Star Trek Voyager: Their Human Errors

Star Trek Voyager: Their Human Errors (Chapter 7)

The Doctor transferred himself to the holodeck within moments of hearing Seven’s agonised cry for help. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected to find, perhaps the holodeck had malfunctioned in some way and Seven had been injured, but it wasn’t the scene he saw before him as he materialised. He stood in a darkened set of quarters, identical in layout to those throughout Voyager, but he didn’t take the time to study the holographic setting further as Seven demanded his attention. She lay in a crumpled heap, lifeless except for an occasional involuntary jerk of her heavy limbs. Commander Chakotay stood protectively over her, visibly distraught and obviously overwhelmed with relief by the sight of the Doctor. “Doctor! Thank God…”

“What happened?” The Doctor demanded as he moved purposely forward towards where Seven lay.

“We were…” Chakotay swallowed hard, pressing a tense hand to his forehead as he exhaled guiltily, his huge, fear-filled eyes fixated on Seven, “…having an argument and then she just collapsed…” His body tensed further as frustration entered his tone and he stared at the Doctor pleadingly, “What’s wrong with her?” he questioned insistently.

“I’m about to find out.” The Doctor replied tersely, although not entirely without sympathy, as he ran his tricorder over Seven, noticing her attire for the first time. Normally the dress, as well as her loose golden hair, which spread out from her head like a shattered halo, would have distracted his romantic mind, but for now his medical programming was at the forefront of his concerns. “Her cortical node is shutting down…” He realised with a dazed, fearful gasp, hurriedly taking her unyielding body by the shoulder to check her over visually, “And where are her facial implants?” he asked, now utterly bemused as well as worried. Seven’s implants, a map of her Borg past written all over her body, should have been on easy display in her revealing outfit, but they were nowhere to be seen, completely erased despite what his tricorder was telling him.

Confusion clouded Chakotay’s ashen features as his gaze moved between Seven and the Doctor uncomprehendingly, “I thought you had removed all of her cybernetic systems…”

It was the Doctor’s turn to be uncomprehending and he looked up at the Commander in disbelief, “What? I could never do that, she’d die…” He stopped mid explanation as he finally noticed that the Commander was, like Seven, out of uniform, and something clicked in his mind as he remembered exactly where he was. “Computer, deactivate programme.” He ordered softly.

Disgusted anger passed over Chakotay’s face for an instant, obviously unable to understand why the Doctor wasn’t attending to Seven, but almost as soon at the expression appeared, he and the scene around him evaporated like a mirage. The Doctor sighed as he glanced sadly over at his patient, still unconscious but now back in her familiar form, clothed in a biosuit and with her implants as present as ever, sparking and jolting violently. “What have you been doing?” He murmured to her sorrowfully as he fondly pushed the hair away from her still face.

“Commander…” Seven mumbled, pushing the word through her dry throat as bright light assaulted her eyes. Even when dimly aware of the return of consciousness, enough of it hung back to trap her in her last memory for a few more seconds.

“If you’re referring to your other holographic friend, I’m afraid he’s not here.” The Doctor informed her in a brisk, dry tone from somewhere above her.