CHAPTER SIX

Dr. Crusher and Captain Picard entered stores to get the different uniforms that they would need for their away mission; it was after all, imperative to the safety of the mission that they blended in. The crewman named Robinson stepped out from behind the large replicator, in the middle of the room, and spoke. "Can I help you with anything, sir? Doctor?"
"We need uniforms for the away mission to the alternate Enterprise, you will find what we need in the ship's security files."
"Yes, sir. I have already looked. Will the designs be the same?"
"Yes, and the colours as well." Picard confirmed.
"I couldn't find a uniform on file for Dr. Crusher, any picture we had of her from the last time was always of her face and nothing else." Robinson informed Picard.
"It was just the same as the one Counsellor Troi wore only slightly longer." Picard said trying to remember from the last time. "It's the same colour and style though. She will need a lab coat as well, which should be the same colour as the uniform."
"Okay, I already have your measurements, sir, I just need Dr. Crusher's." He turned to Crusher. "Could you please step up onto the platform, Doctor." Crusher moved and stepped onto a sort of gray, circular shaped box that looked like a modified transporter, and was raised about one foot off the floor. Robinson worked the controls on his computer terminal and a blue circular beam rose from the base of the platform and moved upwards to take all of the doctor's measurements. It took about twenty seconds to complete the procedure. "I have all of the information I need to make the uniforms so you are free to go, they will be ready in about fifteen minutes."
"We'll just stay here since we have to try them on anyway." Picard said. Robinson got to work tapping various buttons on the replicator and his computer terminal. Soon Captain Picard's uniform was ready and Robinson handed it to him. Next Dr. Crusher's had been produced and they both went into the changing rooms to try them on.
Captain Picard emerged first and he immediately felt disconcerted. He wore a very uncomfortable uniform top; it was essentially like the one he normally wore but with a few differences. Firstly was the collar, it was too high and Picard felt like he was being choked, it was black and had four gold pips on it as normal. The shoulders of the top were also black and had gold braid around them giving a striking contrast between the different colours of the uniform. The rest of the top was a sort of congealed blood red colour and was sleeveless.
Picard wore a gold sash around his waist matching the braid. The trousers were tight and black but surprisingly very comfortable, partly because they were the same style as Picard wore to go horse riding in. The whole of the uniform was very form fitting.
Robinson handed the captain black knee length boots that he immediately put on, and a dagger that looked like it had been derived from the Klingon culture. He put the dagger on his right side in a small sheath on the sash. Robinson handed him a phaser that had been modified to look as the alternate universes did, which he put in the holster on his left side. Next he was handed various badges some of which were medals that he remembered the other Picard wearing, and one was the metal pin badge, with a dagger going through it who's function was a communication device in his universe, and a torture device where he was going. He put the badges on the left side of his chest in the correct places and took a look in the full-length mirror. The shock went through Picard like a knife and it finally sunk in that he was going back to that godforsaken place- even though he looked dressed for an adventure on the holodeck. Picard turned as he heard Crusher exit from the changing room.
"I don't like it, Jean-Luc. Is this what these people actually wear?" She asked incredulously and a bit embarrassed.
"Yes, it's their uniform, Beverly. Don't look so worried you're not the only one that feels utterly ridiculous."
"Well I'm getting cold, at least you've got most of your body covered, I'll probably end up with pneumonia. I dread to think what Troi thought if this uniform is supposed to be longer than her's."
"You're a doctor, you've got a medical coat to wear." Picard tried to make her feel a bit better with that information, she did- a bit anyway. Robinson handed her the coat, it was shorter than what she was used to, as was everything else, but it was the same colour. She put it on and fastened it around her waist. She was handed black knee length boots and a dagger and phaser the same as Picard's. She put the boots on and the dagger into the sheath on her right boot. She wore the phaser on her left side, in the holster attached to the gold sash. Robinson gave her a metal badge with a dagger going through it and some medals that Picard showed her how to put on.
"You look fine," Picard said quite unconvincingly. Robinson had to turn away from them as he tried not to laugh at the way they both looked.
"I don't feel it," she snapped back at him. Crusher stormed out of stores with Picard following her, she did not want to look in the mirror.
They walked along the corridor. "Will we need to take anything with us that you can think of?" Picard asked trying to get her mind off what she was wearing- or not wearing for that matter.
"No, unless you want to take some sort of incapacitants with us. I may not be able to get them from the sickbay over there, and we need some sort of communications device incase we get separated. From what I heard, all of their communications are listened to."
"We'll go by sickbay to get the incapacitants and as for the communicator, you're already wearing one." Picard told her.
"Really? Where is it then?" Beverly asked, looking over what she was wearing.
"Where it usually is." She looked at the metal badge with the dagger going through it, she tapped it but it didn't make a sound. "It won't make a noise incase it alerts anyone in close proximity to you when you're using it. The only thing is that you mustn't let anyone see what it's real use is, after all, theirs are for punishment and it won't do if you press yours and you don't end up in agony on the floor." She laughed at that as they got into the turbolift at the end of the corridor.
"Sickbay," Dr. Crusher said. They were soon at sickbay and as they entered Beverly remembered about Wesley who was still lying asleep on the bio-bed. Dr. Selar spotted them as they both entered and strode over to them.
"Can I help you with anything, Doctor?" Selar asked as she looked at Beverly and Picard with a raise eyebrow.
"Yes, we need some hypos and incapacitants."
"Will tricordrazine do?" She asked and Crusher looked at her with an amused expression.
"Well it seems to work very well doesn't it?" Crusher said looking towards Wesley on the bio-bed: who was still out for the count.
"The amount you use does, Doctor." Selar went off to get it so she didn't have to answer to that remark.
"I thought you only used a small dose, Doctor." Picard said to Crusher.
"Well, I really didn't want to talk to him. If I had known I was going off ship I wouldn't have used as much." Picard glanced at her incredulously. "It won't harm him, it just means he'll be asleep for a long time that's all." Selar returned and gave each of them a small case containing what they needed. They left sickbay and went down to shuttle bay two.

Picard and Crusher entered the shuttle bay and were greeted by the bridge officers; Wesley was also there. They walked down to the shuttlecraft and stopped to talk to Riker and the others. "Good luck, Captain, Doctor. Come home safely and soon." Riker said still very uneasy about letting his captain do this. Beverly went to say goodbye to Wesley and then stepped into the shuttle while Picard spoke to Riker.
"Will, if anything should happen you have direct orders to seal that rift, whether we are back or not. It is imperative that if that ship out there comes any closer you must destroy it. It should not be permitted to enter our universe under any circumstances. Is that clear?" Picard paused. "If worst comes to worst you must destroy this ship cleanly." Riker nodded slightly. "I just hope that our counterparts are still alive over there, it won't do to have ghosts walking around the ship."
"Destroying the ship might be a slight problem, Captain. The self- destruct mechanism requires a coded authorization, and handprints of the captain and first officer. If you're off the ship then that role falls to the second officer- who's missing." Riker said.
"Well I'm sure you'll find a humane way to do it if the time comes. Maybe set a collision course, take the two ships out together." Picard spoke softly to Riker so only he would hear.
"Aye, sir." Riker said with a slight laugh at the way Picard was dressed.
Picard turned and climbed into the shuttlecraft El-Baz. The shuttle powered up and left the Enterprise on impulse. It ploughed through the vastness of space towards the monstrous spatial rift and the sinister, benevolent universe that lay on the other side of it.

Data and Reval walked along the corridor towards stores to get the uniform that Data had been wearing when he first came on board. They entered and the crewman saluted. "Can I help you with anything, sir?" Robinson asked.
"We need the uniform I had on when I first came here." The crewman went to get it and came back a moment later, handing it to Data who in turn handed it to Reval. "Put this on, Reval." Data instructed. The android changed and they both left to go to engineering.
In engineering the two androids entered. Data told La Forge to get an optical fiber wire and to link Reval's and his positronic brain up to each other. La Forge did as instructed and soon both androids were sitting down with an optical fiber attaching them both. "I am establishing a link to Reval's positronic brain now." Data said as La Forge monitored from a computer station. "Interface complete."
Data started to transfer the information Reval needed for his mission, through the cybernetic connection. The process took about two minutes and soon the connection was being broken. They both stood up and left engineering, leaving La Forge to clear up the mess.
"Was the transfer successful?" Data asked Reval as they walked back along the corridor.
"Yes, sir," was the simple response.
"Do you have any questions you need to ask?"
"I just need to check some information. Geordi La Forge is my best friend, is he not?" Reval questioned.
"That is correct." Data responded.
"Then I will refrain from harming him when the time comes."
"No, you must incapacitate him as well. It would not be a wise decision for you to leave him alone as he will do everything in his power to stop you, whether he is your best friend or not."
"I shall incapacitate him as well then."
"Do you know how you will disable the crew?" Data asked.
"Not yet." Reval and Data stepped into the turbolift and instructed it to proceed to the bridge. They stepped out onto the bridge after several seconds and crew personnel saluted them. Data and Reval strode down to the command area and spoke with Picard.
"Reval is ready to beam over to the other ship, sir." Data informed him.
"Very well. Reval you have about one hour of spare time on your hands. Counsellor Troi is working on a device so that we can keep an eye on you while you are over there."
"A wise decision, sir." Reval told the captain.
"Go and use the time to clear up any information that you are not certain about, or whatever you need to do. Mr. Data will come and get you when you are needed." Reval saluted the captain and left the bridge while Data sat down on Picard's left.

The shuttle moved through the spatial rift and came in close to the mirror Enterprise. Crusher could clearly see the great black imposing letters etched across the hull, ISS Enterprise ICC 1701-D.
"We can beam in from here. La Forge said that because we are in such close proximity, the signal leakage combined with the interference from the rift, will act like a cloak." Picard told Crusher. They moved to the back of the shuttle where the transporter was located. Crusher was just about to speak when Picard activated it and she felt an immediate gut wrenching jolt as she was whisked away from the safety of the shuttle, and transported somewhere else.
They materialized in "Picard's" quarters and Beverly looked shocked as she hastily looked around her.
"Why did you beam us in here? The quarters could have been occupied." She said anxiously.
"They weren't, I checked. Anyway we needed to know if our counterparts are still alive and looking around, it seems that they are." Picard said.
"You could have told me. What are we going to do now then?"
"I suggest we take the captain out of commission like we did the last time. We can't go walking around the ship incase we end up in the same place at the same time."
"Great. How do you suggest we do that then?" Beverly asked a little pessimistic.
"We could use the computer terminal again, that'll alert him that someone is in his quarters." Picard suggested.
"He'll bring his guard though and this time he may not stay outside."
"We could always wait for him to get off duty." Picard turned to the computer and asked when his duty shift finished.
"Your shift will finish in twelve minutes." The computer responded in its icy, low, male voice.
"Just as I thought." Picard said.
"What?"
"My shift aboard our ship is due to start in twelve minutes."
"But you've been on the bridge all morning though... and you told me you were on duty." Crusher said and Picard couldn't resist smiling with a slight shrug.
"I hate it when you nag, Beverly, and I had a lot of work to do." He replied defensively.
"I nag with good reason. You were going to pull a double shift." She said in mock annoyance.
"Well we haven't got a lot of time. We'll wait for him, and incapacitate him when he gets here." They moved into the bathroom to wait for him. "You know, Beverly, you're too nice. You have to begin to think and act like the Beverly of this universe does. Did you read the reports from our previous encounter?"
"I did, I made sure of it. I didn't want to be caught out. I've been practicing, how's this?" Dr. Crusher changed her facial expressions to what the Crusher of this universe looked like. She looked angry, with a slight curl to her lips, pain filled her eyes and she looked dishonest and evil.
"A remarkable improvement." Picard said playfully.
"Thank you. I hope he comes straight to his quarters. What do you usually do? When you actually go off duty that is."
"Well I come for a shower and change after my shift but then technically, I'm not him."
"Well then, we may be in for a long wait."
"I hope not." He looked around slightly. "There isn't much different about this universe though, apart from the obvious. I should think that he would do most of the things I do. His thoughts and attitudes are different to mine but basically he is the mirror of me."
"Well you should know." Beverly said then thought for a second. "How will we get rid of my counterpart?"
"We should cross that bridge when we come to it." They both fell silent and waited for the captain's counterpart to come.

On the bridge Captain Picard stirred. "Commander Data you have the bridge until Commander Troi gets here. My shift has just finished. If you need me, I don't really want to know unless it's an absolute emergency."
"Aye, sir." Data said taking Picard's seat when he got up. Picard got into the turbolift followed closely by Detaith.
"Deck eight." Picard said and the 'lift proceeded. "Detaith I want to give Commander Data a personal bodyguard, after all he is entitled." Detaith looked at his captain.
"And you want me to organize that, sir?"
"Yes. Is there a problem with that?" Picard asked in a tone that told Detaith not to say yes.
"No, sir. I thought you would get Counsellor Troi to organize one for the commander though."
"Normally I would but she has enough to deal with at the moment." The turbolift stopped and they walked along the corridor toward Picard's quarters. They stopped outside of the door. "Tell Counsellor Troi I want to see her at zero nine hundred hours in my ready room." Detaith nodded and he went into his quarters.

Data sat on the bridge fully alert with everything that was going on around him. He had asked for a report to be brought to him from engineering five minutes ago, and he was still waiting. An ensign rushed onto the bridge from the turbolift, it was the same ensign that Data had punished earlier. "Ensign Grey reporting, sir." He blurted out gasping for breath and saluting at the same time.
"I should have known it would be you that was late. Well? What is your excuse?" Data asked irate at him.
"I was not informed until a minute ago that I had to come and see you, sir." The ensign said, clearly frightened.
"No excuse. Where is the report?" Data spat back.
"Report, sir?" The ensign said becoming very anxious, and clearly not having a report of any kind for him. Data got out of the chair and grabbed the ensign by the throat as Counsellor Troi strode onto the bridge. Everyone rose and saluted her as she strode down to the command area.
"Do we have a problem, Mr. Data?" Troi asked in a pleasant voice and looking very interested at the scene before her. The ensign shuddered at the thought of what she might do to him; that is if he wasn't about to die by the android's hands.
"We do. This ensign believes he can get away with insubordination aboard this ship. I was just about to tell him he cannot." Data squeezed the man's larynx and he made a satisfying choking noise.
"Well, Mr. Data, don't let me stop you. I am anxious to see how you discipline him." Troi took the command chair and watched intently. Data took out his knife and held it to the man's throat. Crewmembers turned to see what Data would do after all the ensign's actions merited the death sentence. Data moved the knife along the ensign's throat but not so much as to cut him. The ensign let out a strangled cry and closed his eyes, waiting for the sharpness of the pain and the rush of blood that he was sure would come.
"Fascinating. I have always been interested in human reactions to different stimuli." He smiled and looked at Troi.
"I see we have something in common, Mr. Data." Troi said a little surprised at how well the memory chip was working.
"Would you like to die now or later?" Data asked.
The ensign let out a strangled, "now please." Data let the man drop to the floor and kicked him hard in the head. The ensign lost consciousness with the impact of Data's boot and began to bleed on the floor from a gaping head wound.
"Mr. Data. Why did you do that?" Troi said a little disappointed.
"I reviewed the ensigns evaluation report and found him to be an asset to the ship, he has been punished enough for today." Troi stood and turned to one of her guards.
"You, get that out of here." She said pointing to the man at her feet. "Mr. Data, I think I have to give you a lesson on how to discipline some- one."
"Any information that you could give me would be useful, Counsellor." They both sat down and Troi told Data what he wanted to know.

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