Chapter 10

Tom appeared in Deanna's quarters. She was across the room, asleep in bed. He walked
over to her and picked her up, being careful to keep his hand over her mouth. She
screamed under his hand but he whispered, "Be quiet!" He said it in such a way that it
obviously scared her, because she quit struggling. He tapped a small device on his wrist.
"We're ready." They shimmered and disappeared.

They reappeared in a small room. Q stood at the other end. "You may let her go," he told
Tom.

Tom obeyed and looked at Deanna and saw to his surprise that it was not Deanna.
Whoever she was, she was looking at him with a look of horror on her face.

"Will?" she whispered. Then, shaking her head, she added, "No, you're not Will. You have a
beard." Her face changed to an expression of utter hate as she crossed her arms across
her chest. "You must be Tom."

Tom, beyond confused, turned to Q and asked, "What's going on here? This isn't Deanna!"

Q smiled wryly. "I never said it was Deanna. I said it was Commander Troi. Thomas Riker,
meet Victorianna Troi, Deanna's sister."

Tom was stunned. "But Deanna doesn't-."

Q interrupted him, "Her family didn't know she existed until a year ago. She was part of an
experiment and was kept from her family to protect her. You don't need to know any more
than that."

Vicki Ann turned toward Q. "You again. Don't you ever quit?"

Q stepped toward her and took her face in his hands. "Not when it comes to destroying
what stands in my way."

Vicki Ann stepped away from him and looked at Q defiantly and said, "Oh, am I standing in
your way?"

"Yes, my dear, you are. As long as you exist, the Alliance's plans are in danger."

"And what 'plans' are you referring to?"

"Taking over your universe."

"Too bad."

"And why is that?"

"Cause we're going to give you one hell of a fight."

"We'll see about that," Q replied. Then he left the room and locked the door.

Vicki Ann stared at the door for a few minutes, trying to open the door. Q's face appeared
in the window on the door. "Sorry, your powers won't work. I made sure of that. I wouldn't
want you running off."

Vicki Ann pounded on the door twice in anger. Then she sat down on the bench against
the wall and put her head in her hands. "I probably can't even contact Q," she whispered.

Tom watched her as she sat up and closed her eyes. She appeared to be concentrating.
Her breathing slowed and she seemed to be perfectly still. He remember when Deanna had
done the same thing on Betazed.

Her control broke and she swore at their captor. "Damn you, Q!" She sighed. "You knew
they'd come after me, so you severed the link." She stood up and began to pace like a
caged animal. Quickly and abruptly, she turned to Tom. "What does he want with you?"

Tom shrugged. "I have no idea."

"He's probably keeping you here to make sure you don't tell anyone about me."

"And what does he want with you?"

"He wants me dead."

"Why?"

"Weren't you listening earlier? As long as I exist, the Alliance cannot go through with their
plans."

"What's the Alliance?"

"The Alliance of the Q and Starfleet in Q's timeline."

"Why are you such a big threat?"

"Because I represent a mistake made by the Q. And a superior race cannot make mistakes.
If anyone in the alternate universe found out, the Q would have to be made accountable
for their actions."

"Oh, I see. They're covering their tracks."

Vicki Ann looked at him and nodded. "Exactly."

"I assume that Deanna told you all about me."

"Actually, Will told me. And I understand how you feel, being the one who missed out on
everything, but that gave you no right to do what you did."

"I assume you're talking about Deanna's kidnaping."

"That, my mother's coma-."

Tom interrupted her. "I didn't do that."

"No, you didn't but your actions did. And let's not forget you stealing the Defiant and
destroying a Cardassian outpost so that you could be a hero."

"You heard about that too," Tom commented.

She nodded.

"You and Will must be awfully close for him to tell you all that. One Troi sister not
enough?"

Vicki Ann glared at him. "Bitter, are we?" she snapped.

"So, tell me. Was he sleeping with both of you at once or did he break up with one of you
before he moved onto the other?"

"You've got a lot of nerve!"

"I do? Sounds more like he does."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"I don't? From your reaction, it looks like I do."

"You're about ten times worse than him!"

"I find that really hard to imagine."

Vicki Ann put her hand to her head as if she had a headache. "I haven't been this angry
since Will-." She stopped herself.

"Since Will what? Since he told you that he was sleeping with your sister?"

"Do you ever stop? No, genius, since he told me that he loved me." Vicki Ann realized what
she had just said and added, "Why am I telling you this?"

Tom seemed confused. "Someone tells you that they love you and you get angry? Are you
insane?"

"You don't know the whole story. He said he loved me after he broken up with me because
he'd said he still loved Deanna. He said that he loved me, but had told me he hadn't so
that he wouldn't be tied down in case the opportunity ever arose with Deanna. There, are
you happy?"

"Did you kill him?"

"No, I forgave him."

"You forgave him? Most people would have killed him."

"That's what you wanted, isn't it? You wanted to hear that he got hurt, that somebody
paid him back, that he missed out on something like you did. Gosh, Tom, it wasn't his fault.
He didn't wish for it to happen. And what happened with Deanna was your own fault."

"Are you a psychologist too?"

"No, actually, I'm a doctor."

"Really? I'm not surprised. You sound like one."

"Well, you sound like a manipulative, vindictive, traitor!"

Tom stood up and went over to her so that they were standing face to face. "Is that
what you think I am?"

Vicki Ann nodded. "Yes."

"Well, I sincerely hope you are mistaken."

"Why is that?"

"Because it means that I would sell you out in a minute to get out of here."

"You already did, remember? You kidnaped me, thinking I was Deanna. Why would I trust
somebody who did that?"

"I guess not."

Vicki Ann went back over to the bench and sat down again.

"Do you really hate me that much?"

"Yes, I do. Do I have to remind you of what you've done to the people I care about?"

"No."

Vicki Ann shook her head. "How do I keep getting myself into these messes?"

There was a flash of light beside her and Q appeared. Her Q. "I don't know, Vicki Ann, but
you usually have me to get you out of them."

Vicki Ann hugged him. "How did you-?"

Q smiled. "Jean-Luc told me. And I figured if I found my alternate, I'd find you."

"Good idea. Can you get me out of here?"

Q motioned to Tom. "What about him?"

"You can leave him here." She considered that. "Better yet, why don't you send him back
to Lazon II. No, that's too good for him. How about we get him assimilated?"

Tom looked frightened by her remark.

So did Q. "Calm down, Vicki Ann." He snapped his fingers. Nothing happened.

"Q, we're still here," Vicki Ann commented.

"Oops." He tried again. No luck. "Dammit! He got to me too."

Vicki Ann's face fell. "Great!"

The door opened and the alternate Q entered. "Did you really think I'd let you interfere?"

"Well, I was hoping that your inferior intelligence would prevent you from considering
that," Q replied.

"Sorry about that, Q," his alternate said. "You're coming with me." He snapped his fingers
and they both disappeared.

"Arrgh!" Vicki Ann exclaimed.

Tom was obviously confused. "Am I seeing double or what?"

"Yes. The one that came to get me was from our universe and was the only way out?"

"Why would he want to save you? You're not exactly the friendliest person I know."

"Oh, and you're Mr. Congeniality!"

"Oh, I get it, you're sleeping with him."

"I was involved with Q for a short time, but now I am seeing someone else, thank you very
much!"

"Who?"

"It's none of your business!"

"Let's see, who's left on the Enterprise? La Forge? Data? No, wait! Captain Picard!"

"Will you shut up?"

"Did you break up with Q because of Will?"

"What do you care? No, it wasn't because of Will," she snapped. "Now, Julian is another
story," she muttered to herself.

"Julian? Julian Bashir? Is that who you're seeing now?"

"Yes. Why?"

"No reason. I just find it hard to believe that someone like you would go for a wimp like
him."

"Julian is not a wimp!"

"You're worse than Deanna when she's angry."

"Thank you."

The door opened and the alternate Q entered. He turned to Vicki Ann. "Your hero is now
awaiting his torture."

Vicki Ann seemed surprised. "Torture? I thought you just wanted to kill us."

"I did, at first. But you and your Q defeated me and no one defeats me, my dear." He
pulled her to him so that they were face to face. "Now it's personal."

"I really don't think that your Kathy would appreciate you calling me dear, don't you
agree?"

Q ignored her. "We're going to play a little game."

"What kind of game?" Vicki Ann asked.

"A game to see how much you can take. Both of you.'

"Why me?" Tom asked.

"Because what would be the point of testing her if I didn't have someone to compare her
to?"

"What about your twin?" Tom asked.

Q shook his head. "No. His will be a different kind of torture."