"Hello, Beverly."

Doctor Crusher jumped and threw a hand to her chest before her eyes fell on Heva, who was leaning casually against her desk grinning widely at her. "Heva!" Beverly breathed. "You startled me. It's so late, I expected you to be asleep."

Heva chuckled and gave a short leap landing her self on the edge of the desk, swinging her feet and leaning her chin casually on her folded hands. "Sleep is for the weak." she chimed. Beverly eyed her strangely. "What's the matter?" Heva asked nonchalantly. "I don't know…" Beverly answered. "You just seem so…happy." A roar of laughter erupted from Heva's throat and she shook her head at the doctor. "Why shouldn't I be happy? I'm alive. And after….such an experience as mine, what's not to be cheerful about?"

Beverly took a step back from Heva and nodded shortly at her. "Well…I suppose you're right. Um… was there anything you needed, Heva dear?"

Heva hopped off of the desk and began fiddling with a medical tricorder beside her. "I was just wondering…" her tone suddenly dropped and became urgent. "You don't think there's a way that Lore could reach headquarters before us…and release the virus on our superiors, do you?"

Beverly let this inquiry sink in with a wary mind. Why would Heva be concerned about this? Why would she be asking HER of all people? Why was she acting so strangely?

"I'm not really sure…I don't think so." Just then, Beverly knew what she had to do. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go and do some more research on the antivirus. In the meantime, you should get more rest." As she walked past Heva, she felt a chill erupt up her spine and she quickened her pace.

Heva turned slowly to look at Beverly as she left, smiling coldly after her and grabbing something quickly before she herself rushed through the sickbay doors.

"Thank you, Beverly. However this is not the first report of this type of behavior. Which is exactly why this meeting has been called." Jean-Luc said more to the entire senior staff than just Beverly. All of them, including Data, sat uneasy before their captain. The meeting had been called shortly after Beverly left sickbay and rather than hold it in the observation lounge, it was held in Jean-Luc's private quarters, with an inconspicuous guard outside the doors.

"I've called you all here to talk about Heva. I realize we have other things to attend to like locating Lore's ship and getting back to Earth to retrieve a small sample of the plague to study the antidote on…however I think the bigger problem lies here on the ship with us."

"We have all noticed a considerable change in Heva's behavior," Deanna added. "However it's obvious that there is no coincidence between her sudden return to the Enterprise and her strange actions. We believe that she is either not the real Heva…or something has been done to her by Lore."

"Like what? You think he could have built an android double of her and planted it on the ship?" Will suggested cautiously, catching a troubled glance from Data out of his left eye.

"I don't think so. I would have noticed something in surgery." Beverly argued.

"Do you think Lore is controlling her somehow from his ship? As if by some sort of remote control?" Geordi asked.

"Data," Jean-Luc began casually. "Can you think of anything Lore might have done to Heva to make her behave this way?"

Data remained still for a long moment trying to contemplate the Captain's question. He tried his best to remain professional but the past week was incredibly breaking for him. He had to maintain control and not lose himself in his feelings the way he had been. He had to remain vigilant in order to help Heva…

"I am not certain. For all we know, this could merely be the mental effects of Lore's torture….on Heva…" he trailed off and slumped slowly back in his seat. Will extended a hand to rest on Data's shoulder.

"Whatever's happening," he said, still looking at Data. "We'd better find out quickly. Who knows, it could get worse and we will never get Heva back to the way she was."

"Suggestions?" The Captain addressed his staff wearily.

"Put a 24 hour guard on her, if she does anything suspicious or her behavior takes a turn for the worst we can contain her." Worf interjected immediately.

"She's not a fugitive!" Data snapped, making Worf stare down at him apologetically.

"Unfortunately, Data, he is right." Geordi calmly argued. "We can't just leave Heva to herself and expect nothing else to happen. She could become a danger to herself or others in her state of mind we don't know. However… I don't think we should make it obvious that she's being watched."

"What do you suggest?" Worf asked.

"What if we put hidden cameras in her room?" Will chimed in.

"That would take too long, besides she never stays in her room." Deanna replied.

"I can watch her…" Data came in quietly. All of the senior officers looked at him somberly. Geordi knelt beside him and added his hand to his other shoulder. "Are you sure, Data? What if you give yourself away or you're called to do something else? I think even Heva would get a little suspicious if you were at her side 24 hours of the day."

"Geordi's right, Data." Beverly said. "She could get violent towards you if she requests you to leave and you just…stay there."

"I can handle her…Even if she becomes hysterical I can find some way of continuing my watch on her." Data said to Beverly sternly, a look of raw determination in his eyes.

"The question isn't if you can handle her," Jean-Luc pointed out. "It's whether or not you'll be willing to report on her if she should do something out of the ordinary."

"What do you mean?" Data asked.

"Data," Deanna knelt before him, keeping eye contact. "Sometimes if someone is forced to do something that could compromise a loved on in any way, they will often protect that person rather than bringing them in for something they've done. For instance, if Heva were to do something to someone on the ship, you may find that instead of seeing her get in trouble for it an being contained, you will cover for her and hide her actions. It's something lots of people do and we don't know how you will handle the situation…it's new to you."

Data's eyes suddenly became hot with frustration and disappointment. A feeling of offense coupled with a feeling of defensiveness mingled in his mind. "Do you think me incapable of performing my duty?" he asked.

"It isn't that." Will tried to assure him. "It's just that…most people are compromised in this situation. Sometimes a person will find that their loved ones come before duty and they'll act on that impulse. We aren't saying you will for sure…we're just trying to prepare you for if that kind of thing does arise."

"We just want to be sure that you'll be ok, is what we're trying to say." Deanna said softly to him. Data remained stern as he stood and approached the Captain. "I will go through this assignment just as easily as any other, Captain. That I promise you. Even if it comes down to protecting Heva from getting a court marshall…I would rather her be thrown out of Star Fleet than do something she would regret…"

The Captain bowed his head and took a deep breath. He stood and put his hands on both of Data's shoulders, looking him in the eye. "I know, Data. I know." he whispered to him. "Go to her, and be sure to report anything strange."

Just as he finished giving his order to Data, a frantic voice came over the com system.

"Doctor Crusher! You'd better get to sick bay! It's Ensign Harvey!"

"What is it?" Beverly asked urgently.

"We aren't sure…but we think she has the plague."

In an instant, the entire room was emptied, a red alert was sounded, and Data found himself sprinting as fast as he could to Heva's room without any concern for anything else.