2. Listen closely to the whispering.
He is alone on the bridge, gazing round at the empty consoles and thinking of what might have been. His face is haggard under the flashing red lights; he hates the thought of abandoning this ship - both familiar and foreign, a blend of old and new. A silent countdown is quietly ticking away the seconds before it will shatter into countless pieces and become just another wisp of cosmic dust in the endless vacuum of space.
The whispers again; their song. It rises swiftly in his mind, a terrible, echoing clamour. Until a single, clear voice threads its way among the cold mechanical chorus.
"Captain."
His eyes snap open; a potent mix of apprehension and guilt roils in his gut.
"Data."