11
"Continue." Q paused. "What else haven't you told us?"
"Aww, c'mon! I was just having fun!" Q'ute couldn't understand the big fuss. She continued indignantly. "And it's not as if you haven't meddled with the humans too—-" She saw the looks on the adult Q. "And it's not as if you don't already know!"
"We know." Q nodded. "There is a difference, and you will learn in time. Interfere further with them and it will be at your own risk. It might be wise to tell your friend what has happened to you here as well. The Borg must not be trifled with any further."
Q'ute stuck out her tongue. Parents! She vanished into Detention.
Children! Q looked at the others. "They have the means and technology to remedy their situation by themselves. We shall leave them to it."
"That's if they act quickly," Another Q commented. "At least we can watch."
When Beverly's eyes focused she found she was looking into the wrong end of a phaser. Then her eyes focused on the woman holding it. "I'm dreaming."
Crusher chuckled. "You only wish. Nice to meet you, Beverly." Her weapon never wavered as she stepped back. "You may sit up if you like. But be very careful what you do. I'm not in the habit of telegraphing my intentions or giving second chances."
"Of course not." Beverly sat up very carefully; she was taking her counterpart's warning seriously. "That trait would run contrary to an officer's survival in the Empire."
"Exactly. I knew you were as clever as me when I found the thaw codes changed. If you would just be good enough to give me the new codes, I'll —-"
"No."
"— let you live." She studied her counterpart. "Stubborn like me, too." She sighed, aimed, and fired her weapon. The unconscious aide sizzled into nothingness. She swung the phaser back to the doctor. "And then there was one."
"No." Beverly gulped as her counterpart's face tightened. "No, wait! He changed them on my orders. You killed him before he could tell me what they were!"
Crusher thought it over. "You are telling the truth. Neither of us would sacrifice our lives at this stage of the game." She changed the setting to stun. "Have a nice nap."
"Captain! Scans have detected phaser fire on board." Worf looked up. "Sickbay."
"Bridge to Security! Three teams to Sickbay. Take everyone you see into custody. Alive if possible but do not expose yourselves to danger. Bridge to Guinan. Would you listen in, please." He had left the Sickbay channel open, hoping that some kind of reason would prevail. It did.
"Crusher here, Picard." She knew when the game was up. "Call off all your doggies, now, and beam the venerable diplomat Lwaxana Troi directly to sickbay. Unescorted, if you please, and thank you very much. Otherwise, your Beverly Crusher will be the next one I kill." She deliberately emphasized the 'next'. "Oh, and by the way, I've injected her with a yummy lethal dose of something. If you use the intruder control systems on any of us you'll never make it in time to save her. You have sixty seconds. Counting."
"She used the correct Empire honorific, Captain." Guinan said. "It's her. She'll follow through too. Forty seconds remaining."
"Bridge to Security. Beam Lwaxana Troi unescorted directly to Sickbay. Then seal it off with level 9 forcefields, clear that deck except for Security, and seal it off as well." He sat. "Bridge to Sickbay. We agree, and she's on her way. What now?"
Lwaxana Troi's voice came back in a hate-filled whisper. "Just wait and see, my dear Picard-petaQ. Wait and see."
Lwaxana muttered: "We're still imprisoned. Force fields and blast doors everywhere, and I can't sense a damn thing outside sickbay." Crusher flinched. "Oh, don't be alarmed, my dear. I'm not angry or disappointed in you. I'm satisfied that you've done wonderfully; no one could do any differently or better under the circumstances. Now keep their Crusher alive and healthy for now, and be very quiet, and let me think." She fought her pacing to a standstill.
Guinan straightened as she thought she felt the faintest of mind brushes. She gazed out Ten-Forward's windows and began earnestly coating the surface of her mind in thoughts about the vampires she'd encountered so long ago. Suddenly she thought she felt a familiar tug to her perceptions of reality. She sat down to sort through a gestalt of sensations. 'Endgame….'
"Ship decloaking! It's too close!" Ensign Ro gasped. She touched some controls. "I'm compensating." She sat back and mopped her face. "Safe now, Captain."
Picard stepped down for a closer look at the main screen. "I don't recognize that ship design. What is their status?"
Riker came to stand by him. "Their shields are up, so they don't seem interested in transporting anyone over with or without our consent. Their weapons are hot, but not locked on us. Yet." He looked to Worf.
The Klingon studied his instruments. "Confirmed. No communications but we're being scanned constantly. Our sensors pick up at least 200 life signs aboard that ship." He looked thoughtful. "They have capability to destroy us, and perhaps the ability to beam in and overwhelm us through sheer numbers but have not done so."
"Yet. Intensify interior scans. Keep all on red alert until further notice. We will need to know immediately if anyone or anything is transported over."
"Where the hell did their Crusher show up from? We need answers, and we need them fast." Riker asked. " Mr. Worf?"
"Rechecking scans. Wait." Then: "No indications of any transporter traces."
"Engineering to Bridge. Something on board that shuttle is jamming our shields. No telling what else it may be doing. I'm trying to devise some counter-measures."
"I could lead a team aboard the shuttle —"
"Belay that, Worf." Riker said. "Captain, these people have been one step ahead of us all the way down the line. I'm betting the shuttle has been rigged to self-destruct if we attempt to disable it."
"And they may do that now anyway. Mr. Worf, hold off and boost forcefield containment against explosive decompression."
"Security to Bridge. Captain, we have discovered an open exit to the shuttle bay. No idea yet how it happened. Two security are dead here. We have a glimpse of an open cold-sleep capsule inside."
"Acknowledged. Bridge out." Picard looked at Riker. "Now we know. You're certainly right about being anticipated. All the way to us reaching out to Lwaxana Troi."
"They didn't anticipate being discovered so readily." Guinan had entered the bridge unnoticed. "They don't have a contingency plan for this, or we'd know about it already. And I don't think that ship there has decloaked under orders." She smiled mirthlessly. "We may have a slight player advantage here." She moved down to stand by the captain. "I'm recommending we hail that vessel, Captain."
Picard looked at her a long moment. Then: Mr. Worf, hail that ship." He stood. "This is Captain Picard of the USS Enterprise. Identify yourselves."
The main screen shimmered into an officer on a starship bridge dressed in an 18th century French naval uniform. He turned to face the screen. "Ah! Bonjour mon Capitan. C'est beaucoup du temp, n"est pas! Ca va bien?"
"Q. So you are behind this after all." Picard felt his face change.
"Oh no, Jean-Luc." Q gestured expansively. "Or well, not exactly. Involved might be a better term. Yes, involved. I'm really not supposed to be here at all."
He paused and then added anxiously. "You won't tell on me, will you? I mean the Continuum would come down on me like a ton of neutronium —-"
"So why don't you just get to it already."
"I doubt your pea brain will understand, Riker, so don't even try. In fact, why don't you just go to bed. Don't worry; everything will be all right in the morning." He tilted his head and snapped his fingers. Riker vanished. "Now, where was I?"
"Q, I need him. Bring him back, s'il vous plait, et merci."
"You ask so nicely, Jean-Luc. Are you sure you're not sick?"
A thermometer appeared in Picard's mouth and Riker reappeared in yellow spotted pajamas with a bare chest. Ensign Ro put a hand to her mouth and tried unsuccessfully not to laugh. She wasn't the only one. Picard aimed a dirty look at everyone as he pulled out the thermometer. "I will admit this time it has its humorous qualities, Q. But just this once."
"Ooh-la-la! You always manage to somehow impress me, Jean-Luc, and despite all my best efforts." He made a small gesture for their benefit. "The deflectors aboard this ship are down for now. Come over or don't, it's safe, do whatever you humans want — it's all in your hands now. Two hours is all I can give, and this is all I can do for you. After that, everything aboard this ship returns to the way it was. I do guarantee that they don't have your best interests at heart. Au revoir, Capitan." Q vanished.
"Number One, prepare and lead an away team to that ship. But get dressed first."
Riker picked a hypothetical direction to the Q Continuum and glared into it. "The clock is ticking. Worf, you're with me."
"Beam my daughters to Sickbay — I'm feeling lonely. Sixty seconds. Counting."
Guinan mouthed: "Empire-raised."
Picard understood. "No. It is what it is. If our Beverly dies, I will execute your daughters one at a time."
Lwaxana laughed outright. "You wouldn't. I have studied this Federation of yours. Thirty-three seconds."
Guinan pointed to herself. Picard nodded at her silent question. "You're right as always, venerable Troi." She spoke. "Picard wouldn't; he's far too soft."
Lwaxana stiffened as she listened. "But I would. Yes, you know me. Your move." Picard's voice came back. "Things aren't quite as you planned, are they. Show me our Dr. Crusher, conscious and in good health and I'll consider it. Show me both Crushers."
They waited tensely as the clock ticked well past zero. The main viewscreen remained unchanged. Picard started to speak when the starscape switched to a two-way overhead view of the Sickbay. Two Beverly Crushers and Lwaxana came into view. Lwaxana was smiling, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "I keep having to upgrade my opinion of you, Captain. Naturally, that means I'll have to upgrade what I'm going to do to you as well. Of course, if you cooperate with us….." A gesture. "Two healthy Crushers. You don't know which is which of course, and I'm not going to tell you. I want both my daughters here, now." She looked at Guinan. "Hello, dear. You can practice whatever you like on my pilot. Just be sure to tape it so I can critique it with you later."
Guinan smiled cruelly. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Two Deanna Trois materialized next to Lwaxana and the screen went back to stars and the unknown ship.
Wesley mouthed: "Guinan, you're scary."' Ensign Ro nodded agreement. They didn't see the look of humour that Guinan directed at them and then at the captain.
The large, heavily armed away team materialized on the cargo pad of the other ship. Everyone swiveled in all directions looking for danger. Riker was first to react. "Away team to Enterprise. We're here safely. Q has immobilized their crew in whatever position and act they were performing at the time. Proceeding to enemy engineering and bridge."
The silence grew long. Then Riker came back. "Captain, there aren't any easy fixes to be seen here. If we haven't a solution before this crew wakes, we are all
dead."
Captains Log Stardate 27596.04: Most of the away team has returned to Enterprise. Sickbay has been quiet and appears to be contained. I wish I could say the same about the threat the other ship poses to both Enterprise and the Federation. If we can't come up with a solution soon I shall have no choice but to resort to an act of wonton brutality that will haunt me forever. We have ninety-seven minutes remaining in Q's interdiction. I wish I knew his motives behind doing this for us, but for perhaps the first time I am actually grateful for what he has done, and it will have to wait.
"The ship definitely arrived from the mirror universe," LaForge said. They were all gathered in the ready room. "That much is clear, and it's clear they have the capability to get back, but we still don't know how they did it. The equipment there will require more time to study than what we have."
"Four hundred." Worf repeated the thought in all their minds. "They were in the process of thawing four hundred elite Empire Starfleet marines for a boarding action." He looked to Geordi. "And more than enough firepower to take our shields down even if they were working." His Klingon growl was frightening this time, even to those familiar with it. "With all due respect, Captain, a Klingon would show no hesitation here."
"This isn't the Klingon Empire, Mr. Worf." Riker snapped. "Get back over there, Geordi. Take as many as you need and destroy that ship's offensive capability. At least they won't be able to fire on us." He paused. "We also need to know how to track their ship if it cloaks. Then concentrate on how they were able to cross dimensions. We may need to duplicate it. And fix our shields."
"You never ask for much," LaForge said drily. But he smiled slightly as he left.
"Security away team to Enterprise." They didn't wait for a response. "Captain, we have found Lwaxana Troi in a detention cell." His voice broke a moment. "Sir, I think you need to see this. I'm sending the imagery now."
"On screen." They looked, looked away and then stared again. At the same time of Q's intervention Lwaxana had apparently just managed to break free of her cell. A guard, in the process of partway entering the holding area held a phaser on her. He had just fired and wore an ugly smirk. Lwaxana was in the process of dissolution.
"Guinan, please report to my ready room." Tabernac. Picard looked at around. Everyone was distraught. "Our grieving must wait. We have work to do. Dismissed, all."