DISCLAIMER: Alexa is mine; born right from my head as for the others; I don’t own ‘em, I just like ‘em… A LOT. And as someone (don’t remember who) said before… they have more fun in my world than they ever had in Paramount’s world!
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Split Seconds
By The Other Liz
Part Eight
They arrived in Engineering to the surprise of B'Elanna.
"She wished to see… your engines." Icheb stated, a small smirk curling the edge of his mouth.
"I was informed that I used to be of some assistance in here to you?" Alexa said.
B'Elanna formed a toothy grin and then winked at her youngest.
"Quite the engineer you were." She began. "Let's see if you still got your stuff."
*Seven of Nine to Cadets Naomi Wildman and Mizoti Hansen-Torres*
"Wildman here." Naomi responded.
*You are 10.6 minutes late for your duty shift.*
"Sorry Seven! We're on our way."
With that Seven closed the link. Mizoti and Naomi exchanged a half worried glance before giving their farewells to the group and rushing out the door. Icheb and the twins soon departed afterward, leaving Alexa and B'Elanna to themselves.
"Well…" B'Elanna began. "Do you remember anything about Engineering?"
Alexa's heart fell to her stomach. For a reason unknown to her she wanted more than anything to please her Sos'Oy. But for the life of her she could not remember more than a few simple things about the room she was standing in. Alexa continued staring at the floor not knowing how to break it to her mother that she had no clue what she was doing here.
"Alexa?" B'Elanna asked, gently raising her daughter's chin. "Honey what's wrong?"
"I don't remember anything past the obvious." Alexa said trying to keep her emotions in check. "Like I know that's a warp core, that's a spanner, that's a tricorder and you're the boss. After that I don't know anything. I am sorry"
B'Elanna bit her lip to try to keep the smile in. Alexa saw it anyway.
"Why do you find it amusing?" her arms folded over her chest, her face scowling in what could only be a mirror image of B'Elanna's patented _expression.
B'Elanna leaned in and planted a kiss on Alexa's ridges then pulled her into a tight mama bear hug.
"Sweetie, that's all you knew to begin with." She said. "You forget you were only six."
"Oh, yeah... About that…" Alexa began.
"I never finished telling you did I?"
Alexa shook her head.
"Okay, where did I leave off?"
"Just after you told the Captain I was missing and Tuvok was forming an investigation team."
"Alright, tell you what, help me replace some gel packs in a couple places and I'll explain away."
"Okay." Was Alexa's simple reply.
The two gathered the necessary tools and proceeded into the Jefferies Tubes. Once they had settled into a spot Alexa handed B'Elanna the sonic spanner and they set to work.
"Okay, now I told you that we told Janeway and then we went back to our quarters and then what?"
"You stopped just as you promised Mama that you'd find me on your honor." Alexa said. "That's a serious promise isn't it?"
"It is." B'Elanna said softly. "But I knew we'd find you. Nothing could have kept us away."
"This… honor thing." Alexa began, once more redirecting her mom's words. "It's a big Klingon thing right?"
"Yes. One of the most important things to a Klingon is their honor and the honor of their house."
"Interesting." Alexa said cataloging the information for later. "Okay so tell me more about what happened."
B'Elanna could have sworn she saw the same glint in Alexa's eyes that Seven always got when she was plotting and planning something. But she chose not to say anything.
"Alright so your Mama and I tucked into bed as ordered…"
The next morning Seven and B'Elanna were just as wrecked as they had been before going to bed. Neither one of them was prepared to tell the other Sochlings that their baby sister had just up and disappeared. While the kids were part Borg and very good at keeping their emotions in check, everyone knew that family was extremely important to them. Once all the kids had gathered in the family room Seven and B'Elanna began the difficult task of explaining the unknown to curious kids.
"I do not… understand." Began Icheb uneasily.
"Alexa has disappeared into space?" Mizoti questioned.
"We don't know for sure sweetheart." B'Elanna said gently. "We only know that she isn't on Voyager."
"I will scalp whoever caused this." Rebi said dangerously. "It is my duty."
"Easy there killer." B'Elanna soothed. "We don't even know what happened exactly."
"Lt. Tuvok has assembled an investigation team." Seven said. "We are waiting on their findings."
"What do we do until then?" Azan finally spoke up.
"We're going to stay together and be a family." B'Elanna said.
The tight knit family finally decided that perhaps watching old Terran movies would pass part of the time. It wasn't long after Lara Croft found both halves of the triangle and saved the world again that the quad of Sochlings became restless.
"What is taking them so long?" Mizoti asked.
"It is a complicated task" Seven said.
*Janeway to Lt. Torres and Seven of Nine.*
"Both present Captain." B'Elanna said.
*My ready room. Now.*
Janeway ended the link on that and sat back in her chair. She was a mix of furious and saddened. Rubbing her temples she strode to the replicator.
"Coffee, black, extra strong." She ordered.
Seven and B'Elanna arrived just as she was sitting back down in her chair. Neither woman bothered to use the chime.
"Captain you wished to see us." Seven said unable to hide the shake in her voice.
"Sit." Was all Janeway could get out.
Seven realized that this was something far more complicated than originally foreseen. She sat without argument for once.
"Seven, B'Elanna." Janeway began. "You know I think of you as my daughters and the kids as well, as my grandkids at the least. But I need both of your words to me that you will not harm a single crew member before I tell you what Tuvok's team found."
"What happened?" B'Elanna asked reaching for Seven's hand.
Janeway took a deep breath. She still wasn't ready to break the news to them.
"Alexa's ..." The captain paused and started once more. "Internal scans show that there was an Entropic Fluctuation around the Warp Core at the same time it was about to rupture, you managed to contain it Seven. As you know we were studying the residual evidence of a wormhole near the sun of this system. The worm hole was within 70,000 kilometers of sun. There was a error in the course of helm control that didn't account for the gravitational space-time warping. Because a solar flare erupted on the sun the moment of the Warp Core breach, it opened up an entropic pocket."
"Time travel. You're talking time travel!" B'Elanna roared.
"A quantum irregularity." Seven concluded. "Theoretically it is possible."
"Our daughter isn't theoretically missing!"
Seven turned to look at her wife; the blue eyes had filled with tears, allowing the Klingon to know that the former Borg was not passively accepting what had happened. In fact Seven was terrified. When she had shut down the breach she had shut down the quantum window into time-space. What ever else had led up to that moment it was Seven who had closed the window. Never mind had she not done so 150 souls would have perished. But such was a mother's anguish.
"Bey...I...did… I severed us...."
"Oh no you don't! It's that P'taq who did it ....Paris!" B'Elanna was nearly shaking in anger. "An error at the helm... that bastard was hot rodding around the frigging flares wasn't he Captain! He was showing off and now our baby is gone! Harm him Captain?… Hell no I am not going to harm him I am going to KILL him!
He will suffer a most painful death." Seven agreed.
"NO." Janeway said forcefully. "He will not suffer anything. It was an accident."
"Ensign Paris has on many occasions said he wished to rid the universe of Alexa's presence." Seven said.
"He did WHAT?" B'Elanna yelled again. "You didn't tell me?"
"I did not wish to cause you distress, Bang'wi." Seven soothed. "I… handled him at each time."
"I wish you would have told me." B'Elanna said quietly.
"Bang'wi…" Seven said, tears now freely falling. "I am sorry."
"Shhh…" B'Elanna soothed. "It's okay. Just let me know next time when something like that happens."
Seven nodded and then turned back to the Captain.
"What has been done to locate our daughter?"
"The team is working on that now."
"So what the hell are we supposed to do?" B'Elanna asked.
"Go back to your quarters." Janeway said. "Be with your family."
"But…" both women began.
Janeway held up her hand.
"No buts." She began; the look on their faces was too much. "If we need you, we will call you."
The mothers knew this was her final word on the matter… for now.
"Acceptable." Seven answered for the both of them.
The two women stood to leave and were stopped once again by the Captain.
"I know neither of you have eaten." Janeway said. "I know it must be devastating and hard, but should we need you to find Alexa. I'm going to need you both strong and rested."
"Is that a hint Captain?" B'Elanna asked.
"Call me Kathryn," Janeway said. "And yes… that's a hint."
"Acceptable." Seven said.
The two mothers made their way to the Mess Hall both thinking that perhaps the busyness would keep their minds at bay. Upon entering they immediately ran into the object of their detestation.
"PARIS!" B'Elanna thundered.
Tom shrank back at the sound of the Klingon's vehemence coming through. He looked up in time to see B'Elanna leap for his throat only to be caught around the waist by Seven.
"Bella, we will not be able to find our wa'Hom if you are in the brig." Seven said quietly in B'Elanna's ear.
Seven then looked at Tom.
"You have been rescued once. Do not expect me to be there every time." Seven warned. "You are indeed living on borrowed time. If Alexandra is not returned safely to us, you will only wish you had been assimilated."