shelby nodded, slowly. "They knew, Will.  That's why they
stopped offering commands to you after that incident at Wolf
359, even when we needed good captains to make up for the ones
we'd lost."

She sighed, but from the look on Riker's face, continued:
"They knew about it from Captain Picard's medical files, but
kept it quiet.  I think those who knew thought they could use
it to get at the Borg again, once the Borg had set the virus
off and he became Locutus.  It seems to have backfired
completely, though."

"They knew?" Riker repeated, not quite comprehending what he
had just heard.  All that time since Wolf 359, he had never
been offerred another post.  To keep him on the Enterprise, to
be at hand in case something happened to Picard, no doubt, to
be able to use the situation as he had previously.  But that
hadn't worked.  The Borg got him first.

"We're all pawns, Will." Shelby muttered. "And when it comes
to survival, and the Borg, Starfleet also plays dirty."

Worlds apart, yes.  But Riker wondered how much lowering of
ones own standards it would take to defeat the Borg.
Starfleet had lowered itself below any moral decency, and it
had backfired all the way back to Earth.


PART SIX:

"The Enterprise is heading out of the solar system, Captain."
The officer who sat before her said, not taking his eyes from
the view-screen.

"Plot a course in the same direction, Lieutenant.  But give us
enough distance from her so she can't pick us up on her
sensors." Shelby ordered, then swung around in her chair to
face her communications officer.  "Is Commander Riker and his
team aboard the Borg ship?"

The communications officer turned from her station and nodded.
"He says he's not sure how much power he can get Data to coax
from whatever engines the Borg ship has, but they will follow
at whatever spead they can muster."

Shelby nodded, then said: "Proceed, Mr Hanson."

The image of the desicrated Earth and lone Borg ship, now
looking not so ominous, sped away from them on the viewscreen,
soon becoming a point among the stars, then disappearing as
the USS Garrett left the solar system, after the Enterprise.

Shelby thought of William Riker, who had stubbornly refused to
remain in Sickbay, where it was obvious where he belonged.
But it had been useless arguing with him; after all, he had
given her countless good reasons for him to return to the Borg
ship, the main one being that he was the only person they had
who could communicate with Data, now stuck within the
circuitry of the Borg ship.  Reluctantly, she agreed that he
was the right person for the job of leading the Away Team, but
sent Worf along with him to keep an eye on him, and take over
if he deemed it necessary.  With the two of him, she sent her
best engineers to help repair the Borg ship, enough so it
could be of some use to them in a fight.  The Borg collective
might be able to repair the ship automatically, but Data sure
as hell could not.  The most he could do was pinpoint the
areas needing repairs most urgently, and the tell them the
best way to go about it.

Meanwhile, the USS Garrett's Sickbay was overflowing, with as
many of the colonists of Beta Ariquae V, and humans of Earth,
that the Borg had taken.  The ship's doctors had their hands
full, using the sophisticated equipment which the counter-Borg
ship they were on carried.  The Federation had amassed much
knowledge of the Borg since the Wolf 359 massacre - ways not
only how to defend themselves from the Borg but also ways of
how to bring those victims who had fallen into the Borg's
control back out without causing them to self-destruct.
Naturally, they had to use complex machinery to get access
into the individual's circuitry and cut the link.

As for the other individuals who they had not space to fit on
the USS Garrett, they had been beamed back to Earth, with the
hope that some form of medical help would arrive for them.
After all, whether they remained on Earth, on the Borg ship,
or even on the USS Garrett, the chances of them all returning
to Borg control was the same - very high.

                     * * * * * * * *

Ard'rian continued to stare up at the pale-grey ceiling above
her.  She hadn't moved a muscle since she had been placed
there; she hadn't been aware of her surroundings until a few
minutes ago.  Now she saw everything, knew everything - and
remembered everything.  And it chilled her.

She had always been fascinated by androids, electronics; they
were far superior, not full of the flaws that humans had - she
had said these very things to Data when she had first met him.
It were these qualities that drew her to him, resulted in her
falling in love with him, and now making her shudder at the
coldness and robotic callousness that she herself had become
when she had been transformed into the very thing she had
looked up to.

Though hardly perceptible, her eyes shifted to the right, and
she caught sight of a large arm with an odd-looking structure
attached to its end.  For an instant, it reminded her of that
large mechanical construct that she had carried with her as an
added appendage when she had been a Borg.  The panic lasted
only a few seconds, as she recalled it was that very thing
that had brought her out of that disgusting state that she
remembered so clearly.

"We're getting a response from this one!"  She heard a voice
call out, a male voice.

Two people came into her field of view, looking over her,
examining her clearly.

The male said to the female: "I'm sure I saw her eyes move,
shift to the right."

The woman was quite for a moment, still staring down at her,
watching her intently.  After a moment she shook her head.
"No, I don't see any reaction.  She still seems completely out
of it."

The two faces disappeared, to be replaced once more by the
bland greyness of the ceiling.

                     * * * * * * * *

All was clear.  There were no Borg in the vicinity.  Though he
couldn't see this to be true, his visor took in all this
information for him, translating it into a kaliedoscope of
colours which he managed to decode.

Slowly, he made his way out from the vast machinery behind
which he hid in and moved out into the Engineering section.
It had been the first place where the Borg had arrived when
the began descending on the Enterprise, taking it apart,
analysing those things they found worthy of their interest,
modifying those things they felt they could improve, and
destroying that which they found inferior.  Now modified,
Geordi realized that the Enterprise's engines were capable of
greater power than they should have any rights to give out,
especially considering the fact that they had been severly
damaged while confronting the Borg at Beta Ariquae V.  Even
with the engines working perfectly, such power levels were
unheard of.  Where the Borg were getting the extra power,
Geordi had no idea.  What he did know, was that they had to be
stopped.

As he made his way towards the reactor, he noticed a body
slumped over a nearby console.  He looked around once more,
making sure no Borg had entered the immediate area, then moved
towards the dead crewman.

As he reached the body, he realised it was that of Lieutenant
Demont, a security gaurd.  Gingerly, he pulled the body back,
so that it slumped back in the chair in which it was sitting.
A careful study of the console indicated that the security
officer had tried to gain entry to the controls over the anti-
matter seal via the ship's computer.  Evidently, the Borg
hadn't allowed him to get that far.

Nor could he get at the reactor.  Though normal eyes wouldn't
have been able to register it, his visor could pick up the
slight traces of a force-field that surrounded the nucleus of
the ship's engines.

No way to destroy the ship, he thought grimly.  Well, then,
how about the people on board it?

After a slight pause, he moved towards the elevator.  There
was one chance, but only one.  And if he were lucky, they
would all be dead in a few minutes....

                     * * * * * * * *

"Commander?"

Riker looked up, to see the concerned look on Worf's face.  He
felt drained, yes, and the last thing he felt like was going
into a fight, especially with the knowledge that he was still
partially under the Borg's domain.  But talking about it was
not something he felt like doing either.

"Just a little tired, Mr Worf." He said, trying to force a
smile.  "I don't think I'm cut out for speaking at the moment,
for the Borg, Data, or anyone."

Surely Worf would get that hint, he thought.  Evidently not.

"Does this have anything to do with your recent...
transformation?"

Riker sighed. "To a degree, yes.  To be honest, I don't feel
comfortable still being linked like this to the Borg."  He
stared down to his newly repaired arm, and to the new
Starfleet uniform he was wearing, instead of the metallic-
coloured clothing he had worn into the Borg.  Except for a few
attached peices of circuitry, he seemed back to normal.  He
still had chills when he touched the left side of his face,
though, as he felt the peices of circuitry attached to his
body.  The majority of it had been removed, but there were
still areas where the circuits were still evident.

"Are you receiving anything from... Captain Picard?"

Riker was silent for a moment, then answered: "No; the Borg
are remaining unusually silent.  They aren't transmitting to
Data, either.  They must realize we've been "subverted" and
don't want to give anything away."

Worf continued to study him for a moment, then nodded.  Riker
set himself about to be ready to relay more incoming
information from Data.

                     * * * * * * * *

Geordi LaForge crawled up the narrow shaft that stretched up
from the engineering section, phaser in hand.  Rung after
rung, he pulled himself up, deeper into the heart of his ship,
and hated himself for what he was about to do.

Finally he came to the control panel he was searching for.  He
had realised there would be little hope of accessing it from
the ship's computer, or try getting at it from Engineering -
the Borg were too clever for that; he just hoped they weren't
clever enough to consider changing the manual override, or the
code for that matter.

"O794DATA-3562LAFORGE-2001HUGH." He whispered in the darkness
of the access tunnel.

The green light on the front of the control panel turned red,
and with a sigh, Geordi slid it aside, to reveal the complex
circuitry beneath it.

Okay, he thought to himself with a wry smile, they may be
half-machines, but let's see how the Borg do without life-
support.....

No sooner had he touched the necessary wiring, had a surge of
electric current run through his body, scorching his flesh.
His muscles in his hand contracted involuntarily around the
wiring, and his other hand released his hold on the metal
rung....

The contact with the current broke as he fell down, nothing
but darkness flashing past.  In semi-consciousness, he reached
out for the ladder.  No sooner had his hands grabbed hold of a
rung, than his shoulder felt as if it were being ripped from
its socket.  But he held on for dear life, knowing if he let
go, he would plummet to his death.  So, the Borg had
considered the possibility of someone trying to override the
life support commands manually, he thought, on the edge of
consciousness.

And then he was aware of that there was something more to the
darkness that surrounded him.  If at all possible, it suddenly
seemed darker than before.  And then he realized what had
happened - the powerful electric current had burnt out the
connections to his visor.  The darkness was not only because
of the lack of light, it was also because he was blind.

                     * * * * * * * *

"That's the plan, then." Riker nodded, as he spoke to Shelby,
her image on the Borg screen staring back at him, intently.

"And if you don't get off the Borg ship in time?"

"Then we don't." He answered.  "Either way, we'll destroy the
Enterprise, then maneuver this ship to collide with one of the
Borg ships.  That will leave you with only one to worry
about." He paused for a moment, then gave a slight smile.
"Think you can handle that, Captain, or is it too big a
decision to make?"

"I can handle it." Shelby replied, though not looking pleased
at all.  "I suppose you'll want all non-essential personnel
beamed back to the Garrett?"

The fewer that are on this ship when it rams the Borg, the
better, Riker thought as he nodded in agreement.  Data would
have to "steer" this thing and would therefore have to remain
on board.  And if the rest of them couldn't get off the ship
in time, Data would have plenty of company when he smashes
into the Borg ship, leaving in a baptism of fire.

"We'll rendezvous in fifteen minutes." He replied, finally.
"I'll get those non-essentials together to beam up then."

The image of Shelby disappeared from the screen, and Riker
turned to return to the others, knowing that, either way, he
would have to destroy the Enterprise, with all hands on board.

                     * * * * * * * *

Locutus continued to stare out into space, at the distant
specks of light.  He couldn't see them, to be sure; but he had
knowledge beyond the boundaries of sight.  He had been in
contact with them for quite some time now; he had knowledge of
their approach.  There was no doubt he would soon be united
with those from whom he had been apart for so long, an
unconscious part that formed the then conscious mind of
Picard.  But now, all was different, for he was soon meet them
again, once more becoming a part of them, not only mentally,
but also physically.  He knew it.  They were coming....


PART SEVEN:

"Since I do not know how much you have forgotten, let me start
from scratch.  Your name is Beverly Crusher, and the vial that
is in the hypospray marked X contains...."  She watched her
mirror-self, listened to her own voice and couldn't believe
what she was seeing and hearing.  "....schematics of this ship
can be found in the Library Computer.  The person I have told
you about is named Locutus.  Whatever happens, it is
imperative you administer the full dosage.  As you know from
what I've told you, those areas of his brain rewritten by this
virus will be neutralised.  Since the creatures you've just
heard about are only interested in controlling those portions
of the brain that make a person unique from the rest - ones'
memories - you won't kill him or incapacitate him to a point
of no return, so don't worry.  But remember, no matter what
happens to you, you must get this dosage through to him.  To
the one they call Locutus."

Beverly turned from the desk monitor and looked around her, at
the strangely familiar setting she had found herself in.  She
could remember Jean-Luc, of course.  And the Enterprise as
well.  But the... Borg?  And since when did Wesley leave for
the Academy?....

But the peices fitted together, now that she had listened to
this message, taped only half an hour ago, and yet filled with
things she didn't know and could barely understand.

Eradication.  It was the only way, and the only hope they had,
her previous self had told her.  Beverly Crusher now knew what
she had done; to get at these Borg, she destroyed those things
she considered most cherished - her memories....

                     * * * * * * * *

Riker watched as Shelby's engineering team worked around the
clock, extracting all the data they could from the access
terminal which he had used to halt the Borg.  With the help
from Data, trapped within the confines of the Borg's
circuitry, Riker was able to tell them how to pass certain
security precautions the Borg had set up.  All the information
they gathered was being transmitted into the USS Garrett's
ship-board computer to analyse and relay all pertinent details
to Shelby and her officers, who would then consider different
courses of action that could be taken once they confronted the
two approaching Borg ships.

It had been Riker's idea to copy the "file" in which Data's
so-called mental patterns had been transmitted, so that even
if the Data stuck in the Borg circuitry was destroyed when the
ship collided with one of the other Borg ships, there would
still be something left of the original Data around which a
new android could be built.

The Data in the Borg circuitry had begun to analyse this new
moral dilemma, but Riker had cut him off quickly.  There was
little time to philosophise, what with more important things
to attend to, and after all, the Data in the ship's circuitry
wouldn't be around for much longer for it to be much of a
dilemma for him, if they succeeded in their plan.  And if they
did not, then what did it matter in a Federation controlled by
the Borg?

"Commander Riker," Worf's voice broke the silence that had
surrounded him, and the commotion inside of him - commotion
caused from the continual presence of Data... and of the Borg.

"Yes, Mr Worf?"

"The USS Garrett has slowed down, allowing us to catch up with
her.  Those to be transferred to her have been notified and
are standing by."  Worf spoke, his gaze not averting from
Riker, even for an instant.

"Thank you, Mr Worf." Riker paused. "I take it you're ready to
beam back with them."

Worf continued to stare at him, seemingly unmovable. "I am
staying here, Commander."

Riker sighed. "Mr Worf, you will be beaming back with the
others, and that is the last word on the subject."

Worf continued to gaze steadily into Riker's eyes. "Captain
Shelby requested that I accompany you here to see that you do
nothing that may... compromise our strategy.  I have acceded
to that request, and will continue to do so."

So that was it, Riker thought.  Shelby doesn't trust me.  He
couldn't blame her, actually; not when he was still linked
like this to the Borg.  And then the thought occurred to him:
Am I still under their control?  Like an unsuspecting pawn in
their game, like Jean-Luc Picard had been for Starfleet?

"Very well, Mr Worf." He sighed.  Perhaps it would be a wise
precaution for someone to look over him, after all.

                     * * * * * * * *

The two Borg ships loomed ahead of him, on the Bridge's main
viewscreen.  Now that they had reached the Enterprise, they
had all but stopped in space.  Not all of the crew had been
assimilated; the so-called "bug" did not work instantaneously,
for its job was a slow one, as it altered each brain cell into
a set pattern that would turn the owner of that brain into one
of the Whole.  That was happening for the majority of the
ship's complement, but there were still many who had not been
reached.  Once transported to one of the two Borg ships, the
process could be sped up.  But first it was Locutus' duty to
beam over, and be physically transformed into a Borg, so that
his appearance could complement his Borg-mentality.

"Locutus."  The woman's voice carried from the aft turbo-lift.
Locutus turned to see that it was the doctor.  She had already
been impregnated with the virus, but owing to the time that it
took for it to complete its task, she was not yet a complete
Borg.  Thus she was difficult to reach without vocal
communication.  But he could sense a definite feeling of
urgency.

"Yes?"  He moved towards her, the three Borg soldiers in his
vicinity moving with him.

"Go to Hell."  With incredible speed, Crusher pulled her hand
free from her lab coat and jabbed the hypo into Locutus' side.
Almost as quickly, but not quick enough, the Borg soldiers
responded.  The one grabbed her newly-healed wrist and threw
her across the bridge, to smash against the far wall.  The
other two held onto Locutus, who had half-collapsed as the
substance contained in the hypo was released into his system.

Crusher, a half-smile across her face despite the pain from
being thrown, looked up to see Locutus and the three Borg
soldiers disappear in a transporter beam.  After that, she
lost all consciousness.

                     * * * * * * * *

"Mr Worf, prepare to beam out of here!" Riker called out
suddenly.

Worf took one look at him, then followed him to stand in one
of the countless, now-empty, slots in the wall that were
normally reserved for the Borg.  He didn't understand what
Riker was proposing, or where they were going to be beamed,
but from the tone of his Commander's voice, he could tell
there was no time for explanation.  Besides, they were the
last two left on the Borg ship, besides Data's consciousness,
and where they beamed couldn't be more worse than being on a
ship headed for destruction.

Riker placed his hand on a circular disc that jutted out of
the wall, and indicated to Worf to do the same.

God-speed, Data, he thought; then the materialization effect
of a Borg transporter, thanks to his friend stuck in the Borg
circuitry, caught him in a swirling haze, and he was gone.

                     * * * * * * * *

No sooner had the surroundings of the Borg ship disappeared
than he found himself standing in a lonely, darkened corridor.
Immediately his hand reached down for his phaser as he felt a
presence beside him.

"Worf."

It was Riker.  Worf lowered his phaser and took a more
careful, detailed look at his new surroundings.  To his slight
surprise, he recognized it as being a corridor on the
Enterprise.

"The shields are up, but the Borg transporters never have had
a problem with that." Riker whispered, then turned and started
heading cautiously for the turbo-lift.

Once inside, he turned to Worf.  "If the Enterprise is as
close to the Borg ships as our last readings indicated, then
we've got to re-take the bridge and get the hell out of here.
When Data collides with one of them, we don't want to be near
that explosion."

"Readings indicate there are seven Borg soldiers on the main
Bridge." Worf said as he read his tricorder.

"Can you get Geordi's co-ordinates?  We don't know what
alterations the Borg have done to the ship, and we'll need his
help if we're going to get anywhere."

Worf hesitated for a moment as he tried to pinpoint Geordi
LaForge's location from his communicator.  "This way,
Commander."  The two of them exited the turbo-lift.

                     * * * * * * * *

The Borg knew of his presence, the danger he presented to
them.  They raised their defences, but by using the energy
reserves that surrounded him, he was quick to cut them down.
Their own barrage of weapons tried to stop him, but he took
the wounds they inflicted.  They were small compared to what
was to come.

Data maneuvered towards the further of the two Borg ships, the
one further from the Enterprise.  Not that it would matter of
course; if the Enterprise did not get out of the immediate
vicinity before the collision, that small distance between
them and the targeted Borg ship would not count for much.
They too would join him in the floating debris, as the
collision would envelop them, tearing the Enterprise into so
many tiny pieces.

Time was running out.

                     * * * * * * * *

"We're running out of time." Riker said as he and Worf helped
lead the blind Chief Engineer towards the turbo-lift.

"Just get me to the bridge, and our problems will be solved."
Geordi muttered, at a half-run and holding onto Worf's
muscular arm.

Within seconds they were back in the turbo-lift.

"Bridge." Riker called out into the air, and the elevator
began to rise.  Both he and Worf held onto their phasers and
aimed them at the door, ready.

The instant the doors swished open, they darted out into the
bridge, phasers aimed for any sign of a Borg.

"Mr Worf, where are your soldiers."  Riker asked, still in his
crouching position, but this time looking up at the equally-
puzzled Klingon.

"I'm at a loss, Commander." Worf muttered, staring at the
empty bridge.

Not that empty, Riker thought as he spotted the crumpled form
of Beverly Crusher on the other side of the bridge.  But there
were other things to attend to....

Immediately he seated himself at the operations console, while
Worf sat to his right.

"Let's get the hell out of here."

Geordi moved down the bridge ramp, feeling his way towards the
three centre seats.

On the view-screen, the two large Borg ships began to slide
out of sight.

"We're not going to make it, are we?" Geordi muttered; he
couldn't see a damn thing, but he could still feel the
sluggishness of the Enterprise.

"No," Riker grimaced, "we're not."

                     * * * * * * * *

It was too late, and Data knew it.  There were only seconds
before impact, and the Enterprise had barely moved.  Whatever
had happened, Will Riker and Worf had failed.  Though,
technically-speaking, Data couldn't feel, he still felt a stab
of... sadness?  Intriguing, he thought, if not a little late.
There was little time to analyse this new aspect of existence,
but Data used the time he had left.

That all ended as they collided....


PART EIGHT - The Conclusion:

Jean-Luc Picard stared at the strange beings who surrounded
him; half-biological, half-machine.  Where in Hells name was
he?

The creatures that surrounded him seemed to sense something
was amiss, for they moved closer in to him, restricting his
movements.  Still they continued to guide him down the narrow
metal corridor, a rhythmic clanging at every foot-fall.

Confused and bewildered, Picard moved along with them, not
that he had any choice in the matter.

The corridor came to a sudden dead end, forming a gang-plank
of sorts, and the creatures before him parted to either side,
allowing him to walk to the edge.  Unsure, yet alert, Picard
moved forward, and found himself facing an abyss.  It seemed
to stretch down by many miles, and up as well.  Where he was
and what he was looking at, he had no idea, but he could not
shake the uneasy feeling he had every moment he stared at
these strange beings by whom he had found himself surrounded
and every time he looked across that abyss at the towering
structures that seemed to surround him.

"Jean-Luc Picard of the starship Enterprise."  Many voices
called out, ringing in unison.

He hesitated, then answered those many voices: "I am Jean-Luc
Picard."

"A futile effort, to try and destroy that which is named
Locutus." The many voices continued. "You shall now be
assimilated into the whole; you will become one with the
Borg."

Picard froze.  He did not know why, but every muscle in his
body tightened at the mention of that name.  An uneasy feeling
settled over him, and he turned slightly to glance at one of
the strange creatures that stood nearby... gaurding him?

"Are you the... Borg?"

The creature gave no answer.  Instead it remained standing
there, expressionless.

"We are the Borg." The voices replied, and Picard felt an
instinctual urge to run....

                     * * * * * * * *

No time.  Riker watched as the Borg ship, carrying Data's
consciousness rammed into the side of one of the other two
Borg ships.

There was only one thing left to do.

"Head for that Borg ship!" He ordered, pointing to the other
one, that was nearest to them.

Worf reacted immediately; with not a moment's hesitation, he
plotted the course that would put the other Borg ship between
them and the explosion.  The Enterprise lurched forward, and
the nearest Borg ship sprung forward, as if closing in on the
kill, then swung away again as the Enterprise angled around
it.

Goodbye Data, Riker thought as the brightness of the explosion
illuminated the space for a second before the vaccuum
diminished it.  Large pieces of debris flashed past in the
distance; pieces that would have proven fatal had it not been
for the bulk of the remaining Borg ship protecting them in its
shadow.

Riker had almost relaxed when there was a sudden lurch that
nearly threw him from his seat.

"We've been hit!" He heard Geordi cry from behind him, unable
to see what was happening around him.

"Negative, Commander." Worf replied.  "The Borg have caught us
in their tractor beam."

"This is not my lucky day." Geordi muttered.  He couldn't see,
couldn't react, and as a result couldn't do a thing to help.

                     * * * * * * * *

"Sir, the Borg have the Enterprise in their tractor beam!"

Shelby turned to the Lieutenant before her. "Open fire on the
Borg ship.  Destroy that tractor beam.  Ensign, try and raise
Commander Riker."

"Firing, Captain."

Twin beams of energy lanced out from the underside of the USS
Garrett, striking the point of origin of the tractor beam.

"Tractor beam has been eliminated."

"I can't seem to raise the Enterprise, sir." The ensign
reported. "The Borg ship is giving out some kind of
interference."

Shelby continued to stare at her viewscreen. "Why the hell is
the Enterprise still loitering around there?  They don't want
to be near there when that Borg ship goes.  Ensign, keep
trying to raise them."

What in Heaven's name is Riker up to?  She wondered.

                     * * * * * * * *

"Borg shields are partially down, Commander." Worf reported as
he inspected his Security station.  A Lieutenant and an ensign
had replaced Riker and him at the ops and conn, and medics had
removed Doctor Crusher and Geordi LaForge to the sickbay.

"Partially?  What do you mean?"

"The USS Garrett has performed numerous serious blows to the
Borg ship." Worf responded. "As a result, the Borg's shields
have weakened.  In essence, there are so-called holes in
them."

Riker digested this for a moment, then asked: "Is it possible
to beam an Away Team through one of those so-called holes?"

Worf was quiet for a moment.  When he replied, his tone was
one of calmness and admiration. "Yes, sir.  It is possible."

Riker nodded.  "Inform three of your security officers to meet
me in Transporter Room Four.  You're in command, Mr Worf."

Worf was momentarily stunned. "Commander, with all due
respect, I believe I would be the most reasonable choice to
lead the Away Team; considering your present condition and the
fact that you are in command..."

Riker didn't stop walking, but turned when in the elevator.
"You have your orders, Mr Worf.  Carry them out."

The doors slid shut, but Riker took with him the look of a
very annoyed Klingon Security Chief.

                     * * * * * * * *

"Captain, we're reading a drastic drop in the Borg's power!"
Felmers called out from his station.  "Both the explosion and
our anti-matter charges seems to have done quite a bit of
damage."

"What is the status of the Borg's shields?"  Shelby asked from
the captain's chair.

Felmers bent down to take another look at the readings before
him.  "Generally low from the explosion of those two Borg
ships, and there are areas where there's no shielding at all."

Shelby nodded, satisfied.  "Fire phasers at those openings.
Let's hit them at the tender spots."

Staying near that Borg ship was your decision, Will.  She
thought, not without a certain amount of regret.

                     * * * * * * * *

As the shimmering from the transporter beam faded away, Riker
found himself staring straight into the face of a Borg
soldier.  His first instinct was to fire his weapon, but he
stopped.  That would just raise the alarm, and besides, this
Borg wasn't going anywhere.  Sure enough, it was one of many
lined against the wall in its own individual compartment.

He turned to look at the three security gaurds that had
accompanied him.  All looked alert, and just a little nervous.
Understandable considering the Borg track-record.  All three
had their phasers out, but as ordered before transporting,
they had not fired when they found themselves in the midst of
the Borg collective.

Riker looked around, feeling that cold feeling that came over
one when returning to a place that filled your mind with
horrors.  He had, after all, seen and felt enough horrors in
the last few days to last him a life-time.  After a slight
pause, he looked down at the tricorder he held in his hand.
He still held onto the phaser in the other; he was damned if
they were going to get him again.

"I've got the co-ordinates for the captain's communicator;
we'll head in that direction."

Slowly, they moved forward through the maze of wires and metal
conduits.  Looking at his surroundings, Riker could hardly
believe he had ever left the Borg ship with Data on it.  They
were exactly the same, in every detail.  They soon came to a
turn in the passage, as it opened up to what seemed like an
abyss.  On the far side, Riker could make out countless levels
stretching upwards - and downwards - as far as the eye could
see.  And on every level, he could make out thousands of Borg,
lining the wall in their own slots.  Now they had a choice of
moving left or right on what seemed to be a metal gang-plank
that ran along the side of the "abyss".  Once again, he
studied his tricorder, then motioned for the security detail
to follow him as he turned left.

As he moved down the gang-plank, he couldn't help but look to
his right, where the world seemed to fall away, into a
bottomless, artificial pit.  Though he couldn't locate the
source, he felt a distinct throbbing, as if they were near
some great power source.  No Borg, except for those in their
slots along the wall - puppets without a master - were
visible.  They were getting close now.

Then the whole world seemed to collapse around them.

                     * * * * * * * *

"Get me the USS Garrett!" Worf roared from the captain's
chair.  "They're firing right on Commander Riker's position!"

"I'm sorry, sir." The Lieutenant at the security station
replied, a small amount of panic clearly evident in his voice.
"All transmissions are being blocked by the Borg."

"The Borg ship is beginning to break apart, sir!" The ensign
at the ops console cried out.

"Maintain our position." Worf answered. "And keep the shields
down, so we can beam the Away Team back as soon as it is
necessary."

It was risky, he knew.  It meant that they were vulnerable to
attack from both the Borg ship and the results of its
destruction.  But it was the only honorable thing he could do.

                     * * * * * * * *

The artificial world that surrounded him shook, throwing him
from his feet, towards that great abyss that stretched out
near him.  Riker held on to the railing, feeling himself slide
over it as the Borg ship underwent another convulsion.  He
gripped the cold metal bar tightly, his feet feeling the empty
air that stretched for miles below him.  One of the security
gaurds mananged to clamber to help him back over the railing,
to the "safety" of the gang-plank.  Riker managed to mutter a
thanks just as an explosion rattled the ship.  Riker fell
against one of the Borg soldiers alongside the wall and
managed to roll out of the way as the soldier responded to the
"attack" with a swipe at the starfleet officer with its
mechanical appendage.

"Let's keep moving!" He yelled to the security officers,
noting their rather stunned expressions.  Slowly, with a tight
grip on the railing, he moved on, pausing to hold on for dear
life every time the Borg ship shook from an attack.

The co-ordinates of Picard's communicator were nearby and
moving, which meant that it hadn't been abandoned like the
first time they had tried to retrieve the captain from the
Borg.

Riker just hoped they could find Picard, or Locutus, before
the ship destroyed itself.

                     * * * * * * * *

"How are our energy reserves doing?"  Shelby asked.

The ensign in front of her looked up from his station
momentarily. "We won't be able to hold on much longer,
Commander.  I'd say we have seven minutes until our shields
collapse."

They'd lasted longer than any other Starfleet vessel had any
rights to last already, Shelby mused.  The USS Garrett was
good when it came to fighting the Borg....  But not
invincible.

Felmers looked up from his sensor readings.  "Captain, if we
released our anti-matter container with a twelve-seconds time
delay, the Borg ship should be finished."

Shelby took this all in, but never took her eyes from the
Enterprise.  What was Will doing?  Unless he had an Away Team
on the Borg vessel....

"Ready the anti-matter container, Lieutenant." She ordered.
"But hold release it on my order."

She would give him five minutes to get out of there.  But no
more.  After that....

                     * * * * * * * *

They had begun to move away from the gang-plank on the edge of
that metallic precipice, making their way into what seemed
like the heart of the Borg ship.  The co-ordinates for
Picard's communicator had stopped moving, which either meant
that the carrier of the communicator was standing still, or it
had been dropped.  As he moved through the silhouete of the
Borg ship, Riker hoped it was not the latter.  If the
communicator had been parted from Picard, then there was
little hope of ever re-capturing the Captain.

The passage-way had come to a sudden end, opening up into a
large, cavernous area.  Riker slowed his pace down, and
signalled the gaurds to do like-wise.  As he moved cautiously
forward, he tried to look through the dimness that seemed to
have settled around them.  The explosions had stopped for the
moment, though every now and then the floor shook, less
violently than before.

And then he made out the form of the Borg soldier, standing
over a gaunt-looking individual, who was lying on a table - a
table not so unlike the one he had been lying on when....

Sensing their presence, the Borg looked up, its mechanised arm
hovering over Picard's face.  Riker needed to further
encouragement.  He had a strange sense of satisfaction as the
beam from his phaser engulfed the Borg soldier, felling it
instantly.

There were others all around him, but he didn't care.  The
three security gaurds were already firing their phasers,
dispersing those Borg soldiers that had come to aid their
fallen co-worker, while Riker hurried to help his captain from
the metal bed to which he had been secured.  The three
security gaurds continued firing, changing the frequencies on
their phasers as fast as the Borg could adapt to them, and
moved inwards towards Picard in an ever-tightening circle.

"Enterprise, this is Riker.  Emergency beam up!"

O'Brien's voice filtered through Riker's badge: "I'm sorry,
Commander.  But you're in an area of the Borg vessel where
their shields are still up.  You'll have to move...."

The phaser whine surrounded him, distorting the voice of the
Transporter Chief.  Riker had to shout to be sure he was
heard. "There's no way I can do that, Enterprise!"

The deathly-white faces moved closer.

                     * * * * * * * *

"Release anti-matter container."

"Anti-matter container released.  Twelve seconds till
detination."

                     * * * * * * * *

"You can't get us back, Worf!  Get the hell out of here!"
Riker shouted, as he held onto Picard's limp form.  He tried
to lift his phaser; give the Borg a going-away present.

                     * * * * * * * *

"Seven... six..."

                     * * * * * * * *

"I said get the hell out of here!"

The Borg moved forward.

"Enterprise...!"  Futile.

                     * * * * * * * *

"Three... two..."

                     * * * * * * * *

The Enterprise shot away from the Borg ship, near the speed of
light.  There was a moment of stillness, then...

                     * * * * * * * *

"Zero."

                     * * * * * * * *

Space lit up for an instant as the anti-matter was released,
reacting instantly with the matter that surrounded it.  The
already-battered Borg ship burst, spewing debris for miles
around, forming what seemed like a large cloud in the area of
space it once occupied.

"That's our job done." Shelby sighed.

But it's not over, she thought.  Do you hear me, Ranklin?
It's not over yet.

                     * * * * * * * *

Data looked down at the frail-looking woman he had once known.
He was easy to mend; it had taken the USS Garrett's engineers
the three weeks it took for them to limp back to Earth to put
him together again, restoring his "mind", that had inhabited
the ship's computer, back to his newly re-fitted body.

But humans weren't that easy to put together again.

"Ard'rian." He said, quietly.  She still did not move; just
lay there, curled up in a foetal position, facing away from
him.  "It is me, Data."

"Go away." The voice was barely a whisper; almost a sob.  The
pale, shaved head moved slightly, turning towards the pillow.

"Go away," It repeated.  There was a slight hesitation.  Then
one word was added, "...machine."

Data continued to look down at her crumpled form for a while.
Then he turned, and left.

                     * * * * * * * *

Riker walked into the Enterprise's sickbay.  He was whole
again, thanks to the aid of both ship's doctors.  It had been
a close call, when the transporter had yanked them out of the
Borg ship, just when the shields failed and the it was about
to explode.  It had been split-second timing that he would
make sure would earn O'Brien a commendation.

He had seen Geordi out of sickbay two weeks ago, when his
visor had been fixed.  The Chief Engineer had not been too
happy about being blind for a whole week, but now with his
sight back, he was already working to restore the Enterprise
back to its prime condition.  After all, the Borg had done
more than enough tampering to the ship to keep Geordi busy for
the coming months that they would be in orbit around Earth,
helping to normalise the situation there.

He smiled a hello at Beverly Crusher, who had just left her
office.  The memory of his first meeting with her after the
encounter came back.  She had greeted him, and taken a long
look at his beard, as if she had never seen it before.  To
her, of course, she hadn't.  Riker knew she had a lot of work
ahead of her, so recapturing old memories via ship records and
personal logs would have to wait till later.  Still, she had
found plenty of time to ask him questions about Wesley, and
how he had grown up into a responsible officer.  Riker found
himself enjoying the talk, especially when it came to telling
her about Odan and how the trill had inhabited his own body
for a period of time.

But in all that time, Jean-Luc Picard had not come out of the
coma that the Borg had placed him in, and Will had regularly
stood next to the bed in sickbay on which the captain had been
placed, watching him.  He had once thought he would never
understand how Picard had felt, at the hands of the Borg.  But
now he did; and it hurt.

"Captain," He smiled as he approached the bed, "the good
doctor was kind enough to tell me you were finally awake."

Picard stared up at him, looking a little dazed.

"It's William Riker." Riker said, trying not to show the pain
he felt at having to remind this person - who he had worked
next to for so many years - of his name.

Picard nodded slowly, but his eyes retained the haunted look
that had been in them since he had come out of the coma.

"I... remember you."

Riker merely smiled.

Picard was quiet for a moment.  When he spoke, his voice
carried a hint of awareness, of something deeper than
previously known.  "You're....  Number One?"

"Yes," Riker nodded, slowly.  The smile broadened for that one
moment.  "I'm your Number One."

THE END.