Chapter XIX
"Oops," a voice rang out as he felt his ears stop ringing from the explosion. Picard opened his eyes and examined the strange white space that he was in and checked himself for injuries. After discerning that were none, he looked around and discovered that he was alone. Everything had occurred so quickly onboard the Enterprise, but he was certain of one thing; he had survived. Q, he thought miserably, I suppose he'll gloat about that too as soon as he chooses to show up.
"Captain, are you quite all right?" another voice said and he turned about and smiled at Data before commenting, "I thought you went to your quarters." "I did, sir and Counselor Troi was with me. That man in the white jumpsuit was there and ordered me to charge the main deflector and send out a resonant pulse," the android answered and then asked, "Why are you dressed like that?" Picard looked down at his clothes and found that his companion was correct; he was wearing his dress uniform. "Unless we've run into another temporal paradox, I believe that this is Q's doing," he paused and added, "You look quite spiffy yourself, Data."
The android explained his blue coat before commenting, "Thank you Captain, although the idea of fashion has always eluded me; I have often been given compliments on my meticulous grooming." "Was that sarcasm, Data?" he asked. "I was trying to lighten the mood, sir," his friend explained. "I understand; but the question is… where is Q? This is usually the time that he likes to mock us to our faces," Picard commented. Suddenly, the nature of their surroundings shifted to a dimly lit room filled with raucous voices and a table which was all too familiar to him. Data concluded, "Perhaps he is hoping to tell us something without speaking to us directly."
"Nevertheless, his twisted sense of humor is still influencing what we are experiencing. I must say that I prefer this method a lot more," he said, turning to the bartender and stating, "Romulan ale, please." "Captain, are we not still on duty? As I understand, Starfleet frowns on officers who choose to indulge while at their posts," the android reminded him. "We're hardly on the Enterprise any longer. None of this is real, Data. Besides, it relaxes you," Picard commented.
"Very well, then I will have the same," his friend decided. "Living a little, are you?" the Captain asked and then added, "While we're here, perhaps we can discuss what has happened to the Enterprise. Why would that alien order you to do that?" "I am not certain. Perhaps he was attempting to free us from the anomaly. I can only assume that he miscalculated," Data said. "Then it is possible this individual is on our side?" Picard asked in confusion. "I am afraid that I do not know. After the recent actions by Ambassador Lincoln, I can only conclude that her partner did this because of some hidden agenda," the android replied as he reached for his drink. The bartender accidentally dropped the glass and his immaculate suit was immediately drenched. Data said, "I apologize, sir. Let me clean that up."
"It's quite all right… I already told you that none of this is real," Picard said and looked around the bar before commenting, "We should keep a low profile, since there's a good chance that I've been here before." "I do not understand, Captain," the android observed. He turned to his friend and said, "Are you having trouble paying attention, Data?"
"I am afraid that I do not know what you are talking about. My systems are working properly. Are you all right?" the android asked. "Yes I-" Picard paused and looked down at his outfit to find that the stain was gone. "Data, I thought I spilt a drink on this suit," the Captain said. "Perhaps the experience of leaving the Enterprise has disoriented you. How could that be possible, since there is nothing here?" Data asked. He looked around and saw that they were in the white space.
"Never mind that; we've already had this conversation. I believe that Q is trying to tell me something," Picard explained. "If he is attempting to give you a message, then why would he repeat the same event?" Data asked.
"It has to do with our situation," the Captain discerned and then concluded, "After this concludes, we will likely return to the Enterprise… perhaps to beginning of the anomaly; but why?" "If Q is hoping to give us the answer to this predicament, he should tell us directly," Data decided and then looked around and said, "Why are we in a bar?"
"Q taught me a lesson here that the past should not be changed… it's a long story, I'll have to relate the details later," Picard said. "He is probably trying to teach us something similar now, Captain," Data discerned. "What do you mean?" he asked, turning to the bartender and adding, "When these events happened before, you reached for the drink and it spilt on me… then we returned to the beginning of our visit here." "The drink could be likened to the anomaly itself, Captain. It is highly unstable and if it were tampered with, the results could be disastrous; much like a stain on your uniform," Data decided.
"Then the answer is obvious. We simply prevent the drink from spilling," Picard said, reaching for the glass and as he took hold of it; he lost his grip and the wine fell onto him again. "Are you all right, Captain?" Data asked. Picard stepped back and looked around at the emptiness again. "Q!" he yelled out, growing tired of this game.
"I believe that Q has sent us here to-" the android began; but he cut off his friend, saying, "I know, Data; this is the third time that this sequence of events has occurred. It has something to do with the anomaly. We will be transported to a bar in a few minutes and order a drink. The first time, you tried to grab it and the drink spilt. The second time I did the same and dropped it… what do you make of this? It's obvious Q is trying to give us a message, but what?" The android seemed taken aback by his outburst, but then adjusted and said, "An interesting analogy…" "What do you mean?" Picard asked.
"If what you said actually occurred, then perhaps Q is telling us not to interfere with the anomaly at all," he decided. "But that doesn't make any sense. He has been taunting us all this time," Picard said angrily. "You are correct, but there is one way to prove my theory. When this bar appears and your drink is placed on the counter, neither of us shall reach for it and we will see what happens," Data suggested. "Very well," he agreed. Soon, their surroundings changed again and Picard asked, "How did that man control you so easily?"
"I am afraid that I do not know. However, his actions are similar to those of a race encountered by Captain Kirk. In fact, now that I think about the events; I am rather certain that the alien I met is the exact same type listed in the historical accounts," the android commented. "So how old does that make him?" Picard asked. "Hard to say, sir. For all we know, time may not have anything to do with their aging process. Consider Ambassador Lincoln; it is most likely that they recruited her and used the same methods to keep her alive for many years," his friend suggested. "But what is their goal?" he wondered. "It would be useless to speculate. Perhaps we should focus on why we are here instead," Data stated. Picard nodded in agreement and as the bartender approached with their drinks, they both allowed him to set it down and the Captain asked, "So, is that it?" But then unexpectedly, the drink tipped over on its own and spilled onto the surface. Picard stepped back in surprise and said, "What is the meaning of this?" "Oops," a voice said from in front of them and he looked at the bartender and barked, "Q! Explain yourself!"
"You know, Captain… this is probably, what? The one-thousandth time that I have saved you and your toy robot and what do I get? Criticism!" the omnipotent being stated. "Is there a point to all of this?" the android asked and then added, "Captain Picard has informed me that he watched this drink spill twice because one of us interfered. And now when we chose not to, it still falls over." "That is correct," Q said with a wink. "All right, you've had your fun; now tell us why you did this," the Captain said. "I'm sorry if you're too limited to see the point of my little illustration, Jean-Luc. Any thoughts?" Q asked, turning to Data.
"Considering everything that the Captain has told me, all three times the drink spilled; either because we became involved or not," the android said. "And?" Q asked. "It is entirely possible that… we want for it to fall over?" Data asked.
"So we're not to interfere at all. We'll simply allow time to take its course?" Picard asked. "Well, it seems that you are not entirely hopeless; but you have yet to grasp the answer!" Q said in frustration and then explained, "I thought that I could make it simple for you, but it would seem I have to spell things out. If you interfere and try to stop the anomaly; you will all die. If no one does anything and you allow the disturbance to spread… poof! End of the universe! Which, by the way; you just missed. Rather spectacular too, I might add. Are you getting the picture?" "But if we cannot stop it and we must do so to survive… I do not follow your logic," Data said.
"Go chew a battery," Q said dismissively and the android disappeared in the blink of an eye. "Where did he go?" Picard asked. "You'll be following him soon enough, Captain. The answer is obvious. You humans are always trying to tear things down and don't stop for a second and ask yourself… what if we do want the drink to spill, but at the right moment?" Q commented.
"You want us to make things worse?" he asked in confusion. "If you don't, everything that you ever hoped to accomplish will be done for," the entity said gravely. Picard paused and asked, "Are you afraid of what will happen, Q?"
"I've been here a billion times before… or was it two?" Q said dismissively.
"Then why tell me the outcome?" Picard asked. "This is how it has to be, Jean-Luc… there's an old story from a land not too far from your beloved home, of a little boy who put his finger into the dike in order to save the village. All well and good… except that now he's stuck. Can't leave, or everybody dies. But if he stays… well, a lad's got to eat; you know. Eventually, he has to decide when to let it all give way," Q said with a smile and then offered him a drink and added, "The universe has a way of… course correcting, to employ a phrase from a rather dull form of entertainment once enjoyed on your planet. Everything that ever was and is and shall be and can be defined by one moment. The sooner you grasp that truth, the easier life will be for all of us."
Then Q raised his hand and snapped his fingers and Picard was whisked away. Around him, the air was filled with smoke and the clamor of alarms and he frowned; realizing that he wasn't where he had expected to be. "Captain, are you all right?" Riker inquired. "I'm not certain, Number One… what is our situation?" he inquired. "We just experienced a series of malfunctions following a pulse from our deflector dish, but everything appears to have been stabilized now," his first officer reported. "We're still orbiting Cardassia Prime," Jean-Luc muttered.
"Sir, I should let you know that the man both Data and I saw has escaped," Troi began, but he waved his hand dismissively and said, "I don't believe he is our enemy any longer. But perhaps you should bring Mister Data to the bridge. I believe that we shall need his expertise very shortly." As Deanna left, he looked over the scene before him and considered what they had learned. "What are our sensor readings during the last few minutes?" the Captain asked. Will examined them, frowned and said, "We don't have any." "There should always be some record… unless the universe really did end. The question is, why are we still here? Picard wondered.