elles_letters | Fic: "For the Sake of One (You)," Chapter 3, TVXQ/DBSK/Tohoshinki

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ligerliger
Rating: R/NC-17 later
Summary: Captain Jung Yunho of the USS Valiant wants nothing more than to take his ship out into deep space and leave the memories of Earth behind; however, when he and his crew come across a destroyed Borg cube and a drone in need of help, he finds himself battling old demons and unexpected emotions. In the end, it’s the drone, struggling to remember what it means to be human, who teaches him about forgiveness, healing and maybe even love.
Warnings: Violence and language. I just wanted to write a story about the Borg. OTL Fic takes place in the TNG/DS9/VOY-era.

chapter one | chapter two | chapter three | side story one | chapter four | chapter five | chapter six | chapter seven | chapter eight | chapter nine

Chapter Three: Unwelcome Solitude

Chief medical officer's log, stardate: 45046.2: It has been almost a week since we brought the injured drone onboard, and his body continues to grow stronger. His immune system has reasserted itself, and I've been able to remove 40 percent of his exterior implants. However, I'm disappointed to report that he still hasn't regained consciousness. I fear that while his body survived the break from the Collective, his mind may not have.

Junsu never wanted to be a space cowboy. He just wanted to help people. It was his brother who had the explorer's spirit, the desire to find new worlds and civilizations that was characteristic of most of Starfleet's officers. Junsu had joined Starfleet to watch over him, and chosen to study to be a doctor so he wouldn't have to worry about rank. It was a decent compromise. Save the sick and injured, and no worries about playing politics with his commanding officers.

Staring down at his patient, Junsu realized, with a growing sense of disgust, that he'd been tricked. Doctor or not, he was still a member of Starfleet and a tool of the Federation. This drone — his patient — would die simply because his captain had ordered so.

He sighed and turned back to his notes. The Borg and their reputation was not unknown to Junsu. He was aware of the devastating destruction they were capable of bringing into the entire quadrant. But he couldn't see all that in the injured man lying deathly still in his sickbay's biobed. Flipping on his log, he resumed noting his observations of the drone.

"Patient: Unknown drone. Body temperature: 37 degrees Celsius. Note that the patient has been holding steady at a healthy body temperature and metabolism for the past 36 hours. He has not regained consciousness; however, his condition has stabilized. I will have to inform the captain of his status and prepare him to be beamed off the ship —"

A clanging of a dropped medical instrument interrupted him. He paused his log and rose from his desk to check out the noise.

"Are you alright in there?" he called out. He picked up his tricorder and hurried to rush to the only occupied patient room in sickbay. But when he entered, the bed lay empty. Panic bubbled up inside him. If the drone left sickbay, he'd be shot on sight. He had to find it before security did.

Whirling back around, he found himself staring into the enraged eye of the drone. He'd barely had time to tap his comm badge before he was shoved to the floor.

+++

On the bridge, things were business as usual. The crew had been working hard the last few days — double shifts and overtime — to make up for the time they'd lost in their early dealings with the Borg.

"How are we looking so far, Lieutenant?"

Yuri turned in her seat to give Yoochun a relieved smile. "We're making good time and should be back on schedule in the next day or two. No Borg vessels detected in any of our scans."

"That's what I like to hear," Yunho piped in. After a hectic first few days, the Valiant and her crew were finally able to focus on their mission. They had to amend their trajectory slightly, however, to be on the lookout for suitable planets for their uninvited guest.

Yoochun rose from his seat and ambled over to Changmin's station. He stared at the other officer until the Vulcan rose his head in question.

"Still no voices?" Yoochun asked with a grin.

"Still not tired of asking me that yet?" Changmin replied.

"Nope."

"You two play nice with each other," Yunho commented, reading through reports on his PADD.

The chuckling of the bridge was interrupted by a loud crash over the bridge's comm. The high-pitched squeal of the doctor's voice soon followed. It sounded strangled.

"Sickbay to bridge, send a security team immediately."

"Doctor?" Yunho answered. "Is everything okay?'

The comm went silent.

"Changmin, go!" he ordered.

The younger officer nodded. "I'll have a security team meet me there." He hurried to the lift and was quickly whooshed away from the bridge. A few tense minutes later, however, his voice piped in over the bridge comm.

"Changmin to the bridge, Captain, we've got a problem."

"What's going on down there?"

"You'll want to come quickly, sir," Changmin replied. "It seems the drone has awakened."

Yunho shot up from his captain's chair. "I'm on my way. Yoochun, you have the bridge."

"Should I pull over to the nearest planet, Captain?" Yoochun asked.

"Forget a planet, Commander. Any large rock will do."

Yoochun smirked. "Aye, sir."

+++

For the second time in less than a week, Yunho walked into his ship's sickbay to find it in chaos. The Borg, who was now lacking many of his protective exterior plating, was standing with his back to the wall and glaring murderously at the officers surrounding it. Changmin and two other security officers stood with their phasers aimed high and ready to shoot. Junsu was crouched off to the side, attempting to scan the drone from a safe distance with his medical tricorder.

"What's happening, Doctor?" Yunho inquired.

Junsu stood and whipped around to face him. "The drone has regained consciousness, Captain," he reported urgently.

Despite the situation, Yunho grinned. "I see that. Did he attack you?"

Junsu pulled at the collar of his uniform nervously. "There was some confusion, but Lt. Cmdr. Changmin was able to control the situation."

"The drone was attempting to break the doctor's neck when I walked in," Changmin answered matter-of-factly. "We had to fire three warning shots at it before he would release him."

Yunho frowned at the doctor. "He needs to be removed from the ship."

"Captain, he's just upset. I can help —" Junsu was interrupted by the sound of one of his instrument trays crashing into the nearby wall. He and Yunho turned find the drone glaring at them in fury.

"What have you done to us!?" it shouted. Its voice was rough and husky from lack of use. It picked up another tray and tossed it toward their heads. "Where are the others!?"

"Please, calm down," Junsu began, approaching his terrified patient cautiously. "You're still weak. You don't —" Junsu was cut off by a sucker punch to his gut. He crumpled to the floor, wheezing and clutching his stomach.

"Where are the others?" the drone bellowed again.

Yunho rushed to pull Junsu out of harm's way. "What others?" he asked once he'd gotten in front of his winded doctor.

"Sir," Changmin interrupted. "I believe he is referring to the Collective."

The drone attempted to lunge at the Vulcan before tripping over its own unsteady feet. "You will all be assimilated. You will cooperate and take us to the others. Resistance is futile."

"I don't think so," Yunho retorted. "My crew has put their lives and their careers on the line for you. I don't appreciate your abuse of them."

“Where are we?" it repeated in a panic. "What happened to the Collective?”

“We think you’ve been disconnected from the hive mind," Yunho informed it.

“And who are you?”

“I’m the captain of this ship.”

“What do you want with us?”

“‘Us’?” Yunho repeated in confusion. “Who's 'us.' I only see one of you.”

The drone stared at him angrily. “We are Borg," it nearly snarled, teeth showing. "What do you want with us?”

“Let’s start with your name.”

“We have no name,” it practically spit the word. “That information would be of no use anyway.”

“I need to know how to address you.”

The drone ignored him as it tried to stand and regain its bearings. It clearly struggled to find its balance, its limbs now unencumbered by heavy implants. The drone looked down at his still healing body in disgust. “You have disassembled us. Why?” it demanded. His lone dark eye glittered in fury.

“You were injured,” Yunho told him coolly. “Our doctor saved your life.”

"There is no way our technology would have failed us unless you interfered."

“What is your name?” Yunho tried again. "Tell me or I'll have my security forces knock you back into a coma."

“Our designation is One of Five, Auxiliary Drone of Unimatrix 263. You do not know what that means.”

“‘One of Five?’” Yunho began. “Unimatrix 263? All that is your name?”

“Our designation,” the drone corrected. “Now answer us: Where are we?”

Yunho crossed his arms. “You’re in my ship's sickbay. Like I said, we found you alone and injured on your cube. You would have died if we had left you there.”

“You will return us to the Collective.”

“We will do no such thing. Now that you're awake, we will release you from our ship and find you a nice asteroid to stay on.”

“Unacceptable.”

“Tough.”

The drone straightened and walked unsteadily to where Yunho stood. Up close, it looked even more gruesome than when it had arrived on the ship. With some of its exterior implants removed, Yunho could see the blooming flush of a fever in its skin and a sheen of sweat covering its face. The areas where its implants were embedded into flesh looked swollen and red. Yunho wondered, albeit briefly, if it was in any pain.

“We are Borg. You will do as we say.”

Yunho laughed humorlessly. “Sorry, buddy. It doesn’t work that way when there’s only one of you.”

The drone frowned. “We have studied your technology. It is inferior to ours. We can easily take control of this ship.”

"Don't even think it," Yunho said lowly. He turned and pointed to the officer closest to him. “You see her? She'll kill you if you so much as take one step outside of this room. You're very weak now; I wouldn't risk it if I were you.”

The drone examined Yunho, studying him from the top of his head to his feet. “Species 5618. Name: Human. We have assimilated millions of you. You are weak both in body and in will. Your species is unpredictable and unorganized, which is why you’ll never achieve perfection. You are one. You cannot hurt us.”

“You underestimate me and my crew. You’re outnumbered here, and if you so much as cock your head in the wrong direction, we will destroy you.”

“Humans value life too much to destroy it,” the drone shot back. “You are soft and overly sentimental. You will not hurt us.”

“We are sentimental, but we are not unpredictable. I value the life of my crew much more than I value yours. And count on this, if it ever comes down to your life or theirs, I'll always pick theirs."

The drone studied him a moment longer. "Then you are of no use to us."

It reached out and grabbed Yunho by the neck, nearly choking him. He raised his arm to insert his assimilation tubes into his neck. The security officers rushed to raise their rifles and shot at the drone. Unlike last time, it fell to the ground instantly, releasing its hold on Yunho.

Junsu rushed to its side, turning it over and scanning for injuries.

"Why did he fall so easily?" Yunho gasped, rubbing at his throat.

Junsu, who'd been fretting over the drone's phaser wound, looked up and scowled. "I've had to remove a lot of his implants. He can't produce his own shielding anymore."

"That's a blessing. Planet or not, we are getting this thing off the ship!"

"Captain, he's sick and defenseless. If we abandon him now —"

"I don't care, Doctor." Yunho snapped at the two security officers and gestured at the unconscious Borg. "Take this thing to the transporter room."

The two security officers grabbed the unconscious drone by its upper arms and hoisted it to his feet. They began to half-carry half-drag it out of the room, its feet dragging uselessly behind them, before it began jerking in their arms. Its limbs, flailing uncontrollably, slipped out of the officers' grip, sending it crashing to the floor.

"He's seizing," Junsu shouted. He rushed over to the drone and began scanning it. "More of his implants are failing. He needs my help now, Captain."

"Absolutely not. It's already tried to kill you once, Doctor. I won't give it the opportunity to try it again."

"Look at him. He's no threat; he needs us."

Yunho took in the scene. The drone was shaking in Junsu's arms and his security team was standing at the ready to drag it away. As much as he hated the thing, Yunho was not cruel enough to send it away in such distress. He turned back to the nearby security officer.

"Take it to the brig. No one, absolutely no one, is allowed down there except for Cmdr. Changmin, the Doctor, or me." Yunho tapped at his comm badge. "Senior bridge officers, report to the conference room for an emergency meeting."

He noticed Junsu as he went to follow the security officers dragging the drone away.

"I expect you to be present at this meeting, too, Doctor."

"Yes, Captain. As soon as I stabilize him."

"You have 15 minutes."

Junsu looked as if he was about to argue, but reconsidered after seeing the stern glare Yunho shot him. He deflated slightly and sighed in resignation.

"Aye, sir."

Captain's log, supplemental: The drone has finally gained consciousness and we're still unprepared to carry a Borg on our ship. The doctor has taken it under his wing and presented the hard choice of keeping the thing on board or leaving it alone presumably to die. I actually find myself struggling to decide.

"I've scanned the sector for the nearest planets that could support Human or Borg life," Jinki informed the small group sitting around the conference room table. He pulled up a map on the view screen. "There are nine planets within 10 light years that can support a fully functional Borg drone, but only two that could support a Human."

"Can either of those two support a sick, dying Human?" Junsu groused. "Because that's what's in our brig."

"Uhhhh ... " Jinki began awkwardly. "No?"

"So, we all understand we're leaving him to die?"

"Doctor, your objections have been duly noted," Yoochun informed him harshly.

Junsu had the good sense to appear chastened. "Noted and ignored," he huffed. " I just want the consequences of what we're planning on doing to be clear. I have a duty to ensure my patient's well-being."

"How's your neck feeling, Doc?"

Junsu rubbed his neck, embarrassed, but didn't cower. "We took him from his ship," he continued. "We prevented him from reconnecting with the Collective. We have a responsibility for him."

"He would have killed you, Doctor, and he wouldn't have given it a moment's thought." At that, Junsu paled slightly.

Yunho shot his first officer a disapproving glare. "Doctor," he began, his voice kind but firm. "I understand you're protective of your patient and you have to think of what's good for him, but I'm protective of this entire crew and I have to think of what's good for everyone. It already attacked you and Cmdr. Changmin. It tried to choke me. It's too dangerous to allow it to remain on board."

"Interesting," Changmin said quietly.

Yunho closed his eyes and sighed quietly. (Yoochun sighed, too, but much less quietly.) Most of the things Changmin thought were "interesting" usually ended up being really big problems for him.

"What's that, Commander?"

Changmin leaned back in his chair. "It may be in the best interest of the crew to keep the drone on board," he announced without preamble.

"What?" Yoochun snorted.

"Are you honestly suggesting we keep this thing with us for the long-term?" Yunho questioned at the same time.

"It is the most logical idea, yes."

"He doesn't want it!" Yoochun countered.

"All the more reason we need to to keep tabs on him. Captain, I believe there's enough evidence to assume the drone was assimilated as a child."

Yunho frowned. "What makes you think that?"

"His reaction after being disconnected from the Collective was one of fear and apprehension. I've researched the topic. There have been very few cases of drones retrieved from the Borg and disconnected from the hive mind; however, in almost all cases, the former drones reacted with relief and happiness, as if they were being liberated."

"Our Borg was terrified at the silence of his own mind," Junsu noted, mostly to himself. Yunho noted his use of the word "our" with displeasure. "He doesn't know anything outside the Collective. Not even his own name."

Changmin nodded in agreement. "As far as he's concerned, we've just ripped him away from the only life he's ever known. And if we leave him on his own, he will more than likely do whatever it takes to rejoin them. "

"And what's wrong with that?" Yoochun asked.

"We've already taken this drone onto our ship. He's mentioned that he's aware of our technology and capabilities. If we release him to be re-assimilated, that knowledge will be given to the entire Collective. And, they will more than likely come for us."

An uncomfortable silence settled around the room as everyone acknowledged the truth of Changmin's words. The Valiant was one of the most advanced vessels in the Federation's armada. If the Borg found out about the warp and science technology their small little ship carried, they wouldn't be able to resist assimilating it. They'd chase them around the galaxy until they wore them down. They'd never survive it.

"Cmdr. Changmin makes a valid point," Yunho said softly, rubbing at his temples. He ignored Changmin's smug nod of agreement.

"You'll consider letting the drone stay on board?" Junsu asked cautiously.

"I'll consider other options than dropping him off to wait to be re-assimilated." Yunho turned to Jinki. "Are there any colonies or space stations near by with a Federation security presence?"

Jinki tapped at his PADD as he searched through the notes he gathered of the area. "There's a Federation colony located on Ceti Alpha VIII. It's near a disputed area, so there's a pretty strong military presence."

"How far?"

Jinki fidgeted uncomfortably, unable to meet his captain's eyes. "2,000 light years. It would take 16 to 18 months to get there at warp 9."

"Or," Yoochun interjected, "we could stick with our original plan. The commander makes a good point, but if what the doctor says is true, Borgy won't survive long enough to tell the Collective anything about us."

"Absolutely not!" Junsu exclaimed. "I can't let — "

"Enough!" Yunho ordered. "I've heard all I need. I'll make a decision on what to do with the drone before we leave this sector. Doctor, you have until then to get it as medically stable as possible. Jinki, contact Ceti Alpha VIII and ask them if they can hold any prisoners. You're all dismissed."

Changmin, Junsu, and Jinki rose to leave (Junsu with great reluctance), and as soon as they did, Yunho slumped in his seat. He could hear Yoochun chuckle warmly next to him.

"I thought I dismissed you." he whined.

"Cmdr. Park left. Yoochun's still here, though."

Yunho put his head and his hands and sighed heavily. "What am I going to do?"

"First, dump the drone, and then, fire that doctor."

"He'll die."

"Nah," Yoochun scoffed. "The doctor's strong. He'll survive."

Yunho laughed despite himself. "If we keep him on board, he could take over the ship. If we get rid of him, he either dies or gets re-assimilated and sends the Collective after us."

"That's some pretty good summarizing."

Yunho looked over at his friend. "What would you do?"

"I just told you."

"What the doctor and Changmin said didn't bother you at all?"

Yoochun frowned, and Yunho regretted seeing his carefree grin drop so easily from his face. "It bothers me. I don't want those bastards coming after us. A very easy solution to this problem would be to just space it."

Yunho couldn't deny he hadn't considered doing that himself. Without its implants, the drone would never survive the coldness or vacuum of space. "That wouldn't be very Starfleet of us," he said bitterly.

Yoochun shrugged. "It'd be better than what it deserves, though."

"Is leaving him in the brig an option?"

"Wouldn't bother me."

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, studying the maps still blinking on the conference room screens.

“You know what they've done, Yunho," Yoochun whispered finally. "They’ve killed. They've destroyed. And they’ll continue to go on doing that unless we destroy them first.”

When he didn't answer, Yoochun ran his hand through his shaggy hair and rose from his seat.

“Do whatever you think is best, but just know that no one will blame you if you pushed that thing out of the ship and left it to freeze in space. Hell, you’ll have a line of people waiting to help.”

"Have a good night, Commander."

"'Night, Captain."

+++

Despite the well wishes, Yunho didn't get much sleep that night, nor the following. Between his own anger at the Borg, his fears for the ship, and the insistent tugs on his own morality, he tossed and turned, before finally dropping off into an unsatisfying sleep.

He hadn't signed up for this. He'd wanted a nice, uncomplicated trip filled with radiation studies and quantum singularities. He didn't want to deal with potential warfare or ferry a prisoner around in his brig. He certainly wasn't ready to face the Borg, the current stuff of his nightmares. He lamented that this whole mess could have been avoided if they had simply beamed the thing back to its cube.

He'd decided to speak with his headstrong doctor. If he couldn't get the other man to reel in overwhelming sense of duty, at the very least, Yunho could get him to prescribe some sleep medication.

"Captain!" Junsu exclaimed when he entered sickbay. He looked flustered and exhausted. "I know you wanted the drone ready to beam out, but he's still weak. If you could just —"

"Relax, Doctor," Yunho said, interrupting CMO's nervous ramblings. "I'm here to check on you. According to reports, you've been on-duty for nearly 72 hours straight."

"Oh," Junsu waved away his concerns. "I'm fine. A little tired, but nothing that's slowing me down. The drone needs constant care. He's losing implants faster than I can stabilize his Human systems."

"Why not just take all of them out at one time?"

Junsu shook his head. "They've been a part of his system for too long. He needs some of them. There's a node in his brain that controls his breathing and other functions. If we take it out before his body is able to handle that stuff on its own, he'll die." He shuffled awkwardly for a moment before meeting Yunho's gaze. "Captain, have you made your decision on what to do with him?"

"Not yet. I'm aware of your feelings on the subject, though, so don't feel pressured to repeat them."

"I just think he could be an asset to this crew. He just needs a chance."

That shocked Yunho. He knew the doctor wanted to see to the drone's physical safety, but had no idea that he had also been thinking about its future outside the Collective. He picked up a piece of Borg technology that lay on a nearby tray and studied it. "You have a lot of faith in a creature that's proven it's nothing but an automaton."

Junsu shrugged. "I've had a lot of chances to speak with him. He's smart, but he's lost. We could set him on the right path. He knows things — things that could help us protect ourselves from the Collective."

Yunho played with the broken Borg implant, twisting it around on his finger. “Doctor, may I ask you a personal question?”

“Of course.”

“Why are you so invested in helping a Borg? You’re young, but you’re not naive. You know of the atrocities they’ve committed.”

Junsu frowned at him a moment then slumped down on a nearby biobed. He picked up a medical tricorder and began to fiddle with the settings.

“You’ve lost someone to the Borg.” It was more of a statement than a question.

Yunho swallowed. “Yes,” he answered softly. “I had family at Wolf 359.” Junsu turned and gave Yunho a pained smile.

“Small galaxy,” he offered simply. “My brother was there on the USS Melbourne. I’m sure you know what happened. The ship was completely destroyed and her crew … “ Junsu looked down at the tricorder in his hands before inhaling deeply and continuing. “Her crew was lost. Presumed assimilated. When I look at the drone, I can’t help but think of my brother. He’s out there somewhere helping to commit those atrocities, but none of it’s of his own free will.”

“This drone is not your brother,” Yunho told him gently.

“No, he’s not. But I just hope that if by some miracle, if someone ever did find him and save him from the Collective, they’d do everything they could to help him find his way back to humanity. Including forgiving him.”

Yunho gave Junsu a comforting look. "Take some time off soon, Doctor, or I'll order you to." He turned to leave.

"Captain," Junsu called out, halting him. "He's not doing well down there."

"'He'? You mean the Borg?"

"Yes."

"Explain."

"Normally, socialized Humans cannot handle long periods of isolation. They begin to suffer from anxiety, depression, hallucinations, things like that. The drone has spent nearly his entire life with the billions of others in the Collective for company. Forcing him to spend hours in the brig with no one else could drive him insane."

"He's just lonely. He'll survive."

Junsu sighed and shook his head. "It's more than that. He's breaking down."

"Doctor, he's lucky I'm allowing you to see to his physical health. Don't worry so much about his mental health."

"He's asked to speak with you, Captain."

Yunho froze. "Me?"

"He knows that you're in charge of the ship. He has questions that I can't answer."

Yunho's lip curled in disgust. "I don't have time to entertain it. Tell it anything you want."

Junsu stood. "I've told him all I know. Prisoner or guest, he has the right to speak with the ship's commanding officer."

"Doctor, you've pushed for a lot, but there's no way I'm —"

"Captain, please!" Junsu interrupted. He set the tricorder down and moved to stand in front of Yunho, blocking his exit. "With all due respect, you're treating him like a Borg. I know you don't have much compassion for them, but technically, he's not a Borg anymore. He's Human. And he's weak and alone."

Yunho felt the familiar sense of guilt (or maybe mercy — he didn't want to examine his feelings for the Borg too closely) coil in his belly. He wanted to hate this doctor and his over eager, do-good attitude. "I will consider your request, Dr. Kim," he finally acquiesced.

"You'll speak with him?" Junsu moved closer, giving his captain a beseeching gaze.

One look at the young doctor's imploring eyes, and Yunho knew he'd lost. He wasn't happy about it. "How do you do that?" he complained softly. "How do you back me into corners that I don't want to be in?"

Junsu grinned, sensing his victory. "He'll help you make your decision. I promise, you won't regret it."

"I doubt it." Yunho side-stepped the doctor. "Were you and your brother alike?" he asked as he walked out the sickbay doors.

"We were twins," Junsu commented wistfully.

"Well, then, he'll make it, Doc. You're both fighters, and I don't think there's a force in the universe that can change that. Carry on."

Junsu smiled in gratitude and gave a quick salute.

+++

Yunho couldn't deny that his curiosity had been piqued following his chat with the doctor. True, he had an idea of what the drone was going to demand — return to the Borg — but he wondered if that demand was motivated by a true desire to return or fear of being alone.

He'd stalled in speaking with the thing, waiting until after dinner when he was sure the majority of the crew was retired for the night. He'd slipped away from his quarters quietly and made his way to the lower decks where their brig was located.

While clean, well-lit, and warm, the detention cells in the brig were not made for comfort. There was no furniture to lounge on and nothing — not even color on the drab gray walls — to serve as a distraction to the quiet. When Yunho arrived, the drone sat in the corner, staring intently into the empty space in front of him.

From what he could tell, all of the Borg's external implants and exo-plating had been removed. It'd been given clothes to cover itself with, a simple gray gown from sickbay. The only remaining pieces that could be seen were the large ocular implant covering its left eye and the painful-looking wiring that seemed to be embedded in his flesh, stretching from his fingers and toes along the length of his limbs.

"You wished to speak with me," Yunho called out to him gruffly.

Alerted to his presence, the drone snapped out of its daze and slowly stood.

"You look different," Yunho noted with a touch of sarcasm.

The drone looked down at its now human body. "Your doctor has removed most of our Borg technology. He wants to remove our visual sensor piece next, but stated that he has to create a new eye to put in its place."

"That would be an improvement."

"We don't think so. Our implants protected us, helped us, gave us information. Now we are as weak as you."

"I'm doing a lot better than you at the moment. Your body was rejecting your implants. They'd began failing and were killing you."

"Only because no one on your crew knew how to care for them. Send us back to the Collective. They can repair us."

"Sending you back is not an option."

The drone considered this. "Our fate is yours to decide?"

Yunho gave a bored shrug. "It is when you're on my ship."

The drone turned away from Yunho and lowered itself unsteadily back to the floor. “You are a hypocrite,” it said softly.

“Excuse me?"

"You hate us because we are Borg. Your kind claim to be morally superior to us, but look how you treat us."

"You destroy people, rip them away from their families, their planets, their cultures, and force them to become one of you. You are a parasite that feeds off others.”

“You took us from the Collective and now refuse to return us. You force us to become like you, weak and unprotected. You lock us away, cut us off from anyone and everyone, and leave us to suffer in silence.” The drone’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “Alone.”

“This is hardly suffering,” Yunho snorted.

“The quiet is terrifying,” it said softly. “There is no one else with us. No one to tell us what is going on. We are not used to being alone.”

"One of Five," Yunho repeated quietly. "I assume you were always with the other four?"

"We were always with everyone. Now there's no one."

“I’d let you stay in sickbay if I didn’t think you were a threat to my ship,” Yunho told him, his voice devoid of any sympathy. The drone shook its head.

"We are one. An individual is of no importance. We are no threat."

Yunho arched an eyebrow. "It was one who tried to assimilate my friend, one who nearly killed my doctor. For one drone, you've really put this ship through hell."

The drone ignored him as he began to stare into nothingness again.

"Our doctor thinks I should release you. He says you could help us."

"We are one."

"I'm starting to feel insulted, One," Yunho commented with a huff. "We are all one, too, but that doesn't stop us from exploring, from fighting, from surviving."

The drone turned to glare at him. "You do not survive when battling the Borg."

"I'm getting tired of your superiority complex. I've reached my decision. You'll stay on board our ship until we reach a secure Federation location. You know too much, and it's too dangerous to release you."

“Will we spend the rest of the trip in here?”

“That, I haven’t decided yet.”

The drone's glare softened to something tinged with fear. "If we agree to cooperate, to not endanger your crew, will you let us out?"

"You'd have to convince me to trust you first."

The drone stood again, its balance coming easier than before. "We lied before."

"Great start," Yunho quipped. The drone ignored him.

“Even if we were able to reach them — which we are not — the Collective will not come for us. We'd have to find them.”

“How do you know that?”

“We are one. A single, damaged drone. It would be inefficient to waste resources to come for us.”

Yunho raised an eyebrow at the irony. “They do not value your life?”

"They do not value individuals."

It could be a lie, but Yunho had a feeling that it wasn't. What the drone said had long been corroborated by Starfleet's past run-ins with the Borg. Small away teams of three or four had been able to beam aboard their cubes and walk amongst the Borg without being noticed. The Collective wasted no time worrying about single individuals, even those armed with phaser rifles on their own cubes.

"Fine," Yunho said curtly. "You'll be allowed to stay in sickbay. Do not interact with any other members of my crew besides me or the doctor, and do not go anywhere else without permission. Break either of those rules, and you'll find yourself back in here. Understood?"

The drone nodded. "We will not offer resistance."

Leaving to alert security about the drone's transfer, Yunho shot a last comment over his shoulder.

"And don't forget what I told you, One. The lives of my crew are worth a lot more to me than yours. If you do anything to bring any harm to this ship, I'll personally toss you out the nearest airlock. Understood?"

He strolled out of the brig before he could hear the drone's reply.

A/N: I'm kind of sad today. I got into a small car accident . ='( Here's another video because I think it helped a lot of people last time.

Current Mood: gloomy

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

waterpulse.livejournal.com

OMGGG!!!! Star Trek/Voyager in my TVXQ?!?! /dies

Oh I love the dialogue and how you're building all the characters little by little, not to mention the unbelievable amount of Star Trek canon AS I FANGIRL. Can't wait to read more!! Also, it's not my place, but I hope you were unharmed in your accident.

From:

elle's letters

Fic: "For the Sake of One (You)," Chapter 3, TVXQ/DBSK/Tohoshinki

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