I'm back! I had so much fun writing "The Collector." Thanks so much for your lovely reviews at the end there :-). Now back to the Riker family's current predicament...
Earlier that day...
"Anything yet?"
Laforge, standing shoulder to shoulder with Data, tore his attention away from the readouts in front of them. Commander Riker was making his way through Main Engineering, his sights set on the two men.
"Just finished the diagnostic," Laforge replied.
"And?"
"And…" Laforge puffed out a sigh. "I'm pretty sure it was just a fluke, sir. A discrepancy in the readouts. It wouldn't be the first time that's happened."
Riker folded his arms, nodding even as he wavered over Laforge's answer. "Think we should run a second diagnostic? Just to be sure?"
Laforge glanced back at the screen. "I think we're chasing ghosts, but...I'll have Haykov and Sheppard assist me this time. I know you need Data back on the bridge."
At mention of the two younger men, Riker's gaze shifted towards a power conduit on the other side of the long, hall-shaped space. Sheppard's legs stuck out of the deactivated conduit while Haykov crouched nearby, handing him various tools upon request. Cleaning power conduits wasn't anybody's favorite job. The two would probably jump at the chance to run a diagnostic, Riker knew. "Sounds good," he conceded. "Let me know when you're done. Come on, Data."
But as he turned to leave, something on Data's shoulder snagged his attention. His face wrenched together, bewildered, as he plucked a black dot off the android's uniform. "What is this?"
Data studied it quizzically. "I do not know, sir."
Laforge stepped closer. "They're all over him!" he exclaimed. He picked another one off his friend's back and held it aloft between his fingers. "Are these...magnets?"
The sound of snickering reached Riker's ears. His head whipped up, searching for the source. Immediately the snickering ceased. That's when he noticed Haykov turn abruptly away from them. His ears, a bright shade of pink, contrasted sorely with his platinum blond hair. Riker's eyes narrowed. Drawing all of his authority around him like a robe, he strode over to where the young men were working. "Something funny over here?"
Sheppard pulled himself out of the conduit, bumping the top of his head in his haste. "N-no sir," he stammered, and rubbed at the newly tender spot beneath his chestnut colored curls.
Riker rolled the magnet between his fingers without removing his eyes from the guilt-ridden Sheppard. "You wouldn't happen to know who's been leaving magnets on Data's back, would you?"
Sheppard turned as red as the commander's uniform. Upon sight of his friend floundering, Haykov tried to intervene. "We...we uh…well you see, sir..."
"I asked you a question, ensign." Riker glowered relentlessly over the young man. Beads of sweat pricked along Sheppard's forehead. Trembling, he rose to his feet and drew in a deep breath of air.
"It was me, sir."
"What did you say?" Riker growled.
"It was my idea. I take full responsibility."
The young ensign stood at attention, trying (and failing) to meet the commander's eye whilst awaiting his fate. At first, Riker said nothing. Then, slowly, his lips curled back into a smirk. "You're a good kid, Allan."
Sheppard gulped. "Yes, sir. And I know I've disappointed you, sir. I promise to-"
"But you know what else you are?" Riker folded his arms smugly across his chest. "A terrible liar."
Sheppard went from red to white in a matter of seconds. With a sinister chuckle, the commander gave his combadge a tap. "Ensign Riker, come to Main Engineering immediately."
Laforge appeared at his elbow. "I should have known," he laughed. "This has Carmen written all over it. Here you go, sir-" He poured the rest of the magnets into the commander's palm. Riker counted them silently, all while ignoring Sheppard and Haykov's sputtering protests.
Presently Carmen came around the corner. She started to smile as she approached her father, but the smile quickly wilted when she caught sight of her accomplices.
"You uh...wanted to see me?" she asked, drawing herself up alongside the sheepish young men.
Riker dumped the magnets unceremoniously at her feet. "Want to tell me why Data was wearing eleven of these things?"
"Eleven?" she balked. "That's a new record!" Riker let out an exasperated sigh and squeezed the bridge of his nose. Carmen cleared her throat, donning a more penitent demeanor. "I mean...I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again."
"How long have you been at this?" Riker demanded.
She lowered her eyes to the ground. "A week."
"Okay, first of all-" Riker's chest swelled with an indignant breath. "Data is a lieutenant commander, not a fridge for crying out loud. Second of all…you've been at this for a week, and you only got to eleven?"
Carmen's head shot up. The grin on Riker's face confirmed that she had, in fact, heard him correctly. The same lopsided grin made its way across her own face. Sheppard wiped his forehead, immensely relieved. He always seemed to be underfoot when it came to the commander. Even before he started dating the man's wayward daughter.
"Alright, alright," Riker grumbled. "Get back to work. All of you. And someone pick up these magnets-"
The lights dimmed suddenly. Words flashed from the computer screens along the wall. Carmen stiffened as she recognized the warning. "ALERT. CONDITION: YELLOW."
"Yellow alert?" She looked to her father, hoping he might know what was going on, but Riker appeared just as confused as the rest of them. His hand flew to his combadge for answers.
"Riker to Picard," he paged. "Is the away team alright?"
"They have returned safely," came Picard's reply. "But I need you to go back down to the surface, Number One. Take Carmen with you."
Riker's eyes fell on the young woman. "Carmen, sir?"
"Yes. We...we need to know for sure."
Carmen's face clouded with concentration. "He is...frightened?" she whispered, unable to believe what her own Betazoid senses were telling her. Sheppard reached out and interlaced his fingers with hers. Then he squeezed her hand once. Twice. Three times.
She turned her head and smiled at him, acknowledging the silent message. Three squeezes. I'm here, it meant. Sheppard started doing it to help with her nightmares. Whenever she'd begin to stir fitfully in her sleep, he'd squeeze her hand in successions of three until she squeezed his hand back. Then he knew that the nightmare had passed, and she knew that she wasn't alone.
"Be right there, sir," Riker said over his combadge, and squared his shoulders. He could already feel the weight he was about to place upon his daughter's. "Let's go, Carmen. We need to gear up."
Nodding, she let go of Sheppard's hand and followed the commander out of Main Engineering. The young man's brow creased with worry as he watched them disappear from view.
