Chapter 8
The Third Space: Romulus
"I categorically refuse to perform surgery on this patient before I've seen the most recent brain scans," Beverly maintained.
"Your request cannot be granted."
"Then you are expecting me to execute a complicated medical procedure blindly!"
Doctor Sadek offered his typical scowl. "Presumably you have scanned his brain on board your ship?"
"Oh, I see...you expect me to perform this surgery based on memory."
Sadek continued to glare at her as if she were an idiot. "Doctor...you are looking for a foreign object. Simply remove the foreign object, and your job is done."
"If it's so simple, Doctor, then why do you need me to perform this surgery?"
"Despite your inferior skills, you have a particular...familiarity with his implant technology."
"Inferior? Well, first of all, thank you so much for the vote of confidence. Secondly, I don't know what you are talking about. This is not a level of technology I'm familiar with."
Sadek was unmoved. "That is not a correct statement, Doctor Crusher."
Beverly could feel her patience reaching its limit. On the one hand, the Romulan scientist seemed desperate for her to perform brain surgery on the Terran Picard, and on the other, he insulted her intelligence any chance he got. Beverly pointed over at the still form of Picard. After yet another violent episode in which he had attempted to stab Dr. Sadek with a laser scalpel, he had been strapped down and sedated once again.
"Do you actually know how many surgeries have already been performed on this man's skull? Because I don't. But I can tell you that aside from the uranium lining of his skull, he's got more than one foreign object in there, Doctor. Based on my memory of course," she added.
Sadek's sharp eyes peered at her from beneath bushy eyebrows. "I am aware of this man's physiological...experimentation. However, when you locate the object, you will recognize it. It is imperative that the correct person performs this surgery and that it be completed tomorrow." Sadek turned and stalked away through the dim cavern, but Beverly called after him.
"Is it a bomb?" she demanded, her voice echoing through the rocky fortress. Several scientists looked up, and Riker and Spock, who had been conversing, stopped to look in her direction.
Sadek stopped and turned to look at her with a cold smile. "Your translation device is faulty, Doctor Crusher...what Picard harbors inside that skull of his is much, much more concerning than a mere explosive device. If you do not perform the surgery tomorrow, we will have no more time for foolish arguments." She watched as Riker moved to intercept the Romulan doctor. Will didn't hide his anger.
"Doctor Crusher continues to refuse to comply. You will order your subordinate to perform the surgery, Commander."
"Doctor Sadek...I need some assurances from you that we will be permitted to leave here, and so far, you've given me nothing."
"The only assurance I can give you is that you and your crew will most surely die if the device is not removed from Picard's brain tomorrow."
"It's obviously some kind of weapon...can you promise me that this weapon will not be used against others?"
"No. The precise point of removing the device is to decrease the chance that we will all be annihilated."
"So, it is a weapon, but you have no idea how to use it, is that what you're getting at?" Riker barely resisted the urge to shout up at the ceiling. "This is ludicrous." He turned as Spock stepped from the shadows and now stood directly in front of him. His inquisitive gaze held little if any empathy for Riker's predicament.
"In your universe Commander, there is a saying, is there not, that desperate times require desperate measures?"
Riker eyed Spock. "If you want our cooperation, Mr. Spock, you're going to have to give me the same information you are working with. You're not going to make me force Crusher to perform surgery on Picard. And the only way I will allow her to do the surgery is if you give her what she needs-information."
"Mr. Riker...you underestimate the seriousness of the matter at hand. Logic dictates that you cooperate with the Romulans -"
" You may be the expert on logic, Spock, but logic is based on facts. And you're expecting us to act logically even as you continue to keep us in the dark. "
At that moment, there was an eerie high pitched whine and shouts of Romulan voices. Riker nearly fell to one knee as the entire cavern shook. The sound of muffled explosions cascaded through the rocky fortress. The lights snapped off, and everyone fell silent.
"What's going on?" Riker couldn't even see his own hand in front of him.
"We are under attack by an unforgiving enemy, Commander Riker. And they will stop at nothing until everyone in this cave has been eliminated. "
MIRROR
"I won't hold my breath for every one of you ungrateful souls to thank me for bringing us together this evening," said Troi, getting to her feet and tapping the side of her wine glass.
"So let me just congratulate myself," she continued.
"Will you please get to the point," said Crusher.
Troi didn't even look at her rival, as she seated herself gracefully at the table once more. "Mr. Barclay...go ahead."
Reginald Barclay pulled his chair closer to the table in an attempt to steady his shaking body. "The uh...the uh, B-B-"
"The Borg?" Crusher interrupted loudly.
There was brief but complete silence around the table as Barclay adjusted his collar, trying to avoid the imperious gaze of his former boss. "Yes," he said, suddenly finding his voice. Troi was now giving him a mental assist, helping him remain calm, which allowed him to speak more smoothly.
Barclay blinked into a small sensor implant that covered his right eye. Time for a quick systems check. The sensor allowed him a virtual view onto the bridge, and through it, he could also check the ship's engineering and tactical systems as often as he liked. It came in handy, especially in times of emergency. For now, everything seemed under control. He felt the eyes of all the guests on him. "The Borg are in pursuit of this ship. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, the ship appears to have evolved a mind of its own and superior technology, which has protected us to a degree. However, the Borg seem fixated on us."
"Why?" LaForge asked from down the table.
Riker poured some more wine into his glass. "They want Picard. The real one," he added with a smirk.
"Well that would be a problem since he's nowhere to be found," said Crusher. She glanced down the table at the slumped-over man. The Lesser Picard was mumbling, possibly dreaming of better days. Let him have his dreams since there was little else left for him to live for. She rolled her eyes back at Troi and Riker. "Unless you're thinking of handing him over instead. Good riddance, I say. He's an utter embarrassment."
"If we hand over the Lesser Picard, would that get the Borg off of our backs?" M asked.
"Won't the Borg be able to tell the difference?" Geordi questioned. "Don't forget, Captain Picard volunteered to be implanted with Borg technology."
"Yeah, and that means he's technically part of their operational matrix," added Wesley. "They'll recognize the difference immediately." He took a curious sideways glance at the human who appeared identical to the same Captain Picard he had grown up fearing and hating. But this was a broken man literally lying face-first in his own drool.
"None of that matters," snapped Troi. "He's the only bargaining chip we've got now that the real Picard is dead."
Beverly turned slowly to look at Troi and stopped chewing her food. "What?"
Deanna smiled and tapped her fingernails on the table in front of her. "I sent the Lesser Enterprise into a black hole using a fake signal impersonating the Stargazer, created by your most loyal associate, Mr. Reginald Barclay." Troi glanced down the table at the visibly nervous officer, but Crusher would not take the bait. She didn't even look at him. Troi knew he had been attempting to get back in Crusher's good graces for some time, and she had allowed these transgressions, believing that any contact with Crusher, even through Barclay, was of benefit to her. Let Crusher believe she was undermining Deanna. Let them all believe it.
She smiled with restrained joy. "There has been absolutely no sign of the ship for days. We know he was on Lesser Enterprise and judging how quickly it followed the fake signal for the Stargazer to its destruction, it is safe to say that Picard had gained control before his inevitable demise."
The mood around the table fell silent. Beverly Crusher took a long drink, finishing another glass of champagne, before standing up. Locking eyes with Troi, she hurled her empty glass into the wall before leaving the room quickly. LaForge watched her go but knew better than to follow her immediately.
M stood up, but a look from Troi stopped him.
"If you value your life...and you're the only here who even cares if you live or die...you'll stay put. Don't worry, she'll be back once she's calmed down. She needs a clear head, and then we can finally get somewhere."
M sat back down slowly.
Ignoring everyone else and perhaps his own safety, Geordi got up smoothly and exited the room. It was the worst possible timing, but he had to finally tell Beverly how he felt.