Magic Carpet Ride
Deanna could hear music coming from a make shift shelter. She walked closer to it and discovered it was some sort of bar.
"I wonder why there is only one person inside?" Deanna thought to herself. "Well, he is male. It would not hurt to see if he is who we are looking for or if he knows where we can find him."
Deanna approached the bar cautiously and observed the man silently. She sensed his mind was rapid with many thoughts and none of them were connected to each other. He also moved about to the music wildly as though he were running on excess energy as he held a bottle of unknown liquid.
"Well, hello pretty lady!" The man slurred as the music continued to play loudly. His emotions quickly turned to a sexual excitement and Deanna began to feel very self-conscious. "What's a pretty thing like you doing way out here?"
He wrapped an arm around her waist and dragged her further into the bar. Deanna quickly pulled away from him.
"I'm looking for a man called Zefram Cochrane." She told him as she wished he would turn the music off.
The man became uncomfortable and tense. "Who wants to know?"
"My name is Deanna."
"Oh, nice to meet you Dana." He replied with a sly smile as he moved in closer to her again and put his arm around her again. "Where does a sexy woman like you come from?"
"Deanna." She corrected as she again moved away from him. "My friends and I come from Iowa."
"That is a long ways to come just to look for a man. Are your friends women and looking for a handsome man like me too?"
"Don't flatter yourself," Deanna said with irritation as she removed his wondering hand from her behind.
"You're so uptight Dena. Have a drink," he offered as he went to get her a glass and poured her something that was clear and had what looked like a worm in the bottom of it.
"I really need to find Zefram Cochrane," Deanna informed him.
"Sit and have a drink first," the man insisted.
"What is this?" She asked as she took the offered tiny glass from him.
"Tequila!" He said with a grin. "It'll get you relaxed."
Deanna did not like where his emotions were going, but in the spirit of diplomacy she drank began to drink the substance. When she tasted it she made a sour face.
"You'll get use to it, but you need to swig it, darling," he suggested. "Like this." Then he proceeded to quickly down his drink.
Deanna tried to do the same, but the act did not make it taste any better. "Could you turn that music off or down, please?"
"No. Here, have another drink," the man offered as he took the shot glass from her and refilled it.
"Why is the glass so small?"
"Damn! You haven't been around much have you?" It was more of an exclamation than a question. "It's called a shot glass. Just right for shots of Tequila."
He sat down beside her and moved in close to her. His arm wrapping around her again, then he took another drink.
Deanna followed suit, but she wished he would stop trying to fondle her. "So, do you know where I can find this Zefram Cochrane?" She asked.
"That again? You need to stop concerning yourself with finding this person and loosen up a little," he said as his face was right in hers. Close enough to try and kiss her.
He almost did, but Deanna ducked from under him and stood. "All I want to do is find this man and soon! So, if you don't mind, please keep your hands off of me and just tell me if you know him or not."
"Relax, Donna," he said as he pulled her close to him. "Let's dance!"
His hands were quickly to her behind as he tried to grind against her. He tried to massage her buttocks, but Deanna quickly pulled him away.
"Please Mister…"
"Come on, give it a rest!" The man said. "Loosen up! Have some fun!"
Deanna quickly rushed over to the juke box and turned it off.
"Now why the hell did you do that?" The man asked angrily as he hit the juke box and the music blared once again. "You are one tough broad! How dare you turn off my music and just when we were about to have some fun. Where the hell do you get off turning off my music?"
"I'm sorry. I just want some information." Deanna stated calmly, but loud enough that she could be heard over the music. "Would you please tell me where I can find this Zefran Cochrane?"
"No!" He insisted. "But you can have another shot of Tequila."
She waved her hand. "I really…"
"I get tired of you uptight broads. Now why don't you relax and have another drink?"
Deanna was beginning to feel a bit woozy. Alcohol never did set right with her and now she was in a position where she felt she had no choice but to have a drink just to get information out of this animal.
His emotional were so primal, just as primal as his behaviour. "I can't believe Human males were so primitive during this time period." She thought to herself as she took another swig of Tequila.
"OK, now Dina," he said as he began to move closer to her again.
"DEANNA!" She said more firmly than she had meant to say.
"Whatever!" He replied and tried to snag her into his arms again.
Deanna ducked out of the way. "Mister… What is your name? I don't think you ever told me your name."
"You're looking at the man. Now why don't you give me some sugar, Honey?" He said as he enveloped her in his arms.
Deanna was confused, but not too confused to push the man away before he tried to devour her with his lips. His breath smelled strongly of alcohol, but she figured hers was not much better.
"Look, if you don't mind, please keep your hands off of me!"
"Oh, baby! Come on, give Cochrane a big kiss. You know you want to."
She pushed him away again. "You're Zefram Cochrane?"
"Yes, now give me a kiss, Sweetie."
"Mister Cochrane, please!" She tried to dodge him once more.
"Suit yourself, but don't turn off my fuckin' music again!" Cochrane stated with frustration. "Women! What do they think they are doing by playing hard to get?"
Zefram went back to his crazed dancing by himself and Deanna took a seat at a table. She was not feeling too well after the last drink. The room was beginning to spin, but she sat solemnly and watched Cochrane gyrate to the music.
"The things I go through." She sighed as she placed her elbows on the table and supported her head with her hands.
Cochrane made his way to Deanna's table. "Here, have another drink. Maybe I'll get you to have some fun yet."
"Mister Cochrane, we really need to talk," she said and then took another drink.
"What does a pretty little woman like you need with talking? Your sexy body says it all."
Deanna rolled her eyes.
"Suit yourself. Be a boring dame." Cochrane then went to get another bottle of liquor and went back to his wild animalistic rhythms.
Deanna let out another sigh and rested her head on her hands again.
Will strolls up to the shelter and calls, "Deanna."
Deanna just sits there staring out into space. She was too afraid to move because she knew the room would spin again. She was not quiet sure what Tequila was, but whatever it was, it sure packed a punch.
"DEANNA!" Will shouted.
Deanna turned around just in time to see Will about to turn off the music. "Will no! Don't turn off…."
He had pulled the plug on the juke box before she could finish her sentence.
All of a sudden a glass bottle came smashing in Will's general direction and splashed its contents everywhere. "Who is this jerk and who told him he could turn off my music?"
Deanna let out a sigh. She was relieved that Will was finally here, but very frustrated with this man called Zefram Cochrane. He was not at all like she had heard and read.
Deanna gestured towards Will with her hand. "Will Riker…" Then she swung her hand towards the crazed man. "Zefram Cochrane."
Cochrane quickly grabbed another bottle of liquor and was staggering back towards the couple.
Will was in awe at first, because the great Zefram Cochrane was in front of him, but his awe soon changed to surprise. This was not the man he read about in history books. This man was some sort of drunk, from what he could tell and Will knew his drunks.
Zefram staggered closer. "Friend of yours?"
"Yes." Deanna replied.
"Husband?"
"No."
"Good!" He stated slyly. He began pouring Deanna another drink. "Now this Deena…"
"Deanna!" She was wondering why this hormone crazed man could not get her name right. "If he wanted to get me into bed, which he was not about to do," Deanna thought to herself. "He should at least get my name right."
"This is the good stuff!" Cochrane said cheerfully.
"Doctor Cochrane…" Will began, but he noticed the drunk before him was more interested in his whiskey.
"To the Phoenix… May she rest in peace!" Then he and Deanna up ended their shot glasses and down the substance.
They both began to gag from the fowl taste and all Will could do was grin in amusement as he watched Cochrane slam the glass onto the table with disgust and then jumped around and flap his arms like they were chicken wings.
When Cochrane stopped he picked up the bottle the drink came from and studied it. He then threw the bottle over his shoulder as he said, "OK, maybe it's not so good."
Cochrane went back to the storage area and Deanna finally spoke to Will. Her words slurred, but Will could tell she was anxious and not very happy about the situation. "Will, I think we need to tell him the truth."
Will was shocked that Deanna would say such a thing. "But if we tell him, the timeline…"
"This is no time to argue about the timeline! We don't have the time!" Deanna exclaimed as she suddenly looked directly at Will. Then she frowned as if wondering what she said had made sense. She flipped her hair back as though her own thoughts began to get distracted, and then looked back at Will. "What was I saying?"
Will chuckled. "You're drunk."
"I am not!" She insisted as she sat up straight in her chair.
Will was still laughing. "Yes you are."
"Look!" She said with indignation. "He wouldn't even talk to me unless I had a drink with him, and then it took three shots of something called Tequila just to find out 'he' is the man we're looking for, and I've spent the last twenty minutes trying to keep his hands off of me, so don't start criticizing my counseling techniques!" She pounded his chest hard with her fore-finger as she said the last.
Will could not repress his laughter and with a chuckle he said, "Sorry."
Deanna began to stagger as she stood up from her chair. Will helped her move to wherever she was going. He really did not think she even knew where she was going, but he still guided her.
"It's a primitive culture!" She insisted. "I'm just trying to blend in!"
Will was having some trouble keeping her study as she walked. "You've blended alright!"
Will helped her sit down at a table closer to the door as she continued to speak. "I told him our cover story and he didn't believe me!"
Will became serious. He knew Deanna was drunk, but she did have a point. They did not have much time and they had to get Cochrane to cooperate. It was important to their mission so that the Borg would not take over Earth during this timeline.
Will brushed his beard with his hand as he placed his foot on another chair. Then he rested his elbow on his knee and sighed. "OK, we're getting short on time. If we tell him the truth, you think he can handle it?"
Cochrane was excited again as he emerged from the storage area with another bottle of alcohol. He headed straight for the juke box and plugged back into the wall and was ready to turn on the machine.
Both Will and Deanna looked towards Cochrane. Deanna finally said, "If you are looking for my professional opinion as ship's counselor," she paused for a moment. "He's NUTS!"
Cochrane hit the juke box once and the music began to thunder through the bar again, just as Will replied, "I'll make a note of that in my log."
Suddenly, there was a hard thump beside Will and he turned to see Deanna passed out on the table. He buried his face in his hand and sighed. "Oh great! This is the last thing I need!" Will thought to himself. "We're running out of time and I have a drunken passed out counselor on my hands! What am I going to do with her?"