Part Two
"The name of the game is Adventure, men," O'Brien orated, posed like a prophet atop a large, flat rock that jutted out from the computer-simulated riverbank. Four sleek, blue fiberglass kayaks rested in a line where the water lapped against the land, each fitted with a long, black oar. The warm air hummed with the summertime buzz of cicadas, and Data's golden eyes tracked the aerial dance of a trio of holographic dragonflies as he and his companions listened to the chief's speech.
"It's gonna be Us against Nature out there," the chief said dramatically, "a chance to awaken the primitive beast that resides in each of our hearts and stare him right in the eye. Expect no pillows and soft beds tonight, men. Tonight, we sleep in the dirt. We'll have no replicated steaks for our supper. Here, we eat what we catch, a campfire our only warmth!"
Worf grunted a grunt that might have been a stifled scoff of laughter, but his grim expression never wavered.
"We've become a civilization of computer-coddled infants," the chief went on, "dependent on technology to supply all our wants and needs. This is our chance to break free of those bonds! Here we're just four men in the wild – no rules, and no maps. We go where the river takes us, tackling her challenges as they come!"
The chief paused expectantly, his arms raised in the air. After a beat, Worf and Geordi realized they were supposed to clap.
"Yeah!" Geordi hooted gamely. "You said it, Chief!"
Data wrinkled his brow.
"I do not understand," he said.
"Not now, Data," Geordi muttered, indicating he should clap too. The gesture sailed over the android's head.
"But, Geordi," Data said, appearing a little anxious. "The Chief seems to be misinformed. This river and its environs are not wild products of 'Nature,' but a simulation generated by the Enterprise computer. By engaging with this program, we are not breaking free of technology but interacting with it. In addition," he went on, turning to address the chief, who had lowered his arms and started to fidget, "as an android, I am not a product of 'Nature,' but an artificial construct. I, therefore, have within me no 'primitive beast' to awaken. If your wish is to escape technology, perhaps I should—"
Geordi cut him off before he could get too deep into his pedantic overanalysis.
"Data, stop. You're missing the point."
The android tilted his head. "Please explain."
"The chief didn't intend to make a dig against you or technology," the navigator said. "Heck, he's a technician, he specializes in technology. He's just trying to get us into spirit of the game, Data. You see, when you play an immersion game like this, you're supposed to pretend it's all real, that we're all really on Earth and a part of Nature and not on a starship, surrounded by technology. That's part of the fun – absorbing yourself in the illusion for a while."
Data raised his eyebrows, looking comically enlightened.
"Ah! Then, you are correct, Geordi. I did miss the point," he said. "My apologies, Chief. Please continue."
O'Brien shared a long-suffering look with Worf, and seemed to roll his eyes.
"Moving along…" he said, shifting back into his dramatic orator's stance.
"The river is long, men. The river is wide, and the river is fierce. If you don't keep alert out there, the river will swallow you up and just keep on flowing, as if you'd never been." He hopped down from his rock and took up a new stance next to the row of kayaks.
"Now this stretch of water, right here, is nice and calm, like a kid's swimming hole," he said. "If you need some time to get acquainted with your kayak, this is the place to do it. The rapids ahead won't make allowances for amateurs."
"Great..." Geordi muttered, inching hesitantly toward the nearest kayak.
"I am fully versed in proper kayak handling techniques," Data offered, reaching into his kayak and pulling out a bright orange life jacket, which he efficiently strapped over his uniform. "If you wish me to demonstrate-"
O'Brien shook his head. "Adventure isn't about theory, sir, it's about direct application," he said. "Each man must learn for himself what the river has to teach him."
Worf made that snorting noise again, but his attention seemed to be fully focused on fitting his muscular self into the kayak's narrow seat.
"You OK over there, Worf?" Geordi asked, fumbling a bit with the straps to his own life jacket. Data offered to help untangle them, but Geordi waved him off.
"Fine," Worf asserted, gripping his oar and waving it through the air in graceful loops, like a Klingon bat'leth. "But, I am strongly reminded of the summer camping trips I took as a child, with my adopted father and brother. They too spoke of those excursions as a challenge. And, perhaps they were. To them."
"But not to a Klingon, eh?" O'Brien teased, already paddling around in the water.
"I didn't know you had a brother," Geordi said, struggling to keep his boots dry as he settled gingerly into his own kayak.
Worf just grunted and pushed off the rocky bank, his weight making his kayak ride low in the water...but not nearly as low as Data's.
"I keep forgetting how heavy you really are, Data," Geordi said. Unlike the others, the slight navigator couldn't quite push off the bank with his oar alone. He needed to rock and scoot the little boat through the gravelly sand before he could paddle out beside his friend. "You sure you'll be all right on the rapids?"
"The kayak appears quite sturdy, Geordi," Data said. "But, thank you for your concern. Will you be all right, with your VISOR?"
Geordi brought a hand to the device, and shrugged. "It's pretty well insulated," he said.
"All done practicing?" O'Brien called out. "Come on, men! Time to walk on the wild side!"
"But, Chief," Data said, glancing confusedly at the overgrown edge of the riverbank. "We cannot walk and kayak."
"It's an expression, sir," O'Brien told him. "It means it's time to decide: are you a man or a munchkin?"
Data blinked, looking slightly helpless.
"Man or...?"
"You were made in the image of a man, weren't you?" O'Brien said.
"Yes, but-"
"And man is an untamed beast!" the chief crowed. "Wild to the core! You've got to tap into that, Commander. Unleash your sense of adventure!"
"My...? But, Chief-"
"No, no more talk," O'Brien said. "We are men of action, out to test our manly mettle! From here on out, it's just us and the river!"
He raised his oar with a throaty roar, and clacked it against Worf's then Geordi's, both of whom offered a manly roar in return. Then, they looked to Data. The android obligingly raised his oar and politely held it out for the group to clack. Geordi smiled and gave the proffered oar a friendly tap, but Worf and O'Brien slammed it so hard it sent Data's kayak into a slow, rocking spin.
"Roar, sir!" O'Brien cried. "You've got to roar!"
Data blinked.
"Go on, Data, roar!" Geordi cheered.
"ROAR...?" Data tried, looking amusingly earnest and hopeful.
"Eh, good enough," O'Brien said and glided to take his place at the front of the group. "All right, you mighty Colorado!" he shouted. "Let's see what you've got!"
To Be Continued...
Thanks so much for your reviews and encouragement! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)
