The Final Frontier 8

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ The Final Frontier 8 / Final Frontier 8 (Disk 3 of 4).adf / LCARS / TextFile / BBS / I_Locutus_Part_2.pp / I_Locutus_Part_2

Wrap

Text File | 1994-08-07 | 17.3 KB | 408 lines

TF01 3,I Locutus - Part 2 4,by Ryan Nicol Well, here is Part Two of "I, Locutus" (sooner than I thought). Enjoy.... Ryan. I, LOCUTUS ------------ by Ryan Nicol --------------- 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 Jouret 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 Jouret 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 acommodations, 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-determination, 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 deter 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 La Forge?" "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 La Forge." 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? Suddenly 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.... END OF PART TWO