Star Trek The Next Generation: Struggles of the Mind

Epilogue

"You cannot escape us, we will always be a part of you, nothing can change that. You and I will always be joined!"

Deanna Troi lurched up from her bed, only just stopping herself from screaming at the sound of both the Borg and the Borg Queen's voices in her mind. She wasn't sure if it was simply a dream or telepathic communication, but either way it made her feel ill. The sheer memory of her experiences inside the mind of the Borg Collective made her sweat with fear at being lost beneath the millions of lost minds and the screams of those who still retained some individuality that craved release.

"The voices won't leave you know."

Deanna turned her head to see Q sitting in the corner of her sleeping quarters.

"What do you want, Q?" she asked, clutching her covers closer around her.

"I just came to see how you were holding up. Frankly I was surprised you actually went through with going back into that flood of noise they call perfection!"

"You had no right to change any of this!" she retorted angrily.

"That's where you're wrong. I have every right, because there are no restrictions for me."

"So what was your reason for interfering with time, this time?"
"Boredom."

"What?" she asked in disbelief.

"Boredom." He repeated calmly.

"What I went through... all because you were bored!" She shook her head to clear the confusion that racketed through her mind. "Leave, Q, just get out!"

The tall human-looking alien shrugged his shoulders and then disappeared in a flash of light.
Her anger still remained, so she decided to try to sleep it off. Her last conscious thought was;
'If he caused all of this, was what happened between Will and I down to him too?'

From outside the ship, Q watched her sleep and after hearing her thought, he smiled one last devilish grin and then disappeared, leaving the Enterprise and its crew to 'sail' through the starry expanse.

THE END.