Riker tried to think of himself as what Q was saying. An extension of a reality, a drop in a pool. It wasn't an easy concept to reconcile with his self-image-- in fact, it was somewhat frightening. But then, he'd known that he was going to become something alien, a kind of existence very different from humanity. He'd known, and he'd accepted the risk. No doubt a Q would find the prospect of mortal existence just as frightening, if not more so...
"That's all good to know," Riker said with affected casualness, "but I thought you were here to tell me how to get to the Continuum?"
"Ah, yes," Q said. "That little detail. Although with all I've told you, I'm disappointed that you still need to ask."
"You told me..." Riker paused to think. "That I'm a part of it, and... that there's nothing separating me from it." In a flash of realization, it came to him. "I'm connected to it, and all I have to do is follow that connection!"
"You've got the idea," Q said. He smirked. "Now let's see you do it."
Riker closed his eyes and opened up his other senses. There was the Academy all around him, a hub of learning and destiny. For a moment he just stood and took it all in, observing the comings and goings, the organization and the sense of adventure and purpose...
"Or would you rather just stand around and gawk like a tourist?"
Q. Right.
Riker focused his senses on himself and Q, and what connected them. He sensed the same link he'd noticed between the Q before, a link of thought and energy from another reality. He traced it back to its source...
------------------
The overwhelming torrent of trans-cosmic existence was a sure sign that the dimension shift had worked. Feeling somewhat more in control this time around, Riker formed his Academy metaphor before disorientation could set in. Now that the memory of the real thing was fresh in his mind, he was surprised at the differences; unreal angles, shifting colors, and warped proportions made it clear that this wasn't the Academy, or even in the same universe.
"Welcome home," Q said from entirely too close; Riker fought the impulse to back off, quietly impressed that Q could give the sense of violating his personal space even in a dimension where space had no meaning. "Not bad for a first try. Too bad it wasn't your first try."
When Riker percieved Q, the first image his mind saw was the lean, swaggering human form he was familiar with, but he was curious to know what Q really was. The human image faded away as Riker disregarded it, replaced by a series of waveforms that pulsed and spiked like the sound waves of an unheard song. Actually, his perception of the waves was more like hearing than seeing, but trying to translate any part of Q existence into human senses was approximate at best.
"Still," Q went on, either unaware of or unconcerned with Riker's scrutiny, "you've just travelled between levels of existence with a thought. That's nothing to a Q, of course, but it might make for a good story to impress your mortal friends next time you get together to inflict the trivial details of your lives upon each other."
"I don't think so," Riker said. "They don't seem to like it when I mention my powers."
"Fear," Q said simply. "Primal human fear. They like to think of themselves as the masters of the universe, and when they find something that reminds them that they aren't, they're frightened."
Riker grinned. "And how would the Q feel if they met something more powerful than them?"
"You can hardly compare the two," Q sniffed.
"I'm a human turned Q," Riker pointed out. "I think I'm in a pretty good position to compare them."
Q did not acknowledge the comment. "And to answer your question, when we encounter something beyond us, we learn from it. That's why you're here, in case you've forgotten. It's something too many of your shipmates don't seem to understand, despite all the exalted Starfleet ideals they claim to live by."
Riker was trying not to let Q's barbs get to him, but this one stung. "We have learned from our encounters with beings like the Q!" he snapped. "And one of the things we've learned is that they're dangerous to be around! When you're dealing with something that could destroy your ship on a whim--"
"Calm down, Will," Q said lightly. "You're starting to sound like your captain. Next thing you know, you'll be ordering yourself to be thrown off the ship."
Riker gave an exasperated sigh and sat down. He realized with a bit of surprise that he and Q had frame-shifted to the gathering frame at some point; fortunately, nobody else seemed to be paying too much attention to them. "You're right," he said reluctantly. "I do wish they'd accept my powers more. But at the same time, I can understand why they don't. It's not an easy situation you've put us in, you know."
"I seldom put people in easy situations," Q said. "Where would be the fun in that?"
