*Disclaimer: Star Trek the Next Generation is property of Paramount Pictures and all respective cast, crew, and employees. I am not making a profit off this. This is simply for fanfiction enjoyment.**
Summary: When parasites feed off the Enterprise, Data makes the ultimate sacrifice to save the entire crew and everyone on the Enterprise.
Ultimate Sacrifice
"Take us out of orbit, Mr. Data," Captain Jean-Luc Picard ordered.
"Aye, sir," Lt. Commander Data replied, setting the corresponding coordinates on the control console.
As the Enterprise turned, Data couldn't help but smile. Ever since the Geordi had installed the emotion chip into his positronic brain, he smiled whenever he could; it was a feeling he had longed for since he had been first activated. And it felt good. The Enterprise had just successfully protected the Nankins – an alien race that was being attacked by Romulans, who attempted to overtake their land. For years, Data could only explain the smiles on his friends' faces after a successful battle logically: as a human response to pleasure. Now, he had the privilege of experiencing it.
"We've sustained heavy damage," First Officer Will Riker said, "Data, where's the closest Federation Starship base?"
"Thirty thousand kilometers, sir," Data reported, "at our current warp, we will arrive in seven hours, twenty three minutes, and thirty one seconds."
"Set course for the Starship base," Captain Jean-Luc said, "Engage."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the Enterprise docked on the Starship base for repairs, Data was relieved off duty of the Bridge. While the rest of the crew went to the Holodeck for some well deserved recreation, Data went to his quarters. After the doors hissed closed behind him, Data hesitated before taking another step. Once the emotion chip had been installed in him, whenever he was not on duty, he only thought of two people. Only, he could not tell them. He couldn't tell them how wonderful it felt to finally have control of his emotions… to have emotions at all.
He sat at his desk and opened the left-hand top drawer. Carefully, he took out a clear diamond, put the jewel on his desk, and pressed the button. A 3-D image of Tasha Yar appeared, smiling. Data sat for a moment in silence, trying to process all the emotions that came flooding in. His memory began filing back into its database, pulling out memories of Tasha Yar. An image of her standing at her post at the bridge, obeying Captain Picard's orders. A memory of Data and Tasha fighting on a foreign planet side-by-side, and finally, an image of how she died. As soon as his memory bank opened the last image, he stopped processing the files, not bearing to relive the events of that horrific day.
Then, as suddenly as the last image of Tasha Yar was filed back, another memory came surging in. Data buried his face in his hands and closed his eyes. Though he could remember the day more clearly than any human, it was as if his positronic brain was approaching its limit in dealing with the flood of emotions. Though Data had nothing in his quarters indicating her existence, Data would never forget his daughter: Lal. He accessed every one of Lal's files. From the time he presented Lal to Geordi, Deanna, and Wesley, to her death. He smiled as his files processed over Picard's refusal to allow Admiral Haftel take his daughter away. But his expression turned serious as his files recollected his struggle to keep Lal alive after a severe malfunction. One memory stood out the strongest: some of Lal's last words, "I love you, father." Now, Data realized, for the first time, he could say he loves Lal. Suddenly, tears began to brim his eyes. Data lifted his face from his hands and felt the tears stream down his cheeks. Though Data could have easily taken the emotion chip out, he made no move to do so. He sat at his desk, letting the tears fall and the sobs resume. Soon, the only thing that could be heard in Data's quarters were the sniffles of the android.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Captain," Worf said, his deep gruff voice filling the bridge, "sensors have detected a distress signal from a Yorkshire-class vessel."
"Yorkshire-class vessel?" Picard asked surprised at the familiar name. The vessel was used by Starfleet for transport.
"Location?" Picard asked.
"Twenty three hundred and four kilometers," Data reported, "If we increase speed to warp five, we can reach the vessel in thirty three minutes and twenty seven seconds."
"Make it so." Picard commanded.
Hours earlier, the Enterprise had finished repairs and left the Starship base. As soon as Picard notified all senior staff, Data had left his quarters, wiping away any traces of tears on his cheeks.
When the Enterprise came within visual range of the Yorkshire vessel, Picard stared hard at the viewscreen. The vessel had no lights, and seemingly, no power. It drifted in space, floating in the vast blackness that was sprinkled with stars.
"Open hailing frequencies," Picard instructed, "Yorkshire vessel, this is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise."
The viewscreen switched to a tattered image of the Yorkshire vessel. The image jumped and bounced as if it were an ancient TV which had an ineffective antenna. The audio and visual were barely decipherable as static buzzed through the connection.
"Captain! Commander Lee of the Yorkshire vessel." a hazy figure stood in front of the viewscreen. The figure was male with black hair, but that was all that was discernable through the fuzzy image.
"We need your help, sir! Our vessel has lost almost all power. Life support will end in a six minutes. O-Our main engine is barely holding on. Our vessel will crash in five minutes!" The panicked man seemed to be trying his best to maintain his composure.
"How many of you are on board?"
"Twenty two, sir."
"Mr. O'Brien," the captain said, addressing the chief petty officer with his combadge, "Can you get a transporter beam lock on the Yorkshire crew?"
"Negative, sir," O'Brien replied, punching desperately at the controls, "the Yorkshire doesn't have enough energy for transport."
"Mr. LaForge," the captain addressed, tapping his combadge.
"LaForge, here," Geordi replied from Engineering
"Can you get a tractor beam on the Yorkshire?"
"I'm trying, sir, but the frequencies aren't holding."
"Try harder!" Picard barked, the captain in him rising.
"Aye, sir."
Tension could be seen etched into the captain's features as he turned around and faced the crew on the Bridge.
"Options?"
"Captain," Geordi's voice emanated through the bridge.
"Go ahead, Mr. LaForge."
"I have a tractor beam lock on the Yorhsire, but the frequency is weak."
The nervous voices and pounding feet of the crewmen onboard the Yorshire could be heard over the frequencies and Commander Lee was pounding the controls in front of him; desperately trying to gain control. Picard opened his mouth to report to Commander Lee the tractor beam lock, but before he uttered a syllable, the voices on board the Yorkshire were replaced with a loud explosion. The screen turned blank and automatically switched to a view outside the Yorshire. In a plume of orange flames and smoke, the Yorkshire exploded.
Captain Picard and First Officer Riker stepped toward the viewscreen, staring in horror. All twenty two crewmen were lost.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I want a full investigation," Captain Picard said tersely, addressing his senior officers in the Observation Deck, "I want to know what happened to the Yorkshire vessel. I want a full report from the each of you. Find out the cause and how we can prevent something like this from ever happening again!"
"Twenty two Starfleet officers," Riker sighed.
"Luckily we were able get some data and logs from the Yorkshire before we lost it," Geordi commented, "Otherwise, we'd have nothing to go on."
"Mr. LaForge and Mr. Data," Picard said, "I want you to get as much as you can from that data."
Geordi and Data nodded.
Picard's voice softened, "Counselor Troi, I will be offering your guidance to the family members of the officers."
"I'll do whatever I can to help them," Counselor Troi said.
"Dismissed."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The investigation of the accident, or whatever might have happened to the Yorkshire, went slowly, running into several dead ends.
"I don't understand it," Geordi sighed, "What the heck happened to that vessel?"
Data sat at a console in engineering, reviewing the data files on the incident.
"Perhaps our error is that we are only looking for key problems," Data surmised as he scrolled through the text, "If we look for what seems like less problematic incidents, it may lead to something we have not yet discovered."
"That's in interesting thought, Data, but what we have of the Yorkshire's logs don't indicate any problems at all."
"Then perhaps there are problems that the Yorhsire officers did not know of."
Data stopped scrolling though the text and focused on the screen. His yellow eyes scanned the text.
"Find something?"
"Yes. On Stardate 4561.25, the Yorkshire's logs show that the lights were off for 0.23 seconds."
Geordi buried his face in his hands. Sometimes his best friend was too analytical… even for an android.
"And that's a problem?"
"Light bulbs aboard any Starship vessel emit a continuous stream of energy, giving off light. If the light aboard the Yorshire turned off at any time, it may indicate that something is wrong."
"Or it may indicate that the electricity on the ship fluctuated a bit. Data, that's such a minor incident."
"Precisely," Data said, "No human would have been able to detect the fluctuation. There could have been something very wrong and the officers did not know until it was too late."
Hours of investigating later, Data and Geordi found no other problems aboard the Yorhsire (no matter how minor); at least, until minutes before the explosion. Records showed that first, the controls at Ops would not function; and then, the tractor beam failed, then, the transporters. The list went on and on, failure after failure, until the Enterprise found the Yorhsire at its own mercy. All of this happened within a matter of 10 minutes. When Geordi and Data felt they had exhausted all possible conclusions, they reported their findings to the captain, who sighed heavily.
"But we are still no closer to finding the cause," Captain Picard said, looking at his chief engineer and lieutenant commander in his ready room.
Grudgingly, Picard relived Geordi and Data off the investigation for the day. From the narrowed eyes and clenched jaw, Geordi could tell that the captain desperately wanted to find out what went wrong. It was Picard's job to break the news of the fallen Starfleet officers to their family members, and no doubt, having to do that made an impact on him.
"Dismissed."
"Captain," Data said, allowing the volume of his voice to soften, "Since I do not require sleep, I will be able to investigate further."
Geordi turned from the door, having risen from his seat when he was dismissed. He couldn't help but let his lips curl into a slight smile. Though Data did not have the emotion chip in him, he had made a heartwarming gesture.
Picard, also surprised by his offering, met Data's eyes, "Thank you, Mr. Data. I appreciate your offer, but it seems like we can't draw any more conclusions from the data, Mr. LaForge said so himself. (He said this more to himself, knowing that Data had a perfect memory.) And besides, even you need a break sometimes."
"Thank you, sir."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, when the senior officers were off duty, Worf, Geordi, Riker, and Crusher had gathered in Holodeck 3 for a poker game.
"Read'em and weep," Riker said triumphantly as he placed his hand face up on the table.
"Klingons do not weep," Worf grunted to the first officer, "Especially in a card game."
"And I was distracted by the birds… twittering," Worf sneered, enunciating the last word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth."
"A bird's song is beautiful," Crusher said, smiling.
The poker game was unlike any others they had played in that Crusher insisted on playing it in the Holodeck, where a park scene could be simulated. The table was in the center of blossoming flowers and green trees. The rest of the players had agreed to the setting only because Crusher had won the last bet. Her winnings? The next poker game in a park, where she could see trees (which she rarely saw now that she was on the Enterprise), and, where she could smile as Riker, Worf, and Geordi were put in an "unmanly" setting.
Riker chucked as he pulled Worf's chips towards him. Suddenly, the computer chirped. The park, table, and chairs disappeared, sending the officers onto the floor. The Holodeck reverted back to normal, surrounding Crusher, Worf, Geordi, Riker, and Data in the black room pattered with the yellow grid. The officers looked around them incredulously.
"No one told the computer to stop," Riker said, voicing everyone's thoughts.
"Computer," Crusher said, "resume program: Crusher delta sigma theta."
The computer chimed.
Program cannot be re-initiated.
Beverly Crusher looked around at her crewmates, who all shared the same puzzled expressions. Even Data looked confused.
"Why not?" the doctor asked.
Problem is unknown.
Everyone in the Holodeck looked at one another with raised eyebrows. The five of them then walked out of the Holodeck and looked at the controls, wondering if someone had tampered with it.
"Woah," Geordi said as they stared at the console.
The controls were burnt beyond recognition. What was once a keypad was now a melted square of black plastic.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Minutes later, Riker and Data reported to Captain Picard's ready room.
"… The entire keypad was burnt," Riker finished explaining.
"Could it have just short circuited?" Picard asked.
"No, sir," Data said, "The Holodeck's emergency systems protect against such..." Data stopped, mid-sentence and suddenly looked intently over the window of Picard's ready room.
"Mr. Data?" Picard asked, "Something wrong?"
"Yes, sir… the light over your window just stopped functioning for 0.25 seconds."
Picard looked at Riker, who looked back at him and shrugged his shoulders.
"Explain."
"When Geordi LaForge and I were investigating the Yorkshire logs, I found that 4 hours and twenty three minutes before the Yorhsire experienced total system failure, their lights turned off for 0.23 seconds."
Picard took a deep breath.
"So whatever happened to the Yorhsire may be happening to us?" Riker asked.
"It appears to be very likely, sir," Data replied.
"I want a full investigation," Picard said sternly. He rose from his seat and strode out of the room, Riker and Data close behind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Nothing seems to be wrong," Geordi said as he scanned his tricorder over the Holodeck's burnt control panel.
Data held up his own tricorder and scanned the Holodeck as Geordi moved on further down the wall.
"Fascinating."
"What?" Geordi asked, looking at where Data was scanning.
"My God, what the heck is that? And what did you do to that tricorder?"
The tricorder Data was using to scan the same place Geordi had scanned seconds before, emitted a blue light. The blue glow revealed the interior of the control panel: white spots covered the burnt panel. If Gerodi didn't know he was looking at the Holodeck's buttons, he would have thought he was looking at a bacteria specimen under a microscope.
"I do not know the answer to your first question," Data replied, scanning a wider range, which still revealed the presence of the white spots, "As for your second question, I have modified this tricorder to reveal anything that it does not recognize. Our tricorders can detect specimens it recognizes, but it does not reveal unidentified anomalies. I was able to modify the tricorder using electrical conduits that channeled electric pulses to the central…"
"We might have more time to discuss that later," Geordi interrupted, "right now; we need to tell the captain."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three hours later, all senior staff were gathered in the Observation Lounge. Data stood at the head of the table.
"The anomalies have invaded the ship's computer systems," Data explained.
"Commander LaForge and I have found that these anomalies to be carbon based. We have scanned the ship's computers and run a level two diagnostic. The anomalies are on every computer and they are feeding off the power of the Enterprise. They appear to be what we would call parasites. The parasites are most heavily populated in the Holodeck and the lights. This explains the malfunctions in both. We have concluded that humans are not directly in danger. The parasites feed off electric power."
Data then walked over to the display system that was used to demonstrate strategies. He scanned the area with his modified tricorder, adjusting the blue light so that it spanned across a wide space. White parasites were scattered throughout the area, moving slowly and waving appendages.
"The parasites are continuing to reproduce at a rate of 1,456 per minute."
He then switched off his tricorder and turned back to the crew. Picard sighed. Everyone remained silent as the gravity of the situation sank in.
"Data," Dr. Crusher asked, breaking the silence, "Are you sure that these are parasites we are dealing with?"
"Yes, doctor," Data said, "These organisms show all the characteristics of parasites. They are preying upon the Enterprise, using it as a host and feeding off it. May I ask the purpose of your question?"
"I just wanted to be sure, because if these are parasites, and the Enterprise is its host, then these… these white spots will slowly-"
"…kill the Enterprise," Riker finished."
"Is there any way to kill these parasites?" Picard asked.
"We haven't tried ways to kill it," Geordi said, "radiation may work, but we'd die before the parasites are even affected."
"There may be no way to kill the parasites," Dr. Crusher sighed, "Once a parasite hooks onto a host, it feeds off it and doesn't die... until the host is dead."
"I hypothesize that the parasites were on board the Yorshire," Data continued, "The Yorkshire is a small shuttle. It only took five hours for the parasites to incapacitate the vessel. I believe that when we locked on to the Yorkshire with our tractor beam, the parasites used the beam to transport to our ship. The Yorshire was dying and the tractor beam provided a new source of energy. Once they left the Yorkshire, the shuttle's main engine was damaged beyond repair and a massive coolant leak caused the shuttle to explode."
"Going from one host to another," Dr. Crusher shuddered.
"How much time do we have left before total system failure?" the captain asked.
"At their current rate of reproduction, the Enterprise will completely shut down in 46 hours." Data reported.
"And how far are we from the nearest Starbase?"
"Thirty six, hours if we maintain course at maximum warp."
"I want everyone to find a way to kill these parasites," the captain instructed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This is impossible," Dr. Crusher sighed, as the display monitor she had just fired on burst and smoked. Geordi scanned the area with his tricorder. The parasites were still there. Because the parasites had invaded the Enterprise's computers, including the Holodecks, the crew was forced to test on non-essential electronic items. No matter what they did, the parasites were still present.
"What if we just turn off the source," Geordi suggested, "cut of its life support." He flipped the switch on a light to turn it off, but the light still glowed.
"Damn it," Gerodi grunted as he clicked the switch back and forth, "they've taken over the controls."
He proceeded to a replicator on the opposite wall.
"Water," Gerodi instructed, "20 degrees Celsius." A cluster of blue sparkle emanated into the replicator's serving tray, but the sparkle soon flickered and died.
"Great," Gerodi sighed, "now the replicators aren't working."
"That's not the only thing we won't have control of soon." Dr. Crusher surmised.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Data's hands were a blur as he assembled the parts with immaculate speed. Gerodi watched intently as his best friend built the prototype right before his eyes. Within seconds, it was complete.
"Let's hope this works," Gerodi sighed.
Data had proposed using an electronic prototype to encase the parasites in. If connected to the computer, with some luck, some of the parasites would move from the Enterprise to the prototype. Taking a deep breath, Geordi connected the device to one of Engineering's consoles… and nothing happened. The parasites remained where they were.
"It looks like my idea is a failure," Data said.
"I don't get it; I thought they'd hook onto the new energy."
There was a short pause as Data processed the new information.
"I hypothesize that the parasites only feed off the Enterprise because of its complexity," the android concluded, "If the prototype is not complex enough, the parasites will not feed off it."
"But why would the parasites only feed off complex systems?"
"Perhaps the Enterprise's power provides a viable food source for the parasites. If it feeds of less complex systems, the parasites may die."
"Then we will need to build a complex computer system… equivalent to the complexities of the Enterprise herself. At that rate it will take us…" Geordi turned to the Engineering table and punched the buttons on the black surface.
"Seven years... If we were able to accomplish something like that."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Controls are not responding sir!" Ensign Michaels called from the science station.
Captain Picard grit his teeth as he sat in the command chair.
"The final countdown has begun," he thought, "How the hell did time run out so fast?"
"Tractor beam?"
"Not responding, Captain," Geordi called from Engineering.
Suddenly, the Enterprise vibrated and shook violently, forcing all crew members to hold onto whatever they could to keep upright.
"What's going on, Mr. LaForge?" Picard asked, anxiety making its way into his voice.
"Internal stabilizers are offline! And the warp core has completely shut down!" The Chief Engineer looked up from his console at the giant cylinder that stood before him. The warp core should have been pulsating with a blue light, rising up in a systematic pattern, but instead, it was dead. Nothing more useful than a statue.
"Go to Red Alert!" the captain shouted.
"Aye, sir," Worf replied. The noise of the siren blared throughout the Enterprise and red lights flashed in its familiar rhythmic pattern.
"Mr. Data, how long until life support gives out?"
"Twenty three minutes, two seconds, sir," Data replied from Ops, gripping onto the console as the ship continued to shake.
As soon as the words left Data's mouth, the lights on the Bridge died, enveloping the crew in complete darkness.
"Switch to emergency power!"
"Sir," Ensign Rachels called from her station, punching at the controls to no avail, "emergency power isn't working. The parasites have taken control of it, too."
The Enterprise hovered in space, almost completely devoid of power. The trained officers kept their cool on the Bridge and in Engineering, but on all other decks, chaos reigned. Some officers who had been in their quarters found that they were trapped there, the automatic doors ceased to function.
A young girl tapped on the manual controls at the door to her quarters, her mother having taught her how to open the door in such emergencies. But this was no normal emergency. The doors remained closed and tears started to stream down her face as she slammed her fists against the doors, pounding on it in hopes it would open, or that someone would hear her.
"Somebody!! HELP!"
Just outside the doors, her cries could not be heard over the screams. Shrieks and panicked voices echoed through the hallways as the lights stopped functioning. The people and aliens that filled the halls now pushed one another trying desperately to find a way out. Every so often, a console would blow out, and the beings near it would nearly trample others in an attempt to get away from the sparks.
Security officers who tried to maintain order... or at least what used to be order, in the halls, but found that they were greatly outnumbered. Their orders could not be heard over the screams and when they could, they were not heeded. Suddenly, the floor dropped out underneath them as the Enterprise descended a few feet before righting itself. Everyone on the Enterprise hit the floor... hard, and the chaos in the halls rose to a crescendo.
"EVERYONE! GO BACK TO YOUR QUARTERS! YOU WILL BE SAFER THERE!" a security officer yelled at the top of his lungs, but by now, everyone was so disoriented, orders were useless.
"Structural integrity on decks 9 through 27 are weakening!" Worf cried out from behind the guardrail.
Giant cracks penetrated their way through the Enterprise's strong body as the structural integrity weakened, allowing the pressure of a passing rock to slam the hull with a force unlike any other. The Enterprise, known for its strength, durability, dependability, size, and remarkable technology, was reducing to a useless chunk of metal.
The Science station buzzed, and then exploded in a spray of sparks, sending Ensign Michaels clear across the Bridge, where he landed reeling from the pain.
"Captain!" Data shouted over the noise, "I believe I know a way to stop this, but I do not have time to explain. I will need to leave the Bridge."
Picard looked in the direction of his second officer, not able to see very well in the dark. The blackness hid the confusion on his face, and he paused a few moments before saying, "Make it so."
With some difficulty, Data rose from his seat at Ops and proceeded to the turbolift, the Enterprise swaying violently under his feet.
"At least something still works around here," Picard thought as he heard the turbolift doors close.
Once in the turbolift, Data called out his destination, "Holodeck four."
The computer chirped and moved, shaking and rattling as the Enterprise continued to be under the mercy of the forces in space.
As soon as Data stepped towards Holodeck 4, the Enterprise veered sharply to the right, slamming the android into the console on the left. He quickly got back on his feet, though, and proceeded.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Fourteen second to full systems failure," Ensign Rachel called out, her voice thick with fear. She was now relying on the button's colored glows to guide her.
Again, the Enterprise dropped, this time, plummeting several feet. Everyone on the Enterprise were tossed around like rag dolls. Captain Picard felt himself lift from the command chair and fall hard on the ground as the Enterprise suddenly and miraculously righted itself. First officer Commander Riker lay a few feet from Picard. A few moments passed before Picard and Riker lifted themselves off the floor. Not sure whether he had blacked out, Picard looked around him.
The lights on the Enterprise turned back on, enabling the crew to see once again. A few moments of tense silence passed as the crew took in the scene around them. The Enterprise was no longer jolting out of control… in fact, it was completely stable. The veiwscreen had come back online and was now showing the familiar black space, speckled with stars. In all the chaos, Picard had forgotten the viewsceen had stopped functioning hours ago. Commander Riker tested the controls at Ops, and the controls obeyed, beeping in reply. The only thing that seemed out of order on the Bridge was the engineering station, which had blown out moments before. However, the controls adjacent to it seemed to be working as well.
"Sir," Worf reported, "structural integrity is withholding."
Picard tapped his combadge.
"Picard to Sickbay, is everyone alright?"
"There are some minor injuries, sir," Dr. Crusher said, hearing the captain's voice from the Bridge over the communicator, "but nothing major. What happened?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out. Picard out."
Picard tapped his combadge again.
"Picard to Engineering, what the hell just happened?"
"I don't know, sir," Geordi's voice could be heard clearly throughout the Bridge, "Everything just… started working. The warp core is functioning normally." He stared at the large cylinder as he said this, watching the pulsating blue lights flow though the structure."
"And..." Geordi tapped the nearest console, "the controls are working, too."
"Geordi..."
Geordi listened intently. The captain rarely addressed him by his first name.
"… where is Lt. Commander Data?"
"Data? He's not here, sir. I thought he was with you at the Bridge."
Picard drew in a small breath as he looked at his first officer. If Data had come up with an idea to stop the parasites, the captain thought the android would go to Engineering, where most of the controls of the ship were. From the concerned look on Riker's face, it was apparent he thought the same.
"He said he knew a way to stop the parasites. I thought he'd go to Engineering."
Picard allowed Engineering to hear what he said next, knowing Geordi would want to listen in. He then punched his combadge.
"Picard to Commander Data…"
Silence.
The captain looked warily to his first officer, whose faced was etched with concern.
"Captain Picard to Lt. Commander Data, report."
Silence.
"Computer!" the volume in Picard's voice rose, "Locate Lt. Commander Data."
Lieutenant Commander Data is in the hallway outside Holodeck 4.
"Number One, you have the Bridge."
Captain Picard strode to the turbolift.
"Captain," Geordi said, stopping Picard in his tracks midway.
"Yes, Geordi?"
"Permission to go down to Holodeck 4 as well?"
"Permission granted."
As soon as Captain Picard had granted Gerodi's request, Geordi grabbed a tricorder and a nearby toolkit. He took several deep breaths as he advanced to the nearest turbolift. Half of him wanted to beam directly to Holodeck 4.
"With all this technology, it still seems to take forever to get to a deck," Gerodi thought to himself as the turbolift hummed, its lights indicating each passing floor.
As soon as the doors opened, he strode out. He had taken no more than three steps when he heard footfalls behind him. Looking behind him, he saw the captain. The both of them then proceeded down the hall and turned left. What Picard and Geordi saw next, they would never forget.
"DATA!" both cried, running to their comrade.
To be continued...
