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Trekkies - Would the Real Jeri Ryan Please Stand Up? Synopsis: Danni - changed by an MAU into an exact replica of Seven of Nine - faces what may turn out to be her ultimate challenge. [email protected] ********************************************************************** Trekkies - Would the Real Jeri Ryan Please Stand Up? She walked down the hall with a grace that screamed feminine charm. Her clothing seemed less closely fit than spray-painted on, and in her heels, her entire body moved with an allure that seemed to dare men to ignore her. She held her head erect, but not snobbishly so, as if to announce that she knew she was attracting attention and chose to ignore it. And even that seemed to challenge men to get her attention. As she turned the last corner, Danni glanced over her shoulder at the fen gawking after her, and she sighed. With a little extra snap in her step, she left sight of the main corridors of the convention center. Few fen deigned come this way - it was the site of the Green Room, the hospitality suite for the special guests of the convention. The room was off limits for normal convention members. Danni paused briefly at the door; the volunteer guard had to check her ID to make sure she was allowed into the room. He smiled and nodded. "Just checking," he explained needlessly. Danni nodded. "I know," she answered without enthusiasm. She stepped past the guard into the expansive room. A little peace and quiet was in order, and possibly some refreshments, and at a crowded science fiction convention, the Green Room was the place to get both. Several tables, surrounded by chairs, sat on once side of the room, a place for last-minute preparation for panel speakers. Across the room, nearly lining one wall, stood a row of tables; soft drinks, bottled water, coffee, tea - all for quenching the thirst of speakers. And in the center of the room sat the most coveted positions of all, a large number of comfy, overstuffed chairs and recliners - the perfect place to take a load off the feet and relax, even catch a quick nap. The guard called after her. "By the way, that was a pretty quick change of costumes," he said. Danni turned, surprised. He had a smile on his face, but before she could ask him what he meant, he turned to another guest entering the Green Room. She shook her head and turned back toward the refreshment table. 'He's probably confused,' she thought to herself. ********** "Danni, wait up!" Danni paused mid-stride and turned to the voice calling behind her. "Oh, hi, Shelby," she said as she recognized the girl running to catch her. "You going to the Treknology panel?" Shelby panted as she caught up to Danni. Unlike Danni in her gray catsuit and her Borg devices on her eye, her cheek, and her hand, Shelby seemed rather plainly attired in a Star Fleet uniform from the Next Generation. Such sights were not atypical at science fiction conventions. Danni nodded. "I'm on the panel," she said without boasting. "I kind of figured you'd be," Shelby said with a grin. "Who better than the resident expert on Borg for the panel?" Danni shrugged. "Well, it should be a fun discussion." Shelby laughed. "You always manage to make your panel sessions ... interesting." They turned the corner into the meeting room. "You going to the bid parties tonight?" Danni nodded. "Of course." "You going with or without your ... makeup?" Shelby asked. Danni started, and glanced at Shelby with a confused look on her face. "I can see wearing it for this forum," Shelby continued, "but it's got to be a pain, and hard on your skin, to keep it on all the time." She shrugged. "If it were me, I'd skip it for the parties. Besides, I thought you looked enough like Seven without your makeup." She spied another acquaintance and stepped quickly into the sea of chairs. "Hi, Fred!" Shelby called. "Save me a seat!" Danni stood, her gaze following Shelby, and a confused expression on her face. Shelby's words made absolutely no sense. She _wasn't_ wearing makeup. The Borg devices everyone thought were props really were, thanks to a strange alien device, a part of her. Finally, she shook her head and decided that she'd better get to the table before they started the panel without her. ********** "Great job, as usual," Mike snarled. Around him, other Trek fen glanced up in both admiration and nervousness at Mike's costume. The costume and his makeup were so authentically Klingon that people couldn't help stopping and staring. Danni smiled, both at Mike's compliment and at the way people were gawking. They all figured that Mike, and his wife Sandy beside him, were in costume. Few people realized that they weren't. Their foreheads were exposed and covered in bony ridges and knobs. Their hair _would_ have been straight, but for the tangles and snarls. Their teeth looked to be a bit sharper than normal, as if they were partly carnivorous animals. The pieces of their armor, intricately placed on their tunics, rattled when they moved suddenly, lending a martial air to their movements. Sandy snarled. "We have to help Darla prepare." Danni nodded slowly. "True," she agreed. "So I guess we'll catch up to you at the parties later." Mike laughed. "I won't promise to save any blood wine for you!" He turned to leave. Sandy grasped his arm and spun him violently around. "You will behave!" she snarled. Mike snarled back at her, and he looked ready to strike her. Before he could, however, Sandy grasped his hand and raised it to her mouth, biting into his palm. "I _will_ be at the party ... when we have finished helping Darla!" she said, half snarling and half cooing. Mike's angry snarl turned into a leering grin. With a clatter of his Klingon armor, he spun and stomped off toward the convention hotel and the party suite. Danni and Sandy turned and walked casually out of the meeting room. Around them, some convention members gawked, while others puffed themselves up in a futile attempt to make their own costumes look as impressive. Sandy laughed at their efforts. As they strode through the hotel atrium toward the glass elevator, Danni was aware that two young men sitting in the hotel lobby were staring at her. Their eyes seemed riveted on her as she and Sandy waited for the elevator to descend to their level. Danni glanced up the atrium, to the glass elevator. It seemed to take forever for the infernal machine to descend to the lobby, and as soon as the door opened, Danni and Sandy stepped in. "I thought she went _up_ just a minute ago!" one of the young men said, allowing his voice to rise more than it should have. The other one stared after Danni. "Couldn't have been. She wasn't in costume, and no one can change that quickly." Danni stood silently as the elevator doors closed, wondering what the two had been talking about. ********** "Are you _sure_ you're not nervous?" Darla, the girl being addressed, took no offense at the question. It was as if she was used to hearing such questions. The only reaction was that one eyebrow, a sloping eyebrow beneath straight black bangs, raised ever so slightly. "Should I be?" she asked calmly. From all outward appearances, she was a stereotypical Vulcan from Star Trek, from a very faint greenish tint in her complexion to her straight black hair which masked - barely - her pointed ears. Only upon closer examination would one discover that the girl wore no makeup, and no prosthetic earpieces. The ears and eyebrows and complexion were - somehow - a part of her. Even her clothing was perfectly suited to the Star Trek characters - a traditional and simple Vulcan robe layered over a kimono-like gown of finely woven tan cloth. "Yes!" Sandy said. "Tomorrow's your _wedding day_, Darla! For goodness sake, you act like it's nothing special!" Her armor rattled as she spoke, as if to emphasize her words. "On the contrary, Sandy," Darla answered evenly. "It is _not_ a wedding day in the sense that you know. To be precise, it will be our _bonding_ day, when we are bonded as partners." "Bonding day, wedding day, what's the difference?" Sandy asked, exasperated. She threw up her hands in frustration and stomped out of the room, her armor clattering with every step. "I suspect that the Klingons will find the ceremony ... less than entertaining," Darla said to the remaining girl in the room. "That's another of your understatements," Danni said simply. "And you're right." She shook her head with a smile. "Unless the celebration has a lot of strong drink, roast Targ, and hand-to-hand combat, the Klingons will be bored." Danni did a check of the robes, pausing to carefully smooth out a wrinkle in the back. An urgent banging at the door interrupted the two. Danni frowned. "I thought you said this was a private suite." Darla nodded. "It is. The only persons who know of this are the other Vulcans, Mike, and Sandy." Danni sighed, then opened the door. It was Mike, Sandy's Klingon husband and Danni's former roommate. He looked a bit unsettled - his scowl seemed deeper than normal. "We've got a problem," he announced as he walked into the room, closing the door behind him. "Oh?" Darla asked as her left eyebrow rose fractionally. "Is this a problem for all of us, or for some of us, or are you using the first- person plural possessive pronoun as an indicator of the severity of the ..." Mike glared at Darla. "_We_ have a problem." He turned to Danni. "_She's_ here." Danni paled. "She's here?" Danni suddenly felt weak. Mike could only mean Jeri Ryan herself. "She can't be. I ... we ... I checked her schedule! She hasn't been doing many cons since she started Boston Public. I know she's not booked for this con!" She glanced at Darla. "Maybe this is just a coincidence?" Mike shook his head. "She's looking for you." Danni eased herself into a chair. "Oh, shit!" she mouthed softly. Darla looked puzzled. At the same convention all those months ago where Mike and Sandy become true Klingons, Darla had become a true Vulcan. Since that event, a number of other fen had been transformed into a wide variety of science fiction characters. "We all knew that, eventually, she was going to search for you. You have taken great care to avoid conventions where she is a scheduled guest, but it was inevitable that she would notice _your_ appearances. I fail to understand why this news should be so ... troubling. " Mike shook his head. "Vulcans!" he snarled. "So what are we going to do?" he asked Danni. She was quite clearly the de-facto leader of the group, all the more so since she had learned, with her Borg implants, to reactivate the alien box responsible for all the changes. Danni sat in the chair, her body covered in the silvery suit familiar to Voyager fen, one leg cross sloppily over the other. Her elbow rested on an arm of the chair, and her forehead rested in the palm of that hand. She shook her head a bit. "Where is she?" she finally asked. Mike frowned. "She's outside." Darla's eyebrow raised again. "How much does she know?" Mike shook his head. "Not much," he scowled. "Only that you look like her and you're seen a lot at conventions." Right after they'd discovered the alien device, Danni and Mike had done a variety of changes to themselves, and to other Trek fen. A small number, including Danni, had deliberately or inadvertently changed genders. Feeling responsible for the problems the changees were experiencing, Mike had opened his large bank account, a result of a multi-million dollar inheritance, to support the transformed fen. They were now regulars at the Trek conventions, and since Danni had learned how to reactivate the device, the group's numbers had increased. Surprisingly few had changed back. Danni nodded glumly. "I guess you should show her in." Mike frowned. "Is that ... wise?" he asked tentatively. Danni frowned. "Unless you have a better idea," she replied acidly. Mike snarled at her reponse. It was a challenge to him, and Klingons were not known to take challenges lightly. But Mike backed down quickly. Being partially Borg gave Danni a large number of advantages if he were to try to pick a fight. He'd learned that fact the hard way. "No," he grudgingly admitted. "It may be wise to invite your mate," Darla suggested to Mike. "Her reaction may be ... unpredictable." Danni shook her head. "No. I think I should meet her alone." "Is _that_ wise?" Danni closed her eyes, letting her head hang as she sighed. "I don't know. I've known this day would come for a long time." She looked up at Mike, her head shaking from side to side. "I should have been prepared. But I'm not." "Are you sure?" Mike offered. Danni shook her head. "No." She sat upright, pausing to brush the wrinkles from her silvery catsuit. She winced as she brushed over her prominent breasts. Even nearly a year later, Danni was having trouble adjusting to having them. "I've got to talk to her ... alone." ********** The knock was hesitant, almost weak, as if the visitor were uncertain or shy. Without rising from her chair, Danni called out in a firm voice, "Come in. It's open." Slowly, the door edged open. A head appeared, glancing inside the room, followed by shoulders and then the rest of the attractive woman. She instantly focused on Danni. "Oh, my God!" she mouthed softly. "You look exactly like ...." Danni nodded without smiling. "Like you." She stood and held out her hand to the newcomer. "Come in. Have a seat. I'm Danni. And I bet you have a lot of questions." Jeri Lynn Ryan, star of Voyager and portrayer of the television version of Seven of Nine, took Danni's hand and gave it a very tentative squeeze. "Thank you," she said, trying to sound gracious even though her eyes were wide with her surprise. Following Danni's lead, she sat down in one of the suite's large overstuffed chairs. "Can I get you anything? Soda? Water?" Danni offered graciously. "Diet Seven Up," Jeri replied. She was busily studying Danni, scanning up and down her body. Danni handed the soda to Jeri. "Now, where would you like to start?" She tried to smile, but inside she was a bundle of nerves. Jeri wrinkled her nose. "I don't really know _where_ to start. Are you ... have you always ... I mean, did you always look like me? Or have you had some kind of surgery?" She knew the question might be offensive, but on the other hand, she'd known fen to go to some extremes to be like their screen idols. Danni laughed as she shook her head. "No. In fact, I used to look a _lot_ different." She saw Jeri's eyes narrow slightly. "And you needn't be alarmed," Danni added hastily. "I am not an obsessed fan who went under the knife to look like my idol." Jeri started; somehow, Danni had known exactly what she was thinking. "The Borg makeup. How'd you do that? It looks real." Danni nodded, a somber expression on her face. "It _is_ real." Now Jeri was thoroughly confused. "But ..." Danni sighed heavily. "Let me tell you the whole story. It's going to be _very_ hard for you to believe, I'm sure, but I have to tell you. Then if you still have questions, I'll show you what happened. Okay?" Danni bit her lip, collecting herself for a brief moment. "About one year ago, I was a promising young PhD student and ardent science fiction fan attending the World Science Fiction Convention with my roommate. In fact, among my friends, I was considered to be a very large fan of _yours_." Danni watched, looking for some reaction from Jeri. "There, I found a gray metal box that had some ... unusual properties. As hard as it sounds to believe, the box was some kind of alien technology which allowed the user to transform his or her body into whatever he or she wanted." Danni paused, watching the disbelief spread slowly on Jeri's face. "Mike chose to become a Klingon. And since you'd missed the convention, he tricked me into becoming you." Jeri frowned. "Wait a minute. You didn't used to look like me? But this alien ... thing ... transformed you?" Danni nodded slowly. "Correct." She waited for Jeri to react, but when she didn't, continued. "Since you were not there, Mike suggested that I could go to the events as you. Eventually, I used my knowledge of Seven of Nine to change my body once more. " Danni watched Jeri's face closely. Jeri Ryan's surprise was quickly metamorphosing to disbelief. "That's ... impossible!" she said. She studied Danni's face closely, looking for any sign that Danni was either insane or was pulling her leg. She saw none. "Okay, then why don't you use your alien contraption to change back?" Danni shook her head wearily. "I can't." There was an air of resignation to her voice that couldn't be missed. You _have_ to!" Jeri insisted. "You can't be me!" She studied Danni's face and saw the resigned look. "Why not?" Danni shook her head sadly. "I can't. The problem is that I apparently was far too thorough in ... replicating you as Seven of Nine. When the device made me partially Borg, I had all the Borg implants and nanoprobes, precisely as your character on Voyager. The Borg implants ... shield me from any further transformations." She shrugged. "I'm stuck." "As me. As Borg, like on the show." Jeri shook her head. On the one hand, Danni was very sincere. But on the other hand, the tale she was telling was impossible. "You need to understand one thing. I get _paid_ for doing these conventions. I get paid quite a bit! And now you're going to ruin it for me!" Jeri frowned. "Did you know that since you showed up, Viacom has quit booking me for these conventions?" "I take it, then, that you're here because Viacom asked?" Danni asked cautiously. Jeri started at the question, then she shook her head. "No. They don't have anything to do with me being here. I'm here because I_have to find out who's impersonating me, so Viacom will start booking me again." She leaned back. "I thought about hiring an investigator to check up on you." "But?" Jeri smiled thinly. "But if word got out, well, there are those who would make it into a big scandal, and I don't want bad publicity. Second, do you know how expensive it would be?" She shook her head. "After my agent started getting calls from Viacom, and some of my co-stars from Voyager started telling about how nice it was to see me at the conventions...." Danni sighed. "I ... suspected that my appearance was causing some confusion. But I thought the ... scarcity ... of your appearances were due to filming on 'Boston Public'." Jeri frowned. "That _does_ keep me busy, but Viacom told my agent that they're blocking my appearances until this ... situation ... gets cleared up!" She shook her head, her expression clearly unhappy. "They've essentially accused me of using 'Boston Public' as an excuse to avoid them booking me, then doing the appearance on my own so I can get more of the fees. You know what that kind of ... accusation ... could do to my career?" She sounded understandably angry. "You _have_ to put an end to this ... farce!" Danni sighed again. Then she reached beside her and lifted a gray metal box about the size of an attach? case. "If I could..." She set the box on the floor. "This ... is the device we found." Jeri frowned skeptically. "It looks like a gray briefcase. So?" Danni nodded. "Watch." As Jeri watched, Danni extended her left arm toward the box. Almost quicker than the eye could follow, twin dark metallic tubes shot from her arm, intersecting with the side of the box. Danni concentrated for a brief moment, and then the box began to grow. With a very nervous, even frightened expression, Jeri watched the box begin to grow. First of all, she'd seen the tubes - the Borg assimilation tubes - shoot out of Danni's arm. Just like on the show. And then, slowly, the box stretched. There was no unfolding, no bending. The metal just ... grew! When it finished, the box was about the size of a telephone booth, with plain gray sides. Danni watched Jeri carefully through the entire process, as if operating the box were so automatic that she could do it with no effort. She saw a bit of fear, and some genuine curiosity. Danni rose and turned the box. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Jeri Ryan rose from her chair and examined the box, focusing in particular on the red three-digit crystal and the flat black panel above it. It looked like some form of rudimentary control panel. To the left of the red 'paw print' thing was an ornately shaped purple crystal. After examining it for a moment, Jeri glanced at Danni. "Okay, I'll admit this is ... interesting." "Interesting is an understatement," Danni said with a wry smile. "At least, that's what most people think." She laughed. "And that's exactly what my friends the Vulcans would say." Jeri nodded. There was something about Danni that was refreshingly honest. "Okay, it's neat," she said with a smile. "And I know a few people in Hollywood would kill to find out how you do this trick." Danni shrugged. "It's not a trick," she said confidently. "And we'd rather ... keep it a secret." Jeri's amused look flitted away - for a moment. Danni's statement sounded guarded, even sinister. "Okay. I agree this is an interesting trick. But ...?" Danni smiled warmly. "It is very simple to operate. You touch the red crystal and think of a form. It can be a person, or almost anything you wish. When the form on the display matches what you wish, touch the purple crystal. That opens a portal. On the inside is the activation control. When you touch it, the machine will make the transformation." Jeri was about to touch the red crystal, but she stopped. "It sounds ... like science fiction." Danni smiled again. "Yes, it does, doesn't it." She gestured to the pad. "Would you like to see for yourself?" Jeri stiffened. Something about this didn't feel right. She wasn't sure she should trust Danni and her fanciful tale. "Why don't you show me?" she said cautiously. Danni sighed. "As I said, my Borg implants shield me from the device. I _can't_ change." "Oh, yeah." Jeri didn't sound convinced. Danni sat back down in her chair and gestured for Jeri to sit as well. She bit her lip, and Jeri flinched at just how much the action matched her own actions. "I understand that you're a bit ... leery," Danni started. "You find someone who's your twin, who tells you a very interesting ... and frankly, quite unbelievable ... tale about alien technology, and then shows you a device that _could_ be some kind of trick or trap." She laughed. "I guess I'd be nervous, too." Jeri sat down again and took a sip of her soda. "I ... I'm glad you understand." Danni shrugged. "Believe it or not, I've come to be a bit suspicious of ... fen ... over the last year." She laughed again. "Being you isn't always easy." She suddenly reached for the phone. "I know what we can do, though. To demonstrate the box to you." Danni picked up the phone and quickly punched some numbers. "Mike? Danni. I need a bit of help here. No, not like that. Have we got any volunteers? Um, hmm. Did you check? They said she's clear? Good. That should be perfect. Send her up." She replaced the phone in the cradle and turned back to Jeri, a smile on her face. "In case you hadn't noticed, science fiction fandom is a rather close group." Jeri nodded and smiled. "I've noticed." "Well, you can imagine how news of this box has spread through the community. Every convention, we have fen who want to change." "Fen?" Jeri's eyebrows raised. Danni laughed. "Plural of fan." "Oh." "Anyway, we are rather careful about who we change." She smiled, but there was a flash of warning in her eyes. "We can't let the knowledge of this device get out to just anyone." Jeri suppressed a shudder. If the device were as powerful as Danni was hinting .... "I think I understand." "Anyway, the Collective and I do a pretty thorough job of screening ... applicants," Danni finished. "The Collective? As in 'Borg Collective'?" Jeri's eyes widened. Danni laughed. "Yeah, we've got our own community of Borg." She saw the fear on Jeri's face. Jeri knew the plot lines. She knew how fearsome of opponents the Borg could be. Danni waved her hand nonchalantly as if to dismiss Jeri's concern. "Oh, don't worry. They're not dangerous." Jeri didn't look too convinced. She nervously sipped her soda. "Anyway, as I was saying," Danni continued, "when we find a suitable applicant, we let them change. Sometimes, it's for the duration of the con. Sometimes it's permanent." A visible wave of relief coursed through Jeri's body. "Oh. So it's not a one-way change then." Danni laughed. "Except for me, no." "And all these ... others? They _choose_ to stay - as Vulcans and Klingons and such?" Jeri sounded amazed. Danni smiled. "You've met fen. You tell me." Jeri broke into a grin. "Okay, I see your point. I've met more than a few girls who would have given anything to look like me." She saw Danni flinch. "Oh, sorry," she added quickly. "I didn't mean ..." Danni shook her head and tried to brush off the comment. "Don't worry. I wasn't one of those girls." The cryptic answer was confusing to Jeri, and she opened her mouth to follow up, but a knock on the door interrupted before she could speak. "Come in," Danni said, almost relieved at the distraction. The door opened, and Mike came in, followed closely by a plump young lady. The young lady glanced nervously at Jeri and Danni. Mike stood to one side. "This is Kayla," he growled. "She wishes to change." His role done, he turned and stomped back through the door, closing it behind himself. Kayla looked nervous. She glanced at Danni, then at Jeri. "Oh, my gosh!" she exclaimed suddenly. "You're _really_ Seven! I mean Jeri Ryan!" Jeri pasted on a smile, covering her surprised and even troubled expression. "Yes," she said simply. Danni shot a quick glance at Jeri, then she looked back to Kayla. "Mike told you how the machine works?" she asked simply. Kayla glanced at the silver box, then she nodded. "Yeah," she said. "He said it's pretty simple." Danni nodded. "Very well," she said. "You may use the device." Kayla, with the look of a kid opening Christmas presents, sprang to the control panel. With a glance over her shoulder at Danni, she set to work. In short order, a familiar figure was displayed on the panel. She glanced at Danni. "Is this okay?" she asked. Danni smiled. "It's your choice," she said simply. Kayla nodded, then with a nervous glance at Jeri, she touched the purple crystal. She flinched when the side of the box simply vanished, as did Jeri. Then she stepped in and reached for another control. The side reappeared. Jeri straightened in her chair, watching the box intently. So far, it was doing exactly as Danni had said it would. But she was disappointed - there was no strange hum of alien machinery, no unearthly screeches or pops, just a strange silence from the contraption. It only took a few seconds for the machine to complete its work. The opening reappeared, and a figure emerged. Jeri's eyes widened as she beheld the spectacle. The figure slowly glanced down at itself, an awkward task given the helmet on its head. Then, slowly, it reached up and removed the helmet. Jeri's eyes, already wide with surprise, widened more. "That's ... Jango Fett!" she exclaimed softly. Kayla - now Jango - grinned as she examined her new body and the Mandalorian armor she now wore. "Cool!" she declared in a voice that sounded like Jango rather than a young lady. Danni held up a hand in warning. "Remember the rules. Your weapons are simulated only. Your backpack is not functional, but some of the less ... lethal ... weapons, like the grapple line, are. You must be careful. If you misuse the change in any way, we _will_ change you back. Understood?" Kayla nodded, then pulled on the helmet. "I understand," she said in the muffled voice of Jango Fett. With a confident air, she strode from the room. Danni watched the door close, then she turned back to her guest. "Convinced?" she asked with a sweet smile. Jeri sat fixed, staring at the box. "It seems so ... real!" she exclaimed softly. Danni shook her head. "Still a skeptic?" she asked. Jeri slowly nodded her head. "Sorry, but I work in a profession where fooling the eye is a way of life." Danni smiled. "I understand." She stood and walked to the control panel. "But now that you know it's safe, why don't you give it a try for yourself?" Jeri knew it was time to put up or shut up. The demonstration had been so convincing. Still .... She rose abruptly and walked to the box. "So what do I do?" Danni stood beside the controls. "Just like Kayla did. Touch the red crystal and think of what you want. Then you touch the purple crystal to enter. A similar crystal inside activates the device." Jeri placed her hand on the red crystal, and was surprised that it felt warm. A ghostly image formed on the screen, and its features morphed quickly as Jeri found herself unable to decide precisely who she wanted to be. The image remained a blur. She dropped her hand and glanced at Danni. "I ... can't make it work." Danni nodded. "That's because you aren't focused on one person. Think of just one person. A co-worker. A cast member, perhaps. It could be someone from Voyager or from Boston Public, or anyone else. Roxanne Dawson. Sharon Leal or Jessalyn Gelsig. But you have to focus on just one." "Anyone?" Jeri asked carefully. "Even Chi McBride or Robert Beltran?" Danni nodded carefully, her expression very deliberately neutral. "If you want, the device could change you into either of those ... men." Jeri bit her lip, exactly as Danni had done earlier, then she turned back to the screen. "Uh, _that_ might be a bit much. I think I'll try something a little less ... radical." Now, the image firmed up, coalescing into one figure. "Since this is a science fiction convention, this should be appropriate." When it was done, she glanced back at Danni, then she touched the purple knob. She straightened her back, stiffening her resolve as well, and stepped into the device. The side vanished, and a few moments later, it reappeared. Captain Janeway stepped out, dressed in full uniform. Her head bent forward, and her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open as she stared down at her body. "It ... it really _does_ work!" she said, and her mouth widened more as she heard the voice echoing in her ears. Danni stepped beside her and gently touched her arm. "Have a look," she said as she guided Jeri toward a mirror. "Oh, my God!" Jeri exclaimed. "I _look_ like Kate! I even _sound_ like her!" She touched her face and her hair. She turned to Danni, her eyes wide and an unreadable expression on her face. "It really does change a person!" Danni nodded. "Yes, it does." Jeri walked back to the machine. "It'll change me back?" she asked nervously. Danni touched the control plate. "I ... added a few features. It stores previous patterns so it can restore people more exactly." She grinned at Jeri. "Some people were changing back with a few added ... enhancements." She couldn't help glancing down at her own breasts, then back at Jeri. Jeri didn't understand why _she_ blushed; it was Danni's breasts. And yet, in a way, it was her own body that Danni had made the joke about. "Uh, no thanks," she said quickly. "I'll just change back the way I was." Danni smiled and touched the control. Jeri's body, exactly as it had been, down to the last stitch of clothing and dab of makeup, came up on the display. Jeri glanced at the image, and satisfied, she stepped into the box. As soon as she stepped out, back in her own body, she nervously patted herself, checking to reassure herself that she was unchanged. Danni touched the control, and the device refolded into the compact gray box. ********** Jeri set down her fork. "So how complete are the changes?" she asked between bites. She picked up her glass and took a sip of soda. Danni shrugged. "The changes go all the way to the genetic level." Jeri's eyes widened, and she glanced at Mike and Sandy, both Klingon. "So ... if ...?" Danni grinned. "The group has already added one Klingon baby and one Vulcan baby." Sandy looked up and sloppily wiped the wine from her lip. "And if my mate would be a little more willing, I would add my own warrior child!" she said with a growl at Mike. Mike laughed and tore a hunk off his roast with his teeth. "Bah!" he roared. "If you were as sensuous as some of the other Klingon females ..." Danni glanced at Jeri, then at Darla. Darla caught her look. "It would be a convenient time to leave," Darla suggested. Jeri looked confused. "Why?" Danni laughed. "You've never seen Klingons mate, have you?" "It will soon be rather noisy. And if they follow form, a large number of glasses and plates are about to be thrown and broken," Darla observed. Jeri mouthed an 'oh.' She dabbed her mouth with her napkin and rose. Quickly, as the bickering between Sandy and Mike rose in volume and intensity, the trio of ladies exited the restaurant. "Won't they get thrown out?" Jeri asked as she caught up to Darla and Danni. Darla shrugged. "Quite probably," she observed. "It is the most frequent outcome." "Oh." They walked in silence for a while. "The girl today," Jeri broke the silence, "that changed? You said the changes were ... genetic. Does that mean she ... um ...?" Danni knew the direction Jeri was going. "She's a man. Until she decides to change back." Jeri's eyes widened. "But ...." She shook her head in confusion. "Does that happen a lot? Women changing to men? And vice- versa?" Jeri noticed Danni stiffened. She glanced at Darla. "Yes," Darla said easily. "There are a number of transgendered changes in our group." She shot a glance at Danni. The trio walked in silence the rest of the way back to the hotel. Even in the elevator, no additional words were spoken. Jeri felt uneasy, as if there was still something hidden. "Aren't you going to your room to meditate?" Danni asked when Darla didn't get off the elevator at her own floor. "You have a big day tomorrow." Darla shook her head. "I believe that my presence will make things ... easier for you." Jeri glanced between the two women. "What ...?" she started to ask. "It would be better to complete the explanation in private," Darla said. As soon as the door closed behind them, Jeri turned to Danni. "There's something you haven't told me yet. Isn't there." It wasn't so much a question as a statement of certainty. Danni nodded slowly, then she sat down on the sofa. "It's ... kind of hard to talk about." She bit her lip. "It would perhaps be best to simply state the facts," Darla said evenly. "It would minimize the chance for confusion." Jeri's eyes narrowed. "I'm not sure I like where this is heading," she said warily. "If I put the pieces together, then ..." "Before I changed, I was a male grad student named Danny," Danni blurted out. "Okay?" She turned away from Jeri and Darla, embarrassed at the admission. Jeri sat in her chair, her mouth open and her eyes wide. For several awkward moments, the trio sat. "So ... why?" she asked finally. Danni shook her head. "I know this sounds weird," she said softly. Her voice was straining, and she dabbed at the tears on her cheeks. "I'm not weird or anything. I'm not a homosexual, or a transsexual, or anything like that. It ... just happened." "Danny is a very bright student of nanotechnology. He was working on his PhD, and he found the subject of the Borg ... fascinating," Darla interjected. "His interest in you was, I believe, primarily from your screen character as a cybernetic being." "Oh," Jeri said, sounding a bit deflated. "Look, it's not that I didn't admire your talent as an actress and your ... looks," Danni said defensively. "I mean, you're a ... a very attractive woman." "I believe what Danni is saying is that, as a young man, it was normal for him to find you attractive," Darla added. Jeri shook her head, unsure whether to laugh or not. "I got the message," she said to Darla. "It's all quite ... flattering. But ..." Danni shook her head. "When we first got the box, Mike was thinking of Klingon babes, and he got accidentally changed into Lursa. After we figured out how the thing worked, he ... we ... disguised ourselves to go to parties. He tricked me into going as you." "I see. I think. So you got stuck." Danni sighed. "No. I just played you at the parties and the next day at the convention. Then I changed back." "I thought you said you _couldn't_ change back." Jeri's voice sounded a touch angry. "Later, Danni decided to make another appearance at the convention as you. This time, _he_ designed the changes. And with his background in nano-robotics and knowledge of Star Trek, he designed the body as a complete Borg. As Seven of Nine." Jeri glanced at Darla, then at Danni. "Why?" she asked simply. "Why did you change a second time?" Her voice was devoid of anger or accusation; it sounded strangely compassionate. Danni shook her head. "I ... liked the attention," she admitted. "It was nice to have people treat me like I was important." Jeri closed her eyes momentarily, imagining the scene. She opened them and nodded slowly. "I think I understand. You wanted to be as popular as you thought I am." She saw the sad nod of Danni's head. "But it's not easy being a celebrity," she added. "Being recognized as a star, losing part of your privacy. It's not as glamorous as people think." Danni nodded her agreement. "Don't I know it." ********** "We have a problem." Danni looked up suddenly at Darla. "What?" she asked. Her mind had been miles away, preoccupied with other thoughts. Most of her thoughts were focused on Jeri, hovering about curiously as she observed the proceedings as a 'special guest'. "I said that we have a problem," Darla repeated. Danni frowned. "What now?" "I have no escort matron. If you recall, I intended that honor to be yours." She shook her head slightly. "However, as I was reminded only a few moments ago, tradition dictates that the escort matron must be Vulcan." Danni closed her eyes and sighed. "What about the other Vulcan women?" She saw the look in Darla's eyes. "I suppose they're all taking part in the ceremony in other roles, right?" Darla nodded. "Precisely." Danni frowned. "You know, you're all making up half this stuff as you go along," she muttered. "There aren't any 'Guides to Vulcan Bonding Rituals' anywhere." Darla tilted her head. "Perhaps not," she agreed evenly, "but there is a large volume of data on Vulcan ceremonies and rituals that is accepted canon for such events. It is a simple extrapolation of facts to determine the parameters of ..." Danni held up her hands, palms outstretched toward Darla in a gesture of surrender. "I give up!" she said, shaking her head. "You believe you have a logical extrapolation of ceremonies, so you have to precisely follow protocol! You can't make an exception, can you?" "It would not be logical to deviate from accepted practices." "Excuse me," sounded over Danni's shoulder. Danni spun, surprised. Jeri was standing close beside her, listening attentively. "If you need a Vulcan, maybe you can get someone to change?" Darla's eyebrow raised. "A logical solution," she said. Danni sighed. "We don't have time to find a volunteer, do a background check, make the change! Not if the ceremony is to start on time!" She shook her head. "And if we don't do the ceremony today, we won't have a chance for another three or four weeks!" "Could _I_ serve as the escort matron?" Jeri asked in a small, hesitant voice. Danni stared open-mouthed at Jeri. "Are you serious?" she asked, stunned. Darla raised both her eyebrows, a Vulcan indication of extreme surprise. "It is a logical solution, although not one I would have considered." Danni stared at Jeri. "You're serious?" Jeri glanced back and forth between Danni and Darla. "Uh, yeah," she answered meekly. Darla nodded. "Your offer is acceptable. I would be honored to have you as my escort matron." Danni suppressed a laugh. "We'd better hurry up, though, before she changes her mind!" She took Jeri's arm and turned toward the door. "You finish getting yourself prepared. We'll go change in my room. Meet you back here in a few minutes." Before Darla could answer, Danni led Jeri out of the small room. Fortunately, Danni's room was only a few doors down from Darla's. Even with that short walk, a large number of fen noticed the two Jeri Ryans - one plain and one as Seven - walking together down the hall. Heads turned, and more than one hapless young man bumped into a corner or wall because he was watching the Jeri 'twins' instead of watching where he was going. Jeri was chuckling as they stepped into Danni's room. "Don't you ever find that ... upsetting?" Danni asked uneasily. Jeri thought for a moment. "No, I guess not. I've been in the spotlight for most of my life, so I guess I've gotten used to it." Danni couldn't stop the shudder. "I don't think I'll ever get used to it," she said. She picked up the box and interfaced with it, causing it to grow. Despite having seen it before, Jeri was still unnerved watching the box grow. "Okay," she said as she stepped to the control panel, "how do I make myself a Vulcan?" "Just think about being a Vulcan. I programmed in the Vulcan physiological parameters," Danni instructed. "The first thing, the display will show you simply transformed into the closest Vulcan genetic match. After that, you can adjust parameters as you like." Jeri followed her simple instructions. In seconds, a very Vulcan Jeri Ryan appeared on the display. "Like that?" Danni nodded. "If you want to change anything, like your figure or your hair, just think of the changes, and the machine will apply those to your Vulcan physiology." Jeri glanced at the screen, then she shook her head. "No thanks," she declined. "This is probably enough of a change for me." Danni nodded her agreement. "Major changes can be ... disconcerting." Jeri glanced quizzically at Danni. "The voice of experience?" Danni laughed. "Touche," she answered. "No, some of our changes have been rather ... extreme." "Oh?" Danni grinned. "The shapeshifter probably had the worst time. He had to get used to spending a few hours every day resting in a bucket." "A shapeshifter?" Jeri asked, wide-eyed. She shook her head. "After all these convention appearances and getting to know the fans ... er, fen ... I don't know why I'm surprised." "You'd better change so we're not late." Jeri started, then she nodded. She touched the purple knob, and after the opening appeared, she entered the box. In moments, she was back, although this time she was Vulcan. Her fine eyebrows were upswept, and her ears had the distinctive points. Her hair, formerly wavy light brown, was now dark and very straight. Her skin had the faint yellowish-green tint characteristic of all Vulcans. She was also nude. Danni winced. "Uh, you might want to put on some clothes," she suggested cautiously. Jeri's eyebrow lifted, exactly as every Vulcan's did, and she glanced down. "Oh. I seem to have omitted clothing." Her eyebrow raised again as she heard her words. Danni stepped around her and touched the control plate. On the display, Jeri's figure quickly changed to include a ceremonial Vulcan tunic and robe. "Try that," Danni suggested. Jeri nodded, then she stepped back into the box. She re- emerged clad in the garments. "Is that better?" Danni asked, smiling. Jeri nodded. "It is less drafty." Her eyebrow raised. "My memories suggest that I should have found the situation awkward and even embarrassing. However, I felt no such emotions. This is peculiar." Danni laughed lightly. "I forgot to warn you that in Vulcans, emotions are practically non-existent. Your emotions are highly suppressed, and your brain's logic centers are greatly enhanced." "Ah," Jeri replied. "That would explain why I felt no embarrassment." Danni grinned. "That, and the fact that I've seen your body naked every day for the last many months!" "A sensible answer," Jeri replied easily. "We should return to Darla's room to ensure we are prepared for the ceremony." Danni laughed to herself. She knew that when Jeri changed back, she was going to express all the emotions that her Vulcan physiology was suppressing. It was going to be quite a sight. ********** "It would be logical for me to appear at the reception as I appeared in the ceremony." Danni's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure you don't want to change back right now?" Jeri shook her head lightly. "We are expected at the reception." She started to walk toward the elevator. The reception was being held in one of the larger suites of the convention hotel. Danni lightly touched her arm, halting Jeri. "Are you sure you want to go? You don't know what these parties can be like." Jeri paused. "It is expected. However, I would appreciate any advance information you could provide prior to our arrival. It would help me be ... prepared." Danni winced. Jeri was determined to go, and she really had no idea what she was getting into. "Don't be surprised ... by anything," she began as they stepped into the elevator. ********** A Vulcan male, appearing to be about 30, approached Danni and Jeri. "You are new to our group," he observed, speaking to Jeri. Jeri nodded in acknowledgement. "Your assumption is correct," she answered simply. "I was changed for my role in the bonding ceremony." "I am Tural," the man said in introduction. Jeri nodded. "I am Jeri," she replied easily. Tural nodded. "I suspected that you were Jeri Ryan. You honor us with your presence." He extended his hand, fingers spread in the familiar Vulcan greeting. Jeri's eyebrow raised, then she lifted her hand toward his, her fingers spread. "You honor me by permitting me a role in the ceremony," she answered. Danni's hand caught Jeri's arm in an uncomfortably firm grip. "Uh, uh," she cautioned firmly. She turned toward Tural. "You should know that she has not had time to adjust. She would be overwhelmed by even a simple ... greeting." It was Tural's turn to raise his eyebrow. "I was not ... aware ... that there could be a problem." He lowered his hand quickly. "I assure you that I intended no affront." He turned and hastened away. Jeri glanced at Danni and observed the firm set of her jaw and the steely gaze in her eyes. She turned back to Tural, to his retreating form. "I do not understand." Danni sighed. "For Vulcans, a physical touch is ... intimate. It enhances the communications between two individuals. While not as significant as a full mind meld, it is nonetheless a very powerful event." Jeri frowned - slightly. "I was not aware ..." Danni nodded, cutting her off. "If you had completed the touch, especially since Tural is showing signs of nearing Ponn Farr, you might have been overwhelmed by the ... experience. The Vulcans have discovered that in some new changees, it can cause a ... bond." "A bond? Similar to a mating bond?" Jeri asked, sounding more curious than alarmed. Danni nodded grimly. "If you experienced such a bond, even a fleeting one, you could find yourself unwilling to change back from your Vulcan form. You would find yourself emotionally attached to the other person ... permanently." "I did not realize the implications or the possibilities of such a bond." Jeri thought for a brief moment. "Your precautions on my behalf are wise. "I suggest that you change back now, so you can avoid any other situations," Danni suggested. Jeri nodded. "That would be logical." The two left the party suite. In less than ten minutes they were back, with Jeri Ryan now as herself. "Why don't we find a table to sit?" Danni suggested. She took Jeri's arm and led her to a small table. As they sat engaged in small-talk about the group and the ceremony, Danni noticed that some members of the changee group seemed to hover around their table, as if wanting to talk to Jeri or get an autograph or a picture. Jeri didn't seem to notice, or if she did, she gave no indication. Danni, however, was acutely aware. Finally, she had enough. "Excuse me," she interrupted Jeri. "Doesn't all this," she glanced around, "bother you?" Jeri gave a quick glance. "Only once in a while, when I really would like some privacy, it gets to be a real pain." "Well, it bothers me!" Danni grimaced. "Excuse me a moment." In a graceful and fluid motion, she rose and walked to Mike. Jeri couldn't hear Danni, but from the glances she and Mike gave toward her, and from the scowl that grew on Mike's face, she knew it was about her. Mike nodded, and Danni walked back to the table and sat down. "Now, where were we?" she asked as if nothing had happened. Jeri frowned. "What was that all about?" she blurted out, her curiosity having gotten the better of her. Even as she asked, she saw Mike collar and yell at a couple of the Klingons that were watching her and Danni. Danni shrugged. "Nothing, really. I just explained the situation to Mike. He's explaining to the Klingons that they _really_ should stop acting like a bunch of star-struck fen and treat you like they treat any of the rest of us." Jeri nodded her appreciation. "You think it'll work?" As the words slipped from her mouth, she saw one of the Klingons take a swing at Mike. A few quick and savage blows from Mike left the Klingon falling to the floor. Jeri winced. Danni saw her expression, and she turned in time to see the final moment of the Klingon's unconscious collapse. "Yes. Mike's just reminding them that you're part of our select club, just like they are." "Select club?" Jeri asked cautiously. Danni smiled. "Sure. You changed into a Vulcan for the ceremony. That makes you one of us, even if you did change back." "Oh." She glanced around the room, at all the strange Trek aliens and faces. "I suppose that'll take care of the Klingons, but what about the rest of the ... the changees?" Danni shrugged. "The Vulcans are easy. It's their logic. The others?" She smiled. "Mike's probably telling them that if they _don't_ stop, he'll chuck them into the box and change them back." Her smile broadened. "That should take care of them." "So just how big is this 'select group'?" Danni thought for a moment. "When we started, there were about thirty of us. Since then, our numbers have grown to somewhere around two hundred." Jeri's eyes widened. "Two hundred?" Danni nodded. "Give or take. It depends on the con." "Wow! I didn't realize there were so many." She frowned as she stared, wide-eyed, at a corner of the suite. "Is that ... girl ... naked?" Danni followed Jeri's look. "Oh. You mean Lorella?" Danni nodded and smiled. "She prefers to entertain in the nude." Jeri shook her head. "It was hard to tell with her body paint." She frowned. "That _is_ body paint, isn't it?" She saw Danni's eyes. "You mean she's really green?" Danni smiled. "She's an Orion slave girl. Quite exotic, according to Trek canon. And yes, she's green." "But the Klingons are ... fondling her!" Jeri protested. "And she seems to be enticing them for more!" Danni nodded again. "Orion slave girls are known for their ... friendliness. She'll probably entertain five or six of the Klingons before the night is done." Her answer was so matter-of-fact that it sounded like a weather report. Jeri suppressed a shudder. "I suppose there's a story behind her, as well? Was she just an outgoing girl who wanted to be green?" She shook her head. "God, but that sounds like a Kermit the Frog song..." Danni laughed, but her laugh was uneasy. "No, she was a guy once, too." "Oh." It was clear to Jeri, from the tone of Danni's answer, that Danni wasn't going to tell any more of Lorella's story. She decided to change the subject. She wrinkled her nose. "How much ... how like me are you?" Danni started to answer, then she paused, her eyes widening as she understood the implications of what Jeri was asking. "You mean, am I a fully functional female?" she asked hesitantly. Jeri started at the blunt rewording of her question. "Well, yeah, I guess that's another way to put it." Danni blushed as she looked down. "Pretty close, I'd guess." "Have you ever ... you know?" Danni slowly nodded. "Yeah, once." She glanced up and saw Jeri's expression. "It was at the first convention, after I'd become Seven. There was one guy at a party who was being a pest. He thought I was really you, and he kept hounding me. I was thinking that Seven would shut up someone like this by simply assimilating him ... and somehow, that's what happened before I even realized it." "You ... assimilated a guy?" Jeri's eyes were wide with surprise and even fear. Danni nodded, still looking down. "I didn't mean to. But it happened." She shook her head. "I found myself in a shared mind, and I got confused. I guess I was kind of overwhelmed by the shared thoughts and stuff. Anyway, we ..." She broke off, unable to continue. Jeri stared at Danni for a moment, then she let out a soft whistle. "I can't imagine how it would be to share a mind like that." Danni looked up, surprised at Jeri's lack of condemnation. "It was ... weird." She shook her head and dropped her gaze again. "I could feel ... both of us. And I didn't feel like I was controlling anything." After a very awkward pause, Danni looked up at Jeri. Jeri could see that she was fighting tears. "I ... I haven't done anything like that since. It's ... scary." "Because you weren't in control?" Jeri asked hesitantly. Danni shook her head and wiped at the forming tear. "No," she answered. "Because I'm not really a woman, even though I'm in this body, and I'm afraid of ..." She cut off her words, unable to continue. Jeri nodded her understanding. "You're afraid you might like being a woman?" "Yeah." Jeri's smile was warm and genuine. "I can sympathize with that." She decided this subject was getting a little too personal and painful for Danni. "What happened to the guy you assimilated? Did you change him back?" Danni started at the change, then she laughed softly. "No. The same thing that protected me shielded him, too. We couldn't change him back." "So ... he's a full Borg?" Jeri remembered that Danni had said the box had created some Borg. "Not completely. I used some of my nanoprobes to undo some of the total Borg changes. He's about like me." She laughed softly. "He calls himself Adjunct One of Unimatrix Seven." Jeri laughed at the inside joke. "How many conventions have you done ... as me?" Danni sighed, then she shook her head slowly. "I never claim to be you. I really don't. I try to make sure they know I'm _not_ you." She shook her head again. "Especially the con organizers. Sometimes, though, they get carried away and list me as a guest. I guess they think that's what I want." "That explains all the letters." "Letters? You mean to Viacom?" Danni asked. Jeri laughed. "No, I was talking more about the 'thank you' and 'nice to meet you' fan letters I've been getting." It was Danni's turn to be surprised. "But ... I ..." she stammered. "I wasn't trying to ..." She shook her head. "When I look like this, it's hard for people to _not_ think it's really you - no matter how many times I deny it." Still shaking her head, she dropped her forehead into her hands. "I'm really, really sorry," she said softly. "I didn't realize ..." For some reason, Jeri felt strong compassion for Danni, even in these impossible circumstances where the former guy now looked like her - in Seven of Nine's costume. Jeri put her hand on Danni's arm as a gesture of comfort. "I know," she said softly. Danni looked up, surprised at Jeri's touch. "I really thought you'd be angry at me," she said. Jeri laughed. "When I first got here, I was. I thought this was some kind of act or gimmick that was cutting into my convention appearances." She smiled. "But since I've gotten to know you - and how you got like that - I guess I can't really stay angry." She laughed aloud. "Besides, it's kind of fun to watch the Viacom people going crazy over your appearances. They're getting requests that they don't understand, and thank-you notes that they have no idea about." She grinned again. "As anal as they are about appearances in costume, it's driving them nuts." She laughed aloud. "Did you know that they had a private investigator following me for almost a month? They were absolutely certain that I _was_ going to the conventions in costume, despite my repeated denials!" Danni breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm ... glad that you aren't angry." She lowered her gaze, staring at her Borg-augmented hand resting on the table top. "I guess it would have made all this ... harder ... if you were upset." She looked up at Jeri. "Does that make any sense? I barely know you, but ..." Jeri smiled warmly. "You're a good person. Inside, I mean. And yes, it makes sense." In a strange way, she felt a connection with Danni. Few people understood the lack of privacy that celebrities had. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened, followed by a spasm of laughter that she fought unsuccessfully to suppress. "What?" Danni asked, confused. Jeri tried to wave off Danni's question, but she realized it wasn't going to be that easy. "If it could change me into anything, then it could make me into a man, and I could experience the ultimate fantasy of sleeping with myself!" Danni's eyes widened in alarm, and that set Jeri to laughing even more. "Oh, don't worry. It was just a passing thought that seemed funny." Danni eyed her, then smiled. "And you'd get to find out if you're really any good in bed, huh?" Jeri broke out in laughter, tears streaming down her cheeks as she visualized the scenario. "I'm not sure I want to go _that_ far," she said, chuckling. Then her eyes twinkled. "But I've got an idea that we can have a little fun with this whole thing. If you're game, that is." ********** The hall was packed, as was expected for the costume contest. It was one of the highlights of the convention, and every year, the costumes got better. Everyone knew that some of the presentations would be a little old or long-winded, or sometimes even unintelligible, but it was still a lot of fun. "And now," the emcee announced from his post on the stage, "a special guest to help us judge the contest, straight from the Delta quadrant, the part-human, part-Borg crewmember of the USS Voyager, Seven of Nine!" On one side of the stage, a spotlight snapped on. Into the circle of light, a figure clad in a catsuit stepped. To the cheers of the fen, Seven of Nine strode confidently onto the stage. A hush fell over the crowd, and gasps of surprise echoed through the hall. The emcee, hearing the crowd's reaction, turned, and his jaw dropped. On the stage, a second spotlight illuminated a figure on the opposite side of the stage. She was dressed exactly like the other figure. In fact, as the crowd had quickly observed, the two looked like twins. The emcee stood in shock as the two met at center-stage, then they strode confidently, with a sexy gait, to his side. "Uh, who ... who are ..." he glanced back and forth between the two, confusion on his features and in his voice, "who are you?" He couldn't decide which one he should be talking to. The two Sevens exchanged a quick glance. "We are Seven of Nine," the answered in perfect unison. "Resistance is futile." The emcee stood, shell-shocked, alternating his stare between the two ladies. "Uh," he stammered, "which one of you is the _real_ one?" The two ladies exchanged another glance. "We are Seven of Nine," the answered, their eyes twinkling with mirth at the plight of the hapless emcee. "Resistance is futile." After a momentary pause, the crowd erupted with cheering. On stage, the befuddled emcee continued his futile attempt to determine which of these two ladies was really Jeri Ryan. He knew he'd been had, and he looked near tears. ********** Jeri laughed aloud again. "This has got to be the ... strangest ... weekend I've ever spent." She glanced at Danni's Borg hand, then at her own bare hand. Danni noticed the look. "There wasn't any danger," she said with a smile. "I made sure the device made the changes as cosmetic additions rather than functional Borg implants." Mike and Sandy, sitting across the suite on the couch, grinned. "It was fun to watch everyone try to figure out which of you was real." Jeri smiled at Danni. "And you did a _great_ job! If you hadn't been so good at acting like me, we couldn't have pulled it off." Danni blushed at the compliment. As she opened her mouth to answer, the phone rang. "Excuse me," she said politely as she picked up the phone. "Hello." She paused while the unknown party at the other end spoke. "You're sure? They cleared him? Good. Now? Why now?" She sighed. "Okay. Okay, bring him up." She hung up the phone and sighed again. "Who was that?" Mike growled. Danni sighed yet again. "You remember that kid from last night who was bugging me?" Mike thought for a moment. The party had been a typical Klingon party. He shook his head. "No." "There's a kid who wants to join our ranks." Mike's eyebrow lifted. "Oh?" Danni nodded. "The Collective checked him out. He's clear." "And what else?" Sandy asked cautiously. She knew that there was something in Danni's tone of voice. Danni smiled at Sandy. "He's an orphan, so there aren't any family connections." Mike's eyes widened. "Interesting." Danni nodded. " Since his parents died in a car accident a few years ago, the kid's been living with an aunt. She's tried to have him ... counseled ... for his obsession with Star Trek. Turns out he's been following us for a few months to see if we were legit." "Sharp kid," Jeri observed. "And I suppose he wants to be a Klingon warrior?" Mike asked scornfully. "Doesn't he know we still don't have balance?" "Balance?" Jeri asked quickly. "Male to female ratio," Danni explained quickly. "Too many male Klingons." She glanced at Mike and shook her head. "No, he doesn't want to be a Klingon." Sandy's eyebrows narrowed. "Then ... what?" "Romulan." "Romulan?" Sandy and Mike spat in unison. "That's ... stupid!" The bell sounded, interrupting further objections from the