I know that promised this would be quicker and longer, and that I didn't deliver on either. I'm sorry. But here it is. Enjoy.
Shortly after Benjamin had left the room, Spike had hoisted his trunk over shoulder and excused himself to go find his own room. He had already discovered that if he asked the computer directly, it could tell him most things he wanted to know, and could lead him pretty much anywhere on the ship.
"Um, Computer?" he called once in the hall. It chimed in response. "Could you point me to my room?"
"Negative," the robotic female voice said.
Annoyed, he looked around, not sure where to direct his indignant glare. "Why the bloody hell not?"
"You do not have quarters assigned to you on board the Enterprise," the voice answered.
"Un-sodding-believable," he said, shaking his head, "Fine, point me back to sickbay or whatever."
A panel on wall next to Spike lit up. "Follow the lighted panels," the computer said, "They will show you the way."
Spike, used to this from finding big man, walked down the hall as the panels lit the path before him. He followed it to an elevator where he told it to take him to sickbay. Once the doors opened again, he stepped out and more panels immediately lit up to guide him. Following them, he finally made it to a familiar looking set of double doors that opened as he approached. Inside, he set his stuff on the bed he had woken up in, figuring that until he got his own room, he could consider this bed his.
He didn't really have time to wonder what to do next as the door slid open and the Doctor walked in followed by a tall, black man with the same kind of harsh features and pointed ears that he saw on one of the people in the in the meeting. Based on what the Doctor had told him, he guessed that this man was probably a vulcan.
"Ah, Spike, you're here," the Doctor greeted, "This is Captain Tuvok. He and I used to be shipmates."
Spike reached out and shook hands with the man. The grip was strong, stronger than any human.
"We're going to see an old friend to see if she can help," the Doctor continued, "We were hoping we could convince you to come along."
Spike shrugged, he really didn't have anything better to do. "Yeah, I could do that," he said, "But why do you need me?"
The vulcan, Tuvok, spoke up, "You're first hand knowledge of this prophecy would be quite convincing."
"Alright," Spike said, "Let's go."
The large, interlocking double doors opened to reveal a giant room, at least as big as the main room in the Initiative. There were several what Spike could only assume to be small space vehicles lining the walls. Each one was narrow and sleek, sporting what looked like duel engines and large windows in the front, revealing places for people to sit behind controls on the inside.
The Doctor led them to the back of one of the small crafts and opened a door. The interior seemed cramped in comparison to the city sized ship that he was on. Even so, it was still slightly larger than the interior of the private jet he had flown in yesterday.
Yesterday, he thought, That wasn't yesterday, that was two hundred years ago. Bloody hard to remember that when you've been asleep for all of it.
Sitting where the Doctor indicated, Spike took in the incredibly complex control panel in front of him. Computers had never been his thing, having been born in a generation that still used horse drawn carriages, but what he saw now seemed like something out of a science fiction movie. None of the controls were labeled, and the various read outs were indecipherable. He looked up to see the Doctor and Tuvok sitting in their own seats at the front control panel, both of them fluidly moving fingers across the incomprehensible controls.
"Shuttle one to Enterprise, we're ready for launch," the Doctor said.
"Copy shuttle one," a voice responded, "Opening shuttle bay doors."
Spike felt a slight lurch as the shuttle lifted off the floor of Shuttle Bay One and moved sideways, lining up with the large doors that were now opening on the far end of the room. As they parted, Spike could see part of the Earth against a background of stars. The shuttle moved slowly forward, revealing more of the picture as they neared the door. Exiting the ship, they moved across the outside hull, and Spike finally saw the whole picture. The giant, blue planet rested against the black infinity of space, slowly turning while clouds moved along its surface, like the dress of a dancer in a perfect, celestial waltz. The site took his breath away. He felt a tugging at his chest, and yet his dead heart refused to beat in sympathy. A tear rolled down his cheek at the sublime misery of it all.
The view turned and the Earth began to race at them as they descended. As they broke the atmosphere, the small space craft shuddered against the forces pressing in on it. They punched through a bank of clouds and Spike could see the ground coming up alarmingly fast. They seemed to be headed for a patch of forest next to a river. The shuttle suddenly planed up as they reached the tops of the trees. Spike watched as the tops of the trees sprouted up from the bottom of the front window and grew past the top. Another small lurch announced that they had landed.
Spiked waited as the door in the back opened and the other two stood and walked past him. He stood and followed the two out of the craft and into the clearing in front of a quaint, single story cottage. The Doctor and Tuvok started to make their way to the house, but Spike grabbed them both by an arm to stop them. He wasn't sure exactly why, but he could tell that something was definitely wrong.
Benjamin's finger hovered above the buzzer to Picard's office in the Federation Capitol Building in France. He had no idea what this was about. The Admiral had asked him to transport down shortly after he had left Sickbay. The idea had scared him out of his mind. Whatever it was couldn't be good, especially since Admiral Picard had only asked for him, and not both him and Siegel.
Finally, feeling a bit like a coward, he pushed the button. A muffled 'Come' sounded from the other side and the door, recognizing the command, opened. Picard's office wasn't especially big, but decorations made it seem a warm, inviting place. In stark contrast to the Academy, Starfleet Command, and every ship that Benjamin had ever been on, the room was decorated in dark oak, with a number of paintings and artifacts lining the walls. Against the far wall was a large book shelf completely filled with old fashioned, leather bound books. The thing that caught his eye though, was a case filled with a number of ancient long boat models. Each was meticulously crafted with the care and precision of a master.
"Those ships," Picard said from behind his desk, "Are my favorite decoration. Exact replicas of the French Navel fleet, circa fifteen hundred A.D. I made them all myself."
Benjamin continued to stare at the models, "That's very impressive, Sir," Benjamin looked at the older man, "I've never been very good with my hands. I prefer writing holo-novels."
Picard smiled warmly, "Why don't you have a seat."
Benjamin sat in the old fashioned, leather upholstered seat opposite Picard. The Admiral leaned back in his own chair and considered Benjamin for a moment. The seconds ticked uncomfortably away under Picard's scrutiny. Benjamin knew well the man's record. His command history was taught as part of the "Great Captains and their Influence on Modern Starfleet" course at the Academy. He wondered briefly if the Admiral knew that, and if so, how that made him feel.
"I called you here," Picard finally began, "Because I wanted to have man to man discussion with you. You and Commander Siegel are going to be joining the Enterprise on the mission to the Neutral Zone. I wanted to be sure that certain issues between yourself and Captain Riker were settled before they became a problem."
Part of Benjamin knew that he should just say 'Yes Sir' and try to end this meeting as quickly as possible. He needed to get back to the Enterprise and coordinate with Riker and the rest of his crew. Not to mention that the old man scared the wits out of him. But the truth was that he respected this man. A number of captains in Starfleet would give their right arm for the opportunity to have a heart to heart with a living legend like Picard. In the end, he decided to be honest.
"Sir, I'm the youngest captain in Starfleet history. I'm pretty sure that the only reason that I was promoted is because of my ability to resist pain. I was just so eager to prove myself, and when my ship was destroyed, it was like my entire career had been ripped away. I know that seems callous, considering that so many people lost their lives, but its how I felt. Lashing out at Riker was stupid, I know. I guess I was just looking for someone to blame other than myself. Having thought it through, and hearing the rather blunt advice of my first officer, I really have no problem with Captain Riker. He did what anyone is his position would have done and if not for him, I'm sure a great many more lives would have been lost that day."
Picard nodded and thought for a minute, "You studied my career as part of your Academy requirements, correct?"
Benjamin nodded. He guessed that answered the question of whether he knew that he was part of the curriculum.
"Did they mention the mission where I and three other crew members were transformed into children due to a transporter accident."
Benjamin thought for a minute before responding, "Yes, but I didn't know that was you. That case was taught in 'Applications and Side Effects of Transporter Technology.' It was a fascinating case, but not really my area."
Picard looked surprised, but didn't comment on it. Instead, he said, "Well, suddenly I was physically twelve years old. I thought that if I just walked onto the bridge and gave orders, the crew would follow. I remember quite clearly the feeling of dread when they stared at me like I was cadet trying to give orders. After some convincing by Dr. Crusher, I handed command over to Riker. It looked as though a cure would be found, but then there were complications.
"Renegade ferengi attacked our ship and seized control. I almost lost the ship while I was a twelve year old boy, and I have never forgotten how that felt. I remember thinking that if I lost the Enterprise, I would go down in history as the captain who lost his manhood, then his ship."
"How did you regain control of the ship?" Benjamin asked, sitting on the edge of his seat.
"We used the fact that we were children to our advantage," Picard suddenly laughed, "I had to pretend to be Riker's son and throw a tantrum to be allowed to see him." The old man flailed his arms about in his chair, repeating "Now, now, now" in a falsetto impression of a child's voice. Benjamin, taken in by the image of a crusty old Starfleet Admiral throwing a tantrum, began laughing as well.
The laughing died out in fits and an uncomfortable silence stretched between the two. Finally, Picard cleared his throat, "My point, Captain, is that I can see where you are coming from. But the behavior you exhibited on the Enterprise is completely unacceptable. I need to know, before I send you out on a mission of extreme importance, that nothing like that will happen again."
Benjamin nodded, "I understand, Sir. My behavior was unbecoming of not only myself, but also Starfleet. Nothing like that will ever happen again."
Picard smiled again, "I'm glad to hear that. I want you to head back up to the Enterprise and tell Captain Riker that we had this discussion. Tell him whatever you feel is necessary to clear the air between the two of you. We can't-"
"Enterprise to Admiral Picard," Riker called through the comm., cutting Picard off midsentence.
Picard touched his Starfleet badge, "Go ahead, Number One."
"Sir, Could you and Captain Benjamin return to the Enterprise. I'm afraid I have some very disturbing news."
Tuvok and the Doctor stood, weapons drawn, with Spike at the front of the property belonging to Chakotay and Seven. Trying to get a handle on what had startled the vampire, the Doctor's eyes scanned the rapidly darkening landscape. With his left hand, the Doctor pulled his tricorder and took some preliminary scans of the area.
"I'm not getting any life signs," he said.
"No, you wouldn't," Spike said.
"What do you mean?" Tuvok asked.
"The air is thick with the smell of blood," he responded, "It isn't fresh, at least two weeks old, but there has to be a lot of it."
"You can smell blood?" the Doctor asked, impressed.
"Yeah, it's one of my many amazing talents," Spike said, "Wait here."
Without waiting for an answer, the vampire ran and leapt up to the roof of the small cottage. Landing lightly, he walk casually to the other side and dropped out of sight. The Doctor found his abilities amazing. There was no scientific explanation for his superhuman strength and agility, not to mention his heightened senses. His muscle mass and sensory organs were no different than that of an ordinary human, but he did things that far exceeded any mortal man's abilities. Even the tricorder couldn't pick up the minute traces of blood he could, yet he said the air was thick with it. After a few moments, the door opened and Spike stepped out.
"Come have a look, Boys," he said, "But you're not going to like it."
Spike stood in the back of the room while the Doctor and Tuvok looked at the mess with their fancy little machines. There was very little of the body left, mostly just smears around the kitchen. The smell hung heavy in the air in the kitchen, at once intoxicating and revolting. The demon within him yearned to be set free at such an obvious slaughter, yet his soul cried out at such a foul murder. The contrast twisted his insides. It was feeling he had gotten used to in the last few years, but it still made him sick.
"So, is that your friend?" he asked, already wanting away from the grisly scene.
"I don't know. I'll have to compare these samples on the ship. There, I'll be able to tell how many victims we have here, and who they are."
"There's only one person there," Spike said off handedly.
Tuvok, looking at his little machine, raised an eyebrow, "You are correct, Spike. How did you know that?"
Spike tapped the tip of his nose in answer. Tuvok nodded absently, reading off his little display, "One person, male, most likely Chakotay."
The Doctor closed his device with a snap, "That means that Seven could still be alive."
"Shall we saddle up then, Boys?" Spike asked.