The next half-hour was one that nobody would forget for an eternity.
Counselor Troi had packing cases beamed down so that we could get what we wanted to bring aboard. Even though we all knew that Captain Picard would try to get rid of us ASAP, we would need time to learn how to send ourselves back. Then Cricket, Abby, and Jack snuck around into their rooms, and Kayla and I had our first experience with site-to-site transporting.
I was beamed into my room from Cricket's backyard, along with a packing case. I looked around my room. It would be extremely difficult to decide what to take. I suddenly found myself looking at all my childhood memories and feeling very overwhelmed. I wasn't sure I wanted to leave. I sat on my bed for a moment, trying not to make a noise and be found out. Then I stood up again. Just be methodical about packing, I thought, you've come this far, you might as well see it through...Good grief! I sound like someone's grandma!!!
feedle-eep!
My borrowed communicator was beeping.
"Troi to JJ!"
"I'm here counselor," I said, "What is it?"
"Don't bring spare clothes; we'll have some on board for you. Underwear included. Troi out."
I looked back at my packing case and sighed. Then I stood up and excitement flooded my system. I was going to be on the Enterprise. Cool. Very cool. Very, very,very cool.
It took some thought, but I eventually decided to bring a journal and a few pens, a sketchbook and colored pencils, my ipod, and a few toiletries. I was about to call Troi to beam back to Cricket's backyard, when I saw a photo of my parents. Then it dawned on me. A camera!!! Of course!!! I ran out into the house and grabbed a digital camera plus eight double-A batteries and two spare blank memory cards. Then I looked at my ipod. Why? I can't recharge it if the batteries die. Nah. I pulled it out and threw it on my bed and replaced it with a deck of cards. Maybe Commander Riker could teach me a few things. Then I beamed back to Cricket's backyard. This was going to be one hell of a night.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Where in heck is she!!!"
Kayla had been gone for the past twenty-five minutes and we were all getting extremely impatient, not to mention quivering with excitement. Cricket stood up and started to pace. Then Kayla beamed back, almost on top of Cricket's head.
"FINALLY!!!!!!!!" we all yelled, jumping to our feet and complaining about how she had taken to long.
After we all calmed down, and Kayla had apologized profusely, Counselor Troi had us stand in the little circle arrangement that the transporter used to beam people up and piled our packing cases in the middle. Then she contacted the Enterprise. We knew she spoke for around thirty seconds, but we only heard that one word:
"Energize."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Seconds later, we appeared in transporter room three, speechless. It all looked exactly as it had on the TV show, down to the icons on the touch-screen computer console. I was grinning in ecstasy
"Hello Counselor," Commander Riker said, "hello…uh…children. It's a pleasure to have you aboard. Counselor, will you show them to their quarters?"
"Certainly," she said to the commander, and then led us out the door and then told us to, "try not to gape too much," We stifled our grins and closed our mouths with some difficulty, being in such awe of the ship we were now in. Counselor Troi led us down a series of corridors, and finally to a turbolift. We rode in utter silence to deck 14, where we got off and walked down another series of corridors. Then we stopped in front of two adjacent doors.
"These are your quarters," Counselor Troi said. Then she pointed at Cricket, Abby and Jack, "Yours is the door on the left and…" (here she pointed to Kayla and I.) "yours is the door on the right. However, I'm getting this feeling that you would rather put your packing cases in your room and unpack later. How would you like to take a tour of the bridge?"
In short, we nearly screamed. We ran into our quarters and claimed a bed by putting our packing cases on whichever bed we chose, and were back outside within 15 seconds. Whether or not Deanna thought that this was weird, we would never know. All we cared about at that moment was seeing the bridge and all the cool people serving on it.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Data," Commander Riker said, "how long have we been here?"
"We have been orbiting the planet Earth in the 21st century for fifty-two minutes, forty-eight seconds, thirty-seven milliseconds, twenty-two nano-"
"Thank you Data."
"-seconds."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
We stepped out of the turbolift and onto the bridge and nearly screamed. Jack almost fainted again, but Abby and Kayla pushed him upright.
"Jack, please don't faint again," Cricket whispered to him, "you don't want to spend the rest of the trip in sick bay. Plus, it'll be no fun without you."
"Plus," Abby giggled, "we'll tease you until you fall over in a crumpled heap and melt while screaming. Stay conscious."
The bridge was perfect in every way. Everything was the same as it had been on the TV show. Everything was in the same place, the same color, the same size, just downright perfect. The only difference was that Wesley was twice as cute. At least.
"So these are the children?" Captain Picard looked skeptical. We could almost read his next question by looking at his face. They're so young! How can people so young be so powerful? He never said it. We all assumed he was just being polite. However, everyone else was smiling with a friendly look in their eyes. Everyone except for Data. He was just sitting there with a slightly puzzled expression of curiosity on his face.
"Excuse me," Data said, "but may I inquire to the fact of your telekinesis? How is it that ones so young can have the ability to do such incredible things? Where did you acquire your talents how were you trained? Who-"
"Data," the captain said in a somewhat impatient manner, "that will be enough for now. So," he was speaking to us now, "what exactly are your names?"
"I'm Bethany Reed, but I hate my name, so call me Cricket."
"I'm Jack Reed."
"I'm Kayla Sanderson."
"I'm Jennifer Julia Cook. Call me JJ"
"I'm Abby Reed."
"What…interesting names! So now we know who you are," Riker said, "but unless you're telepathic as well as telekinetic, you have no clue who we are."
"Actually we-" Cricket began to speak. She almost blew it for all of us. We didn't want to risk the crew's reaction when they found out they were all on a TV show.
"Shut up!" I hissed into Cricket's ear while elbowing her in the ribs. "they think we're normal, except for the whole telekinesis thing. Let's keep it that way." I didn't think anyone noticed, but Wesley stopped smiling and was looking at us in a confused sort of way. However, Commander Riker kept on going as if Cricket hadn't even made a sound.
"So everyone," he said, "Why don't you introduce yourselves?"
"I'm Capitan Jean Luc Picard."
"Lieutenant Commander Data."
"Lieutenant Worf."
"Counselor Deanna Troi."
"Huh? Oh! I'm Wesley Crusher," Wesley obviously hadn't been paying attention, and that made his response all the cuter. However, we noticed that right after he finished speaking and gave us a friendly smile (as anyone should when meeting new people); he went back to staring at us. It was almost as If he knew we had a secret.
"And I'm Commander Riker."
Suddenly, an exceedingly bright flash surged from the viewscreen and filled the room. Everything disappeared for a few seconds as we all tried to blink the spots from our vision and regain the ability to see. Then various people started yelling various things at the same time. Most were indistinguishable, but I assumed that they were mostly all along the lines of, "What the heck was that?!?"
"Will someone tell me what that was!?!" Captain Picard yelled over the noise. It soon became clear that no one had heard him, "SHUT UP!!!!" he screamed, and the room fell silent. "Now," he said in a normal tone of voice, "will someone please tell me what that was?"
"Sir," Data said, "at the instant before the flash the sensors detected a hole similar to the one that we traveled through. However, instead of pulling something through, it was pushing something out. The sensors are no longer detecting a hole, but they are detecting a Ferengi battle cruiser."
"A Ferengi battle cruiser?!?" Picard did not look happy, and the mood on the rest of the bridge just went from confused to the living representation of utter crap. "Initiate visual contact," he barked. Everyone looked at us.
"Sir, are you sure that is wise?" Lieutenant Worf looked at the captain, then at us. We could almost hear what he was thinking, "We should keep then out of sight, so not to have to engage in battle with the Ferengis."
"Quite right," snapped the captain, "You five, go to my ready room. It's the door on the – What on Earth?" His confusion was due to the fact that we were all in his ready room before he could finish his order. Theoretically, we were not even supposed to know who he was, let alone where he spent much of his time when he was not on the bridge. This collected a few more stares of confusion before all eyes turned to the viewscreen; with the Ferengi battle cruiser staring ominously back at them.