Spock's daughter

4

Captain Janeway and Tuvok were walking through a corridor on the Voyager.

"No sign of Harry yet, but there are parts of the cube that we still can't scan", Janeway said.

"Could the drones be holding him in another location?" Tuvok asked

"Unlikely. Seven said they didn't seem to be aware of his presence." Janeway answered.

"If he ejected in an escape pod, we would have detected his beacon by now." (Tuvok)

"Try to activate his comm. badge. Match the carrier wave to a Borg interlink frequency. They shouldn't detect it." (Janeway)

"Aye, Captain." (Tuvok)

There was a moment of silence before Tuvok spoke again.

"And how's Lil?"

"Seven said that she has a deep and long cut on her leg and a wound on her waist. And a throbbing head. But it isn't life threatening. Not yet."

They arrived at the Sickbay. The door opened with a hiss and they entered.

"What have we learned from our friend here?" Janeway asked.

"The bigger they come, the harder they fall. Behold the David that slew our Goliath", the doctor answered and showed them the Micro-cellular scan 407 he did.

"A pathogen." (Janeway)

"A space-borne virus that adapted to Borg physiology. It's inert now, but in its virulent state it attacked the drones and killed them", the Doctor explained.

"Why weren't the juveniles infected?" Tuvok asked curiously.

"The maturation chamber is designed to protect developing drones. Malfunctions caused by the deaths of the adults led several of the chambers to open prematurely", Seven explained.

"Does this pathogen only target the Borg?" (Tuvok)

"The Borg, and other cybernetic organisms it encounters. ... You're not thinking of using it as a biological weapon?" the Doctor asked curiously.

He was slightly feeling bad having this thought in his mind.

"If we can revive the pathogen and reintroduce it, we could neutralise the drones without harming the away team." Tuvok reasoned.

"Neutralise? You mean murder, don't you? Captain, they're children."

The Doctor was shocked.

"Need I remind you that these children have committed murder themselves in their futile attempts to assimilate others." Tuvok tried to reason again.

He had a point with the children and their 'murders' and everyone knew that.

The captain walked around the doctor up to Seven, looking at her.

"Seven, tell me something. You saw them, talked to them. Do you think they'll kill the hostages if we don't give them what they want?" (Janeway)

"Yes", Seven answered.

The captain looked back at the doctor.

"I want that pathogen as an option, Doctor, but I won't consider using it until I've seen these drones for myself. Think you can arrange that?"

Seven nodded slowly.

"Then you're with me. And take some medicine and bandages with you."

Seven grabbed these things and followed Janeway when she walked out of the sickbay.

[In the Delta Flyer - in the cockpit]

The beep of his comm. badge woke the unconscious Harry in the Jefferies tube. He closed the still open box and then he crawled out and went straight to the cockpit, looking around with a phaser in his hand.

'Where is everybody?' he asked himself in his thoughts.

His worst fear was, that the others would be assimilated by now. He didn't know that they were all still alive. Maybe injured but still alive.

"Computer, identify the source of this comm. signal."

"Starship Voyager", the female voice of the vomputer replied.

"I need to respond on the same carrier wave."

"That procedure will require significant modifications."

Harry turned to the side and typed something.

"Well, don't worry. I'm way ahead of you."