STAR TREK: VOYAGER By: Liz Tracker Episode 143:"A Bet's A Bet" Ensign Harry Kim stepped off the turbo-lift and headed down the corridor. His yellow uniform was wrinkled, but his comm was shiny and new. Entering his ready room, Harry waved to his pal from Metro Labs 2. The man waved back a friendly hello, and walked past the tall woman coming toward him. The woman wore a blue, skin tight outfit with her blond hair combed back against her face. Her blue eyes matched the outfit perfectly as she approached Harry. "Why, hello, Seven." Harry quivered as he spoke, a tad bit nervous. Smirking like a young cadet, Harry stepped into his quarters. Seven Of Nine, the Borg who was cut off from the Collective, followed. Staring around at Harry's messy room, she looked at the picture on his marble lamp-shade desk. Gawking at it, she picked it up with her left hand. "Harry, this is a picture of me?" Seven asked as she studied the photograph more closely. Harry ran up to her, and snatched the picture. Throwing the photo behind a cushion on his black arm-chair, Harry coughed at paced around like a worried father waiting for his daughter to come home. "Yes, Seven, that was a picture of you. I got it from the ship's profiles. You made one, you know?" Harry replied, then stopped walking as Seven's hand fell on his shoulder. She showed him her engineering findings, then started to walk out. "Seven, where are you going?" Harry asked, then ran to the door, blocking Seven's path. "I am going to Astro Physics Lab 1 to work on my assignment you gave me. Now if you will excuse me." Seven pushed Harry's arm away, but Harry continued to hang on to the door's frame. "Can I ask you something, Seven?" Harry said then released his grip from the wall. "Make it quick." Seven replied, staring at the floor, waiting. "If you weren't half Borg, I'd think you've been avoiding me." Harry said, then resumed his grip on the wall, making sure Seven didn't leave like always. "I am also half human." Seven replied, then smiled at Harry. Harry gaped at her, then asked one more time. "Seven, do I bother you? You know I like you." Harry spit the words out so fast that it took a second for Seven to reply. "You are a human male, I am a female. Isn't it normal to have feelings for one another? I must go now, and thank you." Seven said, then walked out. Harry stood frozen, not being able to move. Harry then ran out of his quarters, barely catching Seven. "Seven, wait!" Harry shouted, but it was too late. She had all ready gone into the turbo- lift. Harry looked back at the floor and entered his ready room. "She what?!" A shocked Tom said as he turned around from his hologram polit seat. "She said, and I quote, 'Isn't it normal to have feelings for each other?' Hey, I couldn't believe it either." Harry said, then spun his seat back. "I'm telling you, Harry, you gotta ask her out." Tom said, then began to run some more scans. Harry sighed, and mumbled to himself. "What was that, Harry?" Tom asked as he turned his head to look at Harry's red face. "Tom, buddy, you know me. I don't-" Harry began. "Yeah, I know, you don't ask fellow crew-mates out." Tom finished for Harry. "Exactly!" Harry said, then looked at the holodeck time. They had been in there for an hour or two, and should've been out by now. "Well, I asked B'Lanna out, and now look at us!" Tom pointed out. "Yeah, B'Lanna can't go into public without people snickering about you two, and you are always in some argument." Harry said, then played around some more with the control panel. The holodeck ship shook, then stopped. "Hey, we don't always fight!" Tom remarked, then shifted to the side of his chair. The ship rocked some more, but this time, harder. "Tom, what was that? Was that apart of the program?" Harry asked, and grabbed onto his control panel, almost falling. "No, that must be real. Let's go to the Bridge, maybe- Whoa!" Tom flew across the holographic Delta Flyer, and hit his head on the wall. Harry slammed into the floor, knocking himself out cold. The computer then turned on safety protocols to extreme and alerted the Bridge. "Computer to Bridge. Holodeck 3's safety protocols are disabled. Life signs are in danger." The computer announced the Bridge. Seven stood there on the Bridge, next to Tuvok. Janeway was talking to Ensign Ro'ak, as she stood up. "Captain, should I see who is running the program?" Seven questioned. "Yes, and Chakotay? Get a medical team down there." The Captain ordered. "Aye, Captain. Tuvok, you're with me." Chakotay replied, and left the Bridge with the Vulcan, Tuvok, behind him. Seven ran the scans and stared at them for a while. "Well, Seven, who is down there?" Kathryn asked. "Tom Paris, and Harry Kim, Captain." Seven answered and studied the turn-outs with her eyes. "Life signs, Seven? Any major injury that you can pick up?" Janeway asked, and placed her right hand under her chin. "I am picking up something, but the computer does not say if they are alive-" Seven paused then continued, "or dead." The medical team ran to the holodeck doors, and Tuvok took out his phaser. He fired it, opening the sealed doors. The holodeck program was still running as they entered. Chakotay first saw Tom, slowly inching up. Chakotay ordered an Ensign to apply a spray on his neck. Tom's upper-left forehead was bleeding, and he was a little eerie. Tom then awoke suddenly, with a surge of strength. Chakotay placed his hand on his chest, and lightly pushed him down. "It's going to be all right, Tom." Chakotay said, comforting Tom. Then, Tom looked at Chakotay with wide eyes. "What about Harry?" Tom asked, then coughed up some blood that trickled down his bruised chin. "Harry? He's here too? Where?" Chakotay asked, worrying if he was all right. "Right here." Tuvok replied, nodding his head. Harry lay on the ground with his eyes closed, with no expression on his face. "Harry! Is he-" Chakotay asked as he starred at Harry's lifeless body. "His life-signs are erratic. If he is alive, he needs treatment right away." "All right, Tuvok, Ensign Ro'ak, bring Harry to sick bay now, and be careful." Chakotay ordered. "Yes, sir." Tuvok replied, and dragged Harry out with the help of the others. "Tom, can you stand up?" Chakotay asked as he turned to Tom's solemn face. "Yeah, I think so. What about Harry?" Tom asked again. "You want me to tell the truth? I'm not sure if he's going to make it." Chakotay replied then sat back up. Tom's face turned from a bloody mess to a pale, shivering one. He breathed heavily and let his jaw hang, open wide. "What do you mean Harry might not make it!?" Captain Janeway shouted at Chakotay in her ready room. She trembled as she sipped her coffee, and placed the mug on her table, next to the pile of logs and useless information. "He's pretty badly hurt. He has a fractured skull, and a dislocated shoulder." Chakotay reminded her, and walked up to the window. Starring at the stars, he turned to see his Captain sitting in her chair, almost crying. "Captain?" Chakotay asked as he walked toward her. "I'm all right, it's just the whole incident is on my mind. How could the holodeck safety protocols be disarmed? That involves some heavy duty thinking." The Captain remarked, knowing she was correct. Only the highest rank could over rid the codes once they are in session. "I'm not sure, but if you'd like, you can see Harry and Tom now, in sick bay." Chakotay said, then let out his hand to Kathryn's. She excepted, and slowly walked into the turbo-lift with Chakotay by her side. As the turbo-lift moved, Janeway turned to Chakotay. "How's Tom?" she asked, then walked out of the turbo-lift and into the corridors. Chakotay followed, and walked through the doors to sick bay. "He's doing fairly well, considering-" Chakotay stopped as he approached Tom sitting up on a blue sick bay bed. He smiled at Captain Janeway, as she did the same. Chakotay looked at him, surprised. "Looks like someone is feeling better." Chakotay remarked and saw no sign of stress or injury on him. "Much better. In fact, the doctor has granted me permission to leave sick bay." Tom announced, as he say the Captain smirk and look at the Doctor. The Doctor nodded his head, and approached Tom with a tricorder. "Body functions are normal, and he's free to go. Mr.Paris should keep it easy for a while, and no holographic adventures please." The Doctor said, and put the tricorder on a table. The table was next to a bed, where an Ensign lay with his eyes closed. It was Harry. "Harry?" The Captain asked, and walked toward him. Harry had a little scare on his forehead, and a bandage around his shoulder. He lay unconscious, and his face looked gloomy. "He's patterns are off a bit, and he's in shock. He may awake at any moment, and I can't stop that. I can stop him, however, from further injury." The Doctor said. "How so?" The Captain asked, and walked over to the medical comm with the Doctor, and Chakotay. Tom walked over with them as well, watching everything. "Well, you see, Ensign Kim's brain activity rose at this moment. See?" The Doctor showed the screen, and pointed at the cells fluxuation. "The same with Tom Paris, but a second earlier. This is about when the computer reported safety protocols off-line. This was an accident, I can assure you. When Ensign Kim over-lapped the holographic Delta-Flyer's signal arrays, he over-loaded a circuit, sending a virus in the holodeck's computer. I felt a surge of energy as well since I downloaded some of my programs into the holodeck core. I have fixed the problem, and it will not happen again." The Doctor finished and starred at Harry. Harry's left eye flinched, then his hand. All of a sudden his eyes opened wide, and he sat up with a jerk. "Look who's awake!" Tom bellowed, and ran over to Harry's side. Harry looked at Tom, then the Doctor. "I'm in sick bay? What happened? All I- Ah. My arm hurts." Harry said, confused. He grabbed his arm that was dislocated, and just had been cracked into place. The Doctor took a spray, and applied it to Harry's shoulder. Harry rotated his neck, and glanced at Tom. "Glad to have you back, buddy. You took a back fall." Tom said, and patted Harry on his good shoulder. "A fall? Where?" Harry asked, still bewildered. "In the holodeck. Some virus was produced, creating circuitry over-loading, and a couple explosions. I was thrown to the wall, and you were slammed right into the floor, head first. You fractured your skull, if I can remember correctly." Tom finished speaking, and looked at the Captain. He nodded his head, and walked out of sick-bay. "How are you feeling, Ensign Kim?" The Doctor questioned. "I little shaky. When can I leave sick-bay?" Harry asked, anxious. "When you can walk, and hold a tricorder." The Doctor said, and helped Harry up. Harry walked up to the Captain. "Permission to go to my quarters?" Harry asked. "Granted, and get some sleep while your there." The Captain said, and began to leave with Chakotay. "Come back again." The Doctor said as they all left. He began scans again, all alone. Harry went down his corridor, and saw Tom ahead. Yelling his name, Tom turned around and smiled to see Harry. Tom was rubbed his neck, and Harry cracked his. It sounded painful. "So, have you seen Seven yet?" Tom asked, as he walked into Harry's quarters. Harry followed, and shook his head in disbelief. "No, I haven't seen Seven. Why, is there something I should know?" Harry asked as he took the picture of Seven from behind his cushion, and placed it gently on the counter. "Well, when you were in sleepy land, I was awake, and listening to the Doctor's awful speech." Tom said, and sat down in a wooden chair. "You have my sympathy." Harry said with a chuckle. "Seven came in." said Tom, and waited to see what Harry would say. "So?" Harry replied, knowing Seven must see the Doctor once a day for a full check up. "I could tell on her face that she was worried about you." Tom said as Harry spun around quickly. "How could you tell? Did she say anything?" Harry was now glued onto Tom's words. "All she said was, ‘What happened to Harry?'" Tom said. "That's nothing, I would say the same if that was Seven lying there." Harry remarked. "No, no, you misunderstood me. She said what happened to you. She didn't mention me at all, and she said 'Harry.' Not Ensign Kim like always. Trust me, Harry, you must ask her out." Tom said, and sat up, ambling to the door. "Really? You think so?" Harry asked. "Have I ever been wrong before?" Tom questioned, then left. Harry was shocked for a moment, then mumbled to himself, "Yeah." Harry laughed, then began to write in his log. "Seven, what can I do for you?" Neelix asked as he washed the inside of a wine glass. "Do you have something spicy?" Seven asked as she leaned against the counter. "Spices are my speciality. What would you like? Rootin-Tutin-Chili, Garlic Tortillas, or- " Neelix began to list everything he ever created. "Pizza." Seven said. "Pizza? You want pizza?" Neelix asked, appalled. "Yes, do you have some?" Seven asked, then turned to see Ensign Kim walk into the mess hall. Harry stopped when he saw Seven. "Harry, you are all right?" Seven asked, not showing any concern. "Um, yeah. I just came in for a bite to eat. Would you like to join me?" Harry asked, politely. "That would be exceptable." S"&pa tilted her head, then went back to Neelix. She gestured her head, waiting for his response. "Oh, yeah, the pizza. I'll replicate some. Go join Harry." Neelix said, and he moved to the replicator. Harry sat at a clear, luminous glass table, and tried to smile and be obvious when Seven sat down. Seven looked at Harry for a while then began to speak. "Harry, you seem preoccupied in your thoughts. Is something bothering you?" She questioned, now with a concerned voice. "Um, sort of, yeah, well yes. As the matter of fact-" Harry began, then Neelix approached them with a big pizza pie in his hands. Neelix interrupted Harry and lay the pizza on the table. "Do you want anything on that, Seven?" Neelix asked. "No." Seven replied, and Neelix left. Neelix headed back, behind the counters and saw Chakotay walk in. He went towards Harry and Seven, who still were sitting down. "What were you saying, Ensign Kim?" Seven asked, and referred to him as Ensign Kim again, no longer Harry. "Well, I was wondering-" Harry began again, then Chakotay interrupted. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Chakotay said as he stood next to the table. "No, nothing at all." Harry said sarcastically, but Chakotay never picked it up in his voice. "Good, this is from the Doctor." Chakotay said and handed over a data base card. "What is it?"Harry questioned. "It's a speech he wrote himself on how not to send a virus and to be more careful." Chakotay smiled, and trotted away. "I must go now." Seven said, as she put down the slice of pizza. She got up and headed for the doors of the mess hall. "Seven, wait." Harry said, and got up. He jogged over to the doors and walked out with Seven. They began to walk down the halls when Harry stopped. Seven looked behind and stopped as well. She turned to Harry and waited to see what he was about to say. "Look Seven, before someone interrupts us, I would like to say something. Well, will you, um...-" Harry rubbed his neck, obviously nervous as hell. "Are you asking me out on a date?" Seven asked, and stood tall on her black heels. Harry opened his mouth, then closed it. He paced up to Seven, and stood next to her. "Yes, I'm trying to. Will you?" Harry asked, shaking. "In this case, I except. I will see you tonight at 800 hours." Seven smiled, and strolled into the turbo-lift. Harry stood there in shock, and grinned as he walked back to the mess hall. Harry walked onto the Bridge at 700 hours, his hair gelled back, and his uniform nice and snug. He strode into his position and began running some routine scans like he always does. The Captain looked at him, and leered. "So you and Seven are a couple? How interesting this should be." The Captain said, getting up from the Captain's chair. "We are not a couple! We are just going on a date in less than an hour. Okay!? Uh." Harry said in one breath and stepped off the Bridge in a hurry. "I think I struck a nerve, Chakotay." The Captain asserted, and Chakotay chortled. Seven held onto Harry's arm as she and Harry approached the cargo bay's door. Harry laughed, and Seven tried to put up with it. "I had a fun time tonight, Seven." Harry said and opened the doors for her by pressing some buttons. "It was amusing." Seven said, and Harry laughed some more. Harry stood there for a second and Seven stepped forward. She grabbed Harry's shirt, pulling him closer, and they began to kiss. Kissing, Tom and B'Lanna walked behind them from their own date. Tom's mouth opened wide, and B'Lanna couldn't help but laugh. Harry and Seven pulled over from each other quickly. "Good-night, Seven." Harry briefly said, and Seven closed the doors, almost embarrassed. "Whoa, Harry!" Tom said, and gave him a friendly punch in the arm. "Don't be bragging to the crew that I-" Harry paused. "That you what, Harry?" B'Lanna asked. "Wait a minute. I didn't kiss Seven." Harry said to himself. "What the hell are you talking about!? I just saw-" "No, no. I didn't kiss Seven, Seven kissed me..."