Disclaimer: Voyager belongs to Paramount Pictures. No infringement intended.
'*Damn. I didn't think to check what this was about,*' my mind realized as I pushed my body toward sickbay. Times like these were made for Captains to call on Ensigns named Harry Kim to fulfill ill-fit duties. But wouldn't the Doc have thought to call Chakotay or a 'lesser' if my presence wasn't absolutely necessary?
When the doors to sickbay opened at my arrival, all that revealed itself was a darkened room.
"Computer," I stated. "Full illumination and activate the Emergency Medical Hologram."
No sooner had the Doctor flickered into appearance than he started forward, stammering as best he could.
"Captain! I'm sorry -- he threatened --"
"I threatened to delete his program. A dark end for such an advanced hologram, wouldn't you say?"
"Q!" I gasped with utter disbelief. But in the next second, I was primed and ready for battle, even though my body screamed it had had enough for one damn day. "I don't want to hear it; I don't want to know you're here; I don't want to be involved. I do, however want you off my ship!" I threw my hands on my hips and jerked my head in the direction of open space.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Kathy. The fun has only begun. Why don't we both get off of this sip?" With a snap of his fingers, I knew it was too late. The lights went out again and it all disappeared before my own eyes.
"Warning!" the Computer's voice jolted Chakotay out of the sleep that he had just entered into only twenty-four minutes ago. "Captain Kathryn Janeway has left USS Voyager."
"What the--?" Chakotay exclaimed. Without thinking, he shoved his body out of bed and grabbed his uniform from where it had been sprawled carelessly on the floor. His fingers fumbled as he searched through fold after fold of fabric, in the dark, for his combadge. Finding it, he punched the little device and stated, "Senior Staff to the bridge -- immediately."
"Warning," the computer reminded. "Captain Kathryn Janeway has left USS Voyager."
"We're already on it, Chakotay!" Tom acknowledge the Native American's arrival to the bridge from his position at the helm.
Chakotay was satisfied to see that everyone had gotten there quicker than he had thought possible.
" I received the warning at the same time you did, Commander," Tuvok acknowledged with a nod from his post.
"I'm damn glad you programmed that warning into the computer's systems, Vulcan," Chakotay stated.
"Have a look at this," Tom stated and hit the main transmission to activate the view screen. Suddenly, an all too familiar face came into view.
"Chuckles? Is that you?" Q asked. "Were you sleeping? Your hair is all messy and tangled and . . ."
"Get on with it Q. Where is Captain Janeway," Chakotay asked.
"Ha! As if you care," Q stuck out an accusing finger toward Chakotay. "Oh, alright," he shrugged. "She's here with me and Henry."
"Henry?" Tom's voice piqued up with confusion.
"Where exactly is 'here'," Tuvok's stoic voice asked.
"Oh, just the planet Earth. Alpha Quadrant. Tudor England," he declared with dramatized grandeur.
"Oh boy," Harry Kim muttered from the operations post.
"Don't bother saying 'how dare you Q' or 'bring her back immediately, Q'" he said, rolling his eyes. "I've heard it all before and frankly I have on intention of, how do the Borg say it? 'Complying.'" He smiled to himself, unabashedly, for a moment before continuing. "I'll strike a deal with you though, Commander Chakotay."
"A deal?" Chakotay was incredulous.
"You want your precious beloved back?" he glared. "Then you have to come here, with me and Henry, and get her back He's quite taken with her, I might mention."
"And then what Q," Chakotay acknowledged the rage that was building in him. But he held it back, until he could feel the perspiration of his efforts running down the skin of his back with the energy it took to do so.
"You come here and work at it. Your crew, on the other hand, stays there. Can't have futuristic bipedals running all over the kingdom now can we? But, I will leave something for them to do. Somewhere, on your ship, there's a clue to what's going on! Do you like riddles?" Q asked not really expecting an answer.
"No," Harry muttered in the background.
"Well I love them!" Q grinned. "Try this one on for size. 'Covered from head to toe, on your imagination I bestow, words of space and creative place, follow through and win the timeless race.'"
"What exactly does that mean," Tom piqued up.
"If I told you blondie it wouldn't be a riddle, no would it? Let's just say that if you solve it, you might know how to get your Captain back. So? Are you interested in playing, Chuckles? What other option do you have?" He stopped for a second and then answered for Chakotay, "No! So," he paused, "lets go rescue the maiden fair!"
Chakotay paused a moment and then looked at the Vulcan who was up at the security con. "I want to take one of my men with me Q," Chakotay stated. He wouldn't allow Q to rush him into anything -- not a single thing if it concerned the welfare of Kathryn Janeway.
"Picky, picky, picky," Q whined. "But alright, Though I don't see what difference it'll make."
"Mr. Tuvok, you have command of Voyager until I return . . ." Chakotay turned to face Q on the view screen. "With the Captain. Mr. Paris, you're with me."
"Oh Goody!" Q clapped and then snapped his fingers, taking the Commander and Tom from the bridge and to the past, where it all was to become a present reality.