Shadow of Heaven: Dark Matters #3 (Star Trek: Voyager) by Golden Christie

Author:Golden, Christie [Golden, Christie]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Pocket Books/Star Trek
Published: 2001-03-21T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

11

IT SEEMED LIKE AN ETERNITY PASSED BEFORE JANEWAY reached sickbay. After his ominous pronouncement, the Doctor had refused to say anything more until the captain was present.

Finally, the door hissed open. “What is it, Doctor?”

The hologram looked as distressed as Kim had ever seen him. Kim tightened his grip on Khala’s hand, and she squeezed back.

“I hardly know where to begin,” said the Doctor. “You all remember when we first brought Khala on board. We determined that her molecular structure was unlike anything we had ever seen, and you, Khala, were equally surprised by our molecular structure.”

“I remember,” said Khala softly, stoically.

“I believe I have determined the reason for that. When I sat down to analyze the results of my examination, I noticed something distressingly familiar.” He handed Janeway a padd.

“It’s like what happened to the Romulan scouts,” said Janeway, passing the padd on to Kim and Khala. Kim felt cold when he looked at the Doctor’s analysis. The same thing was happening to Khala that had happened to the Romulan stowaways. One by one, slowly, not quickly enough for Khala to have experienced pain or even noticed it at all, her cells were simply vanishing.

“But this doesn’t make sense!” said Kim, his voice rising in his anger and frustration. “There’s no dark matter in Khala’s system, none at all!”

“I am aware of that, Mr. Kim,” said the Doctor, a touch sternly. Kim bit his lip. “But it is precisely the same thing. I had no idea what was happening to the two centurions when pieces of their bodies flickered in and out of existence. I now know a great deal more about how this dark matter works, and what Lhiau’s nefarious purpose was in causing it to mutate. I suspect that what was going on with the Romulans, and is presently going on with you, is parts of the body are slipping out of existence in this universe and manifesting in another one. With the centurions, the dark matter was forcing it to happen. With Khala, it’s happening naturally.”

“How can this be natural?” said Kim.

“Because,” said the Doctor, looking at him levelly with dark brown eyes, “Khala does not belong in this universe. She originated in the Shadow universe. The Shepherds brought her here, into ours, to help maintain the balance of matter that Lhiau was manipulating. By the same token, Tom and Chakotay ended up in Khala’s universe.”

“Then you think the same thing is happening to them?” asked Janeway. “That they’re—dissolving somehow, as their cells attempt to cross back over into their proper universe?”

“I do,” said the Doctor solemnly. “Khala, you are in no immediate danger, and I believe I can give you something that will slow this process down. But somehow, we need to find a way to eventually return you to the Shadow universe, and recover Commander Chakotay and Ensign Paris. Unless you return, you will die.”

Khala turned her face up to Harry’s, and he could almost hear the sound of her heart breaking. He sure as hell knew his was.

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