Chapter 35

"The crew of this ship is weak. The android did not even try to kill me to save his friend," Korok said, sounding disappointed.

"Don't be a fool," remarked Ambassador K'Ehleyr. "Commander Data let you go because he had more important things to do than bother with you. This ship is clearly in crisis. But, do not be surprised in the near future, if Starfleet sends a summons for your arrest for your assault on the engineer."

"Ptah, I will not hold my breath waiting for that to occur. Besides, you know as well as I that I am as good as dead once I arrive on Q'Onos," said Korok, halting before the shuttle bay entrance. "Having my name cleared by a Romulan may be more dangerous than working for one. Chancellor K'mPec would kill me himself if he wasn't so fat."

K'Ehleyr turned her gaze to him. "Your lack of confidence in your own survival skills is disappointing, Commander. If I were you, I would keep a more positive outlook. It may be all that you have…."

The doors opened and they stepped inside. K'Ehleyr immediately put her hand on her disruptor, and took a step backward.

"This is not how I pictured a Starfleet shuttle bay," remarked Korok, surprise evident in his voice.

"That's an understatement," K'Ehleyr murmured. Before them lay a huge open space, once the shuttle bay. Now not a ship was present. Instead, it had been changed to some kind of gathering place. Indeed hundreds of Enterprise crew members, mixed in with strange looking warriors, with shaved heads. Even the Starfleet crew members had gone so far as to shave their heads in what K'Ehleyr guessed was a show of solidarity. All knelt, heads bowed, apparently waiting for someone or something to enter. Above them floated a platform, defying gravity. A murmur went through the crowd, as though they were chanting in anticipation for the arrival of someone great. There was a red glow to the bay, and in the center of the far wall, where the shuttle bay doors had been was a swirling black disk. For a normally antiseptic and tidy Starfleet area, this was a bizarre scene.

"This isn't right. I think we should get out of here," the Ambassador muttered, taking another step backward. She felt a strange pull inside her mind, as though staying there was an option. A powerful voice spoke to her in a whisper, urging her to stay and fight for him. She shook it off.

Korok turned to look at her. "Why? Don't you want to see what is going to happen?" His expression was one of excitement and anticipation. Something about being in the presence of the alien-looking warriors stirred something in his blood.

"No, not really," said K'Ehleyr, even as the voice continued its sinister whispering.

At that moment, the black swirling disk on the wall slowed its turning, and a large being stepped outward onto the platform. The figure was large and muscular, and over two meters tall, making even a large Klingon like Korok look small. His skin was covered in black and red tattoos, and like the warriors kneeling down before him, he was humanoid in appearance and bald. His eyes were completely black in color. Apart from his hulking size, there was something strangely familiar about his face. She drew her disruptor instinctively as recognition set in. Captain Picard had disappeared recently. Was this him, returned from another dimension distorted and warped into this formidable creature?

"Let's go, Korok," she commanded, but he was walking away from her toward the crowd slowly. The being was speaking now, and the crowd hushed into silence. She stared at him transfixed, despite her instinct to run. Even his voice sounded like Picard's, although the tone was distinctly menacing.

"My master has assembled an army around me to vanquish all foes who dare stand in his way. You are that army. The master will be unhappy until he brings all who oppose him under his power. Those who will not join us will be destroyed. Your only purpose is to serve the master's desires." He paused and his eyes focused on the two Klingons. He began to laugh. "Join us!" He stretched out a hand palm outward and a black smoke emitted from it, slowly unfurling in their direction.

"Korok, look out," she shouted, but she was too late. The black cloud enveloped Korok and then seemed to disappear into him.

He turned and grinned at her. His eyes shone black. "I'm not going anywhere," he assured K'Ehleyr. "And neither are you," he said, pulling out his disruptor and firing. She spun out of the way and fired back at him. The being's thunderous laugh echoed through the former shuttle bay. She hit Korok, but instead of falling to the deck, he seemed invigorated by the crippling burst of energy, and laughed as it soaked through his body.

Backing up quickly, she moved through the doors to safety. As she continued at a near run down the corridor, it was now clear to her that there was no way off of this ship. She had to find someone who was not under the sway of the evil at work inside the shuttle bay, and she had to warn them.

Beverly Crusher sat quietly gazing out of a view port in Ten Forward, the only known refuge on the ship. It was the only place left on this ship where hostility and chaos did not reign, where replicators worked and technology was not disappearing because of the Other's interference. However, this did not mean that the ship's lounge was a good replacement for her medical bay, which like everywhere else on the Enterprise had been abandoned as useless for its originally intended purposes. Still she would do her duty. But right at that moment her duties were no longer enough to distract from her internal pain.

At her side was her son, who silently held her hand. Clearly he did not know what to say to comfort her, but that was alright. That he was with her and safe was enough. It was not the first time in her life that she had thanked the stars that she had Wesley to rely on, to take refuge in, and to protect. And not for the first time, she also wondered silently to herself whether she would ever truly be happy.

The loss of her parents at a young age had caused her to secretly long for domestic bliss, but had also caused her never to expect it. While she had found love with Jack, what had seemed an outwardly perfect marriage was not so. Years before Jack died she had blamed herself for the persistent feeling that something was missing. It seemed that the longing and restlessness continued even when she was married to Jack, even when they brought Wesley into the world. It still wasn't enough. For a long time, she had hated herself for this weakness; but not nearly as much as she wanted to be with Jean Luc.

Now, according to Data a being from another universe had invaded the ship and was claiming that he had killed Jean-Luc himself. Was he really dead? Part of her feared the worst. But a larger part of her, the scientist in her knew the evidence was not completely convincing. A sword with Jean-Luc's blood on it, however gruesome, did not necessarily mean that he was dead. And an even larger part of her, the part that believed in him, the part that trusted Guinan, did not believe for a second that he had perished.

Wesley squeezed her hand, and she put her free arm around his shoulders, and he leaned against her. "Mom?"

"Hmm?"

"I never got to tell Captain Picard...well I never got to tell him how much..."

She kissed the side of his face. "I know, Wes. But there is no point in being full of regret. Trust me; I have learned that the hard way over the years. Besides, you might still have a chance to tell him anything you want."

He turned to look at her in surprise. "Do you really believe he's still alive?"

She smiled at him, but found herself unable to speak upon hearing the question posed out loud.

Wesley turned his attention back out of the view port. "I used to think he didn't like me—"

"Oh Wes…."

"—but I know that's not true now."

She smiled faintly. "Good."

"But sometimes I wonder how he would react if I told him that I—that I really admire him."

Beverly felt her eyes fill with tears. "I'm sure he would be very touched," she said quietly.

Wesley smiled. "Really?"

"Yes, Wesley…I know this might be difficult for you to believe, but he loves you. Just as he loved your dad."

Commander Riker walked through the temporary cots set up on deck ten. There weren't enough quarters on deck ten to accommodate the crew currently assembled, and they had used a utility replicator to replicate several hundred temporary beds. It reminded him of refugee camps he had seen on war-torn planets. But compared to Ten Forward, the rest of deck ten was relatively upbeat. Back inside Ten Forward the mood was somber, and he was happy to distract himself with other duties. Nearly everyone present in Ten Forward had witnessed Data explaining his interaction with the being Doulos, on the now commandeered Enterprise bridge. Many of the crew no doubt now believed Captain Picard was dead. Riker did not know what to think.

"Worf to Commander Riker," came a gruff voice.

Riker hit his communicator. "Go ahead," he said.

"Sir, I've just come from the main armory."

Riker frowned. "Is it even still in existence?"

"Yes sir. But it is of no use to us. It appears to have been raided."

"Meaning Doulos has most of our weapons."

"Yes sir."

"Get back up here Worf. We can't afford to lose anyone else."

"Commander!"

Riker turned at the sound of a familiar voice. His jaw dropped. It was Guinan, and she was carrying Captain Picard loosely over her shoulder as though he were a rag doll. Slightly behind her and shuffling along was a disheveled looking old man, who appeared almost lost in thought and completely out of his element.

Riker was overtaken with joy and laughed, clapping his hands on top of his head, seriously hoping that this was not a hallucination, and that Picard was actually still alive.

At that moment from an adjacent stairwell appeared Worf, who exclaimed something in Klingon and rushed toward them.

Guinan winced up at Worf. "What happened to the turbo lifts? I've had my fill of stairs for a while."

Riker and Worf moved closer to help as Guinan carefully transferred Picard's torso into Worf's arms while Riker grabbed his legs. Picard grumbled something.

"What did he say?" asked Riker.

"He said he's not dead," said Guinan helpfully, shaking out her stiff shoulders.

Worf broke into an uncharacteristic smile. "He lives."

Beverly Crusher stood up when they walked in to Ten Forward and immediately flew into action. She was unable to stop and realize the significance of his appearing on the Enterprise again. Instead her only focus was on his grey pallor and limp form indicating that he was gravely wounded. She pointed to a large table. "Bring him over here," she commanded Riker and Worf, who complied and laid him down carefully on the table. His head lolled to the side and his lips moved. His hands and feet twitched.

"What kind of condition was he in when you found him?" Crusher demanded, using a cutting tool to cut through his shirt quickly.

Guinan moved closer and looked down at Picard whose eyes opened almost imperceptibly to peer up at her with the same steely resolve he always had. She remembered her promise to him.

"Not so good, Doctor...he was in ...really bad condition."

"Could you be more specific?" Crusher ran her tricorder over his body, taking his vitals.

"Well," said Guinan. "He had been stabbed."

Beverly looked up sharply. "And you tied your jacket around his wound...remind me to get you a first aid refresher training someday soon." She moved her hand lightly over the wound, and then began to clean around it quickly. She reached underneath his back and felt the exit wound. It appeared that the blood had coagulated, but too late. He had lost too much blood. She felt for a vein in his forearm and grabbing a packet of electrolytes, started an old fashioned IV in his arm.

Riker looked on in surprise. "Are you using a needle?"

Crusher held up a hand in irritation. "I don't need an audience," she retorted. "I'm using the resources we have." She popped a vial of potassium into her hypo spray and injected it into his neck.

Riker nodded apologetically and moved back, waving the crowd of concerned crew member's back. It was at that moment he realized the majority of crew that were with them on deck ten were civilians. What had happened to all the combat and emergency trained crew members? Had they joined Doulos?

Guinan stayed next to Beverly, still looking down at Picard. "I know it looks bad, Doctor. But believe me, it could have been worse," she insisted.

"Well yes, it could have been worse…he could have died."

Guinan smiled slightly and glanced down at Picard. "No," he whispered opening his eyes again.

Beverly reached out and gripped his hand tightly. His grip was so weak it frightened her. "What did you say? Stay with me, Jean-Luc." He closed his eyes again. She beckoned Nurse Ogawa over to her. "Alyssa, we need a blood transfusion."

"Doctor, we don't have the equipment here necessary to—"

Beverly quickly drew a vial of his blood and handed it to her. "Find a way. You can program the replicator. I'm counting on you, Alyssa."

"Yes, Doctor," the woman said, hurrying away with the vial.

Crusher took a deep breath, and looked at Guinan. "Thank you. You were true to your word. You brought him back…."

"He would have done the same for me," Guinan replied.