>> Star Trek fan fiction >> Helix >> Axis Power, Part 3

A few moments ago, Kyle K'Nar remembered thinking: ‘I'm about to die. No escape for my symbiote- no new host to look forward to. It's my last dance.'

A few moment ago, Kyle K'Nar remembered watching his best friend die for the second time, while not being able to save her. And now, he stared at the people who made up the Resistance's uneasy alliance- his reality's last hope.

The crew of the U.S.S. Atlantis, and mother of all evils- The Borg Queen. They were united with one goal in mind- the stop AXIS from destroying reality.

"Let me get this straight." Kyle said straightening himself. "You need my help to destroy this universe?"

The Borg Queen responded. "WE SUSPECTED THAT THE AXIS EXPERIMENT FAILED DUE TO AN UNKNOWN CATALYST WHICH SLIGHTLY ALTERED THE TEMPORAL SHOCKWAVE. UPON FURTHER ANALYSIS, WE CONCLUDED THAT YOU WERE THE ONLY ANOMALY CLOSE ENOUGH TO CAUSE SUCH DAMAGE."

Kyle wiped his face and tried to think. "Back on board the artifact, when Alex was changed, he said something about initiating the experiment. And later, when I was onboard the Helix, there was a strange feeling of nausea. When the artifact produced the shock wave, I felt this incredible pain like someone was trying to rip my insides apart."

"INTERESTING" The Queen snatching the medical tricorder from the Doctor. "IT SEEMS YOU WERE EXPOSED TO A SERIES OF MODIFIED CHRONOTONS ABOARD THE ARTIFACT. WHEN THE SHOCK WAVE HIT YOU, IT CAUSE A GLITCH IN THE EQUATION."

"Will someone please explains this for the stupid people in the room?" Kyle said, making his way to the medical table again. "Because it all sounds like one of those cheesy holo-novels my last host use to play with."

Lt. Casey found a seat beside him. "With the Queen's help, we now have the data and the technology to restore our reality."

The Queen smiled at him. "I REALIZED OUR GOALS HAD BECOME… SIMILAR, SO I SPARED HIS LIFE. I ALTERED HIS MOLECULAR STRUCTURE SO THAT HE WOULD BE UNDETECTABLE TO AXIS, AND PLACED HIM WITHIN THE COLLECTIVE. ONCE THE RESISTANCE ATTACK BEGAN, AXIS BECAME PREOCCUPIED."

"All I needed to do was wait until I got access to the main console and download the information needed to restore reality. Thanks to Mia and Kyle, I was able to retrieve the information sooner than thought."

Shelly responded. "The problem is that once we set the timeline right, none of us would remember what happened, which would create a ‘causality loop' and doom us to repeat the entire incident all over again. But since we have you, we can analyze the temporal variance in your body to make us also resistant to the temporal change."

PERSONAL LOG: COMMODORE DIMITRI ANDREYEVICH

It's been roughly an hour since the destruction of the Borg array. Due to the heroic actions of my crew and the Borg Queen, there may have a good chance and restoring the timeline. I can't lie, I didn't think we were gonna make it out of this one. After six months of constant missions, the crew and myself were taxed to our limits. The fact that we're still able to keep our wits after all this time, proves that I have the best crew in Starfleet.

The Borg Queen has been very cooperative up to this point. How long will it be before she turns on us? I don't know. What I do know is that we need her and the drones to pull this off. As far as I'm concerned, the enemy of my enemy is my best friend in the world…

Kollos and the Borg Queen entered the conference room to find Dimitri staring out the window. After catching their reflection in the glass, he spoke without turning around. "Since we've been getting crappy news for the past few days, I'm assuming you guys are coming baring happy news."

Dimitri turned with a smile. "Close enough." He sat down and watched Kollos head for the viewscreen.

He brought up a schematic of Engineering. "As of this moment, we're running at 80% efficiency. The shockwave from the array took our internal sensors off-line, but they should be functional in a couple hours. With Queeny's help, we've upgraded all the engineering workstations with Borg technology. This has increased our computational capacity by 1200%. Unfortunately, the computers weren't designed to run that fast, so they'll all burn out once we make the jump. We've compiled the data from Eric and Kyle and have extrapolated the necessary information to restore the universe."

"THE PROBLEM WILL BE GENERATING ENOUGH ENERGY TO RECREATE THE TEMPORAL EXPLOSION." The Queen added.

"FINE." The Queen took over the viewscreen. "WE'VE BEEN MONITORING BORG ACTIVITY USING LONG RANGE SCANNERS. IT SEEMS THAT THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ARRAY HAS CREATED TURMOIL IN THE COLLECTIVE. AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME, THERE ARE NO PURSUERS." She shut the screen down. "I EXPECTED WE SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED SOME TYPE OF RESISTANCE."

"Then keep running sensor sweeps. How long until we're able to make the timejump?"

Kollos consulted his tricorder. "Just under two hours, Sir. That is, if we're able to get the power we need."

Dimitri stood. "Don't worry, you'll get more than enough." He slowly stood up to face the others. "Where's Kyle?"

"Good. Queen, I need you with me on the bridge to delegate repairs to your drones. Kollos, you and David report back to Engineering and oversee the plan. And lets hope the next couple hours run this smooth…"

Moments before, Kyle was dreaming. He was aboard the Helix training Mia in the ancient form of Klingon martial arts. There wasn't anything particularly interesting about the dream. He just never realized how much he enjoyed his time with Mia. They're constant bickering and grappling were the only times he felt totally at ease. He hoped to see her again someday.

When he awoke, he found himself staring up at the ceiling lights. This was strange because he never slept on his back. As he tried to sit up he felt the sharp pain of the bruised ribs hit him like a slap of bricks. He glanced to his left, at the other bed where Eric laid before he fell asleep, and found that it was empty.

"Doc." Kyle called out. "I can use some of that pain numbing stuff you gave me before."

The Borg Queen was sitting beside the Commodore on the bridge, when she first got the sensation. She could here the infinite voices of her drones swimming in her head. But one voice managed to stand out from the rest. It was a chilling voice, which sent an intriguing sensation through her. It was a feeling, which she hadn't felt in centuries… Fear….

She accessed the available data a thousand times within a few seconds to ensure her conclusion was terrifyingly correct.

"Come on, doc. I'm in pain here! Your bedside manner is really…." As Kyle glanced to his right, he could make out Dr. Zhivago's lifeless body laying face up on the other side of the room. His skin was almost radiating a pale grayness and large vein-like streaks were pulsating along his face.

Kyle had seen this effect once before. It was on the Borg artifact when Alex was first being….

Kyle turned and looked up to see a familiar face staring down at him. But the attacker turned out not to be one of the Borg drones.

"HELLO KYLE." AXIS said with an evil grin on his face, two assimilation tubes slowly rising from his knuckled wrist. "RESISTANCE IS FUTILE."

Kyle managed to role off of the medical table, just as the creature's fist slammed through it. He quickly pulled himself up and ran for the door.

Kyle tried to activate the emergency door locks, but it became clear that his attacker was one step ahead of him. He turned to face his former friend, who now slowly approached him.

"DID YOU THINK I WOULD ALLOW YOU TO ESCAPE AGAIN?" his was expressionless, but you could hear the anger in his tone. "BECAUSE OF YOU, MIA IS GONE. SHE'LL NEVER BE A PART OF THE COLLECTIVE!"

AXIS lunged for Kyle, but the Trill was already in motion. As they passed each other, Kyle sent a roundhouse kick to the Borg's back. AXIS stumbled slightly, but not as much a Kyle hoped.

He knew he couldn't dodge his captor for long in the medical bay's small compartment. He had to find something to defend himself with.

The sharp pain in his ribs intensified, but Kyle still managed to steadied himself. "Alex, if you're still in there somewhere, you have to fight him!"

Axis smiled. "THE BIOLOGICAL ENTITY KNOWN AS ALEX GARRETT HAS BEEN PURGED FROM THIS PROGRAM. THERE IS ONLY AXIS."

Kyle grabbed a short surgical knife for a nearby medical tray. "Well then, I guess it's time to finish what we started on the artifact. What do you say AXIS? You ready for round three?"

The creature smiled as it slowly walked toward Kyle. The Trill warrior kept in eye contact with his aggressor. As he moved to keep the medical table between them, he unknowingly stumbled over Eric Beckett's unconscious body. He fell backwards and hit is head on the soft floor, the surgical knife slipping from his grip. By the time he made to his feet again, AXIS had disappeared from his site.

Kyle panicked. He tried to reach for the knife again, but he was met by a swift kick to his fractured ribs, which lifted him off of his feet and sent him spinning across the room. When he finally gathered his sense, he found himself cornered in the far side of the room with Axis standing over him.

He tasted the blood running from his nose. "You won't win! The others won't let it happen!"

"THE OTHERS AREN'T SMART ENOUGH TO REALIZE I'VE ORCHESTRATED EVERTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED!" he reached down and grabbed Kyle by the throat and lifted him off his feet. "THE AXIS IS ABSOLUTE!" once again, he activated the assimilation tubes in his wrist. "NO ONE WILL BE SPARED!"

The Borg's free arm wrenched for Kyle's throat when he felt the painful impact of a metal cylinder collide with the side of his head. The blow was so powerful, it made him release Kyle from his grip and stumble into the wall.

"If I had a strip of latnum for evertime I heard you spout that ‘AXIS IS GOD' crap, I'd probably own my own moon!" a wobbly, Borg-a-fide Eric Beckett said as he readied the large cylinder in his hand for another swing. "I'm sick of all the pain, and death you and your kind have inflicted!" he voice cracked as his vocal cords showed signs of being assimilated.

"This is for resistence!!!!" the next blow caught him in the wrist which was block his head. AXIS fell on his back and raise his hands in defiance,

"And this is for everything else, you cybernetic bastard!!!" Eric raised the cylinder over his head and swung it down toward AXIS with as much strength as he could gather. But as it came within inches of his head, he activated some type of emergency transporter technology. The cylinder pasted through his transparent image and slammed hard into the floor.

"So there…" Eric said as his body gave out on him and he started to fall backwards. Fortunately, Kyle was there to catch him.

"Easy there, partner." Kyle said helping Eric to the bed. "That's the second time you saved my from being assimilated. When this is over, the beers are on me."

Eric started to laugh, but a wrenching wave of pain washed over him. He clutched his chest.

"The nanoprobes in my body are doing their work." The Slayer replied, his voice giving way to a hint of a Borg accent. "Lucky for me, the changes ‘Queeny' made to my body are slowing down the process. I may only an hour or so before I'm fully assimilated." He slowly pulled himself off of the bed and stood tall in front of Kyle.

"Then that's all we'll need." Kyle grabbed his arm and helped him toward the door.

When they reached the control panel, Eric told Kyle to stand back and then drove his Borg fist into the control panel. "I should be able to unlock the door." In seconds, the door slid open just in time for Eric the prop himself on the door frame. He looked at Kyle and smiled. "He's trapped."

"Who's what?" Kyle asked putting his friends arm round his neck and helping him down the corridor.

"Axis. He's trapped." The communications array is destroyed, so he can't transfer is essence between drones anymore. If we can take him down here and now, we can kill him."

In Engineering, Kollos' hand ran over the timewarp console with a lightning-fast, fluid motion.

"all right, I've got the mathematic data online. I've started the countdown. We're T-Minus twenty two minutes until the timejump." He said as he made his way for Lieutenant David Gerard. "How's the Borg power-distribution nodes coming?"

David brought the schematics onscreen. "I ran into some trouble with the power conversion process on the warp core's end. So I installed several powercells instead. But we're still not gonna have enough power to pull this off."

David's question was interrupted by a loud crash, which came from one of the upper decks. They both paused.

Dimtri and The Borg Queen found Lt. Shelly Casey and Lt. Krag at the rendezvous point.

Shelly stepped forward. "The Internal Sensors are fried. But, from what we here from the security detail around the ship, AXIS has drones placed throughout the ship, blocking any path to Engineering. The Queens drones have been engaging them, but it doesn't look good."

"HE'S TRYING TO DESTROY THE TIMEWARP SEQUENCE?" The Queen asked unusually nervous.

Dimitri thought for a second. "Somebody's gotta reach Engineering and give the others some help. We'll split up. Shelly and the Queen will take the upper decks. Try and use the Jefferies tubes if possible. Krag and I will try the lower decks with the same method. Kyle and Eric are already in route. According the Kollos, we got less than twenty minutes to hold AXIS off!"

Kollos quickly went to the weapons locker, grabbed a phaser and tossed one to David.

He pulled David aside and fired his phaser at a Borg, which had appeared from the shadows. The beam caught the drone in the chest, sending it convulsing to the floor.

"Make your shots count." David whispered. "We got four shots at the most before they adapt…"

"Where are we?" Dimitri whispered to Krag as they crawled through a Jefferies tube.

The Nausican checked his tricorder. "Near deck 8. If we take the ladder just ahead to deck 10, we should our checkpoint before preceding to engineering."

"Not so good, sir." She answered back. "We got cornered on deck twelve! We've being pushed away from engineering. It's gonna be up to you guys.

"Acknowledged." He checked his timepiece he faceted around his neck. "Your orders are to stay alive for next six minutes! Do what you have to. Just don't get caught."

"Computer" David called out. "Initiate Borg-Contingency, authorization Gerard-beta-9"

Just then, the seal to a Jefferies tube, popped off behind them. They turned to find, Kyle and Eric pulling themselves into the room.

The Slayer smiled. "Don't worry. He doesn't control me yet. But I hope you guys have a plan, because we're coming with nothing…"

David flinched and fired in that direction. His shot was accurate, but no effective. From the darkened corner, Axis slowly walked into the light.

Dimitri followed Krag from the Jefferies tube just as his timepiece started to beep.

"Four minutes to go. How far are we from Engineering?" Dimitri asked his Chief of Security.

Before Krag could answer, he saw an alien transporter beam wash over the Commodore. He tried to grab him, but the transport was instantaneous.

Dimitri rematerialize inside of engineering. As he regained his senses, he noticed three bodies lying unconscious in the corner. He quietly made his way over to them and turned them over.

It looked as if Kollos, David and Kyle were in the process of being assimilated. He checked his time on a nearby computer screen. "Hold on guys. You need to hold on a little bit longer

"THEY PUT UP A GOOD FIGHT, COMMODORE." Axis called out. " ESPECIALLY THE TRILL AND THE BORG SLAYER. YOU WOULD'VE BEEN PROUD."

Dimitri scanned the area until he found the Borg-God at the main engineering station.

"THE TRILL AND THE SLAYER WERE FORMIDABLE. THEY ARRIVED JUST AS I ASSIMILATED YOUR TWO OFFICERS. ERIC MANAGED TO ESCAPE. NO MATTER. HIS DEATH IS INEVITABLE."

He was attempting to access the timewarp console, but a force field had been erected.

"I CAN'T SEEM TO PENETRATE THIS SHIELDING TECHNOLOGY." The monster turned and smiled and Dimitri. "THE QUEEN'S HANDY WORK, NO DOUBT. NO MATTER. YOU WILL ASSIST ME IN GAINING CONTROL OF THE PRIMARY FUNCTIONS."

As Axis slowly walked toward Dimitri, the Commodore did his best to keep his distance. "And why would I do that?"

Dimitri grabbed one of the phasers littering the floor. He tried to re-tune it. "You're gonna kill us anyway."

"DEATH WOULD BE MERCIFUL. I CAN MAKE IT QUICK, OR DRAG IT OUT FOR AN ETERNITY. THE AXIS POWER IS ABSOLUTE."

"Yadda, yadda, yadda…" Dimitri fired the phaser at Axis. The beam as met by a greenish force field which surrounded him.

Someone stirred in the shadows behind AXIS. When Eric Beckett's haggard face appeared from dark corner, Dimitri knew he had to work the situation to his advantage.

"O.K., Axis. What do I get in return for releasing my command codes? I'm thinking about a corner of the galaxy where me and my crew can live in peace. What do you think?"

"UNEXCEPTABLE." Axis stopped walking. "YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED. YOU WILL BECOME PART OF THE COLLECTIVE."

Dimitri remained silent for the next couple of seconds. Axis stared at him puzzled.

The Commodore looked ambiguous. "Huh? Oh, nothing. I just remembered, this is the part of the plot where us ‘good guys' pull a rabbit out of our hat and save the day."

Without looking behind himself, Axis reached out and caught the small orb as soon as it was in range. He squeezed it until it shattered underneath the pressure.

Eric tried to rush him from the shadows. But as he came close, AXIS caught him by the neck and picked him up off of his feet. Dimitri watched in horror as his vice grip crushed the Borg Slayer's neck. His lifeless body toppled to the floor.

Axis grinned. "YOU'RE LAST HOPE HAS BEEN CRUSHED, COMMODORE." He started to walk toward him, but Dimitri held his ground. "THE AXIS POWER IS ABSOLUTE. YOU DO UNDERSTAND THAT NOW, DON'T YOU?"

Dimitri nodded. "You're too strong for us to fight. And we knew that from the start."

Dimtri started stroll around. "Oh, we never expected to defeat you and your drones in combat. We just needed to keep you occupied."

Dimitri smiled. "I'm not sure, but I'm thinking that would be that rabbit coming out the hat."

"The timewarp system we rigged to restore the timeline needed a big burst of energy to initiate a temporal shockwave. There wasn't anything on-hand to generate enough power..." He turned toward the computer and pointed to the automated countdown, which had been inconspicuously on the screen all the time. "…except for a warp core breech."

‘WARNING.' The computer sounded. ‘AUTOMATED SELF DESTRUCT IN THIRTEEN SECONDS….'

"It's doesn't matter!" Dimitri drew face to face with him. "All this never happened!"

Axis pushed the Commodore to the floor and ran toward the computer station. The force field stopped him in his tracks.

He pounded on the invisible barrier, but it wouldn't give. Furiously, he stomped over to Dimtri and picked him up off his feet until they were eye to eye.

At that moment, the time jump engines executed the mathematical computations to generate the temporal shockwave. All it needed was aN energy surge to execute it.

Axis grew irate as his eyes darted between the Commodore and the computer screen. He had planned for all contingencies. He had studied all possibilities and compensated for anything that could happen, all except for the illogical irrationality of the human species."

He had lost. There was nothing he could do to stop the inevitable. ‘THE AXIS POWER IS ABSOLUTE!!!"

"Wait up, sir!" David Gerard called to Commodore Dimitri Andreyevich, who was quickly strolling the corridors aboard the U.S.S. Atlantis.

"Get a move on, Lieutenant." Dimtri answered. "I've got 45 minutes left of holodeck time before I'm back on duty. And when we engage the holo-novel, don't call me ‘Sir', anymore. My character is named Professor Van Helsing."

David finally caught up with his commanding officer, almost out of breath. "Van Helsing? As in Dracula?" he smiled when Dimitri nodded to him. "Sounds like fun. Tell me, do I get to bite people?"

Just as Dimitri began to answer him, a sharp burst of nausea washed over him. In a wave of painful chills, the queasiness caused him to stumble backwards into the corridor wall. Lightheaded, he glanced over at David, who now was on his knees clutching his head. And in that few seconds, a flood of painful images of a possible future washed through his mind. Events, which spanned the next two weeks ahead came to him in one great burst. The blast was so intense, it jerked him from his resting place on the wall and onto the floor.

Gradually, the feeling faded away, leaving the two of them, as well as everyone else in the corridor fatigued. Dimitri and David both rose to their feet and then looked at each other.

David frowned, trying to read the look on the Commodore's face. The memories were vivid, yet scrambled¾ as if he had just experienced some sort of crazy dream.

"Uh… Lt. Casey here, Sir." …" Shelly answered back. "It seems… like the… crew as hit with some type of…"

"Look alive, Lieutenant! It wasn't dream you experienced. The time-jump from the other reality was successful." He grabbed David by the uniform and pulling him along. "David and I are on our way to the bridge! Take us to maximum warp! We've got less than thirty minutes before the Borg artifact engages the temporal shockwave!"

Just outside of the Nuvellis system, a large spherical Borg ship streaks away at high-warp. Close behind, an Emperial Destroyer from the Kadre Empire followed in close pursuit. Both ships firing a full battery of weapons at each other.

Lagging behind, the damage Helix raced to join the battle. At that moment on the bridge, Mia looked up at Kyle with a crazed look on her face. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I'm commander of the team now! And we have to destroy AXIS now before he does anymore damage!!!" she stood up and put her hand on Kyle's shoulder. "It's what Alex would've wanted. But he's dead now."

Ian checked the sensors. "I'm getting readings from the sphere. The Kadre destroyer has engaged the Borg." A couple seconds passed. "The Kadre destroyer, has been destroyed."

Mia walked to Tash. "Put out an emergency message on all frequencies! Notify everyone within distance that the Borg have started their invasion! Let everyone know the sphere must be destroyed at all cost. And when that's done, initiate the Borg Protocol."

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kyle stumble backwards. He clutched his head he met the floor and started to roll around in pain.

Mia ran for him and tapped her comm-badge. "Mia to Jann! We have a medical emergency on the bridge!"

Kyle tried to understand the mass of images being forced into his brain all at once. But the sensation was overwhelming. All the painful memories manifesting within him at once. The attacks from AXIS, the destruction of the Borg array, the death of Mia- they all hit him in one single wave of intensity.

Kyle forced himself to his knees, clinching his eyes shut. "Must destroy…. array…." His voice was shaky. "We just lost…. left nacelle…" he grabbed Mia by the shoulder. "Resistance is…" Suddenly his eyes opened wide to stare directly at Mia.

It was as if she was staring into the eyes of a stranger. Mia saw that for a split second, he had no idea where he was. And as the cloudiness started to clear in his mind, Kyle began to smile. He gently touch her cheek and then gave her a light slap.

Kyle's expression changed from happy to concerned. "It doesn't matter. All you need to know is that the AXIS EXPERIMENT succeeded… or WILL succeed if we don't pull this off!" tapped his comm-badge. "Tash when will the Borg Protocols be online?"

Kyle turned to Mia. "all right, I've got roughly ten minutes to tell you what happen to me…. to us…" he sat Mia down. "But first, we have a plan."

Five minutes ahead of the Borg sphere, a fleet of seven Starships raced on an intercept course at maximum warp. The U.S.S. Maximillian, a Sovereign-Class starship led the way as the other ships followed in a ‘V' formation.

On board, Captain Joseph Hennig wandered from station to station on the bridge checking with his officers on their readiness. They had been out of dry-dock for only two months, but his crew was one of the best in the fleet.

"Captain?" the helmsman called out. "The Borg ship has changed its course and now heading directly for us."

"Go to red alert." Joseph ordered. "Notify the rest of the fleet to take their positions."

On the view screen, the giant sphere appeared and the bridge crew held their breath."

"Don't give in to fear." Joseph reassured his crew. "We've beaten them back twice before. This is no different. All we have to do is keep them occupied until the cavalry arrives."

Captain Hennig then saw the two dozen shimmering, projectiles which sprang from the sphere. "Incoming fire, evasive maneuvers!"

"Mia?" Tash called out aboard the Helix. "I'm getting readings. Starfleet has just engaged the sphere."

Mia turned to her navigator. "Ian, let's enable the Shield Pulsar like Kyle said. Then transmit the Borg's shield harmonic frequency to the coordinates Kyle specified."

The U.S.S. Maximillian veered hard to the right as the Borg torpedoes raced at the fleet. Two of the other ships weren't so lucky. The torpedoes passed through their shields and struck head on into their saucer sections. The Crazyhorse and the Pittsburgh sustained major damage.

"Two ships were hit!" the tactical officer of the Maximillian reported to her captain. "Both are out of the fight, Sir!"

Captain Hennig held on to his chair and his ship tilted steeply. "Tell the fleet to spread out. Don't give them easy targets! Attack pattern Sierra! Remember, we just need to keep them occupied!"

While the other ships pushed outward drawing the sphere's fire, the Maximillian raced head on, unleashing a series of phaser shots. But the Borg sphere was unaffected and replied with its own burst of phaser fire. Even with full shields, the Maximillian's shields buckled under the blast.

The engineering station exploded, sending an officer's lifeless body to the floor. The tactical officer quickly took his place.

Suddenly the operations console went crazy. "Captain, incoming quantum torpedo… from behind us!!!"

Hennig knew there was no time for countermeasures. "Brace for impact!!" he yelled and the crew complied. But from the view screen, the bridge crew watched the torpedo pass closely over them and streak directly for the sphere.

The impact seemed to engulf the entire sphere, but it primarily sent a shock wave across its shields.

"Sir!" the helmsman rejoiced. "That blast took the Borg's shields off-line! Their defenseless!"

Hennig suddenly saw a small unidentified ship streak past them take on the sphere. He had never seen such a small ship with so much firepower. The sphere immediately pulled its guns off of the starships and focused on the Helix.

"Incoming message, sir. It's another Starfleet vessel… The Atlantis." The communications officer said.

"Put it through." Hennig replied. Instantly, the image of the Atlantis' commanding officer appeared onscreen. "Thanks for the assist, Commodore?" he commanded.

Normally, Hennig was a man who demanded justification for unusual actions. But looking into Dimitri's eyes, he had a feeling to trust the man.

"Understood!" the Captain replied as the image disappeared. He turned to the commas officer. "Radio the fleet. We can't wait for the cavalry. All ships are to fire one last volley at the Borg and fall back!"

The Starship fleet quickly responded and sent a melee of firepower at the sphere. And this time, their efforts were paying off. The Federation battleships crawled over the Borg craft like masquitos, their hit and run tactics keeping the sphere of balance. After the initial attack, the fleet quickly pushed their way out of the sphere's range.

Commodore Dimitri Andreyevich watched the viewscreen as the Helix entered the battlefield and paused ahead of the Borg sphere in defiance.

He glanced back at Lt. Shelly Casey. "Wait for Kyle's signal. We're only gonna get one shot at this."

Then he motioned to Security Officer Krag. The Nausican walked to the Commodore's side. "Put the security detail on alert."

Mia took her place at tactical and tried to find a weapon in the Helix's arsenal to disable the Borg sphere. "Tash, take Meta-Shields off-line and ready the protocols."

As Jann and Ian entered the bridge, Tash accessed the computer's directories, his hand shaking and sweaty. "What Kyle is proposing is nuts! There's a good chance this won't work!"

Just as Mia began to access the weapon's program, the view screen image went fuzzy. "We really don't have a…"

They expected the grand unveiling of the new AXIS onscreen. But the message was 'audio only'. "DRONE DESIGNATE: AXIS COMPATIBLE FOR PHASE 3; INITIATE…"

At first, Kyle felt a faint tingling in his stomach. It felt as if something was growing. But the unusual feeling suddenly turned into a wrenching of his internal organs. He grabbed his chest and slumped against a nearby console. "It's starting!!!" he yelled.

Mia turned around in time to see him drop to his knees and scream in agony. She tapped her comm-badge. "Mia to Commodore Andreyevich!!!! ENERGIZE!!!"

"Borg Protocols, engaged!!!!" Just as Tash's finger brushed the enabled button, a massive transport beam washed over all of them.

‘BORG PROTOCOLS ENABLED' the computer sounded. ‘WARP ENGINES ENGAGE IN 5 SECONDS'..

As the five remaining members of Team Helix disappeared from the bridge, they could still hear the final words of the monster called AXIS.

The Borg sphere began to collapse in on itself. But as a temporal shockwave began to develop, an automated Starship Helix suddenly activated the device, which brought them from their original universe: ‘The Fold System'. In the span of a nanosecond, the Borg sphere generate it's temporal shockwave. At the same time, in the exact point in space, the Helix creates a spatial time rift, which it would normally use to transport itself across the galaxy. But this time, the combination of temporal occurrences proved to be volatile.

And in a final act if defiance, the Helix pushed into warp and sped directly into the sphere. The small ship plowed into and through the sphere, causing it shatter on impact. The Helix emerged from the explosion as a fiery ball of mangle metal and continued to topple away from the explosion like a small comet.

The bridge crew cheered in victory as the crew of the Helix rematerialized in front of them.

"What happened?" Kyle said as he went to Dimitri's side. But his question was answer by the front viewscreen, which show the massive explosion that use to be the Borg artifact.

The Commodore turned to Lt. Casey. "Radio the rest of the attack fleet. Let them know the threat has been neutralized." He then stood and extended his hand to Kyle. "Good job, Mr. Kyle." He had to smile. "Damn good job."

Amidst the makeshift celebration, Kyle looked across the room to find Tash holding Mia in his arms. And it was then, he realized their true tragedy.

Dimtri gave a slight nod Krag, and the Nausican motioned to his security staff on the bridge.

As Kyle tried to walk over to console his friend, his path was blocked by two security officers with phasers.

Krag walked to Kyle. "You are a great warrior, Trill. I have seen that with my own eyes. That is why it will pain me to do my duty as the Chief Security Officer of his ship!"

Kyle frowned at Krag in surprise, but he knew the Nausican was just doing his duty. There was only one man he could direct his anger at.

Dimitri slowly rose from the command chair and made his way to Kyle. The look on his face told everyone he didn't want to do this. But he's a Starfleet officer- a dedicated officer with a reputation for carrying out his order with perfection.

Kyle was in shock. "Don't do this, Dimitri. We've just lost our ship and our Captain- our friend. Please, don't do this."

Dimitri wanted to tell help him. He wanted to tell Team Helix that he was going to let them go. And if it was just him in the room, he probably would've done it. But his crew was watching. He had to set an example. He had to show them that a command officer has to carry out his orders, even if those orders are painful.

"I'm sorry Kyle, but I have my orders. Our original mission was to find and apprehend you and turn you in to Starfleet security." He sighed. "Fortunately, they only specified you, Alex, and the two Vulcans. The Bajorans are free to go."

"Yes you will!" Kyle cut her off. "It's over, Jann. I'm formally disbanding Team Helix and I want you and Ian to get a shuttle and return to Bajor until all this gets cleared up." He glanced over at Mia and Tash and they nodded in agreement.

"Lt. Casey.." Dimitri ordered. "Confine Jann Jaxa and Ian Rojeti to some quarters."

And then he turned to Kyle, who had made his way to the others. He took a deep breath and completed his mission. " Kyle K'nar, Mia & Tash Gan-An'War, by order of Starfleet Security, you are here by placed into custody for multiple counts of crimes against the United Federation of Planets…"

It had been almost three days since Commodore Andreyevich had gotten any sleep. The dark rings around his eyes were a testament to his guilt of bringing in Team Helix. Although he believed that they should pay for their illegal activities, he also understood that ‘abiding the law' and ‘doing the right thing', were sometimes on opposing sides. As he walked the halls of Starfleet Headquarters, he felt good for the fact that his crew were given two weeks of shore-leave for their efforts aboard the Atlantis.

When he reached Admiral Cynthia Porter's office, he took a moment to gain his composure. But before he could gather his senses, the door slip open.

He promptly entered and faced the large chair, which was facing the window. "Commodore Andreyevich reporting, ma'am."

"You are…" the stranger replied. "…or, at least it was. Admiral Porter died in a tragic accident recently."

The stranger stood and walked from behind the desk. Dimitri noticed his Starfleet uniform was all-black and he had no recognizable rank on his collar.

The stranger held out his hand to Dimitri. "I'm Deputy Director Chapel, Starfleet Special Investigations." They shook hands. "I've been put in charge of investigating the Admiral's death. And what are you doing here?"

Dimitri handed the Chapel a message pad. "I'm here to give the Admiral my closed case file."

"Ah yes, the Helix crew." Chapel smiled. "Nice work, Commodore. I'll handle it from here. You can go."

"I know that Team Helix are criminals and they need to answer for their crimes. To be honest, I don't know what they did. But what I do know is they fought honorably and courageously out there. I think the fact that they risked their lives to fight that Borg sphere should also be noted during their sentencing. And if you don't mind sir, I'd like to be there to make sure the ruling counsel understands."

"I wish I could allow that Commodore…" Chapel leaned back against the desk. "…but the Helix situation is special. I'm afraid there will be no formal inquiry. It's a matter for the S.S.I. to deal with. But don't worry. They're going to be treated as fairly as they deserve." He finished up with a smile.

Dimitri could sense there was something sinister about the Deputy Director. But the case was no longer in his hands. He had fulfilled his obligation.

He promptly nodded in agreement and left the office, leaving Chapel to ponder his next move.

At that moment, Admiral Cynthia Porter deleted the last of the files on her computer and then incinerated it with a klingon disruptor rifle. Twenty minutes ago, she had gotten the word from one of her operatives, Section 31 had begun the process of shutting down THE PROGRAM.

For any other organization, it would mean being reassigned to another post. But the Section's procedures were considerably different, and a lot more deadly. They viewed the canceled operation as a cancer within the body of the organization. And when that cancer threatened the safety of the rest of the body, it need to be expunged completely.

Twenty minutes ago, at 0400 hours, SCT (Starfleet Command Time), the eradication of PROGRAM safe houses and operatives commenced. Reports from thirty of her most valued strategic locations came in describing unknown troops infiltrating and incinerating all files, equipment and individuals affiliated with THE PROGRAM.

She had expected this to happen further down the road. She thought she would have enough time to get her people and strategies in order. She should've known Chapel would catch her off guard. He needed to make sure that no one escaped alive, no evidence of the PROGRAM'S decades of manipulation ever came to light.

Before she could finish the sentence, four starfleet officers entered the room with weapons in-hand.

Cynthia slowly raised her closed fists in the air. "Ensign Briggs, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

The Admiral knew who Briggs was. She had used him on a number of PROGRAM assignments. It was apparent he wasn't there to offer her assistance.

"Admiral…" Briggs replied. "…by order of Starfleet Security, I'm placing you under arrest for crimes against the United Federation of Planets."

"Excuse my language, son. But this whole thing is a pile of horse crap, and you know it." She slowly lowered her hands. "You know I've done nothing but serve the Federation since I first put on this uniform. What your doing now is leading me to the slaughter."

Usually she would expect some type of emotional response from Briggs, but his face remained expressionless. "I have my orders, ma'am. You're coming with us."

As he motioned for the other officers to grab her, Cynthia Porter made her move.

"I wouldn't do that, kid" she said slowly opening her right palm to reveal a small device. "This is a Romulan ‘death-charge' detonator. I've wired this entire compound with enough photon charges to level a small moon. You take one move, and we all go to a better place."

"That's not going to solve anything, ma'am. Either way, I can't let you leave this place free."

In that instant, the former Admiral came to grips with her fate. Her sweaty palm gripped the detonator tightly and allowed herself to weep.

"I'm sorry you got caught up in this, Briggs." Then she stretched her mouth wide into one final fiendish grin. "But I'll make it up to you when we make to hell…"

At that moment, deep within a makeshift compound on the planet of Bajor, a holy woman and her trusted aid made their way through an endless maze of corridors. They could hear the urgent commotion ahead of them, and they could see a host of Bajoran mercenaries standing outside of a large cargo bay.

"He awoke a few moment ago." The aid told Kai Rhynelle. "The rest of the implants the scientists couldn't removed seem just fall off once he was conscious. It was… remarkable!"

"Would you expect anything else…" the Kai responded. "…from this pinnacle moment in history, child?" Rhynelle knew the aid would not respond. When they both received word that a large alien artifact had fallen from a large, black hole in the clouds, they knew it was the holy sign which was documented in the unwritten scriptures of the Prophets; a prophecy which was passed down through the generations. Upon retrieving the artifact, they found and quickly removed the humanoid body and quickly began efforts to resuscitate it back to life. And now, after almost two months, the ‘Anomaly' had awaken.

When they reached the cargo bay, the Kai waved the mercenaries give her room. As the sea of people parted, her eyes fell upon a figure which was huddled in the darkened corner of the room. From the look of the place, she could tell that his journey back to consciousness was a violent one.

"There is no need to be alarmed, stranger." Rhynelle calmly said, holding her palms forward. "There is no danger. You are among friends, here."

She slowly approached the feral man, who was now backed into the corner, down to one knee. She could tell he was in pain. His naked body was drenched with sweat and he had a violent case of shivers.

She slowly approached him and also knelt to one knee. "I am Kai Rhynelle." She smiled at him. "I have been waiting for you all my life. You have walked within the light and the darkness. The prophets have given you the knowledge of all things that makes up the universe. Now you are ready for your quest. Everything that has happened to you from the moment of your inception has been to prepare you for what lies ahead."

At that moment, the man flinched in pain, causing Rhynelle and her deciples to pull away from him.

"The pain will pass." She assured him. "Now, can you talk? I need to know if you can understand me."

For the first time, the man slowly raised his head and Rhynelle stared into his crazed eyes. She could see the pain in his soul. She couldn't fathom what he must have endured to be deemed worthy of the prophecy.

"Who are you?" she asked him. He started to open his mouth, but instead tried to lower his head in fatigue.

Quickly, Rhynelle grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head up until they were, again eye to eye. "I'm sorry to put you through this, but I need to know! Who are you?!" Impatience started to grow within her. "State — your — designation!!!"

The man opened his mouth and spoke for the first time. "DESIGNATION: ALEX GARRETT…"

Todd Kelley Helix Phantoms, part 2	On Site 2012.04.09
(EPISODE 4) A new Superpower has been discovered, and their trying to plunge the Alpha Quadrant into an intergalactic war. Now with countless lives on the line, Team Helix and a renegade Klingon out for revenge, have to find away to stop the massacre before it starts.