Persistence of Vision: Part Two

Chapter 48: Persistence of Vision: Part Two.

(Next Day.)

Chakotay's POV

-----

Bini marched down the corridor ahead of me, holding a tricorder. She suddenly pivoted on her foot and marched towards me. Staring down at her tricorder, refusing to look up.

"Ensign Filters?" I called out. She snapped her head up and stopped abruptly in front of me.

"Hi, Comm-Chakotay. Sup, how you doin?" She said, looking around uncomfortably.

"Are you alright, Bini? You seem a little anxious." I commented.

"Anxious? Ha! That doesn't even begin to cover the shit storm that I keep seeing." She blurted out with rage.

"What are you talking about?"

"Seeing things. Seeing and hearing things that aren't there!" She snapped. Then she jumped and gripped my arm, her eyes wide in terror as she pointed a shaky finger behind me. "D-Do y-yo-you not see them?"

I turned around and simply saw an empty corridor. Bini let go of me, dropping her tricorder and slowly backing away, not tearing her eyes away from a none existent enemy.

"They are following me, the others are following me, hunting me, like in the order. Dear God, dear god, they found me!" She screeched and began running down the corridor, disappearing down the bend. I tried to shake off the strange encounter but couldn't seem to just shove it away. Everyone seemed to be suffering from this strange situation. Myself included. I was hearing things. But it wasn't as bad as some people's hallucinations. Kes was the only one that could see everyone's individual hallucinations. The entire situation wasn't right.

I stepped into the turbo lift.

"Bridge." I ordered the computer. The computer obeyed my command and started to move. Within seconds, the turbo lift door opened to reveal the bridge.

"I am picking up a ship on long-range sensors, Commander. It is a design we have not encountered before." Tuvok reported as I walked onto the bridge.

"I show it on a direct intercept course." Harry added as I sat down in my command chair. It didn't feel right to sit in her chair. She was still the Captain, no matter what.

"That must be our welcoming party." I said.

"They're in a hurry, too. Closing fast." Paris reported as the black ships appeared on the viewscreen.

"They are hailing, Commander."

"On screen." I ordered. The dark figure from before appeared on the screen, still hidden in the darkness of their bridge.

"Where is your captain?" The figure demanded.

"She's not available right now. I'm Commander Chakotay, the First Officer. I can speak for her." I insisted.

"We observe rather strict protocols. I'd prefer to negotiate with the Captain."

"I understand, but she's not able to come to the Bridge now. And in her absence, our protocols allow me to assume her place. Our request is the same. We'd like permission to cross through your space. We'll do it as quickly as possible." I explained, trying to defuse the rather growing hostility in his voice.

"What kind of weapon systems do you possess?"

"I'm not sure why that information is necessary." I snapped back.

"How do I know you aren't a heavily armed invader here to attack our settlements?" He protested.

"I don't know how to convince you, but we're a peaceful people. If you doubt us-"

Suddenly, the viewscreen image dissolved in static and turned off. I turned to Tuvok for an explanation.

"I terminated the transmission, Commander, and made it look like an accidental interruption. I am concerned about some anomalous sensor readings.

"I'm getting them too."Harry confirmed. "Residual energy displacements. Two discrete readings. One off the port bow, one off starboard."

"We have to consider the possibility of cloaked ships." Tom said.

"Reverse course, Mister Paris." I ordered.

"Aye, sir."

"Two ships decloaking." Harry snapped out.

"The Bothan ship is powering up weapons."

"Evasive manoeuvre gamma five." I barked. Suddenly the ship buckled from weapons fire and red alert activated. "Report!"

"Shields at eighty seven percent. Minor damage on decks four and twelve." Tuvok reported as sparks flew around the bridge.

"They're turning back for another strike."

"Initiating evasive pattern beta two."

"Get the weapons online." I snapped.

"Powering up lateral phaser arrays. Shields down to eighty three percent."

"Return fire." I ordered.

"A direct hit. However, their shields were not penetrated."

-----

Micheal Janeway's POV

"Mommy! Mommy, stop!" I desperately ordered, trying to keep my balance as weapons hit the ship. The Doctor jogged out of his office as Mommy crossed sickbay.

"I can't stay here." Mommy protested as she sensed the Doctor moving to protest.

"Captain, I can't allow you to leave Sickbay. You're in no condition to-"

"Sorry, Doctor. If we're in trouble, my place is on the Bridge." She called back and ran into the corridor. Barely avoiding a ragged Bini Filters, stumbling through the sickbay doors. She was sweating and taking in deep breathes, collapsing to her knees on the floor.

"Ensign Filters? What happened?" The Doctor asked, kneeling down next to her.

"T-The medi-Medicine didn't w-work." She stammered out. "They keep following-m-me. T-They are-tr-trying to kill me!"

-----

Harry Kim's POV

"There's something weird going on, Commander. I'm not reading any life signs on the two ships that just decloaked." I reported as the ship buckled under weapons fire.

"There's no crew?" Chakotay concluded.

"Looks like the ships are automated. They're being controlled by the Bothan ship." I replied.

"Return fire, Tuvok." Chakotay barked.

"We have hit their weapons array, but not severely enough to disable it." Tuvok said as the ship was hit again.

"Commander, the three ships are manoeuvring to surround us."

"Get us out of here, Paris."

"I'm trying." Tom snapped as his fingers wildly pressed his console.

"The ships are powering their weapons, preparing to fire." I called out.

"That last volley took our shields down to twenty-one percent."

"We've got damage on all decks. Reports of injuries." I yelled among the chaos.

"All stop." I ordered.

"The lead ship is hailing us, Commander."

"On screen." I ordered. The dark figure once again appeared on the screen.

"Your ship is damaged and your captain incapacitated. I will accept your immediate surrender."

"You're not getting one. The Captain is fine." The Captain suddenly barked as she stormed onto the bridge, clearly furious with the Bothan.

"I don't think so. I think the battle is over now." The Bothan replied and moved into the light. I gasped and stared at the screen in shock, it was my girlfriend. Libby.

"Mister Paris, wh-Who do you see on the viewscreen?" She stammered. Quickly steadying her voice.

"It's my father." Tom admitted. Flinching.

"I see-I see my girlfriend, Libby." I added. Everyone having trouble ripping their eyes away from the viewscreen. Libby gave me one of her signature grins and started taunting me about my actions in the Starfleet.

"Mister Kim, shut down visual." The Captain barked.

"I'm trying, Captain. It won't terminate." I reported and repeatedly tried to override the system.

"Mister Tuvok, do a multiphasic scan on those ships. I want any evidence of defensive weakness. And prepare the forward photon torpedoes for launch. Tuvok." The Captain ordered, looking over to her friend. He stood still. Staring blankly at the viewscreen. Janeway moved to his station and shook him. "Tuvok? Tuvok, answer me. Tuvok!"

There was no response. He was just frozen.

"Captain, I'll do it. Running a multiphasic scan." I said, tearing my eyes from the viewscreen, trying to ignore her sweet voice calling to me.

"Torres to the Captain." B'Elanna's panicked voice cut through the bridge. The Captain gritted her teeth and tapped her combadge.

"Janeway here."

"We're having problems down here. People are becoming delusional."

"It's happening here too." The Captain confirmed.

"I think I know why. There's a massive energy field coming from those ships. It's bioelectric, modulating on a delta wave frequency. It has psionic properties, and it's permeating the hull." B'Elanna explained.

"A psionic field has a psychoactive effect. That would explain the hallucinations." She said.

"You can try remodulating the shields, but in the meantime, I'm going to set up a resonance burst from the warp core. That will probably block the field, but it'll take a while to set up." She said.

"Notify the Doctor. If the field is bioelectric, he might have some ideas how to neutralise it. Janeway out." The Captain said. Then looked towards Chakotay and Neelix. "Commander, give Lieutenant Torres a hand in Engineering. Mister Neelix, if the crew ever needed a morale officer, now's the time. See if you can help."

"Aye, Captain," Neelix said as they moved to leave. I was suddenly was dragged to my apartment in San Francisco. Libby was smiling, watching the city below.

-----

Captain Kathryn Janeway's POV

I sucked in a deep breath. Finding it desperately hard not to look at my late husband.

"Mister Kim, remodulate the shields on a rotating frequency." I ordered at the security station. No reponse. Harry was staring blankly at the viewscreen like the others on the bridge. It was only Tom and I left.

"Janeway to Kes."

"Yes, Captain?" The sweet voice of Kes replied on the channel.

"Can you come to the Bridge? I think we could use you." I asked.

"Right away. Kes out." Then she closed the com channel.

"Paris, are you still with me?" I asked. Tom nodded as he angrily jabbed his fingers into his console.

"Sure am, Captain. I'm running the scans on those ships." Tom snapped.

"I'll work on the shields. I suggest you don't look at the viewscreen."

"Oh, it's not even tempting." He jabbed. "Captain, I'm getting results from the scans. No apparent defensive weaknesses. Metallurgical analysis is inconclusive."

"I can't remodulate the shields. Try moving us out of here. If we can get some distance between us and those ships, we might be able to block the effects."

"Yes, ma'am." Tom said. We were quiet for a few moments. Looking into our own work. "Tom? Tom?" I said. Nothing. He was gone.

"Janeway to Engineering. Janeway to Torres. Are you there? Engineering respond. If anyone in Engineering can hear me, I'm on my way. Computer, put the Bridge controls on security lockout." I ordered and rushed into the turbo lift. Seeing Chakotay, standing there, like the others. I slumped a little in defeat. Trying to ignore my feelings for the commander.

Suddenly,I was standing in the turbo lift alone. Face to face with my husband.

"Joesph?"

He nodded sadly.

"How are you, Kate? How are our children?"

"You are not real." I spat out. Pressing myself against the wall to get away from the...the delusion. "Go away. Stop this."

"Why are you being so cold?" He snapped. Pacing the turbo lift. "Does it matter if I am real or not? I am here now. This is probably the last time you will ever see me. Don't you want-Even one more day-with me?

"I-I-no-no. I have work to d-"

Melissa suddenly appeared beside my husband. The injures from her fall visible. Blood soaking her clothes. Then Joesph chuckled and his features changed to the way I last saw him. A gaping hole in the middle of his chest and bloodshot eyes. He gave me a bloody smile and collapsed to the floor screaming. Screaming. Screaming with Melissa.

-----

Bini Filters POV

Micheal, Sarah and I were huddled in a storage locker, somewhere on deck 7. Trying to escape our delusions.

"B-Bini. Why are we sharing a delusion? Do you hear that banging?" Micheal whimpered. I shook my head.

"I-um-I hear the borg trying to break down the door...You hear that?" I whispered. We all jumped as the banging hit the door once again. Sarah started crying harder and buried her face into my shoulder and hair.

"I hear Cardassians. Daddy is screaming." Micheal admitted, tears pouring down his face.

"Oh my god, I don't think we are getting out of this one. I am not going out there to get help, even if they are delusions. No way is fucking hell am I risking that." I rambled.

"Bini, quiet!" Micheal hissed. "They can hear you!"

"I want Mommy!" Sarah's muffled sobbing voice cut through.

"Who can hear me? The mechanical zombies or ridged cold, unfeeling scaly, human lizards of hell?"

BANG!

"D-Does it ma-mat-matter?" Micheal stammered. I shakingly stood up, and pulled out a hidden knife from my uniform. Micheal and Sarah quickly moved away from me, Micheal moved in front of his sister and looked at me in horror. "What are you doing?"

"Killing the delusions." I jabbed. Micheal grabbed my arm and held me back from moving forward as the banging continued and the door began to bend from the beating it sustained.

"Bini! NO! We are safe in here!" He argued. I scoffed and pointed my knife at the door.

"The door is coming down. This delusion is too real to be just some sort of hallucination. No, delusion can bend freakin metal like that!" I argued. "I am trained in killing multiple people, multiple different ways. So for god sake, stop arguing with me and get behind me."

-----

Kes's POV

"Sickbay to Engineering. Lieutenant Torres, please respond." The Doctor cut through with irritation as he paced the sickbay. Waiting for a response as I prepared to go to the bridge. "Doctor to the mess hall. Mister Neelix, are you there? This is the doctor to anyone on the ship. If you can hear me, please reply." Finally, he turned back to me with a grim expression. "Either the communication system is malfunctioning or everyone on board has succumbed to a delusional state."

"Except you and me." I said.

"It would appear that if the psionic field is to be blocked and the crew restored to normal, it's up to us. You will have to go to Engineering and complete Lieutenant Torres's efforts to create a resonance burst." He ordered.

"I don't know how to do that." I argued.

"I will assist you from here."

"Do you know how to do it?"

"I discussed the matter with Lieutenant Torres." He said nervously, trying to look confident. I never thought of him as an engineer. I think I understand the basic principle behind her plan. How hard can it be?"

"All right." I relented.

"Go to Engineering immediately. I'll contact you there." He ordered. I nodded and ran into the corridor. The lights were flickering as the ship was suffering from non-existant repairs being done since the attack began. Then I heard someone groaning in pain ahead of me as I turned around the bend. I saw Tom, slumped on the floor with pains on his face.

"Tom, what happened?" I asked in concern and bent down to see his injuries.

"A plasma leak caught me in the face. Help me." He pleaded, placing a burnt hand on my shoulder.

"Can you get to Sickbay? The Doctor is there." I asked. He shook his head, groaning in pain.

"Come with me."

"I can't. I have to get to Engineering." I argued. I wondered why he was here. He should have been on the bridge.

"You can't leave me like this. It hurts." He insisted and tightened his grip on me.

"Tom, you can walk. You have to get to Sickbay on your own." I snapped, growing impatient.

"Kes, please. I can't." He whimpered. Then it suddenly came together, he didn't want me to get to sickbay. This is a hallucination.

"You don't want me to get to Engineering." I muttered out loud.

"No. No-I need help!" He said, pleading with me once more. I shrugged off his hand, and stumbled back up. Shaking my head. Telling myself this was a lie, no matter how real it looked, no matter how much it hurt me to not help.

"I'm hallucinating." I muttered out loud. Turning my back to him and jogging down the corridor, ignoring Tom's cries of pain and help.

"Kes, wait. Come back. Don't leave me! Come back!"

---10 minutes later---

I entered Engineering out of breathe. Dodging the crew standing at their stations or other areas of the two levels. I reached the closed console, where B'Elanna was on the ground staring at the wall. I carefully stepped over her body and turned on the monitor behind me. Turning on the station for work.

The Doctor's scowling face appeared on the screen from sickbay.

"Finally. What took you so long?" He snapped. I ignored his comment and entered a few commands.

"Doctor, we have to set up this resonance burst as quickly as possible. I've started hallucinating." I admitted.

"Then see if Lieutenant Torres's last programme is active." He suggested. I nodded and looked back at the history of the console. Seeing the last screen B'Elanna saw.

"I think I have it. B'Elanna was writing a programme to open a symmetrical warp field." I reported back.

"All right. You'll have to sequence the magnetic plasma constriction to the following formula. T equals C sub-one over theta times P sub-E." He said. I looked up, unsure of how to do...any of that.

"Er, how do I do that?" I asked with uncertainty.

"I'm not sure. Wait a minute. I'll see if I can access Starfleet's interactive database." The Doctor suggested.

"Sweeting!" The familiar voice of Neelix cried behind me. I spun around to see a cheerful Neelix behind me. "Thank goodness I found you. Are you all right?"

"Where have you been?" I demanded. A little annoyed that he turned up now of all times.

"In the mess hall, trying to help the poor souls there." He replied a matter of factly.

"Why didn't you answer the Doctor's hails?" I asked.

"I didn't hear them. The comm. system must be down. And frankly, I was a little busy. Ashmore thought I was a Kazon. Tried to kill me with a carving knife." He explained. I backed away from him. He wasn't acting...normal.

"How do I know you're really Neelix?" I suspiciously asked.

"Who else would I be?" He replied sharply in the offense. "Kes, all I want to do is protect you, to keep you safe. We have to get away from here, get to my shuttle."

"Doctor, have you figured out how I can enter that sequencing code?" I said, turning back to my work on the console, concentrating on the work. Ignore Neelix.

"It's quite simple, really. Do you know where the command module is?" He asked. Clearly unaware of my hallucination.

"Of course." I replied.

"Activate it and select magnetic plasma sequencing." He ordered. I nodded and moved past Neelix and worked on another console. Neelix following my every move.

"You're becoming annoying." He said, getting angrier and angrier with me.

"I've got it. It's activated. Now it's asking me to enter the core temperature."

"Move away from that console." Neelix threatened beside me. I flinched in response. He was getting to me.

"Now, we need a temperature high enough to emit the resonance burst, but not so high as to irradiate everyone on the ship. Try three million Kelvins." The Doctor suggested. Suddenly my hands and face burned as oozing white spores attached to my hands. Neelix taunted me again as I stumbled back, screaming in pain. Unable to continue.

The Doctor managed to realize what was happening as I started begging for them to help. Anyone to help the pain go away! It burns!

"Kes, look at him." The Doctor's voice managed to say through my haze. I looked up sharply at Neelix but put my self in a huddle on the floor to try and get the pain to lessen.

"It hurts!" I screamed in protest.

"Look at him. Focus." He pleaded.

"I can't."

"Yes, you can. The mirror, remember?" He said.

"It hurts too much!"

"Kes, look at him."

Neelix leaned over and shut off the monitor, bending down and giving me an evil grin.

"What's the matter, Kes? Can't lift your head?" He taunted. I repeated the Doctor's words and focused all my energy onto Neelix. Transfering the sores to him. He stumbled back hitting the console, screaming at me to stop it and collapsed to the floor. Then he morphed into a Bothan. My adrenaline was pumping so I ignore the events and turned the monitor back on.

"I'm all right now, Doctor, and I've entered a temperature of three million Kelvin." I said.

"Then all you have to do is activate the warp field." He said. I nodded and pressed the necessary commands.

"All right. Here we go."

A bright flash went through Voyager. The crew started to slowly wake up. B'Elanna grunted and used the console to push herself off the floor. Looking dizzy, embarrassed and disoriented.

"Kes to the Captain. If you can hear me, please report to Engineering."

"Ugh, what happened?" She asked.

"It's a long story, but I think everything's all right now." I said. The crew moved to surround the Bothan with a few phasers pointed at him. I help B'Elanna up as we joined the group.

"Is that who's responsible for all this?" She asked at the Bothan glaring up at us.

"Apparently. He looks so harmless. It's hard to believe he almost destroyed us."

"You're a powerful little thing. I must say, you surprised me." He commented. Janeway and Chakotay briskly walked towards the Bothan. Fuming.

"Why did you do this to us?" She snapped at him.

"Because I can." He bluntly replied proudly.

"Is it just telepathy, or is there technology involved?"

"Does it matter?"

"Oh, it matters to me, because I don't intend to let you continue preying on others."

"How would you propose to stop me?"

"We could destroy your technology. Or adjust your brain wave patterns to prevent telepathy. And then we could turn you over to the government of Mithren. We could even keep you confined in our brig behind a force field." She explained.

"I'm sure you're very well-intentioned, Captain, and I'd like to be able to accommodate you but you see, I'm not really here." He said and the Bothan vanished. Leaving everyone to witness the event very confused.

-----

(Later that night.)

Bini Filters POV

(Captain's log, supplemental. We have no explanation for the mysterious disappearance of the telepathic alien. We can't even be certain that he was actually here. He seems to have left us with any number of unanswered questions.)

I paced Micheal and Sarah's room. Being watched closely by the two scared children and the family dog. Waiting for my answer. I abruptly stopped and turned to the two kids in their own beds.

"I can't help you." I bluntly said.

"But-but-" Micheal started but I raised my hand to silence as they both moved to protest.

"I can't help you, because I am also suffering from nightmares. You aren't the only ones that can't sleep after your experience." I explained.

"But it's late! It's...midnight! We need to sleep!" Micheal snapped. "Mommy called you here to help us sleep! HELP US!"

"I am 15! Not 45! I don't have experience with this!" I snapped back. Next thing I know, we are arguing about medicine and why or why not it would be a good idea to take it. My option, no. Don't take medicine that could get you addicted to it unless it is an emergency.

-----

Captain Kathryn Janeway's POV

I listened to the bickering in the room beside me as the three of them had another one of their arguments. I ran a hand through my long hair and looked down at my padd with my report. I was unable to sleep myself. I hoped they would tire themselves out to find a solution.

Then I heard a chime at the door. I straightened my robe and brushed my hair out of my face.

"Come in."

I watched as the door opened to reveal Chakotay. He hesitantly stepped in. His eyes briefly looking towards my children's room before back at me. He smiled and sat down beside me.

"Hi, sorry for coming in so late. I-ah-couldn't sleep." He admitted. I patted his knee and nodded.

"Me neither. And clearly neither could Bini or my children." I replied. He chuckled and looked over to the door again.

"Well, that explains the bickering I was hearing. I thought you were fighting with the kids so I came over to see if I could help. What's happening?" He asked.

"The children were having trouble sleeping. I asked Bini to come over and convince them to sleep. As I expected they are arguing about the situation. Hopefully, this will all tire them out." I explained. Putting down my padd and yawning.

"You seem pretty tired yourself. Nightmares?" He asked.

"Yes." I admitted with a tired smile.

"Me too. Want to talk about it?" He asked.

"I suppose it would help me...I saw my husband. The way he looked..."

"When you last saw him." Chakotay finished. I nodded. My tears filling my vision. I looked away embarrassed. He moved closer and held my hands. Looking down at me with sympathy. "It was...horrific. He was yelling at me. Blaming me for his death."

"I am so sorry, Captain." He pulled me into a hug and I lost control of my emotions. Normally I would have it under control but I felt so broken after what I witnessed in the turbo lift. Chakotay held me for quite a few minutes as I wept for Melissa. For my dead husband. For everything.

We both noticed that the bickering across the room had quieted down to silence. I pulled back embarrassed at my actions.

"I am sorry Chakotay-"

"Don't worry about it, Captain. It is my job to keep you safe and make your burdens lighter. Besides we are friends. I think you needed this." He replied. I smiled and nodded. Gesturing to the kids room.

"I suppose we should check up on them." I suggested. He nodded and we got up. The door slide open to the kids' room. Their bedside lamps were on. Lighting up the room. Micheal and Sarah were facing each other, each clutching their stuffed animals, fast asleep. Bini was on the floor, between their beds. Curled up, her head propped up on her arm, in deep sleep also. Padds scattered the area around them. Filled with information on the topics they were arguing about and other things. I gestured Chakotay to get a blanket and pillow from the replicator. Chakotay quickly came back and carefully placed it under her head. She shifted slightly and groaned, before falling back to sleep. Then I gently placed the blanket on her. Chakotay turned off the nights and I kissed my children's forehead goodnight.

Chakotay left the room. I looked behind me at the doorway. Listening to the soft snoring of the kids and Bini, the stars gave small precious light. Allowing me to see the three soundly asleep. I smiled and left the room. Allowing the kids to be alone.

Chakotay stopped and watched me exit. He must have been reading my mind somehow because he softly said, "They are going to be alright."

"I hope so."

---Chapter 48: Next: ???---