Chapter XI
"I want to monitor you for a few hours, make sure there aren't any negative side effects," Beverly stated. Will nodded, rising and moving out into the main part of sickbay. "If it isn't too much trouble, I will stay here with him," Deanna offered. "That should be fine. Let me know if you sense any issues," Crusher requested. The Counselor rose and moved to join Riker without further comment, leaving the doctor to continue carrying out her duties.
She was just about to finish a report when the intercom chimed, "La Forge to Crusher." Tapping her comm badge, the physician answered, "Go ahead Geordi." "Can you come down to Data's lab? I have something I want your opinion on," the engineer request. "I'm on my way," Beverly answered. Shutting down her console, she stepped into the open and found Nurse Ogawa.
"Alyssa, I've got to leave for a bit. Let me know if anything happens while I'm gone," Crusher directed. Her subordinated replied, "Everything will be fine." "I'm counting on you, Lieutenant," the doctor said, heading out the door and moving to a nearby turbolift.
It was a short ride to her destination, but she stopped short when the entrance didn't part upon her approach. Tapping the panel outside, the physician said, "Geordi, can you let me in? The door's not working." The barrier abruptly parted and she stepped inside at once. "Computer, lock the door to my authorization code," La Forge ordered.
"I'm guessing that you're afraid our unwanted guest might find out what is going on in here," she commented. "I'm absolutely certain that Data wasn't taken out of action by mistake. It's a good thing we haven't turned over Lore's remains to Starfleet yet or I wouldn't know where to start making repairs," the engineer told her. "So how long do you think it will take you to finish?" Beverly wondered. "A few more hours, at least. But I think that you can help me speed up the process," he proclaimed.
"I'm a doctor, not an engineer," she protested. "That's true, but you have become familiar with many of his systems. And some of those have similarities to biologic functions," Geordi explained. "If you say so," Crusher responded. "I've been coordinating my work with the research Barclay is doing and I think that I have a solution. Since the Captain ordered me to disable something Data put in place, I figured that the fastest way to do so would be to ask him how it was established to begin with," La Forge proclaimed.
"What sort of thing did he do?" the doctor wondered. "It's kind of hard to explain. Suffice it to say that we'll be better off afterwards," he told her. "I guess I will just have to trust your judgment. How can I help?" she asked. "There are a number of places where his circuits have been fused on the microscopic level. It will be faster for us to locate and repair them if both of us work on the issue at once," Geordi explained.
"Let's get started, then," Beverly said, taking a tricorder to begin scanning the android. La Forge followed suit and for the next few minutes both of them worked to fix their colleague and friend.
Soon, she had finished her examination and stepped back; trying to think of anything which she might have overlooked. Geordi seemed to have finished his work as well, stepping over to a console and tapping a few controls. Satisfied, the engineer reached for the android's back and flipped the hidden switch which activated him. Data jerked, then looked about; clearly disoriented. "How do you feel?" Crusher inquired.
"I am not certain. Geordi, have you briefed the Doctor on the situation?" the android asked. "Actually, I had something specific in mind to make sure that isn't an issue," La Forge answered. Frowning, she said, "I don't understand. There's something that you're not telling me." "I am sorry about this, but I don't see any other way," the engineer told him, activating a display on the wall. She instantly recognized the material, having gone over it shortly after her return to the Enterprise.
"That's Katherine Pulaski's research on suppressing short-term memories. Do you think it might help us counteract whatever method has been used to keep anyone from remembering this intruder?" the doctor remarked. "That's a good idea, but it wasn't what I had in mind. With your help, I want to make you forget what took place here," Geordi told her.
"Let me get this straight. You want me to wipe my own memories? Why?" Beverly demanded. "Because our foe has taken control of the ship, but nobody is aware of it," Data answered. She looked to La Forge, who nodded soberly and said, "If you can't remember it, then our foe won't be able to find out."
"Isn't there a simpler way?" Crusher inquired. "If you can think of something, I'm all ears," the engineer stated. The doctor considered the situation and the danger involved. "Sadly, I can't think of anything which would prove as effective. The only problem is that a true telepath would be able to tell that something exists which had been forgotten," she pointed out. "But they'd have to be looking for it, right?" Geordi said. She nodded, then went to a replicator on the wall and directed it to manufacture the proper tools.
"We need to work quickly. I will be disoriented for a short time afterward," the doctor advised them. Data moved from where he'd been standing, taking the neural neutralizer she'd produced and placed it on her forehead. "This will only affect approximately one hour of your memory," the android informed her. "Just do it already," Beverly requested. He pushed a few buttons while La Forge worked his console. She felt light-headed as the machine began to affect her.
Crusher blinked, looking around in confusion. She was standing in the entrance to sickbay, with no idea how she'd gotten there. "Are you alright, Doctor?" a familiar voice inquired and she turned to see Nurse Ogawa standing there.
"I'm not sure... when did I leave here?" the physician wondered. "A little over an hour ago, right after treating Commander Riker," Alyssa told her. She nodded, recalling the request Will had made to receive the same injections Deanna had gotten to enhance her empathic powers. "Any change in his condition?" Beverly asked.
"The Counselor is with him now. She says that it appears to have worked, though it would take some time for him to develop any level of proficiency," the nurse reported. "Can you take some quick readings on me?" she requested. "Of course... are you feeling okay?" her subordinate inquired. "I will know for certain once I look at the results of the scans," Crusher responded. Ogawa nodded, taking out a tricorder and examining her.
"There are some unusual readings in the section of the brain that govern short-term memory," Alyssa reported. "That's what I was afraid of. Did I say where I was going when I left?" the doctor wondered. "Not specifically... is it important?" the nurse replied. "I think that I may have had an encounter with our unwanted visitor," she explained. "If that's true, then maybe we could have the computer track your movements; find out where you've been recently," Ogawa suggested.
"That might work, unless those records have also been purged," Beverly observed, moving to her office and calling up the relevant records. Alyssa stood nearby, clearly waiting to see what the results were. "Looks like I went from sickbay to Data's lab and then back here again," she reported. "Were you alone the whole time?" the nurse asked. "I was on the way there, then I was with Geordi and he accompanied me on the trip back," Crusher answered.
"So how'd you lose your memory?" Ogawa inquired. "From what we've seen, this individual can affect computer records as well. He may have wiped any reference to his presence. And La Forge probably doesn't remember anything either," she lamented.
"So what can we do?" Alyssa wondered. The doctor considered the idea, trying to figure out what had happened. A stray thought entered her head and she directed the computer to look up someone else's records. As she'd suspected, the last known location of the person in question was within the lab she'd apparently forgotten visiting. Tapping her comm badge, she said, "Crusher to Picard. Can you come down to sickbay at once? There's something I need to show you." "On my way, Doctor," the Captain answered.
She waited impatiently, knowing that the fate of the whole ship could revolve around the information that she'd just found. Picard soon walked in, with a stranger at his side. "Who is this?" Crusher wondered aloud. "No one important," the aged man told her and she nodded, accepting his word. "You wanted to see me?" Jean-Luc asked. "I lost about an hour of my memory just a short time ago," the doctor reported.
The stranger stiffened, frowning in confusion and said, "You must be mistaken." "The computer shows that I left sickbay, went to Data's lab and returned with Geordi. But I don't remember any of that," Beverly insisted. "We think it's the work of the intruder," the nurse offered. "A preposterous story, without any merit whatsover," the aged man countered.
"I'm guessing that there's another reason why you called," the Captain interjected. Nodded, she swung the display around where he could examine it. Picard did so, frowning at what he saw. "Are you sure about this?" Jean-Luc inquired. Crusher nodded and said, "Data is no longer aboard the Enterprise."