The Farther Shore - Christie Golden [76]
She turned her gaze upon Blake, who visibly shrank before it. “I will need to activate my drones. All of them.”
Blake looked to the EMH, pleading. “Her implants aren’t ready,” he said.
“You will address your comments to me!” Covington ordered.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I regret to inform you that your signal is still too weak. It’s taken several years for you to adapt this much. You—you may never have the same capacities as a true queen.”
Covington felt as if he’d punched her in the stomach. “What? You never told me that before!”
“I didn’t know for certain,” stammered Blake. “Everything was so new. Frankly, I didn’t know we’d be able to get this far. We’re reinventing the wheel, discovering all this from the ground up. We’ve got a bit of real Borg technology and are trying to create the rest. We’ve done a remarkable job so far, especially with so few of us involved, but I can’t guarantee you’ll achieve anything further. I certainly can’t enhance your signal to activate all those infected across the planet. You’ve been able to reach them one by one, but—
“You have made your point quite clear, Mr. Blake,” said Covington coldly. “Let me make something clear [228] to you. If you cannot assist me, you will fall with me. And I will throw you to the Starfleet wolves with glee. Do you understand?”
Blake swallowed. “Yes, Majesty. But you must understand that I cannot do the impossible.”
The anger that surged through her surprised her. She had never hated a man so badly since the assaults of the Hand had stopped. She wanted to tear him limb from limb, but she still needed him, at least for a time.
“What can you do for me? Can I reach the drones in quarantine?”
Looking as if he might be physically sick, Blake shook his head. “The sites are too scattered, and there are too many.”
“Besides,” said the EMH, “what good would it do you? They’re well secured. It might provide a distraction, but your goal needs to be to protect yourself—and us, so that we may continue to loyally serve.”
“You’re right,” she said. “Link me up again, to a more limited amount of computers. Perhaps a solution will offer itself.”
Blake looked at the EMH, who sighed and looked annoyed, but who nodded. Blake’s long fingers flew.
“There,” he said. “This is just Starfleet Intelligence computers. How are you handling that amount of inflow?”
Covington swayed as her brain was assaulted, but gritted her teeth in determination. There. It was difficult, but not impossible, to control it. She looked thoughtfully at Blake.
“Could I activate those who have been exposed to the virus in this building?”
[229] Relief at being able to offer a positive answer spread across Trevor Blake’s unremarkable face. “Oh, yes, indeed, Your Majesty. The signal will easily go throughout the building. You’ll be able to instantly—
The words stopped abruptly as his eyes widened. Her smile spread. He knew what she meant to do. Wildly he turned to the EMH, but found no sympathy in that arrogant being.
“Not me, Majesty,” he begged. “You need me to serve you!”
“You will continue to do so, never fear,” she said sweetly, and with a thought, she activated the virus.
Assistant Director Aidan Fletcher’s face was conducive to trust, Janeway thought. But then again, so was Red Grady’s face. At this point, they had little option but to believe the shadowy Peregrine.
Although Fletcher looked tired, as if he had recently been under a great strain, he smiled.
“Admirals,” he said. “My operative told me that I could expect to hear from you. This line is completely secure, I assure you. I assume you’ve been brought up to speed?”
Before Janeway could reply, Montgomery said “Actually, I’d like to hear it from you, if you don’t mind.”
“I can understand your suspicion,” Fletcher said without missing a beat, and proceeded to confirm everything they