by Alys Landale
*
Paris’s vital signs turned erratic. His pulse had soared to the point that he had almost had arrested. Now his body was reacting as if he was under extreme stress.
Doc tried to level out him out. It was like he was undergoing some kind of torture.
B’Elanna and Xara practically ran into sickbay as this was happening. Doc looked up from his work. “Lieutenant now is not a good time.”
Torres stole a glance at Paris. His face looked extremely pale and was slightly glazed in sweat. She could see the small traces of what looked like pain etched across her mates features.
She quickly averted her eyes, less she forget what she had come to say. “Doc, I think I have an answer.”
The EMH looked up from his work for a second. “Well, I’m open to suggestions. Go ahead lieutenant.”
Seven listened as B’Elanna explained her idea. The ex-Borg had been called to sickbay after Torres had outlined her plan to the doctor. The EMH had thought it could be successful hence; he called Seven for a second opinion.
“So the problem we have is that Tom’s body isn’t strong enough to handle all the stress his mind is taking. We can’t stop what’s happening to him but we might be able to help give him more energy to get through this. What I’m suggesting is that we incorporate some of the element we’re using in the warp core into Paris’s system. It’s the same thing as what’s in his blood. It could be able to give his body more strength to get through this.” She said.
Seven was silent for a moment. “That does sound plausible,” she said. “We should begin incorporating a small amount into his system. If it is successful in providing energy to him, we shall continue with the procedure.”
B’Elanna nodded. Maybe, just maybe, this would work. She looked down at her mate on the biobed. Taking one of his hands in hers she silently whispered to him. *Don’t worry Tom, we’re hear for you.*
*
Paris could remember everything that had happened since he had arrived on Takma’s base. It had been like he had relived everything that had occurred during his stay there. He could now remember his first meeting with Aria, the torture that Takma had put him through, and the procedure that Doctor Rosin had administered that had erased his memories.
Now he was back in the dark plane where he had begun. But now the darkness seemed to be relenting some. Snippets of light surfaced around the corners.
Neryem was still there. *I see you have recovered those memories.* the voice told him. *But can you live through the next set?*
Tom was feeling weak. The memories had come flooding back to him at such speed. He wondered, himself, if he would be able to survive the next.
Neryem gave him no chance to reply as he quickly plunged Paris deeper into his memories.
Aria and Sorores looked on from their vantage points.
*He’s getting weak.* Sorores stated.
Aria nodded. *I know. But he can hold out.* She just hoped that her words were as true as she wanted them to be.
*
B’Elanna brought the element down to sickbay. Doc and Seven were waiting on her. They had set up the necessary equipment. Now they were just waiting on the element.
B’Elanna handed a container of it to them. “Here it is.” she told them.
The EMH took it from her and began setting it up with in the equipment. After a few minutes, all the necessary preparations had been made.
“Well, now it’s time to see whether or not this is going to work.”
B’Elanna took Tom’s hand in hers. She held it tightly. Even if he couldn’t feel her, it helped her to know that she had a part of him to hold onto.
“Do it.” she told the doctor.
Doc began to release the element into Paris’s system. Soon they would know whether or not this would work.
*
Memories of a long since forgotten away mission were swimming through Paris’s mind:
"Tom I guess I shouldn't have been so hard on you. It's just that you never think before you do something."
B’Elanna said, but she still wasn't ready to admit she was sorry. Not yet anyway.
"So you’re not mad anymore?" he asked.
"Let's just say I'm not AS mad at you anymore. But don't push your luck."
He bent his head down and joined his lips with hers. The kiss started simple but soon escalated into something much more. They savored the feel of each other's mouth, driven with a desire hat had first brought them together.
The taste produced from their dirt-covered lips was salty yet sweet at the same time. Finally, the two pulled apart, each a little unwillingly.
"I hope I didn't push my luck too far." Tom said.
"No, but next time we do this we might want to be a little cleaner."
He laughed, “I guess we are a bit dirty."
"Understatement of the year Paris."
Heading back to the shuttle, Tom commented, “So, I was wondering if a certain Chief Engineer might want to help me clean some of those hard to reach places."
"Now you're going too far, Pig."
So far, his memories were streaming back to him at an amazingly fast rate. Reliving a day took little more than an hour.
He had begun with memories of a fight he and B’Elanna had at one time. It had been over an away mission?
His feelings for B’Elanna were still slightly askew. He had no memories of how they had first met or any of their time together before this fight. He did however recognize a deeply set emotion that was present in both his memories and at the current time frame.
He felt a surge of strength pass through him for a second. He had been exhausted when this had begun but now it was like he was fine again. And then he felt something else around him. He could sense B’Elanna’s worry over him. It was like a calming wave adding more strength to his forces.
He would get through this.
“It’s working.” the doctor said. “His vitals are beginning to rise.”
B’Elanna squeezed Tom’s hand harder. “Just hold on a little while longer,” she told him.
Events began to pass by more quickly. He was inside the station now. B’Elanna was in his arms as he carried her away.
Drones chased them from behind as he tried to make it to the shuttle. Janeway was at his side. They were almost there.
*
The doctor was still monitoring Paris. The man’s vital signs had lifted well into the safety levels since they had first administered the element into his blood. Aside from his body reacting to stress, there wasn’t anything severely wrong. Paris looked like he had just run a marathon. Doc knew that the man’s body was reacting to the situations he was remembering. He just wondered what Tom had gone through to cause this kind of a reaction.
Xara walked over to Tom’s bedside. She crawled into B’Elanna’s lap so she could see Paris better.
B’Elanna looked down at the little girl in surprise, but said nothing. She let the child sit in her lap while they both waited for any further news from Paris.
*
Tom finally came to the point where his memories took a dangerous turn. This was the point that Neryem didn’t believe
Paris could live through again. It had been a miracle that he had lived through it in the first place. There was little chance that he could live through it this time.
Tom Paris was still letting Sorores's words sink in. "What do you mean I have to join you."
She hesitated, **I am unable to self-destruct this facility without the help of another. You must let me assimilate you to destroy this station. **
"I'm not letting you assimilate me! There has to be another way.''
**There is no other way. I first contacted you on the planet so that you might help me. If you do not do this, billions of lives will end. **
He thought about her words. 'First contacted you'.
*The rock*, he thought.
**That is correct. I permitted you to enter this facility so that you could help me. I hoped that it would not co
me to this, but we have no choice. **
He realized that she was right. *At least now, I know what that water sound was.*
"What do I have to do?"
*
The alarms above Tom’s bed began to go off. Both Xara and B’Elanna were almost knocked from their seats from the surprise. Doc began punching in orders on the console.
“What’s wrong?” Torres demanded as she got up from her seat. Xara slid down from her lap and stood beside the older woman.
“Something’s overloading his senses.” Doc said. He stared at the readings in front of him. “I just don’t understand these readings. All his systems are reacting to this. If we don’t do something now, they’ll overload.”
*
The memories were flooding Paris’s senses. He relived all the apprehension that he had once experienced; all the pain.
A tendril began to move at Paris's feet.
**You must let it take you inside the core. **
He stared at the red vine below him but complied. He stood perfectly still as it wound up his leg to his torso. Another one joined that one and latched itself around his neck. Soon more were wrapping around his body, melting into his skin…assimilating him.
They engulfed him in pain. It hurt. It hurt more than anything he had ever experienced. He tried to scream but one of the tendrils had already wrapped itself tightly around his neck. No air could enter or escape his lungs.
*Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.*
He was all too aware of being pulled towards the Core. His eyes were mirrors of pain and terror. Everything seemed to be happening so slowly. He felt a hand touch the liquid matter of the Core then his whole arm was engulfed within the silvery water. It felt like the liquid was flowing through his veins. It coursed through the tendrils and into him. It burned like lava. Soon he was entirely engulfed by the core. Slowly he felt himself merge with the ship. He could now understand the watery sound he had heard earlier. It was like another language. A language that he had known since birth but had just discovered.
He felt Sorores next to him, felt her within him. He understood everything now, why this was all so important. He saw the planet, experienced the memories of the station. The planet had been an energy source for them, but it had also hidden a wormhole. The station had created the planet to camouflage the hole, but had also set up devices along its surface to alert if intruders approached. Tom had come in contact with one of those devices and in the process, Sorores had created a link between him and herself. The whole reason for the station became clear; they must protect the wormhole from any outsiders, even if that meant sacrificing themselves.
His body was slowly being integrated into the core; soon he would be able to do it.
His mind was being transformed, soon very little of himself would be left.
He had to work fast. Allying his strength with Sorores, they accomplished their goal.
*It's over,* was his last thought. Then he was engulfed in a red light and he knew no more.
Paris felt his world turn to darkness. His body felt so weak. It was as if his insides had been ripped out of him in only a few seconds. He was barely aware as he was being pulled farther and farther away. Farther from the reality of his life on Voyager, and closer to the endless darkness of oblivion.
*
“Up the dosage!” Doc yelled to Seven.
She complied but even though more of the element was released into his system, nothing changed. Paris was still growing closer and closer to death.
B’Elanna was at Tom’s side the whole time. The hand she held was beginning to grow weaker by the moment. “Do something!” she yelled.
Doc didn’t even answer her. He turned to Seven. “Bring the dosage up again.”
“We do not know what will happen if we administer any more of this into his system.” she stated.
Doc looked up for a second. “Up the dosage Seven.” He restated firmly. “We’re losing him.”
Both B’Elanna and Xara heard all too clearly the doctor’s words. Torres bent down over Paris’s still form. She squeezed his hand even tighter.
“You listen to me Paris,” she whispered harshly. “I will not lose you again. You understand me. You come back to me.” Her last sentence was more of a plea than an order. She felt tears welling up in her eyes. For a second she thought she could feel
Tom respond, but then it was gone. She extended all the strength she had to him.
*You come back to me.* she repeated to herself. *You come back.*
*
Through all his weakness, through all his pain, he could hear B’Elanna send her plea to him. He could feel her strength.
He urged all his will power forward to fight this thing. *I will not let this happen.* he told himself.
He fought against the undertow that seemed to be pulling him down. He now knew who he was up against. If Neryem wanted to play dirty then Paris could do the same.
*I imprisoned him here* he thought. *But I don’t know where here is or how I did it.* Then something came to him. It
didn’t matter whether or not he knew that. If he had imprisoned Neryem here then he was in control of this plane.
Neryem tried to pull Tom down even further. *It won’t be long before you are gone.* thought the entity.
Tom struggled against his adversary. If this plane was under his control, then he should be able to get done what was necessary.
Using all his strength, he lashed out at his opponent. Neryem was in a state of surprise as he felt himself being torn away from his victim. He quickly launched himself for another attack.
Tom waited patiently. Now it was time for him to play dirty. Neryem made his attack just as Paris prepared his. Evading the other’s grasp, Tom sent Neryem flying forward into the oblivion that Neryem had intended for Paris.
Tom let out a sigh of relief as he felt his opponent being engulfed by the darkness. He looked around his surroundings again. The plane had turned from darkness to light. There was still darkness in places, but it tended to remain on the outer most boundaries.
He felt a presence approach him from behind. Turning around quickly, he knew exactly who it was.
*Aria,* he whispered.
She stood before him as he remembered her. Tall ears appeared from the sea of blue hair rolled over her shoulders. Her eyes were the same violet as he remembered as well. She was just as beautiful.
But he couldn’t ignore the fact that something had changed: it was him.
Aria gave him a knowing smile. *I know* she said. *You’ve remembered parts of your past now, and by reclaiming them, you also reclaimed the emotions that went along with them.*
He had to admit she always knew exactly what he was thinking. Including his thoughts of another woman. *I still love
you.* he told her.
She brushed a finger across his face. *Yes, but you love her more. You always have, even when you couldn’t remember her.* She paused for a moment. *The emotion we carry between us is no more than deep friendship now. It was never supposed to be anything more.*
He looked perplexed. *What do you mean?*
She looked into his eyes. *I was sent to prepare you for your upcoming battle. My people prepare warriors for whatever oncoming battles they must fight in. Whether they are mental or physical, we help train them for what is to come.*
He was silent, so she continued. *I knew I wasn’t supposed to get involved, but I couldn’t help it. I fell in love with you and that upset the balance. I was never able to tell you any of this until now, because you weren’t ready. But now I can.* she gestured to the area around them. *We’re on a different plane of consciousness now. This is where all thoughts meet. When you were ‘assimilated’ Sorores and Neryem were incorporated into your mind as well as all the other information within that facility.*
*So what are you saying?* he asked.
*I’m saying that the battle that you just took part in was caused by their presence within you. They can be
used to help or inhibit you as you have just seen. So you must be careful.*
*Is that the ‘battle’ you were referring to earlier?*
She shook her head. *No, you’re destiny has called for you to fight in a much more dangerous battle. Billions of lives will rest within your hands.* She paused for a second as she debated over what to tell him. *You will be called to make good a mistake that occurred far into the past. A mistake that happened with the Dykinae years eons ago.*
A small memory pulled at his mind from something that Sorores had once told him, but he didn’t have a chance to respond.
Aria spoke again. *You’ll be told more when the time is right. Until then...* She kissed him lightly. *I’ll be here for you...always.*
*Aria* he said. *I don’t care for what reason we met, I loved you. I still...*
She brought a finger to his lips. *You still love B’Elanna. She means everything to you Tom. And you mean everything to her as well. You two have a bond much deeper than you know of yet. You always have and you always will.*
He looked down as he realized the truth in her words.
*Go back to her Tom. She needs you now.*
Paris could already feel himself being pulled away from this plane as her words hung in the air around him.
She watched as he left. She would wait here for him, for as long as he needed. And that meant until his Battle came, which from the looks of things, would be coming extremely soon.
*
“His neural activity is dropping back into the safety levels.” Doc said. He had no idea what had just happened, but it looked like Paris was pulling out of it.
B’Elanna gave a sigh of relief but she held onto Paris’s hand all the same. Xara approached Tom’s bedside as well. After a few moments, B’Elanna felt a small pressure on her hand.
Her eyes widened as she watched Tom’s eyes open.
