Knock, knock, knock

A rapping came at Riker's door. It was getting late, and Troi had already been asleep for almost half an hour. Billy lay sprawled across her stomach, holding tight to a fistful of her shirt as though to keep anyone from pulling him away.

Carefully, Riker moved himself out from under the pile. Troi stirred a little, reaching for him in her sleep. "I'll be right back," he whispered, tucking her arm over a pillow and waiting for her breathing to return to a slow, steady rhythm.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone rapped at the door again. "It's just me, Will," came his father's muffled voice. Riker brushed a hand through his dark hair, smoothing it, and answered the door with a yawn.

"Oh hey," he greeted. "Did you need something?"

Kyle peered around the doorframe, keeping his voice cautiously low. "I uh, I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I just wanted to talk."

Riker stifled another yawn. The effort turned his face red and his eyes bleary. "About what?"

"Well, uh...never mind. I can see you're exhausted." Slumping his shoulders, Kyle turned to leave. Riker's eyes softened as he watched his father retreat into the dark hallway. Tired as he was, the commander also became aware of a certain pang of loneliness that came with waking in a strange, new place.

"No, it's alright," he called, shuffling to one side. "Come on in. I think I'm too tired to sleep, know what I mean?"

A small smile banished the clouds from Kyle's face. "Yeah, yeah I know exactly what you mean." He followed Riker inside and the two of them reclined in a couple of slings near a big, black window. "You uh, wouldn't happen to have any coffee or anything, would you?"

"No, I think all they have to drink around here is bloodwine. But that stuff will give you a killer headache in the morning. Plus it tastes awful."

"I don't know, Allan didn't seem to mind."

"He what?"

From the bed, Troi murmured something in her sleep. Riker waited for her to settle down again, then pushed forward in his seat.

"Tell me you're joking," he groaned.

"Hey, don't be too hard on him. It was Lwaxana's fault." Kyle eased back, lacing his fingers together across his stomach. "She was just trying to cheer him up, I think."

Riker shook his head. A small wry grin cracked at his lips. "Well did it work?"

"He burst out singing on the way back to bed."

Both men started to laugh, only to clamp their hands over their mouths as Troi stirred fitfully yet again. Riker shook with the effort of keeping his amusement under control.

"I'm sorry I missed it," he whispered once he dared to remove his hand.

Kyle grunted to agree, then cast his gaze to the bed in the corner. "How are they holding up, by the way?"

As Riker followed his gaze, his smile sobered. "Billy's just happy to have his mama back. And Deanna...she's strong. She'll make it past this."

"You're both strong." Kyle reached for his son's knee, patting it firmly. "That boy of yours, he can't go wrong with the two of you to guide him."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Riker said, scratching the side of his beard. "His big sister can be a terrible influence."

Though he had said it in jest, they both felt a certain sting to be reminded of the young woman. Riker's smile had barely reached across his face before it faded out of sight. Kyle drew in a deep breath.

"Listen, Will...you did a good job back there. No matter how this ends, you gave it your best."

"Yeah, of course."

"No, I mean it." He moved his seat directly in front of Riker. "You've already been victorious. Whatever else happens, don't let that take away from all the good you've accomplished. All the good she's accomplished."

Though he was looking right back at his father, Riker's eyes seemed to stare into the distance. "I...I should get some sleep. Only a few more hours until we get there."

Kyle opened his mouth to say more, to press the issue, to express all that he might not get another chance to convey. But then, before a word could come out, he closed his mouth again. Nodding in defeat, he rose from his sling. "You're right," he said. "Good-night, Will. I, uh...I'll see you in the morning."

He trudged to the door, not expecting to hear his son speak again. But as the door slid back and he took a step through, Riker's voice rose from the dark behind him. "Good-night dad. And...thanks. I'm glad you stopped by."

Kyle smiled softly. Maybe he had conveyed more than he thought.

"Will!"

He was jolted awake by his wife's urgent shaking. "What is it?" he mumbled before his eyes had even opened.

"Something is wrong, listen!"

As the dense fog of sleep began to lift, he became aware of an eerie howling that rang out across the ship. Primal voices answered the call, rising up from every corner in a haunting crescendo. Billy whimpered, his blue eyes shining up at his father from beneath the blankets.

"It's the call of battle," Troi whispered. "I've heard it before. In Carmen's dreams."

"Stay here," Riker said, stumbling out of bed and throwing on his clothes at the same time. But as he reached the door, he saw that Troi had followed suit. "Imzadi," he gently admonished. She challenged him with a look. For a moment, only a moment, he held her stare. Then he opened the door and moved aside, letting her through first.

By the time they made it to the bridge, T'argon was in a blustering and bellowing fury. Lwaxana reclined in his command chair, absurdly small for the space but somehow filling it up nonetheless. The sequins of her turquoise gown shimmered like the Opal Sea as she twisted this way and that, harassing the helmsman. "Can't we go any faster, Madak? What are you fiddling with those buttons for? Don't make me come down there and-"

"Mother!" Troi called, flattening herself against the wall as a Klingon pushed past them. "What's going on?"

T'argon spun around. His eyes bulged out of their sockets. Angry spittle clung to his beard. "I apologize, commander," he snarled. "Once again, we are late to the battle."

Riker's chest tightened. "I don't understand-what battle? The coordinates were supposed to take us to a base."

"There is your base," T'argon said, jabbing a finger at the viewscreen.

A cloud of Romulan fighters swarmed the structure, raining torpedoes across its surface in a hailstorm of destruction. Chunks of debris broke away and went spinning into space like little, glowing embers caught downwind of a campfire.

Several Federation ships made a valiant attempt to defend the base. One of the ships cut dangerously close to the enemy, its photon banks glowing hot and white. But before it could fire, a beam of energy sheared its thruster away from the body. The vessel veered to the side, dipping and diving like a bird trying to stay abreast. The enemy closed in on its wounded prey. One more shot and it exploded in a flash of fire.

Troi gasped. Her mother hurried down from the helm, gathering both her and Billy into her arms. "Don't watch, Little One. Don't feel."

"Decloak the fleet!" T'argon roared. "T'lhingan mah! Wo' batlhvad!"

One by one, Birds of Prey shimmered into existence. They filled the black depths of space in daunting lines of formation. T'argon growled deep in his throat, admiring his own army as he settled into his command chair.

Footsteps clattered across the bridge. Riker turned to find Kyle and Sheppard hurtling into their midst. "Carmen!" the young man cried. "No!"

Kyle held him back as he lunged towards the besieged base on the viewscreen. "No, Allan! Stay out of the way!" he whispered harshly. "Let T'argon take care of this."

Sheppard struggled against him. "Commander!" he shouted. "Please, commander! We have to do something!"

Riker felt a touch on his arm. From his side, Troi stared up at him pleadingly. "We have to go down there," she said.

Standing a few paces away, Lwaxana cradled her grandson to her chest. He expected her to scold the counselor, to call her back to her senses. But instead, she met Riker's eye with a small, mournful nod. "Go. I'll stay here with Billy."

"Are you crazy?" Kyle pushed Sheppard aside and marched towards his son. "Haven't you noticed that the base is under attack?"

"Let them go," Lwaxana said. Her voice halted Kyle in his tracks. "If Leyton dies, the answers die with him."

"But it's suicide-!"

"T'argon will take care of the Romulans. Won't you, dear?"

The Klingon barked another order to his helmsman, then turned around with a savage grin. "Worry not, my princess. I will strike them down in a glorious battle! I will litter the heavens with their bones! I will bring shame to the entire Romulan Empire as I drench the battlefield with their blood-"

"He'll take care of it," Lwaxana assured.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sheppard glanced anxiously between Kyle and the commander.

Kyle threw his hands down at his sides in resignation. "Fine, fine," he grumbled. "Let's go."

As Riker rematerialized on the base, he could hear thunderous echoes of blasts growing louder and nearer. The floor quaked beneath his feet. Men raced past him, shouting as they dove for cover.

"Watch out!"

A nearby corridor burst into flames. An officer was thrown clear of the wreckage, smashing his head against the wall and landing in a dazed heap on the floor. His comrades grabbed him by the arm and dragged him down another corridor, out of Riker's view.

The flames grew higher, leaping towards the ceiling. Smoke filled the room. Troi coughed, covering her mouth with a sleeve. I can't feel her, she said into the space of his mind. There's too much...too much going on…

Riker grabbed hold of her hand, leading her and the others around the corner. Focus on me. Don't think about the rest.

"Help!" somebody shouted. "Please help me!"

Riker stopped. The voice had come from behind them, from somewhere within the raging inferno.

"We have to keep moving," Kyle urged, seeing his son's face draw taut with compassion. "We don't have time to save them all."

"I have an idea," Riker said. "Wait for me."

He ducked back into the smoke, ash raining down on his shoulders. Heat blew in his face. Sweat gathered in the corners of his scalp.

"Somebody! Anybody!"

Riker rubbed his eyes, trying to peer through the fire as it scalded his vision. He thought he saw a shadow on the floor a few feet away.

"I'm right here!" he shouted. "I'm holding out my hand-can you reach me?"

Flames licked at his sleeve. He listened intently as someone strained closer.

"I...I think I...yes! I've got you!" A sweaty hand clamped down on his. Digging his feet into the ground, Riker pulled with all his might, heaving them both clear of the flames.

"Come on! This way!" Throwing his arm around their waist, he urged them onward towards the rest of his team, not stopping until they were safely around the corner. A man with dark brown hair fell to the floor, clutching his chest as he tried to clear his lungs of ash. Riker gave him a few moments, then crouched down to his level. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Lieutenant Chavez," the man replied, wiping soot from his eyes. "Wait a minute...who are all of you?"

He tried to sit up, but Riker grabbed hold of his collar. "No, it can't wait," he growled. "It's your turn to help me now. I need to know where she is, Lieutenant Chavez."

A flash of recognition made the officer's eyes suddenly widen. He scrambled to get his back against the wall. "You-you're-Commander Riker!" he stammered. "But that's impossible! You're supposed to be dead!"

"Dead?" Sheppard echoed.

Growing impatient, Riker renewed his grip on the man's collar. "I said tell me where he's keeping her, or I'll put you right back where I found you!"

"Wh-who?"

"Carmen Riker. Where is Leyton keeping her?"

The floor rocked with another blast. An invisible shockwave rippled through the air, shaking a flurry of ash loose from the walls.

"He handed her over to the Romulan," Chavez blurted out. "I swear to you I haven't seen her since!"

"What Romulan?"

"But something went wrong. Something must have gone wrong. The Tal Shiar came here to make an exchange, not to attack us!"

"What kind of exchange?" Riker's blood ran cold in spite of the heat that still clung to the air. He feared that he already knew the answer.

"I don't know the exact terms. Ask Leyton! He's the one who orchestrated all of this!"

"I plan to," Riker snapped, yanking the man to his feet. "Now lead the way."

He pushed the limping lieutenant down the hall, a trail of smoke blowing overhead. Troi filed after him, keeping a hand on her husband's back to help guide her. As Kyle wiped the sweat from his brow and started after them, he caught sight of Sheppard standing alone in the hall. The young man made no effort to follow the others.

"Come on," Kyle urged. "We have to keep up."

"What did he mean, Commander Riker is supposed to be dead?" he asked, looking up at him dolefully.

"Jaresh told the council that the Enterprise was destroyed at the same time as the Borg. He didn't want Leyton to know we were coming for him. Now let's go-"

"But that means…" Sheppard said, seemingly rooted in place. "...that means Carmen didn't know we were coming for her, either."

A distant crack echoed through the halls like thunder. Ash dusted the young man's hair and fell softly over his shoulders like snow. "Come on, we have to catch up," Kyle said, pulling him along and trying not to think of the implications.

"Call them off, Citak! I said call them off!" Leyton fumed, slamming his fist down over the console.

On the screen, and surrounded by the calculated chaos of his own bridge, a Romulan stared evenly back at him. "You deceived me. I should have known better than to trust a Starfleet Admiral."

"I did not deceive you! It wasn't my intention for them to escape, I swear it! We still have Alidar's weapon, now if you'll stop this attack, we can discuss-"

"Call off the Klingons," Citak snapped. "I will discuss nothing while my men are being slaughtered."

The floor shuddered beneath Leyton's feet. He licked his lips, trying to wet them, but his mouth had already gone dry. "I can't do that! I didn't call them here! Please, before it is too late-"

Citak's eyes narrowed. "If you did not call them, then who did?"

"I did," a voice declared.

Leyton spun on his heel. A man stood in the doorway, tall and broad of shoulder. His uniform was caked in ash and one of his sleeves hung in charred, blackened scraps. He wore a triumphant smirk as he tossed a shame-faced Lieutenant Chavez to the side.

"This-this can't be!" Leyton hissed, bumping up against the console. Citak vanished from the screen. "C-Commander Riker?"

"Happy to see me?"

With his eyes locked on the admiral, he stepped into the room like a cat stalking its prey, moving slowly and deliberately.

"The Enterprise-it was destroyed!"

"It was a ruse, Leyton. The Enterprise was never destroyed. Unfortunately for you, we are all very much alive."

"Stop where you are," came a brisk warning. Laird stepped out of the shadows, a phaser drawn and pointed at Riker. "One more step, and I'll-aaarrggh!"

He let out a shriek, his back arching as he convulsed under a web of energy. The weapon fell from his hand. He went down a moment later, landing with a solid thud on the ground.

Surprised, Riker turned to find Sheppard standing at his elbow, a freshly fired phaser in hand. The young man looked up at him sheepishly. "Sorry, sir. I didn't mean to interrupt. He's only stunned, I didn't want him to-"

"It's fine," Riker said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "You did just fine."

Troi brushed past them, kicking Laird's phaser out of reach. Then she bent down to rifle through his uniform in search of more weapons.

"You don't have the whole picture, commander," Leyton insisted. "I was only trying to do what's best for Starfleet!"

"For Starfleet? Or for yourself?" Riker stepped closer. A menacing sneer returned to his face. "Now what have you done with my daughter?"

"Your daughter?" Leyton inched away, keeping as much distance as he could between himself and the commander. "There must be some sort of misunderstanding-your daughter was never here. Though I've heard of her...delinquent tendencies…"

Troi inhaled sharply, a sound of surprise and pain. Riker's fury cooled into concern. "What is it, imzadi?"

With a trembling hand, she pulled on a hilt at Laird's waist. "This is Carmen's," she whispered. Tears welled in her eyes as she ran her fingers along the intricate, hand-carved flourishes. She held the blade as though cradling the very memories it evoked. "Worf gave it to her for her birthday. She never goes anywhere without it. How...how did you get this?"

Laird swallowed hard in the expectant silence that followed. "I uh, I found it."

Her face hardened. A fire burned behind her black eyes and the tears dried up in a rage bestowed only upon the mothers of every species. She snatched at the front of his uniform, yanking him up off the ground and holding him terrifyingly close to her face. "What did you say to me?"

"He made me do it!" Laird cried, caving faster than a house of cards. "He made me remove her weapons!"

"Shut up, Laird!" Leyton snapped. "Not another word or I'll-"

Riker's fist flew, leaving a bright red mark on the admiral's jaw. Leyton's arms spun, trying to keep his balance, but Riker shoved him face-first into the wall before he could recover. "Tell us yourself, then. Where is she?"

"I'll have your career, Riker!" Leyton shouted. "I'll have you stripped of every title, every honor you've ever received! You'll never work for Starfleet again!"

"You're the one out of a job," the commander retorted, slamming his face against the wall to emphasize his point. He leaned forward to growl something into his ear when he noticed several dark smudges along the side of Leyton's face. At first, he thought it was just ash and soot. But now he saw that the admiral's countenance had been marred with a motley of fresh bruises. "She was here, wasn't she?" he said, looking over his daughter's handiwork with a touch of pride.

Leyton muttered something under his breath, so Riker jolted him against the wall again. "What's that? I didn't catch it," he said, wrenching his arm behind his back.

"I said you're wasting your time," Leyton gasped. "Now please let go of my arm."

"Tell me where she is first!"

Pain spread from Leyton's shoulder like fire as Riker continued to wrench his arm upward. "Please! Don't do this! Alidar took her, okay? Now let go!"

But Riker did not let go. "Alidar is in a penal colony on Elba IV-"

"That Alidar committed suicide two years ago," Leyton explained, his voice jagged with pain. "He-he was unable to bear the shame of his banishment. Your daughter is with the other Alidar!"

Riker's grip loosened, more out of confusion than mercy. "What are you talking about?"

Leyton panted with relief. A trickle of blood ran from his nose and dribbled down his chin. "Carmen was not the only one to come through. We found the wormhole, commander. We've been monitoring it ever since."

An unsettling feeling came over the commander. He exchanged a glance with Troi, whose eyes widened with the same fear. "But...what did Alidar want with her?"

Leyton turned halfway around. A cruel smile took shape under the trickle of blood. "She let his son die aboard the Enterprise, what do you think he wanted? A hug?"

Riker's fist clenched tightly and then drove into the admiral's stomach with a dull and sickening thud. As Leyton double over, Riker smashed his knee into his jaw. Leyton's mouth opened to cry out in pain, but he could only gulp for air like a fish out of water.

"I...saved your life, commander," he rasped, sinking to the floor. "If it weren't for my weapon, you'd all be Borg fodder by now! And this is how you repay me?"

"I'll repay you alright," Riker snarled, yanking his head back to look him in the eye. "Now where did they go?"

"Like I said, you're wasting your time." A nervous, slightly deranged laughter took hold of the admiral. "They're dead, commander. The Tal Shiar gunned them down when they tried to escape."

Riker's fist clenched again and Leyton squeezed his eyes shut, flinching away from him with a whimper. But Riker's anger burned swiftly through him, leaving him hollow and empty. He let go of Leyton, staggering back a step. The tremor of another blast shook the floor and he fell to his knees, making no effort to catch himself or stand again.

Kyle hurried to his son's side. "Will…" he lamented. No other words would follow. He slung an arm around the commander, feeling his back heave as he struggled to cope with the news. Behind them, Sheppard fell to his knees as well, weeping bitterly.

Troi alone seemed unaffected. She clutched the dagger in the palm of one hand and darted forward, pinning Leyton to the ground with her knees. "He's lying," she said. "I can feel it."

"If the Tal Shiar caught them, if they got what they wanted, then why would they attack our base?"

"You're hiding something," she snarled. "What is it? What really happened?"

"I'm telling you the truth, I-"

The rest of the words caught in his throat as she pressed the blade against his skin. Something sinister and intent flickered behind her dark, Betazoid eyes. "I can tell these things, admiral. Now this is your last chance. If I don't get the right answer, I will slit your throat and get it out of him." She nudged her chin towards Laird, who cringed as though she had thrown the knife his way. The others gaped at her, too bewildered to intervene.

"He doesn't know!" Leyton insisted.

Troi smiled, the gesture as cold as the blade against his neck. "That was a lie, too. You have until the count of three, admiral. One…"

"You're bluffing! You wouldn't kill me!"

"Two…"

"I swear, it's not-" He yelped as the knife's edge began to dig into his skin, drawing forth a thin, red line. "Okay! Okay! I'll tell you!"

He shuddered violently, whimpering with every breath as she withdrew the knife. "I'm waiting," she growled.

"The Tal Shiar went after them. Nearly blasted them to hell; I thought for sure they were goners."

"But?"

His lips quivered. He swallowed once, then twice, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. "But...they made it through in time. Through the wormhole. They're back where they belong and that's the truth, please don't kill me."

Troi closed her eyes for a moment, processing the news. When she opened them again, tears sparkled from their surface. "Carmen belongs here," she said, her voice breaking against the lump in her throat.

"Of course," he sniveled. "I only meant-I only meant that-"

"She's part of our family now. And trust me, admiral-you will live to regret messing with our family." With a cry of exertion, she drove the hilt of the knife into his temple. His head lolled to the side, knocked out cold.

Riker crawled over to his wife. She crumpled into his arms, all of her fury ebbing into grief. Her tears fell freely as he rocked her back and forth, holding on as tight as he could. Silence settled all around them while they mourned. The battle was over. Won. But in the dark of that room, victory felt far away.

"What do we do?" Troi whispered after a time. She craned her neck to look up at him, searching his eyes anxiously.

Riker let out a heavy sigh. "We'll get a hold of President Jaresh. Let him know we have Leyton in custody. We'll need help to round up everyone on the base-"

"But what do we do?" she asked again.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Sheppard watching him intently, waiting for the answer. He glanced at the young man, nodded, and then looked back at his wife.

"We go after our daughter."

Aboard the USS Ranger

Commander Hale stepped down from his post, heedless of the red alert blaring around him. Drawing a pensive breath, he ran a hand across the sand-colored stubble of his chin and examined the Warbird on his viewscreen. It lay like a dying animal in their path, listing aimlessly to one side to reveal a mortal wound across its belly.

"You're sure there aren't any other ships in this quadrant?" he asked.

A young and nervous lieutenant sitting at navigation nodded his head. "Yes, sir. I have no idea where the Warbird came from. Or who attacked them."

"Scan for survivors."

"Aye, sir." The computer trilled loudly and then stopped. Mumbling under his breath, the lieutenant slapped the side of his console several times until the trilling continued. "Sorry, sir. It's still a little buggy."

Hale's brows drew together. "Do you suppose the distress signal could have been a glitch? A false reading?"

The trilling ended with several urgent beeps. The lieutenant leaned forward, closely examining the new information scrawled across his screen. "No glitch, sir. The signal-it's coming from that Warbird."

"I thought it was a Federation frequency?"

"There is a human aboard. They must have set off the signal."

"Who else?"

"And two Romulans. All appear to be in critical condition."

The commander paced over to see for himself. "That would explain why no one has answered our hails. But I don't understand...they're the only ones? On that entire ship?"

"Yes, sir."

A quiet, speculative buzz made its way around the bridge. Hale studied the Warbird again as if he might find an answer in the scars along its wings, the charred craters in its side. "Cancel the alert and bring them aboard," he said at last.

"The Romulans, too, sir?"

"Times have changed, lieutenant." Hale blew out a long-suffering sigh. "And anyway, you know how the captain is. She'd never forgive us if we leave any wounded behind."

By the time Hale made it to sickbay, the captain had already beat him there. She stood over the figure of a young woman with pale skin and a bloody, tattered uniform. Raven dark hair fanned out around her face. One of her arms hung limply over the edge of the cot, clearly broken, while the other lay clenched in a fist across her heart.

"She's in bad shape," the captain remarked, gingerly touching a blackened bruise on the girl's cheek. "It's a good thing we found her."

Hale grunted in agreement. "A few more hours and we would have been too late. Their life support systems had already failed."

"Yes, but these injuries are older. See this?" She held up a shredded piece of cloth. "Her arm is broken. Someone tried to set the bone. They didn't do a very good job of it, either."

Her fingers continued to move across the stranger with clinical efficiency. Hale knew she was just checking for wounds, but something almost motherly exuded from her touch. He had seen that tenderness displayed before, and smiled knowingly.

"You think she was a child soldier?" he asked.

The captain nodded. "I think so. But she's much older than the ones we've found. They don't usually live this long."

"Strange. It's all strange," Hale mused. "I can't figure out what she was doing on a Warbird."

"What about the Romulans? Did they make it?"

"They'll pull through. Dr. Boyd is treating them in the brig, just to be safe."

Something in her gaze grew distant as her fingers continued to rove the young woman's face. "Does she look familiar to you, Trevor?"

Hale bent closer, studying her battered countenance carefully. "No. Why?"

"I...I don't know." Pushing a lock of red-gold hair behind her shoulder, the captain shifted her weight to her other foot. "I can't quite place it, but it's almost as if...as if I've seen her before. Look here!"

She held up the girl's arm and Hale could see now that her fist was closed around a small object. Gently, he pried a smooth lump of gold from the palm of her hand.

"What's that?" the captain asked.

"I'll bet that's the signal we've been chasing. Suppose an emergency beacon could fit in there?"

The captain shrugged. "Yes, I suppose. Someone must have wanted to find her again."

Hale glanced down at their mysterious new passenger. "Want me to take it for testing?" he offered.

"No. The way she was holding it...I think it's more than a beacon to her."

Hale's knowing smile returned. He set the gold down on a side table. "Did you ever have one of your own?"

"What, a child?" She shook her head emphatically. "No. Jack was hoping for a son someday, but...well, he was killed before we had the chance to settle down. That was a long time ago. Long before I was sent to Haven One, even."

The commander placed a hand on her shoulder, and she reached up to take hold of his fingers. They all had their burdens to bear, their losses to grieve. Yet there was a spark of bravery in the captain's brokenness, a certain light that had never dimmed, despite the terrible price of war. "Well, I think you would have made a great mother. But I know you make one hell of a captain."

"Thanks, Trevor," she said with a smile.

He sighed, giving her hand a squeeze before letting it go. "You sure you don't want to come back to the bridge with me? Dr. Boyd can finish fixing her up."

"No, I'll work on her myself," she said. "I just...I don't want her to wake up alone, that's all."

"Very well." He turned to the door, pausing one last time before reaching the threshold. "Page me if you need anything, Beverly."