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Time: 1432
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"Captain, it's moving!" Tom Paris could hear the almost panic in Harry Kim's though the younger man had managed to learn to keep his calm over the years. "The subspace distortion field is heading straight for us."
"Red alert," Captain Kathryn Janeway ordered and the bridge was plunged into a familiar eerie red glow. "Can you out run it, Mr. Paris?"
He double-checked his readings even as he plotted his course. "I'm afraid not, Captain. Unless we get the warp engines back online in the next minute, that thing's gonna be all over us whether we like it or not."
"Bridge to Engineering," the first officer sounded so calm and collected that Tom wondered if anything ever rattled the man.
"Engineering here," B'Elanna Torres responded, unaware of their current situation.
"Any chance of you getting the warp engines back online in the next thirty seconds?"
"What?! It'll take half an hour just to replace the resonance coil that we had to take out!"
"I'd take that as a 'no'," Tom muttered under his breath, struggling to coach as much power as he could out of the engines.
"Ten seconds to impact," another calm and collected voice, but since Tuvok was a Vulcan, it would have been strange if he wasn't calm.
"All hands, brace for impact!" Janeway announced.
And no sooner than the words were spoken, everything disappeared in a flash.
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Time: 0734
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Tom walked into the mess hall, nearly colliding with Crewman Keller from security, who was on his way out.
While the other man was apologising, Tom felt a strange sense of deja vu.
"Don't worry about it," he dismissed Keller and headed towards the counter where breakfast was laid out.
Picking up a tray, he stared at the food before him. Didn't they just have...
"Neelix, didn't we just have Omelion porridge yesterday?" he asked the Telaxian who had just wandered out of the kitchen.
"No, I made leola root hash browns with poached eggs yesterday. Is something wrong with the porridge?" Neelix sounded worried.
Tom sometimes thought the stoutly alien took his job a little too seriously.
"No, nothing's wrong. But I could've sworn we had this yesterday." He shook his head, flashed a reassuring smile to the worried looking morale officer, and got himself a hearty portion of the porridge. It was much better than the leola root hash brown.
He saw Harry and B'Elanna sitting at a corner and went over to join them, his sense of deja vu flaring once again.
"... I'm telling you B'Elanna, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the field injector. I've triple checked it last night and everything's fine. Whatever the problem is with the warp engines, that isn't it," Harry finished.
"You're still at it?" Tom asked as he set his tray down and joined his friends.
"Hey Tom, now that you're here, you can tell Chief Engineer here that there's nothing wrong with the field injector."
"B'Elanna, there's nothing wrong with the field injector," Tom parroted Harry's words. But even as the words left his lips, he knew he had done this before.
"But if it isn't the field injector, what the hell is wrong with it?!" the half Klingon almost snarled.
"You're the engineer, you figure it out," Harry retorted.
"Okaaay, didn't we went through this yesterday?" he asked, confused.
"Yesterday? I was stuck in engineering all morning yesterday and skipped breakfast, so no, we didn't go through this yesterday." B'Elanna replied, looking at him with a strange expression.
"I could've sworn... " he shook his head. It was just a deja vu, nothing more. People get them all the time, right?
"Tom, you all right?" Harry sounded worried.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I've just been having a serious case of deja vu all morning."
"Right," B'Elanna dismissed him and went straight back to the problem they were facing. "I'm telling you, Starfleet, it's the injector. I've checked every other system and they're all fine."
"And I'm telling you I've checked it three times and found nothing wrong with it."
Tom let his friends drone on as he ate his breakfast, feeling a sense of trepidation crawling up his spine.
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Time: 0821
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Tom left the briefing room feeling more confused than ever. He was sure they had went through the same thing the day before, but apparently, the others didn't feel the same way since they went on with business as usual.
Taking over the helm from Baytahart, he checked the readouts confirming their current course and speed.
Three-four-zero, mark two, full impulse.
Weren't we here yesterday morning?!
"Gosh! Tuvok, I'm so sorry about this! Are you all right?"
He turned towards the commotion happening at the door to the Captain's ready room.
"I am fine, Captain," the Vulcan replied. "It is fortunate that your coffee has cooled considerably since you replicated it earlier. However, it would seem that I am in need of fresh uniform."
Ok, I KNOW this happened yesterday! I was even teasing Tuvok about his supposedly better than human Vulcan reflexes! What the hell is going on?!
If anyone noticed his confusion, they didn't acknowledge it.
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Time: 1216
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"I'm telling you, Harry, this day's happened before!" Tom had been trying to convince his friend for the last fifteen minutes without much success.
The younger man poked at his lunch, a green glob that looked a lot like jelly, and looked at Tom.
"All right, let's assume that it did happen before, what's going to happen next?"
"In a couple minutes or so, B'Elanna's going to storm in here with a tricorder and tell you she was right and you missed a spot on your triple checked readings of the field injector," he replied.
"Right," the Asian replied skeptically.
"You still don't believe me do you?"
"I'll let you know when she does storm in here and gives it to me. I'm telling you Tom, I checked that thing three times, there was nothing wrong with it."
"Uh-huh."
And as if on cue, B'Elanna Torres stormed into the mess hall and headed straight towards their table.
The Chief Engineer shoved a tricorder under Harry's nose and stood beside the bewildered ensign with a satisfied smirk on her face.
"I was right!" She declared. "It was the field injector. You missed a spot behind the rerouter we installed a couple months ago, and that was the bit that's causing all the trouble."
Harry looked up from the tricorder and starred at Tom, eyes wide in disbelief.
"I told you."
"Then why are you the only one who remember?"
"Hell if I know!"
"Right, what's going on?" B'Elanna asked, pulling up a chair and joining them.
"Tom's been through today," Harry explained.
"I beg your pardon?"
"He knew you were coming and what you were going to say before you did."
"So, you a psychic now?" The half Klingon directed the question at Tom.
"No. I'm not a psychic! Like I told Harry, I've been through all of this before! The breakfast, the briefing, the Captain spilling coffee on Tuvok, you gloating at Harry for being right about the field injector. Though Chakotay snapping at me this morning for not paying attention was new. But other than that, everything's the same!"
"How is that possible?" B'Elanna asked, confused.
"You're asking me?!"
"Well, you're the one living it, right?" Harry added helpfully.
Tom groaned.
This is gonna be a loooong day!
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Time: 1423
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"Captain, I'm detecting an anomaly ahead of us." Harry announced.
"On screen."
The cruising stars on the forward view screen was immediately replaced by a familiar mass of purple and green swirls of twinkling light.
"What is it?" Chakotay asked.
Tom could hear the awe in the commander's voice.
"I'm not sure, but I'm detecting a large amount of subspace distortion around it. Wait, the distortions are coming from within the anomaly."
"Tom, can you get us any closer?" Janeway asked.
"How close?" Tom asked, knowing that if everything happened according to what he remembered, it was a bad idea.
"Captain, I would suggest that we proceed with caution. Subspace phenomenons are not known for their stability and predictability. We do not know how this anomaly would react if we get any closer."
"Which is why we're going to find out," Janeway dismissed the security chief's suggestion. "Mr. Paris, get us within a thousand kilometers of the anomaly."
"Aye aye," he acknowledged the order and edged the ship closer to the anomaly.
"Captain, it's moving! The subspace distortion field is heading straight for us," Harry announced.
"Red alert!" Captain Katheryn Janeway ordered and the bridge was once again plunged into the eerie red tinged almost darkness. "Can you out run it, Mr. Paris?"
Even as he double-checked his readings, he knew what his answer would be. "Unless we get the warp engines back online in the next minute, it's going to hit us."
"Bridge to Engineering," Chakotay, still calm and collected.
"Engineering here," B'Elanna responded.
"Any chance of you getting the warp engines back online in the next thirty seconds?"
"What?! It'll take half an hour just to replace the resonance coil that we had to take out!"
"Ten seconds to impact," Tuvok pronounced.
"All hands, brace for impact," Janeway announced.
"Aw hell," he muttered under his breath as everything disappeared in a flash.
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Time: 0734
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Tom walked into the mess hall, nearly colliding with Crewman Keller from Security who was on his way out.
"Don't worry about it," he dismissed Keller before the other man could apologize.
Heading straight for the breakfast counter, he peered at what was being offered.
"Omelion porridge. Shit, it's happening again," Tom muttered to himself, ignoring the look he was getting from a crewmember who was standing beside him.
"Tom? Is something wrong with the porridge?" Neelix asked as he walked out of the kitchen.
"No, it's fine. I'm just wondering how much I should get."
"Oh. Have as much as you want! We have plenty for everyone!" Neelix smiled up at him and grabbed a tray. "Here, let me get you some," the morale officer scooped up a large portion from the pot and deposit it onto the tray with a loud 'clunk' before handing it over to Tom. "I have some sweet sauce that goes amazingly well with it if you want."
"Uh... no thanks. I like it better this way." Tom accepted the tray with a smile before heading towards Harry and B'Elanna.
"...B'Elanna, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the field injector. I've triple checked it yesterday and everything's fine. Whatever the problem is with the warp engines, that isn't it," Harry finished.
Tom set his tray down and started eating.
"Hey Tom, now that you're here, you can tell Chief Engineer here that there's nothing wrong with the field injector."
"Maybe you missed a spot, Harry." Tom replied.
"Ha! See Starfleet! Even Hotshot here agrees with me," B'Elanna said with a smirk.
"I thought you were my friend!" Harry turned to Tom with mocked hurt.
"Harry, sometimes, the truth is more important than friendship," Tom replied with a smile.
"Like I said Starfleet, it's the injector. I've checked every other systems and they're all fine," B'Elanna continued.
"And I'm telling you I've checked it three times and found nothing wrong with it," Harry insisted.
Tom could feel a headache developing as he listened to his friends, oblivious to their current predicament.
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Time: 0819
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"Anything else, gentlemen?" Janeway asked. "If that's all..."
"Uh, Captain."
"Mr. Paris, do you have something to add?"
"Yes."
Everyone in the room was looking at him expectantly.
"Well," Chakotay asked.
"Um... ok, this is going to sound crazy, but I think I've been through all of this before," Tom said.
"Lieutenant, I believe the morning briefings are part of the daily routine, hence..."
"No," Tom interrupted Tuvok. "Not morning briefings in general, but this briefing! I think I'm stuck in a time loop."
"A time loop?" Janeway was looking at him as through he had lost his mind, and Tom didn't blame her. He was starting to think maybe he had lost his mind.
"Lieutenant, if this is one of your jokes, I think all of us in the room have better things to do." Chakotay dismissed his claim with a cool distain.
"Right. Tom, I want you to report to sickbay and have the Doctor check you out. And if there's nothing else, dismissed."
Great, that went well.
He got up and headed towards the turbo lift.
"Tuvok, you might want to get a spare uniform," he said before entering the lift.
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Time: 0830
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Janeway and Tuvok marched into sickbay.
"Ah, Captain. I don't see why you ordered Mr. Paris here. There is absolutely nothing wrong with him " The Holodoc announced, closing the medical tricorder with a flip.
Tom noticed the coffee stain on the Security Chief's uniform.
"Tom, how did you know that Tuvok would need a spare uniform?" Janeway demanded.
"I told you Captain, I've been through the whole thing before! You were coming out of your ready room with a mug of coffee, Tuvok was on his way to your ready room, you bumped into him and spilled your coffee. You apologised, and then Tuvok said something along the lines of 'It is fortunate that the coffee was cooler from when you first replicated it.' Am I right so far?"
Janeway was looking at him in disbelief as Tuvok looked curious.
"Interesting. You were not on the bridge when the incident occurred, yet you knew precisely what happened."
"Like I said, I've been through it before."
"But, how is that possible? We haven't encountered any temporal anomalies that might cause a time loop. And even if we have, why are you the only one not affected?"
"I don't know why I'm the only one who seemed to know what's going on, but we are going to detect some subspace anomaly in about six hours. And I'd bet a year's worth of rations that it's causing this time loop."
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Time: 1423
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"Captain, I'm detecting an anomaly ahead of us," Harry announced. "Scanning for temporal distortions."
The bridge waited in silence as Harry worked.
"Well?" Tom broke the silence.
"Nothing yet, but... wait! The anomaly is emitting some.... thing that I can't make sense of." Harry's brows furrowed in confusion and concentration.
Janeway got up from her seat and made her way to Harry's station, peering over his shoulder.
"I can see what you mean, Mr. Kim. There, that looks like a temporal distortion."
"It does, but it's not like any I've seen before. The frequency is too low, and wait a minute, it's moving towards us," Harry exclaimed.
"Red alert!" Chakotay ordered. "Mr. Paris, get us out of here,"
"Gladly," Tom replied, already anticipated the order.
Maybe we'd actually get away this time.
"The anomaly is gaining velocity," Tuvok announced. "With its current speed, it will intercept us in one minute and fourteen seconds."
"I'm going as fast as we can," Tom said.
"Forty seconds."
"This is not happening again damn it," Tom muttered.
"Thirty seconds."
"I haven't slept in almost a day, don't do this to me!" he yelled, not caring who could have heard him.
"All hands, brace for impact," Janeway announced.
"Twenty seconds to interception."
"Great! Fine! I give up!" Tom threw his hands in the air, got up, and headed towards the turbo lift.
"Lieutenant, what do you think you're doing?!" Chakotay got up from his seat and moved to cut him off.
"Ten seconds."
"This!" Tom clenched his fist and aimed for the first officer's jaw...
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Time: 0734
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... and hit the half opened door of the mess hall.
"Shit," Tom cursed, cradling his injured hand. "Damn it! That hurt!"
"Sir? Are you all right?" Crewman Keller asked with obvious concern.
"Yeah, just peachy. Tell me something, Keller, Neelix serving Omelion porridge today?"
"Yes, sir."
"Right. I think I'd just skip breakfast and get to sickbay to have my hand checked out."
"Yes, sir."
Tom ignored Keller's puzzled look and headed towards sickbay.
"Next time, give it a good twenty seconds allowance," he mumbled as he got into the turbo lift.
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Time: 0745
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"Unless you want to have a crooked finger or two, I suggest you hold still."
Tom was certain the Holodoc was using more force than necessary to hold his hand as he mended the bones.
"I fail to see how is it possible for you to hit a door by accident."
"It's pretty simple, Doc. You aim for one thing, but hit another instead."
"I see."
Tom was sure the doctor still didn't understand, but at least, he had stopped asking questions.
I guess this goes to prove that Chakotay can be tough as steel.
The thought brought a smile to his face, which soon turned into a giggle, which in turn turned into a full blown laughing fit.
"Hold still!"
"Steel," Tom managed to choke out before once again succumbing into the laughing fit.
"There! I'm done. Feel free to laugh yourself silly over my work, but you're not to use that hand too much for the next two days, so you're off duty till then," The Doctor said in exasperation before stomping back into his office.
Get a hold of yourself, Tommy boy! It's not that funny!
Tom managed to get his laughter under control after a minute or two.
"Done laughing now?" The Doctor poked his head out of his office.
"Sorry, Doc. I wasn't laughing at you. Something funny just popped into my head," Tom apologised.
"Right. I've sent the Captain a notice about the situation. You have the next two days off to recuperate."
"Thanks, Doc," Tom replied before hopping off the biobed and leaving sickbay.
I think I'll just go back to my quarters and sleep through the next day or two. Why couldn't the stupid loop start after my shift ends?
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Time: 1427
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Tom was startled awake by the red alert klaxon. He was halfway out of his bed before remembering he was stuck in a time loop.
With that in mind, the pilot crawled back under his blanket, covered his head with a pillow, and went back to sleep.
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Time: 0734
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Tom walked into the mess hall, and once again, nearly collided with Keller.
He dismissed the crewman with a wave of his hand, and was surprised to find that there was no sign of injury to his right hand.
Huh. I can carry my actions through from the end of a loop to the start of another, but any injury would disappear.
A smile appeared on his face before Tom proceeded to help himself to a large portion of Omelion porridge and topped it off with a generous amount of sweet sauce that Neelix had recommended in a previous loop.
There's only so many times someone can eat Omelion porridge by itself before they get sick of it. If only I hadn't used up my replicator credits last night for Harry's birthday present... but I was supposed to get paid tomorrow! And now, who the hell knows when tomorrow's gonna come.
He let out a sigh. Spotting Chakotay sitting at a corner, Tom decided that he had had enough of the field injectors and approached the first officer instead.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked.
"Go ahead," Chakotay replied. "I thought you'd be over there with Harry and B'Elanna?"
"Nah. They'd just be going on and on and on and on about engineering. There's only so much talk about field injectors before a man goes insane."
Chakotay smiled at his comment, and Tom couldn't help but smile back at the Commander.
Okay, since when does he ever smile at me?! This time loop thing must be driving me crazy.
Taking a bite at his new and improved version of Omelion porridge, Tom was surprised to find that it tasted better than the original version.
"This is good."
"What's that you're mixing it with?" Chakotay asked.
"Some sweet sauce Neelix recommended. I don't think any of his original recipes ever tasted this good."
"Might have to try that the next time."
"You should." Tom replied. "Tell me something, commander. What would you do if you're stuck in a time loop?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"I mean, no one else would remember what you do, which means, you can do anything without suffering the consequences. So, my question is, what would you do if you're stuck in a time loop?"
Tom saw a hint of indecision passed between the other man's eyes before it settled into a determination that the pilot had always associated with the commander.
"So," Tom prompted.
"I'd tell you exactly what I think about you," Chakotay replied, leaning forward.
"Your opinion about me has always been public knowledge. I know what you think about me," Tom copied the other man's position and lowered his voice to a harsh whisper, breakfast forgotten.
"I doubt it, Paris."
"Really?"
"Do you really want to know what I really think about you? How I think about you? How many times I've wanted to wipe that smart-ass smirk of yours off your face with a kiss before dragging you into my office and fuck you over my desk so hard that you won't even remember your own name. That, Lieutenant, is how I think of you. Have a nice day." And with that, Chakotay stood up and left, leaving Tom starring at his retreating back with a bewildered expression on his face.
Holy shit! What the hell was that?!?!
A small voice in his mind told him that maybe he'd push the commander's buttons one time too many.
This could be fun.
A calculative smile appeared on Tom's face.
What?! Are you insane?! He was just playing with you, giving you a taste of your own medicine, he couldn't have been serious!.... Really? You noticed how his eyes dilated when he said that? I'm pretty sure he meant what he said.... Pretty sure?.... Stuck in a time loop remember? No consequences and all.... Right. So you're just going to stay in the loop until you figure it out?.... Nah. I do want to get my rations tomorrow. Figured I'd have some fun along the way.... Good plan.... You really think so? I think so too.
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Time: 0819
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"If that's all gentlemen, dismissed." Janeway concluded the meeting and everyone started leaving the room.
"Commander, a moment please," Tom stopped the first officer.
"Lieutenant?" Chakotay turned to face Tom, face impassive.
"About what you said earlier in the mess hall," Tom started.
"Forget about it. It was out of line and...."
"Shut up for a minute and let me finish, would you?" Tom interrupted, not caring if he was being insubordinate.
When Chakotay remained silent, he continued. "You see, I don't think I can forget about it. I don't think I want to forget about it."
"Tom, I don't think it's..."
"Anyone ever tell you that you think too much?" the pilot interrupted again before closing the distance between them and kissed Chakotay.
Any doubts in Tom's mind about the truth of Chakotay's declaration in the mess hall evaporated when the other man kissed him back with a ferocity that could match a Klingon in heat.
The need for air eventually parted them.
Tom looked at Chakotay straight in the eyes and gave the older man a smirk. "You think about that," he said before straightening his uniform and leaving the room in time to see the Captain spilling coffee on Tuvok.
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Time: 1210
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"Come on, spill. What's with you and the commander?" Harry asked, helping himself to a portion of green gob Neelix was serving for lunch.
"Nothing," Tom replied, electing to skip the green gob. Instead he went for something he hadn't dared tried before; blue lasagna.
Worse thing it'll do is put me in sickbay for a couple of hours before I'm back here for breakfast again.
"Nothing? He spent the entire morning starring holes through your head, grinding his teeth, and looking as though he wanted to beat the crap out of you and that's nothing?"
"He did?"
"You didn't do anything stupid did you?"
They found an empty table near the entrance and sat down with their lunch.
"Define 'stupid'," Tom replied.
"Come on, Tom, this is me you're talking to. What exactly did you do this time?"
"Nothing! Well, ok, this morning he kinda made me an offer, in a manner of speaking. I was merely responding to it."
"An offer for what?" Harry was looking at him suspiciously.
"That's for us to know, and for you to find out." Tom gave Harry a wink before trying out his lunch. "This taste absolutely nothing like lasagna."
"What does it taste like then?"
"Like bread soaked in water for too long, mixed with some mystery meat marinated with soy sauce."
"Sounds disgusting."
"It is," Tom replied, taking another bite. "And I think our chief engineer's looking for you," Tom said, indicating at the half-Klingon marching through the door.
B'Elanna shoved a tricorder at Harry before declaring, "I was right!"
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Time: 1433
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"Mr. Paris, can you out run it?" Janeway asked, the red alert klaxon blaring around them.
"Sorry, no can do ma'am. Tried every trick in the book and nothing's working," Tom replied flippantly before abandoning his post.
"Mr. Paris, what are you doing? Get back to your post," Janeway demanded, obviously not believing what she was witnessing.
"Fifteen seconds to interception," Tuvok announced, impassive.
Tom ignored Janeway and stood in front of the confused First Officer.
"I'll see you in the next loop, Chakotay."
The last thing he saw before everything disappeared in a flash was the commander's eyes widen in realisation.
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Time: 0734
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Tom stopped himself in his tracks and took a step back from the door to the mess hall. Keller stepped out of the mess hall a second later and went about his business, barely acknowledging him.
"Not even a 'good morning', maybe next time I'll just punch him out," Tom said to himself, shaking his head before grabbing his breakfast and headed over to where Harry and B'Elanna were sited.
"Morning guys," he greeted.
"Morning Tom," Harry and B'Elanna greeted him simultaneously and immediately went back to their argument.
"I'm stuck in a time loop," he announced casually, taking a bite of the Omelion porridge he was getting sick of.
"That's great, Tom," B'Elanna replied offhandedly. "Harry, how many times do I have to... what?" She turned to face the pilot as what Tom said finally registered.
"I'm stuck in a time loop," he repeated.
"You're joking right?" Harry asked, disbelieved.
"Nope. You guys have had this conversation about half a dozen times or so."
"So, who's right about the field injector?" B'Elanna asked.
"You were. Harry, you missed a spot that was hidden by some rerouter or something."
"I did not! I've triple checked it," Harry protested.
"B'Elanna, you go have a look at the injector and then you can provide me with the evidence I need at the morning briefing."
"I what?"
"Just go check the field injector and prove to Harry that you're right."
"It'll be my pleasure," B'Elanna gave Harry a feral smile before leaving the mess hall.
"And I thought you were my friend," Harry gave Tom a punch on his shoulder.
"For the record, ow! And this has nothing to do with our friendship. I really am stuck in a time loop," he was sure Harry had heard the seriousness in his voice.
"You're not joking."
"Nope."
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Time: 0800
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"Good morning, gentlemen, and I see that we're still missing our chief engineer this morning," Janeway greeted, strolling into the briefing room.
No sooner than the words were out, B'Elanna whirled into the briefing room and headed straight for Tom.
"How did you know?" she demanded.
"I told you, B'Elanna. I went through it about half a dozen times," Tom replied, aware that the entire room was starring at them.
"Mr. Paris, Ms. Torres, is there something you want to share with the rest of us?" Janeway asked, her voice tinted with an edge of annoyance at the clear breach of protocol.
"Sorry Captain," Tom apologised. "Lieutenant Torres just got some evidence proving that I was telling her the truth earlier."
"And what is it that you told her?" Chakotay asked, looking at Tom with suspicion.
Tom gave the commander a secretive smile, and he mentally cheered when Chakotay was clearly taken aback by it. "That I'm stuck in a time loop."
"Time loop?" Janeway asked in surprise.
"Yes, ma'am. If memory serves me right, this is the sixth time this same day has occurred."
"You mean we've been living the same day for six times?" Chakotay asked.
"Yes."
"Mr. Paris, do you have any evidence to support your claim?" Janeway asked.
"Ask B'Elanna. I told her exactly where to find the problem with the field injector at breakfast," Tom replied.
"It's true, Captain. Tom told me Harry missed a spot in his scans, and when I went to check it out, it was exactly where he said it would be. It would have taken me the entire morning to track it down if I had to start from scratch. So, unless he was up last night running diagnostics, I don't see how he could've known about it," B'Elanna finished.
"I see," Janeway looked thoughtful. "Mr. Paris, if this is your sixth loop, what else have you found out in previous loops that might help us stop it?"
"At about six hours and twenty minutes from now," Tom started. "We would encounter a subspace anomaly that I believe is the cause of this time loop. Harry had managed to scan it and revealed that there were some temporal distortion fields within the anomaly. But those temporal distortions aren't like any others we've seen. I believe he mentioned something about them being at a much lower frequency than normal. And every single time, that thing came after us. With the warp engines off line, there's no way we could out run it," Tom concluded.
"What are the effects on the ship after the anomaly intercepted us," Tuvok, who had remained silent up till this point, asked.
"The only effect I know of is me being sent back precisely seven hours in time."
"Interesting."
"Well, to you maybe. But I'm getting sick of repeating the same seven hours over and over and over and over again."
"This changes our priority," Janeway said. "B'Elanna, I want you to get warp back on line within the next six hours."
"I'll try my best," the Engineer acknowledge the order.
"Mr. Kim, try to scan for this anomaly on our long range scanners. Mr. Paris, since you're the only one who seems to remember what has transpired before, you'll be assisting Mr. Kim."
"Aye, aye, Captain," both men chorused.
"In the mean time, I don't want us getting any closer than necessary."
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Time: 0820
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Voyager was at a complete stop and Tom was helping Harry locate the anomaly on long-range scanners when he noticed Tuvok heading towards the Captain's ready room.
"Watch out for coffee, Tuvok," he called out to the Vulcan whose only reply was a raised eyebrow in his direction. "Damn, didn't even slow him down."
"Tom?" Harry asked.
"In about three... two... one. Now, he's going to get soaked in coffee."
"I see. Anything happened to me that I should know about?"
"Don't think so. B'Elanna did gave you a good one at the mess hall during lunch for the field injector problem, but since we got that over with, thing's changed a little now," Tom replied while his hands were busy adjusting the sensors. "There you go, that's the thing that's making this day really long. And I told you to watch out for coffee," Tom called out Tuvok as the security officer entered the turbo lift.
Harry let out a small laugh before turning his attention back to the sensor readings. "I see what you mean about the lower frequencies. I've never seen anything like it before."
"Actually, you have, you just don't remember it."
"Right. Time loop. So, what have you been up to while the rest of us can't remember a thing about it?"
"Harry, are you implying that I'm taking advantage of the situation?" Tom feigned a wounded look.
"Don't tell me you've been spending the last five loops trying to solve this, because if you have, the amount of information you've supplied is surprisingly sparse."
"Ok, fine. I spent the first loop trying to figure out if I lost my mind. And I might have just slept through one other loop or so."
"Are you sure that's all you've been up to?"
"I swear! Besides, this is only the sixth loop. It's not as though I've been through it that many times."
Sorry buddy, there's no way I'm going to tell you about Chakotay, especially if there's a chance that this loop might be the last.
-------------
Time: 1207
-------------
"So, you think this is going to work," Tom asked as he set down his tray on the table, not looking forward to eating the green glob.
Let's hope it tastes better than the blue lasagna. And at least Harry seemed to like it well enough.
"From the data we have, I would think so. Up till now, you've only experienced the loop when the anomaly hit us, there's no evidence to disprove that if it doesn't hit us, the time loop would start again. Beside, if it does start again, at least that's one possibility we've tried."
"And I can start all over again in the next loop. Thanks a lot, Harry," Tom replied wryly. "For my stomach's sake, let's hope it works. I'm getting pretty sick of Omelion porridge for breakfast."
-------------
Time: 1407
-------------
"Just humour me, Harry." Tom was leaning against one of the consoles behind the main ops station while Harry continued to gather data about the anomaly. "Just in case we can't get away from it, what else can we do?"
The younger man let out a sigh before giving in and answered the pilot's question.
"Fine. Just in case this don't work, which is highly unlikely, I'm thinking we need to come up with something that would either disrupt the temporal field or shield us from it."
"And that something would be?"
"Some anti-temporal type thing?" Harry suggested.
"Haha. Very funny." Tom scowled at his friend.
"Hey, you asked."
Harry's console beeped at them before Tom could come up with a retort.
"I don't believe it," Tom exclaimed, looking at the readings over Harry's shoulder.
"Gentlemen?" The beeping had caught the Captain's attention as well.
"The anomaly's moving," Harry replied. "And from its trajectory, it seems like it's coming after us."
"It is coming after us," Tom said, exasperated.
"Bridge to engineering, is the warp engines back on line yet?" Janeway asked.
"I need another ten minutes, Captain." B'Elanna's voice came over the com line.
"You have five, Lieutenant."
"Acknowledge. Engineering out."
Tom made his way back to his usual seat and plotted a course away from the anomaly.
"The anomaly is gaining speed. At its current velocity, it will intercept us in twelve minutes and forty-six seconds," Tuvok announced.
"Engineering to bridge, the warp engine's back online," B'Elanna announced.
"About time!" Tom muttered under his breath even as he brought the ship into warp.
"The anomaly has matched our speed," Tuvok announced calmly.
"What?! I can't believe this! Increasing speed to Warp 7," Tom said, his hands flying over the controls.
"Anomaly is matching speed."
"Mr. Kim, send out a burst of neutrino pulse and see if we can slow it down."
"Sending pulse now," Harry reported. "No effect."
"Anomaly is gaining speed. Interception in four minutes and twenty seconds."
"Captain, I don't think we can out run it," Tom said, knowing that he was going to have to repeat another day again.
"Try your best, Mr. Paris. Mr. Kim, I want a solution within the next two minutes," Janeway ordered.
"Yes, Captain," Harry replied, busily tapping in commands on his work station.
"Some of your anti-temporal type thing would be nice, Harry," Tom chuckled, no longer feeling the anxiety the rest of the crew was feeling. He had, after all, been through everything before.
"Three minutes and thirty seconds," Tuvok continued his countdown.
"Haha. Very funny," Harry replied, echoing Tom's earlier words. "Captain, I'm detecting a build-up in chronoton particles within the anomaly."
"Chronoton particles... Harry, would an anti-matter burst collapse the build-up," Janeway asked, getting up from her and heading towards Harry's station.
"It should work, but we don't have time to reconfigure the main deflector grid to do it," the ensign replied. "It'll take hours to do that."
"Then I guess it's up to Mr. Paris then."
"One minute and fifteen seconds to interception."
"Right. Anti-matter, main deflector grid. Got it," Tom replied, having heard the exchange.
"Fifty seconds to interception."
Tom finally gave up all pretence of working and deserted his post.
"Paris, get back to your post," Chakotay ordered.
"Or what? You'll drag me to your office and fuck me till I don't remember my name?" Tom whispered, almost leaning into Chakotay's face. "Don't think we have time for it right now, maybe the next loop."
The shock on Chakotay's face made him smile.
"I know what you want, Chakotay. And maybe, you might get it after all."
"Mr. Paris! I will not tolerate any acts of insubordination on my bridge!" Janeway finally interrupted.
"Ten seconds to interception."
Chakotay finally stood up and faced Tom. "What makes you so sure that it's what I want?" he asked, anger evident in his voice.
"Because you told me."
And the world disappeared around him in a flash.
-------------
Time: 0734
-------------
Tom took a step back away from the mess hall even as Keller stepped out. The pilot turned, and headed back to his quarters.
No more Omelion porridge today!
Once the door slide shut, Tom initiated a security lockout in his quarters before making his way to the computer terminal. He hacked into the ship's security system, erasing his trail as he went along, making sure no one would be able to override his commands. Tom then took the transporters off line to prevent any unwelcome guests, and hacked into the replicator system, transferring all replicator credits into his account.
"Computer," Tom ordered, standing in front of the replicator unit in his quarters. "Let's have some crispy bacons, scrambled eggs on toast with cheese, a stack of pancakes with lots of maple syrup, a tall glass of orange juice, and coffee with two sugars."
The computer acknowledged his order with a beep and his breakfast appeared.
Tom was just finishing his breakfast when his combadge beeped. "Janeway to Paris."
He ignored the call. Removing the badge, he tossed it into the still half full mug of coffee and placed the entire tray into the recycler.
"They should have some trouble tracking me down," Tom muttered before once again sitting down in front of his computer terminal. "Now, let's see what we can do from here."
-------------
Time: 0920
-------------
"Gentlemen, I want solutions," Janeway demanded, her voice was a clear indication of how angry the captain felt over the situation. "How can he do this? Most importantly, why is he doing this?"
"I don't know, Captain," Harry replied, "but Tom's managed to hacked into our security system, the transporters, and reprogrammed the replicators. The only thing it's replicating right now is this." The ensign held up a piece of paper and passed it around the briefing room.
"'I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your rations. Love, TEP,'" Chakotay read. "What is this? A joke?!"
"No, sir," Harry replied. "No matter what you order, this is the only thing the replicator would produce."
"Whatever it is, Mr. Paris has crossed the line," Janeway snapped. "Tuvok, I want you to get back control of the security system. Harry, get the transporters and replicators back online. Chakotay, I want you to get a team and try to get into Paris's quarters."
A Chorus of 'Yes, sir's filled the room.
-------------
Time: 1136
-------------
"Chakotay to Janeway."
"Janeway here."
"Captain, we've managed to cut through the doors, but he transported out before we could do anything," The first officer replied.
"Transported? I thought Harry still couldn't get the transporters back online?"
"I don't know, Captain. He must have rigged it to respond only to his commands."
"I want him tracked down."
"Understood."
-------------
Time: 1245
-------------
"We had him cornered in the astrophysics lab, Commander."
"But he beamed out?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then what are you standing around for, Keller? Go find him!"
"Yes, sir!"
-------------
Time: 1332
-------------
"Damn it!" Chakotay cursed, crawling out of the Jeffries tube. "Team one to team two," he tapped his combadge. "We lost him, again."
-------------
Time: 1407
-------------
Tom was lounging on a beach chair, a drink in one hand and a cigar in the other when Chakotay finally tracked him down to Cargo Bay 1.
The pilot finished his drink and took a drag on the cigar when he saw the first officer and the security team charging in.
Blowing out a puff of smoke, he grinned at Chakotay. "Nice day, isn't it?"
"Chakotay to Janeway, we found him," the commander ignored Tom.
"Good. Escort him to sickbay and make sure he stays till I get there. Janeway out."
"Sickbay? She thinks I've lost my mind hasn't she?" Tom asked, taking another puff on the cigar. When Chakotay didn't reply, he continued. "Well, there's nothing wrong with me, I can tell you that."
"Get on your feet, Paris. Or do you want me to haul you all the way to sickbay?"
"You'd love that wouldn't you, commander? Yeah, I bet you would. Manhandling me all the way to sickbay. Probably gives you a thrill." Tom sneered, still lounging on the chair like there wasn't a care in the world, knowing he was pushing Chakotay's every single button. "You know what I'm talking about, don't you?" He taunted. "And I know how much you want it, how much you want... me."
As Tom predicted, Chakotay snapped. The first officer lunged at him, but Tom was already out of the way by the time Chakotay closed the distance between them.
"Tsk, tsk. I thought you had better control than that," his tone was that of a parent reprimanding a child.
Janeway's call interrupted before Chakotay could do anything. "Commander, is there a problem?"
"No problems, Captain," Tom replied before Chakotay. "Just having some fun with your first officer. Don't worry, he's still in one piece."
"Mr. Paris! You will report to sickbay immediately before I'm forced to throw you in the brig. Am I understood?"
"Yes, ma'am. On my way as we speak." With that, Tom strolled out of the cargo bay still smoking his cigar, completely ignoring Chakotay and the rest of the security team.
-------------
Time: 1430
-------------
"There is nothing wrong with him, Captain," The Holodoc announced, flipping the medical tricorder shut.
"I told you," Tom said, sitting on the bio-bed, his cigar confiscated by the doctor the moment he set foot in sickbay.
"Then would you care to explain what you've been doing?" Janeway asked with barely restrained anger.
"I was bored."
"You were bored?! You lead the security team on a wild goose chase on board my vessel for five hours after disabling the transporters, reprogramming the replicators, and hacking into the security system all because you were bored?!" Janeway bellowed.
Tom didn't even flinch at the verbal onslaught from the captain.
"Red alert! Captain to the bridge." Chakotay's voice came over the communications system.
"On my way. I'll deal with you later Lieutenant Paris."
"Looking forward to it," Tom called out to Janeway's retreating back.
"Mr. Paris, I think you're either very stupid, or insane."
"Is that your professional opinion, Doc?"
"As a matter of fact, it is."
"Yeah well, too bad you're not able to share it with anyone else."
"Why not?"
"Because in a minute or so, this ship is going to get hit by a subspace anomaly that's chasing us right now, and everyone but me will forget that any of this ever happened."
"What are you talking about? I'm sure the Captain will find a solution for whatever the problem we are going through right now."
"Trust me, doc, she won't. I hope I don't see you in the next loop in six... five... four... three... two... one."
-------------
Time: 0734
-------------
Tom almost bumped into Keller when the pilot once again found himself heading towards the mess hall.
Almost forgot about all this.
Waving off the other man, he stepped into the mess hall and grabbed himself some breakfast, topping it off with some sweet sauce before deciding to join Chakotay.
Better get some real work done before I forgot all the information Harry stuffed down my throat the last time. Doubt he'd believe me though.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked the commander and sat when he receive a nod.
"What can I do for your, Lieutenant?"
"Commander, what do you know about time loops?" Tom asked.
"Time loops?" The first officer seemed surprised at the question.
"Yeah, temporal causality loop, time loop, whatever you call it."
"Not much, I'm afraid. Why?"
"'Cause I'm stuck in one."
Silence descended upon the table.
"I'm not joking, Commander," Tom said with as much seriousness he could muster.
"What's the cause of it then?"
Tom let out the breath he didn't realised he was holding before explaining all he knew about his current situation to the first officer.
"All right, assuming what you've said is true," Chakotay said thoughtfully after Tom finished his tale. "Can you prove it?"
"Just adjust the sensors in the right direction and you'd detect the anomaly I told you about. If that's not enough, tell B'Elanna to check behind the re-router of the field injection, that's the spot Harry missed last night that's causing the problem with the engines."
"You sound pretty confident about it," Chakotay commented.
"I'm not confident about it, Commander. I know it."
"Paris, if I find that this is some elaborate joke of yours..."
"Don't worry, I'll lock myself up in the brig if I'm wrong about it." Tom cut Chakotay off before the other man could finish.
And with a nod, Chakotay stood up and made his way to Harry and B'Elanna's table. A brief conversation took place before all three occupants left.
"Let's get this show on the road." Tom muttered to himself, finishing the last bite of his Omelion porridge. "Bacon and toast were so much better!"
-------------
Time: 0835
-------------
"So, now do you believe me?" Tom asked the room in general.
"Yes," Janeway replied. "I guess we do."
"Good. Now all we need to do, according to Harry and you, captain, is to reconfigure the main deflector grid to emit an anti-matter burst to collapse the build up of chronoton particles in the anomaly."
"Very well then. B'Elanna, you and Harry get working on the deflector grid. Tom, I still want you to get as far away from the anomaly as possible."
A chorus of "Aye aye, Captain" filled the briefing room before everyone got to work.
-------------
Time: 1426
-------------
"Captain," Harry called out from his station. "The anomaly is heading straight for us."
"At current speed, it will intercept us in eight minutes," Tuvok announced in his usual Vulcan impassivity.
"Ready the deflector grid and send the anti-matter burst as soon as the anomaly is within range," Janeway ordered.
"Defector grid, ready," Harry replied.
The bridge was silent except for the occasional beep from the computer as they waited.
"Anomaly is within range," Tuvok announced.
"Sending anti-matter burst," Harry reported. "No sign of decrease in chronoton level."
"Increase density to hundred and five percent," Janeway ordered.
"Increasing density," Harry complied. "Still no effect."
"Try hundred and twenty percent," Janeway suggested.
"Hundred and twenty percent.... no effect. Wait! I'm reading something. Captain, the --"
Harry was abruptly cut off when his console exploded along with various parts of the ship; the forward view screen clearly showing the anomaly was starting to surround Voyager.
"Shit," Tom cursed, trying in vain to get the ship away from the blue tentacles of the anomaly that griped the ship like some ancient Earth marine monster.
"Hull breach on decks ten to fifteen," Tuvok announced, barely able to be heard from the explosions surrounding them.
The deck shudder beneath the onslaught and Tom thought he heard the ship exploded as, darkness, for the first time, surrounded him.
-------------
Timeless
-------------
Tom was floating in space. The stars surrounded him.
Briefly, he wondered why wasn't he suffocating before dismissing the thought as unimportant.
A bright flash appeared to his right and faded to reveal Q floating next to him, hands beneath his head as though he was lying on a bed instead of nothingness.
"Q." Tom was surprise to hear his own voice in the vacuum, but given the fact that he was apparently breathing vacuum, maybe he shouldn't have.
"Helmboy," Q replied.
"Are you responsible for this?" The pilot asked, copying Q's position.
"If you mean am I responsible for creating the time loop, no. That honour goes to the temporal anomaly that Voyager encountered. But if you mean am I responsible for letting you remember, then I am."
"Why?"
"Because I like you."
"You're making me relive the same day over and over and over again because you like me?!" Tom asked in confusion, sitting up. He was surprised to find that he was able to sit cross-legged in space.
"Yes. I gave you the chance to save your ship from being stuck forever. You really should thank me for it."
"Right," Tom snorted. "I don't think that's the only reason you pick me out of over a hundred other people."
"Of course not! But as for what are the other reasons, that's for me to know, and for you to never find out," Q said with a smirk. "By the way, you can never tell anyone of our little rendezvous or the fact that I'm involved. If you do, I will make sure Voyager is trapped forever. And trust me, forever is a long time."
"Then why are you letting me know that you're responsible for this?"
"Oh, I just wanted to have a chat with you."
"A chat?!"
"You have no idea how boring it can get when you've known someone for eternity. I mean, there's just so many times one can discuss the nature of a zygote before it all gets terribly repetitive. And speaking of repetition, it's time for you to go."
Before Tom could protest, the space around him disappeared in the now familiar flash.
-------------
Time: 0734
-------------
Tom felt a moment of disorientation when Keller bumped into him. Waving the other man off, Tom stood in the hallway to the mess hall trying to make sense of what happened before.
Q was responsible for him remembering each loop Voyager had been stuck in, but it was the anomaly's fault that they were stuck in the loop in the first place, hence it was up to him to stop it. Not that anything they had tried worked.
Great, Harry and the Captain blew up the ship, and seeing that everyone's still here, I guess for the duration, we're all immortals.
Letting out a sigh, Tom squared his shoulders and headed into the mess hall.
Yet another seven hours of trying to convince everyone I'm not nuts and we need to get out of this before I actually go nuts.
-------------
Time: 1433
-------------
"Captain!" Harry's almost panic-stricken voice broke through the silence of the bridge. "The anti-proton beam is increasing the amount of chronoton particles!"
"Disengage beam," Janeway ordered.
But Tom knew it was too late even before his view of the bridge disappeared before him.
-------------
Time: 1426
-------------
"The anti-matter burst is having no effect on the anomaly," Harry announced. "Wait, Captain, I'm detecting a matter/anti-matter build up within the anomaly!"
"Get us away from it, Mr. Paris," Chakotay ordered.
"Right. I told you we did this before! I guess now I know what blew us apart the last time, and is going to this time," Tom wondered out loud before the bridge disappeared in a flash.
-------------
Time: 0807
-------------
Tom knew he was late for the morning briefing even as he walked down the corridor, aware that every pair of eyes was starring at him.
The door to the briefing room swished open and he walked in.
"Mr. Paris, you're la...." Janeway trailed off, unable to complete her sentence.
Tom grinned, taking in the reaction of everyone in the room. B'Elanna was openly starring at him appreciatively, Tuvok had both eyebrows raised, Harry was trying not to look, Janeway finally managed to get her mouth closed, and most interesting of all was Chakotay, who was conducting his own more subtle survey mission and turning a shade of red Tom had never seen before on the other man's feature.
"Lieutenant Paris, a bow tie is not an appropriate attire for duty," Tuvok stated while the rest of the room was still starring at Tom.
"Not that I'm not enjoying the view," B'Elanna added, her gaze not wavering.
"Glad that you are, B'Elanna," Tom replied, his grin turning into a smirk.
"Tom! How... why..." Harry sputtered.
"Spit it out, Harry."
"You're naked!"
-------------
Time: 0804
-------------
"Time loop, Mr. Paris?" Janeway asked in disbelieve.
"Look, just ask B'Elanna to check the injector again. The problem's behind the rerouter," Tom replied, trying to convince everyone in the room he wasn't insane.
"Lieutenant Torres, check the injector. In the mean time, Tom, I want you to report to sickbay."
"Argh!" Tom groaned in frustration.
"And I will not tolerate any acts of insubordination from any of my crew, that includes you, Lieutenant Paris," Janeway snapped.
"There's nothing wrong with me! I don't need to go to sickbay! All you need to do is recalibrate the sensors and you'll detect that anomaly I told you!"
"Watch your tone, Lieutenant," Chakotay's voice was low.
"You know what? Fuck you Chakotay. Fuck you and that self righteous moral of yours!" Tom yelled.
"Mr. Paris, you will stand down now or I will have you sent to the brig so fast that you won't have time to leave a warp trail," Janeway's voice was dangerously low.
Tom turned his attention from the first officer to the captain. "Let me tell you something, Captain. Something that I've been wanting to say for a long time."
"And what is that?" Janeway was glaring at Tom.
"I think you need to get laid."
-------------
Time: 0734
-------------
"Christ! I've had enough of this!" Tom cursed, almost bumping into Keller again. Waving the other man off, Tom changed direction and headed towards the shuttle bay instead.
Getting into the Delta Flyer, he launched the shuttle before anyone on the bridge was aware of what was happening.
"Voyager to the Delta Flyer, you are not clear to launch. Repeat, you are not clear to launch!" The voice of Lieutenant Rawlings, the security officer from the gamma shift, came over the communications system.
"Sorry Rawlings, but I need a break from it all," Tom muttered to himself before shutting down the speakers, and raising the shields to prevent any unwanted transporter activity.
"Janeway to Paris. Tom, what do you think you're doing?"
He ignored the question, preparing the shuttle for warp. With Voyager's warp engines down, there was no way they will be able to catch him.
"Flyer to Voyager, see you in seven hours," Tom sent the message and engaged the warp engines.
-------------
Time: 1330
-------------
Tom moaned in pleasure as the hands expertly worked out the tension on his back. When Voyager left the planet Zanndria five days ago, their stop over was too brief to allow any shore leaves. Zanndria was so much like Risa that most of the crew had grumbled at the lost opportunity, but the Captain was insistent that they continued their journey.
But now that he could do anything he want, Tom was determined to get the most out of the short amount of time he would have at the planet.
"Some wine, sir?"
"Yes please. Thank you," Tom moaned out his reply as the stress of looping flowed out of him like water under bridge.
-------------
Time: 0734
-------------
"That was way too short," the pilot sighed as he helped himself to a portion of Omelion porridge before once again joining the first officer for breakfast. It was the fastest way to convince everyone that he hadn't lost his mind.
-------------
Time: 0824
-------------
"No, Captain, the anti-matter burst wouldn't help. The two times you tried that, it ended with Voyager exploding into bits." Tom insisted, trying to talk Janeway out of her solution that hadn't worked before. "For that matter, none of the disruption, pulse, beams, bursts etc worked. I'm thinking we need to come up with some sort of shields that would protect us from those chronoton particles."
"I see," Janeway looked thoughtful.
Please go for the shields, please go for the shields....
"Very well then, B'Elanna, Harry, I want the both of you to work on the shields and see if we can come up with something to block the effects of the chronoton particles. Tom, since you're the only one remembering things, in case this doesn't work, or we don't manage to finish it in time, you'll have to know what to do, or what not to do in the next loop. Any questions?"
When none were forthcoming, she dismissed everyone.
-------------
Time: 1426
-------------
"I need at least another hour before we can even attempt to test the shields." B'Elanna said from underneath some panels in engineering.
"Damn it, we've only got less than ten minutes before I have to start all over again. Can't you speed things up a little?"
"No. I guess you'll just have to memorise everything we did here today. It's the theory that took up most of our time, but now that it's out of the way, it'll only take me about three hours to recalibrate the shield resonance," the half-Klingon explained.
"Right. Memorise it all. Thank God I have a good memory." Tom grumbled as he picked up the abandoned PADD next to him and continued reading about shield modifications until the familiar surroundings of engineering disappeared around him in a flash.
-------------
Time: 1048
-------------
"Lousy piece of baktag! LI'be' qu'vath guy'cha v'aka!"
Tom winced at the series of explicit curses the chief-engineer went through.
"Who the hell gave you those frequencies?!" the half-Klingon snarled at him the moment she crawled out of the Jeffries tube.
Tom swallowed. "Um... you did."
"Me?!"
"Yeah, Harry came up with some theory or another, I was kinda zoned out when he got into the details. Anyway, you guys came up with this frequency and then you demanded that I have it memorised."
"Well, it didn't work!"
"Come up with something else then."
"Easy for you to say!"
-------------
Time: 0905
-------------
"Is that all you have?" Harry asked, going through all the information Tom provided.
"Yep. And those," Tom indicated towards the information on the failed attempts at shield modifications and chronoton disruption methods, "don't work. So, good luck with it."
"Thanks," Harry replied, starring at all the data he had. "I think I'll need it."
-------------
Time: 1239
-------------
The warp core hummed with power; a connection between two circuits was made within the depth of Voyager, and the hum was silenced, plunging the ship into darkness.
"HARRY KIM!!!!!" The voice of B'Elanna Torres echoed through the darkened corridors.
-------------
Time: 0817
-------------
"Mr. Paris, I want you to report to sickbay immediately," Janeway ordered.
"But, Captain...."
"Now, Lieutenant!" She interrupted his protest.
Tom gritted his teeth and stalked out of the briefing room.
Why did this Janeway had so much trouble believing him when the others didn't? It wasn't as though he had done anything differently in this loop, had he? Okay, so maybe my patience's wearing a little thin, but after God knows how many loops, it's not unreasonable!! Hell, it's even expected! But that was the problem. Janeway, and the rest of the crew for that matter, didn't remember any of the previous loops. To them, there was no excuse for his behaviour.
"Tim loop, sucks!" Tom muttered under his breath, stomping into sickbay.
-------------
Time: 0920
-------------
After being poked and prodded by the Doctor for an hour, Tom was getting sick of it. The fact that the hologram had kept on with a flow of snide remarks about his ability to get into trouble didn't help things either.
Right. Like it was myfault that we get stuck in a fucking time loop! Serve you all right if I can't get things back to normal! Live the same day for eternity and see how that feels! Tom silently fumed. Logically, he knew he was the only one who would suffer if they were forever stuck in the loop, but frustration and mental exhaustion was overriding his common sense.
"You've been uncharacteristically quiet today, Lieutenant. No excuses for your current transgression?" The Doctor taunted.
"Shut up."
"Very mature. Maybe I should put some efforts into researching some maturity serum. You could use some."
Tom snapped.
"Computer, permanently delete the EMH. Authorisation Paris-gamma-delta-four-seven-alpha."
"You can't..."
The Doctor disappeared the moment the computer chirped its affirmative reply.
Tom hopped down the bio-bed and headed towards the nearest computer terminal. It took him even less time than before to hack into the security and transporter systems, implementing the previous commands he had used before, he had sickbay in a security lockdown and would take the crew hours to override. Getting caught up in the moment, he implemented the same lockdown on the Captain's ready room, trapping Janeway in her office.
"Computer, alert me if anyone tries to cut through the doors."
And with that, Tom hopped back onto a bio-bed and went to sleep.
-------------
Time: 1119
-------------
"Warning, security breach in progress."
The computer's voice woke the sleeping pilot.
"Computer, initiate program Paris-one."
The computer chirped its reply before beaming Tom back into his now secured quarters where he promptly went to bed.
-------------
Time: 1128
-------------
"Tuvok to Janeway."
"Go ahead."
"Lieutenant Paris is no longer in sickbay. And with internal sensors down, it might take hours to track him down," Tuvok reporter.
"I want him found. And get someone to cut through my doors! Ensign Kim and Lieutenant Torres aren't having any luck with getting the transporters back online."
The two other members of the security team who were close enough to hear the exchange had to stifled their giggled at the Captain's predicament.
"Acknowledged."
-------------
Time: 1431
-------------
The sound of someone cutting through the doors to his quarters along with the red alert woke him up. Checking the chronometer, Tom decided that it wasn't worth the effort of going through Plan C. Pulling the covers over his head, the pilot went back to sleep.
-------------
Time: 1423
-------------
"I told you it wouldn't work!"
>
"Lieutenant, get back to your post!" Chakotay snapped.
"Like it'll make a difference! It. Won't. Work!!" Tom yelled.
"The Captain knows what she's doing."
Tom recognised the edge in the first officer's voice. Under normal circumstances, he would have backed down, however, circumstances were far from normal. "And I've been through this before!"
"Increase anti-matter stream to hundred and twenty percent," Janeway ordered, ignoring the exchange.
"Oh hell," Tom closed his eyes as Voyager exploded. Again.
-------------
Time: 0734
-------------
"Watch where you're going!" Tom snapped at Keller in a tone that would've made his father proud.
"Sorry, sir." Keller apologised.
"Get the hell out of my sight."
Tom watched in satisfaction as the other man scampered away.
No wonder dad's always a jerk. Definitely a power trip there.
Squaring his shoulders, he cast his gaze upon the occupants of the mess hall. Everyone quickly discovered that their breakfast was more interesting than they've previously thought. Everyone but Chakotay, Harry, and B'Elanna, the pair of them so caught up in their debate that they didn't noticed the incident.
Tom dismissed Chakotay with a casualness he had witnessed done by his father. Unimportant. Not worthy of his attention.
Let's see how much you like being ignored.
He accepted the tray of Omelion porridge Neelix handed him, looking at it in distaste.
"Tom? Is something wrong," Neelix sounded worried.
"Neelix, is it too much to ask that, for once, you come up with something that's actually edible?"
Tom watched the shock and hurt flash across the Telaxian's features. Intellectually, he knew he was being cruel to someone he considered a friend, but he was feeling too angry to care.
"Tom, I never... I mean... I...." Neelix stuttered.
"Never mind," Tom replied, leaving the tray on the counter.
"Lieutenant Paris," Chakotay's voice stopped him before he could walk out.
Tom turned to look at the commander, wearing an expression of mild interest.
"My office. Now."
He could see that familiar contempt and anger appear on Chakotay's face. Giving the commander a brief nod, he walked out of the mess hall, ignoring Harry and B'Elanna who were busy trying to get his attention.
-------------
Time: 0749
-------------
"I was merely telling him what I think. Is telling the truth against Starfleet policy? I must've missed the memo," Tom said as a matter of factly.
"You could have been more sensitive and try not to hurt his feelings."
"Right. Like the way you have been letting me know how much you despise me," Tom retorted. "Maybe you should take your own advice, Commander. If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way."
"I'm not done with you yet, Lieutenant."
Tom stared at the former Marquis, eyes narrowing. "Of course not, Commander." The pilot stalked closer to Chakotay, invading the other man's personal space. "How could I forget?" Tom closed the remaining distance between them and kissed Chakotay, his hands on the older man's shoulder.
It seemed to take forever for Chakotay to gather his wits back and pushed Tom away.
"What are you doing?" Chakotay demanded.
"Something you never had the guts to do."
"What?!"
"Isn't this what you wanted? Oh wait," Tom paused, as though thinking. "You wanted to have me against the wall, not the other way round." Tom leaned in, breathing against Chakotay's left cheek. "Shutting me up with a kiss, then fucking me across your desk. Isn't that what you want?"
The pilot retreated far enough for him to see the shock appear on Chakotay's face before it settled into something unreadable.
"Is that what you want?" The quiet question hit Tom with more force than any physical strength would.
Silence.
"It doesn't matter what I want, does it?" Tom finally replied in the same quiet voice and dashed out of the First Officer's office.
-------------
Time: 0821
-------------
"Gosh! Tuvok, I'm so sorry about this! Are you all right?"
"I am fine, Captain," the Vulcan replied. "It is fortunate that your coffee has cooled considerably since you replicated it earlier. However, it would seem that I am in need of fresh uniform."
Tom ignored the commotions around him, piloting the ship without really paying any attention to what he was doing.
Chakotay's earlier words haunted him.
What did he want?
He wanted to have something other than Omelion porridge for breakfast. He wanted Harry and B'Elanna to come up with something to stop the time loop. He wanted to see 1435 hours today. He wanted... he wanted Chakotay.
He was startled by the realisation.
You've finally cracked, and gone over the edge, Tommy boy.
It was supposed to be some harmless fun. It was supposed to be a game without consequences. It was supposed to drive Chakotay insane, not himself.
I hate my life. I hate you, Q!
He thought he heard an echoing chuckle in his mind, but he couldn't be sure.
Tom resisted the urge to bang his head against the helm controls.
-------------
Time: 1203
-------------
"Tom, something you want to talk about?" Harry asked with concern the minute the turbo lift started moving. "You haven't been acting like yourself today."
"What do you mean?" Tom asked, hoping Harry would drop the subject. The problem was, he was acting like himself. Albeit it was a part of him that he wouldn't admit having.
"Let's see, you were acting like a jerk this morning at breakfast, and during our shifts, you seem a million light years away. The Captain was on the verge of relieving you of duty if it weren't for the fact that, somehow, you were still doing your job."
Stepping out of the lift, Tom stopped just beside the lift doors.
"Relieving me of duty?"
"If you could've seen yourself earlier, I think even you would've agreed with the Captain. On the other hand, the Commander seemed a little distracted as well. What happened between the two of you in his office? Was it that bad?"
"Bad? Understatement of the century, Harry," Tom replied. "I think I might just skip lunch today, you go ahead."
With that, Tom strode back into the lift and headed to his quarters. He commed the Captain on his way, requesting to have the rest of the day off. Janeway seemed more than happy to grant his request.
Tom was no closer to figuring things out when the familiar surroundings of his quarters disappeared around him two and a half hours later.
-------------
Time: 0734
-------------
"I've had enough Omelion porridge to last me a life time," Tom muttered under his breath even as he scooped up a portion of it.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked, sitting down when Chakotay nodded.
Both men ate their meals in silence, with Tom wondering whether he should tell Chakotay about the time loop.
"What?" Chakotay asked, looking at Tom.
"What what?" Tom replied, puzzled.
"You were starring at me."
"I was?" the blonde was surprise to realise that he had been starring at the other man. "Sorry," he apologised.
"Right," Chakotay replied dismissively before returning his attention to the porridge in front of him.
"Why do you hate me?"
As soon as the question was voiced, Tom mentally kicked himself.
The commander seemed startled by the question, lowering his spoon, he asked, "Why do you ask that?"
"Well, let's see, you always try to find fault in everything that I do, on and off duty. You barely tolerate my presence whenever I'm around. You never speak to me unless it's work related. And when I do make mistakes, you come down on me harder than you ever did on anyone else."
"And you think that's because I hate you?"
"What else am I supposed to think?"
"Did you ever think that it might just be something else?"
"Like what?" Tom asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Payback."
"Payback?!"
"For all the times you poked fun at me, all the things you said about me behind my back that you didn't think I know about, for that attitude of yours that you love to give me. I'm just returning the favour for making my life hard."
"That's just... petty."
"I'm only human."
-------------
Time: 1215
-------------
"Voyager to Paris!" Harry waved his hand in front of Tom.
"Huh? What?"
"You've been starring into space for a while, and you seemed distracted throughout the morning. Mind telling me what's going on?" Harry asked, concerned.
"Nothing. Just thinking," Tom replied, looking down at the unappetizing green gob on his tray.
"About?"
Chakotay. That the Mystic Warrior might not be as mystic as I think he is. That he'd pretty much come right out and told me that he wanted me, and me starting to think that I might want him too. Oh, and the fact that we're stuck in a stupid time loop that no one but me is aware of.
"I'll let you know when I figure it out," Tom replied. "And I think our resident Klingon might be looking for you." He nodded at the approaching chief-engineer.
"I was right!" she declared after shoving a tricorder under Harry's nose.
-------------
Time: 1433
-------------
"Interception in twenty-seconds," Tuvok announced.
Tom calmly stood up from his seat and walked towards Chakotay, ignoring Janeway's orders and demands. The commander stood up as Tom approached, but before the older man could say anything, Tom grabbed him by his uniform and pulled him in for a kiss.
The bridge was strangely silent.
"Five seconds to interception."
Tom felt Chakotay's lips part, and the pilot's tongue dove in for a taste before the world disappeared in a flash.
-------------
Time: 1320
-------------
If anyone could see through the bulk head, they would have saw a series of electrical surges traveling through the EPS conduit before gathering at the main shield generator and blowing out it's circuit.
"Shit!" Tom cursed as he looked at the generator, which was still spitting out sparks. "Couldn't you come up with something that wouldn't either shut down the warp core or blow up the shield generator in the process?" he asked, turning to look at Harry who was standing beside him.
"Easy for you to say."
-------------
Time: 1120
-------------
"Yes, Harry. I'm a thousand and one hundred percent sure that an anti-matter burst will not work. And if I find out that you're even attempting to suggest that to the Captain, I'll lock you in sickbay with the Doctor for the rest of the loop," Tom said, taking a sip of the sludge Neelix was passing off as coffee.
Replicator rations! How I wish for thee! Shessh! You must be losing your mind to be thinking in Shakespearean, Tommy boy.
"Well, if you're sure none of this worked..."
"Yes, I'm very sure they didn't."
"Then I'm not sure what else I can do."
"You're not sure... Harry, you have to come up with something! That last modification there. The EPS conduits were overloaded, maybe if you add more couplings in there, it might handle the charge better," Tom suggested.
"It might, but we don't have the parts and it'll take at least two days to make all the changes. If we only have 7 hours, I don't think that'll work."
"Then come up with something else!"
"Easy for you to say!"
-------------
Time: 1331
-------------
"Chronoton particles, chronoton particles. Time loop. Temporal causality loop. Temporal... temporal... loop," Harry was muttering under his breath. "Temporal... I got it!"
"Finally!" Tom cheered.
"If we could create a shield that's in a state of constant temporal flux, the chronoton particles might not have an effect on us since we'd be out of time, so to speak. But we'll need at least a few hours to modify the shields."
"Right. Shields in temporal flux. Got it. And Harry, you're a genius!" Tom flashed a big smile at his best friend before his world disappeared in a flash.
-------------
Time: 0917
-------------
"I'm telling you, Harry, that's what you said. 'Shields in a state of constant temporal flux.'" Tom quoted his best friends words back at him.
"And how am I supposed to come up with something like that? I haven't even heard of anything remotely similar to it."
"Well, you tell me."
"Right. Temporal shields." Harry stared at his consoles. "Did I happen to mention anything else in regards to this shield? Like, maybe the configurations?"
"Sorry, no details. You really didn't have the time to come up with anything more specific than that." Tom shrugged. "I've told you everything I know about this anomaly and what it does. You've got the data from the scans, you came up with the temporal shields idea, I'm sure you can figure out how it works."
"Easy for you to say!"
"Look, Harry, I want to get out of this loop. I've had the same thing for breakfast and lunch for god knows how long. I'm sick of it!" Tom knew he was raising his voice, but he couldn't seem to help it. It was as though a floodgate had been opened and all his pent up frustration came flooding out, whether he liked it or not. "I'm sick of everyone going on doing the same thing they did over and over and over again like there's nothing wrong. I'm sick of trying to memorise every single thing you and B'Elanna do to come up with a solution. I'm sick of repeating myself for god knows how many times about the situation without trying to make it sound like I'm losing my mind, and maybe, I have lost my mind. So, no, Harry, it's not easy for me because if you can't come up with something, you won't have to live through it again, I would!"
Tom took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. The bridge was strangely quiet.
"Just... try to come up with something and let me know about it later. I've gotta go." With that, Tom left the bridge.
-------------
Time: 1012
-------------
Somehow, Tom found himself in an empty observation lounge on deck 15. Staring at the stars, he tried to calm himself and wondered why did he blow up at Harry. It wasn't the ensign's fault that he was stuck in this god forsaken time loop.
"It isn't Harry's fault."
Tom was surprised to hear Chakotay's voice behind him. He hadn't even noticed when the other man came in.
"You're not telling me anything I don't know," he replied, still looking at the start. "It's just... I don't know."
"Frustrating?"
"Yeah. And trying, irritating, boring, exhausting, and feel free to stop me anytime." Tom let out a small laugh, but there was no real humour in it. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this, of all people. I should have yelled at you and spilled my guts to Harry, not the other way round."
"Maybe because you think we'd forget all about it when the next loop comes along."
"Maybe," Tom shrugged, finally turning around to face Chakotay. "But there's always a chance that Harry might come up with something to stop that from happening. Why are you here anyway?"
"The Captain wanted to make sure you were all right. Besides, it's not everyday that you yelled at your best friend in front of the entire bridge."
Tom groaned. "God I didn't mean it. I really had no idea what got into me. Well, actually, I might have an idea or two. This time loop thing is driving me crazy!"
"How many loops have you been through?" Chakotay sounded genuinely curious.
"I don't know. Stopped counting at fifteen. And every single day starts with me almost bumping into Keller in front of the mess hall. Any more of it, I swear I'll punch the guy in the face even if he's bigger than me."
The pilot heard something he never thought would be directed at him. Chakotay was laughing.
"Laugh it up. You try it and tell me if it's funny."
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant."
"Don't worry about it. At least one of us is laughing. Though, I could've sworn you would've been more than happy to space me in at least one loop, not that I'd blame you for it."
Chakotay raised an eyebrow in question.
"I kinda lead you and a couple of security teams on a wild goose chase all over the ship."
"And what did you do?"
"Reconfigured the replicators and transporters."
"You did?"
"Got sick of Omelion porridge and I ran out of rations. Figured I'd hijack a few accounts, get a decent meal. Thing just kinda got out of hand after I got started."
"I see."
"Um... you're not mad, are you?" Tom didn't even know why he had asked that, or why he had confessed, to Chakotay of all people, about his considerably good hacking skills.
"Seeing as I have no memory of what happened, it'd be a waste of time and energy to get angry."
"Right. But for what it's worth, sorry."
Tom's apology seemed to have taken the commander by surprise.
"Not necessary, but apology accepted."
The room was once again bathed in silence as both men turned their attention towards the stars.
"I'm tired, Chakotay," Tom surprised himself with the silent confession. "My body feels like it just woke up hours ago, but my mind's been going on for god knows how long, and it's telling me I haven't had a good sleep in days. I'm tired of trying to convince everyone I'm not nuts every morning, starting from scratch every seven hours. I'm tired of trying to remember all the technical details Harry and B'Elanna sprout. I'm just tired of it all." Tom let out a small laugh. "I can't believe I actually thought I was going to have some fun along the way."
"Like leading me around in a wild goose chase?"
"Yeah," Tom smiled. "But even so, there's only so many things you can do in seven hours."
"I can imagine," Chakotay replied with a smile.
"I bet." Tom chuckled.
"I'd love to hear about what you've been doing."
"So you can get a confession or two out of me to have an excuse to throw me into the brig?"
"Maybe. But I'm thinking more along the lines of getting some dirt on certain people who shall remain nameless."
Tom let out a laugh. "You know, I've never imagined us having this conversation."
"Neither did I." Chakotay replied. "But I'm glad we did." He continued after a slight pause. "You looked... different."
Tom raised his brows in question.
"You're acting less like an ass." Chakotay clarified.
Tom was surprised by the declaration. "I snapped at my friend in front of the entire bridge crew and you're saying I'm acting less like an ass? I hate to sound like Tuvok, but that's illogical."
"Kim to Paris." Harry's voice interrupted any reply Chakotay might have come up with. "I think I've got it."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. We just need to run some stimulation on the holodeck. Meet me and B'Elanna at holodeck two in five minutes."
"I'll be there, Paris out."
Tom tapped his badge, turning to look at the commander. "Well, duty calls. I'll see you around."
-------------
Time: 1045
-------------
The doors to holodeck two opened and Tom found himself on the bridge of Voyager, Harry already at his post.
"Uh... Harry, about earlier this morning, I'm sorry." Tom apologised before the younger man said anything.
Harry tapped a few buttons before turning to face the pilot. "Don't worry about it, Tom. It must've been really frustrating for you to go through all this repeatedly. I guess I could've been a little more sensitive about your situation."
"Well, there was still no excuse to snap at you like that, so I apologise."
"Apology accepted. And now that you're here, we can get started. Kim to Torres, you ready?"
"I was ready ten minutes ago, Starfleet."
-------------
Time: 1432
-------------
"Relax, Tom, it'll work." Harry reassured the pilot.
"Right. If I got a credit for every time you said that, I wouldn't need to worry about eating anything from the mess hall for a long time." Tom snorted; his hands were busy making small course adjustments that weren't strictly necessary.
"Interception in one minute," Tuvok announced from his station. "Temporal shield at maximum strength."
"Just for the record, if this doesn't work, I'm gonna kill you in the next loop, Harry."
"It's not my fault that you're stuck in the loop," the ensign protested.
"No, but it's your fault for not getting me out of it." Tom joked.
"Interception in twenty seconds."
"Well, here goes nothing," Tom muttered under his breath.
The entire bridge crew waited in silence while Tuvok proceeded with the countdown.
"Interception in three, two...."
Tom squeezed his eyes shut.
"One."
When the silence continued, the pilot tentatively opened one eye. He was still at the helm. On the bridge.
"The anomaly has passed us by," Tuvok announced. "All systems functioning at optimal capacity. Temporal shields at ninety-five percent."
"Computer, time!" Tom demanded even as he checked the readouts in front of him.
"It is 1435 hours," the feminine voice of the computer supplied.
Tom closed his eyes and let out a sigh in relief, muttering a silent 'thank you' to whatever deity who happened to be listening.
You're welcome. It's nice to feel appreciated for once. A voice that sounded remarkably like Q echoed in Tom's mind.
"Told you it would work," came Harry's voice.
Tom laughed.
-------------
Time: 1712
-------------
"Tom," Chakotay's voice seemed loud in the strangely empty corridor.
Tom halted his steps and turned around, waiting for Chakotay to catch up with him and briefly wondered where everyone was. "Anything I can do for you, Commander?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. Are you free tonight?"
The question was unexpected. "Uh... yeah, I guess."
"Good. 1930 hours. My quarters. A trade."
"Trade?"
"Dinner for your tales of mischief."
"Are you serious?"
"Absolutely. See you tonight."
And with that, Chakotay turned and headed back towards the turbo lift, leaving a baffled Tom starring at his retreating back.
"Is this a date?!" The pilot finally managed to call out to the retreating figure, thankful that there was no one around.
"If you want it to be," came the reply, accompanied with a mischievous wink.
THE END