Title: Angstrom
Author: Kim Riley a.k.a. MYSTIC
WARNING: SOME SECTIONS OF THIS STORY HAVE GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS THAT
MAY PROVE DISTURBING
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Paramount. Again since they are
no longer using them I've decided to take our boys out of the 'closet'
and let them play and be happy. Enjoy.
Summary: Sometimes the smallest things can set off great chain of
events, for good and for bad
Rating: R for language and sex
Pairing: Chakotay/ Paris
Feedback: Please! Mysticmcknight@hotmail.com
Notes: The poem "If Only" was written me. The song "Kiss Me Softly"
is off the new Journey album- Arrival they own it, all of it, so
please respect that. Thanks.

(Part 3)
He pulled Tom close to him, "The Captain may be able to get us out of
here," he states, his own fear pushing at his throat as he spoke.

"I'd rather you kill me now than let me become a drone," Tom
replied. "Besides, the Captain will lock on you com badge if she can,
and I don't have one," he added.

Chakotay knew what he was saying, that Janeway would only try
and rescue her First Officer and blame it on the fact that Tom didn't
have a signal to lock on to. He looked into Tom's eyes just after
seeing the Borg drones heading to the cell. "For what it's worth," he
says, then leans in and kisses Tom.

It only took a moment, but Tom responded lovingly. Then as the
kiss broke it dawned on him, "The missing jacket.it.it really was
you!"

Chakotay smiles, "Yes, babe. It was really me. I got caught in
you program when you locked it up. I was just checking it out, trying
to see why the Captain was making such a fuss over it. Then when I saw
the holographic version of myself.well," he blushed, "I thought why
should he have all the fun."

"Cha.if.I."

The cell was being opened. "Shh, just know that I wanted to be
with you then and I want the same now. I happen to love you Tom Paris,
never forget that. Now, when I say, you run for the opening and keep
running. The Borg are slow and I know the Captain will get us out of
here, understand?"

"But."

"No buts, Lieutenant! Now!" he said as he pushed the Borg
drone back then did a sweep kick on another leaving an opening for Tom
to run. "Run!"

Tom did as he was told , only because Chakotay was right
behind him. They made it past the first couple of Borg, but the enemy
was now shooting their weapons, and it made moving through the narrow
halls even more difficult. "The gravity well!" Tom shouted. It was the
center of the ship near the core were there was a huge gap, and
sometimes a gravity wave moved through there, sometimes it didn't. But
either way, it was their only chance.

Tom was hit in the leg and Chakotay moved closer and helped
him to stand. "Come on," he hissed and pulled Tom with him. The Borg
was closing in on them. He moved his free hand to his chest and took
his com badge and slipped it on to Tom's back. At least one of them
would make it out, this much he was sure of. They were only feet away
from the gravity well and surrounded. Chakotay let go of Tom and
charged the two before him, but they were able to overpower him and
inject him.

"No!" Tom shouted.

Even in his current state of change, Chakotay continued to
struggle and knock the Borg out of Tom's way. "Run!" he shouted. "Run
you little fuck!" he shouted with as much anger as he could muster.

This prompted Tom into action and he ran past the Borg drone
to the edge of the gravity well. He stopped and turned to see them
grabbing Chakotay up, he shouted to Tom, 'I love you.Go!" So, with
tears in his eyes Tom jumped.

There was no gravity wave moving through the gap, but Tom did
prefer death to being assimilated, but as he fell he felt the familiar
tingling of a transporter beam take hold of him. He didn't know if
he'd be meeting Borg or what.

When he came around, his initial reaction was to jump, for he
was still falling and his mind hadn't adjusted to suddenly no longer
doing so. He looked around, it was Voyager, but by the look on the
ensign's face, it wasn't Tom they were trying to rescue.

"Did you get them?" Janeway's voice rang over the com unit.

//At least it was them and not him, // Tom though as he moved from the
transporter pad, then sitting down, wanting to cry, but everything was
happening too fast for him so he just sat there.

"Captain, I was only able to lock on Commander Chakotay's
signal, but.Mr. Paris is the one that arrived," he said.

"Where is Commander Chakotay?" she demanded.

"I've lost his bio signal, and."

"The damn Borg got him," Tom said with a tight voice.

"What was that?" Janeway asked.

Tom stood up, anger now in his face as he moved to the com
unit, "I said, Captain. That the damn Borg have him. He is being
assimilated!" Though he was angry, tears finally found there way down
his face.

"Escort Mr. Paris to the bridge," Janeway said then cut the
com channel.

"I really did try to get you both," the young ensign said.
"But when the bio signals became mixed up all I could do was lock on
the com badge," he said then reached out slowly and removed it from
Tom's back. "I guess the Commander knew this."

Tom took the badge and nodded his head that he too understood
this, and moved quietly to the bridge, too see what Janeway was going
to do with him now. Though at this point he didn't care, for the man
he loved, and finally discovered loved him too was.gone.

Tom just arrived to the bridge as a signal was being patched
through on to the main view screen. It was the Borg queen.

"Ah, Captain Janeway.Seven, how good to see you both again,"
she said softly.


"You have one of my men, I want them returned now!" Janeway
growled.

"And I want Seven back. A trade?"

"Never!" Janeway snapped, not allowing anyone else to speak.

"If it would."

"No one is going to sacrifice themselves here. There is no
discussion," Janeway snapped again, this time at the young former
Borg.

"As you wish, Captain," the Borg queen purred. Then all the
view screens came on line, her face was plastered everywhere. "I may
not be able to find you at the moment, but I can make sure you have a
front row seat to witness my beautiful creation," she states. Then she
moved back and everyone can see Chakotay has been stripped naked and
laid out strapped to a table.

"YOU BITCH!" Tom cried out, wanting to do something, anything.
But all he could do was lock his focus to the now pale man who held
his soul. Tom noticed that Chakotay was mumbling something, as if
chanting, but he couldn't make it out.

"I'm warning you." Janeway growled with vengeance.

"Captain, what is she going to do?" asked a very naïve Geron.

"Why, child, I'm going to assimilate him," the Borg queen
grinned. Then with nod they began.

The sound of a buzz saw filled the air followed by the
crunching sound of metal to bone. The spray of blood shot everywhere.
Immediately several members of the bridge crew turned from the screen
and started to throw up, the view of seeing Chakotay's leg being sawed
off was too much for them. But the metal moved through his dark flesh
with ease.

"Shut that damn thing off!" Janeway shouted as tears filled
her eyes seeing her friend and First Officer being mutilated this way.

"I.I can't!" Harry shouted back, as he tried in desperation to
shut out the image on the screen.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE YOU BITCH!" Tom shouted, tears soaked his
face as the watched the drones move without hesitation to the next
leg.

"I guess your Commander no longer has a leg to stand on," she said,
knowing her words would sting the flawed flesh dwellers.

"You'll pay for this," Janeway vowed.

"Perhaps your Commander can lend you a hand," she smirked and
reached out and pulled his arm from his socket and tossed it toward
the view screen.

Tom fell to his knees by the bridge railing; the pain of
seeing the man he loved being treated this way, had becoming too much.
He was only glad that Chakotay had lost consciences at the very start
of this atrocity, for the older man never screamed, not even once.

No matter what they did, they couldn't shut off all the view
screens. Tom watched in horror as what was left of Chakotay's limbless
body was being lifted and placed into a robotic suite. Then tubes and
dozens of other implants were placed into him. They left his face and
head alone for the most part, till the end. Then they placed in the
neurotransmitter that would link him permanently to the collective.
Tom couldn't cry anymore, his soul had been ripped from him, all he
could do to hang on was find strength in the revenge he too swore he
would have.

It was slight, but as the final connection was made, the Borg
queen turned toward the drones, a very dissatisfied look on her face.
She then glared at Voyager, something was wrong, then she looked back
to the drones, and the connection was lost.

The bridge was silent.

******************

Some time had passed and Tom stood before Janeway in her
office. No words were spoken by anyone but the basic few. Many of the
crew had responded poorly to seeing their First Officer mutilated and
assimilated. It was as if they watched their own heart being ripped
from them and for some it was exactly as such.

Janeway looked at Tom Paris, she was angry, and she wanted
someone to blame. She was going to send it Tom's way, but the young
man spoke first.

"I don't care what you do with me, Captain. I'm begging you,
just let me help you take that bitch down, please! If you guys hadn't
come back for me.he wouldn't.Please, Captain. Let me help kill her,
then you can leave me anywhere you want. I won't cause any trouble, I
swear it!"

Janeway did want to make it all Tom's fault, but was it
really? Had she not left the young man behind in the first place none
of this would have happened. In fact, if she wasn't so rigid as
Chakotay had accused her off, Tom wouldn't have been in trouble, and."
she couldn't take anymore of this. She closed her eyes, a tear escaped
and rolled down her cheek. When she opened them again she was finally
able to see Tom; the real Tom standing before her, not the one out of
date regulations made him out to be.

She could see that his eyes were even more hallow than her
heart was feeling at the moment and they were all cried out too. It
all made sense now, so much of it became clear, and at what cost? A
friend's life.

"Lieutenant Thomas Eugene Paris. From this point forward all
charges against you for said violation of article 127 section B-3 are
dropped. Let it also be stated for the record that as Captain of this
vessel under article 438 section D-12 that I use my right and with
drawl article 127 section and all its subsections. Any actions that
would typically fall under this heading will no longer be considered
a violation of Starfleet regulations." Then she looked up at Tom and
stood and held out her hand, "if you think you could forgive me," she
said softly.

Tom understood what was happening here, and wished with all
his soul that Chakotay didn't have to pay the price for this
enlightenment. But to deny this woman now would be an insult to his
love's memory. So Tom reached out and took Kathryn's hand and gave it
a small squeeze.

"I'm calling a senior staff meeting in an hour. I expect 'all'
my senior officers to be there," she said , looking at Tom to see if
he understood what she was trying to say.

"Aye, Captain. I'll be there."

"I'll see you in an hour, Lieutenant," she said then watched
Tom leave. She shifted in her chair and opened a ship wide channel.
She made a brave announcement taking all the blame for what happened
today. That the chain of events that occurred would not have occurred
had she not failed in her duty to Tom Paris in the first place. She
announced that the regulation responsible for all this was stricken in
memory of Commander Chakotay and Tom was restored to his rightful
place. She also asked that in memory of the Commander, that everyone
respect what she knew he would wish, to welcome Tom back, and to heal
as a family from his loss. Then she called the senior staff meeting.

*************

The room was filled with anguish and sorrow as Janeway walked
in. she sat in her usual chair, and noticed that Chakotay's regular
chair remained empty.

"Captain, may I make a suggestion here?" the EMH asked.

She just nodded.

"I watched the procedure very closely, and." he hesitated at
the reactions everyone made to the mention of Commander Chakotay's
situation. "There was nothing I couldn't fix," he finished.

It was Tom that looked up from the floor, a small fraction of
hope in his eyes, "are you sure?"

"It is not an impossible task, considering the Doctor was able
to free me of most of my Borg implants," Seven replied.

"And as far as the limbs are concerned, I can create
replacements, it's done quite frequently for those who have lost a
limb. Plus, I have been working on regenerating technology. It may be
very possible I can make natural replacements and with surgery."

Janeway looked around the table. She could see that even the
suggestion of saving Chakotay gave fire back to the dead souls she
initially was surrounded with.

"We've gone up against the Borg before, and we can do it
again!" B'Elanna stated with conviction.

"I did manage to get a lock on that ship when it was heavily
broadcasting," Harry added.

Tuvok raised his typical brow, "I find I must take the side of
reason here for a moment. To pursue the Borg Queen simply to retrieve
the Commander would be suicide."

"You can't really want to leave him there?" Harry shouted.

"I said that I find that I must state the logical of the
matter, Ensign. I didn't say that it was my personal choice," Tuvok
replied.

"Very well," Janeway stated. "Tom, Harry , and Tuvok. I want
you to track and set course after that ship. I don't want them to know
we're coming if at all possible. B'Elanna, I want you and Seven to
find a way for us to be able to upgrade our shields as well as find us
a way to scan for Chakotay, possibly using his DNA."

"Then we're going after him?" Tom asked, just to make sure he
wasn't hearing things wrong.

"That's what I said, Lieutenant. I'll inform the crew.
Dismissed."

Tom walked out the door with B'Elanna and Harry on both sides
of him. It felt strange to be back in uniform again, but all this
still seemed like a bad dream, for he still couldn't accept that
Chakotay was gone. But at least now there was hope.

"Lieutenant Pairs," the EMH stated as he moved up to the young
man, ever so glad his admitter gave him such freedom to do so. "I need
you to report to sickbay for a standard check up." seeing the
beginning of a protest, "It'll be fast and then you can get back to
work. I too want the Commander back as quickly as possible. In fact,
if you can spare the time, your help with the regeneration tanks would
be beneficial," he stated as he followed the three officers into the
turbolift.

"Very well, Doc," Tom stated. If there was anything he could
do to help Cha, he was going to do it.

He moved with the holo doc to Sickbay and sat quietly as the Doctor
examined him. "Not like you to be so quite Mr. Paris," the EMH said,
noting Tom's solemn state. Even this didn't get a rise from the
former spirited young pilot. "Hmm, well you've lost weight, and are a
bit under nourished," he said as he gave him a vitamin shot.

"I just want to help get the Commander back," Tom said softly.

"I understand," the EMH replied.

"I doubt it," Tom said softly as he stood to go.

"Tom.if you need someone to talk with?"

"Thanks Doc, but that won't be necessary," he said then moved out of
sickbay. His mind was on getting back to the bridge as fast as
possible so he could help Harry and Tuvok triangulate the signal and
track the damn ship that had Chakotay. Flashes of the horror he
witnessed came to him and he did his best to shake them off. He didn't
see his attackers approach till it was too late.


****END OF PART THREE*************