Resistance - J.M. Dillard [88]
The blast struck exactly as he intended: at the far outermost edge of the force field. It was too shallow to be absorbed; instead, it banked off the edge and detonated a few meters away—dangerously close to where Locutus stood. The burst knocked the captain-drone to the deck.
Worf turned, recalibrating as he did so, and tried to help Leary, but it was too late. In her weakened state, Leary had been overwhelmed by the drones. It had happened so quickly that she could not even let out a sound. Worf had not been aware. With a howl of rage, Worf fired and brought down her killer, then wheeled about again to look behind him.
Locutus was back on his feet, a mere five meters away. Worf recalibrated and banked another shot. This time, his aim was off, and the field absorbed the blast. And as the field brightened from the impact, Worf recalibrated, stealing another glance at the queen as he did so.
Doctor Crusher had fallen, and the queen—now conscious—stood glaring down at her.
He would, the Klingon realized, have to shoot to kill. There was no longer any time to spare; he would have to find a way to the queen himself and destroy her.
He lifted his rifle again, prepared to take aim—and frowned. Locutus had, in the wink of an eye, disappeared.
A millisecond later, the nutrient bed on which the queen had lain slammed against Worf’s legs and hips, knocking him to the deck. He fell hard onto his tailbone but managed, through supreme effort, to keep his grip on his weapon. He slapped one palm against the deck, thinking to push himself immediately to his feet…
…But before he could, he looked up to see Locutus, standing over him, the saw arm lifted.
The saw arm came down, biting into the rifle with sparks and a harsh grinding sound. Locutus lifted the arm; the weapon came with it, and with a sharp jerk, he sent it flying through the air. It struck the field and clattered to the deck, sliding to a stop on the opposite side of the chamber.
Before the saw arm came down again, Worf rolled to his side. Locutus followed, relentless.
It was not in the Klingon’s nature to flee. Determined, he threw himself on the drone. With one hand, he caught hold of Locutus’s forearm and forced it away; with the other, he seized hold of the drone’s neck.
He intended to overpower the captain-drone, then get to the queen in order to kill her—but Locutus was far too strong; the whining saw drew inexorably closer to the Klingon’s chest. Worf realized he would not even be able to hold his ground, and he let go a roar of fury and frustration.
There was only one thing left to do: die, killing Locutus. It would save the captain from further dishonor…and it would give Worf an honorable death.
An honorable death, he told Jadzia silently, for both of us.
As the saw blade neared his heart, Worf increased the pressure on Locutus’s neck until it was strong enough to kill a human.
Without an instant’s reflection, Nave fired her phaser rifle at the guard-drone, felling it. The blast was so near Lio that he staggered—Nave could not bring herself to think of him as a drone, an “it”—and bounced off the railing before regaining his footing.
She had a choice, she realized as she and Chao quickly recalibrated their weapons. They could leave him here, turn and head back to the forest of the sleeping Borg—but other than the obvious risk, it would waste even more priceless time. Or they could attempt to get past him—a possibility, since he was unarmed and with only two human hands to fight them.
The question was resolved in a heartbeat: in the distance behind her, lights flashed on.
“The console area,” Chao said quickly. Nave heard the faint sound of footsteps. “They’re waking up.”
Nave fired at the deck in front of Lio’s feet. The reflected blast stopped him, made him raise an arm to shield his face—a distinctly human gesture, she decided, she hoped. Once it faded, he began to move steadily forward again.
“Don’t fire!” she told Chao as she recalibrated. “Get ready to run