String Theory_ Cohesion (Book 1) - Jeffrey Lang [91]
Paris shrugged. “Report what?” he asked. “It was her idea.”
The captain’s idea? This was too much. Captain Janeway had finally gone too far. Seven tried to respect her ideas, but this, this was too much. Touching the wall behind her, Seven groped along it until she felt the edge of a doorway. Spinning, she lunged through the door and heard it snap shut behind her. The bathroom. This would do. She would program the replicator to give her a new uniform, then call…someone. Commander Chakotay perhaps. Or Tuvok. He would have no tolerance for this behavior.
The room lights blinked on and Seven found herself staring into the large mirror over the sink. Humans, she thought. So vain. Seeing that a strand of hair had fallen down over her forehead, Seven lifted it with the intent to tuck it back into place.
Something was wrong with her forehead. Leaning closer, she saw a shadow, a ridge. Reaching up, Seven touched her forehead and found…bumps. What had happened? Who had done this to her? Running her fingers along the ridges, she saw she now had the subdermal bony plate of a Klingon female. Fury overtook her and she punched the door control.
“Lieutenant Paris!” she shouted, the blood running hot in her veins. Paris was standing next to the tray of food, idly picking at a repugnant pile of bacon slices. Seven suddenly felt her mouth awash in saliva at the thought of cooked meat.
“What is it? Want some bacon?” Seven curled her hand into a fist and aimed at Paris’s face but did not connect, and instead she grabbed the bacon from Tom’s hand. Seven stuffed it in her mouth. She was almost overcome by the disgusting, wonderful texture and revolting, lovely salty tang. Closing her eyes, she savored the flavor, but then opened them abruptly when she felt arms around her shoulders and waist. “See?” Paris said. “You were just hungry.”
B’Elanna squirmed, enjoying the kiss on her neck, but still more interested in the bacon. Tom’s attentions quickly became more insistent and she considered letting herself become distracted. Turning, she lifted her mouth to his and touched her slightly greasy lips to his. Laughing, Tom asked, “Are you okay now?”
“I’m fine,” she said, reaching up to touch his cheek. “I’m just glad to be back with you.” Two thin tubules emerged from the backs of her wrists, snaked up over her fingers, and gently pierced the flesh at Tom’s temples. His eyes rolled up in his head and his neck muscles grew taut. Traceries of tiny black webbing ran out in fractal threads from the punctures and his skin turned a clammy gray. The strength went out of the man’s legs and he slumped forward. B’Elanna caught him easily despite his size and lowered him gently to the ground.
As she watched, the black threads became blotches. The skin over his cheekbone split open and a tiny input module sprouted.
Seven leaned down over the module and spoke softly into it, like a parent awakening a child. “Wake up,” she said. “Wake up. It’s time to wake up.”
Chapter 15
“I’m awake!”
“Shhhh!”
“I said, ‘I’m awake!’ ”
“Lieutenant, be quiet!”
“I’m awake!” B’Elanna croaked for the third time, her throat so parched and scratchy she felt like she was inhaling sand. “Now everyone…just…shut up!”
“I will if you will!”
“What?” B’Elanna opened her eyes and then immediately snapped them shut again. “Too bright!” she rasped.
“Keep your voice down,” Kaytok hissed. “We don’t know who’s around here.”
B’Elanna opened her eyes slowly, this time remembering to shield the Borg implant. Kaytok hovered over her, poised to clamp his hand over her mouth if she shouted again. Abruptly, the engineer remembered that the last time she had seen Kaytok, he’d nearly squeezed the life out of her.
She batted his hands away, rolled on her shoulder, and tried to get her