Chapter 50

Riker stood with the rest of the crew watching the spectacle, and was amazed by what he was seeing. Doulos was trying to kill the Other. The concept of such a violent person being in love with Beverly Crusher hadn't occurred to him before now. But the Other's lie about Beverly being dead—he hoped it was a lie—had spurred Doulos to try and destroy his master. He supposed in the craziness of it all there was something redeemable about Doulos after all. Riker's mind raced, trying to think of how he could use this event to their collective advantage.

But there was no time to think, because the Other suddenly thrust his immense arm through Doulos' middle, tearing Doulos in two. The two halves of his body fell to the platform and slowly disintegrated into nothingness as the crew uttered astonished gasps at the scene in front of them. The Other now stood even taller, his power increased by the attack of his former servant.

Tearing his gaze away briefly, Riker's eyes caught on a young boy, not quite a teenager. He hadn't seen that kid before, and Riker knew most of the children on the Enterprise. The boy was sitting serenely in a corner by himself. He was the only one in fact who was calm. And even more strangely his eyes were closed and he was smiling.

As Beverly emerged from the door Q had provided, her senses were assaulted by the smell and taste of smoky air. Some kind of ancient incendiary device, or devices had just been set off. It was dark, but as the smoke cleared she saw a beautiful expanse of stars above her. Around her she saw shadowy hills. And then almost immediately at her feet she saw the body of a man. Her eyes traced the lines of his body and face as he lay in the dust. He was unmistakably familiar to her. Jean-Luc. She put the thought out of her head. This was not him.

"Cerys," he whispered, and as his eyes fixed on her, his lips formed into a smile. "Cerys…my middle name is Cheryl," she thought. And then as she continued to watch, his eyes rolled in his head and his body went completely limp. She didn't hesitate further to rush to the man's side, crouching down with her med kit. She glanced around her and saw and man's foot lying nearby. What a violent world. She looked around again and saw that there was no else alive. And this man was on the verge of death. She saw two more flashes of light behind her and knew that Jean-Luc and Guinan had entered this world now as well. She wondered how he would react to seeing someone who looked just like him dying on the ground.

Guinan knelt down beside her. "Is there anything that I can do?" she asked quietly.

Beverly shook her head. "I don't know, I'm still trying to gauge the extent of his wounds. Some light would help. There is a lamp inside my kit." Guinan rummaged around and pulled out a small handheld light and pointed it at

"Did you see what happened to him," Picard said, standing several feet away. He made no move to come to the man's aid. "All those years ago…."

"They shot him at least once—maybe twice," said Guinan. "The weapons they use in this era are very brutal."

Picard nodded. "They called them guns. Projectile weapons utilizing an explosive chemical reaction. If he's been shot with one of those things, there may be a bullet lodged inside him."

"A bullet?" Beverly asked.

"It will be small and metallic," Guinan said.

"How barbaric. At least I know what to look for," Beverly muttered. She continued a quick exam. "There are two primary wounds, one in his knee, and one in his lower abdomen. She paused, holding her breath before continuing. She placed a hand over Pritchard's bloody side. It was exactly the place where Jean-Luc had been stabbed by Doulos and nearly died. Again she pushed the distracting thoughts out of her mind. She glanced up. "Jean-Luc, I need your help," she called out to him. He looked uneasy, but was still covered in the purple glow around him. "Please come over and help me by supporting his head," she said.

Picard walked over and knelt down above Pritchard's head. The man's wide brimmed hat was still halfway on his head, and he pulled it off carefully and put it aside. "Merde," he mumbled. It was like looking in a mirror. An unshaven dying version of himself, but identical in all other ways. He couldn't have prepared himself for how disturbing this moment was. Averting his eyes he placed his hands underneath the man's head, cradling it gently.

"Let's get his coat off," said Beverly, and Guinan helped her pull the heavy leather coat from the man's limp form and place it underneath his body. Beverly pulled several white bundles out of the med kit and packed them alongside his body. "These will keep him warm," she said, as she quickly unbuttoned his shirt. "He's lost a lot of blood from his abdomen. Because of its structure, the knee wound won't bleed as much. You have to take the positives where you can get them," she said, placing a pressure patch on Pritchard's lower stomach. "If we ever get him to his feet, the knee will be the next challenge."

Unexpectedly the man groaned. Beverly and Guinan looked at him in surprise. Picard had continued to hold the wounded man's head in his hands, but his eyes were closed and his head was turned away as though the very act was difficult for him. But even more amazingly the purple glow that surrounded him had intensified and now focused in a ring around Pritchard's head.

Pritchard's eyes fluttered open and he looked up into Picard's face. "I must be in hell, because I'm lookin' up into my own face," he said hoarsely.

Picard opened his own eyes and stared down wordlessly at his double.

"Whatever you're doing, Captain, keep doing it," said Guinan. "Your power seems to be healing him."

"Guinan?" The man tried to sit up, but Picard held him fast. "Is that you?"

"Yes, I'm here my friend," Guinan said reaching out to take his hand. He smiled and then shifted his gaze to Beverly and his expression fell.

"This can't be real. She's not real. This is another trick by Mister Quentin isn't it?"

"No, John…Q is gone. But he did help the three of us to come back for you."

"Cerys," the man said, struggling again to sit up. He reached out to Beverly. "I love you."