Chapter 42
"What we need is a containment field," said Wesley.
"We don't have a containment field Wes…so we'll have to make do with what we have," said Geordi, leaning against one of the viewports in Ten Forward.
"Which is nothing," Wesley said sullenly. Geordi resisted the urge to tell Wesley to take a break from their brainstorming session. No doubt he was more stressed than everyone else combined, now that his mother had been captured by Doulos.
"While you may not have a containment field, you do have a variety of objects which could serve to contain the energy burst Captain Picard described," suggested Saris.
"Let's just dump out the power cell in one of our phasers—the inside of the phaser actually is a containment field for phased energy," said LaForge.
"Geordi is correct," said Data. "The phaser, or perhaps a disruptor is the most suitable choice, as it has the potential to project the energy burst, creating the weaponized version we seek."
"Doesn't a weaponized version of this type of positive energy just cancel itself out?" Riker questioned. "I mean, how do we know it doesn't backfire on us and simply become inert and useless?"
"Because despite its positive aspects, it is still incredibly powerful—yet not destructive enough to feed the desires of the Other," said Troi. "In theory," she added.
Riker turned to look at her and smiled, despite the tension in the room. "So where is the Captain? If we are going to try this thing out, we need him."
"Come in," Guinan called out. The door opened half way and then stuck. This is how things were going on Deck 10 recently. Their tenuous grip on technology seemed to be loosening day by day. Many doors on Deck 10 were now being kept open permanently by wedging objects into doorways, out of fear of being trapped in a room. Furthermore the attacks from Doulos' people had increased in just the last day. As a result the danger was growing, along with fear and suspicion. The few phasers they still had in their possession had little effect on the increased physical strength of the inhabitants of the ship who continued to suffer under the influence of the Other. And Captain Picard had been unwilling so far and wisely in her opinion, to use the kill setting.
A tentative foot entered her temporary quarters, and then the rest of her visitor appeared. She hadn't seen Demetrius in about seven hours. And during that time, something remarkable appeared to have happened to the old man. Only she wasn't certain Demetrius was aware of it.
"Hello, Teacher," he said shyly. His expression was open and most of the suspicion and anger that had clouded his face appeared to have been abandoned.
"Demetrius, you look very well. Can I help you?"
"I wanted to tell you, Teacher, how good I feel. For the first time in so long, I feel that things will be better."
"Well…that's wonderful to hear, Demetrius. But you might be literally the only person on this ship who feels that way. Things are not going so well right now." She walked towards him. "Demetrius?"
"Yes, Teacher."
"You're growing younger."
Demetrius broke into a smile. "Perhaps that is why I feel so energized. I have felt this way since I began to tell you what happened to me all of those years ago."
Guinan smiled and sat down. "Then I think it's time you told me the rest."
El Auria 2266
Demetrius hurried to catch up with the white haired man who he'd seen in class a few days earlier. "Doctor Soran!"
The man turned at the sound of his name and fixed the boy with his keen gaze. "What do you want?"
Demetrius halted, unsure of what else to say "When you said the other day in class that we could find revenge, what did you mean?"
"Forget what I said, young one. I was angry and taking it out on your teacher. We are too weak as a race to mount any kind of attack against the Borg. We need to leave this dying planet. If I have my way, our first transport carrier will be ready in a week's time."
"But this is our home!"
Tolian Soran bent down to look into the boy's face. "Do you know a better way, child?" His tone was gentle only momentarily and then the coldness returned, residue from the trauma of having lost everything all at once. He stood up and walked away from Demetrius, turning back only briefly to offer the boy a small smile. "Let me know if you find another way," he called out before continuing to walk away.
Demetrius felt lost and angry. He dragged his feet as he walked through the nearly deserted streets. He didn't bother to look into the eyes of the people he passed; he knew the same lifeless stare that was present in his own eyes would be reflected back at him. They had nothing to offer him, and he had nothing to offer them. Only sadness. He was tired of being sad. And he knew that there was only one thing that would change his life back to the way it was again. He had to see his parents. He could see them when he looked into his mind and when he went to sleep. But when he awoke the reality was that they were still dead. But the fact remained that Demetrius longed to see his parents again. So that was why he went back up that hill. Because he knew there was something up there that could give him what he wanted. But he did not know then the price he would pay.
South Dakota 1881
It was growing dark as they wound up and over terrain that by all appearances was much less traveled than the original path they'd been on. Guinan had tripped over roots and scratched herself on thorny shrubs more times now than she could count. And the horses were much less sure footed than they had been.
"Where are we going?" She finally asked Pritchard, after they had been walking for over a an hour.
"Somewhere safe...I hope," he added.
"Not very reassuring," she said.
"Sorry, but seein' Bill Loomey climbing that trail behind us threw me off a bit." He fell silent for a few minutes before asking, "So you think that Q fella had something to do with Loomey gaining on us?"
"I can't be sure of it, but from what I know of Q, this is his style. He doesn't like it when people complicate his plans."
"Which are what?"
"I don't know. But I've come to expect that eventually I will find out, whether I want to or not," said Guinan. "So the best I can do is carry through with my own plan, and hope he doesn't try to stop me."
Pritchard stopped abruptly in front of her. He turned around to face her in the dark, and his normally jovial facade had disappeared. "And what about your plan? Don't you think I've earned the right to know? Look, I'm not looking for a share in whatever deposit of gold you think you've found...but I want to know."
She stared at him. "You're right. You've taken me this far and you deserve to know..."
He snorted. "But you don't trust me," he said.
"No. It's not that simple. Let's just say that even if you tell me you won't want it for yourself, or even just to see it up close, you may not have a choice. Not if the object I am seeking chooses you."
"So it's no ordinary treasure."
"No."
"What are you going to do with it, once you have it?"
"I have to bring the object to someone. Someone who knows what it can do, someone who knows how to neutralize its power forever."
"And so Mr. Q doesn't want you to bring it to this…someone," said Pritchard.
"Right," said Guinan.
Pritchard sniffed in the cooling air. "What happens if you fail? You know… if you can't find the object, or you somehow lose it?"
Guinan's face grew tight with tension. She hadn't seriously considered failure before then. "I can't," she said. "I can't fail, John."
He nodded slowly. "I won't pretend to understand any of this, but I will do my best to make sure you don't fail." She smiled at him, and he glanced down at the folded object in her hand. "Now, how does that little thing work?"
Guinan shrugged and held her palm open. Slowly the star map unfolded and the tiny lines and points on the map shone bright in the encroaching dusk, casting an eerie light upon their faces. With her other hand she waved at the map and the pinpoints grew into more defined patterns. "This is us—roughly," she said, pointing at one spot.
"If the object was near us, would it show?"
"In theory," she said.
Pritchard reached down and slowly traced a rough index finger on the map, halting after only a moment. His lips moved talking softly to himself, and then he broke into a grin. Just then an odd glow radiated from under his fingertip as he held it there. "That's it," said Guinan, sounding shocked. "That's where it is. How did you know?"
Pritchard's gaze was intense even in the dark. "I didn't. That object—whatever it is—it's sitting smack dab in the middle of my old gold mine. And there's only one other man living who knows exactly where that is."
She shook her head, with only a vague notion of what gold was. "So what does that mean?"
"It means we've got to get to your object before Bill Loomey does. Come on!"
Beverly unfolded her stiff body. She hadn't eaten in at least 24 hours, but by now she had lost track of time. All she knew was that she had been away from Jean-Luc for far too long. She wondered what he was doing. She hoped he would not attempt some kind of desperate plot to save her. He was still injured. Besides, they had already seen that violence did little to harm the Other. Her dealings with Doulos however had seemed an exception to that rule. She had fought him, and yet the Other hadn't seemed interested in her. Several times she had awoken in a daze to find the black smoke swirling around her face and head, but each time she awoke it simply dispersed, leaving her alone. Whatever she represented, the Other apparently did not want.
Looking up at the ceiling her eyes were drawn to the shadow of dancing flames. She heard a shuffle, and concluded that Doulos must have returned. Feeling quite weak, she rolled onto her elbow, and glimpsed the flickering torch light in the far corner. She blinked. Doulos had returned, and he was standing underneath the torches in a shallow pool of water. Above him was a fountain cascading water onto his naked body as he bathed. She watched him until he turned around to face her, and then she quickly averted her eyes and then turned to lay on her back staring at the ceiling.
"I felt you watching me," he said. "Perhaps I do not disgust you as much as you conveyed earlier."
"Perhaps you're wrong," she murmured, still staring up at the ceiling.
"Do not be ashamed," said Doulos. "I am not surprised you are curious. Jean-Luc Picard is weak compared to me," he said. "Perhaps you are wondering how your life would be different if you left Picard for me."
"Not likely," she said.
"You would be a great queen with all of the power you desired," he said. He walked over to her, now wearing a long robe.
"I have no interest in power," she said, and covered her eyes with her forearm.
She heard him draw closer. From out of the corner of her eye she saw him crouch down. "What are your interests?" he asked, reaching his hand out.
"Don't touch me," she warned him. "I hope you haven't forgotten that I know how to swing a torch."
Doulos laughed, but stood up again. "Yes, you are very fierce, Beverly Crusher. But that does not stop my interest in you. Do you remember being with me that night?"
Beverly remained silent.
"I remember you," he said, walking away and sitting down at the table in the center of the room. She heard him arranging items on the table. "You try to remain a mystery to me, but I already know you…intimately."
"No," she said quietly. A stealthy rage crept into her mind and she began to wonder what it would take to kill Doulos. A low whisper threatened to control the rage and create a weapon with which she could murder him. She opened her eyes and her arm moved from her face as if lifted by a gentle hand. A black substance swirled around her nose and mouth and hovered above her lips. She felt suddenly calm. She knew she had only to breathe the substance in and she would be able to exact her revenge against Doulos swiftly. No one would need to know the truth. Not even Jean-Luc. But another voice interjected; it was her own, telling her to simply get up. Suddenly she rolled away out from under the black cloud. She stood shakily to her feet.
Doulos looked on with amazement. "How did you resist him?"
Beverly walked over and leaned against the stone wall. "It's going to take more than you pissing me off to make me lose my mind, Doulos."
"If the master is interested in you, you must not resist," insisted Doulos.
Beverly laughed at him. "Doulos, do you know what he said to me just now? He wants me to kill you and take your place. Don't you see that you are no more than a toy to him? If the Other is interested in me then that means he's through with you!"
"You are wrong," said Doulos darkly. "I am his most trusted servant."
She shook her head. "Doulos you're not even real. Don't you see? You were a tiny piece of Jean-Luc's mind that the Other stole and made into his personal slave."
"I killed Jean-Luc Picard!" roared Doulos, slamming his fist on the table.
"No you didn't—in fact he's alive and well," she shot back.
Doulos sprung to his feet and grabbed his bladed weapon from where it hung on the wall. It made a slicing sound as he swung it over his head, sending a shot of dread through Beverly.
"Then be assured that when I kill him this time, he will remain dead," bellowed Doulos, charging from the room. Stunned, Beverly fell to the floor deflated by the fear of what was to come.