Dvorovoi Part Five
By Karen Page
"Well then I guess we should sign onto another ship. One without a Betazoid," Devon said flippantly.
"You want me to leave my home and live with you!" Beverly exclaimed. She couldn't believe what he was asking her to do.
"I'm not so bad," he replied, enjoying himself immensely. "You will feel great! Once we are bonded and I have completely left my old host. It will be brilliant. I'll be there whenever you want me. I'll be your guardian angel."
Just as Devon was about to go on, they both heard footsteps descending the stairs into the morgue. Beverly glanced at the stairs and then looked back to Devon, but he wasn't there anymore. He had disappeared from sight once again. She didn't know whether he was there and invisible or not.
"Report Doctor," Jean-Luc said as he approached her.
Beverly sighed and covered the body over and closed it away. "I have some bad news," she said finally turning back to her Captain.
"What is it?" Jean-Luc asked, noting the look in her eyes.
"According to all the evidence collected, there is only one suspect," she handed him the data pad that she still held in her hand.
"Bailey did it?" Jean-Luc said in disbelief.
Beverly nodded sadly. "Her DNA is all over his entire body. It's in the ligature markings on his neck. She strangled him with her bare hands. The fingerprints are a little blurry on his neck and throat area, but they are perfectly clear on the rest of his body. There is evidence that they had sexual intercourse together shortly before. Probably last night. Security have taken all the bedclothes from Bailey's quarters and they confirm that it took place in her bed.
"The shower was still running in Mr Peitx's quarters when Security arrived this morning, and my guess is he was about to take a shower when he was attacked," Beverly continued. "It's all clear cut."
Jean-Luc reached over and squeezed her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said softly.
Beverly ignored him. "The only thing that isn't clear cut is the motive. Why in the universe would she feel the need to murder him?"
"The only one who can answer that is Bailey herself," Jean-Luc said and then contacted Security that they had found the murderer. The murder trial plan was set in motion. Jean-Luc decided to allow Bailey to remain in her quarters for the time being.
"Jean-Luc?" Beverly asked after he had finished issuing his orders.
"Yes?" he turned to look in her beautiful eyes and realised that she wanted something.
"Can I speak to her?" she asked, knowing she was asking a lot. But it was something she desperately needed to do. She had to know why Bailey did it.
Jean-Luc considered it for a while. "I shall speak to Chief of security first. But I don't think there will be a problem."
Beverly smiled, truly grateful. "Thank you Jean-Luc," she said. "I appreciate it."
After Jean-Luc had gone, Beverly immediately slumped down in the nearest chair. Beverly had lots to think about, apart from her cousin having apparently committed a murder. Devon had just let slip a vital bit of information! He had another host on board this ship somewhere! Of course, Beverly had no idea who it was, but she was going to find out if it killed her. Perhaps the current host knew of a way to kill him, or at least knew what he was.
She was just formulating a plan of how to find out who Devon's host was, but was interrupted by a call from the Captain. Jean-Luc had indeed done his best and she was permitted to visit Bailey that evening. But she was also in charge of getting Bailey a defendant. She immediately thought of Data, and wondered whether he would agree to the job.
She would of course have to ask Bailey first, and deciding there was no time like the present, she headed off to Bailey's quarters after notifying the Jean-Luc that she was on her way there.
When she arrived, she was surprised to see Jean-Luc standing outside the doors waiting for her. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Has something happened?" panic flowed freely through her.
"No," Jean-Luc said immediately. "Nothing has happened. I have just come down to tell you that your conversation is being recorded. Now don't get angry. It's protocol."
Beverly sighed with relief. "That's okay," she said to Jean-Luc's relief as well. "I understand."
Jean-Luc squeezed her shoulder again that day and left her to go and visit Bailey alone. She nodded at the security guard manning the door and pushed the door chime. She faintly heard someone inside, say 'go away', but decided to go straight on inside.
It was dark inside, and Beverly was tempted to call for the lights. But decided against it when she noticed dim light coming from the bathroom. She walked over and as she neared she called out to Bailey softly.
"Go away," Bailey replied in a low voice.
"I'm not going to go away," Beverly replied stubbornly as she went into the bathroom. She found Bailey sitting on the floor, in the corner leaning against the bath that was filled with steaming water.
Bailey continued to stare at her knees. "I don't want to talk right now," she said in a whisper. "I just want to be alone."
Beverly bit her lip and knelt down on the floor next to her. Bailey was wrapped in a large white fluffy towel and had goose pimples all over her skin. "I'll just be a little while," Beverly said softly.
Bailey lifted her eyes and looked at her through sodden eyelashes. Her usual vibrant eyes were red and swollen from crying. "What am I going to do?" she asked in desperation.
"I don't know Bailey," Beverly replied. "I really don't know."
Bailey began to cry again at Beverly's confession. Her world had come crashing down around her and she didn't even know where to start to get everything right again. "I didn't do it Beverly," Bailey said pleadingly. "Once they do the tests, they'll see that I didn't do it and let me go."
"They've already done the tests," Beverly said, deciding not to mention the fact that she was the one who had run the tests.
"When they get the results then," Bailey added numbly.
"The results are already in," Beverly replied. "That's why they arrested you this afternoon."
Bailey's mouth dropped open and she stared at Beverly for a full minute in silence. "The tests are wrong!" she suddenly yelled.
Beverly jumped back in surprise. "They are conclusive. I reviewed them myself."
"But I didn't murder him!" Bailey yelled, clambering to her feet. "I did not murder him!"
"You may not have meant to…" Beverly said calmly as she quickly got to her feet too.
"I didn't do it!" Bailey screamed. "I swear I didn't do it!"
"Bailey calm down," Beverly said trying to placate her somehow. But it wasn't easy, it took her a good five minutes before she could get Bailey calm enough so that she would speak rather than shout and proclaim her innocence.
She led her cousin into the living area and sat her down on the couch in the darkness. "I need to understand what exactly took place."
Bailey looked back at her for a moment before answering. "I want to know what evidence you have on me first."
"You're DNA is all over his body," Beverly replied, deciding there was no point in hiding anything from her. "There were traces of your DNA in his quarters and also his DNA on your body and in your quarters too. Your DNA was also found all over his body and in the wounds that killed him."
"Well I can explain that," Bailey replied. "I went to his quarters last night after I had been to Ten Forward and found out that he wasn't there," she began. "Then we both decided that we would go down to Ten Forward and get something to eat. We stayed there talking for about two hours, ask Guinan. Then we came back here."
"Then what happened?" Beverly asked, needing to hear everything.
"We…" her voiced trailed off.
"Yes?" Beverly prodded.
"We made love, then he woke me up this morning with a cup of coffee," she looked up at Beverly. "He told me he had to go home to get washed and changed for work. We made some arrangements to meet tonight, then he left. That was the last time I saw him."
"What did you do between Jamie leaving you and you arriving at his quarters when we were moving the body?" Beverly asked.
"I stayed here," Bailey replied. "I never left here, not until then."
"How did you know Jamie was dead before you arrived at his quarters?" Beverly asked, as she finally took a seat herself opposite Bailey.
Beverly noted that this was the first time Bailey seemed to have trouble with her answer. "Well?"
"I…" her voice trailed off. She began to panic a little. "I am quarter Betazoid. I knew something had happened."
Beverly suddenly realised something. Why was Devon so persistent that she leave the ship because a Betazoid was due to return here tomorrow night if there was already one on board the ship right now.
"You told me your powers weren't very strong," Beverly replied evenly.
Tears began to fall down Bailey's cheeks again. "I didn't do it Beverly," she said in desperation.
"You haven't answered my question Bailey," Beverly said pointedly.
"I can sense big things," she lied.
"You knew he was dead when you arrived," Beverly said.
"What do you want me to do Beverly?" Bailey yelled jumping to her feet. "Tell you I did it? Tell you I strangled him?"
"I just want to know what happened," Beverly replied, getting to her feet to face her cousin eye to eye. "I want to know how you knew he was dead before you got there."
"I don't know!" Bailey cried.
"Computer, lights!" Beverly barked and light flooded the darkened room, illuminating the scene. Beverly could gauge Bailey's reaction to her questions, better in the light.
It wasn't until the light hit Bailey, and her eyes had focused that Beverly noticed the markings on Bailey's neck. "What happened to your neck?" she asked slowly.
"Nothing," Bailey replied, her eyes wide.
Suddenly everything fell into place, like a jigsaw puzzle, Beverly could see pieces of information slotting together to find the ultimate answer. "You didn't do it did you?" she said in disbelief.
"You believe me?" Bailey asked in confusion.
"You never strangled Jamie, because someone else did it for you," Beverly said her voice gradually becoming excitable. "Or someone else did it despite of you. Did you make him angry?"
"Huh?" Bailey murmured.
"Did you make him angry?" Beverly asked. "Was he jealous because you slept with another man?"
Bailey began to panic. How in the universe would Beverly know about Devon? Unless she was baiting her, trying to trap her into saying something she might regret later.
"You're his host aren't you?" Beverly demanded.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Bailey replied suddenly frightened. Beverly did indeed know about Devon and she didn't know what to do. She had never been in this situation before.
"Yes you do!" Beverly yelled back. "It explains everything! Devon arrived just after you did. It explains the strange happenings back at the academy, the trashed apartments and the injured professor. It explains the marks on your neck to! Did Devon catch you at it? Did he try to strangle you then change his mind about killing you and go after Jamie instead?"
"I don't have any idea what you are going on about…" Bailey cried, backing away. Beverly looked dangerous.
"Don't give me that shit!" Beverly cried back in a mixture of anger and frustration. "He would have killed you if he hadn't have still been trying to merge with me!"
A look of complete shock came over Bailey's face. Devon was sleeping with Beverly! She couldn't believe it, she didn't want to believe it.
Suddenly Beverly was throw across the room, she landed with a huge thud against the bulkhead in the doorway between the living area and the bedroom. She heard Bailey gasp in surprise.
"I never told her!" Bailey yelled loudly. "Please Devon! You have to believe me!"
Beverly scrambled to her feet in a hurry ignoring the protest from her wounded arm.
"Oh my God," Bailey cried, tears falling down her cheeks.
Beverly didn't like her chances staying here in the room and staying alive, she made a mad dash for the doorway. It exploded in a flash of neon lights just after she passed, taking the confused security officer and his phaser with it.
Beverly barely glanced at him as she took off up the corridor not having the faintest idea of where she was headed. She just ran and ran, hearing the blaring of the red alert sirens and the explosions happening behind her. The ship was in trouble. All the lives of the crew and its families were in trouble. Devon was after her. She needed to get off the ship to save their lives.
She got into the nearest turbo lift and yelled at the computer to take her to the nearest shuttle bay. If she was going to die, she wasn't going to take the people on the ship with her.
Once on the deck, she ran down the corridor blindly, pushing past several crewmembers running in the opposite direction.
"Dr Crusher, report to Sickbay immediately. Medical Emergency!"
Beverly ignored the communication and carried on running. She got to the internal shuttle bay doors and went inside. She paused briefly to determine which of the shuttlecraft's to take and then ran to the one closet to the main shuttle bay doors.
"Dr Crusher, respond please," her badge chirped again.
She was just getting the hatch on the shuttle to open when she was grabbed from behind and shoved roughly into the back of the craft.
"I think we had better leave now!" Devon yelled, dragging her up by her hair and shoving her into the pilot's chair. "Go on! Get us out of here!"
"I need to open the bay doors," Beverly said, somewhat pleased that Devon didn't intend to kill her.
"How?" he demanded.
"I have to go over there to the control console," Beverly said pointing out the back window and ignoring further calls from her communication badge.
Beverly suddenly realised she was alone, when the bay doors suddenly began to open. It didn't last for long, suddenly the craft doors closed and Devon grasped her shoulders from behind.
"Go on then!" Devon yelled, squeezing her shoulders so tightly that she yelped in pain.
Beverly started the shuttles engines, checked over the readings, making sure they had enough fuel to get them to the planet where she had booked accommodation. She hadn't planned to leave until the morning, so they were several more light years away from where they were headed. She hoped that they would still make it.
Up on the bridge, commotion and chaos would be what Counsellor Troi would be sensing. Damage reports were coming in from all over the ship.
"Sir, the explosions seemed to have stopped," Data reported from the operations console.
"Casualty reports coming in from all over the ship," the lieutenant at security reported.
"Picard to Engineering," Jean-Luc barked.
"LaForge here," Geordi replied.
"Report, what the hell is happening!" Jean-Luc replied.
"I have no idea sir," Geordi replied. "Systems seem to have spontaneously exploded all over the ship. Sensors are down and we have lost warp power!"
There was the sound of a few more explosions coming from engineering before Geordi spoke again. "I think I can get you thrusters power, but that's all sir. Shields are at fifty percent and we are working on getting them higher."
"Keep me informed LaForge, Picard out!" Jean-Luc turned to Data, "Sensor status?"
"Sensors are still down sir," Data replied. "I am scanning manually, but I can not detect anything in the local vicinity."
"Sickbay to bridge!" Dr Selar called.
"Bridge here," Riker replied sternly.
"Sir, we cannot contact Dr Crusher," she replied. "The computer cannot get a fix on her location."
"Data?" Jean-Luc said, grinding his fear away into the back of his mind.
"I cannot get a lock on the Doctors communicator either sir," Data replied. "The computer cannot locate her."
"Sir!" the security officer at tactical called out urgently.
"Yes lieutenant?" Riker replied walking around to the tactical station.
"An unscheduled shuttlecraft has just left shuttle bay three," Lieutenant Brown stated. "Heading 143, mark 3."
"On screen," Riker ordered.
They all stared at the shuttle on the screen for a moment before the Captain spoke up. He had a nasty feeling about this. "Mr Data, continue to look for Dr Crusher, send out a security team to search the ship."
"Aye sir," Data acknowledged.
"Picard to shuttle," he barked.
"No response," Lieutenant Brown replied.
"Hail them again," Picard snapped back.
To his surprise, Dr Crusher appeared on the screen. She was half looking at the screen and obviously keeping her eyes on something or someone behind her. "Yes Captain," she replied innocently.
"What are you doing?" Jean-Luc asked in total disbelief.
"Going on shore leave," she replied, turning to face the screen.
If Jean-Luc noticed the cut on her forehead and the large bruise appearing on her cheekbone, he never showed it. "You were not shedualed to leave until tomorrow morning," he replied.
"Well I…" he voice trailed off and she glanced over her shoulder. "I decided to leave early."
Jean-Luc was highly suspicious. This was just not like Beverly; in fact it was just not like any member of his crew.
"Turn the shuttle around Doctor," he ordered.
"I'm sorry Captain," she replied; true regret shining in her eyes. "But I can't do that."
"That's an order Doctor!" Picard yelled.
"Sorry sir," Beverly replied and cut communications.
"Get a tractor beam on her and bring her back," Picard yelled, furious that she had blatantly disobeyed a direct order.
"The tractor beam is offline," the lieutenant replied.
"Beam her out of there!" Riker ordered.
The lieutenant and Data frantically worked, but were unsuccessful. They had no choice but to watch the shuttle on screen as it fired up it's warp engines and sped out of sensor range.
"Picard to engineering," Jean-Luc called, a feeling of dread inside him.
"LaForge here," Geordi replied.
"Report."
"We had to shut down the warp core sir," Geordi replied. "We won't be able to put it back online until we figure out what happened and why. The explosions seem to have started on deck four, between sections twenty-four and thirty five. That's the best I can do, internal sensors are playing up a bit. We should have them back online within ten minutes."
"Mr Data and I will go down to access the situation," Picard replied. "We'll meet you there Mr LaForge."
"Aye sir, LaForge out."
As he and Data went down to deck four, Jean-Luc's mind was racing. He couldn't believe that Beverly had left the ship on her own like that. The way she had been glancing over his shoulder as they talked had confirmed it. Riker had expressed this just before they had headed into the turbo lift. In fact when Riker had heard of the location of the first unexplained explosion and realised that Beverly's cousins quarters were in that section, he had immediately expressed his concern.
"Ensign Howard must be with her on the ship," he had said. "She must have forced Beverly to leave with her!"
Jean-Luc's mind returned to the present. "Mr Data," he said turning to his companion in the lift.
"Yes Captain?" Data replied.
"Does the current evidence collected on the explosions agree to Commander Riker's theory, that somehow Dr Crusher and Ensign Howard disabled the ship to escape?"
"They did not have enough time to set off the charges," Data replied simply. "Dr Crusher spent four hours performing to autopsy on Jamie Peitx this morning. I checked the computer records; she did not leave the morgue until her visit to Ensign Howard's quarters. She was in Howard's quarters right up until the moment of the first explosion. That is where the records end. The internal scanners became disrupted shortly afterwards. Explosions occurred all the way down the corridor we are about to enter and then spread all over the ship. I do not believe that Dr Crusher can be responsible for the explosions."
Just then the lift doors opened and they both stared in horror at the deck. On one side, closest to the hull, there were several hull breaches where the corridor and the quarters to the right side of them had completely been destroyed. Force fields protected them and the medical teams working on the few people injured.
Data and Jean-Luc stepped aside to allow a small medical team and a stretcher carrying a body into the lift. They then walked slowly together in silence towards the main explosion area.
Geordi was already there with a team of science officers scanning the area. "Sir," LaForge said coming towards them. "We can not find the origin of the explosion, we are still trying."
Data went to work with the team as Jean-Luc surveyed his surroundings. To his knowledge, these were Bailey's quarters.
"Where is Bailey Howard?" he asked.
Dr Selar had just arrived on the scene. She walked over to his side. "We haven't been able to locate her," she replied. "There is too much interference for the tricorders to be able to work properly in this area."
"That is of course if she is still on board the ship," Geordi added. He had heard Commander Riker's comments over the com channel.
"Mr Data does not think that either Ensign Howard or Dr Crusher can be responsible for the explosions," Jean-Luc told him.
"I was thinking the same thing myself," Geordi agreed. "But we don't know who was on board the shuttle with Beverly. The first assumption is that Bailey is with her."
"Agreed," Jean-Luc replied. He issued an order for everyone to get back to work and began to wonder around the burnt out quarters. He was amazed to see that Bailey's quarters appeared not to have a hull breach. The back wall was still intact.
It was as he was nearing the view port that something caught his attention. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a flash of colour; which seemed out of place in the smoked and burnt darkened room.
Turning he walked over to it and realised at once it was Bailey's red hair. It looked just like Beverly's, still shining in the light of the torches being used by what used to be the doorway.
"Dr Selar!" he yelled. "Over here!" he pushed what was left of the couch out of the way and found Bailey.
Dr Selar arrived at his side and checked her vital signs over. She run her hands over Bailey still form. "She appears to be fine Captain," she replied. "A broken arm and nose and she has been knocked unconscious, but apart from that she is fine."
Jean-Luc suppressed a sigh of relief. "Let me know the instant she awakens."
"Aye sir," Selar said as she supervised the medical team now loading Bailey onto a stretcher.
Jean-Luc oversaw the investigations before returning to the bridge. Waiting on his computer screen was a message from Sickbay to inform him that Bailey was awake and in held in the guest quarters on deck twenty under guard.
He was just about to go to speak with her, when he suddenly got a call from Will Riker.
"Come in," Jean-Luc called.
Will Riker came in and took the seat in front of him. "Repairs are underway. Geordi still can't find a cause. He has ruled out an external anomaly. All the evidence shows the explosions were internally triggered."
"Triggered?"
Riker looked a little uncomfortable. "Well we don't know how they were triggered yet. It just seems that things got a little hot and the walls, consoles and panels exploded all over the ship. It's a miracle that only one person died. The security guard outside Ensign Howard's quarters."
"Have you notified his family?" Jean-Luc asked.
"Yes sir," Riker replied looking down.
"I am going to talk with Bailey," Jean-Luc said. "Maybe she will be able to shed some light on the situation."
"Data to Picard."
"Picard here, go ahead Data."
"Sir, the recording of Dr Crusher's conversation with Ensign Howard has been recovered successfully," Data replied.
"Finally, something to go on!" Riker said excitedly.
"Put it through to my terminal Mr Data," Jean-Luc said. "I'll let you know if it shows anything pertinent to the investigation."
"Acknowledged, Data out."
"I hope this shows something Number One," he said slowly.
"Maybe it will show us who left on the ship with Beverly," Riker added.
"It's here," Jean-Luc said, indicating that Riker should come around the table to watch the recording with him.
Jean-Luc activated the recording and they both watched in silence and utter amazement and disbelief. After the recording, the two officers were even more confused.
"Obviously the Howard women have some secrets," Riker said slowly. "He was the person who caused the explosions. At least that mystery is solved."
Jean-Luc nodded. "Who the hell is Devon?"
"Could he be some kind of relation to Ronin?" Riker suggested.
"I was thinking the same myself," Jean-Luc replied.
"Why didn't Beverly say something?" Riker replied. "Obviously she doesn't like Devon."
"Bailey never said once that she knew who Devon was," Jean-Luc said, thinking out loud. "But from her body language, it's almost certain that she does indeed know who Devon is. She seemed scared when Beverly outright asked her about him."
"Which was why Beverly was so mad at her," Riker agreed. "Well at least we know now that Bailey wasn't responsible for Jamie Peitx's death."
Jean-Luc nodded slowly. "It also means that we now know who was in the shuttle with Beverly," Jean-Luc said with a deep breath. "And that she needs saving. Go and hurry Geordi up with the repairs and inform him of… Devon. I will go and have a talk with Bailey about this… Devon."
Riker went back to the bridge followed by the Captain. "Any luck with the sensors yet?" he asked Data who was working hard on a science station at the back of the ship trying to get everything back online.
"Internal sensors are back online," Data replied. "Dr Crusher is the only member of the crew missing."
"That's good news," Riker said giving a wry smile to the Captain. "At least we know for sure its Devon in the shuttle with Beverly."
"Are external sensors online Mr Data?" Jean-Luc asked stepping up behind the android.
"Almost sir," Data replied. "There done," he added looking up at the Captain.
"Sir," the ensign at navigation called.
"Yes Ensign," Jean-Luc said turning to face him.
"A shuttle craft has come into sensor range," he explained.
"Designation?" Jean-Luc asked walking down the ramp to stand in front of his chair. Hopefully Beverly had come to her senses and returned in the shuttle.
"It's the Doucet," the ensign replied.
"Counsellor Troi's shuttle," Riker announced.
"I couldn't think of a better time for the Counsellor to be early," Jean-Luc said trying to hide his disappointed. "If she is feeling up to it after her long trip. Ask her to visit Bailey. Fill her in on everything that has happened Number One, I'll be in Bailey's quarters."
"Yes sir," Riker answered, knowing that Deanna would be needed now, no matter how tired she was.
Jean-Luc immediately strode off the bridge. He was getting angrier and angrier with Bailey. He still couldn't believe that she had brought this… creature on board with her and not said anything to anyone about it. It was obviously a family thing like Ronin had been. Except, from what he had seen, this Devon seemed to have tried to switch hosts, to merge with Beverly while Bailey was still alive. Something just wasn't right here.
Bailey was standing in the dark, facing the view port and watching the stars outside when Jean-Luc strode into her quarters. Suddenly her world was turned upside down. Devon, the only constant in her life for the past ten years had just betrayed her. He was having an affair with Beverly. Bailey knew that Beverly didn't seem to be a willing participant in the relationship, but Devon was.
Jean-Luc didn't know where to begin. "Bailey," he barked.
Bailey slowly turned to face him. "Yes Captain?" she replied softly.
Jean-Luc took in her appearance. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Who the hell is Devon?" he demanded, "And where has he taken Beverly!"
Bailey started sobbing again and she collapsed on the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I don't know," she replied.
"I don't believe you!" Jean-Luc yelled back. "I am ordering you to answer the questions Ensign," he added a little calmer.
"I don't know the answers!" Bailey yelled back. "I really don't know!"
Just then the doors swished open and Deanna Troi walked in. She noticed immediately that Jean-Luc was so caught up in his feelings and worries about Beverly's safety, that he wasn't handling Bailey right at all. Bailey wouldn't talk if she was shouted and hollered at. This needed a woman's touch.
"Captain," Deanna said softly.
Jean-Luc turned to face her, exasperation on his face. "Counsellor," he said, trying to calm himself.
"Do you want me to talk to her?" she asked discreetly, her eyes now on the young woman seated on the floor with her head bowed to her knees.
Jean-Luc nodded and took Deanna over to one side of the room. "I trust Commander Riker was able to brief you."
"He spoke to me whilst I was on the shuttle and told me what happened," Deanna replied. "I decided it would be best if I beamed right over."
"Time is of the essence," Jean-Luc replied wryly. "We need to find Beverly fast. We have no idea what this creature will do to her and Bailey isn't being much help."
"Have the charges of murder been dropped?" Deanna asked.
"I believe so," he replied. "Commander Riker was seeing to it when I left the bridge."
"So it's okay for me to tell her?" Deanna asked, she watched Jean-Luc nod before motioning him to take a seat as she went to the young redheads side.
"Hello Bailey," Deanna said softly.
Bailey was surprised to hear a female voice she hadn't heard before. She lifted her head to find the owner's dark eyes looking tenderly back at her.
Bailey sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Who are you?" she replied.
"I'm Deanna," the Counsellor replied. "Beverly's friend."
"The Counsellor?" Bailey asked.
Deanna nodded. "After seeing the recording of what happened between you and Beverly, security has dropped the charge against you."
"They have?" Bailey asked in disbelief.
Deanna nodded again. "Do you know what happened to Beverly?" she asked.
"No," Bailey replied, "Last time I saw her, she was running out of my quarters. Why? What's happened to her? Is she alright?"
"She left the ship in a shuttlecraft with your friend Devon," Deanna replied and explained what had happened as best she knew to the ship and why they hadn't been able to get Beverly back to the ship. "Do you know where they might have gone?"
Jean-Luc made an impatient sound and Deanna turned to him. He motioned for her to come over. "We need to know what Devon is more importantly."
"Will suggested to me that if we could find out where Beverly had headed, that we could take the Captain's Yacht and leave immediately. We can get more information from Bailey when we are on our way."
Jean-Luc nodded, it was a sound idea. "Agreed."
"I don't know," Bailey called to them, climbing to her feet. "I didn't know he was cheating on me. He told me he couldn't merge with anyone else. I didn't know anything about it."
"Merge with?" Jean-Luc asked in alarm.
"Mate with," Bailey explained. "Join with. It must be a family thing. I haven't had blood relatives around me before."
"Mate with!" Jean-Luc exclaimed.
"Is he like Ronin?" Deanna asked Bailey.
Bailey frowned. "What's Ronin?"
"He was an anaphasic life form," Deanna replied. "He realised that he was compatible with the energy that Beverly and her ancestors had. After her grandmother died, he turned to Beverly so that he could live. He tried to merge with her, even got her to resign from Starfleet before Beverly figured it all out and killed him."
"What did he do?" Bailey asked.
Jean-Luc interrupted Deanna's answer. "I think I have a good idea where Beverly has gone," he said getting to his feet. "Come with me," he ordered.
"Ronin could become corporal," Deanna said as they followed the Captain out of the guest quarters. "But I believe he manifested as a green… mist. Beverly's eyes turned green too."
Bailey shook her head. "Devon doesn't turn into mist. I don't think Devon is an alien lifeform."
"What do you think he is?" Jean-Luc asked.
Bailey shrugged. "He never gave me a straight answer," she replied. "Devon wouldn't hurt Beverly, he's gentle and kind."
"I wish I could believe you," Jean-Luc snapped.
Beverly's recent unusual behaviour patterns had finally all sunk in. The sleepless nights, her seemingly unwillingness to be alone. Devon had been trying to merge with her and for some reason; Beverly hadn't felt she could confide in him, in anyone for that matter, in the conventional way.
The strange play she had given him the other day was a big clue that he had failed to pick up on when she had given it to him to read.
The trio stopped by Beverly's quarters and searched high and low until they found the data pad with the play stored in the memory. Bailey found it under Beverly's pillow.
No more had been added to the memory and Bailey sat on the bed and read in morbid fashion as the two senior officers searched the rest of Beverly's quarters and the files on her computer.
"As I said earlier she was planning to leave tomorrow on shore leave," Jean-Luc replied as he sank disheartened down on Beverly's bed next to Bailey. "That must be where she is heading to. She made sure I knew where she was going this morning. She showed me the location just before we were called to Lieutenant Peitx's quarters."
"If I were her," Bailey said softly. "I'd make sure my knight in shining amour knew for sure where I was going to."
Jean-Luc glanced at the young ensign, then to Deanna before speaking. "Bailey?" he asked.
"Yes Captain?" she replied, looking at him with her luminescent eyes.
"I want your honest word," he said sternly. He watched Bailey nod before continuing. "No matter what your… feelings are for this Devon creature, that you will do everything you can to help us get Beverly back."
"But…" Bailey muttered.
"No buts!" Jean-Luc snapped.
Bailey gave a defeated sigh and slouched back a bit on the bed. "I was only going to say that… Devon has been in my life since I was nine years old and he has never hurt me or anyone else before."
"So who do you think is responsible for injuring the Starfleet Academy Professor?" Deanna asked. Beverly had informed her of this over the com channel before.
Jean-Luc nodded and waited for Bailey's answer. She didn't reply, but stared at Deanna. "And what about the trashing of certain individuals apartments on campus?"
Things Bailey didn't want to believe were being thrust upon her. Her initial idea of cooperating with Jean-Luc and Deanna had been so that she could get Devon back for herself. Now it seemed that everything she had ever believed in were lies. There were other strange occurrences in her childhood that neither one of the senior officers knew about, these could now be explained after the enormous power that Devon had, that she had been witness to this morning.
She looked down from their burning gazes.
"We will not take you along unless you fully intend to do everything you can to help us," Jean-Luc said sternly again.
"Okay!" Bailey snapped. "I'll help you!"
"Right, go and pack something's for the journey," Jean-Luc ordered the Counsellor and Bailey. "I will meet you at the Yacht in half an hour. I will go and report our findings to the rest of the senior staff. Dismissed."
Deanna and Bailey headed to the doors.
"Counsellor?" Jean-Luc called.
"Yes?" Deanna replied turning back.
"Stay with her," he answered.
"I don't know why," Bailey muttered as they left Beverly's quarters. "I haven't got anything left to pack! Have you seen my quarters!"
"Come on," Deanna said putting her hand in the small of her back and pushing her along the corridor to her own quarters three doors away. "You can borrow some of my things."
Bailey towered over the tiny Counsellor and laughed at the absurdity of Deanna's remark.
"We might be different heights," Deanna said haughtily. "But we are about the same size, everything will just be shorter on you. Besides, you can order a few things from the replicator."
Bailey followed Deanna the rest of the way in silence and sat on Deanna's bed whist she threw a few belongings into a travel case. "Deanna?" Bailey asked as Deanna did up the suitcase and tested the anti grav unit.
"Yes?" Deanna asked, flicking her thick dark curly hair over her shoulder.
"Everyone is blaming me for what has happened," Bailey said softly.
"No they aren't," Deanna replied, knowing it wasn't the truth. But it was more complicated than Bailey realised.
"I am partly Betazoid Deanna," Bailey replied stubbornly. "So don't lie to me."
"I thought you couldn't sense anything unless you tried really hard," Deanna said in a suspicious tone of voice. "I never felt you trying hard then."
"I don't need to try hard with you," Bailey replied. "In fact, for the past hour or so, I haven't tried at all and I can sense everyone blaming me."
"Bailey," Deanna began, "I don't mean to sound rude. But your senses are not trained. I can sense what you are sensing. But I also know that the blame is only directed at you because they have nobody else to blame. Nobody else, apart from you, me and the Captain actually know what you have just told us."
"Oh…" Bailey sighed, that knowledge made her feel a little better. "I suppose I better book myself in on some kind of training course after we have got Beverly back."
"I think that will be a good idea," Deanna nodded. "Now come on. We don't want to be late."
They arrived at the yacht to find Captain Picard and Commander Riker already there overseeing the preparations for the launch of the luxury Captain's Yacht.
Riker came over. "Nothing was damage," he said happily. "Devon must not have known about the Yacht. He pretty much managed to disable all the major functions on the ship in about five minutes. We are in the process of trying to save the warp core. But it's not looking good. If we have to jettison the warp core, it will take us at least a week before a new one will be delivered and installed."
"So what your saying is that we are on our own?" Deanna said in a hushed tone.
"Until we are fully operational again," Riker replied glancing at Bailey who was listening to their conversation intently. "You will be on your own after communications separate us."
"Well…" Bailey said brightly. "You better hurry up then," she said as she walked away and joined the Captain at the entrance to the Yacht.
Will Riker raised his eyebrows and grinned at Deanna, "Well, well, well," he said mischievously. "I think you've got yourself a baby-Beverly!"
Even with the surrounding circumstances, Deanna had to laugh. "I always wondered what Beverly would have been like if she hadn't learned self-control. Now I guess I get to find out!"
"Good luck," Riker said with a grin. His expression changed. "I mean it," he said seriously. "Take care of yourself."
"I will," Deanna said as she placed a kiss on his lips, before joining Bailey and Jean-Luc in the Yacht.
"Lets go," Jean-Luc said after issuing a few last minute orders to his second in command.
Bailey was the first inside. She gazed around the luxury yacht before speaking. "This is so cool!" she exclaimed, forgetting herself for the moment.
There was the main room, which featured a large conference table and chairs, and various built in couches against the walls that could easily double as beds.
To her right side, Bailey could see a corridor leading out of the living area and four doors leading off it. To her left, was another corridor that led to the engine room and a small sickbay.
Up ahead, Bailey could see the view screen and the four stations; opps, tactical, navigation and science. Her gazed moved to her companions on this rescue mission.
She noticed the Captain staring at her with a suspicious look on his face. Her senses were failing her at the moment, she felt like someone was laying a damp cloth on her senses. She glanced at Deanna and realised instantly that it was Deanna.
"What are you doing?" she asked Deanna and tried to keep her temper in check.
Deanna waited until the Captain had taken his seat in the navigation chair, before answering Bailey's question. "I am trying to help you."
"By blocking my senses!" Bailey snapped.
"Its for your own good," Deanna said taking Bailey's arm and guiding her to the dining table situated near the back of the main room on the yacht. "I have a theory."
"Oh do tell," Bailey said sarcastically as she sank down heavily in the chair opposite Deanna.
"Your senses started getting stronger the moment that Devon took off with Beverly right?" Deanna asked and watched as Bailey nodded. "And Beverly was planning to leave the ship by tomorrow morning. What if, the reason she was leaving was because I was arriving on the ship tomorrow afternoon and Devon had been damping down your empathic senses?"
Bailey stared at Deanna as if she has two horns growing out of her head and her ears had fallen off. "You think he stopped my empathy?"
"It's just a theory," Deanna was quick to point out. "And if its true Bailey, to suddenly have all this ability thrust upon you all in one go and not be able to gradually become Empathic may damage your lobe."
"It can hurt me?" she asked softly, suddenly worried.
"Yes," Deanna nodded. "I can try and help you control your abilities, but from what I am sensing from you, I think you may be a lot stronger than I am. Was your father an empath?"
"He was telepathic," Bailey replied. "Not very strong, but he could read peoples minds."
"Well that explains it then," Deanna said wistfully. "I think we may have to use medicine to dampen your senses until we can get you some help. I can help you, but not as well as a professional trainer can."
"I suppose I'll be the oldest pupil in the class," Bailey said glumly.
"Probably," Deanna sighed. "I am going to tell the Captain. You go and pick a bedroom," she added with a smile, trying hard to brighten the situation. "There are four down that corridor. The first one is always the Captains."
Bailey smiled briefly and wondered what else could possibly go wrong for her today. This was like something out of her worst nightmares. But Bailey was strong and resilient. She had already shown some of her weakness through tears earlier, and she was not about to do it again. She was a proud Howard woman, and wouldn't show her fears and vulnerability in the light of day again.
She picked up the tiny case of toiletries Deanna had lent her and wandered down the hallway to find a bedroom.
Meanwhile Deanna had taken the seat beside the Captain and watched as he launched the Yacht into space.
Deanna waited until the Captain had set the course and checked everything was running properly before telling him her theory about Bailey's empathic abilities.
"I think medication might be in order," he replied. "We are already on a difficult mission and we don't want anything else to happen."
"I'll contact the Enterprise and speak to Dr Selar to find an appropriate inhibiter for Bailey," Deanna offered.
"Make it so," Jean-Luc replied.
Chapter Three
Beverly and Devon had been travelling for about four hours now on autopilot. Beverly had sat ramrod straight in the pilots chair pretending to be busy flying the shuttlecraft. She had tried to launch a distress beacon an hour ago, but had paid for it.
She lifted her hand to see if the bleeding from the cut above her eye had stopped. Peering at her fingertip, she sighed softly. The bleeding had stopped, but her head ached profoundly. Devon had smashed her head on the control panel in front of her.
She didn't know where Devon had gone to after his short but violent outburst, but knew that although he appeared to not to be there, he would be there in a flash if she tried something.
It had all happened so fast, her discovery of where Devon had come from and her leaving the ship. She was worried about what had happened to the ship after she had left, but was even more worried about Bailey. She didn't know whether Bailey was capable of surviving without Devon and also more importantly, whether Devon had murdered her cousin before leaving with her on the shuttle.
Beverly's whole world had been pulled out from under her and she had no idea what to do to make it better again. She couldn't find the cure; she had no way of killing him. She felt utterly helpless.
She remain sitting at the helm, as alert as possible for the rest of the journey to the planet Belleza. It was an old Earth colony, Spanish in origin. The climate, the surroundings and the people tried to comply with all the Spanish traditions.
Beverly had booked a small Spanish villa up in the mountains and overlooking the amazing purple sea. It even had it's own private swimming pool. Beverly would have enjoyed the luxurious surroundings under different circumstances, but paid little attention to the view as she climbed out of the shuttle she had landed in the grounds of the villa.
"It's beautiful," Devon said in wonder.
Beverly jumped, she hadn't heard from Devon for hours. She glanced at him but didn't answer him, and climbed the steps in silence to the front door of the villa. Her hand strayed over the entrance panel for a moment as she tried to rack her brains for the key code she had been given.
"What's wrong?" Devon asked, stepping up to her side.
"I can't remember the code," she replied in monotone.
"One moment," Devon said as he disappeared from sight. A second later, the door clicked open and he stood on the inside grinning at her. "Welcome to my humble abode."
"Piss off!" Beverly snapped brushing past him and stepping inside the villa.
"Oh that's nice!" Devon exclaimed. "I help you out and you tell me to piss off!"
Beverly turned and faced him. "What the hell!" she exclaimed. "You want me to be grateful!"
"We are here alone now Beverly," he said rolling his eyes. "It's just you and me," he added. "We may as well make the best of it. I promise not to hurt you again if you promise not to do anything stupid."
"No deal!" Beverly snapped. "I don't want to be here with you! And I am not going to cooperate with you!"
"You will do," he replied in a low menacing voice. "I'll make sure of it."
Beverly was grinding her teeth together in order to keep her temper in check. There was no point in loosing control now and nothing good would come of it.
She glanced around her surroundings. She had picked a wonderful villa, beautifully decorated. The traditional white Spanish walls and polished wooden floor boards covered in thick rugs where needed. A spiral staircase led upstairs and the entire front wall of the villa was made of giant glass doors that led onto a terracotta balcony, to show the wondrous view of the bay and the beautiful purple sea.
"I'm going to go and explore," Devon said. "By the way, don't get any ideas about contacting the Enterprise. I know where you are and what you're doing all the time and it won't take me a second to get back here."
"Maybe you should put on some clothes," Beverly replied sourly.
"Why?" he said perplexed. "I am invisible."
"You'll have more fun if you're not invisible," she replied, thinking that he might leave her alone for longer if he was having fun.
"It makes no difference," he replied nonchalantly. "You and Bailey are the only ones that have the ability to see me."
"Oh," Beverly mumbled.
"Get some sleep or whatever you humans do after a long trip," Devon said. "You'll need your energy for later."
Beverly filled with dread at the implications of his words. She stood still for a moment trying to calm herself enough so that she could think rationally enough to come up with a plan to solve her current dilemma.
End of part five