"Beverly!" she heard from behind as she was exiting her quarters. She turned and found Picard walking up to her on the corridor.

"Jean-Luc!" she greeted him expectantly as he stopped next to her "Have you heard back from Riker and Troi?" she asked on a low voice.

He nodded with a dead-serious expression "It seems they found something, but they were not willing to elaborate over a channel."

"What's their ETA home?"

"Around an hour." he replied, then as an officer passed them by, he motioned for her to go back to her quarters to have some privacy.

"What is it?" she asked after the door closed behind them now really curious. She could see that something else was up too, not only the secret mission to Epsilon Twelve.

The Captain took a long breath before he started on a grave voice "Beverly, I don't think there's a gentle way to break this to you, so here it is: Premier Jones received permission to take Mr. Mils and Lieutenant Jones into custody. He may take them with him to Epsilon Four any time he wishes."

Beverly gaped shocked, feeling her life sucked right out of her "No..." she breathed. After a moment of stunned silence, she turned and was about to run to sickbay - not even fully knowing what she wanted to do there, she just knew she had to do something! Anything! But he stopped her, taking her by the arm "Wait a moment, I'm not finished."

She looked at him turning back to him now visibly upset "Is there more?! My best friend is in a coma that I cannot cure, and will be taken away by her monster husband, but you say there's more?!"

"Beverly, calm down! Please..." he told her on a low but firm voice, and she took a shaky breath trying hard to fight the tears running to her eyes.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered "It's just..."

He closed the distance between them, and gently rubbed her arm out of comfort "I know, but not all is lost." as she looked at him with a faint hope in her eyes, he went on "The Federation granted Jones' petition but only partially. There was one condition of taking Emma, and that is her being conscious."

She looked at him with dread in her eyes for a long moment, before she whispered "What...?"

He bowed his head feeling horrible over what he was about to tell her "This is why I wanted to talk to you about this in private." he looked into her eyes again "I know you're working better than your best to revive her. But right at the moment, the best would be if..."

She pulled her arm out of his gentle grip bewildered "What are you saying?! You mean I have to choose between her freedom and her health?! And I'm the one to make this choice?!" she shook her head "Jean-Luc, I'm a doctor! How could I..."

"Beverly, I'm not asking you to keep her in a coma!" he pleaded "All I'm asking you is to think about taking your researches on the subject a little more easy to give us more time."

She sighed helplessly pulling her shoulders up and turning her palms upwards "For god's sake, Jean-Luc... I cannot make such a choice about anyone's life! Especially not about Emma's!" she bowed her head lowering her arms "As if I had a choice at all..." she whispered almost ashamed.

"What do you mean?" he asked frowning.

She looked at him and her expression reflected desperation, and shame as she answered on a thin voice "Oh, Jean-Luc... I-I'm out of ideas... I tried all possible revival procedures, all medications, everything." he looked at her shocked as she went on "She hasn't reacted to anything." she shook her head feeling her eyes fill with tears "She's all alone now... It now all depends on her. Whether she is willing to live and to wake up!" she whispered letting her tears fall.

He couldn't watch her being so tortured. He just couldn't. He pulled her into a firm embrace, and she mumbled against his shoulder in a sob "What am I gonna say to Data?" she asked "How could I tell him-"

But before Picard could say anything to comfort her, her combadge went off: "Ogawa to Doctor Crusher!"

They entangled from their embrace, and she wiped her face in her sleeve before answering on a choked voice "Crusher here!"

"Doctor, Premier Jones has managed to enter Lieutenant Jones' ward!" Alyssa told her panic-stricken. They stared at each other speechless for a moment, as the nurse went on "I've already told him I'd call security, but he said he had the Admiral's permission. Shou-should I call security or-"

The Captain cut in "Nurse Ogawa, this is Captain Picard! We're on our way, don't do anything!"

They turned in union and rushed out of the room.


Data was pacing his small cell nervously - he didn't think he'd ever felt this emotion before! It seemed quite a trivial kind of feeling, one that humans experienced several times a day, but he never really had any reason to feel it till now. But now!

Would Counsellor Troi and Commander Riker find anything? Would it be enough to stop Premier Jones? And how come Doctor Crusher didn't find a way to revive Emma? Why was there no change in her condition? He sighed eyeing the panel on the wall: he wanted so much to just break out of here and...

And? And then what? Take her away? Away from the only place she could have a hope to be cured? What if they were caught? He'd surely never see her again - lying in pieces in the Daystrom Institute. He turned and walked to the other side of the room: what took the Commander and Counsellor so long? What if they wouldn't find a thing? What then? Ah... he sat back on his berth and drummed with his fingers on the mat. What then?

His agonizing inner debate was interrupted by the opening of the brig door at the far end of the corridor. Frowning, he stood slowly and stepped to the forcefield to see who was coming. He was stunned to see Earl Mils led by two security guards into the cell opposite his, and locked up behind a forcefield. The guards then walked back up to the entrance, where their on-duty colleague sat, and they started to talk silently.

Data turned his head to look at the old man, who seemed to be watching him with a hard expression.

"Mr. Mils. Why were you brought here?" he asked, and Earl had to admit, he rarely had seen the innocence in a grown man, that Data displayed while asking that simple question.

Earl spread his arms cocking his head with a bitter smile "Our mutual friend wanted you to be in good company. I hope I don't disappoint you."

Data frowned understanding that the old man was not serious, simply joked sarcastically. However, there was a taunting edge to his voice, which he couldn't comprehend. "I do not understand." he said finally.

A mirthless chuckle rippled through Earl's thin lips "Of course you don't... May I ask you a question too, Mr. Data?"

The android nodded cocking his head in perplexed curiosity "Of course, Sir."

Earl stepped up to the forcefield and looked into his eyes with an unforgiving glint in his own "What the hell are you still doing here?" he hissed.

Data's frown deepened with his confusion. He shook his head "I don't-"

"You have the ability to break from here. To get yourself and Emma off this ship, out of harms way, into freedom. And yet... You've spent your last three days here, doing what? Defragmenting your filesystem? Or archiving memory dumps? Or simply enjoying a good theoretical debate. By Plato or Socrates perhaps?"

Data shook his head again, getting more and more bewildered with every word the older man uttered "Mr. Mils! How could I?! Emma needs the best medical care she can get, and Doctor Crusher is better than the best! There's no reason to deprive Emma of her exceptional expertise. Premier Jones has no power to do anything against her here, on the Enterprise. Mr. Mils, I know you haven't had the fortune to live under Federational legislature for the past few years, but Emma is protected by Federation law just as the rest of us! No one can harm her as long as she is on the Enterprise! No one!"

Earl gaped at this seemingly really stunned: "You do believe that, don't you?" he whispered and after a moment, took a few paces away from the forcefield. He took a slow circle in his cell pondering on this grimly.

Data's eyes wandered over to the guards - they were still talking, it seemed they didn't really care that they were having a conversation too.

"Mr. Data." he heard Earl's voice again. This time it was calmer, and that unfamiliar taunting edge to it was gone.

"Yes, Mr. Mils."

"You asked me why I was brought here." to Data's nod he went on patiently "Premier Jones handed in a petition based on an existing Treaty of Rendition between the Federation and the government of Epsilon Four. Today, he was granted the right to take me into custody, to take me back to Epsilon Four, where I can by tried, prosecuted and finally sentenced most probably to death."

Data gaped at him shocked, and Earl had a sneaking suspicion that if he had the ability, he would have grown pale - paler than he already was, he thought wryly. He stepped back to the forcefield and locked his gray gaze to the android's golden one.

"Federation law ceased to be in effect the moment Jones set foot on the Enterprise. Weren't you there too at the meeting, where he managed to talk himself out of all the incriminating evidence? Even of doing business with Romulans!" he demanded now on a hard voice.

Data shook his head still clinging to his belief in the very system he was raised in - and mostly in his family's power to protect them "Mr. Mils, Premier Jones managed to do that only because he has the Admiral's trust! Captain Picard is working hard to find out how he can manipulate our superior like that! He'll never allow you to be taken away under such circumstances! Please, trust him!"

"Trust him." Earl nodded raising a sceptical eyebrow "Do you trust him?"

"Yes!"

"Even with my life?"

Data let out a long breath feeling frustration building in his neural net "Mr. Mils... Please... This is..."

Earl cut in wanting to get an answer - and a decision already: "Just answer the question! Would you trust your Captain's ability to fight Premier Jones, if the thing at stake was my very life?"

Data looked straight into his eyes: "Mr. Mils. I'd trust him with MY life - I already have several times. You can trust him too!"

"Aha... And what about Emma?"

Data frowned suspicious "What do you mean?"

"Would you trust your Captain to be able to protect even Emma? If it's HER life that's at stake?" Earl demanded, and as Data looked at him visibly torn, he finally felt, it was time he drew his point home "I'm asking because mine was not the only name on that petition, Mr. Data."

Data stood there with his mouth open, he didn't move, didn't blink - probably didn't even draw a breath as he finally understood what the old man was implying. "No..." he heard himself whisper.

"Oh, yes, Mr. Data! THIS is Premier Jones' world! THESE are his rules! That there are no rules! No moral! Nothing can stop him to reach his goals! He wants to take his wife home? He does that! Does he have to make her a criminal and drag her home by force? No problem!"

"No!" Data uttered with clear desperation written all over his features. He shook his head in denial "Mr. Mils, this is impossible! The Federation couldn't have granted him the right to take a coma patient anywhere! This is impossible!"

"A matter of detail! Do you really think, it would take him much to find a way to go around that little detail too?! For god's sake, he had YOU, a Starfleet officer arrested! Don't you feel his manipulations on your own skin?!" his hands came up into fists feeling frustration wash over him seeing a man with the abilities to save all of them - but not believing his own eyes, that he had to make a move! "Wake up, already! You're not on a Federation starship anymore! Not even in the 24th century! You're on Edmond Jones' personal playground! At the very center of it, no less! Why do you think he pushed you out of the picture the very first opportunity he had?! You were in his way to Emma! What more are you waiting for to happen to believe your eyes?!"

Earl's hard voice was loud enough to finally draw the attention of the guards. One of them walked up to them, and Earl stepped back from the forcefield.

"You're not allowed to talk to the Commander!" the guard declared standing opposite him, and Earl raised his hand apologetically.

"I know, I'm sorry!" he said sitting down wearily on the berth.

Data took this in only at the periphery of his senses. He just stood there feeling his heart beat quicken as panic spread around in his neural net. Jones WILL take Emma away! He'll have his way again! The way he always had! He'll possess her again! And this time, she doesn't even have the ability to at least try to defend herself! No! He could not allow this to happen! He could not allow Jones to continue his machinations! No.

He raised his head determined and jumped to the panel he knew contained the key to his freedom. He tore the lid up effortlessly and threw it away in one motion.

"Commander! What are you doing?!" the guard shouted at him, but before he took the few steps to his cell, Data had already reordered the isolinear chips, pushed a button on the panel, and the forcefield disappeared.

The guard stopped short, shocked at the stunt, but he didn't have more than a moment to contemplate his misfortune: Data jumped him, and using the Vulcan nerve-pinch on his shoulder, knocked him out.

"Hey!" he heard from the front of the brig corridor, and a moment later, the familiar sound of a phaser flared up - set only to stun. It hit him, but it couldn't stop him. In a few leaps - and a few more shots hitting him - he grabbed the gun in the hand of the guard. The young man looked up at him with dread in his eyes, as Data took his gun away and simply squeezed his fist, crushing the phaser into a shapeless piece of metal.

He then looked over at the other Ensign - a female just as young as the others "I believe you do not need further persuasion to cooperate." She simply dropped the gun staring at her once commanding officer wide-eyed. Data looked at them with calm eyes "I do not wish to incapacitate you. Despite what you might be thinking, I detest violence. So please, hand over your combadges and then walk into the cell I've been occupying in the last few days."

They obeyed without making a sound. Data activated the forcefield over them, then walked to Earl's cell, and let him out.

"That was pretty impressive!" the old man complemented stepping over the threshold.

"I'm not proud of committing mutiny, Mr. Mils!" Data declared as he picked up the unconscious guard effortlessly "I simply realized that you're right." he admitted as he lay the Ensign on the berth of Earl's cell. He then activated the forcefield, and they walked up to the computer console at the far end of the brig corridor.

"There's a monitoring system in use, that notifies the bridge-crew, if a brig cell should be occupied, but it's vacant for longer than a few cycles. With placing my once-colleagues behind the forcefield, we bought ourselves some time - but not a lot." Data explained as he pushed the buttons with amazing speed.

"What are you doing?" Earl asked now really getting curious.

"I'm rerouting the transporter commands to this console, so that we can activate the site-to-site functions from here. Needless to say, it'd be inadvisable for us to walk about on the corridors. I'll also get rid of the transporter logs." he pushed the last button, then looked around, and seeing the phaser one of the guards dropped still lying on the ground, he bent down for it and picked it up. He then looked at Earl and handed the gun to him.

"Precaution? Or plan-B?" Earl asked raising a suspicious eyebrow taking the gun into his pocket.

"As you may have just seen, Mr. Mils, I am capable of defending myself without the advantages of a gun, but you might make use of it. It's set to stun. I'd like to ask you to keep it that way."

"Will do. Thanks..."

"Let's go." Data commanded and reached down to the console to activate the transporter.

"Eh, Mr. Data!" Earl touched the android's arm to stop him for a second. Data looked at him surprised, and the old man gave him a small smile "Wouldn't you think we'd be more effective as a team in our little rescue mission, if we dropped the formalities?" Data went on blinking at him with his usual deadpan expression, and Earl extended a hand "I'm Earl."

After a moment, the android took his hand with mild surprise on his features and shook it "Data." his lips curled upward for a second before releasing the hand in his. He then reached down and touched the button that made them disappear into tiny, shining particles.