Chapter 8: Balloon Travel

Chekov arrived at the ice cream cart.

"Hello." Chekov said. "I'd like some ice cream."

"Oh, what do you want?" The vender asked. "Chocolate? Vanilla? Rum banana?"

"Raspberry." Chekov said.

"Whoa, buddy." The vendor said with a laugh. "I may not know you that well, but I wouldn't wanna be rude to you."

Chekov chuckled with the vendor.

"Anyvay, raspberry for me, and a cherry ripple for my friend." Chekov said.

"You got it." The vendor said as he handed Chekov the ice cream.

"Thanks." Chekov said.

"Anytime." The vendor replied.

()()()()()

While Chekov and Kirk were busy, Data and Seven were walking around when Seven saw a few balloons as she looked at her wallet, and there wasn't a lot of money as she turned to Data. She was a sucker for balloons, though she'd never really figured out why, though she theorized it was due to her lost childhood due to being assimilated into the Borg Collective at seven.

"Alright, Seven." Data said. "Alright. I will get you a balloon, but you have to pick the color. Red or green?"

"Can I give ya a word of advice?" The balloon salesman asked?

"What?" Data asked.

"Why not take both?" The salesman said with a smile.

"What a wild idea!" Data called out excitedly.

"Yeah, a beautiful babe like that deserves two balloons." The salesman went on.

"Oh, stop." Seven chuckled in a way that meant the exact opposite of what she just said.

"No, he is right!" Data insisted, not understanding Seven's tone.

"I've got a bunch of guys coming through here; sometimes they get a bunch of balloons for their girls." The salesman said. "They go gaga for them."

"Gaga?!" Data repeated. "I will take the whole bunch!"

"Uh… Data…" Seven began as she felt that all the balloons were a little much.

However, Data already gave him the money, and the vender gave Data the balloons.

()()()()()

Kirk was looking around the festival, having lost track of the others in the crowd.

"Data?" Kirk asked. "I wonder where he went. Uh… Chekov?"

"Kirk!" Chekov called out as he came up with two ice creams. "Oh hey, Kirk."

Chekov then looked around.

"Vhere's your blond friend?" Chekov asked.

"Well I'm not really sure." Kirk said. "She said she was coming with us for ice cream, but-"

"Yoo-hoo!" Carol called as she rushed to the two in casual clothes and holding a suitcase. "Here I am! Here I am! I'm packed! I'm packed!"

"I can see that." Kirk said. "What for?"

"You said I could come with you." Carol said, confused.

"Yeah, to buy ice cream, not to Hollywood." Kirk said.

"Hollywood?!" Carol called out. "I just thought you were headed to Disneyland! Please, let me come!"

"Well…" Kirk said. He did fell like one more person wouldn't make a difference. They still had a fair amount of time, and plenty of seats. "Sure."

Just then, Seven rushed up in a panic.

"Everyone!" Seven called out. "It's terrible! Awful, all my fault, and we just wasted ten credits!"

"What?" Kirk asked.

"It's Data!" Seven said. "I talked him into buying me a balloon, and the human male that looked like Richard Pryor talked him into buying all of them!"

"And?" Kirk asked.

"The balloons floated him away." Carol answered.

"Are you telepathic?" Seven asked.

"No." Carol said. "He's floating over us."

Kirk looked up and sure enough, Data was floating in the air, holding onto several balloons.

"Data, what are you doing?!" Kirk asked in alarm.

"About seven naughts!" Data answered.

"We'll follow you!" Kirk called to the rapidly disappearing Data. "To the car, Chekov!"

"Yes sir!" The three then rushed to the car.

"Data, we're coming!" Kirk called out to Chekov.

()()()()()

The group quickly chased after Data, with Seven and Carol working together as navigators.

"Step on it, Chekov!" Kirk called out.

"Yes sir!" Chekov replied.

"Oh, Kirk." Carol said with a smile. "You're a born leader."

"Now where is he?" Kirk said after blushing a little at Carol's remark.

"Up ahead near a wheat field." Seven said quickly.

()()()()()

Data was floating along quite contentedly, looking over the world and God's creations.

"Oh, is this not great?" Data said to himself. He wasn't that worried since his body could handle a fall from here, being made of Duranium. "Here I am, floating in space… Or the air, rather. Either way, this is the place to be! Whoopee!"

()()()()()

Down below, Kirk got a look at Data as he began floating off due to the wind.

"Chekov, bare left!" Kirk called out.

"Vhat?" Chekov asked.

"Bare left!" Kirk repeated.

Chekov turned to look at Seven. She wasn't bare.

"No, turn left!" Kirk groaned.

"Oh, right." Chekov said. "I knew zat."

()()()()()

Data was still in the sky as he saw the car driving by, looking like a toy.

"Wow, look at our little car down there!" Tommy called out. "It is like flying! Oh wait, it is flying."

Just then, Data noticed another car following theirs.

"Hey, who are those guys?" Data wondered to himself.

()()()()()

Back on the ground, Rom and Quark were following the car as Rom looked up with binoculars.

"Hey Quark, isn't that the humon up there?" Rom was having trouble getting a clear look at the figure, and he didn't see the figure's flesh until after he had already asked the question.

"No, that's the humon up there!" Quark called out, exasperated.

()()()()()

Kirk and the others were so focused on Data that he and Chekov failed to recognize Quark's car.

"He's caught in the cross-winds, Chekov!" Kirk called out. "We're gonna lose him!"

"Oh no!" Chekov called out in alarm.

()()()()()

Meanwhile, Rom noticed Quark pulling out a phaser riffle.

"Ah!" Rom called out in alarm. "What are ya doing, Quark?!"

"I'm going after the tires." Quark responded plainly.

()()()()()

Luckily for the gang, Data stayed on course until the wind began working with them.

"The wind's dropping down." Kirk said. "We're okay now."

"Phew." Carol said.

"Wait a minute!" Kirk said. "I think he's beginning to come down. Stay with him, Chekov!"

"Right!" Chekov called out.

"He is right above us!" Seven said as she forced the top of the car open.

"He's okay." Kirk sighed.

"Yeah, hi Data!" Chekov said as he opened the door.

"CHEKOV, GET BACK IN HERE!" Kirk shouted.

"Huh?" Chekov asked.

"I said get back-" Kirk began, but too late. The car slammed into a billboard for a pie factory, launching a pie filled with whipped cream into the air as it landed on a car just behind them.

()()()()()

Rom was so caught off guard by the pie flying at them that she broke right there as it landed right on the car, covering it in whipped cream as Quark's shot went wild, obliterating all but two of the balloons Data was holding onto as he began literally falling.

()()()()()

"Oh… Crud." Data called out as he fell, managing to land right next to Seven in the seat of the car.

"Gun it, Chekov." Kirk said, having noticed Quark's car when he looked at the pie crashing into it.

"Yes sir!" Chekov called out, and they drove off.

"Well, that was fun." Data said happily.

"Is he coming with us too?" Carol asked.

Everyone nodded, sighing with relief about the rather nerve raking day being over.

()()()()()

Back at the stopped car, Quark was yelling at the top of his lungs.

"COME BACK, YOU!" Quark called out. "NO HUMON'S GONNA MAKE A MONKEY OUT OF ME!"

Rom sighed and had some of the whipped cream, which wasn't half bad.

()()()()()

Back at the carnival, several girls in bathing suits rushed out of the changing tent as Worf rushed out as well.

"I've just gotta catch up with those guys!" Worf remarked as he rushed down the road.


And so that's the end of that chapter. Sorry it took so long. I kinda got busy with other things.