Chapter X

"What I don't understand is the purpose behind this cat and mouse game," Will Riker commented, sipping his drink at the bar in Ten Forward. Deanna sat next to him, tapping the side of her head in a way he knew that she used to relieve stress. Given how long this had gone on, he wasn't surprised to see an evident demonstration of her anxiety. "Chocolate for your thoughts?" Guinan inquired, sliding a bowl of ice cream in front of the Counselor. "I'm not sure there's enough in the universe to make me feel better right now," Troi admitted.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" the first officer wondered. "It's those drugs Beverly gave me to improve my telepathic abilities. Our unwanted guest has found a way to use the treatment against me and I haven't had a moment's peace. But after what happened to Data, I'm the only method we have of fighting against this threat," the Betazoid told them. "How much time will it take for them to wear off?" he asked. "Several more hours, at least," Deanna answered.

"And when they do, we'll all be vulnerable," the bartender noted. "Is there any proof that this person is even still aboard?" Will inquired. "I don't know about physical evidence, but I can definitely still sense his presence," the Counselor responded. "You know that I would help you if I could, but my people's abilities aren't the same as yours," the bartender offered. "I appreciate the sentiment. I'm just going to have to endure this on my own," Troi stated. "This whole situation is frustrating," he complained.

"It can't last forever. One person could hardly overcome the concerted efforts of the entire crew to find them," Deanna pointed out. "I wouldn't be so sure about that. After all, we've encountered individuals with that kind of power before. I suppose we should be thankful that this isn't Q," Riker pointed out. "At least in his case, events usually develop along a specific pattern," the Counselor commented. "I never thought I'd see the day people actually wanted that meddling trickster around," Guinan remarked.

"Maybe it would help to go over what we know again with the senior staff? See if any new ideas surface?" the Betazoid suggested. "I can suggest it to the Captain. The only problem is that without Data, we won't be able to tell if we're being spied upon by this intruder," he lamented. "That might not be true. With my heightened abilities, it's possible that I could resist their influence long enough to warn the rest of you," Troi offered.

"If you're right, maybe it would be better to get started immediately. Before you forget why you took those drugs to begin with," the bartender advised. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up," Deanna said, gesturing towards the uneaten bowl of ice cream. "My pleasure," Guinan told her with a smile. Will tapped his comm badge and said, "Riker to Picard." "Go ahead, Number One," the Captain responded.

"Deanna and I have a plan we'd like to discuss with you," the first officer replied. "Alright. I will wait for you in my ready room," Picard told him. Rising, Riker led the way into the corridor and into a turbolift where he called out, "Bridge." "I hope this will help resolve this. I'm exhausted," Troi said.

A light went on is his head and he smiled, saying, "That's it! Deanna, you're brilliant." Frowning, she responded, "What did I say?" Will didn't answer directly, instead tapping his comm badge again and saying, "Riker to La Forge." "Go ahead, Commander," the engineer intoned. They'd reached the bridge by then and as he walked around the curve towards where the Captain was waiting, he continued, "Look for places on the ship someone could sleep without being disturbed or detected."

"Acknowledged, La Forge out," Geordi declared, ending the transmission. The doors to the ready room opened and at his side, Troi stiffened perceptibly. Picard was seated behind his desk and standing on the left was a strange man he didn't recognize. "Captain, I was thinking that we should go over everything that we've learned since the intruder alert was originally sounded," Will proclaimed. Jean-Luc nodded, turning to the newcomer and asking, "What do you think, Chairman Akharin?"

The aged man strode over towards him, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "That does sound like a good idea, Captain. Be sure to include investigator Galen in this meeting," Akharin decided at last, turning away from him to regard the window. "See to it, Will," Picard ordered. Deanna took him by the arm and practically dragged Riker onto the bridge. "What's going on?" he demanded. "Not here... let's find somewhere private to talk," she insisted.

Shrugging, he led her back to the turbolift and instructed it to head down to his quarters. The Counselor was practically shivering in fear, even though there had been no reason for her to be frightened. The transport deposited them in the corridor and she practically ran to his room. Once inside, the first officer said, "You act like you just saw a Borg drone." "It's him, Will. Akharin, the Captain called that man. He's the one we're looking for," Troi explained.

"Who? The three of us were the only ones there," Riker countered. "He must have made you forget him. But the drugs Beverly gave me must have strengthened my empathic abilities where I could keep him out, make myself immune," Deanna told him. "If you're right, then do you think he was aware of your resistance?" he inquired. "I couldn't tell. I had to fight to keep hold of my own mind, Will. It was insidious. I could feel him trying to twist my perceptions so I wouldn't notice him," the Counselor stated.

"Why weren't you affected until we entered the room?" Will wondered. "His ability to influence minds must have some limits. He can't be everywhere at once, obviously. And I have to guess that unless we're in sight, he isn't too worried about us since we can't affect him directly," she observed. "You realize what this means, don't you? We can't go to the briefing with the others. If he has any level of telepathy, he'd be aware of the fact that I knew about this," Riker commented.

"You know, I'm not sure that it is telepathy," Troi remarked. "How else would he be able to make us forget him so thoroughly?" he countered. "It may be some kind of technology, or subliminal conditioning. That's why he had to be awake before this started," Deanna proclaimed. The first officer nodded, recalling what Data had told them about this intruder. If it wasn't for the recording of that discussion, we would have all ceased to remember the existence of this threat, Will thought.

"So we can get close to him, as long as we don't mention anything about the investigation which he might want for us to forget," Riker concluded. "Before we do any of that, I need to get another dose of the concoction Beverly made for me. As uncomfortable as this is, I'd rather avoid losing my memory of these events," the Counselor told him. Nodding, he walked with her from his quarters to another turbolift and ordered it to sickbay once they arrived.

Upon reaching the correct part of the ship, the two of them rapidly strode to the entrance of the medical center and stepped inside. Doctor Crusher was tending to a patient and looked towards them at the sound of the door opening. "Unless this is an emergency, you can wait in my office," Beverly directed. He glanced at Troi, who said, "I suppose it isn't something that requires immediate attention." Together they walked across to the room and sat down. The physician soon joined them and asked, "How can I help you today?"

"I need you to give me some more of the drugs which you injected earlier to enhance my empathic abilities," Deanna requested. "It is about time for that to wear off, isn't it? Have they been effective?" Crusher inquired. "More than we realized. We'd rather not discuss it. The fewer people who know the details, the better," Will told her. "If you insist," the doctor replied, pulling a hypospray from a drawer and adjusting the contents.

"Are there any long-term effects of this treatment?" Riker asked. "I don't really know. But it's quite likely that there will be eventually," Beverly explained. "So, the faster we resolve this, the better," Troi commented. Finishing the preparation of the injection, the physician pressed it against the Counselor's next and there was a soft hiss as the medicine entered her body.

"Would this have a similar effect on anyone else?" the first officer wondered. "Vulcans would have enhanced skills, but it might overwhelm their ability to control their emotions. That could lead to a situation similar to what happened during Ambassador Sarek's visit," Crusher told him. He nodded, recalling how the aging Vulcan's disease had caused violent and overwhelming reactions in those around him. A similar reaction under current conditions would be disastrous.

"Will and I share a bond that lets me contact him telepathically. Would it affect him in the same way as me?" Deanna asked. "We could always try it and find out," the doctor suggested. "Do it," he commanded. Beverly reloaded the hypospray and injected him. Will sat there for a moment as the drugs suffused him system, wondering what would happen next.