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It had happened far too quickly for Elnor to process it in time. The way Narissa had feigned being knocked down, the arrow held out in his direction, the second hidden arrow that she threw to the side.
Into Hugh’s neck.
Elnor abandoned the fight and rushed to the fallen xB’s side. His hands hovered over the arrow lodged in Hugh’s throat, desperate to remove it, to perhaps kill Narissa with it in some symbolic way - Killing her with her own weapon, coated in the blood of whom she tried to kill with it.
But the arrow was deep. Removing it would only hurt Hugh further, possibly kill him.
Instead, he turned to face Narissa again, to protect Hugh this time, as he had failed to do so before, only to catch the tail end of a Romulan transport in place of where she had been.
He was immediately glad he hadn’t removed the arrow now. He’d never have killed her in time.
“Hugh-“ Elnor turned back to his fallen charge, his eyes wide as he tried to think about what he should do next. He wasn’t familiar with the Borg. He wasn’t sure what he could do to help, or if Hugh could even be helped at this point.
“To activate the Queen Cell… you’ll need an xB…” Hugh gasped. Elnor shook his head.
”I have you.” Elnor frowned. “You must power it.”
”I am surely lost…” Hugh forced a smile, but Elnor shook his head.
”I am your Qalankhkai. I have bound myself to you, to your cause, and I will not give up on it or on you.” Elnor told him firmly as he pulled the director up, keeping a firm hold on him as he swayed dangerously. “There must be something I can do, something the Borg can do. You must have a sickbay here.”
”There are several across the Artifact…” Hugh rasped. “Designed for Reclamation…”
”You have overseen Reclamations, yes? You have had one yourself.”
”Yes, but-“
”How do you normally heal from wounds from them?”
”N-Nanoprobes-“
”Then we’ll get some of them.” Elnor argued, but Hugh made a choked sound of protest.
”N-no. C-can’t… I-I am Hugh.” Hugh gasped, but Elnor didn’t understand.
Instead, the Romulan swept Hugh into his arms, and took off down the corridor.
”Where is the closest sickbay?”
Hugh tapped at his wrist a few times, bringing up a 3D holographic map of the cube. He zoomed in on their location, pointing towards a green section of the Cube.
”Here…”
Elnor followed the map, using Hugh’s schematics to avoid areas where Romulan’s roamed. They passed several xB’s on their journey, some stopping to witness the sight while others seemed lost. Hugh had buried his face in Elnor’s neck, whether from pain or embarrassment, Elnor wasn’t sure.
The moment they arrived at the medical bay, Elnor dove behind one of the beds to keep Hugh hidden, before emerging with his sword and running it through every Romulan in the room.
Movement to his left caught him off guard as he raised his sword once more.
”Elnor! Stop!”
Hugh’s cry reached Elnor’s ears the moment his eyes registered the xB in front of him, her hands held up in surrender. Behind her, two more xB’s sat on beds, watching him, probably because he’d just killed their Doctors.
Elnor sighed in relief and lowered the blade to face Hugh, who was peeking out from behind the biobed.
“Hugh, when I hide you, I’d appreciate it if you could remain hidden.” Elnor told him, returning to his side. Hugh attempted to retort, only to groan in pain as Elnor lifted him up onto the bed.
“The xB’s-“
“I will not harm them.” Elnor promised, turning to them and giving them a visual once over.
Elnor didn’t recognise any of the xB’s- He’d only met Hugh- but Hugh seemed to recognise them. Elnor didn’t doubt that Hugh knew each and every xB on the Cube, probably by name and number.
That was just who Hugh was; He cared for them all.
“Do you require medical aid?” Elnor asked them. The xB’s all shook their heads. “There. They are fine. How do I acquire the nanoprobes?”
“They are already… in my body.” Hugh explained. “I will need to- replicate a- a compound to… to speed the healing process…”
“Which compound?”
Hugh spewed a few numbers to Elnor, who repeated them into the medical replicator. The xBs from before had grouped, watching Hugh with curious expressions. The director forced a smile.
”I’m alright…” He assured them weakly. Elnor returned to his side with the replicated hypospray.
”What now?”
“Just… Inject it b-before I change my mi- Ow!” The xB slammed his hand over where Elnor had just injected him.
”Sorry. You said-“
“I know.” Hugh shuddered. “I just… I don’t like feeling it. The Nanoprobes- I don’t… N-No…” He squeezed his eyes shut.
Suddenly, the xB’s were at Elnor’s side, one reaching to grab him which he quickly dodged, only to step into the path of another.
“Um… Hugh? Your friends…”
Elnor turned to Hugh, but whether he had heard him, Elnor wasn’t sure. Hugh still sat with his eyes squeezed closed, his hands gripping at the edge of the bed, as though steadying himself.
Or preparing himself…
”I am Hugh… I am Hugh. I am not… Third of Five. I am- Hugh…”
Hugh’s whispered chant was barely audible, only picked up by Elnor’s training to listen for the slightest of sounds.
”What did you do?”
One of the xB’s moved between them, blocking Elnor’s view of the director. He was of large build, and glared at Elnor threateningly, as though he thought…
Oh… They thought he was harming Hugh.
”I am trying to help him.” Elnor explained. “He was injured, near death. A Romulan blade pierced his neck. I am speeding up the healing process with his nanoprobes. I’m not trying to hurt him. I don’t… I don’t understand why he is still afraid.”
The xB’s all turned from Elnor to Hugh, then exchanged worried glances to each other. Wordlessly, they nodded to one another.
One xB moved to Hugh’s left side, taking the director’s hand in hers, while another positioned himself on Hugh’s right side and placed a gentle hand on his knee. The largest xB rounded the bed to stand behind Hugh, and carefully wrapped his arms around Hugh’s shoulders.
The choked gasp from Hugh as he leaned back into the touch informed Elnor that he was not used to this kind of treatment; He knew he’d have to change that as soon as they fixed everything.
”Everthing will be alright.” The xB on Hugh’s left whispered in a staticy voice. The xB on his right nodded in agreement.
”You are one, but you are not alone.”
”Your name is Hugh.” The xB behind added. “You are not your past. You are reclaimed.”
Elnor suddenly wondered if the xB’s were repeating things Hugh had said to them during their own Reclamation surgeries.
He also wondered if Hugh had had anyone during his own Reclamation, but the tears in Hugh’s brown eye, and the way he reached up to gently hold the arms around his shoulders, suggested he hadn’t had that kindness.
Perhaps that was why he was so keen to give it himself.
”Thank you, my friends…” Hugh whispered, as though receiving the finest gift he’d ever been offered. Maybe it was.
When Elnor saw the wound on Hugh’s neck begin to heal, working to push the arrow out, he knew that he had made the right choice to save him.