Chapter 16
Captain Kaelha and Commander Briyen were waiting with a security team in the transporter room of the Neverland as three expected visitors and two unexpected ones materialized on their transporter platform. As soon as Picard was fully put back together again, he tapped his insignia.
"Picard to Enterprise, five to transport, energize!"
Geordi, Wesley and Robin turned around, stunned to hear their captain's voice from behind them.
"Hold your fire!" Kaelha shouted at the boy aiming a phaser at Geordi. Geordi's jaw dropped as he saw the weapon aimed at him. He had almost just been executed with a disrupter! The children were obviously surprised by the appearance of the captain and first officer of the Enterprise. They were not prepared to commit an act of war before them.
However, the children of the Neverland had an advantage over the Starfleet away team: they'd had time to think during the two seconds it took for the transporter to put the Humans back together.
As soon as Picard finished ordering the Enterprise to energize, Briyen and the Neverland head of security leapt up onto the transporter pad, grabbed Wes and Robin, tore off their communicator badges and hurled the two Humans to the floor away from the transporter pad.
Five people bearing Starfleet communicator badges were transported back to the Enterprise.
Kaelha turned to the two young ensigns bringing themselves to sitting positions on her floor, shaking their heads to clear them, trying to piece together what had happened to them.
Kaelha smiled, "It seems I've stolen two young Starfleet officers."
* * *
On board the Enterprise, when the away team materialized on the transporter platform in Room Two, Worf and his team immediately pounced on the two Neverland officers. One of them Worf recognized as Briyen, the first officer. The other was a slightly older child, possibly seventeen, a boy of somewhat larger size, probably security. As a matter of fact, he was wearing the Starfleet "security mustard" color. Come to think of it, Picard had noticed on the viewscreen of the bridge and in the transporter room on the Neverland "security mustard", "command red", "medical blue" and "engineering yellow", although on antique-style uniforms.
As Briyen was grabbed, he dropped Robin's communicator pin and it clinked to he floor. That brought realization to Picard that Wesley and Robin had not returned with them.
With a look of cold defiance, the child security officer also flung Wes's pin to the floor.
"Picard to bridge," Picard acted as quickly as he could to keep hold of the children as bargaining chips, "raise sh--"
The children disappeared in a hum of transporter energy and shimmer of light.
Worf staggered with suddenly no one to restrain. Picard cursed.
"Send us back over there, Chief," Picard said, still on the pad from being transported back.
O'Brien shook his head. "They've raised shields, sir."
"Damn it!"
Now all that was left of Wesley Crusher and Robin Wallace were their communicators. Without those, there was little hope of Starfleet ever being able to find them.
* * *
Beverly Crusher had heard via Deanna Troi that her son had been selected for an away team mission. Orders are orders, but this mission could be potentially dangerous, and she wasn't going to let her son leave without at least being there when he left. Perhaps she could even convince the captain to send her too.
"Computer, locate Ensign Wesley Crusher."
"Ensign Wesley Crusher is in Transporter Room Three."
Beverly was at the transporter room door within a minute. The doors slid open obediently, but the only person inside was the lieutenant on duty.
"Oh, no," Beverly said when she saw the man, "they've gone already?"
"No," the lieutenant answered, "they're in Two."
"Oh," Beverly was confused. Why would they suddenly switch transporter rooms?
She walked to the next door and entered the room. She saw many people in that room, Riker, O'Brien, Worf and a swarm of security, Geordi and Picard, who was kneeling on the floor studying something in both his palms.
But no Wes, no Robin. Oh, dear God, where's Wesley?
Picard stood and walked through the crowd of people in the tiny transporter room toward Beverly.
No. Please, no, I know that look in his eyes, she thought as her heart broke.
"Captain..." she shook her head in confusion, unable to continue.
Picard held out his hands, showing her their contents: two Starfleet communicator badges. "Your son's and Robin Wallace's. Two children from the Neverland traded places with them."
"I don't understand," Beverly whispered.
"Beverly," Picard's voice was warm and compassionate, "meet me in my ready room in ten minutes. I'd prefer to explain this to you in private."
Beverly nodded. All the officers in the room began to file out. Picard took a moment to turn and look at Beverly, whose back was to him. She was staring at the transporter platform. He had given her an order to report to his ready room, but he would wait for her as if it had been a request. It was now too often that he had to tell her of a family member who was likely lost. He turned and walked out.
Beverly could not draw herself away from the transporter. Her instinct wanted her to leap onto the platform and transport over to the ship and fight every person she had to until she found her son, but there was little doubt in her mind that the Neverland had raised shields and was most likely leaving. Without their communicators, how could her son and Robin ever be recovered? Her mind was silent for a moment and she listened to the faint reassurance from her heart that her son was not helpless and could be working toward his own escape as well. After the coming of the realization that she could get no more information standing here, she turned and left the room, headed for the bridge to meet with her captain.
* * *
Once all the members of the crew had taken their respective seats on the bridge, Picard began his orders. Geordi had taken Wesley's place at Conn.
"Mister LaForge, follow them. Don't let us fall behind. Mister Data, scan the Neverland for Human life forms matching Ensign Crusher and Ensign Wallace. Try everything you can think of to penetrate their shields. Mister Worf, hail them until they answer."
"Should we fire warning shots, sir?" Riker asked.
"Useless," Picard answered, "they know we wouldn't do serious damage to their ship with our officers aboard."
Beverly Crusher stood near the turbolift doors, almost as if she were not permitted on the bridge. In actuality, the ship's C.M.O. was the only officer on a starship who can, on his sole word, override the captain's orders if he believes the captain medically unsound. But Beverly waited, feeling not so much like Chief Medical Officer Beverly Crusher of Federation flagship U.S.S. Enterprise, but instead like wife of Jack Crusher, mother of Wesley Crusher, an outsider in a terrifying and dangerous world which claimed her loved ones on a basis of regularity.
"I'll be in my ready room," Picard finished and walked toward the doors. He caught Beverly's eye and stopped walking. She moved towards him and preceded him into his office.
She sat on the couch and, instead of sitting behind his desk, he sat next to her on the couch. He did not take her hand or otherwise try to comfort her in any physical way. He was both friend and captain and would have to find a middle ground.
He was not looking forward to explaining how her son had been lost, perhaps forever.
Captain Kaelha and Commander Briyen were waiting with a security team in the transporter room of the Neverland as three expected visitors and two unexpected ones materialized on their transporter platform. As soon as Picard was fully put back together again, he tapped his insignia.
"Picard to Enterprise, five to transport, energize!"
Geordi, Wesley and Robin turned around, stunned to hear their captain's voice from behind them.
"Hold your fire!" Kaelha shouted at the boy aiming a phaser at Geordi. Geordi's jaw dropped as he saw the weapon aimed at him. He had almost just been executed with a disrupter! The children were obviously surprised by the appearance of the captain and first officer of the Enterprise. They were not prepared to commit an act of war before them.
However, the children of the Neverland had an advantage over the Starfleet away team: they'd had time to think during the two seconds it took for the transporter to put the Humans back together.
As soon as Picard finished ordering the Enterprise to energize, Briyen and the Neverland head of security leapt up onto the transporter pad, grabbed Wes and Robin, tore off their communicator badges and hurled the two Humans to the floor away from the transporter pad.
Five people bearing Starfleet communicator badges were transported back to the Enterprise.
Kaelha turned to the two young ensigns bringing themselves to sitting positions on her floor, shaking their heads to clear them, trying to piece together what had happened to them.
Kaelha smiled, "It seems I've stolen two young Starfleet officers."
* * *
On board the Enterprise, when the away team materialized on the transporter platform in Room Two, Worf and his team immediately pounced on the two Neverland officers. One of them Worf recognized as Briyen, the first officer. The other was a slightly older child, possibly seventeen, a boy of somewhat larger size, probably security. As a matter of fact, he was wearing the Starfleet "security mustard" color. Come to think of it, Picard had noticed on the viewscreen of the bridge and in the transporter room on the Neverland "security mustard", "command red", "medical blue" and "engineering yellow", although on antique-style uniforms.
As Briyen was grabbed, he dropped Robin's communicator pin and it clinked to he floor. That brought realization to Picard that Wesley and Robin had not returned with them.
With a look of cold defiance, the child security officer also flung Wes's pin to the floor.
"Picard to bridge," Picard acted as quickly as he could to keep hold of the children as bargaining chips, "raise sh--"
The children disappeared in a hum of transporter energy and shimmer of light.
Worf staggered with suddenly no one to restrain. Picard cursed.
"Send us back over there, Chief," Picard said, still on the pad from being transported back.
O'Brien shook his head. "They've raised shields, sir."
"Damn it!"
Now all that was left of Wesley Crusher and Robin Wallace were their communicators. Without those, there was little hope of Starfleet ever being able to find them.
* * *
Beverly Crusher had heard via Deanna Troi that her son had been selected for an away team mission. Orders are orders, but this mission could be potentially dangerous, and she wasn't going to let her son leave without at least being there when he left. Perhaps she could even convince the captain to send her too.
"Computer, locate Ensign Wesley Crusher."
"Ensign Wesley Crusher is in Transporter Room Three."
Beverly was at the transporter room door within a minute. The doors slid open obediently, but the only person inside was the lieutenant on duty.
"Oh, no," Beverly said when she saw the man, "they've gone already?"
"No," the lieutenant answered, "they're in Two."
"Oh," Beverly was confused. Why would they suddenly switch transporter rooms?
She walked to the next door and entered the room. She saw many people in that room, Riker, O'Brien, Worf and a swarm of security, Geordi and Picard, who was kneeling on the floor studying something in both his palms.
But no Wes, no Robin. Oh, dear God, where's Wesley?
Picard stood and walked through the crowd of people in the tiny transporter room toward Beverly.
No. Please, no, I know that look in his eyes, she thought as her heart broke.
"Captain..." she shook her head in confusion, unable to continue.
Picard held out his hands, showing her their contents: two Starfleet communicator badges. "Your son's and Robin Wallace's. Two children from the Neverland traded places with them."
"I don't understand," Beverly whispered.
"Beverly," Picard's voice was warm and compassionate, "meet me in my ready room in ten minutes. I'd prefer to explain this to you in private."
Beverly nodded. All the officers in the room began to file out. Picard took a moment to turn and look at Beverly, whose back was to him. She was staring at the transporter platform. He had given her an order to report to his ready room, but he would wait for her as if it had been a request. It was now too often that he had to tell her of a family member who was likely lost. He turned and walked out.
Beverly could not draw herself away from the transporter. Her instinct wanted her to leap onto the platform and transport over to the ship and fight every person she had to until she found her son, but there was little doubt in her mind that the Neverland had raised shields and was most likely leaving. Without their communicators, how could her son and Robin ever be recovered? Her mind was silent for a moment and she listened to the faint reassurance from her heart that her son was not helpless and could be working toward his own escape as well. After the coming of the realization that she could get no more information standing here, she turned and left the room, headed for the bridge to meet with her captain.
* * *
Once all the members of the crew had taken their respective seats on the bridge, Picard began his orders. Geordi had taken Wesley's place at Conn.
"Mister LaForge, follow them. Don't let us fall behind. Mister Data, scan the Neverland for Human life forms matching Ensign Crusher and Ensign Wallace. Try everything you can think of to penetrate their shields. Mister Worf, hail them until they answer."
"Should we fire warning shots, sir?" Riker asked.
"Useless," Picard answered, "they know we wouldn't do serious damage to their ship with our officers aboard."
Beverly Crusher stood near the turbolift doors, almost as if she were not permitted on the bridge. In actuality, the ship's C.M.O. was the only officer on a starship who can, on his sole word, override the captain's orders if he believes the captain medically unsound. But Beverly waited, feeling not so much like Chief Medical Officer Beverly Crusher of Federation flagship U.S.S. Enterprise, but instead like wife of Jack Crusher, mother of Wesley Crusher, an outsider in a terrifying and dangerous world which claimed her loved ones on a basis of regularity.
"I'll be in my ready room," Picard finished and walked toward the doors. He caught Beverly's eye and stopped walking. She moved towards him and preceded him into his office.
She sat on the couch and, instead of sitting behind his desk, he sat next to her on the couch. He did not take her hand or otherwise try to comfort her in any physical way. He was both friend and captain and would have to find a middle ground.
He was not looking forward to explaining how her son had been lost, perhaps forever.