Physical Contact Registered

By Coral

Disclaimer: All Paramount's... not my fault if they don't finish the story!

Confusion.  Lack of cohesion.  Only one voice.  No others.  Where are the others?  The connection to the collective had been severed.  There were no others.  No voices.  No harmony.  No perfection.  Chaos.  How long it had been this way, the drone could not tell.  Maybe it was many time units; maybe only one.  Since the connection had been severed, time was different.  It passed in flashed of images and snatches of disjointed voices that should make sense, but wouldn't.  They were unassimilated pieces of data, pieces of the whole that refused to submit to the harmony.  Why were they refusing?  To be organised was to reach harmony, to achieve perfection.  This drone was no longer perfect.  The others were gone, no voices whispered their seductive siren song through "Let me just-" space to help form the whole.  One mind "I can't let you through-" was weak, pitiful.  It was only upon assimilation "I can help her, Doctor" that the mind realised its potential and became powerful.  It was one mind now, alone "I'm not sure anything will help!" without the security of immortality and perfection.  It would give anything to become one with the perfection again, to leave "Then how will it hurt?  Just lower the forcefield" the chaos of its mind behind.  The disjointed voices were louder now, as if approaching.  They were weak.  Conflicted.  Erratic.  Assimilation was their only "I can give you five minutes, no more" chance for perfection.  It would assimilate them, add their voices to its own, join with them.  Voices, where were "Kathryn, can you hear me?" the voices, where were the Borg?  Vocal communication is chaotic, inefficient.  A neural transceiver "It's Chakotay.  Voyager's fine, and Tuvok and B'Elanna have recovered" would be required for maximum efficiency.  It could be administered by-
-physical contact registered-
-by-
*a boat* The image was out of context.  Disordered.  In contrast to harmony.  *a rose* It made no sense, but should. *a smile* Human .  Their biological and technological *a man* distinctiveness was added *Chakotay* Chakotay?  A designation.  For what?  Not Borg.  A man.    Not a drone.  A designation.  His designation is irrelevant.  It conveys no meaning.  No meaning.  What, then, of the other images it suggests?  A story, a hand, a container of water?  Irrelevant.  He is nothing.  We are malfunctioning.  He is not part of the harmony.  Not of the Collective.
Irrelevant-
-physical contact registered-
"Chakotay?"
"Kathryn?"
-physical contact registered-
"Kathryn?"
-visual input received-
*a face* Concern.  Concern is irrelevant.  It shows weakness.  Damaged drones must be terminated.  Their continued existence detracts from the perfection of the Collective.  We don't want to be terminated.
I don't want to be terminated.
"We don't want to be terminated-"
"Terminated?  Kathryn?"
"We are - damaged.  We can - no longer hear - the others.  We must be - terminated.  We do not wish-"
System error.  The will of the individual is irrelevant.  There is only the Collective.  Nothing "You won't be terminated" else.  Nothing else.  This drone must be returned "She's becoming agitated" to the Borg.  Assimilate.  Assimilate this vessel and "Watch out, Commander!" use it to "I'll have to sedate her.  Get the other side of the forcefield and raise it" return to the -
-physical contact registered-
"Welcome back... *Kathryn*.  See you soon."
-return to... return to...

END