Sevryn

TITLE: Sevryn
AUTHOR: Matteabrit, September 2002
SUMMARY: The repercussions of a transporter malfunction bring to light the holographic program from Human Error. An entry into Astrogirl's Transporter Trouble contest.
RATING: R, to be on the safe side
DISCLAIMER: Standard. Don't sue.
NOTE: Thanks to SaRa, as always for correcting the "its"

***

"And energise."

For two hours Voyager's captain and its former Borg drone had been held in the ship's transporter buffers. Chakotay had taken control of the vessel while Ganari operatives, bent on revenge, had searched it. Not only were they after Seven of Nine for crimes she had committed while in the Collective, but also for the captain who had given her sanctuary. Chakotay hoped he had convinced them that the ones they sought were not on board. They had certainly stopped following the Voyager as it sped away from their territory.

The young lieutenant carried out the commander's order and activated the console in front of him. There was a hum and the familiar light began to shimmer over the platform. Chakotay watched, waiting to welcome his captain back. It was only after a few seconds that he realised there was only one beam of light. "Lieutenant?" he asked, growing more concerned by the moment.

"I'm not sure, Sir." The young officer fumbled with the controls, attempting to create two distinct patterns. Finally, he shook his head, as the race was taken away from him and the transporter deposited a single being on the platform.

"I... er... this is not correct." The woman was tall, shapely, with dark blond hair, pulled back into a tight bun. Her face was marked by the familiar implants and she wore the Starfleet uniform of command but minus the pips. And while the stance belonged to the captain, the voice was most definitely Seven's.

Chakotay approached slowly. "Captain?" he asked cautiously.

She blinked. "Yes, I think. What transpired, Commander, that this should have happened?" The speech was a strange mix of Kathryn and Seven's syntax.

"We're not sure." The door to the transporter room opened and Torres and Vorik walked in, having apparently been summoned by the transporter technician. "But hopefully we can have an answer for you soon."

B'Elanna blinked at the Captain's new appearance while Vorik merely nodded in her direction and walked unhurriedly over to the console. Nothing appeared to trouble the Vulcan, making him a valuable crewmember.

"Not again," the chief engineer muttered, obviously remembering, as Chakotay had done, the Tuvix incident. "I take it there was a problem with the transporter system?"

Chakotay found himself unable to answer his subordinate, his concentration fully on the woman in front of him. The transporter technician replied for him and the engineers began to run their diagnostics.

"Chakotay?" The woman took a step off the platform and towards him. "Commander, stop looking at me like that. It is not right."

He blinked, shaking himself out of his reverie. "Sorry, Captain," he murmured. His eyes fell upon the spot where her rank should have been and he laughed. "Actually, I guess I can't call you that since you don't appear to hold a rank." He paused and lowered his voice. "And I can't call you Kathryn either. It just wouldn't be right."

She smiled at him and for once it was Kathryn's smile that shone through. "I understand," she replied calmly. "We'll have to think of something else." She placed a comforting hand on his arm briefly before moving over to the door. "Meanwhile, I have the beginnings of a headache and need to rest. Commander, you are still in charge of this vessel. It would not be productive for the crew to have to adapt to an unknown while we are still close to enemy space." She nodded briskly and walked out.

Issuing a quick order to Torres to get back to him with whatever findings she might have, Chakotay ran out after the woman and called for the corridors between the transporter room and the captain's quarters to be cleared. He caught up with her at the turbolift and jumped in, just as the doors were closing after her. "Question," he began. "Are you going to need to sleep or regenerate?"

She shook her head. "I don't know," she said slowly. She raised a hand up to her face. "This is such a mess, Chakotay. Now I know exactly how Tuvix felt, possessing the memories of both people."

They were silent for a while as the turbolift glided towards the captain's quarters. As it reached its destination, Chakotay finally blurted out, "You sound more like Kathryn than Seven."

She stepped out of the lift and looked back at him, smiling sadly. "And yet I'm neither." She began the brief walk to her door, Chakotay following behind. The doors closed behind him as they stepped into her living quarters.

"What a mess," she sighed, sinking onto her couch.

"Coffee?" he offered, not knowing what else to say.

She shook her head. "It is not a viable source of sustenance." She stopped and her jaw dropped. "Dear God, did I actually say that?"

He chuckled. "Sounds like you should listen to Seven more often," he told her. "She's right about that stuff, you know."

He received a unique version of the captain's glare in return. "We are two very different women, Chakotay," she chided him.

Chakotay thought for a moment. "No," he said at last. "You're not. You're both stubborn, headstrong independent women." He paused for a moment and grinned. "You're also two beautiful women."

"Commander, you should not be saying such things." The words were Seven's but he could have sworn the blush came from Kathryn.

"Why not?" He took a seat beside her on the couch and placed a hand gently on her chin. "It's the truth," he whispered. "And you can't stop me from speaking the truth." Feeling suddenly brave he placed a light kiss on her lips. "Not this time." He paused again. "Sevryn. Beautiful Sevryn."

"Sevryn?" she repeated.

"Your name," he told her, smiling gently. "A combination of Seven and Kathryn."

"I like it," she replied.

"A beautiful name for a beautiful woman."

She blushed and looked down. "You're too kind."

"I'm only telling you what I'm seeing in front of me." He lowered his lips to hers again.

***

Chakotay sat on the bridge, pondering the absence of the woman who usually sat beside him. Last night had certainly been a confusing experience as the woman he held in his arms alternated between wanting him and backing off. It had been hard to tell just which personality was exhibiting which emotion, and finally he'd left feeling very awkward and embarrassed. By the time he made it back to his quarters he was annoyed, not only at himself but at Sevryn as well, but as his sleepless night alone wore on he began to realise that perhaps he had gone too far and the resulting confusion was his fault. A brief conversation with Sevryn before his shift had comforted him somewhat, with plans for dinner made for later, but he still wondered in what direction things would go from here on.

"Torres to Chakotay."

"Yes, B'Elanna?" He noticed that Tom's head had shifted slightly to one side and tried to ignore the implication that the pilot was listening in.

"We think we have solved the problem in the transporter room. A faulty gel pack was causing the problems. We've run some tests and I think we're ready to resolve the situation."

"Very well, Lieutenant. I'll be down shortly." In many ways he was relieved. He and Sevryn had decided to tell the crew that the captain was sick but they both knew that if the situation weren't resolved they would have to tell the truth. Standing, the first officer looked across at Tuvok and nodded. "You have the bridge, Commander," he told the Vulcan before leaving the bridge and calling Sevryn from the confines of the turbolift.

She was in the transporter room, checking some data readouts when he arrived, and at his quizzical glance she shrugged. "I didn't think it would hurt to transport down here," she said casually. "I mean, what more could possibly go wrong?"

Chakotay watched in silence as Sevryn conferred with B'Elanna one final time before stepping onto the platform. His heart was thundering within him, but he tried to smile reassuringly at her as the chief engineer began to activate the transporter.

Seconds that felt like minutes passed, moments in which Chakotay could barely breath. Finally, two distinct beams appeared and two separate and very familiar women materialised.

The first, Seven, stepped off the platform, made a cursory nod to the commander and announced that she would be regenerating for the next several hours. The captain, in sharp contrast, said, "I need a coffee, now." She held up a hand to silence Chakotay before he could say anything. "Coffee, then a full report of what happened here. Nothing else matters, Commander."

The captain was back in command.

***

Days passed and Chakotay saw very little of Kathryn. The captain seemed to be on duty at all times, and there was no opportunity to discuss anything personal. She had admitted, during a visit to sickbay at the doctor's insistence, that she had full memories of recent events, although she could not recall any memories of Seven's time in the Collective. "And that's probably just as well," she concluded with a shudder.

One day, after Kathryn had rejected his cheerful dinner invitiation once more, he was contacted by Seven of Nine, requesting his presence in one of the holodecks. Mystified, he went; more out of idle curiosity than anything else. When he got there he found Seven waiting for him, but she had not yet activated any program.

"I believe there is something you need to see," she began. "It will explain the other night."

Chakotay nodded, unable to say anything. So Seven remembered. He watched in silence as she activated a program and looked around when he found himself in a simulation of crew quarters.

"Annika? Is that you?"

The voice was his but it was not he who spoke. He could only stare dumbly as a holographic version of himself walked into the room.

"Freeze program," Seven commanded. "Commander. I created this program for my own social advancement. After much research I decided that you were the best option for a romantic interest." She paused. "Commander, I am to blame for what happened the other night, which is, I believe, why the Captain has distanced herself from you. I took the emotions I had for this character and transferred them onto you."

"Seven, I'm flattered, but..." At last Chakotay was able to find his voice.

"I have also come to realise that you will never feel for me what you feel for the captain. As you said that night, Sevryn was more like her, and that is why you reacted as you did." She paused. "Do not worry. I am not bitter." A half-smile formed on her face. "As the saying goes, thank you very much for the memory."

"Seven, I don't know what to say." He wondered if he should feel angry at what had transpired, at the fact that Seven had produced a holographic version of him, but he was still in shock.

"There is no need to say anything," she told him. "I have called Captain Janeway. She will be here shortly. Perhaps once she sees this, your relationship will return to its preferred parameters. Good night, Commander." She nodded at him and exited the program.

Chakotay was still staring at his frozen double when he heard the familiar hiss of the doors opening. "This had better be good, Seven," he heard Kathryn say.

"She's not here," he replied, turning to face her. "She called me here as well, wanting to explain something to me." He hesitated. "I think she wants me to explain it to you."

Kathryn was staring at their surroundings. "What the hell... how did you access this?"

Her question surprised him. "I didn't access it," he replied in confusion. "Seven did. It's a program she created." He waved in the direction of the still frozen love interest. "Apparently, I made a suitable romantic attachment and she thinks it may have caused some problems for us all the other night."

Kathryn paled, her eyes wide. "She lied," she croaked out. "She didn't create this program. I did." She gazed down at the ground even as Chakotay stared at her in amazement. "I told her to access some of my programs to help with her social skills. I meant Lord Burleigh, I meant my Indiana farmscape." She sighed. "Obviously, I didn't make myself clear enough or this particular program encrypted enough."

"Kathryn?" he asked in a low voice, hardly daring to believe what his ears were hearing. "This is your program? You put the representation of me in?" A thought struck him. "Kathryn, he called Seven by name. He knew who she was."

Her eyes turned up to meet his gaze, her expression stony. "Do you really think I would lie about something like this? I think not, Commander." She turned to leave. "I'll have this program deleted since it bothers you so much," she commented icily.

Chakotay grabbed her by the arm. "For godsakes, Kathryn. You have a program with me in it. Don't you at least owe me an explanation?"

"Fine," she snapped, wrenching her arm away. "I was lonely, and Michael Sullivan didn't quite fit the bill. Satisfied?"

Later, Chakotay would wonder where his senses went to. Impulsively, he turned her back to stand in front of him. "Not until I've done this," he ground out and, placing two firm hands on the side of her head he tilted her face up.

The kiss was forceful, almost bruising. Kathryn resisted at first, struggling in his arms, attempting to twist away from him. Still, he was unrelenting, and eventually he felt her mouth give and open to admit him. Her arms went around him, and he vaguely felt her fingers clawing at his back, drawing him closer. Her body was pushed up against him; surely she could now feel his arousal grinding against her stomach. He knew he could feel the effect she was having on him.

He thrust a leg in between hers to steady them, resulting in her effectively riding it. She groaned against his mouth and then pulled back. His heart stopped for a moment, and he wondered if Kathryn was about to make him regret his actions, but she rasped out, "Computer, delete characters," before kissing him again.

This time he broke the kiss. "Kathryn, I want you," he hissed. "And if we don't stop now..."

"Don't stop," she interrupted, her hands straying down his back to pull his shirt loose from his pants.

"Kathryn, please." He pulled away from her. "I don't want you to regret this, or make me regret this either. Come on. I know you were hesitant the other night."

"Damn it," she growled. "You thought that was me?" She shook her head. "Seven came to see me the following day. Seems she has a problem with emotion. She was apologising for holding me back."

Chakotay blinked. "I thought it was the other way around," he said, shaking his head from side to side and grinning. "Hell, Kathryn, I had no idea."

She took a step back and smiled ruefully. "Why would you? When have I ever given you the slightest impression that all I wanted to do was rip your clothes off and make mad, passionate love to you?"

He shrugged. "Well, when you put it like that..."

Kathryn held out a hand to him. "Please?" she asked. "I think we've seen how desperate I can be. Indulge a stupid woman?"

He pretended to consider it for a moment, but knew that both his heart and his body were just willing his mind to catch up to them. "Okay," he said softly, bringing the back of her hand up to his lips. "But on two conditions."

She appeared to look at him a little fearfully. "What might those be?"

He pulled her to him and placed an arm around her waist. "One, you are not stupid. And two..." He cast a glance around. "We're going back to your quarters. We're not staying here."

Kathryn smiled. "I think I can live with that."

They turned to exit the holodeck together, arms firmly wrapped around each other.

"Computer, deactivate program and delete."

FINIS

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