Title: What a Way to Go
Author: Cait N. (caitn @ mindspring.com)
Series: VOY
Codes: K/7, all
Rating: PG-13, for discussion of sex
Archive: Sure, what the heck!
Feedback: Yes, yes, yes, oh puhleeze!!

Disclaimer: Paramount owns the characters, I just take
'em out for a spin every now and then.

Notes: This wasn't beta'ed at all, so any mistakes are all
mine, and I apologize.  In response to Rocky's "Die, Seven,
die!" challenge, I only hope that Seven appreciates the 
way I offed her.

***

"What a Way to Go" 
by Cait N.

A small crowd stood outside the doorway to Harry Kim's
quarters.  The doctor and Tuvok were inside, and they were all
anxiously awaiting the outcome.

Icheb looked about to cry and B'Elanna was trying her best to
console him.  The captain still hadn't arrived, but then again
it was 0400.  Chances are she'd been asleep when Tuvok had
contacted her.

Tom Paris drew Harry to one side so he could talk to him
without anyone else overhearing.  "Harry, I can't believe you
let this happen."

"Let this happen?" Harry was agitated, but also dumbfounded by
his friend's words.  "I'm telling you, I thought she'd passed
out.  Honest."

"You never nudged her for another round?  Or to cuddle up to
her?"  This was all too much to take in.

Harry ran a hand through his already rumpled hair.  His pajama
pants weren't even tied at the waist, attesting to his hurry to
get dressed.  "Look," his voice dropped even lower than it had
been, "we were - you know - and she was - on top."  His face
turned a bright red. 

"There wasn't any screaming? She didn't clutch her chest or
anything?"  Tom was asking almost the same questions that the
doctor and Tuvok had already asked.

Harry ducked his head and then said in a rush, "Of course she
screamed, we were having sex.  But I thought . . . "  He leaned
forward and whispered in Tom's ear. "I thought it was just
because I was so good."

Tom refused to smile, though he wanted to.  The occasion was
too solemn.  "So she screamed and fell over, and you thought
she'd just passed out?"

"Well, sure.  I thought the pleasure had just been too intense
for her." Embarrassment was written all over his face.  "I just
rolled us over, tucked in close behind her and went to sleep.  I
didn't notice anything was wrong until I woke up for my shift."

Almost simultaneously, Kathryn Janeway walked up the corridor
and the door to Harry's quarters opened, the doctor and Tuvok
stepping out.

Kathryn approached the small crowd.  "This isn't a party
people, go back to your quarters."  Once it was just Harry, the
doctor, Tuvok and herself, she addressed the doctor. "Well?"  

His expression was grim. "I'm afraid Seven is dead."

"How?"  Her hands on her hips, she looked every inch the
captain, though she was dressed in a blue terrycloth robe
instead of a Starfleet uniform.

"It seems that her nanoprobes contained a type of failsafe,
were Seven to ever be assimilated again.  I guess they'd never
heard of `third time's the charm'. Anyway, as Seven . . ." He
hesitated.  "As Seven reached orgasm, her nanoprobes mistakenly
thought that she was being assimilated.  I would hazard a guess
that the chemicals released by the body and other physiological
responses upon assimilation are similar to when a person
orgasms.  Her nanoprobes, in effect, killed her.  They would
rather her die by their hand, so to speak, than let her be
assimilated any more."

Sadness was plain to see in the captain's eyes.  "Very well. 
I'll talk to you later about funeral services."  Turning to the
distraught operations officer, she laid her hand on his shoulder.
"Harry, I know this has all been quite a shock to you. In
light of the circumstances, I don't see bringing any type of
charges against you."

"Thank you, Captain," he said gratefully.  "If you don't mind,
I'd like to change my quarters."

"Understood."  She squeezed his shoulder again and then walked
away.  When she was a safe distance away, she muttered, "If it'd
been Chakotay instead of Kim, he would have been singing soprano
for several days."

THE END