New: Twentieth Century Boy Author: ZorroRojo - zorrorojo@slashcity.com Series: X-Over Voyager/X-Files/Highlander Part: 14/16 Rating: R? Codes: C/P Archive: Anywhere Disclaimer: yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah - not mine. Summary: I don't want to give one. Warnings: Non-Graphic Slash - Cussing -  a little violence (not anything worse than what you see on American TV. **********   Chakotay rematerialized on top of the Mesa in the full mid-day sun. He needed time and space to think, to plan his next move. So they were also symbiants, not just parasites. Chakotay tapped his combadge, "Chakotay to Tuvok..." "Tuvok," the Vulcan answered. "Locate the nearest natural spring and transport me there." Within seconds Chakotay found himself in a new setting. He could see the Mesa in the distance, just a small protuberance on the horizon. Actual trees surrounded him and the gurgling of a natural spring caught his attention. He stripped his clothes off and waded into the small pool formed by the age-old rise of water from deep within the earth. He submerged himself until he was fully under and let all his breath out. He remained under water until he was forced up by the need for air. He rose and climbed out. He stood naked in the sun, allowing the harsh rays to dry the water from his skin before dressing. He knew what he had to do. All he had needed was five minutes alone to think and to plan. He tapped his combadge and ordered, "One to beam aboard. Energize." ******* Chakotay returned to the Flyer refreshed and in control. He checked Tuvok and Gerron's progress before seeking out MacLeod. He found the Highlander still in the cargo hold, speaking with Cochrane and his friend. "MacLeod, a word," Chakotay ordered more than asked. MacLeod went on the attack immediately. "We're staying and if you try to send us away we're coming back." "I'm not going to send you away," Chakotay stated quietly. "I have a mission for you, then you can help us destroy the ship. Stopping an invasion is our top priority now. To do it, we're going to need everyone." "What's the mission?" MacLeod asked, clearly intrigued. "You're going to the hospital and you're bringing Tom back here." "Chakotay, you'll kill him." "No. If they cut him open again, they'll kill him. Once we have him, we'll treat him. Medical science has advanced in the past four hundred years, you do realize." "Of course. What do I do?" ********* MacLeod materialized in the rear parking lot of the hospital. Chakotay had waited until there were no life signs in the area, then beamed him into a parked vehicle so anyone watching from a window would not see a man appear out of thin air. Chakotay chose MacLeod because he was human and hadn't already been seen in the hospital. He would blend in. With an FBI agent among the missing, security at the hospital was likely to be high. MacLeod watched Chakotay produce credentials for him from thin air. Chakotay gave the computer a few commands and he was suddenly Dr. MacLeod with credentials that would hold up through a background check. Chakotay easily planted background information in secure computers around the country with a touch of a few controls. Impressed, MacLeod took both combadges Chakotay offered and waited to be moved through air. He would never get used to it, MacLeod realized when he rematerialized. If he was lucky enough to still be alive 400 years in the future, he would stay away from transporters. He climbed out of the sweltering car he had beamed into and quickly made for the hospital doors and air conditioning. He was even dressed the part. Chakotay had given him hospital whites, a photo ID and explicit instructions. He was to take the extra combadge, attach it to Tom and get back to the parking lot, signaling with one tap as soon as he was ready. Getting in was no problem, even with law officers of every agency and stripe wandering the halls. His ID was checked twice, including a computerized check when he exited the elevator on the intensive care floor. As soon as he entered Paris' room, he pulled his chart from the end of the bed and tried to look official. He was playing the part of a respiratory specialist who had been called in on consult. It was the only way to explain a strange doctor in a small hospital. The place was so full of official and semi-official people that it turned out to not be a problem. MacLeod replaced the chart and went to Tom's head, suddenly apprehensive over moving him. The second he materialized on the Delta Flyer, he would stop breathing. MacLeod decided to trust Chakotay and placed the combadge under Tom and out of sight. He turned and left the room slowly, he didn't want to draw attention to himself; he needed to get out unchallenged. He felt naked without his sword and almost went to the hospital chapel to signal his beam out. As far as he knew, he was the only Immortal in the area, but how could he be sure? He stuck to the plan and exited the hospital, tapping his combadge once in the parking lot. He immediately felt the tingle of the matter transporter and held his breath until he was sure he had rematerialized in one piece. As soon as Chakotay got a nod from Mac, he commed Tuvok in the rear of the craft. "Ready Mr. Tuvok?" "Aye commander." Chakotay tapped the control and immediately ran to the cargo hold. He would be there when his husband was put in stasis. ********* Mulder watched from the nurses' station as the unfamiliar doctor entered Paris' room. He asked the security officer who the man was and when he was told he was a specialist called in on the case, he let himself relax. But the doctor came out after only five minutes. Mulder silently followed him out to the parking lot and hid behind a van, watching him. When he first began to shimmer and then faded into nothingness, Mulder was convinced an alien had just been in their midst. He ran back to the patient's room in time to see the same shimmering envelop him as well. Mulder didn't think, he acted. He threw himself on top of the patient... he meant to keep him where he was. But then his body began to tingle all over and the next thing he knew, he was somewhere else. ******** "Got him," Gerron called out as Chakotay stepped through the hatch in time to see the transport. Tom materialized within the stasis field, his body put on hold while his shipmates devised a plan to treat him. But he wasn't alone. Another man was in the stasis field, a wide-eyed look of shock frozen on his features. "That's the other FBI agent!" Gerron yelled. "Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful." Chakotay threw his hands up in disgust and went to collect Scully. He couldn't look at Tom. Not without losing his composure. He would look at him after Tuvok assessed his injuries and outlined his treatment plan. Seeing him in the hospital was bad enough. Seeing his naked body barbarically stapled up the middle was going to be too much. And in stasis he looked dead, not on hold as he actually was. "Get our visitor out of the stasis field," Chakotay called over his shoulder. Chakotay helped Scully to her feet and pulled off her blindfold. "You're identification says you're a doctor. Is that correct?" "Yes," Scully answered with confidence. "Are you going after your friend?" "He's already here. Come on." "Mulder?" Scully asked as soon as she saw her partner. "How did you get here?" "I don't know, actually," Mulder answered. He was looking down the barrel of a phaser, but he was more interested in his surroundings than in the weapons trained on him. Chakotay stalked to him and patted him down, removing his identification and his weapon. "Special Agent Fox Mulder," he announced. "Welcome, have a seat. Tuvok, a word." Chakotay led Tuvok to the front of the craft, trusting Gerron wouldn't hesitate to stun any of the visitors. When they returned, Chakotay ordered everyone else forward and sat as close to Tom as he could. He needed to be alone with his husband. He needed time to breathe. He needed ten minutes of not having to think about aliens and FBI agents and Immortals. Situation Normal All Fucked Up did not even begin to cover their predicament. He sat next to Tom and imagined a conversation with him. He knew Tom would remind him of the orders he had given when they first arrived. He had to concentrate on stopping the invasion - the purity of the timeline would have to be second priority. There wouldn't be a future to protect if the invasion wasn't stopped. Tom would remind him to worry about what could be helped and to put what couldn't in the back of his mind - right where it belonged. A very smart man, his husband. He wished he could touch him, this man who brought much needed happiness into his life. The man who knew him better than any other. He wouldn't lose Tom. He couldn't. When Tom was first assigned sickbay duty, he had taken so much ribbing because of the assignment. Harry had been the one to point out that Tom was the person on board most often in need of medical attention. Wasn't it strange that he was made the medical assistant? They all laughed at Harry's joke and thought it funny. Well, it wasn't funny now. And Tom's beloved twentieth century almost killed him. A simple wound from a projectile weapon on Voyager and he would be out of sickbay in just over an hour. He would have instructions to rest that he would ignore and he would be ready for the next mishap. Here, he was in stasis and for all intents and purposes, he was dead. Chakotay collected his thoughts before returning to the front of the Flyer. Time to get to work. ****** "Cooperation," Chakotay announced. He looked around to be sure he had everyone's attention and continued. "Cooperation is what is going to allow us to stop this threat. In the spirit of cooperation, I'm going to share my plan with you all. As you've already noticed, this ship and my crew are not from this time. Neither are the invaders. It is my duty to stop them. My crew and I have no choice; you have a choice. Any of you may decide to leave at any time." Chakotay watched each of their faces as he made his announcement. They all looked determined and ready. Good. He couldn't do it alone. "We're going to destroy the alien vessel." "How?" MacLeod asked. "We're going to plant bombs." "Where are we going to get bombs?" Marc, now fully recovered asked Chakotay. "Are you going to use that?" He pointed at the replicator. "No, it doesn't make bombs. We're going to use our ship." Silence met Chakotay's declaration of intent. Every single person understood what it meant to them. Chakotay was proud of his men. They may have something to say later, but they knew that now was not the time. Their discipline would serve them well. "Gerron - you, Cochrane and Marc will scan the ship for the best location to sabotage it. Tuvok, your assignment is the patient. Agent, or rather, Dr. Scully will assist you. Mulder and MacLeod, you're with me. We're preparing for the assault. Remember, any one of you may leave at any time. No one is forcing you to be here." "We know that, Chakotay. We have a stake in this as well, you remember that," MacLeod declared. "Fine, you have your assignments." ******** Chakotay watched as Tom regained consciousness. He held him in his lap and waited. Tuvok finished repairing him only an hour before and he had held him in his arms since. He would wait all night if he needed to. "Hey babe," he called softly as Tom opened his eyes. "Cha?" Tom asked quietly. "Who else would it be? Do you have another lover somewhere?" "Have we done this before, or am I having deja vouz?" Chakotay chuckled and pulled Tom even closer to him. "Unfortunately, yes. We've done this before." Tom wriggled around a bit and asked, "Uhm, what happened?" "You were shot with a projectile weapon. We nearly lost you." "Don't you know by know that I'm indestructible?" "No, I don't know that. And you shouldn't think so either. One of these days I really will lose you. I don't know what I'd do if I did, Tommy. You mean the galaxy to me." "And you me. So, chief, what did I miss? Have you whipped the locals into a militia yet?" OK, I guess we've talked enough about injuries. "Sort of." Tom gave him a bright smile; he knew Chakotay all right. "I knew it. What's my job?" "You're to guard the Flyer." Tom sat straight up, wiggling out of Chakotay's embrace. "No way!" Chakotay put a hand gently on his arm. "Tom, you're not in any shape to play commando on an alien ship." "I feel fine." He would never learn, Chakotay knew. I'm fine - Tom Paris' standard answer whether you asked him about his mental health or his physical health. He could be half dead and on the verge of a nervous breakdown and his answer would be I'm fine. Give him a splinter, a stubbed toe or a hangover and he howled like a baby. Go figure. Chakotay decided to play along. "OK. Stand up." "Aren't you going to help me?" "Why should I?" Chakotay asked, "You're fine. Coming?" he called over his shoulder. "All right, so maybe I'm not fine. I do feel better though." Chakotay sat back down on their bedroll before he asked, "Do you remember any of it?" "I remember big ugly aliens and a tube down my throat. It hurt. It still hurts to talk. I think I woke up once, but it was pretty fuzzy. All I remember is that I was scared and I hurt. And I wondered where you were." Chakotay held him close, stunned at the rare confession. Time to fill him in. "Tom. We're going to be stuck here. We can't go back. We're going to need to blow the Flyer's warp core inside the alien ship." "That's going to cause quite the show." Tom snuggled closer and held Chakotay for a moment without saying anything else. He hadn't expected them to make it back in the first place. "As long as I'm with you, I don't care where I am. Where's everyone else? Do they know?" "Everyone knows. They're all sleeping; we move out at 0700." "I want to check something. Help me up front?" Chakotay, understanding Tom's need to do something to contribute, helped him to his feet without argument. "Tuvok says you'll be almost back to normal tomorrow sometime. I'm still going to need you to examine yourself." Tom brushed him off. "In a minute Cha, I have to check something." Chakotay steered him to the cabin and settled him at the tactical station. He tried not to hover, but he couldn't help himself. He wrapped his arms around Tom's chest and rested his chin on his shoulder, watching his fingers fly over the console. "What are you looking for?" he asked after a few minutes. "I'll let you know when I find it. I know it's here. Aha!" Tom cried. "Gotcha! You see that?" "Another ship?" "Yup. One of the fighters. I've been thinking about it since we got here. It was right on our tail when we got sucked in." Chakotay hugged him tighter and kissed his jaw. "You're brilliant." "Thank you very much. It's about time you admitted who has the brains in this family." Chakotay flashed a rare dimple. It felt odd; he couldn't remember the last time he smiled. "So that makes me the good looking one?" Tom looked up at Chakotay, considering. "Yeah, OK, you can have that one." Chakotay leaned down and kissed him; he'd wanted to do it since the moment Tom regained consciousness, but he'd been afraid to. He was so thrilled to see him move, to see his eyes open, that nothing else mattered. Tom kissed him back, then stifled a yawn. "Come on, let's go to bed." "Tom, you're not strong enough." "For sleep? I don't know what you're thinking about, but all I want to do is sleep." "Oh, of course. I have to change some plans for tomorrow around, but I'll lay with you while you sleep." End Part 14