The Final Frontier 8/Final Frontier 8 (Disk 3 of 4).adf/LCARS/TextFile/BBS/I_Locutus_Part_8.pp/I_Locutus_Part_8

Text File | 1994-08-07 | 19.3 KB | 479 lines

TF01
3,I Locutus - Part 8
4,by Ryan Nicol

Well, here it  is.   That's  right;  the  conclusion  to "I, Locutus"
(finally).  Sorry it's taken so long, but better late than never.  At
any rate,  enjoy  it;  comments,  criticisms  are  welcome, including
flames for not tying up lose  ends, getting the characters wrong, not
being proficient in the extraordinary  art of technobabble, etc.  But
for now, I'm off on vacation......!!!!!

All the beach... sorry, best (Vac is already getting to me)

Ryan.


                             I, LOCUTUS
                            ------------
                            by Ryan Nicol
                           ---------------

                     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... guarding 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 vacuum 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 La Forge 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 guards 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 guards managed 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 silhouette 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 guards
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 guards 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  guards 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 detonation."

                           * * * * * * * *

"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