Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek.
Inspired by "Hero" by Skillet and "Stand Up" by Cynthia Erivo.
...
Worf glared at his surroundings. A cherry tree forrest, petals of varying shades of pink drifted to the rippling surface the lake. The lake he stood upon.
Among the fruit trees were half a dozen cats in yellow uniforms darting around and swatting at the blossoms.
Growling in frstrasion, Worf continued deeper into the forrest. He kept his eyes on lake water beneath his feet, clear and bright, for any sign of the Captain.
For awhile, when he was at the edge of the forrest where the trees were sparse and before the ground had given way to liquid, he'd still been able to hear through his own ears. He could hear everything that was happening to and around his body.
He had heard his voice reading aloud sensor readings someone had taken of his brain. The readings were similar to those of Captain Picard's. At this moment the Captain was in a coma in sickbay.
But if the readings were similar, and given what had happened to his own body, Worf believed there was a connection. And if he was here, in this confusing place, then perhaps to was the Captain.
...
Now far beneath the surface of the lake, Worf spots a school of orange fish swarming what appears to be the Captain's chair.
With a frown of determination, he hurries his pace.
Reaching the chair he scatters the fish only to find a porcelain plate on the chair. Brows pinched, he lifts the plate to investigate it.
"Mr. Worf?"
Worf whirled around, "Captain!"
"Are you here for tea?" Picard asked, holding a tray of teacups. Hiding behind him, a young girl held an ornate clay teapot. "I'm sorry there won't be any cookies. I told my daughter not to leave them out where the goldfish-"
"Daughter?!"
"There's no need to shout, Mr. Worf."
Breathing in slowly, something that puzzled him given their current location, Worf attempted to calm himself. "Captain, there's something you need to know."
"Can it wait a moment? My daughter will be back soon and I wanted to finish this painting before she returns."
Worf blinked. There was now an easal in front of his captain. From this angle he was able to make out what appeared to be a robotic garlic bulb, but that didn't matter.
"Captain, please, you need to listen. The ship-"
"Is fine."
He whirls around and is met with a little girl.
"Hello! You're the guy in town, aren't you?" She smiles. "Don't worry. Your friends are just fine."
...
"What are you doing?"
The girl in a blue dress whirled around, relaxing when she recognized her friend. She held up the basket of flowers she held. They were white with yellow and plum colored spots on the inside. "My daddy asked me to get some more teacups."
"No, I mean what are you doing with the wake-walker? The grown-ups said we have to take their bodies. But you're not doing that."
I don't want to." She shrugs.
Her friend stares at her incredulously. "What?"
"I don't want to. I like having him here with me. He's a really nice daddy. I always wanted one of those."
"What about your freedom? Don't you want to wake up?"
"I can wait." She says simply. "Besides, that's why the grown-ups are growing fake-wakers. I'll have one of those bodies."
"Okay..." The younger Dream-being considers what her friend has said. Its different from what everyone else wants. No one wants to wait.
Impatience was the main reason they so often caught in their plans.
Tilting her head, she considers. Perhaps tea parties under a lake are a better approach...
RiiiiiiIIING! RiiiiiIIING!
"Are you expecting a call?" The younger girl asks her friend.
Her brows creas in confusion behind her bangs. "I don't even own a phone."
...
Elsewhere...
The young ensign rushed into his quarters, locking the door behind him.
BANG! BANG!
Flinching away from the doors, he backed quickly away from the door, eyes darting around the room.
BANG! BANG! Creeeaaaak!
Spotting a tricorder on the table he ran to grab it. Only to be grabbed by the collar and tossed to the ground.
Above him stood a haggared Liutenant Worf. Teeth bared, he said, "I can't let you do that, Wesley. We both know your aptitute for technology."
Wesley stared up in fear and tried to crawl away.
"I might have left you alone before, but you just had to keep digging." He enphasized his words by stepping on Wesley's leg and grinding his heel in.
"I'm so sorry this has to happen, but I can't have you giving me away."
He removed his foot only to pull the boy up by his hair. Wesley hissed in pain, gripping by the hand that held him.
"This is going to hurt." He pulled a knife out and twirled it in his fingers, "Do you want to know what pain tastes like? You're life has been so easy thus far, it would be cruel to leave you ignorant to such pleasure."
Wesley pulled and squirmed, ignoring the pain on his head, fighting to get away.
The bigger man brought the knife closer to Wesley's face, making him freeze. "It's not bitter as you would expect. No, it is sweet. Like candy."
The jagged blade caught the light in a sinister glint.
"And I'm about to show you just how much."