A Captain And A Madman

Chapter Nineteen: The Beginning Of The End

In Voyager's Sickbay, the mood ranged between amazement, confusion, and outrage as the full, deviously deceptive nature of the Doctor's recent actions came to full light. The holographic Doctor, for his part, was looking rather like a small child who had been caught lying... maybe even a little hurt that someone he had been getting along with so well had all but tricked him.

Still, in the wake of this revelation, things suddenly didn't appear so bleak.

"He expected to be captured," Picard muttered, head shaking. "His insistence on going alone, his offhand command hoping that their transwarp drive was functioning... he planned to be taken by them."

Janeway's eyes widened, but in her case, it was entirely outrage. "He's insane."

"Yes," Picard could only agree. "Completely."

They fell silent again, Seven and the EMH waiting for the Captain to come to a decision on how to proceed, and Picard simply marveling at the Time Lord's sheer, unbridled cheek.

"I never should have let him leave the brig," Janeway growled, tapping her commbadge and trying not to sound as if she were prepared to maim. "Janeway to Bridge."

Chakotay's voice piped through, sounding a bit cautious at her tone. "Bridge here, Captain."

"Reverse course," she instructed crisply. "Take us back to where the Sphere went to transwarp."

There was a pause on the other end, and when the First Officer spoke next, he sounded more than a little surprised. "Captain?"

"I'll explain when I get up there, Janeway out," she insisted firmly. As the lights dimmed and the ship's status shifted to red alert, Janeway turned towards the CMO, gesturing to the cluttered components. "Doctor, when will the omicron emitters be ready?"

"They should be calibrated within the hour," the Doctor replied, clearing his throat. "I apologize for not having told you what was being done, but the Doctor had told me he would be infor-"

"It's all right," she interjected, lifting a hand and turning towards the door. "You're not the Doctor I plan to have words with. Prepare sickbay for any casualties afterwards, and Seven, I want you on the bridge once this is finished."

"Aye, Captain," the relieved hologram replied, turning back to the emitters with Seven.

Stepping out into the corridor, Janeway was a tightly coiled ball of fury. Picard, falling into step slightly behind her, seemed to be flickering between amusement, irritation, and more than a little worry. Neither spoke a word as they entered the nearest turbolift, except for Janeway, who barked for them to be taken to the bridge. The turbolift began its journey, and the next few moments passed in stony silence.

Finally, Janeway burst out; "Why the elaborate act? Why didn't he tell us his plan?"

Thinking very carefully about how to phrase his reply, Picard licked his lips, clearing his throat. "Perhaps because if we knew that he was planning to essentially feed himself to the Collective, you would never have let him leave the brig... and I would never have let him leave the TARDIS."

"Well," Janeway growled, "I guess I'll know better for when I throw him right back in."

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The Queen was lost in the cold, dark silence of oblivion; the voices she had come to rely upon so much, the comforting din of the Collective, had grown all but silent. She could hear the faintest murmurs, muffled, in the air, but she could not hear the words, feel the drones... it was as if she had been sealed in a tight, padded room, locked away from the world outside.