CHAPTER TEN

Dr. Crusher moved quickly along the corridor to reach the captain's quarters as soon as possible. She did not run as that may have brought unwanted attention her way. She heard someone come up from behind her, in fact she couldn't help but hear as the person was running and making a tremendous racket in the process. Crusher turned around to confront who ever it was and immediately saw that as a bad idea.
Troi bounded round the corner and stopped just short of running past Crusher, her face full of rage. "Now I have you, Doctor. You won't escape me this time. You're going to die a painful death." Troi took out her knife again; it was still covered with blood from engineering, as she hadn't had time to clean it. Troi moved closer to Crusher.
"Hasn't any one told you to clean your tools before you use them again?" Crusher asked looking at the blood-smeared blade that Troi was waving in front of her.
"Don't worry you won't be living long to know any difference." Troi spat back.
"You don't really want to do this." Crusher said trying to talk her way out of it while backing away slightly and holding her hands in front of her as some sort of defense. She thought about running.
"Oh I do. Believe me I do want to do this. I'm not going to let you ruin my relationship with the captain. I've worked too hard for it and besides you really have nothing to live for now, with your son dead and everything."
"Don't forget that it was the captain who took me, I didn't exactly want to be with him. So why would I be ruining your relationship with him?" Beverly asked. This was becoming tedious but if she just kept this maniac talking it may help in some way.
"Because you can't stand having things taken away from you, the reaction we got when we told you your son was dead proved that." Troi said accusingly.
"Well I would think that crying was part of missing someone wouldn't you?" Beverly replied in annoyance and realizing that this was probably the longest conversation, her counterpart and Troi had ever had, unlike the relationship she had with the Deanna of her universe.
"Maybe, and if you had I would have understood. All you did though was start shouting about how you would be the next one to die. It seems that you got something right." It suddenly dawned on Crusher that this Troi did not know that she was from a different universe, and so she was obviously defying the captain's wishes about wanting to keep the Crusher of this universe alive.
"He's not dead." Crusher informed her, the counsellor laughed.
"What makes you say that? I know, I killed him." She said with hate filled pride.
"Well, I hate to put an end to your fun here but I know he is not dead. You failed, true a level five phaser blast would normally kill someone, not Wes though- he's alive. A mother knows these things, you would never understand that of course." Crusher said with confidence.
Troi stabbed at her with the knife but Crusher dodged it expertly. Beverly grabbed Troi's hand with the knife in it and snapped it back hard; the knife dropped to the floor and Crusher ran for her life.
Troi quickly picked up the knife and bolted after her. Crusher rounded a bend and came to a halt. She took out her knife and went into a room on her left. The room she had gone into was someone's quarters, thankfully unoccupied. She noticed various familiar items, a trombone being one of them. "Riker's quarters," she thought- "but he's dead, they mustn't have had time to clear all of his things out." She listened carefully and heard someone rush past the door in the corridor. "Troi," she thought and waited a few seconds until she couldn't hear anything else outside of the door. She exited the quarters, cautiously.
A fist came from her left-hand side aimed directly at her face. She ducked purely with reflex and dived to the side, running down the corridor evasively. "The counsellor doesn't let up," she thought as she ran. Crusher came to Picard's quarters and thought about going in- "no, I can't go in there in case she finds the other Picard and works out who I really am." Crusher ran past the quarters. "I'm going to have to stand and face her sometime." She stopped and waited for the counsellor to catch up- she was a fast runner and had got some distance between the two of them. Crusher thought of what to do next as the counsellor came up beside her, breathing hard- apparently she was not used to running this much.
"Don't run anymore, this is my ship and there's no escape. I have eyes everywhere. Your life ends here." She lunged at Crusher again and Crusher sidestepped, narrowly dodging her.
"I won't go down easily, you'll have to do better than that... Deanna." Crusher said trying to provoke her- if she made her more angry the counsellor might start to make more mistakes.
"Yes your belligerence is here even now, when you know you can't win." Troi said getting into an animalistic stance, ready to pounce again.
"Weren't you told not to harm me from the captain? I'm supposed to get a transfer, so you can talk about belligerent attitudes. You're full of it, Deanna. You always have been, thinking you're the only one worth anything around here, well you're not you're just as good as the rest of us."
"Did you really think you would get around the captain like that? I'm still going to kill you, then I'll say it was you that attacked me first." Deanna snarled; she certainly was not going to give up anytime soon.
"Well you got something right." Crusher leaped towards the counsellor on impulse- something she wasn't expecting. Crusher had judged rightly when she had provoked the counsellor into a rage, her powers weren't working as well now, and that was throwing her off her mission. Crusher managed to cut the counsellor on the arm, but that didn't stop her one little bit. Crusher thought about using her phaser- that wouldn't be a fair fight though, but Troi would if she had her's at her side. She reached for her phaser but it wasn't there- she must have dropped it in the corridor when she had been running. Troi leaped up off the floor and grabbed the doctor.
"You're dead!" She yelled at her.
"So you keep telling me. However since you're obviously not trained in the martial arts, and I am, I will give you a chance- just to make it a fair contest." Crusher was calm although every fiber in her body told her to end it now while she had a chance. They wrestled to the floor, each trying to cut each other with their daggers. Troi came up and held the doctor pinned down on the floor.
"It seems I am right though." She put her knife to Crusher's throat but didn't have time for the slicing action before the doctor got free again bringing her knife up. Crusher felt the knife embed and the trickle of warm blood flow down the hilt and across her fingers. The counsellor fell to the floor with Crusher's dagger sticking out of her side.
"Oh no, what have I done?" Crusher said under her breath. She got to her feet and looked down at the counsellor's body. She picked Troi up from the floor and ran along the corridor towards sickbay- she was stopped by Captain Picard coming towards her. "Please be my Picard and not the lunatic of this universe," she thought as they got closer to each other.
"When I got to my quarters and you weren't there I got worried. Is everything all right? What happened?" Picard said taking Troi's body off her.
"She wanted to kill me, we fought and as you can see I won." Beverly said.
"Well we have to get going."
"No, Captain. I can't just leave her like this she'll die. I'd never forgive myself; we have to at least get her to sickbay. The doctors there can sort her out, if we leave her here she'll bleed to death."
"Alright but we have to hurry." Picard and Beverly made their way back along the corridor with Troi's body; they saw Detaith running towards them. Picard had run from him trying to find Beverly and Detaith was just catching him up now.
"Sir! What happened?" He asked, breathing heavily and taking Troi off Picard.
"You're a little late, Detaith. You should get fit. Take Troi to sickbay, I'll be in my quarters changing." Picard was covered in blood as was Crusher, but he wanted to go to his quarters so they could beam back to the shuttle without being detected.
"I'll be back straight away, sir. Please don't leave your quarters though until I get back." He took off at speed and Crusher and Picard entered his quarters.
"Well Doctor, I'm ready to go home. What about you?"
"Please Captain, get us out of here." She said. They heard a noise coming from the bathroom.
"Quick, the other Picard is beginning to wake up, we have to get out of here." Picard and Crusher stood side by side while they signaled the shuttle to beam the two of them back. They were gone in a shimmer of light and materialized in the aft cabin of the shuttle. Picard moved to take the controls and soon they were heading back through the rift at warp five and back towards civilization.

Captain Picard stirred. He opened his eyes but couldn't see anything as his vision was blurred. "Where am I?" Was the first question he asked himself, then he looked at his surroundings as his vision began to clear, and realized he was lying on the floor in his bathroom. "I must have been put in here by my counterpart and Crusher." He stood up steadily and went out into the main part of his quarters and he began fuming with anger.
On the bed lay a small black case, he opened it and saw that it contained an empty hypospray and cartridges. He threw them back down onto the bed in disgust. "So, you've had a field day on my ship again have you? Well, you'll not get away with it this time!" He left his quarters and noticed that his bodyguard wasn't there. Picard looked puzzled as he saw Detaith walking along the corridor towards him, covered in blood.
"Sir, I got back as soon as I could. Counsellor Troi is all right and Dr. Crusher is looking after her. The doctor said she could return to duty in a few hours. Who I might add got back to sickbay quicker than I did, I was in front of her and she didn't pass me in the corridor."
"What do you mean, Detaith? What happened to Troi?" Picard asked very impatiently and rubbing his eyes to clear his vision as it went blurry again.
Detaith looked at his captain puzzled. "What do you mean, sir? You were there." He replied.
"I wasn't, my counterpart from another universe was. I want to know everything that has been going on. Come on we're going to the bridge." Picard stormed off down the corridor.

On the shuttlecraft, Picard and Crusher sat in silence as they approached their own Enterprise on their side of the rift. Crusher broke the silence. "It's good to be back on our side of the rift. I'm getting changed as soon as possible when we get back. It'll be too soon if I see this universe and uniform again."
"I know the felling. We still have to think of a way to destroy that ship over there though; this is by no means over. I wonder what the Picard over there is doing now. He was just coming to when we left."
"He's probably storming around the ship right now trying to find out what has gone on and not getting any answers." Crusher said yawning. The shuttle came in close to the Enterprise and Picard hailed them.
"Picard to Riker. We are ready to come back aboard."
"It's good to hear you again, sir. Is everything alright?" Riker asked over the comm channel.
"Yes, Commander. I'll brief you when we get back on board. See you soon." Picard steered the shuttle around to shuttle bay one and decreased speed. The shuttle bay outer doors opened revealing the inside of the Enterprise. Picard cut his engines so that the ensign could bring the shuttle in with tractor beams.
Soon the shuttle was back where it belonged and Crusher and Picard emerged.
"It's good to have you back, Captain, Doctor. I expect you'll want to change before we have that briefing?" Riker asked noticing the blood on his uniform.
"That sounds good, Number One. We'll be up on the bridge within twenty minutes. Will you assemble the bridge officers in the conference lounge?"
"Aye, sir." Riker replied. They all left the shuttle bay.
Deanna Troi ran to catch Crusher up, she had accompanied Riker to the shuttle bay to greet the away team. Crusher turned and almost knocked her flying with a well-placed fist. Deanna fell to the floor, dazed.
"Deanna! Sorry. Are you alright?" Crusher asked shocked at what she had done, she bent over to help her friend off the floor. Troi's nose was bleeding slightly.
"I'll live. Beverly, I think we need to have a talk, all of this has obviously affected you a great deal." Troi said shocked and rather sore, she wiped her eyes as they began to fill up with the stinging sensation from her nose.
"It's just that your counterpart has just tried to kill me over there. I got a little confused, I'm sorry. I think you should come to sickbay and I'll get you sorted out." Beverly told her, her mind having returned to where she was now.
"It's alright, Bev. There is something that I need to talk to you about though." Troi said as they began walking along the corridor again. They got to the turbolift; Picard and Riker had gone on ahead of them.
"This sounds serious. What is it, Deanna?"
"It's about Wesley. He was using a holodeck program and he fell. He was seriously injured. He's alright now but Dr. Selar will tell you all about it."
"I bet it was that new program he got. I told him not to use it, I said it was too dangerous. I should have known he wouldn't listen." Crusher was getting overworked as she thought about Wesley disobeying her.
"He's in sickbay, Beverly, I think you'll want to see him. Just calm down before you do though, he's had enough upset for today." Troi cautioned.
"What do you mean by... Wait if he's in sickbay... and the other Wesley is there, don't tell me he saw his counterpart."
"Well, Bev there was no way around it, he was in a bad condition and he needed urgent medical attention." She looked meaningfully at her friend. "I think you should calm down before you see him, Beverly."
They got off the turbolift and Crusher went to get changed before she went to see Wesley. She was after all covered in blood and she didn't want Wes getting the wrong idea and thinking she was a mass murderer or something.

Captain Picard entered his quarters and went to get changed. It felt so good to be back in his own quarters, although there were no visual differences it just felt more homely to him. He showered and got changed into his more comfortable, usual uniform.
Picard left his quarters to go up to the bridge. As the doors opened, he saw Lieutenant Detaith walk past in the corridor. His heart sank as he thought he was back on the other Enterprise. Detaith nodded at Picard and carried on walking. Picard smiled to himself thinking that he was becoming too paranoid for his own good. He continued on up to the bridge.

Beverly Crusher left her quarters after showering and changing, and went off to sickbay. As she entered she looked over to the bio-bed where the other Wesley had been; he wasn't there. She went over to speak to Selar.
"Dr. Crusher. It is pleasing to see you again. Your son is in here." She led Crusher into a small room to see Wesley.
"Wesley. What happened?" She asked as she went over to hug him.
"Mom. I had an accident on the holodeck using the program you told me not to use. I'm sorry, I've learned my lesson." He said guiltily. She was pleased to see him but was still angry with him. Crusher began scanning him with a medical tricorder to assess the damage for herself.
"So, what did you brake?" She said still scanning.
"Seven fractured ribs and a broken femur, Doctor." Selar said as she came into the room. Wesley put on his most innocent face as they both looked at him.
"Well, Dr. Selar will look after you for a little while longer. I have to go to a briefing on the bridge. I'll be back as soon as I can, take care Wes." She hugged him again and turned to leave.
"Mom, it's good to have you back." They both smiled at each other and she left.

Back aboard the alternate ship, Captain Picard stormed onto the bridge. Detaith had briefed him on all that he knew but there were still a few things missing. Crewmembers saluted him but he ignored them and strolled down to speak to Data. "Commander, I want to know everything that has been going on on my ship over the last fourteen hours, in my ready room. Now." They both went into Picard's office and Data informed him of all he needed to know.
"What about Reval? Where is he?"
"I left him in engineering after we had given him the other uniform to wear. He was waiting to be beamed onto the other ship. I have not seen him since then but if the other Picard and Crusher came looking for me, it is most likely that they took him instead. I know that the other Picard certainly did not recognize me when we were on the bridge a short time ago."
"Stupid, as I thought. Never mind, Reval will carry out his orders and this will work to our advantage eventually. Tell me what happened to the counsellor."
"I do not know, sir. I have just been informed." Data replied.
"Very well, I will go and see her. Dismissed Commander." Data stood up and went back out onto the bridge. Picard went off to see the counsellor.

Picard entered sickbay and saw Dr. Crusher; he went over to her. "Where is Troi?"
"She's in there resting, Jean-Luc." Beverly pointed.
"What happened?" Picard demanded.
"It seems that she was involved in a knife fight with my counterpart and lost. You did tell her I was to get a transfer didn't you?"
"Of course, Beverly. I told you I didn't really want to hurt you." Picard replied honestly.
"That's a laugh, that's all you ever seem to do. Anyway, it seems that Troi just won't listen to your orders. She was the one who started the fight. She obviously thought it was me she was trying to kill." Crusher turned her back on Picard in disgust and carried on working. Picard went to see Troi.
"Counsellor. How are you?"
"I'm fine," she replied listlessly.
"I told you not to harm Dr. Crusher. The one you tried to kill wasn't the right one anyway. It seems that our counterparts have had a field day on my ship again. We can't let them get away with it either."
"Too right. Reval should be ready to go immediately." Troi said, sitting up slightly.
"I'm afraid he's already there. It seems that they took him thinking that he was Data." Picard smiled, "so we are still in with a chance, Deanna. Are you ready to return to duty?"
"Yes, Captain. The wounds were superficial really, though I lost some blood. I'll need to change my uniform." She said seeing that the one she had on was covered with blood and ripped where the knife had been. She got up off the bed and went out of sickbay with her chief bodyguard, Picard and Detaith.

A/N: Please leave a review. Thanks