Seven of Nine - Christie Golden [18]
Something about... about their song. ..."
"I'm a doctor, not an ornithologist, but to the best of my recollection, ravens don't have a particularly appealing song."
Seven was nodding, staring at the six birds. Six.
That number was important too. "Not their song. A song about them.
An old song... a song I know."
"Perhaps one of your ditties from your trip to twentieth-century France?" Seven's holodeck stint as a cabaret singer when the ship was under the command of the Hirogen was something of a legend on Voyager.
The role had been so out of character for her, it had made more of an impression on the crew than Tuvok's bartender or Chakotay's American soldier.
No one had expected Seven, with her clipped, precise manner of speaking, to be able to belt out a song quite so skillfully. She glared at him.
"No. There were no bird songs in that hologram's repertoire. The song must therefore be something that I learned as a child. Doctor, am I well enough to return to duty?"
"Definitely not." His tone brooked no argument.
"There's no warning before these hallucinations of yours. So far, you've confined yourself to hunting birds and sculpting a statue. But suppose you were to leap into the life of a warrior and destroy the ship?"
Seven was startled at how upset she was becoming and made an attempt to calm herself. Railing at the Doctor would accomplish nothing.
"I believe that you are correct. These birds and this song will help me better understand what is transpiring. However, I will need to access the computer and determine what song it might be. I will not attempt to-"
"Not by yourself Sickbay to bridge."
"Janeway here."
Sleeping Beauty has just awaken and wishes to access the computer.
I don't dare let her do so alone.
Is there someone available who could assist her?"
"I'll put Harry on it."
"Ah, Mr. Kim. An excellent choice. Sickbay out."
He turned to Seven. "May I make a suggestion?"
:'Certainly."
'You might not wish to go into details with Ensign Kim about your dreams."
Humor, thought Seven. She relaxed a little under the Doctor's slight smile, and curved her full lips in one of her own.
Seven was shocked and rather dismayed to find out how many Earth-based songs concerned birds. A Bird In a Guilded Cage. Birds Do It, Bees Do It. Listen to the Mockingbird. Freebird. When the Red Red Robin Comes Bob-Bob-Bobbin' Along. One song, called a Christmas carol, mentioned a variety of fowl including swans, partridges, geese, turtledoves, and some unidentifiable species known as "calling birds" and "French hens." None of the titles meant anything to her, so they had to play excerpts. The sound of the computer issuing music and vocals in the sterile environment of Astrometrics made for a peculiar contrast of which even Seven was aware.
"This is not a place for-for popular songs," she said in a disapproving tone. The computer cheerfully belted out a song in which all the little birds went tweet, tweet, tweet. Seven found it annoying in a manner she could not articulate.
"Hey, this was your idea," said Harry.
"Lieutenant Torres once told me that you have a fondness for a special type of Earth-based story telling format specifically geared toward entertaining your young called nursery rhymes."
Kim rolled his eyes and fiddled with the computer.
Another song issued forth. "Thanks, B'Elanna," he muttered under his breath.
"Once, she said that your knowledge proved usefal in a fact-finding mission called. .." She furrowed her brow as she tried to recall the term. -Brainstorming?"
"Yeah. So you want me to brainstorm about birds?"
"You are angry," Seven stated. "I am uncertain as to why. Do you not wish to assist me in determining what is causing my hallucinations?"
"No, of course I do, but-okay." He took a deep breath. "Ravens or some other black bird, huh?"
"Correct."