I know, I know, it's a pretty predictable title... but when I wrote this I hadn't seen any other story with the same name ;)
Anyhoo... hope you enjoy!
All Our Yesterdays
"Captain's Log, Stardate 47988.9: We have arrived at Station Deep Space Nine on time, and I have given permission to the crew to disembark for shore leave. We will be leaving again at 0700hrs, once the crew have returned, and our new crewmember has been welcomed aboard.
"This new Lieutenant seems to be a bit of an enigma, even to Starfleet Command. His file lists him as being a master of multiple forms of hand-to-hand combat, and various weapons, including sword, batleth, and phaser.
"He is also an excellent linguist, and seems to be well versed in earth history circa 1600, to the present.
"There is very little information available about him before he joined Starfleet, but since then, his record has been exemplary."
"O'Brian! How've they been treating you here?" Commander Riker clasped his former crewmate's hand in a hearty handshake.
"Just fine Commander. How's she holding up?" Miles O'Brian asked.
"She's doing great. Geordi's been keeping the Enterprise in top condition. Hey, maybe you can help me out. I'm looking for our newest crewmember, a Lieutenant Duncan MacLeod? We don't leave until 0700, but I'm a little curious, and wanted to meet him today."
"Duncan MacLeod?" Miles mused aloud, "Oh, he said he was going to go onto the holodeck before he hit the sack. I think he's using holosuite three, over at Quark's."
"Thank-you Miles." Riker said.
"Sorry Sir, but I have to get going. I'm supposed to be home for dinner. Keiko'll kill me if I'm late again today. Why don't you stop by for breakfast in the morning? It'll give us a chance to catch up."
"I'll be there. How's 0600?"
"That'll be fine Sir," came O'Brian's hurried reply, "see you then."
Will Riker watched his former crewmate, as he hurried home to his family, pleased to see O'Brian so happy. As O'Brian disappeared from sight, Will turned and headed to Quark's.
Stopping outside the holosuite, Riker asked the computer what program was running.
"Highland Battle Sequence," replied the computer's disembodied voice.
Riker walked through the doors, and found himself on a lush hillside, overlooking a raging battle. The combatants were dressed similarly, but with one major difference: colour. Both groups, all men, wore skirts with patterns of stripes and colours on them. There were two patterns prevalent the battlefield. One group was dressed in a pattern of blues and greens, and the other wore a garish combination of reds and oranges.
While he stood watching the spectacle, the battle raged closer to him until the closest fighters were within a few meters of his position. As he stood, one fighter in particular caught his attention.
That particular fighter was one of the blue/green ones, and he seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. He had long brown hair, that hung loose to his shoulders, and held a large sword in one hand. His attention riveted, Riker watched as the man dispatched four of his enemies, all the while shouting encouragements to his companions. The man finished off another opponent by bashing him in the face with the pommel of the huge sword he held. Laughing, he turned to find a new opponent, and discovered Riker standing on the hill behind him.
"Computer, end program." He walked up the rise to where Riker stood.
As the battlefield and its combatants disappeared, so did the bloodstains dripping from the man's sword and clothing. He slid the sword into a sheath on his back, as Riker sized him up. The eyes that stared back at Riker had the look of someone who had seen too much death, and was sick of it. :But if he's seen enough killing for it to be that obvious,: Riker thought to himself, :why did he come here on a killing spree?:
"It's so much easier when you know they're not real, don't you agree?" Without waiting for an answer, or explaining how he had known what Riker was thinking, he continued.
"I'm Lieutenant Duncan MacLeod, and you are...?"
"Commander William Riker, of the U.S.S. Enterprise."
"Oh, I'm sorry Sir, I didn't expect to meet you until tomorrow morning..."
"That's all right Lieutenant, I just wanted to find out a little more about you before you came on board. I have a question for you."
"Shoot."
"Pardon me?" Riker gave him a quizzical look.
"Never mind, ask away."
"Does that pattern have any significance?" He pointed at the skirt that Duncan wore.
"Yes Sir, it does. This is a kilt, an old Scottish form of dress, and each clan has it's own pattern which was called a Tartan. This one belongs to my family, the Clan MacLeod. It's a way of telling your friends from your enemies. There's also an element of pride involved. Please, we can talk on the way to my quarters."
As the two men talked, they grew to like and respect each other. They spoke about the crew of the Enterprise, and Duncan mentioned his surprise at being stationed on her.
"I was very honoured when I got the news. They say only the best of the best get to work on the Enterprise."
"They were right. You made a name for yourself on the Endeavour. I heard that you fought a Borg scouting party single-handedly during the invasion. And without a phaser no less." Riker sounded impressed.
"Yeah, well," MacLeod said modestly, "there were so many of them, and it was taking too long to adjust the frequency of my phaser. There were three of us, and four of them, trapped in a shuttlebay, and the others were wounded. What else could I do? I grabbed a piece of pipe and just started fighting them with that. Luck was with me, or thinking about me at least." He smiled.
"Your companions said it was skill, and that's what got you transferred to the Enterprise."
The two men soon parted ways, each one impressed with the other.
The next morning, at 0645, the bridge crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1701-D stood, awaiting the arrival of their new shipmate.
"I hear you went to visit our new Lieutenant last night Will," Counsellor Troi said to the man standing next to her. "What's he like?"
"He's... interesting. Very proud of his heritage."
"Earth?" Deanna was confused.
"No...Yes... It seems that his family is from a place called Scotland, and he's kept up quite a few of the old traditions."
"Like...?
"Well... he was in a Holosuite when I met him, and he was wearing a kilt. That's sort of a knee-length plaid skirt. It had his family's Tartan on it, and he was swinging a sword like he was born with one in his hand. He said the sword belonged to his father. Look, here he comes."
The pair stood at attention as Lieutenant MacLeod was piped aboard.
"What are your impressions of our new crew member, Counsellor?" Captain Picard asked the ship's half-Betazoid counsellor.
"Well, Captain, he seemed to find the ceremony humorous. As thoughŠ" Troi searched for the right words to convey her meaning. "As though he found the whole thing silly. But not."
"Hmmm," mused the Captain. "Anything else?"
"Yes Captain, the moment he walked into view, the words 'warrior poet' appeared in my mind. Almost like they weren't my own."
"His perhaps? Could he be a telepath?"
"No Captain. From a telepath I would sense nothing. Mental shields are taught from birth and by his age it would be a reflex to keep them up. Besides, according to his file, he is fully human. Telepathy is practically non-existent in pure humans. I was planning to go see him after he got settled in, and ask him if he'd like to talk."
"Good. Proceed Counsellor."
Lieutenant MacLeod had been scheduled for three days of rest, while he familiarised himself with the workings of the ship. The afternoon before he was to report to Mr. Worf for duty, Counsellor Troi dropped by to see him.
As she approached the door to MacLeod's quarters, they emitted their familiar soft peep.
"Come," Deanna heard softly from within.
As she entered, she watched as MacLeod came from the bathing area, brushing his hair. He set the brush down on a table as Deanna finally got a good look at him.
He was wearing only a loose pair of pants, his chest was lightly tanned (a rarity in the 23rd century), and well muscled. His dark hair, which had been tied back when she first saw him, hung loose to his shoulders. Deanna realised she hadn't introduced herself, as she noticed him looking her up and down.
"Hello," she said. "I'm Counsellor Troi, and I just stopped by to introduce myself, and to let you know I'm here to help if you ever need it."
"Please," he said, "Just let me put a shirt on. Have a seat."
As he disappeared into the other room, Deanna looked around. On one wall were two decorative cases. In one was something she recognised as a Japanese kimono, and in the other, was something Will had recently described to her as a kilt.
Scattered around the room, were paintings and sculptures, some of which seemed quite old. On another wall was a black rack on which rested a pair of swords. Deanna knew that usually sets like these were created to match, but these did not. The smaller of the two was very simple, while the larger had a white handle carved into the shape of a dragon.
As she sat, Deanna's eyes fell on a book sitting on the table in front of her. Picking it up carefully, for it seemed quite old, she inadvertently read the title aloud.
"Blade of the MacLeods."
Just then, Duncan walked back into the room, heard her and laughed.
"It's supposedly written about one of my ancestors." he said.
"Supposedly?"
"It's a complete work of fiction," he replied, "everything in there happened, but not to a MacLeod."
Deanna could sense that there was more to the story, but that he wouldn't tell her, so she dropped the subject.
"I thought perhaps you hadn't been told, there is an ambassadorial function being held this evening at 1900. All officers are required to attend." Deanna informed him.
"Thank you Counsellor. You're right, no one told me. Is full dress uniform required?"
"Yes. It's being held in Ten-Forward. I'll see you there?"
"Absolutely Counsellor. I guess I'll have to go unpack my dress uniform. Thank-you for letting me know." Duncan, ever the gentleman, walked the counsellor to the door.
"I should warn you Lieutenant," the Counsellor added as she walked towards the door, "the Ambassador and his staff are rumoured to be a bit... eccentric. And remember, my door is always open if you want to talk."
Duncan walked down the hallway, wondering exactly what kind of eccentric the counsellor had meant. He'd met some very eccentric people in his life.
Walking into the lounge known as Ten-Forward, Duncan felt a familiar tingle along the back of his neck. Not the feeling of a nearby immortal. One that signified a different kind of being, one he knew quite well.
The room was full of milling people, the majority of whom were dressed in Starfleet uniforms, and it took him a moment to find anyone who wasn't. Finally, in one corner by a table laden with replicated food, stood a young man that Duncan recognised immediately.
Tapping Deanna Troi on the shoulder, Duncan asked her to point out the Ambassador.
"That's him," she said, pointing to the young man Duncan had already recognised. "His name is Ætolus Endymionson. Would you like me to introduce you?"
"Sure," Duncan followed the ship's Counsellor, as she crossed the room towards the Ambassador and his party.
He knew that the Ambassador's party couldn't sense him the same way he could sense them, so it gave him a moment to watch them unawares. There were two women standing near the Ambassador, both of whom could be mistaken for Vulcans at first glance because of their pointed ears. They were dressed in a style that Duncan suspected the Counsellor would consider eccentric. One was dressed in a forest green tunic and leggings, and the other in blue.
The woman who wore green, had auburn hair that reached just past her shoulders, with small braids on either side of her face, while the rest of her hair hung loose. One of the braids had feathers hanging from it, as did the empty scabbard that was strapped across her back. Anyone but him would probably have missed it, but the other braid was tied up with a small swatch of plaid fabric, in shades of blue and green. A pattern that he himself had known all his life.
The taller of the two, was dressed similarly only in blue, lacking only the plaid hair tie, in hair that reached past her waist. There was very little difference between the two. Besides the colour they wore, the only differences between the two seemed to be height and hair length.
Any thoughts of Vulcans were quickly dispelled however, as Duncan drew near and saw the forest green eyes, with their cat-like pupils. The two were quite serious, but seemed willing to laugh earnestly at any humorous comments made by the Ambassador.
The Ambassador's blue clad companion spotted him first, and flashed him a quick smile before whispering into her doppelganger¹s ear. A look of surprise crossed the shorter woman's face, as she turned to look in his direction. Quickly replaced by a more neutral smile, she caught the Ambassador's attention just as Duncan and Deanna arrived.
As they approached, the Ambassador stepped forward to greet them. "Counsellor Troi, how nice to see you again." He shook her hand.
"Thank-you, Ambassador."
"Call me Ætolus, please."
"Ætolus. This is Lieutenant Duncan MacLeod. Lieutenant, this is Ætolus Endymionson, the new Ambassador to Omega III."
"Lieutenant," the Ambassador shook MacLeod's extended hand and smiled, "I'd like you to meet my assistants, Nikki," he gestured to the blue clad woman, "and Robyn," as he gestured to the shorter of the two, he smiled.
Deanna sensed that something odd was happening, but all she could get was an overwhelming urge to giggle from the four people around her.
"The captain tells us you're something of a swordsman," Robyn said, looking at Duncan with a twinkle in her eye. "Have you ever used a Japanese katana?"
"Yes," Duncan replied in a neutral voice, "once or twice."
"It's very like our Sidhe blade, the soenah."
"I'd heard that." As Duncan spoke, Robyn turned to the Ambassador, raising her eyebrows in a questioning look.
"Please Robyn, feel free to go and have a chat with the Lieutenant. I think I'll be able to manage without you for a little while."
"Thank you Sir," she smiled broadly, and she and the Lieutenant wandered off to a small table, and began an animated conversation.
Another of the partygoers approached, wishing to speak with the Ambassador, and Deanna politely excused herself to speak with the Captain.
"And you say that he seems to recognise their species?" Captain Picard was incredulous.
"Yes sir, he seemed to know a little about them, and he went off to talk with the shorter of the two, Robyn."
"What did you say she called herself again Counsellor?"
"I believe the term was 'She' Captain."
"Mr. Data," the Captain called to the android member of his crew, who just happened to be walking by.
"Yes, sir?"
"Have you ever heard of the 'She'? The Counsellor overheard one of the Ambassador's assistants calling herself that."
Data stared off into the distance for a moment, until he had searched his extensive internal database. "I am sorry, Captain, I have not, but I will search the Starfleet records immediately."
"That's alright Mr. Data. It can wait until tomorrow." Captain Picard turned back to Troi. "Do you think that Mr. MacLeod would object to being assigned as the Ambassador's liaison? He seems to be the only person that has any knowledge of the Ambassador's party, even if it is based on rumour."
"I'm not entirely sure Captain. I think you'll have to ask him yourself, his emotions are too hard to read, too confusing."
"What about the Ambassador, would he be offended at having a Lieutenant assigned as his liaison?"
"I don't think so. The Ambassador does not seem to be easily offended."
"Thank-you Counsellor."
The next day, Duncan found himself in the Captain's ready room. He had been sent there directly by Mr. Worf, his Klingon superior officer, when he had reported for duty. "Captain?" He entered the room, and saw the Captain reading a book of Shakespearean poetry.
"Ah, thank you for arriving so promptly Lieutenant. I would like to ask you a few questions."
Hoping they weren't about his katana, Duncan said, "Certainly, sir."
"Counsellor Troi said that you recognised the species that the Ambassador's assistants belong to."
"Yes, sir."
"The 'She'?
"Yes, sir."
"According to Mr. Data's research, that's one of the other names for elves, out of Earth's history."
"Yes, sir. From what I've been told, there was a pair of their species stranded on Earth for a little while. They looked different enough from humans that they became legends to the people of Earth."
"Hmm," the Captain thought to himself. "Have you ever met one of them before?"
"Yes, sir, I have..."
Seacouver, 1998
Duncan heard the soft sounds of the wind chimes over the door as someone entered the shop. Putting down the book he had been reading, he headed for the front room, pausing on his way to check for the distinctive sensation of a nearby immortal. The feeling he was looking for wasn't there, but there was a slight tingling feeling at the base of his skull, unlike anything he had experienced in his 400 years.
:If I didn't know any better,: he thought laughingly to himself, :I'd say my Spider-Sense was tingling.:
Entering the front of the shop, he saw there were two people. A dark-haired young man slowly rollerbladed through the shop, looking intently at each of the displays. The other person was leaning against the display case. She wore a short plaid skirt, a T-shirt, and rollerblades. She was leaning down, looking intently at something in the display case. Because of how she stood, her auburn hair fell, covering her face.
Duncan walked silently, until he stood behind the counter, and said, "Excuse me, can I help you?"
She looked up, and he was shocked by the delicacy of her features. Looking at her, one would think her a model, or if he had met her in his youth, a fine lady. The way she held herself however, told him that she had no need of the chivalrous protection of any knight.
As she stood, her hair fell back from her face, and revealed upswept ears, from which dangled several silver earrings, most of them Celtic in design. She wore dark glasses, and Duncan wondered what colour her eyes were behind the smokey glass. He didn't have to wait long to find out however, as she removed them and looked him in the eyes.
"Lieutenant?"
"I'm sorry. Yes, sir, I have."
"How much do you know about them?"
"A little..."
Seacouver 1998
He walked slowly over to the fallen Robyn, dropping to his knees at her side. She looked so peaceful, that, except for the strange angle of her neck, she could be sleeping. Duncan glanced up at her friend Override. "I didn't even get to tell her she was right about Andrew."
Looking back down, he gently curled a wisp of her hair around her ear as he had seen her do at the store the day before. Then, unable to restrain himself, he leaned in, and brushed his lips against hers, whispering Shakespeare's famous line, "May flights of angels wing thee to thy rest."
A hand slid up the back of his neck and Duncan, startled, tried to pull away only to be held back as a voice whispered in his ear, "Who needs rest?"
The hand pulled him back to her lips, and he found them no longer cold and dead, but warm and very much alive. The kiss was long and wonderful, and they found themselves locked in eternity, unable to break away.
"Ahem," Override discretely coughed, gaining their attention.
The pair reluctantly broke off contact, and Duncan looked at Robyn, amazed. Staring deeply into her eyes, he finally realised what about them had been bothering him: they were slitted like a cat's!
"W-w-w-what the..."
"Would you be willing to act as liaison to the Ambassador and his staff? We don't wish to offend them, and you seem to be the only member of Starfleet that's met one of these 'She'."
"Did the Ambassador request me as a liaison?"
"No. Why?"
"No reason Captain. Of course, I'd be willing to accept. As long as the Ambassador doesn't object of course." Duncan knew that the Ambassador, the man he had once known as Override, would do no such thing.
"Of course. You will be assigned to the Ambassador's party immediately. They are to be allowed free access to the bridge, of course."
"Of course. Would you like me to meet them at their quarters?"
"No Lieutenant, they will be coming here in a few moments. Please, have a seat."
"Yes, sir."
"I realise it's unusual to be assigned diplomatic duties on your first day on duty, but the circumstances are unusual."
"I understand, sir. Strange circumstances make for strange bedfellows," the Lieutenant smiled.
Just then, the door chimed, and Picard called out, "Come."
Lieutenant Duncan MacLeod and the Captain stood as the Ambassador and his staff entered the ready room. All of them sat, although the ready room was a little small to hold all of them. The Captain walked over, and sat in the chair behind the desk, and the Ambassador sat on the vacated couch. His assistants flanked him like slightly mismatched bookends, one on either side. The only place that remained for MacLeod, was next to Robyn. The couch was quite cramped with four people on it, and the two were required to sit quite close together.
"I apologise for the cramped quarters..." the Captain was interrupted by the Ambassador.
"It's alright Captain. Please, why did you wish to speak with me?"
"I wanted to know if you would agree to having Mr. MacLeod as your liaison Ambassador Endymionson? I would like you to have someone to turn to when you need assistance and I am otherwise occupied."
"Of course Captain Picard. And please, call me Ætolus."
"Then please call me Jean-Luc. Mr. MacLeod is at your service, and has been instructed that you are permitted on the bridge any time you wish."
"Thank-you again for your hospitality Cap... Jean-Luc. We'll leave you to your duties."
The group of four left the room, and stepped into the turbolift. As the doors closed, Robyn looked at their new liaison and said, "At our service, huh?" she smiled at him.
Ætolus and Nikki took a step forward, their backs to Duncan and Robyn "Deck six."
The pair turned towards each other, and Duncan reached forward, taking her plaid hair-tie in his hand. "Miss me?"
"Duh," she said in a fake Valley Girl accent. Reaching towards him, she clasped her hands behind his neck. They leaned towards each other, and kissed.
"Time's up." Ætolus said, seconds before the turbolift reached its destination, giving the pair time to compose themselves.
"Thanks Æt," Robyn said, a little out of breath, as she brushed a long dark hair off the front of her tunic.
The turbolift doors opened, and everyone stepped out and walked a short distance down the hall to the Ambassador's suite. They entered the room, and the Ambassador made sure that the door was secure, before turning to his new liaison.
"It's been awhile Mac," he smiled, and gave the Lieutenant a friendly (yet manly) hug.
"Yes, it has, hasn't it Æt. Almost five years. Hey Nikki," he said, as he gave her a hug as well. "How've ya been?"
"Oh, fine I guess. Except for all of Robyn's moping around. She's miserable without you, or at least not as happy. And life's not as fun when you're not around." She smiled, and motioned for him to take a seat on the couch.
Not surprising to anyone in the room, he sat on the couch next to Robyn. She sighed as he put his arm around her, snuggling up to him as though he were a teddy bear.
"So why am I your new liaison? I was just assigned to the ship as a security officer, and now I'm a diplomat?"
"None of my doing," Ætolus said, "I think it was your little chat with Robyn that did it."
"That's what the Captain said. Because I'm the only one that's ever heard of the Sidhe. I almost choked when he asked me how well I knew them." Robyn snickered at his obvious discomfort.
"I guess it was just luck, ne?" She said, poking him in the ribs.
Duncan glared at her, and then reached down and pulled one of her braids. She opened her mouth to complain, when Ætolus interrupted, "None of that children, we should wander around the ship and let people see us. Otherwise they'll talk."
For the next few hours, they wandered around the ship, talking as they went, acting as if they had only met the day before. Only the occasional comment, which fit perfectly into the rest of their conversation, revealed anything out of the ordinary.
Finally, their tour lead them back to the bridge, where they asked permission to observe quietly.
"Of course, Ambassador. Although, nothing especially interesting is happening at the moment."
As they stood there, occasionally asking a question of their liaison or the Captain on the processes, the area seemed uneventful, giving lie to the Enterprise's reputation. In the area there was one spatial anomaly, a wormhole, and one planet, devoid of life.
It was Mr. Worf who picked up on the days exciting news.
"Captain," the Klingon's deep growl alerted the bridge crew that something was amiss.
"What is it Mr. Worf?"
"I'm picking up a distress signal. It's emanating from the other side of the planet. It identifies itself as coming from the..." he looked back at the display to check his information, "Aurora, a C-class prison transport ship."
"Thank you, Mr. Worf. Hail the ship, all frequencies." The Captain began to speak as he heard the beep signalling the com system being engaged.
"This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship Enterprise. Aurora, what is your difficulty?"
An audio only signal came over the conn:
"Please," a frightened male voice filled the bridge, "the prisoners, they've escaped! They've taken the shiaaaargh!" The voice cut out in a gurgling scream.
A new voice replaced the first, "My apologies Captain, one of the prisoners escaped, and activated the distress beacon."
Picard motioned for Worf to cut the signal momentarily. "Counsellor?"
"He's lying Captain. He seems to be confidant that you'll believe him, but he is most certainly lying."
"Captain, the ship has rounded the planet."
"On screen, and reopen the channel."
"Yes, sir." The burly Klingon complied, and an image came into focus on the bridge's main viewscreen. The ship was a wreck, as prison ships often were, and that gave Picard an idea.
"You seem to have taken a bit of damage," he said to the reopened comm signal.
"Nothing heavy," came the smooth reply. "We have it under control."
"We might be able to help you effect repairs."
"No, thank you Captain, we're fine." The voice on the other end of the line seemed to be searching for an excuse not to allow anyone on board.
The ship came closer, and Duncan felt an unmistakable sensation. Robyn, standing next to him, noticed as his eyes seemed to unfocus, and he looked off into nothing. She elbowed the Ambassador in the ribs, and mouthed the words 'There's an Immortal on that ship.'
At the same instant, the sensors picked something up.
"Captain, they're preparing to go to warp."
"Lock on tractor beam." The Captain was all business now.
"They've gone to warp, unable to lock on tractor beam. They've gone to warp eight."
"Follow them, warp eight point five."
"Sir, they seem to be headed to the wormhole we scanned earlier."
"Onscreen." Worf complied. "Do we know where it leads?"
"No, sir." Everyone watched as the ship entered the wormhole.
"Captain," an emotionless voice drew everyone's attention to the android at the conn.
"Yes, Mr. Data?"
"The wormhole seems to be unstable, sir. The passage of the prison ship appears to be causing it to become a temporal rift."
"Try to get a fix on the destination," Commander Riker ordered.
"Yes, Commander."
Data manipulated the scanners in an attempt to comply. Finally his efforts were rewarded. "It is Earth, sir. From the pollution levels present in the atmosphere, and the technology visible in the upper atmosphere, I would say late 20th century Earth."
"Oh shit." It was said softly, but came from four throats simultaneously: Robyn's, Nikki's, Ætolus' and Duncan's. The Captain was startled, but didn't have the time to investigate.
"Follow them in Mr. Crusher. We can't let them change history."
"Yes, sir."
The Enterprise followed the prison ship closely. The rift was much more dangerous than Mr. Data had calculated, and the ship was wracked by Pi radiation. The Captain quickly ordered Red Alert as the turbulence came close to knocking him out of his seat.
Vital systems began to shut down, as the computer succumbed to the Pi radiation that was emanating from the rift. The ship was on the verge of loosing all systems, when help came from an unlikely source.
Turning to nod at his companions, the Ambassador stepped towards the place where Geordi LaForge was trying desperately to restore the systems. Placing his hands reverently on the console, the Ambassador closed his eyes, and began to sway slightly. Geordi was about to push him away from the station, when he found a hand restraining him. He looked around, and found the smaller of the Ambassador's assistants holding him back.
"He knows what he's doing, Commander."
The red lights of the bridge dimmed, and the Ambassador's voice echoed strangely through the shipboard computer. "I think I've got it for now. Robyn?"
"Yeah, boss?"
"I think the Captain might like an explanation."
"Gotcha. Captain? Would I be able to speak with you?"
"Mr. Crusher, put us in an orbit that will allow us to remain undetected by the available technology and track the Aurora's movements. Mr. Data, find out as much as you can about the Aurora. Counsellor, you're with me."
Robyn, Nikki and Duncan followed the Captain and Counsellor Troi into the ready room. As the door swished shut, the Captain turned to Robyn, a look of indignation on his normally calm face.
"What the hell is going on here?"
"Captain Picard, the Ambassador is a very rare sort of telepath. He is capable of connecting his mind to computers. He obviously felt that it was essential to the survival of your crew to take control of the ship."
"You're saying that the Ambassador is in control of the Enterprise?"
"Only on the most basic level. I suspect that he's linked the most vital systems to his own body's functions. He's using his mind to keep your ship from being destroyed. He can however, last only so long. Unless you get this ship in shape in the next seventy-two hours, the Ambassador will die, and whatever crewmembers are still on board will die shortly thereafter."
The Captain turned to Troi. "Counsellor?"
"She seems to be telling the truth as she believes it Captain. And there is a 'presence' in the Enterprise that wasn't there before."
"She's not lying Captain," came the Ambassador's disembodied voice, "I should be able to assist your engineers in repairing the ship. I can tell them what's wrong without wasting power on the diagnostics."
"Thank you, Ambassador."
"I place my staff at your disposal in dealing with the other problem Captain. I believe they could be helpful. I will have to break off now Captain, I need to get to work repairing the ship."
"Well," the Captain turned to face Nikki and Robyn once again. "The Ambassador seems to think that you can be of assistance. How can you help on the planet?"
It was Robyn who spoke. "We both have extensive knowledge of the time period Captain. We've studied Earth history quite thoroughly, not to mention that we're trained to blend in."
"All right. Would you like to request anyone to go with you?"
"Lieutenant MacLeod please Captain. He has studied this time period as well, and he is a Starfleet security officer. His training should allow him to subdue any prisoners that we come across."
"All right then Robyn. Mr. MacLeod?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Do you agree to go down to the planet?"
"Yes, sir, I do."
"Counsellor, I'd like you to accompany them."
"Yes, sir."
The Captain tapped his comm badge, "Number One, Mr. Data, report to my ready room."
Moments later the two requested officers stepped into the room.
"Mr. Data, what have you found out about the Aurora?"
"There were four crewmembers, a captain who was also the pilot, an engineer who was also a navigator, and two guards, sir."
"And the prisoners?"
"Six of them, sir. All of them murderers on their way to the dilithium mines."
"And its present location?"
"The ship fared badly, sir. It crash-landed in the Pacific Ocean a few kilometres off of the coast of Washington State. Near a place called Seacouver."
"Mr. Data, Number One, you will be going with the Counsellor, Lieutenant MacLeod and the Ambassador's staff to the planet to find and recapture the survivors."
"Yes, sir."
"You will beam down at 1300 hours. That gives you one hour to prepare. Meet in transporter room three."
"Yes, sir."
"Wait." The group stopped on their way out the door, and turned to face the Captain. "Why did the four of you say 'Oh shit?'"
"There's an old saying I feel is appropriate at this time, Captain."
"What's that?"
"Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies." Robyn winked, and lead the way out of the room. Once outside, the Counsellor mentioned the problem with Robyn and Nikki's appearance.
"If you're going to the planet, I suppose you should go to Sickbay and get contact lenses for your eyes. And you'll have to wear hats over your ears."
"Don't worry about us Counsellor," Nikki said, "we can take care of ourselves."
"Well, if you say so," Troi was skeptical however.
The group parted, and the two Sidhe women walked to their quarters with Duncan. Once inside, Robyn sat down at the computer console on the desk, and checked out the planet.
"Hmmmm, summer. Late July I'd say. Ok, let's see what Mr. Data decided." She tapped the console several times, using her knowledge of Starfleet systems, as well as her employer's assistance to hack into the android's personal files. "July 21st, 1999. Good that means we're all still in St. Louis. If I remember correctly... Nikki?"
"Yeah?"
"Wasn't your building in Seacouver empty then?"
"Umm, I think so. And you left the hummer in the garage. So, we have a place to stay, and a car, what about money?"
"How about we replicate some."
"Yeah, but that's forgery. We could be arrested."
"So? Since when has that bothered us? Any anyway, the replicator can make perfect copies. No one'll notice."
"Maybe we should just call ourselves, and tell us that we're going to withdraw some from the bank."
"That would change history. Because we would remember us calling ourselves, but we can't, so we won't, so we don't so we didn't."
"That sounds like a Talon argument."
Duncan interrupted, "I'd better go. It takes me longer to change than you two," he chuckled.
"Oh! Good point. Thanks for reminding me." Robyn walked him to the door, "See you in the transporter room."
Duncan walked down the corridor to his quarters, wondering how well he and Robyn were going to be able to deal with the present situation. On the planet a strange Immortal was on the loose, one that was paranoid enough to make a break for an uncharted wormhole just because he sensed another Immortal.
Walking into his quarters, Duncan grabbed an old dufflebag out of a drawer. Remembering what Robyn had said, he packed for several days in Seacouver summer. Jeans and T-shirts were quickly replicated and thrown in, along with a couple of sweaters for the cool evenings. Reverently he took his katana down off the wall and wrapped it in his trenchcoat, which he then packed into the dufflebag. Into the side pockets of the bag went a tricorder and a phaser, and a small bundle of replicated American currency.
Quickly he changed into the kind of clothing he had worn in the 20th century. Cowboy boots, jeans, t-shirt and a vest. The trench could wait for when he beamed down. Sliding his commbadge into the hip pocket of his jeans, he slung the dufflebag over his shoulder and headed towards the transporter room. He knew that Robyn and Nikki probably wouldn't have luggage, they didn't need it.
Arriving outside of transporter room three, Duncan noticed that while he was not the first, he was also not the last.
Commander Riker was dressed in a suit that was the same burgundy as his uniform. From the looks of it, it was a replica of an Armani. Lieutenant Commander Data was standing next to Riker, wearing a pair of slacks and a rugby shirt. He looked like a bit of a preppie. Duncan hoped that Robyn wouldn't say anything.
The three women of the party were still absent. Just like women to take forever. Especially the ones that could change in seconds.
Robyn and Nikki rounded the corner just then, dressed exactly the way two college age girls in a beach city would in the summer. Nikki was in a t-shirt that said "Image is nothing. Anime is everything." and a pair of cutoffs. Robyn was also wearing cutoffs, but instead of a shirt, she was wearing a tankini top. It was Paisley. Trust Robyn to wear paisley; she always did say it was her favourite colour. At least she was wearing a button-up shirt over top. It was unbuttoned, but it was there. It also looked suspiciously like one Duncan had owned about 300 years ago. She also had a green backpack slung over one shoulder.
They also wore sunglasses that obscured their eyes, and their pointed ears were mysteriously absent. The rest of the away team would probably assume they had undergone some sort of surgery or similar process to hide their obvious alien ancestry. Duncan knew better.
The pair came racing down the hallway on rollerblades, looking nonchalant, but moving fast. Nikki glided to a halt, just next to Data, but Robyn seemed to loose control and smashed right into Duncan, toppling them both to the floor.
"Oh. Gomen," she said as she picked herself up, "it's deja vu all over again." Only the two of them and Nikki knew that she was mentioning their first meeting, which also involved a pair of runaway rollerblades.
"Getting clumsy in your old age Robyn?" Nikki laughed as Robyn stood up.
"Old? Me? If I'm old what does that make you?"
"Let's not quibble about numbers. Younger is younger."
"Ladies, you're late." Riker said, looking at the two women.
"No we're not," they said in perfect unison, "we still have ten seconds to spare."
"They are correct Commander." Data said.
Deanna Troi was the last to arrive. She was wearing a pair of dress slacks and a white blouse wearing her comm badge as a broach. Mr. Worf arrived moments later, and began handing out type one phasers to everyone for protection. Even though he already had a more powerful one in his bag, he took the one the Klingon offered him. Robyn and Nikki each took one, and made them disappear somewhere into their clothing.
The group stepped into the transporter room, and prepared to beam down.
"We've found a place that should do as a base of operations for the duration of our stay here, "Robyn addressed the away team. "Its owner left it vacant for the summer of 1999, and won't notice if we use it. It should be safer than using a hotel or a hostel, in case we need to do any techie stuff. Nikki's calculated the co-ordinates for the beam down, so let's get going."
Worf interrupted at that point, "Commander Riker is the senior officer in this mission. He should be the one to make the decisions."
"You're right," Robyn replied quickly, "if he has a better idea, he can speak up anytime. I mean no disrespect Mr. Worf, but this time period is my speciality. Not to mention that I'm not an officer in Starfleet."
"It's all right," Riker said to the bristling Klingon, "I have no problem with her idea. I'll take charge when it comes to dealing with the prisoners."
The group beamed down in the middle of a large room that had a couch, a couple of chairs and an entertainment center. There were doors leading off into different sections, a kitchen, a dining room, and a hallway that presumably lead to bedrooms. Duncan dropped his dufflebag and sat on the couch awaiting orders.
Robyn and Nikki stood near the center of the room, looking at the Commander, waiting for orders. He looked around the room, and then at the two women who stood staring at him.
"Any suggestions?" He looked pointedly at Robyn.
"I would suggest that someone go and buy a few provisions, while the rest of us get settled in."
"Provisions? Why don't we just use the replicators?"
"Two reasons," Robyn said, "A: there are none here in the house, because 2: they won't be invented for the next 250 years."
"All right, good idea. Any volunteers?"
"I'll go Commander," Duncan offered, "I've studied the time period, so I should be okay."
"I would like to join him, Commander." Mr. Data, as always was polite.
"Thank you Mr. MacLeod, Mr. Data. You have your comm badges?"
"Yes, sir."
"Report in if you see any evidence of the prisoners, or if you have any trouble."
"Yes sir, I will."
Robyn snickered at the thought of Duncan having any trouble, but turned it into a cough as the Commander turned to look in her direction. MacLeod took his dufflebag into the first bedroom, out of sight of the others, and threw it on the bed. He pulled a roll of black fabric out of the bag, and shaking it out carefully, he put on his trenchcoat.
He transferred his sword to its accustomed place in the folds of the jacket, and placed the phaser into one of the pockets. Pulling the roll of replicated bills out of the dufflebag, he peeled off a few bills, and slid them into his hip pocket.
Captain Picard had yet to establish contact with the away team. The Ambassador assured him that it would soon be possible, but that it would take time before the comm system could be brought back online.
Slowly, with the Ambassador's help, the engineers were getting the crucial systems back online. Each time one was restarted, the Ambassador was able to concentrate more on the world outside of the Enterprise's computer system. He seemed to be aware of everything around him, as though he was still using the ship's computer as a sort of sixth sense.
A soft peep alerted the Captain that there was someone outside the door.
"Come."
"Thank you, Captain," the Ambassador walked into the room, "I think I've found a way to contact the away team."
"You have the communication system back online?"
"Only the most basic types of signals unfortunately. But that gave me an idea. Robyn carries a comm device that is capable of receiving old Earth Cellular signals. We should be able to contact her using that. Then, that should allow you to speak with your officers." The Ambassador's voice still echoed strangely through the ships comm system, but he seemed more capable of controlling it.
"Thank you, Ambassador, I don't know how to thank you. You saved the Enterprise and her crew, and risked your life doing it."
"Risked my life? Where did you get that idea?"
"Your assistant, Robyn. She informed us that your life was in danger if you stayed in control of the ship for too long."
"Look Captain, first of all, why don't we both tell it like it is. You know, and I know you know, that she's my bodyguard, not my 'assistant'."
"Of course. I did not feel it prudent to mention it."
"Of course you didn't. Now, Robyn probably strung you that line of bull to get me outa here faster. It wasn't hazardous to my health, just to my peace of mind. I can't stay inside a system for too long without getting extremely frustrated and rebooting the whole thing."
"Oh."
Duncan walked slowly down the street headed for the small market that was nearby. He knew exactly where he was going, but Mr. Data, as well as the Commander, might get suspicious if he came back too soon from his little excursion.
From the looks of it, the Counsellor was already a little suspicious about he and Robyn. Hopefully they wouldn't screw up and let anything important slip.
But how could the two of them, who had been together for almost three hundred years, on and off, be around each other without giving anything away? Nikki would help, certainly, but they knew each other too well not to screw up somewhere.
The market was full of people, bustling around, buying their groceries. Duncan stopped at all of his favourite shops, but made sure it looked as though he was just picking them at random. Wouldn't do for Mr. Data to notice anything. None of the shopkeepers knew him yet, which was a blessing. He wouldn't start shopping here with any regularity for another six months or so.
Robyn sat on the couch, listening to the sounds of Nikki puttering around in the kitchen. Robyn had her feet propped on the coffee table, now free of the cumbersome rollerblades. Picking up a novel off of the table she returned to her reading, replaying her conversation with the Counsellor in her head.
The counsellor sat down next to Robyn, directly across the table from the Commander, who satin a lazyboy. "How long have you and Lieutenant MacLeod known each other?" Troi asked.
"Oh, about twenty-four hours or so," Robyn said, never taking her eyes from the novel she had picked up off of a shelf earlier. "You remember don't you? You introduced us."
"But you seem so familiar, so comfortable with each other." Robyn looked at the Counsellor, out of the corner of her eye. She heard Nikki snickering in the kitchen.
"I try to get along with everyone I work with Counsellor. It makes my job easier."
Just then a strange warbling noise startled the Enterprise crew, as Robyn sat up calmly, and lay her book down on the table. Reaching into the hip pocket of her shorts, she pulled out a very small black device, that reminded the Counsellor of an old fashioned communicator. With a flick of her wrist, Robyn popped the device open and, holding it to her ear, spoke "Hyello? MushiMushi?"
Nikki stepped out of the kitchen with a tray containing a pitcher and four glasses. Setting it down on the coffee table she looked at the confused expression that was crossing the Counsellor's face.
"What kind of device is that?"
"It's a cell phone," Nikki replied, "a communications tool from this time period. The signals it picks up are less sophisticated than the ones the Enterprise normally uses, and they can be relayed off of satellites to avoid wasting power. The Ambassador and I felt that it would be prudent for one member of our party to carry one in case it took awhile for the Enterprise's full comm system to be repaired."
"It's for you Commander," Robyn said handing the phone to Riker. After he had taken it and begun a conversation with the Captain, she went back to her book.
As the Captain and his second spoke, Troi who still sat on the couch next to Robyn, and attempted to draw her into conversation. The Enterprise's Counsellor was under orders to find out as much about the mysterious Sidhe people as was possible.
"Where are you from? The Beta quadrant?"
"I was raised in Rainsong prefecture on Avalon."
"Avalon? Where is that in relation to Earth?"
"Couldn't tell ya, Counsellor."
The half Betazed Counsellor was just about to ask another question when Riker got off the phone and relayed Picard's orders.
At the Captain's insistence, Troi and Riker went to the place where the Aurora had landed, and assisted the salvage crews in beaming the craft aboard the Enterprise. They could leave no evidence that they had been in this time period. Not when this era was one where Earth's oceans were being so thoroughly explored.
Not long after the two Starfleet officers had left, Lieutenant MacLeod and Lieutenant-Commander Data returned from their little shopping spree. Knocking softly to alert the others before they entered the building, they both walked in laden with groceries. Setting her book face down on the sofa, Robyn took the pitcher Nikki had left and poured a strange pink liquid into each of the four glasses on the tray in front of her. Picking up the one closest to her, she took a sip and sighed.
"Ahhhhh Cherry Kool-Aide." Setting their bags down in the kitchen Duncan and Data both stepped to the table and picked up their own glasses. Data stared questioningly at the glass, and drank.
"This does not taste like cherries."
"I don't think it's supposed to sir," MacLeod said, "but it is refreshing."
"Oh," Robyn turned to look at the two men, "Æt said that most of the ship's systems are still offline, but we'll be able to beam any of the prisoners directly to the brig. And although he'd prefer we bring them back with us to the future, the Captain's given us permission to use any means necessary to keep them from altering the past."
Data soon found the television screen in the corner, and after learning how to operate the remote control, he tried to follow the impossible logic of something called the Psycho-Six show. MacLeod went into the kitchen to help Nikki put away the groceries, but that didn't last too long.
"MacLeod?" Robyn called from her place on the couch, eyes again locked onto her book.
"Yes?"
"What's sable?"
"Umm, it's a kind of Earth animal with black fur."
"Thanks. What does 'smokey eyed' mean?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"Just wondering." There was a hint of mischeviousness in Robyn's voice that caused Duncan to stick his head out of the kitchen. He saw her sitting on the couch, with her head bent over a book.
"What're you reading?" He seemed a little paranoid. Smart man.
Robyn shrugged her shoulders, and Data, who had taken Troi's place on the couch ignored the TV long enough to look at the cover and read it out loud.
"Blade of the MacLeods." He turned back to the television.
Duncan muttered something that sounded like 'I should've known', and his head disappeared back into the kitchen. He emerged a moment later, and Robyn watched him out of the corner of her eye. She was quite ready to defend her prize if the Scotsman tried to snatch it from her.
"Trade?" he said, holding something out so that she could see it.
It was a pink and white cellophane package, that crinkled as Duncan moved. In large words on the front of the package was written "Double Stuf OREO™."
"Uh," Robyn looked stunned, "are they ripe?"
"Two months past the best before date," Duncan replied, knowing that he had her hooked.
Robyn looked at the book, then at the bag of cookies that were held tantalisingly before her face. Hesitantly, she began to hand the book to him, trading it for the bag. Slowly, as though neither trusted the other, the exchange was made.
"No worries," Robyn said, settling down with her stale OREOS™, "I've read that one already anyways. I'll read this one instead." So saying she reached for the shelf under the coffee table and pulled out a paperback that was almost identical to the first.
"What's that one called?" Nikki asked, coming out of the kitchen.
"It's another Carolyn Marsch. It's called MacLeod's Honour." She smiled as Duncan collapsed, defeated, into the rocking chair next to her. Opening the book, she scanned the first paragraph and said: "What does 'well hung' mean?"
As soon as the Commander and the Counsellor had returned from their salvage operation, and they had managed to pull Data away from the TV, the away team settled down and tried to plan their search strategy. The Ambassador had managed to relay what information had already been retrieved from the Aurora's databanks, and the results were not promising.
After reviewing the data, the crew looked for suggestions.
"I believe our best strategy would be to split into teams of two," Commander Riker suggested, "and spend part of our time asking people if they have seen the prisoners, and the rest searching places where they may try and find new victims."
"I'll agree with that. I also think that we should start at the beach, and work our way further into the city. They had to have swum up from the wreckage of the Aurora. They'd have to have gone there first. Someone may remember seeing six fully dressed men climb out of the water. Not to mention that their twenty-fourth century prison uniforms might cause a bit of a stir," Robyn said.
"How about we start with clubs near the beach," Nikki said. "They'd need to get new clothes, and they'd probably want to go someplace with lots of people. That way they'd be less noticeable."
"Yeah, and finding new clothes means either mugging or stealing. They wouldn't have any money."
"I'm still curious as to how they managed to escape. It's almost impossible to escape from a force shielded prison unit." Riker mused.
"We'll find that out when we capture them Commander," Duncan said. "Until then, we should just worry about finding them. That'll be difficult enough in a city this size."
"You're right Lieutenant. Shall we get ready?"
"I suggest that we eat first Commander," Robyn suggested. "We may get hungry before the night is through."
After a light supper of cold meat, crackers and cheese, the group readied themselves for the night ahead. Duncan excused himself and went into the bedroom. Rummaging through his dufflebag, he pulled out a blue silk shirt that he had replicated, just in case he and Robyn got any time alone together. It was an almost exact replica of one she had given him for his birthday a few centuries ago, and she never hesitated to tell him how much she liked him in it. Pulling off the t-shirt, he quickly put it on, tucked it into his jeans, and Voila! a whole new outfit, perfect for clubbing. Picking his trenchcoat up off of the bed, he retrieved the two phasers from his bag, and hid them in its voluminous pockets, and checked to see that his katana was still where he had left it. Duncan walked to the mirror that hung on the back of the door, and untied his ponytail. Quickly he ran his fingers through his hair, and erased the damage done as he had pulled the t-shirt over his head. He then slipped on the trenchcoat and walked down the hall.
Nikki and the Counsellor were already standing in the livingroom, ready to go. The Counsellor's clothing had undergone only minor changes, but it made a difference. Her blouse was missing a few buttons, showing a touch of cleavage. She now looked less like a corporate executive, and more like a woman out on the town. Nikki on the other hand, was wearing more than before. She had changed into a pair of black jeans, and a Star Wars inspired Jedi style tunic.
"Where are the others?" Duncan asked.
"Robyn is helping them look more casual," Troi replied. "She decided they both looked as though they were too formal in the clothing they had chosen. Actually, I think the phrase she used was 'stuck up.'"
Just then Riker stepped out of one of the bedrooms, and walked past Duncan into the room. His dress pants had been replaced by a pair of bluejeans that had likely been left behind by a friend of Robyn's, and his tie was gone. He still wore the dress shirt, although a few of its buttons had been left undone. He stood with the blazer hung over one shoulder, like a model on a runway, and said, "She said that it was groovy. Whatever that means."
Data followed a few moments later, his Rugby shirt replaced by a black t-shirt that showed off the android's literally sculpted physique. Other than that, however, his attire remained the same. Duncan expected Robyn to reappear not long after, but to his astonishment, she didn't. He knew that she didn't need to take all that time to change, so she was probably doing it on purpose.
"Patience, young Jedi." Nikki's Jediwear seemed to prompt her to quote Alec Guinness. At least it wasn't Yoda. Her statement of course caused confusion among the away team, and she took the time to explain to them what, exactly, a Jedi was.
Duncan only listened with half an ear. He'd already seen all twelve Star Wars movies, and knew precisely what a Jedi was, and that they always seemed to be too old, to Yoda at least. He was startled however, when someone tugged on a lock of his hair.
"Hey there handsome," Robyn smiled at him. "Nice shirt." She walked past him to where the Jedi lecture was coming to an end. Her outfit was designed to get attention, probably his. She wore a white t-shirt with green trim, and a matching green miniskirt. Over that was a 3/4 length black leather jacket, and to top it off, she was wearing her favourite black leather kneeboots. Her hair had somehow gone from straight to wavy, and was hanging loose to her shoulders, with little dragonfly clips in it.
"So! Are we ready to go everyone?" Robyn looked expectantly at the group.
"I guess we are now," Riker replied, "Where shall we start? Does anyone have an idea?"
Robyn looked towards Data. "Mr. Data?"
"Yes?"
"Have you finished the research I asked you to do?"
"Yes Robyn. I have used the 'Yellow Pages' to find all the locations the escapees may attempt to go in order to avoid detection. The one closest to the shoreline is called 'Club Dance'."
"K, let's go." Robyn led them out a side door and into the garage that was attached to the side of the house. Sitting in the otherwise empty garage, was a midnight blue Hummer, large enough to carry the entire away team.
Jumping into the front seat, Robyn lowered the sun visor slightly and a set of keys slid down into her hand.
"Were you previously aware of the location of the keys?" Mr. Data asked her as she put the key into the ignition.
"Umm, I saw it in a movie once. C'mon everybody, load up, we've got some bad guys to round up!"
The group piled into the Hummer, and Robyn revved the engine. The blue vehicle pulled into the street and, for form's sake, she asked the android for assistance in navigation. They headed steadily towards the Pacific Ocean, until they came to the address Data indicated. There was nowhere to park the vehicle nearby, so they parked it a few blocks away, and went back to the club on foot. They waited for a few minutes in line, but the club wasn't super busy, so they got in fairly quickly.
Grabbing a table near the crowded dance floor, the group sat and scanned the room, looking for the faces of the missing killers. After a little coaxing, Riker got Deanna up on the dance floor during a slow song, on the pretext of being able to see more of the room. Data and Nikki got into a conversation about the chemical composition of tofu, and Duncan and Robyn just sat scanning the room.
"You guys are supposed to be blending." Nikki poked Robyn in the arm.
"We're working," Duncan said.
"Nikki's right Mac, we're supposed to at least look like we're having fun."
Duncan pushed his chair back from the table, and looked towards Robyn. "Would you care to dance?"
"I'd be honoured."
The pair walked towards the dance floor, still keeping a watchful eye out. Riker and Troi's dance ended, and they returned to the table just as a new song began with a slow rhythmic beat, that sounded almost like the beating of a heart.
"Wow. Lucky," Nikki said to no one in particular.
"Lucky? Why?" Troi asked.
"That's Tango music."
"Yes? So?"
"The Tango is the only human dance Robyn knows. Actually, it's pretty much the only dance Robyn knows at all. She's not very good at any kind of structured dance. Her boyfriend's been trying to teach her this one for years. It's his favourite."
"They do seem to be... enjoying themselves," Troi commented.
"The dance is meant to be erotic. It used to be called the Forbidden Dance in some places around here," Nikki explained.
"I can sense that just from the people dancing around them."
"Sense?" Nikki was confused.
"Yes. I'm half Betazoid. I can only sense emotions, not thoughts," came Deanna's reply.
"Okay."
"They seem to be doing well." Data's voice was, as ever, emotionless.
"Don't worry. Robyn'll screw it up somehow. She hasn't gotten it right yet. Anyone want a drink?"
Once everyone had given Nikki their drink orders, they returned to watching the couple on the dance floor. Despite Nikki's assurances of Robyn's ineptitude, they did well, and the dance continued for quite some time.
Nikki stepped up towards the bar, ignoring Robyn and Mac and their dance. It wasn't like she hadn't seen it a zillion times before. She made it to the bar not long before the song ended, and stood waiting for her order to be filled: one scotch rocks, one sherry, one gingerale for her, and a glass of water for Data.
Robyn and Duncan were the center of attention on the dance floor, but their full attention was not on the dance. They were working, scanning the crowd for the faces of their prey. That, added to the fact that after 300 years Robyn still had trouble getting the dance right, caused her to put her foot in the wrong place again.
"Ouch," she said softly.
"If you'd practice more often then I wouldn't keep kicking you in the shin Robyn." Duncan smiled at her.
"Oh I know that. I just never get a chance. Oh..." her face went blank for a moment. :Check this out Robyn.: Nikki thought at her, :This guy just ordered a Saurian Brandy. Think he's our guy?:
"What is it?" Duncan asked as the song came to an end.
"Some guy at the bar just tried to order a Saurian Brandy. But what are we going to do about him?"
"Well, we can't just beam him up out of the bar," Duncan said as they made their way back to the table.
:Why not?: Nikki thought at Robyn.
"Nikki wants to know why not."
"Because someone would notice, and that would change the future."
"Well if you're going to be that way about it..." they arrived at the table, and Robyn told Riker what Nikki had found.
"I think our best course of action would be to follow him when he leaves, and grab him when there's no one around." Duncan suggested to his superior officers.
"I concur Commander," Data said. "That seems like the most logical course of action."
"Ok, well, Nikki's keeping an eye on him, she'll let us know when he leaves," Robyn told the others.
Maybe he got bored, or maybe he was frustrated over not being able to get his brandy, but it was only a few minutes before the man they were after left the bar. Nikki followed discreetly after him, and motioned for the others to follow her. It wasn't long before he was in an area that was practically deserted, and Robyn pulled her cellphone out and called the ship.
"We've got one, we just need to get out of sight before we grab him."
"Gotcha Robyn, we're ready for him. He'll be beamed directly to the brig."
"This guy's an idiot."
"What do you mean?"
"He ordered a Saurian Brandy in the 20th century."
"I see what you mean."
"Oops, gotta go. He'll be on his way in just a sec."
Nikki rejoined the group, and told them that the man was just around the corner in a phone booth.
"I've got it." Duncan casually walked around the corner, and up to the phone booth. "I really need to use the phone, it's an emergency."
Once he got closer to the man, he pulled his comm badge out of his pocket, and slapped it onto the man's back. "Energize!" The man was engulfed in blue light, and was beamed up into the ship's brig.
A moment later Robyn's cellphone warbled, and Ætolus confirmed that the man they had beamed aboard was indeed one of the convicts. He would not however, give any information regarding the whereabouts of the other escapees. Even when Worf asked very nicely.
Back at the house, the group tried to vent their frustrations about the evening. "So, one down, five to go. What are we going to do to track down the rest of these guys? We've spent all night going to every night-club and bar in this town, and all we've got to show for it is one idiot in the brig!" Robyn was frustrated.
"Seacouver is a big city, and they could be anywhere by now. It'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack." Troi was equally frustrated.
"Could we perhaps use our knowledge of their personalities to entice them to come to us?" Data suggested.
"That would be a plan," Robyn said from her seat on the couch. "We've gotten one of the ones that hunts couples. Only because he's a complete and total idiot, but, we got him. We could try and lure out the other. But how?" Robyn looked around the room.
"Ok, well, ummm, what kind of places does this next guy like to hunt, and what kind of people?" Nikki looked at Data.
"This individual has generally killed couples that were in a secluded area, alone together. The majority of his victims were found in parks near the center of large populated areas."
"So what you're saying is that we want to go to the park in the center of Seacouver, break into pairs, and neck," Robyn said.
"Neck?" Riker was confused by her terminology.
"It's a 20th century term. What I meant was that our best plan is to go down to the park and act like couples."
"Yes, I believe that would be the best course of action," Data replied.
"Hm. Sounds like fun. So, what pairs?"
"We should have one Starfleet member in each pair," Riker suggested.
"I agree," Troi said.
"That would mean that one pair would be all Starfleet, and you'll be in it," Robyn said to her, "do you wanna pick your partner?" she grinned.
After a bit of discussion, the pairs for the next day's outing were chosen. Nikki and Data, Riker and Troi, and Robyn and Duncan.
:That was lucky Robyn, you got to keep him.:
:Well good, 'cause I'm not going to share!:
:Fine, be that way.:
:Fine, I will.:
"Well, I suppose we should get some sleep, and head out tomorrow," Nikki said, turning her attention back to the group.
"Yeah. Um, where are we going to sleep," Riker asked." There are only three bedrooms."
After some deliberation, it was decided that Duncan, Troi and Riker would get the bedrooms, Nikki and Robyn would sleep on the two couches in the livingroom, and Data would just try to keep out of the way, since he didn't sleep. Everyone went off to their rooms, and settled in for the night.
:My own house, and I get the couch.: Nikki thought at Robyn.
:Well it's not like you could do anything about it. You can't tell them that you own the place, that would be a bad idea.:
:At least I have you out here to keep me company in my misery.:
The next morning, everyone began to get ready for their day in the park. Thinking that they might have to spend the whole day there, Nikki and Robyn made a picnic lunch for each couple. Part way through the operation though, they discovered that they'd run out of sodas, so Robyn ran down the street to the convenience store on the corner.
"Anyone need the bathroom?" Duncan asked the group gathered in the livingroom.
"No, why?" Nikki asked.
"I'm going to have a shower."
"Ok."
Just after he went into the bathroom, Robyn returned from her errand. She was covered in something sticky and dripping.
"What happened?" Troi asked.
"One of the cans exploded on me on the way back." She handed her bag to Nikki, and picked up her backpack from where she left it next to the couch. "I'll just go wash up," she said, and headed for the bathroom before anyone could stop her. Nikki just grinned, and began to count.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven..."
Robyn opened the door and quickly closed it behind her. Her eyes closed and she sank cross-legged to the floor in front of the door for a moment.
Opening her eyes, she looked towards the group assembled in the livingroom. "Why didn't anyone tell me?" Her gaze focused on Nikki's face.
:Nikki?:
"You didn't ask." Nikki replied out loud.
:I was trying to give you a chance! Why didn't you take it?!:
Robyn just glared at her. She stood up and sat on the floor near the door, waiting for the bathroom to become free so she could wash the pop out of her hair. After a few minutes, Duncan came out in jeans and bare feet, a towel draped over one shoulder. He sat down on the couch next to Nikki.
"Do you often have women walk in on you when you're naked?" Riker asked. "You seem to be taking it in stride."
"No, it doesn't happen often. But if a pretty girl walked in on you while you were in the shower would you be upset? In fact, I was thinking of asking her to join me," he grinned evilly.
Just then a small foam football flew from Robyn's direction, and hit the Lieutenant in the head. Nikki, unable to contain herself any longer, burst into laughter and fell off the couch.
"Lieutenant!" Riker seemed shocked by MacLeod's statement.
Robyn stood and headed for the bathroom, her backpack still in her hand. "Now I need a cold shower," with that, she went into the bathroom, and closed the door behind her.
"Would hot water not be better for removing the substance from her hair?" Data asked. The Nerf football hit him in the head.
Troi and Riker wandered through the park hand-in-hand, looking for all the world like a pair of lovebirds enjoying the park on a beautiful summer day.
"Lieutenant MacLeod and Robyn seem to get along well, don't you think?" Riker asked.
"Yes, they do, don't they?"
"Do you think they've actually met before this?"
"I do. But why would they lie about it?"
"I don't know." Riker decided to change the subject. "Do you think we should eat our picnic lunch now? It is after 12."
Nikki looked at the partner she had been given. He was a little stiff to play a besotted boyfriend, so Nikki figured that they wouldn't be the ones that got attacked. Nonetheless, she figured she'd better look as if she was at least trying.
She took Data's arm and snuggled up against him, and almost laughed as he asked if she was in some sort of distress.
"No Data, I'm trying to make it look like we're a couple." This was going to be harder than Nikki had thought.
Duncan and Robyn were of course getting along quite well in their assignment. Neither of them were very big on PDA's, but they were pulling out all the stops for this one. Duncan laughed silently as he thought of what they would look like to the casual observer.
They held hands as they walked through the park, Robyn practically hung off his arm, her head resting on his shoulder.
The park was almost deserted, only the odd dog walker and jogger passed the pair as they wandered. They walked through the forested area of the park, watching the patterns the light left on the path as it filtered through the trees above them.
Robyn looked up at Duncan's face, trying to figure out what he was thinking. Nothing about his expression had changed, but somehow he looked as though he was brooding.
"What is it Mac?" she said softly.
"I don't like this."
"Now I'm insulted," she grinned.
"No, that's not it," he looked at her with a surprised expression, "I like walking in the park with you. It brings back old memories. It's just, I don't like doing this when there's a shipload of convicted murderers from the future running around.
"I mean, if they were sentenced to the dilithium mines, that means that they were extremely brutal in their crimes."
"Which is why we're here, taking a walk in the park, baka."
"Uh-oh. You called me baka. That means I've really done it," he laughed.
"You have. We're not here for our health, or on a date. We're playing bait remember? If we can get the scum to come to us, we can get him to tell us where the others are. Bang! We beam down that Klingon and a few guys with phasers, and no more problem. We can go back to the future, and to pretending that we're developing a relationship, and not continuing one that we've had for almost three hundred years."
"I stand corrected." He stopped walking and kissed Robyn lightly on the lips.
"That's better. This is the Scotsman I was looking for."
They continued on their walk through the park, headed towards the small bridge that spanned a brook in the center of the park. They stopped on the bridge, and leaned over the rail, watching the water rush by them.
Robyn closed her eyes and sighed.
"What?" he asked her quietly.
"Nothing."
"Right. It's never nothing with you."
"It looks like we're not going to make it as far as the picnic lunch."
"You think that's him?" They both glanced at a man that had stopped in his walk to lean against a tree a little ways down the path.
"Yeah, he walks like an asteroid miner. He's got that 'I'm in magnet boots' thing going."
"How can you tell, he's just standing there, leaning against a tree?"
"Well, I did see him walking, but you can tell even now. He's not actually leaning against that tree, he's wedged himself up against it, as though a lack of gravity will pull him upwards if he doesn't."
"Ok, if you think that's him. Shall we see if he takes the bait?"
"Let's shall."
Duncan leaned closer to Robyn, and gently brushed her hair away from her face. Tenderly, he tilted her chin, so that she was looking into his eyes. Both of them were very aware of their audience. He was the reason they were putting on their little show. If he followed them, after this, they could be fairly sure that he was their prey, just as he thought them to be his.
"I love you Mac, you know that, don't you?"
"I think that after all this time I could have figured it out, Love."
She closed her eyes, and he leaned in and kissed her tenderly, just as he had the first time, thinking she was dead. Their kiss lasted only a moment, but it had its desired effect.
The pair moved on, walking past the tree where the man stood. They got a better look at him as they walked past, although they both made it look as though they barely noticed him. Robyn looked at him shyly, seeming as though she hoped he hadn't noticed the incident on the bridge.
He was short, only about a meter and a half tall. He had dark hair and eyes, and his clothes were tattered and stained with some dark liquid; possibly the life-blood of their former owner. He followed them as they walked down the path, seemingly strolling slowly in their general direction.
Duncan and Robyn strolled along the path, trying not to get too far ahead of him. Soon they found a nice bench just off the path and sat snuggling, waiting for their pursuer to make a move. They kissed, trying to get as much time alone as they could before they had to work again.
The sound of footsteps on the leaves behind the bench alerted them to the approach of their quarry. The pair acted as though they heard nothing, hoping to get him as close to them as they could. If he managed to attack either of them with his chosen weapon it wouldn't matter anyway, they'd just deal with it the way that they always did: bluff.
Robyn heard him arrive at the bench. He grabbed her by the hair, and pulled. As he bared her neck, he put a knife to her throat. Neither Duncan nor Robyn acted like typical attack victims however.
"Well that's original," Duncan said. "Attack the girl first. Geeze."
"Yeah, well, what do you expect from a looser Mac?" Robyn asked.
"Hey!" He yelled. "I have a knife to your throat. You better show some respect."
"Why?" she asked.
"Okay, that's it! You're gone you... you...marinoch!"
With that, he pulled his knife across her throat. Duncan watched as her skin parted in a perfectly straight line. As the knife progressed, the cut sealed itself, and Duncan grinned again.
"I never get tired of watching that," he said.
All the while this was happening, Robyn was reaching around behind the man's head with her free hand. Just as he was expecting her death throes, she grabbed him by the collar, and threw him over her shoulder.
As he hit the ground, Duncan got up off of the bench, and grabbed the knife as it flew out of the man's hand. Robyn had finished her throw with one knee in the man's chest, and she had one of his wrists in each of her hands.
"But I... but I..." the man stuttered.
"Name and prisoner identification number." Robyn hissed at him.
"Huh?"
"Am I not speaking standard? Name and prisoner identification number."
"Hotias, Keir. ID number DK-963-1293," he spoke in a monotone, reciting the information by rote. "I killed you. I slit your throat," Keir said as he became more animated.
"You obviously missed," Duncan replied. "So what now?"
"You grab the cell, and call Nikki."
"But doesn't she... Oh right. Umm, the cell phone is where?"
"It's in my pocket," she smiled as he almost blushed. "My jacket pocket, not my hip pocket." He reached into the pocket of her leather jacket, and hit the speed-dial button.
A strange noise emanated from Nikki's jeans pocket. She reached in with a sigh that sounded something like 'finally,' and answered it: "Greg's pants."
"Nope, he's not in them right now. Can I help you with anything?"
"Oh? You got him? We'll be right there."
"Of course I knew. Why do you think I answered it like I did?"
She folded up the phone and put it back into her pocket. She then turned to Data and said, "Duncan and Robyn got him. They're over by the bridge that crosses the creek in the center of the park. You'll have to contact the others. Duncan doesn't have his comm badge anymore." With that, she began to walk towards the center of the park.
Data tapped his comm badge, "Data to Commander Riker."
"Yes?"
"Lieutenant MacLeod and Robyn have apprehended the fugitive in the center of the park. They are near a bridge that crosses the creek."
"Thank-you Mr. Data, we're on our way."
The four away team members arrived to see the prisoner acting quite erratically. He seemed to be staring at Robyn and mumbling something about a bleeding throat wound.
"What's this about?" Riker asked.
Duncan replied as Robyn held the now standing prisoner in the old style 'one arm behind the back' hold so popular with law enforcement around the galaxy. She looked nonchalant, and almost as though she was simply standing one step behind him.
"He's convinced that he slit Robyn's throat a minute ago."
"I DID! I cut her throat! I know how! I've done it before! But she's just standing there, alive!" He was getting hysterical, and the group could not understand what could possibly make him act the way he was currently acting. At least, some of them couldn't.
After a bit more screaming, a consensus was reached, and Mr. Data agreed to administer a Vulcan nerve pinch to the hysterical man. Unconsciousness quickly followed.
It was then decided that they would pretend that Mr. Hotias was an inebriated friend of theirs if anyone should question them. Duncan and Data, being of about equal height, each put one of the erstwhile fugitive's arms over one of their shoulders, and they headed out of the park.
They walked slowly along the street, headed for the parking lot where they had left their vehicle. As they walked down the sidewalk, they passed several people walking in the other direction.
:Uh oh,: Nikki thought.
:What is it?:
:Check out the couple about to pass us.:
Robyn looked, and saw what Nikki was worried about. Walking towards them were man and woman, each about twenty years of age. As they walked, more details could be made out. The man wore a black ball cap with a blue logo and brim. In one hand he held a large paper cup with "7-11" written on the side. He seemed to be running, even though he was walking slowly. The woman with him also held a 7-11 cup, but not one quite as big. She had shoulder length brown hair, and looked as though she were enjoying her walk.
:Oh man! It's Talon and Charon-chan! They'll notice us for sure.:
They apparently didn't notice the group, as they kept talking. They almost passed by the little group without a word, except that Talon glanced in their direction all of a sudden.
"You're not supposed to be here," he said looking straight at Robyn.
Then Charon-chan looked up, and started, "you're not supposed to be now."
"Uh, you must have mistaken us for someone else," Robyn said calmly.
"Yeah right. Like there are two sets of..." Robyn gestured at the away team members, and Talon's voice ground to a halt.
"Mr. Riker," Robyn said, turning to the Commander. "I'll just clear this up." She turned to the pair, "Could I speak with you for a moment please?"
"Uhhhhhhh, sure." Talon replied. They followed her around the corner as the away team watched.
"She's going to sort this out?" Troi asked.
"Oh yeah," Nikki replied.
"You guys are going to blow our cover," Robyn sighed.
"I didn't do it. I mean, we thought you were still in St. Louis." Talon said.
"Ok, here's the basics: 300 years in the future, Starship Enterprise, escaped killers one of whom is immortal, wormhole to the 20th Century, can't tell the away team about our history here, yadda yadda yadda. Does that make sense?" Robyn gasped for breath.
"Yep." Talon turned to Charon-chan. "Did it make sense to you?"
"Yes," she turned to Robyn. "Now I know why you're the you from 300 years from now, and not the you from today."
"Well of course. The me from today is in St. Louis, informing the oldest person on earth that he's not."
"Wha? Quat? Oro?" Talon looked confused.
"Methos, have you met him yet?"
Talon and Charon looked at each other. "Nope," they said in unison.
"You will. Probably soon too."
"Ok, and he thinks he's the oldest living person on earth? How old is he anyway?" Talon asked her.
"Only about five thousand years old."
"Oh. Cool. I'll have to remember that."
"Ok, well if you want to talk more, come see us on the USS Enterprise later. We have a few evil villains to catch, a sword fight to watch, and then we'll be back onboard," Robyn gave the pair their suite number on the ship, and a description of where it was, so that they could drop in. "Ok, gotta go. Have a nice day."
Robyn walked back around the corner to where the rest of the away team stood waiting for her to return.
"Get everything sorted out?" Nikki asked.
"Yeah, they just mistook us for someone else. A band called the Raging Psychos or something."
Troi looked skeptical, but she accepted that for the time being. Their prisoner was beginning to regain consciousness, so they hurried to their vehicle, and drove to the house.
Once they had arrived, they tied their prisoner tightly to a chair and waited for him to wake up. Robyn turned on the TV and started to channel surf, looking for something good to watch. As she flipped past the news, something caught her eye.
Turning back to the news, she turned up the volume.
"...another in a series of bizarre serial killings. This is the fourth headhunter victim in the last two days. Workers in the Industrial district are afraid for their lives. The murders are startlingly similar to a series that took place in New York and New Jersey in the early 1980's. The latest victim is a 13 year old known to his street friends as Kenny. If you know this boy," a picture Duncan recognised appeared on the screen, please contact us."
Robyn looked at Duncan and raised one eyebrow. He nodded. This was the work of their prey.
"Does this not match the style of one of the people we are seeking?" Data asked.
"It sure does. Now he's killing children. We have to stop him before he kills anyone else," Troi was adamant. Robyn knew that Duncan would have a few things to say about that particular child, but he kept his mouth shut. Robyn could only think of one thing to say, and she said it.
"He killed Kenny. The bastard." Nikki glared at her, and then smacked her upside the head.
Duncan was more upset about the other three victims. They might have been friends of his. He stalked over to where their prisoner was tied to the chair and tried to shake him awake. Gradually he began to regain consciousness, his eyes tried to focus on the man holding him.
"Huhwha," their prisoner managed before he lost consciousness again.
Troi walked forward and rested her hand on Duncan's shoulder. "He can't tell us anything if he can't think."
Duncan sighed and let go, giving the man a few moments to find his bearings. Troi was right, getting mad wasn't going to get him anywhere.
"Mr. MacLeod," Commander Riker sounded like he was about to give an order. "You and I will go to this industrial area and see what we can find. The rest of you stay here and guard the prisoner.
"I don't know if that's wise Commander. That section of the city is known to be quite dangerous." Duncan did not want to involve the Commander in this fight. It was one Riker would be totally unprepared for.
"We have no choice Mr. MacLeod. We need to catch these men soon." Duncan couldn't argue without giving anything away, so he held his peace and made sure that he had all of his weapons with him before they left. As they walked out the door, Duncan thought he saw Robyn mouthing the words 'Good luck,' but as always with Robyn, he couldn't tell for sure.
The pair walked casually towards the industrial district. It wasn't far. Like Duncan, Robyn and Nikki tended to buy property in areas that weren't highly populated. That usually meant near the warehouse district. They looked fairly inconspicuous. Businessmen were often seen checking out their merchandise during the day. In a port city like Seacouver, it also wasn't unusual to see said businessman in the company of someone slightly intimidating wearing a large jacket. As Robyn liked to say 'most bodyguards wear baggy clothes, 'cause they're easy to hide stuff in' then she'd grin and pull a knife out of her tank top.
"Do you think we'll find any evidence of their activity Mr. MacLeod?" Riker asked, bringing Duncan out of his reverie.
"To be honest sir? I don't. The industrial area is too big, and too easy to hide in. We can't cover enough ground to do any good. Unless we have an amazing stroke of luck and walk right into them," as he said it, Duncan realised it was a mistake. Robyn had wished him good luck, and he'd gotten it.
There were about twenty of them. Obviously their fugitives had found themselves some friends. They attacked both men at once, not giving them a chance to use their phasers. Duncan noticed a 2x4 at his feet that he didn't think had been there before.
"Thanks Tal," he said under his breath, as he picked it up and began to swing. Commander Riker wasn't doing to well, but neither were their opponents. They obviously weren't used to fighting someone who was reputed to have sucker punched a Klingon on the bridge of his own ship.
Duncan began to swing his 2x4, trying to get through the pack to where Riker was trying to keep his head above water, so to speak. Each of the kids that was attacking was equipped with a length of either pipe or chain, neither of which are particularly kind to the human body when the two come in contact at high speeds, which is just what one such length of pipe and four of Lt. Duncan MacLeod's ribs did.
Only a few moments later, Duncan discovered that the links on the chains had been sharpened, as one cut his right calf open to the bone. From his own experiences so far, Duncan realised that Riker couldn't be doing too well. He probably hadn't had to cope with death as often as Duncan had.
A few well placed strikes with the 2x4, and Duncan was able to get to where Riker was lying unconscious on the pavement. Dropping the board, Duncan reached into his pocket and pulled out his phaser. He set it to stun, and began to take out his opponents, beginning with the ones that weren't already rolling on the ground in pain.
Once that was taken care of, Duncan picked up the Commander, and threw him over his shoulder in a fireman's hold. As he did so, he realised once again that sometimes the body saves pain for when you have time to handle it. According to what his body was telling him, he'd been hit at least once across the back. He looked down and discovered that he was covered in blood. Luckily he didn't have far to go, and he knew all of the shortcuts and back alleys in the area. He figured he'd better use them now.
Troi grabbed her head and gasped as the link with her Imzadi grew stronger with proximity. "They're coming, and they're hurt," was all she managed to get out. She needed to get ahold of herself.
With surprising ease, Robyn took over. "Mr. Data, you get the Medkit out of my backpack. Nikki, help Troi. I'll make sure the guys get here okay," and with that, she dashed out the door.
She returned a moment later, helping a staggering Lt. MacLeod carry an unconscious Comdr. Riker. Data handed Nikki the Medkit, and took Riker gently from Duncan. Relieved of his burden, he promptly collapsed to the floor.
Troi regained control of herself and tried to make Nikki give the Medkit to Robyn. "We need to get him stabilised."
Robyn checked his pulse, "He'll be fine. Riker's been unconscious longer, check on him first, then bring me the Medkit in the other room."
:Liar.: Robyn heard Nikki's voice in her mind.
:Shut up. You know as well as I do he'll be fine.:
:He doesn't have a pulse at all.:
"If you're sure," Troi was unsure, but knew that protocol required that the head of the away team be treated first.
"It's fine," Robyn said as she dragged Duncan down the hall. "Don't worry about it. I'll look after him until you've finished with the Medkit."
Robyn quickly moved down the hall, and got Duncan onto the bed. With a little effort, she managed to get him out of his now useless trench coat, making sure to hide his sword in the bottom of his dufflebag. With an advanced mental warning, Nikki came in the door and handed her the Medkit.
"Riker's going to be okay. Much longer and he might not have though. He's sleeping peacefully now though."
"That's good," Robyn was glad, Riker wasn't a bad guy.
"How's Duncan?"
"Still dead. He should be okay in ten minutes or so. Don't let them in before then okay?"
"You got it," Nikki said as she walked out the door, closing it silently behind her.
Robyn began to putter, waiting for Duncan to wake up. She started by removing his torn jeans and shirt and washing the blood off of his skin. She checked to make sure that his broken ribs had healed, and was in the process of cleaning the blood off of his now healed calf when Nikki returned.
"He any better?" Nikki asked as she closed the bedroom door.
"Nope still dead, but he'll get better. How's Riker?"
"He's fine. We got him patched up just in time. He'll have a couple of scars, but I think the Enterprise's Doctor can fix those," she left, leaving Robyn and Duncan alone again.
Robyn checked Duncan's pulse again, and this time found one. She knew that it would be a while before he woke up, so she resumed her puttering. Pulling the bed sheets up to cover him, she sat on the bed next to him. After that she just sat for a while and watched his breathing get stronger before she noticed that he still had his barrette in. Knowing it would be a bit uncomfortable when he woke up, she gently lifted up his head with one hand, and started to remove it.
"There are laws against stealing from unconscious people you know," Duncan said as he cracked open one eye to look at her.
"I'll have you know I was doing nothing of the sort."
"Oh yeah? Then why are you taking my favourite barrette? You've been after that since the day we met."
"I was robbing the dead, for your information," she gently placed his head back on the pillow and put the item in question on the bedside table.
"I was that bad was I?"
"Yeah, you dropped dead on the floor as soon as we made it back here. Luckily they believed me when I said you were just unconscious."
"Oh. Well did you leave the corpse anything of value?"
"Nope," she paused and thought for a moment. "Well, I suppose that depends on what you call value."
"What do you mean?"
"Well... How much do you value your underwear...?" She grinned at him as he looked under the sheet that covered him. Reaching towards her, he grabbed her by the arm.
"I think I deserve something in exchange for all of my clothes," he pulled her towards him, and kissed her.
The kiss ended, and Robyn broke away. She came to a stop sitting cross-legged on the floor with her back to Duncan and began rummaging through his dufflebag. She began pulling out various articles of clothing, and throwing them over her shoulder at him.
"What's wrong Robyn?" He asked.
"If we keep this up we're going to get found out."
"What do you mean?"
"Troi's an empath. She's half Betazoid."
"How'd you find out?"
"She told Nikki. Apparently she can only read emotions, and she can't figure you at all. But it also sounds like she's on almost the same wavelength as Nikki and I, and can pick up things once in a while."
"It's alright. We knew there'd be some problems when I joined the Academy and Æt became an Ambassador. We'll think of something, we always do," he stepped up behind her as she turned and stood.
"Yeah. I know. I just miss you," she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him deeply.
Nikki sat in the hallway, wondering how long it would take Riker to wake up. She knew that Duncan was already awake, and had shut off her connection to Robyn in order to give the two a little bit of privacy. They hadn't gotten much since Duncan had joined the Academy, but it was something he had wanted, so Robyn didn't complain. Much. Anymore.
Data left Riker's room and walked down the hall towards the Master Bedroom.
"Where're ya goin'?" Nikki asked him.
"Counsellor Troi has asked me to ascertain Lt. MacLeod's present state of health."
"He's fine. I just checked in on him."
"Thank you, but Counsellor Troi asked me to check on him myself," he said as he grasped the doorknob and began to turn it.
"You can't go in there," Nikki said as she stood and tried to stop him. "Robyn's playing doctor..."
Robyn and Duncan both heard the door open and turned simultaneously, their arms still wrapped around each other. "Nikki!!!" They yelled together.
Data stepped into the room, followed by Nikki, "I'm sorry guys, really. I tried."
Troi, drawn by the yelling, walked in.
"Oh great," Robyn sighed. "Now everyone knows. Oh well. Where were we?" She turned back to Duncan and they resumed their kiss.
"Robyn," Nikki sounded exasperated.
"Oh fine," Duncan broke off the kiss this time. "Everybody out," he said pushing Robyn towards the door. "At least let me get some pants on for my court martial." Robyn left, forcing everyone else out as she went. As she closed the door behind her, she smacked Nikki in the back of the head.
"Thanks for nothing."
"... and so we felt that people might feel that the Ambassador was biased if it was widely known that a member of his staff was involved with someone in Starfleet," Duncan finished recounting the tale to the other officers. It wasn't the whole truth of course, although that was part of it. The truth was that Robyn, Duncan, Nikki and Æt had bet on how long it would take before anyone figured it out. All of them had been surprised that no one had noticed that Robyn was sneaking into the men's dorm at the academy.
"So you did know each other... When did you meet?" Troi asked.
"Well... the Ambassador and his wife were renewing their vows on Risa, and I was given the day after the ceremony off," Robyn said.
"Not the day of the ceremony?" Riker wondered out loud.
"No, I was part of the wedding party when they were first married, so they asked me to participate in the ceremony on Risa as well. My day off started when the ceremony ended, and I just sort of wandered around. That's when I met Mac. Truth to tell, that's pretty much the whole story."
"I see," Riker said. "While I can appreciate your desire for secrecy in this matter, you should have at least mentioned some prior relationship. This mission is very delicate and we can't have you jeopardising it."
"I understand Commander," Duncan did his best to act ashamed. He didn't feel too bad though, the first thing he had learned on his maiden tour of the Enterprise was that Troi and Riker used to be an item. He wasn't sure how her Betazed background had escaped mention though. He and Robyn had been together since before these two had even been born, things would work out.
"Excuse me, sir." Everyone turned as Mr. Data spoke.
"The prisoner is awake."
"Thank you Mr. Data. I believe this matter is settled satisfactorily for the time being. I expect you to report to the Captain as soon as we get back to the Enterprise Mr. MacLeod. I suspect he'll want some assurance that the Ambassador isn't being biased by the situation. Does he even know about you and Robyn?"
"You betcha," Robyn replied with a wink.
"I will make a point of talking to the Captain in regards to this as soon as possible Commander," MacLeod said a moment later.
"Thank-you Mr. MacLeod."
The group made their way into the room where they had secured the prisoner. He reminded Robyn a bit of a Darwellian weasel with his rodent-like face and constant twitching. The twitching accelerated when she entered his field of view.
"I killed her! I cut her throat! She can't still be alive! I killed her! She's inhuman."
"Well duh," Robyn said under her breath. "Okaaaaay..." she started to rub her hands together. "Let's get this show on the road."
"The road?" Mr. Data was puzzled "What show? Oh," he paused. "That was an old Earth euphemistic saying was it not?"
"Yes Mr. Data, it was," Robyn walked towards the prisoner, her eyes glowing as they reflected the dying light coming in through the open window.
"Okay! Alright! I'll tell you anything, just keep that freak away from me!"
"No fair..." Robyn stopped her progress towards him and wailed. "He gave in before the fun part!"
An hour or so later, they had an accurate picture of the location of the escapees, and a good idea of what the group hierarchy was, with the random killer who called himself Shiv at the top, and their prisoner at the bottom. It took some time to understand what their stool pigeon was saying, as he tended to rant and babble, especially when Robyn was close by. By then, the group only had one question left:
"How did you escape?"
Robyn stayed in the background to allow him enough coherence to talk. "It was Shiv, he managed to convince two of the guards that he was dead, and when they went into his holding cell, he killed them."
"But how could he have done that?" Troi asked quietly. "The cells on all prison ships are equipped with external bio-sensors for just that reason."
"I-I don't know. I was in the cell next to him, and I heard them saying he was dead, and they went into the cell to see if they could do anything to revive him, and then they screamed." He began to laugh quietly, until Robyn stepped out of the shadows. Then his laughter turned into a gasping, choking sound, like he was trying to swallow the laughter.
"It's impossible for someone to trick a bio-sensor without a lot of complex equipment isn't it?" Riker asked.
"Yes Commander, it is, but this Shiv seems to have done so. I believe we should use the information we have to attempt to apprehend the fugitives."
:So, he suicided to get the guards into his cell.: Robyn thought to Nikki.
:Not a very imaginative trick, I mean, didn't Duncan use that trick on the Borg twice before any of them noticed anything funny? And they catch on pretty quick.:
:Yeah, but most people in Starfleet aren't used to people who don't feel like staying dead.:
:How can you not be used to that? Oh well, this must be the guy.:
Robyn and Nikki both glanced over at Duncan with enquiring looks. He surreptitiously nodded a reply. This Shiv was obviously who they were looking for.
The group wandered through the industrial district, trying to look inconspicuous. Robyn, Nikki and Mr. Data had taken point, because it had been established that they had better hearing than the others. As they neared the place where Duncan and Riker had been attacked not long before, they dropped all pretence and paid attention only to their task, finding the runaways.
This section of the industrial park was almost deserted, except for the odd stray cat or dog. The streets around them were littered with industrial trash, and the walls were covered with graffiti. It was a grey and gloomy place, and it started to bring Deanna's spirits down. She was nervous about this murderer that could escape from a secure prison. She opened her mind to see if anyone else was feeling the same way she was.
Once again Lieutenant MacLeod's emotions were a blank to her. She knew he was human, so she didn't understand how he could block his emotions from her. It was always easy for her to see Commander Riker's thoughts since he was her Imzadi, and she knew that he felt wary. He too wondered how someone could escape from a prison ship's cell. Data of course registered as a blank, he had no emotions for her to read.
As Troi turned her thoughts to the two Sidhe, she once again found only laughter. She stared in confusion at Robyn's retreating back, and wondered. Robyn cocked her head, as though listening to something only she could hear, and turned towards Deanna. Still walking forward, she looked Troi right in the eyes, and with a broad grin on her face, winked. The laughter served to raise her spirits a bit, and the wink gave her one more Sidhe puzzle to work out.
"There is movement in one of the upper windows," Mr. Data softly warned the rest of the team, pointing to a building off to one side.
Duncan saw a flash of light on medal, and jumped towards Troi. Data fired his phaser at the gunman, but not until after he had fired his first shot.
Duncan catapulted into Counsellor Troi, knocking her out of the way of the bullet. She stumbled unharmed, but he jerked as the bullet caught his exposed back. He fell to the ground as a dark stain started to spread across his white T-shirt.
"There were no others," Data scanned the area looking for any friends the assassin might have had.
Robyn rushed to where Duncan lay on the pavement, dropping to her knees next to him.
"Why do you always have to go and complicate things like this?" She whispered to him as the life began to fade from his eyes.
"We don't have time to hide this..." he said as he died.
"We have to get him to the ship," Troi gasped. "Dr. Crusher can help him."
"We don't have time," Robyn said as she lifted his head onto her knees.
"He's your lover! How can you not have time to save his life?!" Troi was aghast.
Nikki walked up behind Troi and put her hand on the Counsellor's shoulder. "Robyn knows what she's doing Counsellor. And Duncan knows what's at stake. Better than you do I think."
"Here he comes. We'd better get this over with soon," Robyn looked up at Nikki, a determined look on her face.
Duncan's eyes shot open, and his back arched in pain. He gasped as though starved for air, his eyes locking onto Robyn's. He noticed the look on her face, and agreed with her sentiment even if he hadn't heard her voice it. "Let's get this over with."
"You betcha."
Riker and Troi looked on amazed as Duncan stood up and brushed himself off. He looked down at his shirt and shrugged. Data stood and seemed emotionless. He was of course.
"I guess we know how serious they are to avoid capture," Nikki said deadpan.
"How can you take this as though..." Riker's jaw was somewhere in the vicinity of his knees.
"As though we've seen it a hundred times? We have." Nikki grinned at their confusion, and Robyn snickered.
"How... what..."
"We don't have time for questions right now Counsellor. We need to get these guys before they kill anyone else."
"All right. We'll deal with this later," Riker said. "Let's get moving."
They headed out to where their stool pigeon had told them the escapees were hiding. They knew he hadn't lied, he'd been to scared to lie. And their warm welcome had confirmed that they were on the right track. They moved cautiously keeping an eye out for more snipers, until they found the warehouse they'd been looking for.
It was an abandoned paint factory, its walls well decorated with graffiti. All of the windows were large, and quite high off the ground, which presumably made their enemy quite a good strategist. Standing outside the main doors were three of their remaining escapees, along with a dozen members of the gang that had attacked Duncan and Riker. This time however, Duncan and Riker were not alone, and in too much of a hurry to follow the spirit of the prime directive.
As the youths advanced, chains swinging, the away team members pulled out their phasers and stunned the first of the advancing gang members. The remainder watched as their friends fell to the ground unconscious, and then ran. They knew when they were beaten.
The three convicts held their ground. They had the phasers that they had stolen from their guards, and knew that the Starfleet officers would attempt to take them alive. They didn't know that permission had been given to stop them from interrupting or altering the past in any way possible, and so they were not afraid.
Six to three is however, bad odds in any case, and while each of the fugitives was firing at one member of the away team, two away team members were firing at them. They dropped one at a time as one or another stumbled into one beam while trying to avoid another, until only one was left. That one, a man with spiky blonde hair, made a kamikaze run towards Robyn dodging her phaser beam. As he came close, Robyn ceased to fire on him, and waited until he was within an arms length. In his rush, he ignored his phaser, and locked his hands around the Sidhe's neck. He growled like a cornered animal, trying to take out all of his frustration and anger out on this one person, that dared to take his freedom away from him.
"DIE!" He yelled into her face.
"I'd rather not," she said as though his hands were not locked in a death grip around her throat.
His look of hatred turned to one of confusion, and then shock and pain as he made intimate acquaintance with her knee. He crumpled slowly to the ground, as his eyes crossed and he curled in on himself in a fetal ball.
Robyn looked around, and noticed that all of their contemporaries were unconscious. Quickly the away team had the recaptured prisoners beamed to the Enterprise's brig. With that done, they moved quietly towards the warehouse, knowing that there was only one prisoner left, and only one place for him to be.
They entered the dim confines of the warehouse, and saw the man that they had been searching for. There had been no images of him in Starfleet's records, and so none of them had known what he looked like. Now they did. Duncan's eyes unfocused, and Robyn raised one eyebrow.
Argus 7, 2158
Duncan and Robyn had been wandering the newly accessible parts of the galaxy. First contact had been made almost a century earlier, and the couple was enjoying the novelty of space travel. They were in a cantina on a little mining planet at the far edge of known space, and for lack of other entertainment at the moment had been playing hide 'n' seek with Duncan's new Watcher.
Finding a 3-D chessboard set up in one of the cantina's numerous booths, the pair had started a game. Ten minutes later Robyn was loosing very ungraciously when Duncan got that far-away look of his. She scanned the room and noticed that someone had just walked in through the doors. It was a dark-haired human who looked to be about thirty years old. From the look on Duncan's face she knew that to be unlikely however.
He scanned the room, and noticed Robyn looking at him. Duncan's back was to the door, so this new immortal obviously believed that she was the one he sensed. He walked boldly up to their booth and looked Robyn up and down.
"I'm Shiv. It'll be a shame to kill a nice piece like you," he leered at her in her almost skin-tight flightsuit.
Robyn quirked one eyebrow at him, the disgust plain on her face. "I'm... soooooo not who you're looking for," she jerked her thumb across the booth to Duncan and began resetting the pieces on the chessboard.
Duncan glared at the other immortal. Never mind that Robyn was his girlfriend, he'd been raised on chivalry like most other men had on mother's milk. "I am Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod. I have no business with you."
"Well I have business with you. Let's go." He turned to Robyn and said, "We'll talk later babe."
Duncan stood and looked at Robyn.
"Che," she sounded exasperated. "You humans and your fun. Oh well, at least I'll have something to watch." She stood and grabbed her well-worn flight jacket from where it lay on the bench next to her and threw it over her shoulder. Shiv watched her as she moved. The flight suit didn't leave much to the imagination. Then he glanced over at Duncan, and noticed that he was wearing a set of comfortable ships clothes.
"What? She's the pilot? Ooooh, we're going to have some fun once Ol' Duncan's out of the way."
"What am I? The spoils of war? Mac. Love. You better kill him quick, or I'll do it for you right here and now."
Shiv snickered at that. Obviously out here in the mining colonies women's rights were on a downhill slide. They walked out of the cantina to a vacant lot behind it, out of the way of prying eyes.
Robyn leaned against the back wall of the cantina and settled in to watch the fight. From the way this Shiv character swaggered it wouldn't be that long. He pulled his sword, what looked to be a simple British red-coat number, out of his ankle length patchwork coat.
"I hate to kill an unarmed man but... who am I kidding. I love it." Duncan's clothing, while not being quite as tight as Robyn's, obviously had no place to hide a sword.
"Who said I was unarmed?" Duncan asked politely. He turned to look at Robyn, and Shiv followed suit. She was holding Duncan's katana in one hand, and the sheath in the other. She tossed the sword to him lightly, and he snatched it out of the air. Shiv managed to look confused, alarmed and frightened all at once.
"There won't be any handy patrols to get you out of this one Shiv. You'll have to fight this time."
"Geezley hell," Robyn mumbled to herself. "How could I not remember a stupid name like Shiv?"
Shiv laughed. "I'm not the same man you faced last time MacLeod. I've learned a lot since then. Enough to beat you."
Duncan stepped forward, taking off his trench coat and revealing the katana hidden underneath. The three Starfleet members started to step forward, only to find themselves restrained by Robyn and Nikki.
"It's six against one Robyn," Riker said quietly. "We can take him quite easily and be on our way. He won't kill again."
Robyn shook her head and grinned. "This fight has to be one on one Commander. He's like Mac, Immortal, and this is part of what they are. You can't keep him prison, because he'll always have an out, just like he did on the Aurora."
"You mean... He and Lieutenant MacLeod...?" Troi gasped.
"Yes Counsellor. And this needs to be settled their way."
"But with swords? What if the Lieutenant looses."
"Yes with swords. And I'd say that if Mac looses then the Universe is down the tubes, since it seems to think he's pretty important. But Shiv won't live to see it. If Mac can't finish this, then I will."
"Please give me your word that none of you will interfere Commander," Duncan asked without ever taking his eyes off of his opponent.
"You have it." Riker didn't look all that happy about his promise, but he wasn't sure he had a choice.
The two men squared off, swords drawn. They both stood and evaluated each other for a few moments, trying to discover weaknesses in each others stances. Almost simultaneously they lunged towards each other, swords clanging with the sharp sound of steel on steel.
Sparks jumped between the two blades as Duncan faced his opponent. He watched Shiv's eyes, knowing that he would see the man's next move there if nowhere else. He knew that Riker would keep his promise, and he also knew that one way or another this would be Shiv's last day on Earth. Robyn had told him a long time ago that she would honour his wish that she not interfere, but that would not stop her from dealing in one way or another with whoever won his matches. She had said it with a smile at the time, but he knew she was deadly serious. He had however, also seen her run laughing through a small Borg cube, destroying everything she saw.
Shiv's eyes flashed, and Duncan easily blocked the backhanded slash that the other Immortal directed at his left leg. Several centuries of daily Katas gave Duncan the quick reflexes of a cat, and he followed with a simple upward thrust, impaling Shiv on his katana.
Duncan heard Riker mention something about it being over right then, followed by Robyn's brook-like laughter. Inflicting as much damage as he could, Duncan pulled his sword out of Shiv's torso. Shiv staggered to his feet, and they resumed their circling. After a series of feints and minor scratches, Duncan was facing the open door of the warehouse, where Robyn, Nikki and the Starfleet officers stood.
Apparently in desperation to end the match, Shiv raised his British sabre high above his head, and attempted to cut Duncan in a classic shoulder to hip cut. Ducking under the stroke, Duncan opened Shiv's stomach with his katana. Shiv fell to his knees, the tip of his sabre resting on the concrete floor of the warehouse. His eyes opened wide as he realised that he'd been beaten, and he waited for the killing stroke.
"In the end, there can be only one." The dragon's head katana made a swift, simple stroke ending in the chiburi.
Duncan was looking straight at the five other members of the away team as the Quickening overtook him. He knew this would be something Riker and Troi would never forget. Data of course, forgot nothing.
The spectators watched as Shiv's head left his shoulders, and rolled a few feet on the concrete floor. Riker was about to step forward when Robyn grabbed him by the arm.
"It's not over yet Commander. You don't want to get caught in the light show."
"Light show...?" A nimbus of white light surrounded the decapitated body that lay on the cement, and was followed by a sound like rushing water that seemed to come from everywhere at once. The light began to leave the body, and wrap around Duncan's waiting form. Sparks crackled between the light and his body, and lightning began to creep along the floor of the warehouse. Empty oil drums and wooden crates launched themselves into the air, and the florescent light bulbs exploded all at once.
Duncan's back arched as a particularly large bolt of lightning hit him full in the chest, and he raised his arms in the air as lightning emerged from the dragon's head katana held tightly in his right hand. Lightning crawled up the I-beams set into the cinder block walls, as though trying to escape. As they reached the third story windows, Duncan was floating several inches of the floor, his arms still upraised. The sound reached a crescendo as the windows exploded in a shower of sparks and broken glass, and then all was silent.
Duncan knelt on the floor, gasping for air and leaning on the katana whose blade was sunk several inches into the solid concrete. After a moment he stood, and pulled the katana from the floor, none the worse for wear. He walked slowly over to where Robyn stood, and pulled her towards him. He kissed her hungrily, needing to deal somehow with the energy that had rushed into him.
Riker cleared his throat, and the kissing pair pulled apart. Robyn looked Duncan up and down, and grinned.
"You look like hell shiye. Well... I suppose we should get you back to your ship sailor."
"We should return to the Enterprise immediately. I am still unable to calculate when the wormhole's stability will degrade to the point that we are unable to return," Data said as he walked to where Shiv's body lay. After throwing it over one shoulder, he also retrieved the head, and joined the group.
"We can leave no evidence of our presence."
"Right you are Mr. Data," Robyn said as she pulled out her cell phone and contacted Ætolus.
"...and so you see Captain, I would very much appreciate it if you left this out of the official report."
Everyone had cleaned up and changed back into their uniforms, and now they stood in the Captain's ready room to be debriefed.
"And how old did you say you were Lieutenant?" The Captain asked softly.
"A little over eight hundred years sir."
"And there are more people like you out there?"
"Yes sir."
"What we couldn't do with humans that live as long as Vulcans in Starfleet."
Robyn spoke up for the first time in the interview, "you already have a few Captain."
"Hmm? Oh. Well." The Captain looked a little confused by that. "I give you my word Lieutenant that none of this will be recorded."
"Thank-you sir."
"You're all dismissed, please return to your duty assignments."
"Sir." Everyone turned to leave.
"Robyn," the Captain said. "I'd like to speak to you for a moment if you don't mind."
"Not at all," she sat down on the couch and watched as everyone filed out of the room onto the Bridge.
"You seem to know quite a bit about Earth's past."
"Mmm-hmmm," Robyn fiddled with the end of her braid, and the beads that were laced to the end clacked together.
"And Mr. Data's research mentioned that the Sidhe could be quite long lived."
"Mmm-hmmm," she looked at the Captain with a half-grin on her face, and waited for him to ask his question.
"Have you ever been to Earth yourself?"
"Mmm-hmmm," Picard began to look exasperated. "I'm sorry Captain, but for quite a long time now teasing you humans was one of my only hobbies. Nikki and I have spent quite a bit of time on your planet. Even for our species, the two of us are quite long lived."
"When did you arrive on Earth?"
"Oh... just before the sinking of Atlantis."
"But that was..."
"Not quite thirteen thousand years ago Captain. Although I'd appreciate if you kept that out of your report as well."
"Then the Vulcans were not Earth's First Contact?"
"Not by a long shot Captain. Nikki and I weren't even the first visitors to your planet," Picard looked stunned. "After all Captain, as Bill the Bard once said, 'There is more in heaven and Earth Horatio...'" Robyn stood, and strode towards the door.
The Captain of the Federation's most powerful space going vessel struggled to regain his composure, and then thought about what Robyn had just said.
"You knew William Shakespeare?"
Robyn stopped just short of the doors, and turned. With one hand on her hip she looked at the Captain through her cat slitted eyes, and watched his mental processes at work. "Mmm-hmmm."
He spoke softly to himself, "Robyn... Robyn... Robyn Goodfe..."
Robyn turned and the doors opened at her presence. She was about to step through them as the Captain spoke again. "Are you..."
As the doors closed behind her, Picard heard her say "I am that merry wanderer of the night."
Riker was off duty for the day, and he wanted to spend some time alone in the holodeck. He knew that holodeck two was usually empty, so he walked in without looking.
It was occupied by Lieutenant MacLeod, Ambassador Ætolus, Robyn, Nikki and a battlefield. It looked like the sequence that Duncan had been engaged in when he had first seen the man in action with a sword. The melee was a bit different this time however.
Instead of two groups battling each other, it was the four real people, plus a young man and woman, against what seemed to be the entire population of Scotland. There seemed to be a picnic basket set on a blanket at the top of the knoll, and the six were defending their lunch with all their might.
A loud whirring sound occurred and Riker looked around only to see the young man wielding some kind of gasoline powered weapon.
"Hey! That's not fair Tal, no chainsaws. We all agreed we'd only use things that were available in the seventeenth Century." Ambassador Ætolus spoke.
"Well they were available to me in the seventeenth," he laughed.
The young woman noticed Riker's presence, and began to float gently in the air. I knew she was a holodeck character. Her and the one they called Tal. The young woman's hair began to float up around her face, and a glow that was so purple it was almost black surrounded her.
The glow began to grow until it surrounded her in a sphere that kept growing until it engulfed defenders of the picnic basket. As it extended beyond them to the attackers however, it seemed to change. Each time it touched one of the holodeck characters, it pulsed, and the character disappeared.
"I guess Charon got bored," Tal said as he looked in Riker's direction.
When all of the holograms had disappeared, the young woman returned to earth and the glow died down. The group walked over to the Commander.
"We'll leave the holodeck to you now Commander," MacLeod said. "We were just finished anyway."
"Thank you Mr. MacLeod."
"The group walked out the doors, and the two remaining holodeck characters, the young man with the Chainsaw, and the no longer glowing young woman followed... out into the hall. Riker watched as they walked out through the doors with no troubles and continued down the corridor. But we're in the middle of nowhere, and I know there were no pick-ups, the Captain would have told me. And the ship's computer alerts us to any intruders. Riker felt as though his brain was about to pop, and then he heard what the young man named Tal was saying:
"They still use Warp Bubbles? Even an Infinite Improbability Drive would be better, and that's nothing on a Paisley Engine..."
FINIS
Author's Note: For anyone who's wondering the "chiburi" is the technical term for the Japanese movement where the enemy's blood is shaken off of the blade of the sword.
One last thing... for more fun with Robyn, Nikki and the gang, check out http:www.psychosix.com