Chapter 36

MIRROR

LaForge slid his hands over her shoulders and down over her back. He'd been summoned to her quarters, but even with his new confidence following his enlightening adventure at Headquarters, he hadn't expected her to be standing in the center of her bedroom naked. But as his hands slid downward toward her belly button, she caught them. "Not so fast...there's something you're not telling me, Geordi."

"Um..."

"You repaired Data, and because of that, we can expect the Borg will only tighten their grip...so why did they let us go?"

"You're right," he said breathing in deeply to calm his nerves. Despite the darkness, the shadow of mistrust that played over her features, was evident through his Visor. But her colors were still beautiful.

"I usually am," she replied.

"You're right about what happened down on Terra. There's something else...or maybe I should say, someone."

She tightened her grip on his hands, waiting for his answer. Finally, she let go of his hands. "The more you hesitate, the less I trust you, Geordi. And to think, I was considering letting you know the full extent of my plans. Not to mention, you just lost out on a chance to enjoy my company tonight-"

"They want Picard," he blurted out. "The Borg. I agreed I would bring him back to Terra for "final assimilation"... whatever the hell that means."

To his surprise, she laughed deeply. "You said you'd bring him back to Terra...oh I'd love to see that Geordi, although I'm not sure you would live through your attempts to do so. You have many talents, but bounty hunting is not one of them."

He put his hands on top of his head, as this reality finally began to sink in. Oh no.

If Beverly was concerned about his welfare, she didn't let on. Instead, she reached to her side and pulled on a silken robe, moving away from him. Her tone was now serious. "Well we can all guess what 'final assimilation means', now can't we? But why do they want him?" She turned back to face him, as it quickly dawned on her. "That arrogant idiot!" LaForge watched her temperature coloring turn from purple to deep red. "It's that implant he was so proud to have drilled into the back of his neck. His insistence on being the first to have such a thing has made him no more than an experiment... no more than a tool for the Borg to assimilate us all. Once they have Picard, we're all done for."

"Its not so simple. They will come after all of us, this ship, if he's not returned."

"It doesn't matter. He can't be sent back, because his assimilation will be the catalyst to end the rest of us." She pointed at him and he knew it was a warning. "And don't even begin to think I'm doing this for him! If anything, I am saving my own skin."

He walked toward her slowly. "Admiral...Beverly, the Borg want a physician, specifically an expert cyberneticist to monitor and maintain Data's health indefinitely...that means you. I told you, they didn't want to let you go, and will come after you personally if we don't bring in Picard."

"Let them try!" she shouted with furious intensity. She stalked to the other side of the room and this time he knew better than to follow. She stood facing away from him. "I'm going to find Picard and re-capture the Klingon so that I can continue my plans. Without Worf, I simply won't have the firepower I need to ascend to power. As for Picard, I will do what needs to be done."

"Even if that still means killing him?"

She turned around and walked back toward him. "Yes." She looked at him pointedly, and he knew immediately she had no intentions of talking about Picard unless she had to. "Geordi, what ever happened to your planned meeting with my son? You've been very hush on the subject. Keeping secrets?"

Geordi froze for a moment, but only a moment, because he now realized that he had to tell her everything about Wesley to keep whatever semblance of trust between them. She hadn't asked until now, and he hadn't contacted Wesley since before he'd seen Data. He now had the schematics Wesley had needed...and so he had leverage. Still he knew he had to tread carefully where her son was concerned. "Wesley said he didn't have time to meet with me."

Her eyes narrowed. "So you did talk to him."

"Yes. He's fallen in with someone who is either powerful, or has powerful allies."

Beverly walked to her bed and sat down on the edge of it. "But he wouldn't say who?"

"Nope." He told her about Wesley's scheme of be-heading Data for unknown reasons, as well as Wesley having reason to evade Troi, after his infringement on her stolen ships from the Lesser Universe.

"The Lesser Universe," she whispered, legitimately surprised. And Picard knows about these ships. She recalled him promising to deliver her unlimited ships. He was bluffing again...or was he? Had he and Troi been to the Lesser Universe? She blinked, as a sensation from her last physical experience with him floated in and out of her mind. Beverly looked across the room at LaForge and slowly patted the bed beside her.

When he walked over and sat down beside her, Geordi felt a tension between them return and it wasn't entirely unpleasant. He could tell that she was plotting things through, and from his perspective, the fact that she wanted to talk it through with him was a good sign. "So you have the schematics, saved in your Visor?" she asked slowly. "But my son doesn't have them yet?"

Geordi shook his head, no. "I could of course...hold onto it as long as you want me to."

She smiled slowly. "Good. If my son wants the data on Data so badly, he can come and find you...you said he is on some kind of ship? Wesley has no friends, yet it sounds as though he is protecting someone. Someone who wants Data gone."

"Whoever it is he's allied himself with, he's still afraid of Troi. As I mentioned, Wes only escaped the Enterprise with my help, Beverly. If we're headed toward Troi, he's not going to be happy about that. According to him, she wants him dead."

Surprisingly, Beverly moved closer, grabbing Geordi's hand tenderly, yet her voice was hard. "He'll come. And when he does, you'll give him the information he wants only on my orders. Understood?"

"Of course," he whispered, and was surprised again when she pulled him into a kiss. After a few moments, the communications relay buzzed.

"Admiral this is the bridge...we have the Enterprise on our sensors, but we are still outside of their range of detection."

Beverly kissed Geordi again, and he felt her smile. Then she leaned back, and ordered, "Go into cloak and then pursue them. Notify me when they are within attack range."

PRIME

Data approached the still figure, seated on the observation deck. He was accustomed to a mostly human crew, with a minority of additional species, only a few of whom were Vulcans. Humans at times, he had noted, objected to being approached from behind, especially when they were deep in thought. He could detect very little movement in the Vulcan woman, and yet it was unlikely that she had not heard him enter. He stopped a few feet away, and attempted to clear his throat, an act he had been practicing for some months now.

T'Pel had no desire to speak to anyone. Her desires these days were so few. She had accomplished her primary goal, which was to alert Captain Picard to Jack Crusher's imposter, and to reveal the history left behind by mirror Spock. The information Captain Picard now had in his possession was leading the Enterprise to an ion station, which likely would take them to the stolen ships.

Although she was to an extent a welcome guest on board the ship, she had no particular motive to remain involved in the current mission. Her mind shifted ever so slightly, at the sound of heavy, yet measured footsteps. The android. She opened her eyes when she heard him halt behind her. She stood up when she heard a strange metallic sound emanate from behind her. Turning away from the view port she lifted an inquisitive eyebrow. "Do you wish to speak with me?"

"Yes," said Data.

"Proceed then."

"A cursory study of the archives you brought on board has fascinated me," Data said without hesitation. T'Pel tilted her head, indicating she was willing to listen, but remained silent. "In particular, the actions of Spock-"

"You are referring to Spock from the mirror universe," she clarified.

"Yes...have you not wondered at his motives for entering our universe, leaving the history of the known mirror universe in the hands of the Vulcan Archivist, and then departing?"

"What makes you believe that he ever departed this universe?"

Data frowned and sat down in a nearby chair. "You stated that the Spock who traveled from the mirror universe disappeared from this universe after multiple visits here."

T'Pel placed her hands inside her sleeves and looked at him squarely. "I said he disappeared...his whereabouts have been unknown for decades. As for his motives...I did initially ponder such questions. Eventually, I concluded that Spock's inquisitiveness and ingenuity transcended both universes, once he was able to traverse both with ease. He was not bound by the conventions of either, once freed from the ideologies he had practiced for so long."

"Intriguing. Are you suggesting that he may still be living in our universe?"

"Based on his knowledge and intellect, it is only logical that Spock from the mirror universe was capable of blending into Vulcan society as we know it... if he so chose."

Main Sickbay

Beverly handed the report back to her subordinate, and turned her head at the sound of approaching footsteps. She had to force herself not to turn again and walk away, once she saw who it was. She fixed her features as best she could to not convey her irritation.

Captain Phillipa Louvois slowed to a halt, and for once the confidence in her eyes was measured by what was probably mental fatigue. "I have some bad news Doctor...I thought it best to come and deliver it in person."

"How kind of you."

"Look, I didn't come to argue-"

"Look...I've spent half of my life hearing bad news from Starfleet officers." She attempted to soften her tone. "So go ahead."

Louvois squared her shoulders. "I've done my best to have Captain Picard's assailant removed from this ship with an expedited trial...the bottom line is that it didn't work. Command believes he still may be an asset to this mission once we cross back over into the parallel universe."

"Isn't that making a big assumption that he's from the mirror universe and another assumption that he would actually cooperate with us when we needed him?"

"Yes, I agree, the best case scenario is to get him off of the Enterprise as soon as we can."

"But you've come to tell me that you failed...right? That we are stuck with the man who pretended to be my dead husband, the man who has bamboozled my son, and who tried to murder Jean Luc twice. Fine, I get it."

"Doctor, I realize you've never been my biggest fan-"

Beverly laughed, crossing her arms, and looking down at the floor. But when she looked up, she was serious. "I don't know what you want me to say, Captain."

"I...came to apologize."

Beverly shook her head, and dropped her hands into her coat pockets. "Why?"

"It was my job to monitor his progress. If I had realized sooner that he wasn't really Jack, I could have ended this sooner."

"You?" The arrogance of this woman! "If anyone should have realized he wasn't really Jack, it should have been me-Jack was my husband after all."

Philippa nodded, then hesitated before posing her next question. "How is Jean-Luc doing?"

Beverly blinked. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Philippa seemed slightly surprised. "I don't want to get in the way."

Beverly blushed. "I see. Well, I appreciate your graciousness in standing aside, but if you and Jean-Luc are friends, it's fine-I mean it's really not my concern. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work to finish up before we head into uncharted territory-yet again."

Louvois nodded, the confident smile now back. "I'll leave you to it then, Doctor."

Detention Area-Deck 16

Wesley hesitated before sitting down on a bench outside of the cell. Inside sat a man whom he desperately wanted to be his father. And for now, his desperation had to be enough.

M got up from his afternoon nap and walked slowly toward the boy. Wow, two visits in one day. Just how far is this kid willing to go?

"Hi son," M said with a friendly smile.

"Hi dad."

"It's good to see you here again. I thought you'd be too busy with your bridge post and everything."

Wesley tapped his fingers on his knee nervously. "I think I made a mistake today."

M was genuinely interested now. "How so?"

"I quit my post."

Damn. He's committed to sticking it to Picard for what they did to me-what they did to Jack, er-whatever.

"You did what you thought was right, son. Sometimes it takes a betrayal of trust to learn who our real supporters are. It's hard, but you'll get through this. Trust me."

Wes could feel his anxiety level growing, and he had the sudden and distinct feeling that he was the one inside the detention cell. "I don't know what to do," he said, utterly lost.

M leaned against the wall, looking down at the teenager. "Sometimes when you feel frozen, the best thing you can do is act."

"Act?"

"Yeah. You see talk only gets you so far, Wes." He paused and then decided to go for it. "Are we really headed back to the mirror universe?"

Wesley nodded. "The Captain thinks he's located the missing ships. We'll be there in less than an hour."

M closed his eyes and swallowed, doing his best imitation of a man who believes he is doomed. There's nothing to lose now. "Wesley if we cross over again, you know what's going to happen right? Jean-Luc's double is absolutely unhinged. He's the one who held me captive all those years. He'll kill me on sight."

"The Captain won't let that happen-"

"Wes, they're going to hand me over to him. And then I'm a dead man. Unless you give me a fighting chance."

Wesley brought his palm to his forehead. "What-what are you asking me to do?"

"Once we've crossed over, you have to help me get out of here."

MIRROR

ISS Stargazer

Wesley slapped himself in the forehead again, as he had been repeatedly doing for the last few minutes. Why stop now? Should never have trusted Geordi. Never...he's probably exposed my plans to the Borg.I am gonna be so screwed. He heard steps behind him...for the first time in days he could tell that his father wasn't alone. Still he didn't turn around.

"Son," he heard his father say quietly. "You haven't said a thing for two days. But I know you communicated with someone off ship. So I've come to talk to you as father to son."

Something eerie in Jack's voice made Wesley turn from his hunched position at a conference table and look up. Jack was there all right, but so was a fat guy he'd never seen before. Apparently he'd been mistaken that his father had been entirely alone on the Stargazer. Wesley looked the man up and down with disdain. "Who are you?"

Jack laughed and slapped the large man on the back. "This is Pots...he's a mechanical genius. Keeps this heap up and running...helps out with odds and ends."

Wesley turned back around. "Great. He also smells. Did you want something, Dad?"

"I want the information I asked you to get Wesley. I know how you think...you want me to give up the identity of my associates before you give me the info about the emperor. Did you sell it?"

"No," Wesley replied sullenly.

"Well, then I need it, son."

"It's not that easy...Dad."

Jack laughed, and Wesley turned around again lazily in his chair. The large man Pots was now holding something in his hand. Recognition set in, and Wesley scrambled to his feet, adrenaline rushing, and ready to escape the agonizer. "Wait a minute-"

Jack put a firm hand on Wesley's shoulder. "You must think I've gone soft, Wes. Not likely. All those years doing the dirty work for Ferengis has only steeled my resolve." He nodded toward Pots, who stepped forward clumsily with the torture device.

Wesley tried to move, but Jack's hand was like a vice. "Did I mention that Pots is from the Lesser Universe? You see, they don't have agonizers or agony booths in that dimension, which means he doesn't have a clue how to use this on you, without killing you."

Wesley's skin broke out in hives. "I don't have it!" he shouted. "LaForge-LaForge said he would gather the info on Data, but then he dropped out of communication with me."

Jack nodded at Pots and the man grumbled something before plopping down in a nearby chair.

Jack leaned down to stare into Wesley's eyes. "You had better be telling me the truth, Wes."

Wesley tried to steady his breathing, and regain at least the appearance of confidence. "I am."

"Good. Because we can't mess this up. Once we have those schematics we can finalize our plans."

"Who are you working with, Dad? I deserve to know."

Jack smiled. "Let's find LaForge first."

ISS Enterprise

Picard and Yar stood alone on the observation deck. The Captain had been quiet for some time. Finally he turned to her with a sly smile. "Natasha...there may come a point in the very near future when you find yourself alone with Troi. When that happens, you should be wearing this." He handed her a metallic device smaller than a communicator.

She looked down at her palm in confusion. "What is it, sir?"

"Protection against telepathy. It will attach to the back of your communicator, creating an electro-magnetic field that interferes with her telepathic probes. Believe me, you're going to need it," he said, clapping her on the shoulder.

"But sir, what do you mean I'll end up alone with her?"

Picard suddenly grabbed the young officer under the chin. "Don't ever question me, Lieutenant."

"Aye sir. I never will."

He let go and his voice grew gentler. "Just know that if I have my way, you will always be protected. In this universe and in any other, Yar."

Yar tried to keep the emotion out of her voice, but it broke through anyway. "Thank you, sir."

He turned back to gaze out of the view port, and put his hands behind his back. "Now...about Troi. She'll want to get inside of your head, and you mustn't allow her to. She wants to know my plans."

"I won't ever tell her, Captain. Especially now that I have this device-"

"A device is one thing, Yar. But this is not child's play. I had a duranium plate implanted in my head just for the purpose of protecting against her telepathic weaponry, and she still gets to me...at times. And Riker, well he's a damn lost cause."

"Agreed sir."

"She will take advantage of your interest in her, believe me, she's done the same to me."

"Interest, sir?"

"Don't play, Natasha, I see how you look at her."

"With all due respect, sir, what you're seeing is fear. Commander Troi scares the shit out of me. I would never-"

"Many a Terran has been swayed by lust, Yar," he warned her. He resumed gazing out the port with a far-away expression. "Take it from me, I put everything I had into my pursuit of a woman who wanted nothing less than to break my very will with her relentless ambition...and now I am running for my damn life."

"I'm with you though, Captain."

"I know. And soon, your loyalty will be tested once more, my young friend," he said clasping her shoulder.

"Captain to the bridge. Captain to the bridge. We are under attack."

Picard winked sideways at Yar. "Showtime."

Hi everyone, I want to thank you for reading and reviewing. The pace will be picking up a bit in this story over the next few chapters, and another installment should follow in a few days. Best! -PP