“You believe you can find…me?”  Niner blinked as the Starfleet officers opened the heavy cage door and began to bring the equipment into the room.  The plan had been explained to him in detail.  Surprisingly, he had said yes.  He told them he felt he wasn’t real…and the truth was needed to decide.

Doctor Leopold Halsey watched as the medical and science teams continued setting up the systems and equipment, “I’ve been a part of a few of these in my time.  It largely depends on how much damage was done and what was segmented.”  He pulled a chair beside Niner, “I can’t promise we’ll be able to hold onto…the real you…for very long.”

The drone thought for a moment.  He considered his options.  He knew his abilities made most of the Starfleet officers around him nervous.  He also knew that the Borg or the Syndicate would love to get their hands on him.  “Doctor…if myself…asks you to do something…please take him at his word.  The consent of myself…is important.”

Halsey momentarily held the drone’s stare, “I’m not sure I can do that, Niner.  If your…inner self…asks for us to harm you…I don’t know if I can authorize that.”

Niner returned the stare, “Doctor Halsey…I am not the original.  I’m a copy…a creation of monsters.  I’m a guest in this body…I don’t wish to occupy a space that is someone else’s.  It’s theft.  I don’t wish to steal from someone else so that I could live.”

Leopold remained silent.  Niner was giving permission for the other voice to dictate whether his life continued.  He stood, “Let’s see what your other self says before we make that decision, Niner.”

It took another thirty minutes to connect, test, and activate the various pieces of equipment with Niner at the center.  Halsey stood before the drone, who looked forward with anticipation.  Niner asked him one last time, “Listen to him, Doctor…don’t ignore what he has to say.”

Halsey gave a nod and began shunting off the connections and copied personality.  Niner shook lightly against the restraints as the process worked through the various implants until the shaking stopped.  A gasp escaped the lips of Niner, “Gods…I’m alive.”  The voice was deeper than Niner’s, and the eyes of the man were wide, excited, and worried.  “They took me from my home…and did this to me.  Who are you?”  Halsey explained, and the man swallowed hard, “Can you help me break free from this?  My name is Baron Monast…our colony was swallowed up by the Borg…what year is it?”

Halsey replied, “2401.”  He monitored Monast’s drone body as the medical team tended to the wounds as the Borg automated systems no longer repaired the body.  Niner’s presence had been keeping the body alive and repaired.

“This hurts like the hells.”  Monast took a moment to evaluate his pain, and a panicked look filled his face, “I’m going to die.”

Leopold approached the man, “We can try to save you…but I can’t promise it.”  He shared the details of Niner and the story so far. Baron’s eyes grew larger with each revelation.

“You’re saying this…’Niner’ has kept my body alive?”  A nod from Halsey.  “If he stays…and I go…he’ll continue to live.” He stared at the silence from his rescuers, “Tell me the odds.  You’re a man of science from a science ship.”

“The odds are far greater with Niner that this body will survive.  There’s a chance we could save you…”

Monast interrupted him, “The life that will survive is the one you need to save.”  He stared hard at Halsey, “Do not attempt to persuade me, Doctor Halsey.  I will not yield.  Life is life…and it deserves to continue its journey.”

Halsey sighed, “You have made your position clear.”  He stepped back, “This is going to hurt, Baron.”

A quiet smile crossed the drone’s lips, “Pain is a part of life, Doctor.  It is necessary.”

The reversal process was not quiet.  Baron Monast screamed.  He shouted.  He cried.  His body convulsed, shook, and shuddered.  His last words were a whispered, “Thank you.”  The eyes remained closed for a moment before they fluttered open; the sleepy look of Niner had returned as he realized, “He decided to let me live.”  Halsey shared what had happened.  “Then I am thankful.”  He glanced around at the equipment, “What happens next?”

“We have to remove as much of the Borg equipment as possible…it also means…”

Niner winced, “Removing the Syndicate enhancements.  This is going to hurt, isn’t it?”

Halsey replied, “Yes.  You will have an emptiness within you.  We have people that can help you work through it.  You are not the first to have walked this path.”

The Borg drone spent a few minutes staring at the ground, his mind working to imagine what would happen to him.  Ultimately, he decided, “Do what must be done, Doctor.”